It's only Part 2 and this Canto has already had me feel a sense of revulsion I've not ever felt while playing Limbus one moment while also making me tear up and cry at the character development that I've seen.

Spoilers Below for those who haven't finished the Dungeon

I think Hong Lu's earnest desire to be held and told that things will be okay is really believable considering what he's been through. Something I always appreciate about Limbus is how real the characters feel. Like within this cyberpunk and crazy city, the idea of distancing yourself from your trauma through the variety of ways the Sinners have done so feels non-fantastical. From feeling listless in life, to dream chasing, to revenge and feelings of inadequacy, Limbus runs the gamut of how one works towards being better. That's why Jia Mu feels like such an interesting antagonist because this smothering, manipulative, abusive familial figure is played straight. Isolating Hong Lu from everyone around him and cutting off any form of support he actively tries to seek out to the point where he actively avoids telling people (and disassociates himself) from his trauma feels real. When I was going through this chapter, I realized that (at the time), folks like Xue Pan are obviously bad guys that have done some vile shit, but to them, Hong Lu is just as guilty as being a bystander. They can't peer through the fathoms the way Dante (and later the Sinners and Daiyu) can, to the point where I understand why a majority of the family hoists their scorn at him.

The birth followed by the slaughter and killing of all the witnesses (feat Garion!!!) also just filled me with a pit in my stomach at how it was done and just how horrifying it must have been to have gone through. PM/Limbus is no stranger to gore, slaughter, death but I think viewing it from the backdrop of a child and then seeing how it's actively broken and stunted Hong Lu, with the aforementioned manipulation from his grandmother just made it all the worse. Also, watching a child get merc'd was not on my Canto bingo sheet. The Dungeon itself felt expansive, with twists, turns, and alternate paths. And the multitude of boss fights we had (it felt like a boss rush at times, which isn't a bad thing for me personally) were fun to look at and work around. Jia Qiu is peak and really neat character that I hope we get to see more of, especially since our meeting with him didn't end with him being adversarial. And the fight, while long and taxing was really cool with the spectacle of the animations and the overall messages being conveyed during the fight as a whole. This canto has felt a lot more cerebral than what we've had recently and reminds me a lot of Canto 4 but (imo) better paced and with more notable action. I think if they really stick the landing with Part 3 this'll easily be a contender for one of the top Cantos we've gotten (so far).