章節 355: Gintama's Mitsuba Arc
With the first two episodes of Ultraman Dyna aired, discussions exploded online. The hashtag #UltramanDyna on Weibo saw new posts with each refresh.
"Those planes in Dyna look so cool! And they can combine and separate? But will the toys be sold separately? That's going to hurt my wallet! I still need to buy the Dyna transformation device."
"Yeah, and if there are three planes, which one do I buy? I can't decide, I want them all!"
"Heh, kids make choices. Adults buy everything!"
"My childhood is ruined! The Victory Hawk has been reduced to a training plane..."
"Yeah, I was hoping to see Captain Iruma and the old team."
"Come on, if they haven't been promoted after seven years, it just means they weren't doing too well."
"But speaking of which, did you guys see the info about Dyna's blue form? It has superpowers, and it seems even stronger than Tiga!"
"You're just making stuff up! Tiga could KO him with one Zeperion Ray, no problem!"
Soon enough, the nostalgic thread veered off course.
Fans began debating the power levels of Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna.
As for Nexus? It didn't really count, since it wasn't part of the same universe. But since Tiga and Dyna shared the same world and had many similarities, fans were more inclined to compare their strength.
Some fans argued that based on the official details, Dyna was clearly stronger. His speed and superpowers made him stand out.
"Tiga would be completely outmatched! Tiga's fastest form is just agile, but Dyna is both fast and has superpowers. In a two-on-one, Dyna would win hands down!"
"You really think two ants can beat a human?"
Ren noticed that his fans kept tagging him in their posts, asking him to clarify which Ultraman was stronger. But he ignored them.
Back in his previous life, debates about which Ultraman was the strongest were always common. No matter what answer you gave, it was impossible to satisfy everyone. Even if the original creator gave an opinion, some people would still say things like, "What does the creator know about Ultraman?"
Some time later, Ren finally finished revising Steins;Gate and prepared it for release.
Before launching the series, he posted a teaser on Weibo:
"Do you want all the merchandise from my works? If you do, I'll give it all to you! Read my new series. If you understand it before the contest ends, you'll get everything I promised!"
...
While fans were still arguing about Tiga and Dyna, Steins;Gate was released!
Daniel, standing in line at the bookstore, was eagerly waiting to buy the new issue.
This time, the Porter's new release, Steins;Gate, had everyone buzzing.
The promotion for this work claimed it was the "slowest burn" of all the Porter's series. And there was a special challenge:
If readers could fully understand the story early on, they would win a complete set of Porter merchandise — from Ultraman Tiga to Kamen Rider and Fullmetal Alchemist.
This piqued the pride of many fans.
After all, they considered themselves masters of interpretation. Even if a story had no deep meaning, these "understanding kings" could find layers upon layers of hidden meaning, often surprising even the authors themselves.
Daniel considered himself one of these "understanding kings."
As a self-proclaimed expert on the Porter's works, Daniel couldn't stand being taunted like this.
Sure, he already owned most of the merchandise being offered, but who would turn down free stuff?
So without hesitation, he showed up at the bookstore to grab his copy of Steins;Gate.
After waiting about ten minutes, he finally got his hands on the new issue and rushed home, drawing curious glances from people on the street.
Once he got home, he changed clothes and followed his usual routine: he started with Gintama.
Though Gintama was a Japanese samurai manga, it offered him a blend of excitement, emotion, and humor.
The series was rich with various elements, but the one Daniel liked most was its seemingly unreliable characters who, in fact, held profound life lessons.
"Hmm... so this time it's about Sougo's sister?"
He noted the introduction of a beautiful young woman in the story, recognizing her as Sougo's older sister, Mitsuba.
Through flashbacks, Daniel learned about the origins of the Shinsengumi's core members: Kondo, Sougo, and Hijikata, all of whom hailed from the Bushu region. Hijikata and Mitsuba had been in love, but when Mitsuba suggested going to Edo with him, Hijikata had turned her down. Afraid he couldn't guarantee her happiness due to his uncertain future, he had rejected her.
This was why Sougo harbored such a deep resentment toward Hijikata.
At last, Daniel understood why Sougo always schemed against Hijikata in earlier storylines, often trying to get rid of him.
It made sense. After losing both parents, Sougo saw his sister as a maternal figure. For Hijikata to break her heart, of course Sougo would be angry.
However, seeing Sougo — usually a mischievous and free-spirited character — act so obedient and gentle around his sister felt odd to Daniel.
The contrast was striking.
Mitsuba had returned to get married, but not out of love. She wanted to show Sougo she was happy so he wouldn't worry about her.
Her fiancé, Kuraba Touma, wasn't a good man.
He planned to use Sougo's connection to the Shinsengumi to cover up his arms smuggling operation, hiding under the guise of Mitsuba's "loving husband." Even as Mitsuba's condition worsened, he continued his shady dealings without remorse.
This enraged Hijikata, prompting him to storm the scene alone to confront Kuraba.
"Seriously, why didn't you act sooner?"
Daniel shook his head in frustration at Hijikata's hesitation.
Hijikata and Mitsuba were clearly in love, but he had let his fears of dying and leaving her behind drive them apart.
Rather than facing the unknown together, Hijikata had selfishly pushed Mitsuba toward another man, all while thinking it was for her own good.
Daniel thought, How could he know if she would've cared?
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