Aspiring Equal Oppertunity Feminist Granola girl.

This was absolutely brilliantly done.

Because this isn't Anya's most closely guarded secret being discovered by accident without her consent. She made an active, CONSCIOUS choice to tell Damian that she is a telepath. Something that she was previously terrified would lead to her being hated if someone happened to find out. And throughout this little prom arc we slowly get fed the reasons that lead up to this moment. First being that while she initially saw Damian as a bratty, self centered jerk, Anya has slowly come to know him better and see a more noble and compassionate boy under all that cocky bluster.

Then there's the way Damian also mentions to her that many people try and use him in order to get close to his parents-- which she sees for herself when the other girls start swarming him demanding to dance-- hence his suspicions of her own intentions.

And the finally is the fact that, despite his own admission that his parents barely acknowledge he's alive, Damian still loves and admires them and is desperate to earn their affection.

In fact, during the Damian quiz, it's implied that Anya didn't use her powers to figure out who Damian's most beloved person was, because she already knew the answer just from knowing him. It's the only question we don't see her telepathic 'sparkles' or hear her listening on the answer.

It happened slowly and subconsciously, but despite the unflattering first impression Anya has come to care about Damian. She doesn't want him to be hurt or sad. She doesn't want to use him or take advantage of him the way she sees others try to (and the way a small subset of the fandom accuses Anya of trying to since they can't seem to grasp that Anya is at most six years old and hasn't thought as far as to how the fallout of Twilight's mission will affect the Desmonds). And she understand him a lot better than she ever realized. She trusts him with her deepest, darkest secret despite her fear and the uncertainty because she genuinely WANTS to be honest with Damian. It's her olive branch to him, after HE was vulnerable with her time and again when it comes to his family and his fear of letting others close after so many people tried to use him for his name.

Because more than anyone else, Damian has noticed her, and how intuitive she is of the thoughts of others.

And despite denying or deflecting it time and time again-- including intentionally bombing a few questions in this chapter to avoid standing out too much after Damian called her out again-- Anya FINALLY came clean to him about her powers.

And, of course, he thought she was messing with him, which in turn pissed HER off because this is her biggest secret, dammnit! XD

But despite Damian's refusal to believe her ATM, this isn't something Anya can take back, and Damian is perceptive enough of Anya that sooner or later he's going to realize that Anya was being honest with him. And it'll be a wild ride to see where things go from there.

New chapter today, and even though most of it seemed to continue the silly tone from the previous one, the last few pages actually shocked me! 👀

For the first time, ANYA CONFESSED TO SOMEONE THAT SHE CAN READ MINDS! Now this doesn't necessarily mean anything crazy will happen in the series from now on, since Damian doesn't believe her (at first). But proving that you can read minds is easy to do, so the question now becomes, will Anya keep trying to prove it to Damian until he believes her? Or will she regret it later and not try to prove it, and then the plot point isn't touched on again? Regardless, this chapter definitely makes it seem like Damian will be the first person to know about her mind-reading powers.

Then there's the question of why Anya chose to confess this to Damian? I think it's a combination of a few reasons, the main one being that Damian doesn't have any connection to her family, so little risk of him telling them and thus bringing about the fear of abandonment Anya has should they find out. This might also be why she chose to tell him over Becky, since Becky already has somewhat of a relationship with Loid and Yor. The other reason could be that, as time has gone on, she's learned to trust him, at least when it comes to something like this. As hostile as he is towards her, she knows that he's not a double-crosser or a blabbermouth, and deep down he wants to do what's right. And lastly, it was the heat of a moment - her knowledge about him seemed weird so he questioned it, and perhaps at that highlighted moment, when Damian was being genuinely nice to her (since she can read minds, she knows if he's being genuine or not), she wanted to try not lying for once, just to see what happens.

Guess we'll have to wait until next time to see if anything ground-breaking comes from this...will Anya keep pursuing this, will she regret it and let Damian continue to not believe her, or will it just not be mentioned again until later? This reminded me a bit of the Mole Hunt arc where Yuri became suspicious of Loid, but the latter was able to throw him off the track. But the seed of suspicious was planted nonetheless. In this case, even if Damian continues to think Anya was lying, a seed of suspicion may have been planted in him too that could come into play much later on. We'll see!

But besides this big event, a few other notable things in this chapter was super rare soft Damian from the above page. This continues to prove what I've always thought - that Damian acts the way he does to appear "proper" in front of his peers, but when he's alone with Anya, his real feelings seep out. She's a rare person where he doesn't feel the need to put on airs around.

We also got more Henderson x Martha crumbs. Love to see it.

