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Fred has posted the new comic to his Patreon. He'll post it to the main site and elsewhere probably tomorrow.

Ninja grrl is going to be miffed

At least we can be fairly certain that Miho hasn't interrupted Kimi and Piro

Invisigoth wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:52 pm

At least we can be fairly certain that Miho hasn't interrupted Kimi and Piro

True, she's headed away from the Foxhole, judging by the angles. But where is she going? Her first impulse would be to warn Mugi, but if she goes to the hospital, Stability will be on her like white on rice. Megagamer's is a possibility, but risky; she's associated with the place now by at least the NPC and possibly more factions. Her apartment is probably still hot, and the CoE is apparently being rebuilt without the help of the TPCD so it it will be a while until it's done.

Who else does she know? She and Junko were once friends, but no longer, so her place is out. Erika and Kimiko's apartment is a possibility, if she knows where it is, but at least three fan factions know the place.

Yuki's? Hmmm... maybe. Masamichi would have a blowout, but Meimi can handle her husband. It is implied that she and Miho have history. She might help Miho. And she would not approve of what Granny Ninja is doing.

I dunno. If Fred put Miho's escape/massacre right in front of the Foxhole, I doubt Miho is going anywhere else, at least at first. He could have had it happen anywhere. Though I suppose this could have been just a convenient way to show us Miho's escape without having to cut away to another story line. We'll find out soon.

Yes, it's almost certain that Miho took out all the Ninjas, but right now I find it very amusing to think that Mr. Loafers took them out.

Completely unwarranted random thought: Ninjas exist in order to keep stories from getting out of control, so they have absolutely no power over a storyless mook. Of course, if a storyless mook starts taking out ninja hordes on the regular they are going to find themselves with stories pretty quickly. Unless you get on that's aware enough to make sure they never actually get a story coalescing around them. Where did you think plot holes came from?

I know this is cymbalic of something, I'm just not sure what.

At present, I don't think Miho's attention is still on Piro and Kimi. Her last thought before being yoinked away by several ninja was how she was going to help Yaku out of the mess she got herself into. Seems to me that the something different that Miho had felt earlier has to do with Miho's story changing from a lonely girl who had circumstances forced upon her to a girl who actively gets involved with helping others out of similar fates.

I get off work and come back to this...... I need to sleep and this has me grinning and chocked full of excitement. Not a single word spoken, and probably one of the coolest comics this chapter.

Funny how Ashe's thoughts of disgust toward the old man evaporate when she sees the whupped ninja; she also sees the flower, but how about Miho?

Is the flower from Miho's hair?

Oh SNAP.

darrin wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:35 am

[blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda waffle] And then Miho shows up.

Looks like I interpolated a whole buncha crap that Fred just wasn't going to bother with. Kinda like Unbreakable where they cut straight to Bruce Willis in the hospital and you realize you've already missed the train wreck.

paarfi wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:05 pm

I dunno. If Fred put Miho's escape/massacre right in front of the Foxhole, I doubt Miho is going anywhere else, at least at first. He could have had it happen anywhere. Though I suppose this could have been just a convenient way to show us Miho's escape without having to cut away to another story line. We'll find out soon.

Ordinarily I would be 100% behind that analysis. I have a teeny nagging doubt though that the ninja were already bringing her to the Foxhole, so if that were her goal too, there'd be no need for the fight / breakaway at this point.

Peter wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 11, 2018 10:59 pm

I know this is cymbalic of something, I'm just not sure what.

Good reference to her shirt. LOL

Oh, I had forgotten that Junpei's grandma had tasked these ninja mooks with taking Miho to the Foxhole to "get going on [her] new story" [1528]. In some ways, that gives Miho good reason NOT to get into the love hotel, just to spite Ninjagrandma's plans. On the other hand, Miho did say that she wants to got to where Piro is so she can talk to him [1527], and, well, here she is.

If Miho is trying to be a good person, she will go straight back Grandma Ninja, all the while calling out for Junpei.

The only reason to disturb Piro and Kimiko is to create drama. Her discussion with Piro can wait, till a proper and respectful time.

TarsTarkas wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:37 pm

If Miho is trying to be a good person, she will go straight back Grandma Ninja, all the while calling out for Junpei.
The only reason to disturb Piro and Kimiko is to create drama. Her discussion with Piro can wait, till a proper and respectful time.

True. Yaku needs rescued, and that takes priority.

MoneyMan wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:25 am

Is the flower from Miho's hair?

I'm inclined to believe that it is. Ergo, Miho is probably nearby somewhere.

Kudos to Yl33 D4 N00b, MoneyMan, and Rapierman for pointing out the flower last panel and its almost certain connection to Miho. (I had wanted to agree with them this morning but was kinda in a hurry when I posted.) Remains to be seen whether Ashe is looking at an enraged Miho about to do who knows what, or a rapidly receding Miho off to who knows where.

On a (presumably) less plot-related note I am loving Ashe's ear-piercings that I had not noticed at all before (especially panel 7). A lot of cartoons (not just anime but western as well) will portray an animal-ish set of ears in addition to the human ears; hooray for Fred sticking to a (in some sense) more biologically plausible single set of ears.

Also Old Guy in the middle panel coolly continuing to check something or other on his phone while enjoying his coffee, unperturbed by the battle that just finished in front of him. I may be the only one not calling him Stranger Danger at this point but I am gonna keep holding out.

darrin wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 12, 2018 10:32 pm

Also Old Guy in the middle panel coolly continuing to check something or other on his phone while enjoying his coffee, unperturbed by the battle that just finished in front of him. I may be the only one not calling him Stranger Danger at this point but I am gonna keep holding out.

