It’s back to the present for the “Succession Arc”.   Somewhat refreshed, I would argue, by the trip down Spider memory lane.  Anything that helps break down this (fittingly) blue whale of a story into minnow-sized pieces is certainly welcome.  It’s still the least personal arc so far and the hardest to get a grip on, but somewhat more human now than it was.

I also thoroughly approve of Nobunaga being the focus character, because he remains the most interesting of the Phantom Troupe for me.  I never tire of he and Phinks being at each other’s throats, because there’s no sense of anything good-natured or tinged with grudging affection about it.  They’re the poles of the Troupe, and they seem magnetically opposed to each other most of the time.

The Spiders continue to try and puzzle out the “Room 301” mystery, about which Phinks and Nobunaga have rather different ideas.  Guinea pigs are useful to a point but they only reveal so much, and the arrival on the scene of Hinrigh of the Xi-Yu is a crucial break (seemingly) for the investigation. He volunteers himself on the grounds that the Heil-ly are a common enemy, and manages to get the Spiders present to hear him out.

Predictably it’s Nobunaga who’s the most receptive to what Hinrigh has to offer – using his Nen ability to disguise a homing device as an oyster (which he swallows – convenient, as Nobu and Feitan are hilariously unwilling to do so).  Nobu in fact even follows Hinrigh when he lets himself be transported, reasoning that the two of them together will have a better chance of making the plan work.

As usual with this arc, these chapters are extremely dense and wordy.  Yet it’s still fascinating to watch the Spiders try and meitantei their way through this mystery with their usual swagger.  What this “land mine” reveals is the Heil-ly hideout – which more than anything else plays like a junior high club room, with the layabouts wasting time inside.  They’re singularly unconcerned about the intruders, but Nobunaga and Hinrigh are unfazed by this – the aim is still to figure out the enemy’s Nen abilities, and they have ways of making that happen.

One interesting question is just what the “organ” the Emitter in the Heil-ly group is referred to means.  It’s also interesting that they’ve been “ordered not to engage”.  The Conjurer-lawyer in the group, Yokotani, puts an end to the engagement with his “LSDF” (ROFL) ability, which cannot harm the two unlawful intruders but does get Nobu captured.  Hinrigh flees and leaves the transmitter behind, and the two are soon reunited back in the original Room 301, mission more or less accomplished.

One last note – I hope everyone is following Togashi-sensei’s “Staff Member Tanehana” author’s comments from WSJ.  Togashi in troll mode is a thing of beauty and a joy forever.