Also loved to see Anya getting cocky and Loid freaking out about it 😅

Overall, even though I'm not as into Damianya as I am Twiyor, I still enjoy seeing their progress, and this chapter was definitely one of the most Damianya-chapters of all~ Despite some of the "dance with Damian" challenges being a bit too silly for my taste (like, how did Emile and Ewen organize all that last minute?) the payoff at the end was worth it! Loid and Yor better get themselves together or their daughter will end up beating them in the romance department 😂

what's really funny about damianya is that endo is writing a genuinely great, well-developed shojo romance but the two people in said romance are kindergarteners

LITERALLY like taking all the shojo tropes and just applying them to two toddlers is a hilarious concept, made even funnier by the fact that the budding relationship is so well-written

OH DEAAAAAARRRRRR

I DIDN'T EXPECT THIS SUDDEN BOMB

tho of course, no danger happened.

Only a wash of screams and squeals from us readers

I've seen some readers questioning Endo's decision of making Anya confess her abilities to Damian when there's Becky, Loid and Yor. But hold it, it actually does make a LOT of sense.

I think most of us missed how much relatable Damian is to Anya. She sees through his loneliness and it reminds her of when she was alone and wishing for a happy family. And there's this other huge factor - for both of them, their main motivators in life are their fathers.

During the 96th chapter, you can see Anya having a wishful face when she says Papa is Damian's favorite person. And Damian's vulnerable admission about her family put the final nail in Anya's perception. At that moment she felt like Damian would understand her and accept her no matter what and it was an amazing and the best subtle build-up ever.

Endo, you are amazing 👏

Did you read my mind or something?

- of comment and sarcasm

--- Anya who doesnt understand tone and sarcasm answers honestly!!

Then damian responding to the so called joke he thinks

DELICIOUS

My baby is so beautiful 🥺💖

You are losing, Damian 🤣 If I were Anya, I would dance with the first one, as he was the first to ask.

But also, if I myself was there, I wouldn't dance with anyone as I'm very autistic to touch people, LOL (I'm laughing, although it's true 😅). But I would be sad for the first brave boy.

Do your best with WHAT Yor 😭😭😭 (even she doesn’t know!!)

Yor is sooooo cute but Loid’s expression is also adorable here~

Yaaaay I’ve been waiting for Loid to pull the “I’m A Doctor” card and do medical stuff, even if we didn’t see it in detail lol

“No one’s allowed to suspect my wife but ME, that ONE SINGULAR TIME, and NEVER AGAIN.” For The Mission™️

After what seems like a long time, we finally have a full "Forgers bonding" chapter, in a new location as well 😁

Even though the focus of the chapter was the murder mystery (heavily inspired by Detective Conan) and it didn't have a serious tone (just look at the names of the guest characters! 🤣) there were actually quite a lot of Twiyor tidbits scattered throughout, and I'm here to slurp them up!

Firstly is Twilight trying his best to make sure Yor and Anya are safe with their amateur skiing skills.

And as usual, overlooking anything abnormal that Yor does 😅

When they get to the lodge, he considers her feelings about sharing a room.

Even though she says she'll put up with it, he knows it makes her uncomfortable, so he volunteers to sleep on the sofa so she and Anya can have their own beds. Of course, just the thought of sharing a room with Loid is too much for Yor to handle 😅

Twilight starts to wonder when she doesn't come back for a while.

He's obviously happy when she returns - in the Japanese version, he even says おかえり(welcome back/home).

When he sees there's foul play going on, he immediately wants Yor and Anya out of danger (he also trusts that Yor will keep Anya safe).

Despite Yor being the only one without an alibi, he doesn't show any suspicion (even after hearing her "probably" slip up!)

And lastly, when the others start accusing Yor, he defends her. This scene reminded me a lot of the scene way back during the Eden interview where Swan started putting her down and he stuck up for her without any second-guessing. Even though Twilight gave a lot of fake smiles throughout this chapter, the mix of determination and anger in his expression on the below page is not fake - it's a true look of "I will definitely find the culprit (so no one should accuse my wife!)"

I guess my only nitpick about the chapter is that I wanted it to go on longer, mostly for more Forger interactions (and Loid/Yor reactions when sharing the same room, lol). I thought it would last at least another chapter where we'd see exactly how the mystery was solved. But I guess the joke is that the Forgers are the most OP crime solving team without even knowing it, so no culprit can get away from them for too long! Between Loid's intelligence, Anya's mind reading, Bond's visions, and (though it didn't come into play here) Yor's super strength, they'd be able to solve murder mysteries and apprehend criminals before the police could even file a report! 😂

A couple final comments, I like that Twilight decided to trust Anya's intuition in the end, despite not seeming that way at first (and did she seriously bring the detective outfit with her on the trip?😆) And just like with Yor, no questions about this peculiarity with Anya - no wondering why she knew the time and place of the next murder...what's that expression, "love is blind"? 😅

And Yor always ready to protect Anya ❤️(also looks like she's having some alcohol while Loid isn't...guess she needed something to calm her nerves at the thought of sharing a room with him!)

