Hikkatsu! Strike A Blow to Vivify Vol 2

[meganbmoore]

When we left off in volume 1, Momoko, the girl who was raised by pigeons, and Shota, the young man who accidentally killed his sensei trying to save him after his sensei was attacked by a rampaging backhoe, and who has been attempting to perfect the move, the One Shot No Fail Repair Blow, in a Snowy Cabin of Emo Solitude atop Mt. Fuji, had left Mt. Fuji so Shota could practice the One Shot No Fail Repair Blow as he travelled the world. Along the way, they were joined by a con artist named Kanji, who thought he could pimp out the One Shot No Fail Repair Blow to line his own pockets. At the end of volume 1, they were accosted by Ninja Girl, the daughter of Shota’s fallen sensei, who blames Shota for his death.

We will now begin volume 2…

CHAPTER ONE:

We learn that the Aurora Lights are what cause the machines to go haywire. Ninja Girl flashes back to 10 years before, the Tragic Day Shota and Sensei quarreled. After her father was attacked by the rampaging backhoe, Ninja Girl ran off to call an ambulance. When she came back, she saw Shota trying to heal sensei and mistook it for an assault. Ever since, she has seen Shota as being Sensei’s murderer, and revealed that she has watched him ever since, waiting for a chance to strike.

Momoko, of course, violently defends Shota, claiming that for all Ninja Girl knew, Sensei could have been "an evil space invader only posing as your father, and Shota had to fight him to save the world…NO! Not a space invader, a robot!! From another dimension!"

Personally, I think she bemoans that she’s a decade behind on the Shota stalking.

Kanji reasonably asks Shota if he was trying to save Sensei with the One Shot No Fail Repair Blow. Because Shota isn’t bright enough to think to defend himself.

They are saved from further exposition by rampaging machinery. Kanji distracts it for Shota by casting aspersions o its parentage. Ninja Girl attempts to kick it into submission. Momoko, sensibly standing on the sidelines with a pigeon on her head, comments that she could have done that. The machine headbutts Ninja Girl. Ninja Girl is much less sturdy than the machine. Now that her rival has been flung 30 feet and crashed into rubble, Momoko can afford to show concern.

Shota saves them all at the last second with the One Shot No Fail Repair Blow. Momoko is very proud of him. Shota attempts to use the One Shot No Fail Repair Blow on Ninja Girl, but misses, remembering that it not being perfected is what led to Sensei’s death.

Except…IT DIDN’T! Shota missed with Sensei, too. It was, in fact, the backhow that killed Sensei. Later, Ninja Girl realizes that Shota always wears a bandaid where Sensei cut him that fateful day because it still drives him.

It’s a very touching scene. In it’s Special, emostastic way.

When Shota says that he will not rest until he has fixed everything, Kanji points out that he can’t because it’s all caused by abnormalities in the Earth’s core. And then realizes that SHOTA’S ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO PERFECT THE ONE SHOT NO FAIL REPAIR BLOW SO THAT HE CAN USE IT TO REPAIR THE CORE!

CHAPTER TWO:

Momoko finds it fun to ride on the roof of Kanji’s van. I find this important. Shota, meanwhile, prefers to run in front of it. I find both to be a testament to how fast Kanji’s van can go. Shota likes to feel the Earth beneath his feet, in hopes of finding a good spot to dig down to the Earth’s core so he can fix it. Momoko comes up with the idea to remodel the van to be a drill. Kanji drives the van into a hole while bickering with her over that.

They seem to have arrived in a town where people randomly dig holes. The town itself is built on a giant pile of dirt, with a giant shovel sticking out of it. They learn the entire town is full of pitfalls. Momoko eventually gets fed up with this and uses her pigeon ninja skills on the townspeople. Kanji would have clapped if he hadn’t been constantly falling into holes. I think Shota has wandered off to see if the townspeople can help him get to the center of the Earth.

Note: "SECRET FIST OF THE PIGEON! FLUTTERING BODY, WINGED STRIKE!!"

The mayor wonders if maybe not everyone loves falling into pitfalls. Shota arrives and effortlessly avoids every pitfall. The mayor is impressed and asks if he’s a pitfall master, and calls him The Great One. The Mayor forgets what manga he’s in and points out things like how far you’d have to dig and the fact that the core is a teeny too hot. Shota is depressed.

