May 10, 2025
Author's commentary #334:
Time to talk about Chapter 334: When you least expect it.
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Unless of course you know I love referencing Monty Python, in which case, you should have seen it coming. But I don't think anyone expected or saw it coming that Ginji would outright chloro Azenira in order to screw over the women's team. And I'll confirm he got Ryonosuke too, meaning he'll be playing in the round after all. Now, let's do the bios for all the new characters.
フランコ・デフランコ (Franko DeFranko) is how Franko's name would be spelled in katakana.
His birthday is November 22nd, which he shares with American-British actor and comedian, Terry Gilliam.
His favorite piece is the bishop, because he himself is a cardinal.
フランシス・ヒメネス・デ・シスネロス (Francis Jiménez de Cisneros) is how Francis' name would be spelled in katakana.
His birthday is February 1st, which he shares with Welsh actor and comedian, Terry Jones.
His favorite piece is the bishop, because he himself is a cardinal.
フランクリン・フランツ (Franklin Franz) is how Franklin's name would be spelled in katakana.
His birthday is May 5th, which he shares with English actor and comedian, Sir Michael Palin.
His favorite piece is the bishop, because he himself is a cardinal.
Given authority by Queen Sophia, these three bumbling buffoons now how full authority to go full Spanish Inquisition, so long as they adhere to complete and unwavering loyalty and obedience to Sophia herself. And in case you're wondering, they're more in-line with Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition than the historical one.
エゼキエル・ゴルドシミット (Ezekiel Goldschmidt) is how Ezekiel's name would be spelled in katakana. יחזקאל גולדשמידט (Ezekiel Goldschmidt) is how it would be spelled in Hebrew.
(If I made any mistakes with the translations, feel free to correct me).
His birthday is March 29th. I chose the date at random, so there's no greater meaning behind why this date is his birthday.
His favorite piece is the bishop, because he himself is a rabbi.
Ezekiel is Golda's father and a grandmaster himself. He is generally regarded as a wise and instructive man. Before the Israeli Kingdom of Simien came to be, he was frequently at odds with Israel's egotistical prime minister. Said character has yet to be revealed in the story, but even though he's no longer in power, he's still got enough sway in Simien's new government to weasel his way onto the men's team. If you've seen the team artworks, you probably have an idea who this character is, but if you haven't I won't spoil things here.
Getting back to Ezekiel, I meant to introduce him earlier, but never found the time until now. He's not going to have a role, say the size of Alya and Anastasia, but I at least wanted to introduce him before the round began. In fact, my goal is to introduce all the characters in the artworks, whether it be giving them just a few seconds of screentime, or a more outside role. But that's easier said than done as I keep making new teams each day. I'm finally capping out the women's teams, but the men's teams still have a ways to go as of the upload date of this chapter.
Getting back to the story, with Azenira out, it means either Iori has to get to the venue in time and even if she does, she'd have to play sick, which would give China a significant edge. But if the latter does come to pass, it means that all 4 of the games on the women's side will be shown. Get hyped because round 6 will be one of the most intense rounds thus far in the tournament.
That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.
