Shonen Beam

[scanlation by Trinity BAKumA]

Joe’s fury is palpable. Arai’s art style may be alternative, and could well be an acquired taste, but it conveys character emotion excellently.

If looks could kill (then Joe would be more relevant)

Coco was bright enough to detach the ‘D’ and ‘R’ keys from her laptop keyboard, which surely is intended to be a hint that “Dr.” Cloteaux is the perpetrator. Sadly, while such a clue is blatantly obvious to the audience, we have to wait for such a realization to strike the characters. I appreciate Coco’s intelligence and quick actions being discreetly praised, but it’s unfortunate that Arago isn’t quite sharp enough to catch on right away.

Poor Colo. Violence towards animals, especially towards animals that have been established as “good,” is an easy (if slightly cheap) way of establishing the antagonist responsible as malevolent.

Cloteaux is playing this entire scenario by the book. Disguise as a friendly, win trust, learn about the hero, kidnap the girl, lie in wait with a sinister plan. Not only is this entirely too straightforward, but Cloteaux is also showing his hand far too soon. I was ready for a year’s worth of chapters with Cloteaux deeply embedded as a friendly, establishing bonds of trust with the main cast and slowly manipulating his surroundings in his favor. Instead, he acts now, barely after having been introduced, and much too early for the main cast to feel any sense of betrayal. I’m immensely disappointed at such missed opportunities.

Arago not realizing Coco’s message is bad enough, but Joe doesn’t see the obvious clue either?

...

Joe does ultimately hit upon the correct answer, even if by whimsical chance. I really had higher expectations for his powers of deduction.

Arago being saddled with Joe at his side may prevent him from using Brionac, but it does allow for more dynamic character interaction. Of  course, there is always the possibility (or perhaps eventuality) that Joe will discover Arago’s ability.

Cloteaux’s newest golem is a particularly horrifying creation, and one that surely must require the use of Brionac for Arago and Joe even to stay alive. If that ends up being the case, I think this will be too soon, as well. Unless Arai is being pressured into certain plot choices from his publisher, I find this pacing rushed and these developments unfortunate.

Of the possible options stemming from a kidnapping storyline, Coco being fused with a golem might be the best available one, but that still doesn’t redeem this arc. Coco hasn’t had nearly enough time as an independent character to make this scene carry a strong impact. Instead, any potential character development is thus far being eschewed in favor of the cheap thrill of a damsel-in-distress plot.

Cloteaux: So evil, he implanted a Simon Says game into her

Final Flash: A saddening display of authorial mediocrity. Arai, you’re better than this.

[scanlation by Trinity BAKumA]

Even if Arago is right to claim to be in trouble, the fact that his regeneration has kept him alive through this barrage is hugely impressive.

Arago’s insistence on staying out of the line of fire despite his Brionac powers is a comforting sentiment. This series would suffer immensely if Brionac evolved to the point where Arago could eschew clever tactics and trickery in favor of brute force. Some series work well with conventional shonen stereotypes, but AR∀GO would not be one of them.

The scene played out over only a half a page, but Arago refusing to fire Brionac in a manner that would kill a human has the potential to be a series-defining moment. Arago has always intended to protect humans, but this fact was never highlighted as intensely as this moment. Another more directly threatening moment could force Arago to reassert his refusal to use Brionac on humans, which would inevitably draw comparisons to pacifist protagonists such as Vash the Stampede and Kenshin, not that such comparisons necessarily would be unwelcome.

In stark contrast to the earlier reassurance provided by the explicit limitation of the regeneration ability of Brionac, the ability to fire beams is disappointing. The strength of this series lies in its exploration and adaptation of various myths and legends. This alternative feel has been complemented by the low-key Brionac power, which has somewhat resembled a Stand from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, in that it’s been shown as a limited power used in situational and insightful ways, rather than as a linearly-upgraded, Dragon Ball-style power. If Brionac continues to evolve down such a path, I can’t help but worry that Brionac would be overpowered for the subtleties of the legends AR∀GO explores, which could lead to Arai seeking balance by changing the overall feel of the series to a more traditional shonen style. Hopefully this is an isolated incident, but I admit to being wary.

