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Beelzebub 82
[scanlation by CXC Scans]
This casual relationship between Toujou and Shizuka deserves a little explanation. It makes sense that strong characters would know each other, but we have yet to receive any backstory. That said, I’m certainly not asking for a flashback here, but hopefully this storyline will be explored later.
Izuma vs. Toujou? This is unusual timing. Granted, they have unfinished business, but there are far more pressing matters in the story that deserve the attention.
Great comedy as Oga tries to shirk his responsibility. Beelzebub always follows through with small running gags to maximum effect.
As if to prove my point, Baby Beel imitating Oga’s action from earlier in the chapter is hilarious.
Slow down there, Kitamura
En has an old-school Game Boy! That’s pretty unusual for someone of royal descent, but amusing nonetheless.
Since the announcement of the anime, the scene of En failing miserably at the Resident Evil spoof for PS2 is the first scene that I’ve strongly felt that I want to see animated. The entire scene is hilarious, from Sachura calling Furuichi a douche bag, through En boasting about his SNES and Genesis, to the mandatory trademark parodies, and finally to the ludicrous resolution.
For a kid, he sure has his priorities straight
The decision to convert En from potential enemy to background amusement, while introducing Behemoth as the new antagonist, is a great one. It is a bit jarring to suddenly be presented with another new enemy, right as we were beginning to understand En, but En isn’t nearly menacing enough to be the enemy to carry a demon world storyline. Just from the silhouette given of Behemoth, his suitability is obvious.
Oga is left in near-panic by En’s warning, and the chapter ends with Zenjuurou implementing one of the old badass standbys: Lounging around, perched high atop scaffolding. Training time?
Final Flash: Great comedy and a necessary villain switch. The gears are in motion.
Bleach 424
[scanlation by Binktopia]
That Jump cover… wow. Don’t look excited to be back or anything, Ichigo.
Ichigo… Ichigo! Good morning, Ichigo! Come on, sleepy head! Get up! (Does anyone not think of this when an opening scene shows a character waking up?)
The color scheme of the cover spread and the liveliness of Ichigo’s house are evocative of the old Bleach, from way back at the beginning of the series. Let’s hope Kubo felt nostalgic about quality, too.
There’s been a timeskip, apparently. Hmm… a timeskip… haven’t some other series done that?
At least Ichigo's hair isn't retractable, and I don't see Sakura anywhere
Joking aside, this timeskip has the potential to be the most story-relevant and meaningful of the Big 3. Unlike the other two, Bleach has the chance to completely change its tone and direction. The story is as close to a blank slate as any series could be after 400 chapters. Will Kubo actually opt to go down a different path? Probably not, but the option is there, should he want to be adventurous and make these next few years worth something. Frankly, even if he sent the story in a new direction and produced a story as lifeless as what we’ve suffered through for the last few years, Kubo would deserve immense respect just for breaking convention and not relying on established success.
Of course, I don’t see any of that happening, but I want to remember this moment as the fork in the road before Kubo steered us right back into the ditch.
Ichigo told Chad and Inoue (among others) what happened while he was sleeping? That’s so many levels of bizarre. What were you doing sleeping around a whole bunch of people? Why can you sleeptalk so accurately? (EDIT: The Binktopia translation has since been corrected, to Chad and Inoue themselves telling the others while Ichigo was sleeping.)
I hope the mention of Karin’s improvement and increased responsibility is more than just a casual aside. The main cast needs to be shaken up, and not only Karin would be a bright addition, but such a move would fulfill some plot potential from early in the series.
Ishida running in the hallways, presumably to take care of a Hollow, presents another interesting storyline possibility: Ichigo, now powerless, faces an identity crisis as he tries to leave his previous fame and importance behind him. As his former colleagues and allies continue to fight, Ichigo fights against the depression naturally associated with his irrelevance. Once again, do I see this happening? Certainly not, but I can dream.
Background of the week
Ichigo shooting down any semblance of loneliness or dependence on his now-former life is disappointing. I’m not asking for Bleach to suddenly turn into an emotional, introspective work, but a little character emotion outside of “callous shonen hero” would do a world of good.
