Reviews

Steel Ball Run tome 16 by Hirohiko Araki

redhairedashreads's review against another edition

3.0

 

3 stars - I liked it

TW: sexual assault

This volume focuses on Lucy and what is happening while she is hiding as Scarlet, the First Lady. While I have waffled on my feelings for Lucy, this volume took her story arc in a direction that I don’t really love. Lucy has been hiding as Scarlet for a while now and has been waiting for a chance to escape, which I don’t understand why it hasn’t come up yet because you have been traveling from Chicago to Philadelphia, but whatever. Now she is actually having a chat with the President and he notices she isn’t the same. When he comes on to her, the gig is up. Unfortunately, he doesn’t plan to take no for an answer and even says he doesn't care she is a spy and not his real wife, he will keep her around just so he can have kids. Just another reason to hate the president. So I don’t love that we have 14 year old girl dealing with being almost raped after being sold to Mr. Steel as a “fake” wife anyways. 

Lucy’s story goes even more off the rails when Lucy fights off the president's advances and while running away comes across the corpse body, which impregnates her. Yep we have a virgin birth storyline on top of all the Jesus Christ references. Lucy’s whole story from the beginning has been one that I have not been happy with but I thought it was getting better when she was finally fighting back and stealing the corpse parts from the president but we are back to her being helpless and at the hands of the President still. 

Outside of Lucy, we return to Wekapipo who has come to the rescue of Mr. Steel who is being targeted by Magenta Magenta because he has realized that Lucy was still alive and where she was. Magenta and Wekapipo battle it out and Magenta finds himself trapped in the bottom of a river protected by his stand but unable to free himself without the risk of drowning. 

While I didn’t love a lot of what happened in this issue, this series continues to be good and I am enjoying it overall. Also I will say I am always surprised by what happens in this series because it's never anything you would expect. 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

angelsbutchery's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

angietheace's review

4.0

Memes in this volume:


We live in a society


This is so funny out of context


Eventually, Magenta Magenta stopped thinking.


Gyro is legendary. I once read somewhere that everything he says is a shitpost and I couldn't agree more.

Let's just appreciate those faces up close...







Soft sleepy boi :)


Johnny's reaction tho... he is disappointed.

sashastorylover's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars

I like that Lucy has lots of screen time in this volume, but I don't like the development of her arc. Instead of her doing things on her own will, things happen to Lucy, unfortunate and unhappy.
I am not a fan of a 12 year old girl marrying 50 year old man plot point, even though we learn the reasons for it in this volume. I've disliked Steel since vol.1 and it's too late for me to change my mind.

All in all, this volume has been all over the place but I do think the next will be better because of what went down here.

CW: sexual assault