Endo is going to take a break, so next new chapter won't be until February 19th. Have a nice break, Endo-sensei!

This chapter was SUCH fun! Team Forger for the (murder mystery) win!!! 💕💕💕

Do your best with WHAT Yor 😭😭😭 (even she doesn’t know!!)

Yor is sooooo cute but Loid’s expression is also adorable here~

Yaaaay I’ve been waiting for Loid to pull the “I’m A Doctor” card and do medical stuff, even if we didn’t see it in detail lol

“No one’s allowed to suspect my wife but ME, that ONE SINGULAR TIME, and NEVER AGAIN.” For The Mission™️

Howling at the comment here! This episode was peak comedy!!

Twilight's apology here seemed genuine, apologizing for ditching Yor and not being able to listen to her worries until the end.

I like how Yor finally confessed that she lied about having gripes about their fake marriage, I was worried it would drag on for another chapter or two.

It's so lovely to see Twilight willing (or rather being forced lol) share the housework more with Yor and making her feel useful and like he can depend on her too (wonder if Endo will draw a parallel scene to this in the future post reveal where he shares his mission burdens with Yor too?)

The communication! THE COMMUNICATION!!!

I love Yor drawing a boundary here and forcing Yuri to leave, even tho he is hurt too, bc she saw how exhausted Loid really was.

All in all such a good chapter! A same we have to wait until September for a new one T_T

Seems like this chapter just about wrapped up the Mole Hunt arc. I decided to analyze a bit more than I usually do with my chapter reviews since there was a lot to talk about on the Twiyor front!

When Fiona questioned Twilight about not killing Yuri, he gave his official "for the mission" reason, but slipped up by calling Yor "Yor-san" instead of "Yor Briar." This made it obvious to Fiona (who already knows about him softening) that he's trying desperately hard to cover up those feelings. Even though this would have been a good opportunity for her to imply that she's a better fit for the wife role, she doesn't even try because she knows Twilight would defend "Yor-san" in every subtle way he could.

When he gets home and finds out that Yor doesn't actually have gripes with him, he's relieved of that last load of stress and is finally able to relax, causing him to collapse (similar to the very first chapter when he collapsed after Anya passed the Eden entrance exam). After he realizes how utterly exhausted he is, he can't help but ask Yor to help out with his housework.

Her reply is what really makes everything sink in for him - despite all his attempts to be a flawless spy, she doesn't want him to be that way. She's happy when she can be useful to him and thinks it's bad if he pushes himself to be perfect all the time.

And yet, that's exactly what he has to be in order to survive as a spy. The fact that he had to ask someone for help with simple housework, plus someone telling him that he doesn't have to be perfect, made him recall the feeling he had when he looked into Wheeler's eyes...that he lives in a world where you have to be perfect in order to survive, and having any kind of weakness just won't due.

While Twilight continues to be clueless about Fiona's feelings for him among other things, what he does realize at the end of this arc is his own feelings - that he does have a weakness. He's beginning to understand more than ever that a spy can't afford to be anything but perfect. And yet, his refusal to kill Yuri, which is a result of him caring about Yor (even though he gave Fiona his usual "for the mission" reason, she saw right through it) is conflicting him even more.

I also have to point out how considerate Yor was of Loid's exhaustion - she completely pushed Yuri away, even after noticing he was injured. She didn't even invite him to stay and have tea with them!

What Twilight was about to say to Yor (in his mind) before Yuri interrupted is debatable, but going by his previous line of thought, it was probably something bittersweet like "which is why...once Operation Strix is over, I'll have to leave the Forgers" or possibly something more immediate, where he now realizes how compromised he truly is and so might reconsider the stipulations of Operation Strix even before it's over. Though I think it's more of the former since his thoughts in the shower in the next scene make it seem like he's not ready to do anything drastic yet, but the idea is still gnawing at him.