At least Kubo hasn’t failed to remember that Ichigo is still a very fit young man. Chasing down a thief is a bit of a cliché, but compared to the gigantic attacks from the last few years of Bleach, I’ll gladly take any semblance of subtle, subdued action.
There I was, about to compliment Kubo on his art, for angling the “camera” below the bag so that the zipper also somewhat looks like a scary set of jaws… when the full-page shot of this mystery character reveals that Rob Lucci is now making cameo roles.
CP9 of th-- ahem, Twist of the week
Final Flash: A completely acceptable chapter, but nothing actually happened, so that isn’t saying much. The “new,” post-timeskip Bleach will be judged more fairly when the real action resumes.
One Piece 602
[scanlation by Binktopia]
A title like “Rudder Straight Down” must mean we’re finally off to Fishman Island, right? … right?!
I’m immensely appreciative of Oda keeping the flashback of Luffy training under Rayleigh to two small panels. It appropriately conveys the feeling of gratitude without ruining any pacing.
Perona looks lovely after her timeskip redesign, but you didn’t need me to tell you that; Sanji made that quite evident.
This is the face of addiction withdrawal
Brook has finally arrived aboard Sunny-go. While his interaction with Nami was funny, it doesn’t make up for how much focus he’s received, and how long it’s taken for him to get here. Of all the crew members who could have been justified becoming famous and being hinted as being bigger than the crew, Brook is dead last.
Finally. For the first time since chapter 512, released September 1, 2008, the entire crew is together. Despite some truly excellent storytelling throughout the War arc, it’s been an agonizing wait. I still don’t feel like the weight has been fully lifted, because of some of the outlandish crew redesigns, but complaints aside, seeing everyone reunited is a major relief.
A moment literally years in the making
Of course, they’re not back together for an entire minute without Luffy being awestruck by Franky’s redesign, or without Sanji spilling his body weight in blood from his nose at the sight of the ladies. This kind of crew interaction has been long overdue.
The Straw Hats are getting quite a lot of help in escaping from Sabaody Archipelago. That’s actually a positive; it removes the need for them to fight their way out and reveal all (or any) of their interesting new abilities. Also, it provides an interesting look at these mentor characters outside of their previous surroundings, and creates the opportunity for crew members to react to each others’ helpers.
Of course.
I sincerely hope we’re treated to some cover stories chronicling the whereabouts of these mentor characters. Many of them are too interesting to cast aside for good after this arc.
After a satisfying explanation of Sunny’s bubble coating and how the ship will sail using undersea currents, we’re off to Fishman Island. If waiting for the crew to reunite felt like a long time, waiting for Fishman Island has been an eternity; it was first mentioned in chapter 69, way back in 1999.
Final Flash: Another setup chapter for the next arc, but a completely acceptable one, given the amount of interesting events in it. After years of waiting, we are finally at this incredible moment. Everyone ready for next week?
Enigma 7
[scanlation by CXC Scans]
Sensible decision of the guys to leave someone behind to guard the girls. There will indeed be no lame hostage plots in this manga. Well, the president is already captured, but none of the “save the distressed damsel” plot that lesser series seem to love.
Matsurigi is indeed in the incinerator. Strange, though not entirely off-base, for him to cite his student council duties so insistently now. He’s clearly not the leader figure after being captured so easily. Still, it does provide us with a solid moment of comedy.
Student council members: They just always know
The next password hunt/test begins. This time, it’s a moral dilemma problem. One key, two doors, and something important behind each one. Fairly standard setup. Of course, ever the hero, Haiba vows to get both.
Moto vanishing the door is a pretty good utilization of his power. This is a clever way for him to contribute, and it also soothes one of my few lingering worries about this series. Up till now, we were dealing with puzzles deliberately written to make characters useful. While they were well-written puzzles, they were situational. Moto’s actions here show that Sakaki Kenji is abundantly capable of applying set powers to a wide variety of situations.
Opacity doesn't stand a chance
Unfortunately, seeing through the door does little to help the guys figure out a way past it. Matsurigi, about to be taken over by the shadow, seems resigned to lose his life anyway. Too bad he went under before he was able to spill that one critical bit of information about the shadow’s identity.