Well, seeing a young lady dressed in a kimono put the beat down on a squad of ninjas, his SEP field probably kicked in.

Miho may be going to the hospital to pick up Junpei, tell Mugi what happen and get some information on what is going on. It’s also possible she will make a quick trip to the Foxhole for information and pick up Ping along the way.

Way cool comic!!! =D

That said.
I personally do not think Miho would want to warn Mugi. Generally, I do not think it wise to tell a usually active mom who is hospitalized and seriously, painfully handicapped that her young teenage daughter is being kept by a spiteful ninja with whom her family has some old feud going. I would wager Miho will leave Mugi ignorant. After all, Miho can seriously help Yaku. Tell Mugi *after* she brings Yakugashi back to her mom.

Need-to-know? Negative.
Code of Love? Yeah. <3

I wonder if Junpei can actually do anything to help free Yaku.
Judging from grandma’s communications, I doubt it.
Picking up Ping? —Why!?—
Miho on her own? PWN63!

Haha, if I would be sitting there at one of those tables and a girl in kimono would drop a number of ninja right in front of me, I’m sure I would make sure to be *very* unobtrusively checking my phone.
He is saying, "I know *nothing*. NOTHING…!!!"

Cymbalic… well, yes, it would have made some noise. =)

jkhartl wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 12, 2018 11:34 pm

Well, seeing a young lady dressed in a kimono put the beat down on a squad of ninjas, his SEP field probably kicked in.

Well I would claim that if the majority are correct about this guy being the Stranger Danger creep who dates high school girls, then such a sight should on the contrary have attracted his immediate attention; he should still be in leer + drool mode (especially given the "haste" with which said kimono was applied and fastened).

Fred has stated in twitch that this guy is a "collector" in that he collects teen girls in some fashion....

There is an old Japanese science fiction movie, where space aliens would shrink specific humans to almost figurine size and store them in briefcases. Can't remember why or the title. Perhaps he examining the girls for shrink ability and long term storage in his briefcase.

A strip with no dialogue. Very classy.

I don't particularly associate the flower with Miho. A very similar flower was seen leaving granninja's hand when she dismissed Miho in [1529]. It still could be Miho returning the diss, or alluding to the classic motif of warriors falling like cherry blossom.

1. This guy seems pretty unable to be surprised. What happens, largely depends on who he is and/or what Ping does.
2. Miho was taken to here and didn't want to stay or at the least not under the control of others. We might though imagine she's going to where Yaku is or something like it.

If this guy saw what happened or can see the aftermath, either he self-explained it away or wasn't unduly surprised by it. Is anything visible, has he sepped it or not. He's not given much indication of who or what he is, short of not seeming to be freaked out by the odd behaviors of jun ping ko, and is now seeming to be patiently relaxing whilst waiting for her return. Yet I am guessing (short of him thinking this is Junko) that he knows about Ping and perhaps another few things about who and what is going on. As far as anyone knows, he not just knows what Ping is, and perhaps even arranged her substitution, but also what has happened to her, and even what's going on with Miho and the rest. Maybe none of that is true, sure, but we don't know either way. Which regardless if he has a professional link to Junko and thinks this is Junko, or knows it's Ping and is aware Ping is a robot, then there's nothing particularly pervy about him. In this case for these interactions. So far. Yet who he actually is, what he knows, and what he does remains to be seen. Still, we might be warranted in believing there's some reason he's here, some role he's fulfilling.

There's at least some indication bordering certainty that when somebody with flowered hair moves fast, that is signified by flower(s) left behind. Or at least we've been treated to such things a couple times recently. Which means that since the ninjas brought Miho someplace, which was supposed to be here, and they're apparently the ones lying around here, and there is flower-sign hovering, that Miho was here and has left quickly. Perhaps to hide (which is rather unlike her but we can imagine she's being sneaky and diplomatic etc) or maybe to return to unfinished business she was certainly focused on. Which if Miho's statement she wanted to see Piro was true, rather than the stated intention to go back to a resolved story just being a story-created or story requirement of sorts from the 'defeated sad girl hidden on ninja compound with wouldbe foxgirl author of new story' scenario. That the 'go see Piro' thing would seem to not take priority over 'youthful Yaku being kidnapped by vengeful ninja clan leader'. Which all sorts of makes sense, the source is just getting moved around plots with various characters rather than creating something herself as she drifts along virtually powerless or the like.

Maybe these are just variations of minor stories that happen here and there after the main one has been essentially mostly resolved. Say that might be something like respecting you own feelings or making your own decisions or making the best version of Sight that can be made as part of an emotive feeling empathetic team. Although no doubt it could all resolve into something nothing like that and which nobody expected. Which might be the one thing we should expect.

TarsTarkas wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:08 pm

There is an old Japanese science fiction movie, where space aliens would shrink specific humans to almost figurine size and store them in briefcases. Can't remember why or the title. Perhaps he examining the girls for shrink ability and long term storage in his briefcase.

Ah. So that’s where ‘The Borrowers’ originally came from. =D

Ningen wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:17 pm

I don't particularly associate the flower with Miho. A very similar flower was seen leaving granninja's hand when she dismissed Miho in [1529].

Uhm… I would still quote that same comic to point at a number of ninja that were dismissed by grandma with that same hand gesture and expression to take none other than Miho to — of all places — The Foxhole.

And here we are…

Perhaps I have missed the cymbalism — I might be taking things at face value too much, but… Am I missing something?