Fiona had noticed his leaking emotions way back when she was first introduced, but this is the first time Twilight himself is realizing it and not denying it. Whether anything major will change in his actions from now on is yet to be seen. Will there be another aftermath chapter or two with Twilight still being jostled by this realization? Or will things go back to normal now and he'll brush those feelings aside for another day? It seems like Yuri has been totally thrown off the scent, so his identity should be safe for the time being. Will Anya get to read his mind the next morning and finally find out everything that happened? The next new chapter won't be out for another 4 weeks, so brace yourself for a grueling wait!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PANEL THEY'RE JUST SITTING AND CHATTING THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT IT? THEIR POSES? THE FACT THAT THEY'RE ON THE FLOOR? THE COMFORT? YOU DONT SIT THIS WAY WITH A STRANGER AND LIKE.... HE LOOKS RELAXED (it's his body's natural response to being in yor's presence) JUST HNNGHHHGJHDHOSD THIS WHOLE CHAPTER WAS SO GOOD BUT THIS PANEL JUST SCRATCHES AN ITCH IN MY BRAIN IT'S SO DOMESTIC AND INTIMATE

*MANGA SPOILERS AHEAD*

When Twilights looks back on how he plunged headfirst into hell after his mother died, he asks himself how many deaths - many of which he brought about - would be enough to spark the emotion epiphany which would release him from his own heart of darkness.

But as we see, it’s the wrong question, and surely Twilight knows this too. What pulled him back from the brink isn’t one death too many, but rather a man he couldn’t bring himself to kill because Twilight empathised with him.

It is Franky who tells him the cold hard truth that at the end of the day, both of them are worthless cannon fodder for their countries. It is Franky who shows Twilight Ostanians are also human. It is Franky who asks his future friend to appreciate the gravity and senselessness of war.

Twilight, for all his flaws and his stoic outside, is a man who’s full of empathy. He understands hurt and pain which allow him to see everyone as human, despite everyone’s quirks and oddities. Which is why he fits in with the Forgers so much.

But also, Franky is the MVP of the series and also the most consequential character and it is a hill In ready to die on.

@juuyeah l think @shinybluebirdwizard is trying to make us cry...🤧 And it's working 😭

There's always a trigger in stories and I'm always fascinated by them because sometimes it doesn't seem like a big event: So what if [redacted] decided not to kill an Ostanian soldier? Big deal...well, it actually was. As it turns out, we could argue this story started a long time ago, with Franky.

[Redacted] probably already knew all the things Franky told him; he was a soldier and saw many of his fellow soldiers die. But l wonder if he ever thought it was the same thing for the "enemy". Franky confirmed it did and made the enemy human.

Sxf didn't begin the day Twilight adopted Anya, it did the day he met Franky.

I love this story!!

P.S. : A bit unrelated, but I wonder if there will be an equivalent of this moment on Yor's side 🤔

I am not crying, you are not crying...🥲

And in all this mess of the war, Franky was kind of peak of comedy again. He did not want to be killed because he never has been with a woman, he even made [Redacted] smile...

Please Franky, never change, you bring peace everywhere you go.

This arc was rough so ty Endo-sensei for sprinkling in some lovely Henderson moments throughout. The man has been much needed comedic relief on that cursed bus, but his response to Anya bursting into tears makes me melt. Although he’s always going to love (and fear) Anya’s ~elegance~, he also just wants to see her be a kid, wants her to feel safe enough to react the way anyone would in a situation like this – stellas for bravery aside. As an educator he continues to strike a wonderful balance between firmness/standards and genuine care, and I would’ve loved to have had someone like him for a teacher.

Chapter 75...

I was so looking forward to a tearful reunion between Yor and Anya (since they're my favorite relationship in the series besides Twiyor) and I was not disappointed! ❤) It actually played out exactly as I thought, with Anya finally realizing the weight of what just happened and breaking down into tears before running to Yor. Guess I got another favorite manga panel now 😭

I had to do a double take when the chapter started with the kids receiving stellas...I was like "are we really gonna skip what happened right after the previous chapter?!" But thankfully we get a flashback that fills in the gaps. I know many of us, including myself, predicted that the kids would get stellas (I personally thought they'd get more, especially Anya, but oh well).

Probably something no one saw coming was the fact that Twilight ended up being at the incident site. I know some people were confused/upset about this, but my interpretation is that he only showed up later, after everything was resolved, and he was not there when the terrorists were actually threatening the kids (I could be proven wrong later of course, but that's what I think as of now). We're told that he "raced" over, so he must have gotten the news from a source besides WISE. It could have been the television broadcast, or an informant like Franky. Plus, knowing Twilight, he probably has means of getting around faster than someone would expect, but he still needed a reasonable amount of time, hence why I don't think he could have been there any sooner than when the incident was wrapping up.