Please, leave the shonen beams to the professionals

The next day, Cloteaux is noticeably absent from the investigation proceedings, and Coco is unreachable. After the disappointment of Brionac-beams, this is a pivotal moment. If Coco has been kidnapped for the purposes of a straightforward “damsel in distress” plot line, this series will have made major strides in an unwanted direction. On the other hand, if Arai defies expectations and uses Coco’s disappearance as an opportunity to establish her as a self-sufficient character, or at least varies a kidnapping scenario by having Coco actually suffer in some capacity at the hands of Cloteaux, then AR∀GO will still retain its unique feel compared to its shonen contemporaries.

Final Flash: Still an enjoyable chapter, but one that presents far too many unpleasant possibilities for the future.

[scanlation by Trinity BAKumA]

I’m still thrilled at the prospect of Cloteaux, the Black Horseman, being embedded within the group of perceived friendlies.

The exchange between Arago and Cloteaux doesn’t seem to have alerted Arago, who could stand to be a bit more discerning about who to trust.

Cloteaux staring intently at Coco potentially indicates a motive of his involving her. Kidnapping is the obvious choice, as it’s someone close enough to Arago that Cloteaux could threaten to bring Brionac closer, but it’s also such an obvious choice that it would be a little unimaginative of an otherwise creative author to rely on such a crutch.

Hello there, shonen hero. You’re looking dangerously like Tsuna in this shot, complete with Dying Will Flame. Cut back on that a little, would you?

As long as it isn't Reverse Resolve

Seth’s explanation, understanding, and coaching of the Brionac power makes me think Arago is going to be considerably stronger not too long from now. That’s exciting news for those of you who follow The Great Shonen Tier List, but it’s also somewhat worrisome, as much of the charm of Arago’s battles comes from the clever application of the limited Brionac ability. AR∀GO is not at all a generic shonen battle series, and the writing could suffer greatly if Arago becomes too much like a stereotypical overpowered shonen hero.

Not all shonen characters should have beam attacks

For being coy about his motives and his status in relation to Arago, Seth sure is proactively analytical about Arago. Granted, this is giving him an opportunity to learn about the power he’s chasing after, but it’s still amusing to see a character as intentionally distant as Seth drawing up detailed diagrams.

Arago is getting a named finishing move? What is this, Gintama?

Cloteaux’s new golem is appropriately fearsome, and it certainly makes an instant impact, ripping Arago to shreds. This will surely be a test of the regeneration ability of Brionac, and it’s enough of a dire and urgent situation to put Brionac to the ultimate test, especially considering how worn out Arago is from training.

Final Flash: Interesting insight on Brionac, great Seth moments, and a good villain, but a little too close to formulaic shonen for this series.

[scanlation by Trinity BAKumA]

This is a vastly different style of fight than Arago has had in the past. It’s no Ippo, but the focus on speed and precision provides interesting contrast to simple reliance on the Brionac power.

Arago bore the brunt of the werewolf’s finishing blow? This is some supreme confidence he’s showing in his regenerative abilities.

… and evidently, given that he just regenerated his entire left arm from bone and limp flesh, he was right in doing so. Whether the power itself has improved or Arago is simply more adept at using it, Brionac is more impressive now than it ever has been.

Notable sign of improvement

Underneath the pelt was “just some normal old guy.” On one hand, I appreciate that the focus remained on the pelt, since that myth has proven extremely interesting. On the other hand, it’s a slight disappointment that this plot is entirely self-contained, rather than linking to any larger premise, whether or not that would involve Patchman.

So, according to Seth and what little I know of nutritional science, Brionac and the wolf pelt are similar because they’re both like supernatural caffeine?

Final Flash: Ultimately, this arc (and particularly this chapter) served to provide some insight into the nature of Arago as a character, but little else. It was enjoyable, but the conclusion of this mini-arc feels strongly of missed opportunities.