Afterschool War Activities

Oh thank god, something to wipe the taste of Kimi no Iru Machi's chapter out of my eyes...

Very awesome, thanks a lot for the new chapter Supreme Cream!!!

Despite the constant feeling of anger because the kids can't seem to grasp how dire the situation are and continiously keep screwing around, this manwha really has me hooked.

Anyhow, i was thinking about the enemy.
What has been told as facts:
They have light and soundwave sensory input on the same level as a human.
They have some kind of intelligence.
They are volatile and will explode if their core i ruptured.

Reproduction as far as we know is through division. A large cell dividing is creating a very large amount of medium cells.
Medium and small cells can form tentacles to be used for attacking and consuming humans.
Large cells have the ability to levitate, medium cells seem to lack transportation abilities and small cells move by using said tentacles.

Other info that can be deduced:
The purple outer layer seems to be nonvital and shock absorbant as an explosion is said to neither damage the core or stop the small cells from continued attacks.
Some form of communication seems to be in place for them to attack in waves. This can be due to them reacting to the same conditions though and we have so far no idea of the extent of said communication.

What we have almost no info about:
How and why they came to earth and are attacking? Also, are they from outside earth?
How many small cells are made by a medium cell fully dividing?
How is their metabolism constructed?
How the larger cells are formed?
If the medium cells split into small cells as a result due to exposure to intense heat, why is that so? Discomfort or automated process?
Why is their favored method of warfare a frontal assault? And why are they attacking at night when their enemy, humans, are in control of the ways to illuminate the battlefield?

Yes, i do have military training and yes, i really do love the strategic aspect of this.

Thanks guys from SCS !

But I'm really feeling bad for Aeseol, she didn't asked to be saved ... ><

The big turning point was the student suicide back at school; she honestly believed Aesol had committed suicide. She's already felt the pain and grief of Aesol dying due to the circumstances once—even only for a few moments, not even two or three minutes—and she doesn't want to see Aesol die for real due to her own weakness.

Didn't consider that. I'm convinced. Still, the point remains: they held prejudices and chose to take what happened as affirmation.
And from fairly early on I felt it was more like a big-/little-sister relationship. I thought so from Bora's 'abuse', and later her worrying and protectiveness, of Aeseol. So the developments passed right over my head.
_{I'll put this here again just to see if someone notices and agrees. I nominate 'angela: ZERO, Boku Janai' as a theme-song for Bora.}

snip
and im not sure the term materialistic is right word to use here.

From AHD:
materialism
2. The theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life.
But I agree. I changed it.

1. Li'l Book-Warm just got demoted to Dirt-Worm. Don't bother searching for it; nothing on this planet is as low as him.

2. So... According to the other guys, saving her friend, Aeseol, shouldn't have been sufficient motive for Bora to put herself in harm's way. Really, cause that's the best time and place to turn materialistic and say that a 'klutz' like Aeseol isn't 'worth it'. Bora's reflex was so natural it's... Well, I'm just happy a good story is gonna come of this (I'm sure).

3. Either the author likes killing girls, or the girls like to die/get hurt. I'm not sure which has worse implications.

2. Aeseol isnt her friend, as far as they know. hell, not even Aeseol thinks Bora thinks she's her friend. Bara insults Aeseol frequently in front of the other girl so basically, for them she appears to be overly concerned and risking her life for a girl she isnt friends with and appears to have disliked. of course they're confused.

and im not sure the term materialistic is right word to use here.

2. So... According to the other guys, saving her friend, Aeseol, shouldn't have been sufficient motive for Bora to put herself in harm's way. Really, cause that's the best time and place to turn materialistic and say that a 'klutz' like Aeseol isn't 'worth it'. Bora's reflex was so natural it's... Well, I'm just happy a good story is gonna come of this (I'm sure).

While I agree they shouldn't be so hard on Aesol, to be fair, I got the impression that she and Bora weren't actually really friends. At the start Bora seemed to have a lot of animosity towards her, seeing her as "useless", but she gradually warmed up to her and tried to help her. She can see that Aesol REALLY doesn't belong in this kind of situation and environment—to the point that she can't even really adapt to it—but in this case there's not much other choice, especially now that they've been deployed.

The big turning point was the student suicide back at school; she honestly believed Aesol had committed suicide. She's already felt the pain and grief of Aesol dying due to the circumstances once—even only for a few moments, not even two or three minutes—and she doesn't want to see Aesol die for real due to her own weakness.

However, though we've been able to see Bora's character development, the other characters haven't. They haven't seen all of the relevant scenes needed to understand this. Just look at this chapter: the characters explicitly state they don't know why Bora risked herself to save Aesol. As far as they're concerned, Bora probably saved her out of reflex or not wanting to see another classmate die, something like that. In reality, Bora did it because she genuinely cares for Aesol's safety; the fault of her injuries are her own emotions, rather than Aesol's clumsiness.