I know people were also disappointed that he reacted as calmly as he did, considering how much danger Anya was in. But I think he's simply still not ready for that level of emotion yet, especially in front of a WISE colleague. Maybe if Yor wasn't already there to comfort Anya, or if he saw exactly what happened on the bus, he would have broken down more. I feel like Twilight having a real emotional outburst (for Anya and/or Yor) would be when the series is heading towards a conclusion, and we're just not there yet. So for now, he's still continuing to spy from the shadows, but I have a feeling we'll get more of his thoughts on the whole matter later.

Another thing I predicted was that this incident would bring Anya and Damian closer - he even gave her compliments and called her a "friend!" Of course he goes all tsundere right after, but it's definitely a big step in their relationship.

And probably the biggest shock was finding out how unhinged Melinda is. At first I was like, "oh, how nice, she's actually a caring mom," but then when she switched...😳

Maybe the trigger for whatever bipolar weirdness she has going on is linked to her husband, since she changed her demeanor as soon as Damian brought him up.

There could still be another chapter or two related to this arc since there are still things yet to be resolved. For example, did Yor realize that she was lied to by Eden about what happened, and also, how does she feel about the perpetrators being Red Circus? And there's still a chance we'll get further reactions from Twilight (again, he's slow with his emotional constipation). We could get a scene of him musing about what happened, and then the impact of how serious it was finally hits him. And then there's Yuri...will he simply recover from his wound off-panel or will he have to spend time recuperating (with the Forgers)? And now we have this whole new development with Melinda. Still so much to look forward to!

Oh BOI when I tell you this transition gave me shivers

This is a prime example of why spies like Twilight cannot afford emotional attachment, why their entire survival depends on them ignoring their own internal struggles.

Donovan Desmond is a force to be reckoned with; within minutes of meeting Loid, he shamelessly shares his corrupted views on humanity:

"It is simply impossible to understand what someone else is thinking. People will never be able to understand each other."

And that's why you're using force to bring other nations to their knees?

There you have Twilight; a man who lost everything in a war started by people who had the same way of thinking that Desmond has; a man who has sacrificed his own identity and chances of personal happiness in his mission to never allow others to suffer like he did.

And that's why you're using force to bring other nations to their knees?

The emotional investment is huge. He doesn't do it just because he thinks it's the right thing to do, he does it because he has first-hand experience of how much pain a war can cause. And he'd rather keep suffering if it means such pain won't be felt again by anyone else.

And yet, through all his internal turmoil, he has to look at Desmond and smile and agree with him. Him acting like the loyal Ostanian citizen who believes the Desmond group cares for the country is nothing compared to this transition. He goes from a man who is haunted by the traumas of his past to a beaming, hopeful man who indirectly endorses violence - the very thing that ruined his and many other people's lives - over understanding among humans

He has to become the exact opposite of what he stands for, become the kind of man like the ones whose actions ruined him. And the ironic depiction is not lost to the audience; his eyes are covered in shadows as we hear his inner thoughts, slowly getting brighter as he prepares his disguise, and finally getting back to the light when he fully dons it.

It's disturbing and it's wrong and it's the opposite of how it should be. Twilight may have made it his life's mission to never act on his emotions, but it's perfectly clear he does have emotions; he's just very good at willingly pushing them aside. And this depiction in that lighting is perfect to show how it's a necessary and conscious depravity of his own self that he has to partake in in order to survive and see his mission through.

It's brilliant. Disturbing, but brilliant.

(Anime only fan here, don't spoil me for the manga)

Once again, I am amazed by the honesty Twilight brought forward in order to resonate with Yor, and to comfort her without any manipulation intended this time.

Like, I'm sure he has a full backstory on Loid Forger. He could tell you what Loid ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner on any random day of any random prior year. And for whatever he hasn't thought of, he could make up something both fast and believable. That's his job and how he's survived all these years as a spy.

Yet, when he talked to Yor, we see that he shares his actual memories of his mother. The fact that he doesn't remember her face is a very personal thing; his final point was that his mother was strong, and he felt safe in her presence, and that it's the same with Yor and Anya. There was no need of mentioning he doesn't remember her face. He could always make up a fake face in his mind in case someone asked Loid Forger what his mother looked like, yet he told Yor the truth. And he didn't need to. He did it because he wanted to. Yes, the "mission" requires Yor to stay a part of the family, and thus he has to build up her confidence. But this specific information has nothing to do with Yor's confidence - it was brought from the inner depths of his actual self. He just happened to be able to connect it with what he needed to say to Yor in order to comfort her.

That was not Loid Forger, and it was not Twilight. It was the man behind all these masks, exposing a vulnerable piece of himself because he craves for someone to just see him. Even if it's for something so little, in the midst of a very different context, and for someone else's peace of mind.