Part 1 had raw emotional gut-punches and stakes that felt real. Part 2 feels like Fujimoto is deliberately trolling his readers with abstract storytelling that goes nowhere satisfying. The Asa/Yoru dynamic is interesting but the pacing has been glacial. I love Fujimoto's work but this feels like a passion project that lost its thread.

Ten years ago liking anime was a niche interest. Now every celebrity name-drops Naruto, Crunchyroll is a billion dollar company and anime merch is everywhere. On one hand the content is better funded and more accessible than ever. On the other hand we're already seeing studios chase lowest-common-denominator popularity over creativity. Is mainstream success worth the cultural dilution?