Kobato Chapter 16c

Ah Kobato. The manga that is updated once a month with only 16 pictures. Yet I look forward to a new chapter every month because I am that in love with CLAMP. That and I think they have put a spell on me to be a crazy follower no matter what they put me through. So yay for a new chapter and BOO for another 30 days until the next one comes out.

WISH is taking over Kobato this week XD

The funny thing about this Kobato chapter is that it's not even about Kobato. It is like WISH the epilogue. Which is fine and dandy. XD I kinda wanted a follow up to this story anyway and it kinda ties in with this universe. It's just a little sad because now we have to wait another month to get any dirt on Kobato. CURSE YOU CLAMP!

So on with the spoilers for both WISH and Kobato. And lots of pictures. Woot for pictures.

More clueless heroines? (Heroes?)

Ginsei establishes that Kohaku is an angel thus she has no need for Mr. Bear's food. She (he?) informs Ginsei that the food is not for her but for Shuichiro. Ginsei wants to know who Shuichiro is and for some reason Kohaku can't come out and say who he is at all during these 16 pages. Bad Kohaku for putting the crazy animal through more craziness.

But that does make me wonder how SPECIAL of a friend Shuichiro is. I mean after all this time can't Kohaku just say Shuichiro is her (his?) boyfriend? Lover? Or is CLAMP forever going to use the phrase "special person". Maybe it means more than I think it does. But for me I rather use a definitive title and not be so vague with my relationships.

Everyone in any CLAMP manga needs a hug.

Mr. Bear tries to explain to Ginsei that Shuichiro is a doctor and suddenly it's cue the sad music. Are you serious Shuichiro? You are still a doctor and you still aren't putting Kohaku first? Sadness fills my heart. But in the end it does make sense. Shuichiro was meant to be a doctor and help people no matter how many times he splats and comes back. And that is why Kohaku loves....that is why Shuichiro is Kohaku's special person. Kohaku admires how much dedication Shuichiro has to his practice and patients. So she puts up with being lonely because she knows this is Shuichiro's calling and she wants him to be happy.

Someone is out of the loop and not liking it. XD

Ginsei freaking out some more about not knowing who Shuichiro is. This happens like every other page. I guess he is freaking out since he knows everyone in Heaven, Hell, and the other world and has no idea who this Shuichiro is. Angry creature is angry and homicidal.

Say the magic words and he is off!

Ginsei finally learns that Shuichiro is some random human and the subject is sorta dropped. Kohaku is there picking up some food for him yet Ginsei is unimpressed now. That and he isn't really thrilled about working at Mr. Bear's shop anyway. Only when Mr. Bear mentions Ioryogi's name does Ginsei get into gear and actually wrap up the food. Me thinks that there is a bit of a rivalry going on with these two. But just a little tiny one. XD

Stop making Kohaku look old!

Ginsei stops having an attitude problem and asks the obvious question. Kohaku is an angel hanging out in a shop with Other World Beings. That is probably grounds for her to be turned Chibi forever and forever. Oh but wait. Kohaku has been banned from Heaven remember? X_X I really didn't think it was going to be forever but that does make sense. In a way. Or at least she should stop being an angel so she can live her live out naturally with Shuichiro and they can both die and be together in heaven. As non humans. I swear it all makes sense in my head. I just want everyone to be happy.

Of course the next page Kohaku explains that the punishment has been over for a long time and she chooses not to go back to heaven because of Shuichiro. So the question still makes sense. And why wasn't Ginsei made aware that Kohaku was punished? I thought the three worlds were connected and gossiped like crazy.

Basically that was my face too X_X

Ginsei just keeps asking great questions. I really like that Ginsei is asking what the readers are thinking. Or at least this reader. I guess this page wasn't much of a question but more of a statement. Either way he makes a point of saying that Shuichiro will only live a max of 100 years and Kohaku nods. Oh and also says that she has been parted from Shuichiro 5 times now!

X_X

I do remember saying that I wanted to know if this WISH storyline was before Shuichiro died or after. I got my answer. I just didn't imagine that it would be WAY after. I mean even if Shuichiro has a habit of dying at 25 each time he is reincarnated (which means Kohaku would get 9 years with him each time before he splats again) we would be at a minimum of 100 years in the future. And WISH wasn't set in the distant past. And Kobato isn't set in the way future. So um...yeah.

Of course that is really not the point but I am special.

This sounds so sad and lonely....

The real point is that Kohaku has waited all that time to wait for a person who just going to die and leave her again. Then she has to repeat the cycle over and over again. Tsubasa loop?! Again in a way that makes sense. But reading about it makes it much more sad. Is Kohaku really going to do this until the end of time, meeting Shuichiro again and waiting for him after he dies? Such a sad existence. :( I would hope the "god" of this universe would take pity on Kohaku and change Shuichiro's existence to angel stance after some point. They really deserve to BE together instead of just spending brief periods of time in the same place.

5 times?! I just don't know...

That is real devotion. Crazy serious devotion.

But at the end of the day it's about Kohaku and what makes her happy. If she wants to wait for this person to come back time after time that is what she should do. Yuko's voice plays over in my head about how people's wishes might not make sense to us or might not make them happy in a way that we think they should be happy. But this is what Kohaku wants to do so she should be supported for that. And Shuichiro should love her more because of what she does for him.

It does mess with the mind a little bit. Not every Shuichiro will be the same as the original. Each will be raised differently and none of the new Shuichiro's will meet Kohaku in the same way. The first Shuichiro made a connection with Kohaku while all the new Shuichiro's inherit Kohaku. Again it might not make me happy or make sense to me but this is CLAMP. As long as the soul is the same people seem to be happy.

That's okay Ginsei. Most of us don't get it either.

After all is said and done Ginsei still doesn't get it. Which is what I have been saying all along. Sometimes when people are so devoted to an issue/person it is hard for people on the outside to get understand the situation. And I think that Ginsei isn't very familiar about the whole love issue anyway so it is twice as confusing to him. But Kohaku just smiles as she must get this a lot. There is a bit of small talk and she finally receives her packages.

Originally I had thought that WISH was going to play a bigger role in Kobato but now I am not sure. It seems like things got wrapped up quite nicely in this chapter. :( That makes me sad but at the same time Kobato should be about Kobato. Cameos are nice and mentions of Heaven/Hell/The Other World are necessary. So we might not be seeing Kohaku for a while. At least we know she is okay and happy with her decision to stay by Kohaku's side.

Well that came out of nowhere X_X

Oh look it's Kobato!!!! Finally she makes an appearance. She must have just left divorce girl and is running to make it to work. She is deep in thought over how emotions can change over time. You can love someone so much and that emotion can disappear. So Kobato wonders if it can work the other way around. Can you hate someone at one point and learn to love them? Cue Kobato turning the corner and looking at Fujimoto.

Silly Kobato. She never hated Fujimoto to begin with. But she probably did dislike his holier than thou attitude he likes to give out. She is now wondering if what she has been feeling lately towards him, that emotion she couldn't put her finger on, could be love. The scene is so serious and pretty...you know the next chapter is going to be Fujimoto making her mad about being late and she is going to go AS IF I LOVE HIM. It will be lovely and confirm to all that it truly is love and it will take 58976 chapters to get to that point. And we will enjoy every minute of it. XD

So that is all for Kobato this month. And it wasn't very Kobatoy at all. But it was lovely just the same and I shall look forward to next month's impending Kobato abuse. XD See ya in 30 days!