I think that’s intentional, since on the island we learned that (spoiler)
Summary
Tosh’s real mission for the Emperor is to catch and stop rebellions from happening before they start. Tosh had been reporting back and getting direction on all of the MC’s movements the whole time…and the MC is pretty angry about learning that at first, and about being used and left in the dark. We know Tosh is seemingly willing to do whatever it takes, and is a good liar–even if the intentions we have seen so far have usually been to help the MC somehow, by playing a role as an antagonist, like in the shogi match or trial.
Tosh also sees themselves as a sacrificial pawn (for the Emperor, or whoever he/she is serving I suppose–including the MC). The MC observes this during the romance and is bothered by it.
But at the end of book, after watching the battle, and the MC turning back into a heartless killer, I wondered if Tosh was starting to question things. Tosh wonders if there’s no end to the Emperor’s nightmares…like, the demons are just going to keep coming…so it will be interesting to see if Tosh’s loyalty to the Emperor will remain as strong, or if he/she would be willing to compromise a mission if it meant going after the MC.
As for Jun, nope, I think Jun/ko will be a big part of the next book, and probably is a romance option too.
I finally finished SoH3 even though I bought it when it was first dropped on the Playstore. And I have to say, it was intense.
The experience I felt for each characters hits hard so much especially since I made my Ronin the protective type. Poor Ige… I was fond of him.
I don’t have much to critique but probably a clearer warning for those who are sensitive to some topics would be nice. But for my side, I don’t find them too graphic in nature unlike the GoT novels I read.
As for Toshio, I have been one of those who have been were waiting for that RO moment since Book 1 and I was happy with it and felt natural to me. However upon reading a couple of previous post, it is quite sad to see that our ninja still pines for you even though yoi rejects him. And that ending… Gah… It broke my heart… A future for him… I wish it was easy. I would love to see my Ronin to have a peaceful life at the end of this with Toshio by her side. Seeing the rest of Hyuga happy and peaceful that includes her new family, Masa, Hatch, Daisuke, Momo, Kohaku and even Nishi… Is it too much to asked?
As for Kohaku, I really feel bad for him. I really hope there’s a way to tell them that our Ronin was clearly off the market but hoping this will clear up in the future books.
Finally finished 3rd book. Excelent just usual. I am also interested are those Berserk refferences intentional? Not that I mind, just curious about it.
I think the author got a lot of inspiration from samurai theme mangas. I get a bit of RK vibe to it but I heard that Berserk are much more mature oriented that I get the feeling that he might draw some inspiration from them as well.
I’ve been curious about this scene in Book 2 where the MC has a vision of Junko giving birth to some demon spawn and our ronin can either allow it or abort it. What was that scene trying to convey? It was uncomfortable to read but what did it actually mean? Was it foreshadowing something to come, was it an allusion to something that had already occurred?
@MultipleChoice In regards to Tosh, I got a feeling that my Ronin became a rebound girl after I read the massage scene. Will we be able to address this issue with Tosh in the future?
Yeah, I got the same impression during that scene with Tosh. But considering the ending, Tosh is effectively an ex lover now, seeing how the MC leaves Tosh (and the whole group) behind after getting their memory of Jun/ko back. So unless something happens to bring them back together,
I don’t know…
I will say this though, our poor MC seems bound and determined to accidentally end up in love triangles at all times.
Well, I thought it was a nightmare brought on by the thing with Sadao. He killed his pregnant wife, I think out of jealousy…so I imagine the MC fears this same kind of scenario could play out with Jun/ko. Or I guess that it could be symbolic of the MC’s bond with Jun/ko and their fears and struggle to fight that connection (choosing to abort the “demon baby” or let it be born).
Momoko loves (craves) the MC. Toshie loves (worships) the MC. Junko loves (owns) the MC.
They all have constructed divergent versions of the MC that inhabit their mind akin to a psychic parasite or a fabricated reflection to the genuine autonomous article. Reciprocating the feelings of either individual character would confine the MC towards the directly compatible aspects of each of their ‘love’ and thus leave them incomplete as an individual.
Romance really just might be a distraction from the self-discovery our tormented ronin needs to undertake. However the character drama invoked from this distraction is always entertaining and in some capacity neutralizes the problem of confinement if the MC is made to react and recognize the aspects that ROs become enamored over.
I was merely surprised by how meticulously well-written your post was as most people on the internet don’t usually care about such formalities. This forum is frequented by writters, professionals and amateurs alike, and not even they, who live by the word, tend to be so… orthodox about it. Just be warned that “big words” can lead to some misunderstandings as not everyone here is an english native speaker.
@Harian, that’s a really good observation…playing as a female Ronin, it wasn’t lost on me how all the male characters appear to be projecting something onto her…from a replacement mother figure, to an idol, savior, etc. And likewise, my Ronin appears to be describing Jun every time she fantasizes (this is really apparent with the perverted personally type…she thinks to herself that all men ought to smell like sex, alcohol, and smoke). I wouldn’t say it’s a distraction though, it’s a dark and really interesting exploration of how we project our past traumas onto others. There was a discussion earlier about this being the reason why Jun/ko is so jealous and obsessed with killing Masa.
The dream about Junko giving birth happened waaaayyy before we even find out that Sadao killed his pregnant wife. So it can’t be that, but it may be something else entirely.
What if that scene is a memory of an abortion? Our MC and Jun/ko were together for quite some time during which they had lot’s of sex and chances are with no protection either. It’s entirely possible our female Ronin (or even Junko) had or were about to have a baby but due to complications (physical) or otherwise couldn’t. Whether we chose to give birth or not could be symbolic here, namely it being desired or not.
It could also be that, assuming we go on with it, we had a baby but it was either abandoned or never made it (since there’s no mention of it afterwards, not even a hint). If this is true then I guess it’s fair to say the traumatic events just keep on piling up… how much more drama can a person have in their lives before they go bonkers? How much mental fortitude does our character have to stand and sound like a relatively stable person after all that has happened to them?
Well I can’t exactly comment on that because I never play as a female though. Personally I’m not sure what that was supposed to symbolize but I’m willing to learn what the others may think about this since I’m completely clueless on this.
And that ending… Gah… It broke my heart… A future for him… I wish it was easy. I would love to see my Ronin to have a peaceful life at the end of this with Toshio by her side. Seeing the rest of Hyuga happy and peaceful that includes her new family, Masa, Hatch, Daisuke, Momo, Kohaku and even Nishi… Is it too much to asked? 