The shadow taking over Mitsurigi triggers an abrupt personality change. Evil Mitsurigi now is demanding to be freed. It seems like he’s going to play Haiba and Moto’s humanity against them. This would be an appropriate time for the hooded guy to step up to the plate.
Final Flash: Very solid chapter. This series has a good way of delivering situational uses for the limited powers it gives its characters.
Toriko 116
[scanlation by Hi Wa Mata Noboru]
With Melk now revealed to be a fabulous bishonen, Toriko and Komatsu certainly show enough shock. I guess we were expecting a bit less sparkle and more muscle, based on the rumors they heard.
Despite the shoddy maintenance of Melk’s hut, Komatsu’s totally geeking out over its contents. That aspect of his character never gets old, and given that this is a spotlight arc for him, I’m expecting fun times.
Better than an ocean of penguin drool
It’s a bit odd that Melk’s house would be this slashed up. On one hand, it fits his design, but on the other hand, what we’ve seen of his knife skills indicates he has a bit more control than that. Toriko seems to be aware of this, also.
Okay, the cuts in the floor make sense if a comparatively dull Melk knife can bury itself blade-first in the floor just by free-falling. The knives have to be at least that good for them to be a serious level-up for Komatsu, anyway.
It’s an interesting choice on Toriko’s part to backhandedly insult Melk and then mess up the floor of his house. He has to be deliberately provoking Melk for some reason; I can’t see Toriko being this much of a jerk by accident. Melk has certainly been provoked enough.
We'll settle this with a caber toss
Knife fight time! Toriko’s hand-knife matches up evenly with Melk’s, and after a little action, he has Melk down on the ground. The twist at the end, that this Melk is not, in fact, the real one, raises a couple possibilities: possibly he’s a disciple, or else Melk is a company’s name rather than a single person’s.
Final Flash: Felt like a short chapter. Hopefully the fake Melk plot doesn’t lead to a sizable detour.
Weekly Power Rankings: 10/10 – 10/16
Rank |
Change |
Series |
Chapter |
Score |
| 1 | — | Beelzebub | 80 | 80.00% |
| 2 | — | Hayate no Gotoku! | 292 | 77.82% |
| 3 | +6 | Kimi no Iru Machi | 109 | 72.82% |
| 4 | +1 | Toriko | 114 | 72.18% |
| 5 | +2 | AR∀GO | 40 | 71.11% |
| 6 | +2 | Nurarihyon no Mago | 126 | 70.00% |
| 7 | -1 | Bakuman | 104 | 68.02% |
| 8 | +7 | Enigma | 5 | 67.13% |
| 9 | +2 | Psyren | 138 | 66.61% |
| 10 | +2 | Kekkaishi | 325 | 65.95% |
| 11 | -8 | History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi | 402 | 64.96% |
| 12 | -8 | Gintama | — | 64.94% |
| 13 | — | Gamaran | 68 | 64.59% |
| 14 | — | Code:Breaker | 108 | 64.22% |
| 15 | +3 | Air Gear | 291 | 61.24% |
| 16 | -6 | Fairy Tail | 204 | 61.08% |
| 17 | -1 | Mahou Sensei Negima! | 305 | 60.96% |
| 18 | -1 | The World God Only Knows | 117 | 59.63% |
| 19 | — | Defense Devil | 69 | 56.28% |
| 20 | +1 | One Piece | 599 | 55.89% |
| 21 | -1 | Naruto | 512 | 55.09% |
| 22 | — | Kyoukai no Rin-ne | 69 | 48.08% |
| 23 | — | GE ~ Good Ending | 55 | 46.91% |
| 24 | — | Zettai Karen Children | 234 | 37.59% |
| 25 | — | Bleach | 423 | 29.36% |
| 26 | — | MiXiM☆11 | 115 | 26.39% |
| 27 | — | Katekyo Hitman Reborn! | 309 | 19.52% |
Absent: SWOT
Series Roundup: 10/17 – 10/23
Mini-reviews for all the series without full individual posts.
Air Gear 291-292
[scanlation by SSA Scanlations]
(291) Just in case you weren’t convinced that this is a bizarre arc, Kaito utters the phrase “Even if you’ve trained your balls […]”
Kaito’s cigarette trick is a nice touch on its own, and Lind knowing to take over control of the body and not interfere shows another facet of the relationship between Kaito and this multi-persona character.
