Anyone read History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi?

Started by dadudemon41 pages

So what happened to master boobies at the end?

I don't understand that page where Ma grabs her and she's now super white and naked. WTF happened? Did he kill her?

Also, only 1 more chapter. :'(

Looks like I have to grow up, now. This manga was one of those manga I started reading in high school, my senior year. Sniff sniff, it's the end of some great mangas: Naruto, HSDK, Claymore, and prolly some others I am forgetting.

Buried :c

Originally posted by BloodRain
http://bato.to/forums/topic/2463-the-recent-chapters-discusion-major-spolier/page-3

"There's something else about Kenichi that we can deduce from the portrayal of his fights. At the beginning of the manga, Kenichi knew a small amount of techniques which were called out to us, and used very basic nameless punching and kicking techniques for the rest. In the newer fights, Kenichi still uses techniques, but they blend into the background, no longer being worth of being called to our attention. It has been a long time since Kenichi learned specific techniques like they were introduced all the time at the beginning.
The last technique he learned was the Korui Nuki, which isn't very interesting as a technique itself, but allows for interesting moments in the fight by virtue of pointing out the weak points in the opponent's guard. Note however, that learning the Korui Nuki required Kenichi to master his center of gravity completely. Kenichi's way of moving is beginning to transcend into the realm of superhuman, which is a clear mark compared to the very interesting scene when he and Miu entered Diego's ship and Miu just walked up the chains while he climbed. Now he probably could do that as well. It's the first really distinct step into the advanced ways of moving that the masters use.
Back to the techniques. There are more or less only two attacks of Kenichi that are still called out. One is the Mubyoushi, the other the Korui Nuki. (The Seikuken and Ryusui Seikuken might be as well, but those are rather passive techniques.) We have just discussed the Korui Nuki, but lets have a lot at the Mubyoushi, since it's actually a much more important step in Kenichi's growth.
What has been called out, and rightly so, is that Kenichi's fighting progress is divided between mental and physical. Kenichi learns stuff from his masters and uses it (and even that is getting rare now), but he does not really advance his understanding of martial arts. But the Mubyoushi is the one thing standing against this. It is the only technique Kenichi ever developed by himself and it has been by far his strongest one until the advent of the Korui Nuki. It is a technique symbolic to his growth as a fighter, since it combines the basics of all his punching styles by his own understanding of their workings. It's the first piece of the combined style we are waiting for him to develop. This is what has to happen more often, and it is behind schedule.

Note also how most of Kenichi's special techniques, save the ones he learned at the very beginning (which we don't see that much anymore), are not so much specific moves as passive ways of moving. The Seikuken and Ryusui Seikuken are about controlling his space and reading and controlling the opponent's rythm. The Mubyoushi is a way of punching that combines multiple ways of generating force. The Meotode is a way of moving both hands in a synchronized fashion. The Korui Nuki is, although portrayed as a kick up until now, the principle of forcing the opponent to guard and then breaking through the guard's weak points. These are all fighting principles rather than fighting techniques.
This very much conforms to the master's idea of making Kenichi a fighter who rules through the complete mastery of the basics. Kenich isn't supposed to learn advanced techniques, he is learning advanced principles of fighting that are expressed by using the basics more effectively.
The Mubyoushi is how every of Kenchi's punches is supposed to work at his completion. The Korui Nuki is what he will do every time an opponent guards. He will always be in the Ryusui Seikuken mode. Unfortunately this makes for less interesting fights, but that's why these new principles are shown to us in the form of techniques. If you compare an early fight with the fight against the Muay Boran kid whose name I just forgot you will see that the latter fight has a lot of very nice fighting panels without any technique being called out, simply because they all integrate passively into Kenichi's basic style.

However, to achieve this ultimate integration, this mastery of basics Kenichi himself has to step up again and further his own independant understanding of his martial arts. This isn't something he can learn (although he can practice for it). It's one of the parts of seriousness Kenichi is so sorely lacking, the drive to work and think on martial arts independently instead of just repeating his master's exercises. We know he can do it, and when he did it was a major jump in power for him. Most of his important fights were won with this technique. But we don't see any of this inspiration right now. Kenichi has been watching his master's fights for quite a while by now. Hopefully it will get him thinking."

