Tonikaku Cawaii Chapter 198
Tonikaku Kawaii Fly Me to the Moon 198
トニカクカワイイ 198

Spoiler Summary/Synopsis:

Kaguya has five boards for the five suitors. Each board contains a unique item that will be nearly impossible to obtain. The first one to gain an item and return it to Kaguya wins and thus marries Kaguya. Outside the bamboo cutter’s estate, the five suitors discuss the daunting task they face. Their conversation is overheard by the emperor in his gissha (ox-drawn, two-wheel carriage), who realizes he’s really late.

Despite this, the emperor pays a visit to the bamboo cutter. The elderly man offers to fetch Kaguya. The emperor says he is a hunter and thus will find Kaguya on his own. To this end, the emperor finds Kaguya sleeping under a tree. He is immediately smitten by her beauty. The emperor announces himself, causing her to wake. He doesn’t give his name, but states he will be her future partner.

Kaguya dismisses this as the five suitors were already chosen. Further, she’s irritated that he had the gall to wake her, thus committing an unforgivable sin that she can never forgive in any life. As such, the emperor flees to the woods by  a stream to lick his wounds. It is here that Tsukasa finds him.

Thoughts/Review:

I love good backstory and lore. Thankfully, Tonikaku Cawaii Chapter 198 gives this as well as humor.

The Tale Continue

Hata-sensei continues to tell his version of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Kaguya handing out the five, impossible quests to each of the five suitors is the same. However, Hata-sensei changes things up a bit in his version. As I understand it, the emperor doesn’t become involved with Kaguya until the five suitors fail. Here, the emperor is involved just after the suitors receive their quests. And as we see in the chapter, this was so Hata-sensei could throw in a joke, which was fine.

That aside, Kaguya is on another level in these flashbacks. In the previous chapter, she literally had the power to make all five suitors immediately assume the dogeza form of bowing. In Tonikaku Cawaii Chapter 198, she smirks as she informs her suitors they better be ready to risk it all.

If that wasn’t enough, she has pure disdain for the emperor, who dared wake her from her nap. I would decry the emperor’s running away and crying as not very manly. However, considering the power Kaguya has, I’m going to give him a pass. Her words are not the words of a mere human, but that of an alien. As such, her words are power, when used in a certain way.

Of course the biggest departure from the source material is the introduction of Tsukasa to the emperor. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

In the end, Tonikaku Cawaii Chapter 198 was a very enjoyable chapter. I really am enjoying Hata-sensei telling his version of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.