Kanji and Momoko, meanwhile, valiantly wage war against the hole digging village people. And fall into and underground labyrinth. The trio reunites and go to a café and suddenly find themselves in an underground obstacle course. I am surprisingly unbothered when I can’t follow what’s going on here. Eventually, they end up in another hole with a table and chairs, and the waitress asks if she can take their order.

Shota kicks a shovel and somehow manages to stop a machine that’s rampaging downtown and makes it fall into a hole. Kanji sensibly realizes that she underground tunnels have made the area unstable. This makes Shota realize he must find an indirect way to get to the core. Meanwhile, the rampaging machine was not killed, and it rises from the hole and swears vengeance.

CHAPTER THREE:

Kanji drives so fast that Momoko can practice her pigeon ninja skills on top of the van while he drives. They have reached the wasteland that supposedly caused the disruption of the Earth’s core.

They find a town that is home to bean gun enthusiasts. Momoko reacts Very Badly to this, as bean guns are used to hunt pigeons. Momoko "introduces" herself to the townspeople by unleashing the pigeon and her pigeon ninja skills on them. Meanwhile, Shota wants to see if he can use the One Shot No Fail Repair Blow to fix the giant bean gun at the center of town. This, of course, will cause problems.

Momoko has sworn vengeance against all bean guns, and seems to be able to back it up. In the middle of this, she learns that Kanji and Shota, ignorant of her crusade, are offering up Shota’s services as a bean gun repairman.

WOE!

EMO!

ANGST!

Momoko reveals her origins to the boys. Kanji understandably freaks out. I think there’s some character development going on here, but I’m too distracted by the crack to be sure. Shota cannot abandon his life’s mission, though, and goes off to repair the giant bean gun.

WILL THIS BE THE END OF THEIR BEAUTIFUL ROMANCE???

Momoko gets shot by the bean guns Shota has fixed. SHE FEELS BETRAYED! And then he fixes the giant bean gun. THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL! Momoko accepts that Shota cannot abandon his mission and peacefully accepts her impending DOOM!!!

BUT HE HAS NOT BETRAYED HER!!!!

He fixed the machine so that it would plant beans and heal the land! Momoko feels rejuvenated and finishes beating up the village people. Momoko, though, has not forgotten that Kanji was putting his wallet before her life, and attacks him with a bean gun loaded with money.

CHAPTER FOUR:

A person in a bear suit is seeking a doctor for medical advice, but won’t take the suit off. Later the person wanders into town. I cannot properly relate this but it’s amazing. Meanwhile, the trio has arrived in the town of "The Inside Inspection Enthusiast Clan," who promptly starts going through their belongings. When they go too far and take Momoko’s shirt off, she finds and axe and a sword and offers to inspectthe insides of their heads. They sensibly flee for their lives.

The bear person(who I had forgotten Momoko was sitting beside in volume one when she and Shota briefly broke up, but the book has reminded me) wanders into town. The Enthusiasts start salivating at finding out what’s inide the costume. Momoko sees the bear person holding it’s belly and decides there’s a pregnant woman inside AND SHE MUST SAVE THE WOMAN FROM THE EVIL ENTHUSIASTS!!!

The townspeople announced to the entire town tat a costumed person has arrived, and a huge reward is offered for whoever manages to get the suit open. Momoko, swayed by 2 tickets to Hawaii and the possibility of a getaway with Shota, forgets her vow to protect the bear person. When they arrive at the hospital, they learn everything is broken, so Shota literally kicks it all back into shape. As payment, Shota is shown a holographic projection of the center of the Earth.

Momoko and Kanji are still trying to strip the bear person. I think they’ve agreed that Momoko gets the tickets and Kanji gets the money. I don’t think they’ve agreed on who gets Shota.

They…have decided to strip the bear person’s boxers off because the zipper won’t budge. Shota announces that he has found the impact point that will fix the Earth. Nobody cares. Shota actually has the awareness to wonder what is being done to the poor bear person. *does not relate the next few pages as they must be seen to be believed* Let’s just say the Inside Inspection Enthusiast Clan renames itself Avoidibg Gross Stuff Enthusiast Clan. Momoko declares that the bear person is joining the group.

THE END

It is now safe to eat girl scout cookies.