I swear there's a better way to word that, but that's the best I can do right now.

1. Youngsoo Book-Worm just got demoted to Dirt-Worm. Don't bother searching for it; nothing on this planet is as low as him.

2. So... According to the other guys, saving her friend, Aeseol, shouldn't have been sufficient motive for Bora to put herself in harm's way. Really, cause that's the best time and place to turn materialistic into a Spock and say that a 'klutz' like Aeseol isn't 'worth it'. Bora's reflex was so natural it's... Well, I'm just happy a good story is gonna come of this (I'm sure).

3. Either the author likes killing girls, or the girls like to die/get hurt. I'm not sure which has worse implications.

Outstanding, thanks a lot for the new chapter SCS!!!

1. Pretty difficult when you have to shoot their cores, not the whole sphere.

2. They aren't exactly making a beeline towards you - they might be moving in straight lines, but from different positions and at varying angles, and very fast. 

The main issue, I think, is that human opponents generally stop if you shoot or hit them anywhere.  The spheres seem completely unaffected by anything that doesn't hit their core, and don't seem to feel fear, which makes the vast majority of tactics and weapons useless against them (machine guns are ineffective, covering fire does nothing, etc.)

Very very few people can hit such a small moving target.  In the actual military, they teach you to aim for the body, which doesn't work here -- as they point out, most of the kids simply aren't accomplishing anything at all, or are getting maybe one lucky hit all day.  And there are insane numbers of spheres, and even when you manage to shoot a big one it splits into many smaller ones, and they can fly and move outrageously fast...

That said, worrying too much about it is missing the point, I think, since the story isn't really about the spheres.

Too short! SCS, make longer chapters please! 

On a serious note, this manhwa's atmosphere and storytelling is masterclass. It's a pity so many of the children are bratty and unapologetic, though. I feel as if the unity of the platoon will crumble for real if a genuine leader doesn't step up.

That glasses guy is a crazy ass motherfucker.

they should send the girls away from the battlefield because they're disrupting the unit with their pussy.. they cause unnecessary casualties. 

pls send them to the food preparation squad. 

You, sir, deserve more cancerous tumors.

Yeah thanks SCS !

Now's time to death !

they should send the girls away from the battlefield because they're disrupting the unit with their pussy.. they cause unnecessary casualties. 

pls send them to the food preparation squad. 

Whoa... Shit is getting real (and awesome). Thanks, SCS!

@Jakoul: Please tell me more about your experience in the military.

1. Pretty difficult when you have to shoot their cores, not the whole sphere.

2. They aren't exactly making a beeline towards you - they might be moving in straight lines, but from different positions and at varying angles, and very fast. 

So.. how hard is it exactly to not be retarded and shoot bright neon purple things? War nothing, the only real threat is their numbers. When they're literally running into their gunfire at a certain spot like this it should be very easy for them to hold them back. I mean in actual wars it's challenging because the fights have humans on both sides and humans don't generally like the idea of being shot, so they hide and use tactics.

 

These purple cells are literally going kamikaze mode in droves. This is getting hard to read.

So.. how hard is it exactly to not be retarded and shoot bright neon purple things? War nothing, the only real threat is their numbers. When they're literally running into their gunfire at a certain spot like this it should be very easy for them to hold them back. I mean in actual wars it's challenging because the fights have humans on both sides and humans don't generally like the idea of being shot, so they hide and use tactics.

These purple cells are literally going kamikaze mode in droves. This is getting hard to read.

All Korean men who have been in service undergo retraining sessions every year until they are forty, so they can be deployed immediately if a war breaks out.

except most of them haven't been in service for nearly two decades. kids are easier to train, and they amass more muscle and dexterity in shorter periods of time. you can train an adult to be effective in war times about as much as you can train them to be professional athletes; it can be done, but it takes considerably more time.

kids on the front lines but parents in shelters... yeah, sounds about right.
especially when south Korea has a mandatory military service, they already have more training then those kids.

 

All the parents are already dead, either by fighting in the military or simply by being attacked.

except most of them haven't been in service for nearly two decades. kids are easier to train, and they amass more muscle and dexterity in shorter periods of time. you can train an adult to be effective in war times about as much as you can train them to be professional athletes; it can be done, but it takes considerably more time.

Going mental on that last chapter lol

You aren't imagining it - some SFX are blurrier than others, but that was intentional to match the SFX in the raw.

Then I was confused cause "the FX is worse than before, kinda blurry. or am I imagining it?"

First I was jumping cause "heyooo! there's a new chapter!"
Then I was confused cause "the FX is worse than before, kinda blurry. or am I imagining it?"
Then I couldn't breathe when Bora saved Aeseol (*puts here a so-happy-i'm-crying panda-moticon I've seen others use but can't find on the list*).
Then I saw a cell reenact the Third Angel's suicide-self-destruction on Eva-01 on a poor human girl ...

...

Very cool, thanks a lot Supreme Cream!!