Perpetually in a state of reaction, the Edens Zero have constantly failed to close the distance between themselves and Ziggy over the past three years. Whenever they acquired pieces of information that led them to Ziggy, he was always one step ahead and one moment later. Without a proper information network, all the Edens Zero had been doing is filtering information that had already expired in terms of encountering Ziggy. Facing such a barrier, their encounter with Connor could be a blessing or a seed planted by Ziggy to blossom into the ruin that may end up engulfing them.
From my perspective, I don’t trust Connor at all. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Any consequences the Edens Zero now suffers by trusting Connor will be result of their own actions going forward. Could the information Connor provided be a clue to encountering Ziggy? Maybe. But it could also be a trap devised by Ziggy to ensnare and dispose of them once and for all. Ziggy has already tried to kill them several times before and he has been evading them for three consecutive years without misstep. If notice of an improvement in the Edens Zero response time was noted, Ziggy’s logic could have dictated that inevitably, the Edens Zero would eventually find him. A consequence of noting that possibility, Ziggy could have initiated a new plan of attack, one masked in deception and hope.
The stage the story is at is too early for the Edens Zero to encounter Ziggy. The Aoi Cosmos Arc just concluded with Witch saving the crew from Ziggy’s schemes. No additional build up has been earned to warrant an additional encounter with Ziggy let alone an opportunity to defeat him. Considering that, Connor’s presence with vital information about Ziggy is unquestionable suspicious. It is too good to be true and when things taking the appearance of a lemon seem too sweet, something is usually awry. And in this situation, the odd factor present is none other than Connor. I suspect Shiki will follow Connor’s information and inevitably activate Ziggy’s trap. In that moment, Shiki will come to learn about the gap that still exist between Ziggy and him. Shiki may be able to save himself in that situation or if Mashima-sensei seeks to continue focusing on Connor, he may have him break free from Ziggy’s control and assist Shiki by saving him from Ziggy’s trap. This could be the moment Shiki’s trust in Connor pays dividends and Connor finally becomes an ally that can assist the Edens Zero.
There is definitely more to Connor’s character but at present he is just incredibly suspicious to trust fully. Does Connor remember his alternate self presence aboard the Edens Zero? Rebecca, Pino and likely Shiki recall him to varying extents. I wonder if Connor could be a clone with different versions of him existing within the cosmos’s. But until further information is revealed about Connor, I’m completely with Rebecca. He is lying and cannot be trusted. If Witch were here, she’d agree too. I do wonder though if Rebecca’s creating a new timeline with her Cat Leaper ability affected Connor once again. For some odd reason Connor is affected when Rebecca uses her Cat Leaper ability to create a new timeline. So with the creation of timeline #31, did Connor’s story also deviate within it? If so, his presence and obliviousness to the similarities between the Edens Zero and Edens One could be explained. Connor’s varying changes begs the question, is he really human?
Special mention needs to also go to the artwork of the chapter. It definitely left one feeling more grateful than usual. The redesigns for Jinn, Laguna, Kleene, Sister and Elsie were fantastic. Mosco and Couchpo remained the same generally. Sister’s new outfit had flares of Witch in it. I wonder if she incorporated such elements into her outfits as a way to channel Witch. Also Mosco speaks nothing but the truth, a beating from Sister’s tongue should be considered a reward. Jinn’s new look is quite strange to say the least, is he embracing his inner Rambo or what? It is more wild than I am used to but I think I can get behind it with little bit of time. The same for Laguna. I am a fan of his pre-timeskip design but the change in his hairstyle to appear more glamorous and idol-like is something I believe I can support. The new look also serves as an expression of the change he welcomed after the events in the Aoi Cosmos. Kleene certainly matured. Her new look conveys so much ‘tasukaru’ or as is more commonly referred to in the v-tuber community, tskr (essentially means blessing). This whole chapter was a complete tskr for me. Kleene’s innocent, semi-shy and upbeat attitude with her new look hits on so many levels. That fine line between cute and sexy is definitely achieved.
As for Elsie, while it was a close up shot, we got to see that she is now showing a bit more skin. I would have definitely loved to see a full shot look of her new appearance. But I’ll wait as I expect Elsie to show again real soon. Also, I don’t know how it is possible but Elsie appears more softer and compassionate with her new mature look. Is Elsie also channeling her memories of Witch into the way she dresses? Whatever the case, with Justice targeting Shiki now that he is a member of the Oración Seis Galáctica, I anticipate the two shall meet within this arc. The fact that Elsie will also be deeply involved in the Kaede Cosmos Arc should be all the evidence needed to know that Justice will also be relevant. Where ever Elsie appears, Justice is not far behind. Hopefully this time as Justice comes face to face with Elsie and the Edens Zero, he comes to realise the misplaced anger he has been directing at others for years. The softer and compassionate look Elsie now has could be intentional by Mashima-sensei. Elsie doesn’t hate Justice the way he hates her and it could be that through the truth Elsie is aware of and the bond she once had with Justice, she could ultimately save him from himself. It is inevitable that Justice will come to learn of the deception behind Jesse’s details of the events regarding Creed’s death and through that betrayal, he may come to see his antagonism toward Elsie and Shiki in a new light, one that allows for more objectivity to be reflected. In this state, the kindness Elsie shows him could awaken the heart he froze in a cage of justice all those years ago.
Rebecca being an ultra popular b-cuber is such a surprise but with Couchpo present on the Edens Zero, it makes sense why Rebecca was able to reinvent her b-cube channel after some quality guidance was provided to her. The support Rebecca is gaining as the Edens Zero continues to travel through space will without doubt hold meaning. Similar to how Goodwin helped the Edens Zero because of his support for Rebecca initially, the fans Rebecca builds up in her community will have weight going forward. I did like how Rebecca answered Kleene’s concerns of Shiki’s status as a Oración Seis Galáctica putting her career as a b-cuber at risk. Rebecca doesn’t mind at all. Her friendship to Shiki has more importance to her than her b-cuber career. Rebecca is so wholesome.
I find it curious that even after a three year timeskip, Witch is still focused on by Mashima-sensei and the way he elevated Witch’s visor as an icon of her presence suggest a certain intention by him. Even after the intensely emotional farewell Mashima-sensei illustrated for Witch, he is still continuing to remind the readers that she exist and is important. It could be to provide further context to Shiki’s resolve but I sense something deeper in play, especially when Shiki’s resolve was already brought to the forefront just before the timeskip. The Edens Zero require Four Shining Stars but during the span of three years, Witch was never replaced – why? Why not introduce a character that can replace Witch when her death was planned since the start of the arc? The way the Aoi Cosmos Arc unraveled implies to me that even though Witch “died”, she did not die. The one character that could be written out of death in a sense was the character Mashima-sensei chose to have die. Going forward, I expect further clues to reveal themselves. If Feather ends up being involved in this arc, then there may very well be something in my madness. Very much looking forward to the next chapter.
12Dimension 