Yup, not a lot though. Ryou (one of the 2 main characters from Hatter) used to work for Hal (when Hal is in his 40's). He also met up with Nobu once (or maybe he knew him from even before ? sorry I don't remember)
If I recall, he would guard the door when Hal and Nobu would *ahem* meet. And then of course he met up with Nobu that last time as the "final wish" of Hal, to deliver the rock sugar
I decided to read the first story. Thanks! I am confused with one thing though: Hal told Ryou to burn down the building of their organization? Why?
You're welcome. I hope you'll like it. It's way sweeter than the Speaker story though (⌒▽⌒)
Don't worry you'll have the answer in the latter part of their story, or maybe you mean that even after reading it you don't understand why he did it ?
THANK YOU !! You're right ! It was seriously bothering me, because I knew he somehow knew him and even thought "I'm sure he was aware of the relationship between Hal&Nobu" but couldn't remember exactly how (￣∇￣")
I finished reading it and I guess I'm still confused lol. So Hal wanted to fake his death and kill off his organization because they were going to get caught? Why did he want to meet up with Ryou again then?
........ Sorry it's not an answer, I'm just somehow glad that I'm not the only one totally confused (￣∇￣") haha.
No but seriously I'm sorry I can't help you with that because unfortunately I have the questions as you. Even though I've read that story more than once.
I can't fully understand Hal's decision and what went through his mind & what did meeting Ryou again gave him. Hmmmm maybe we'll have an answer in Speaker or an extra but I doubt it.
I think it's all going to come back around to this:
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/canis/mh/v02/c017/24/
Everything Hal, Sam, and Nobu have done has been to take down the organization responsible for the child trafficking ring that took Nobu and the other children from the orphanage. It took the three of them: one working in law enforcement, one in government and one in the underworld to do it. Ryou was just an innocent they found it convenient to use. (But notice that Nobu was quick to make sure Ryou wasn't being sexually used.)
I think I have to read everything again since tbh I don't really understand what Hal's doing or what organization he is in when he took Ryou. Is it the Italian Mafia? Reading-too-fast-not-minding-the-details me. Yet, Hal's in PD a few years after graduating (probably). And I seriously cannot remember Nobu-making-sure-Ryou-wasn't-sexually-abused part.
But yes, my prediction's the same. Poor Ryou, and Satoru, would be dragged in the mess again once the plan commences again. Though, I think Hal already let Ryou go but that wasn't Nobu and Sam's plan.
It jumps around in time so much, you have to reread it. And the first time you read it and you think it's just Satoru's and Ryou's story, you don't pay attention to Ryou's backstory and the people he's involved with because you have no idea that's going to be the focus of the next part of the story.
Yes, it was the mafia that Hal had infiltrated in order to take down the organization that had been behind the sex trafficking ring and Nobu's abduction (and that of all the other children they knew that had disappeared.) Ryou feels angry, betrayed and used but he isn't aware of why Hal did what he did. That comes out in the chapel of the old children's home. "If we follow the road you paved, we thought we would get somewhere." "That's why it ended like that. 'Those that believe will be saved.' I heard that here plenty of times as a child."
There's so much tied in through flashbacks that get confusing because even the flashbacks are out of order. Like the upper right frame on this page:
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/canis/mh/v02/c011.4/4/
is a little flashback to this scene many chapters later:
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/canis/mh/manga/canis/v04/c023/pg-44/
But you have to reread to really get it unless you have an extraordinary memory! There's another flashback on this page that we haven't seen yet. Three shaded frames at the bottom:
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/canis/mh/v02/c011.4/6/
The bit I was referring to where Nobu wants to know if Ryou has been used sexually, I may be overthinking it. It's just a little blip here:
http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/canis/mh/v01/c003/18/
One thing I love with Zakk-sensei is the extra chapters serving as preview to the next story arc, so there would be scenes that didn't happen yet. The one before Dear Hatter and another for The Stranger. Sensei's pretty bold to release such chapters, specially for The Stranger, the three of them would meet Sister again. What a spoiler coming from the author, him/herself!
I do understand the timelines and Ryou's backstory, my favorite one would be vol 1 ch 3, superb writing style! Anyway, I just get confused with Hal and others' conversations since they're quite cryptic, specially in vol 1,2. I understand that the major plot shouldn't be revealed yet and supposed to serve as premonition/foreshadowing but they still confuse me. There's just a lot stuff missing that would be revealed probably when we go back to the present timeline. With the 3p's story revealed, it's easier to follow the story in previous chapters. Re-reading is a must, indeed.
Are these two stories connected? The Speaker and Hatter story? I've only been reading the Speaker story..