A SaiTatsu Scene breakdown that no one requested 🧵

Disclaimer: I am and will always be a delusional SaiTatsu shipper so if that's not your cup of tea, SKIP. Let me cook. It'll be very long too so brace yourself lmao I mean I also love the head pat and the SaiBlast parallel confirmation but their whole exchange here is downright one of the first time we've ever seen Saitama be like this? Yes, sure, you can argue we have Chapter 77 but that was played for laughs afterwards and nothing was ever resolved there. Even if King prodded and asked and offered up suggestions and we get a glimpse of what Saitama's source of depression is, I don't think they connected at all in this moment. So in the end, they played it off comically by gaming. We've got the Saitama/Genos scene (quite possibly my top 1) where it was more for Genos' character development when Saitama confirmed Genos got stronger in the heart. The Garou/Saitama scene is more like confirmation that Saitama clings to Genos the same way Garou clung to Tareo... and how they can't lose their only connection to humanity But this.... this is the first time he's able to talk to a hero like this, with equal reciprocation, sharing vulnerabilities and weakness with each other on a deeper level.

He briefly glances at her face (This is totally kdrama. Don't argue, I consume Asian media the way I breathe air)

and notices that she's softened up a bit. Look at the curious tilt of his eyebrows I can't!! He's totally seeing her vulnerability right at the moment and he's curious and a little bit interested (Throwback to cover title)

He offers up a suggestion openly. People kept saying Oh Saitama doesn't even care and just wants to go home. He never really cared blah fucking blah. That's the problem. HE DOES CARE. Even if it's a mere acquaintance, he cares. Idk how people got it into their heads. He's dense but Saitama is a good person, he's not the edgy person people seem to believe.

Even if Tatsumaki reacted with hostility, he continued by sharing his OWN VULNERABILITY unprompted. Btw, wasn't he handsome here? Lmao totally all in Tatsumaki's POV

The best part?

SHE LISTENED. K, that's all. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk

So many things to unpack.......

BUT First of all, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE COVER? Excuse me? That subreddit I refuse to name actually deleted it in their translated chapter (Awesome team, though. Chads, all of them) "i can't stand you but i can't get you out of my head" if that ain't fueling your creative juices, idk what will!!!! that is totally ONE now driving the shipping train now. (I'd like to imagine ONE requested for this cover ;P)

Also this scene was WAY MORE polite than what the TL is showing. Lmao but I understand the beat they were going for. But other than that, very solid translation.

My dear sister-in-law is the one who reads/speaks Japanese very fluently but sadly I just can’t shove this manga to her face and translate the whole thing for me (jk btw)