I hoped for this to be true.

Whats with these ending chapters being anticlimactic with a rushed feel?

I didn't notice this the first time I read it but did Renka just become master class?

But yeah I'm kind of sad to see this series go. But I'm surprised the author didn't kill Dumbledore...I mean Hayato.

Too bad Renka fight was off panel and resolved. I do wish a squeal would come out after this.

Sucks that shigure brother and her, didn't get screen time for whatever they were gonna talk about.

I know right? Quite a few things that had to be shown and resolved. Like what Ogata and the remaining Hachiou would do now, Shigure and her disciple brother, the whole family thing with Saiga and Hayato and Miu, Kenichi expanding upon his new Ki control... so much to it that I don't know where to start.

But in an odd way, I can kind of accept this; if this had kept up, it'd be just like how things go in Marvel and DC: the villains show up, the heroes fight them and not kill them at all, villains get locked up but prisons turn out to be utterly useless so they break free and start all over again... since the Katsujinken will never kill, the Satsujinken can just keep on coming. And since they all train constantly, it'd literally be a never ending manga. So I can kind of understand why it'd be coming to an end...

The Kenichi chapter came out kind of earlier than expected. Guess its all over now.

Sure is. Not sure how I feel about the ending. Especially the last page. While it's nice to see the two actually hook up for good, we didn't see how they looked like as adults. We don't know if Kenichi actually fought the elder for the right to date/marry Miu. Hell, we don't even know what happened with Saiga.

Yeah and what was the point of blocking out what Kenichi looked like even though the author shows, what I presume, is his daughter. Also while I don't expect or really want a sequel, this ending felt incomplete IMO. Though I do find it funny how Ogata is allowed to do whatever he wants: guess he didn't care too much for the weapon users.

Kenichi as a novelist eh. Manga says he mentioned it early on but I couldn't find it. Seems like an odd choice for Kenichi.

Needed more Tanimoto, Ogata, Freya, and Renka.

"I'll Rimi-Rimi you Ryuuto-sama!"

Wut? lol

Also, is anyone here a big enough badass to find when it was mentioned that Kenichi wanted to become a novelist? Because I don't recall that at all.

I think it came up twice. Once between the start and a few chapters after the introduction to the Masters, and I think when he was talking to Chikage about plants.

Maybe.. All I know it I definitely know it came up enough to get bringing it up at the end

Guess Shigure's sword bro doesn't get any closure. Also I'm a tad disappointed we didn't get to see more of Kenichi's parents one last time.

Still have no idea what chapter Kenichi said he wanted to be a novelist.

Me neither.

Seems like he'd be a gardener. Or like a Firefighter.

I like the last panel. Gives us hope that there could be a new series that starts when Kenichi first hits master class (because dat arm is huge) on up through Legendary Master Class to win Miu.

But I suspect that the way it would happen, this entire time, is Hayato would let Kenichi win..but it would be a decent fight.

I wonder if the male protagonist of the new one-shots, will he meets up with Kenichi daughter later? Be awesome if Kenichi himself, could be a the grand-master of that new series, who is teaching the protagonist how to fight? 😗

So what are everyone's overall thoughts on HSDK?

Well overall I thought it was a solid underdog story that turned into a typical shonen...and then turned into something completely outrageous. Also while I did drop the series for a time due to how extreme the fanservice was, I eventually learned to tolerate it.

So yeah I can safely say that I like the series as a whole even if the ending felt incomplete.

Incomplete indeed. The only good thing about the ending was the whole closure thing on Kenichi's and Miu's relationship and even then a lot was left out of that (did Kenichi beat Hayato, etc.).

But the author is doing new one-shots? What are they called?

Originally posted by dadudemon
I like the last panel. Gives us hope that there could be a new series that starts when Kenichi first hits master class (because dat arm is huge) on up through Legendary Master Class to win Miu.

But I suspect that the way it would happen, this entire time, is Hayato would let Kenichi win..but it would be a decent fight.

With all of the training from every master there, and his ridiculous advancement compared to other talented people his age, I find it very plausible that he could defeat Hayato. Especially if the fight occurred several years down the road.

Considering that, from the looks of it, he and Miu were in their late twenties or early thirties, it's certainly plausible.