Apparently Lind is Gazelle? That’s interesting, but it’s also just the same cliffhanger/twist as last week.
(292) This proposed trade is a neat idea, but Lind shutting it down might be for the best. Arthur and Shalott are decent characters, but we’ve been away from the main group for too long.
I’m curious about this Gazelle concept, but with the pacing already stretched because of all the individual fights going on, this is not at all a great time for a flashback. This could have been saved for after this entire arc.
Code:Breaker 108-109
[scanlation by ShinraTensei]
(108) The opening pages of post-mystery explanation are slightly tedious, but Aoba being revealed as the Code:Revenger is a good enough twist to reclaim my interest. Great two-page spread artwork of Aoba’s glare.
Ogami using Belphegor to no effect shows that Aoba isn’t using any abilities. This is a great writing choice; this series has become entirely about special powers, to the point that a character being this strong on innate power is a pleasant surprise.
Aoba reveals a hint of her motivation, saying that Ogami took her beloved away from her. The One, perhaps?
(109) Heike’s introduction might finally lead to some serious development. He’s been hinted as having his own motives ever since he was introduced, but the plot has yet to focus on him intently.
Aoba’s leg submission on Ogami is another clever touch, and Ogami’s attempt to counter it leads to losing his power. Finally, Sakurakouji’s intervention prompts a pained expression on Aoba’s face. In its entirety, this is a fantastic exchange, and a great way to establish Aoba as a meaningful character.
Interesting aside about Toki. His presence has been sorely missed recently.
Wonderful series of pages to wrap up the chapter. Heike’s role as one of the founders of Eden (whatever that is – we need some more information about that), as well as his age, finally gives his character enough material to stand out. These were a great couple of chapters.
Defense Devil 69
[scanlation by I Eat Manga]
Judging from the opening pages, it seems this chapter is yet another diversion from the main storyline. A Shugarl chapter should be more acceptable than last week’s fanservice, at least.
That said, Shugarl does serve as quality female fanservice, apparently. His female onlookers are amusing.
Jupiter’s nightmare is suitably scary for a series that doesn’t focus much on horror.
Attempting to intervene on Jupiter’s behalf is an effective way to solidify Shugarl as a “good” character. I suppose that was necessary development, but this still felt like an oddly detached chapter.
Donten Prism Solar Car 1
[scanlation by CXC Scans]
Immediate impression of this series: Great art, as was to be expected from Murata. Also, the use of narrative boxes to quickly establish the protagonist is much appreciated in a monthly series. Also, the protagonist himself is an interesting character, with a good backstory, character design, and traits.
What a unique scenario presented by the first conflict in this series. Building a solar car is (to my knowledge) completely unprecedented shonen plot, and Kaneda’s displeasure with these students coming into his everyday life should make for interesting relationship development for many chapters to come.
Whether he’s justified or not, Kaneda is being a jerk to the engineering students. That fact alone makes him far more dynamic than most protagonists through one chapter.
It’s a pity this is a monthly series, rather than weekly, because the first chapter was about as engaging as it could have been. I’m already looking forward to next month.
Gamaran 67-68
[scanlation by Overload Scans]
(67) It’s been long enough since we’ve had a break from serious action that I’d forgotten that this series is capable of good comedy.
These two idiots are boasting in front of the absolute last person in this series to mess around with. They’d be better off joking around with Jinsuke than challenging Iori.
Juuren Village? Sounds like a training arc. That wasn’t too hard to see coming, though.
(68) Of course some folks from Juuren Village just happen to be wondering about the Ogame school. How convenient.
Interesting note about Ranmaru becoming Naoyoshi’s bodyguard. That, combined with Ranmaru’s conversation with an aggressive Kai, sets up the long-term possibility of Ranmaru having his own motives independent from Jinsuke’s vision, despite all the emphasis placed on Ranmaru’s loyalty in this chapter.
Great little scene of Naoyoshi having a crisis of conscience regarding helping his mother versus remaining loyal to Gama. So far, despite the Grand Tournament of Unabara ending, Naoyoshi is still getting necessary spotlight and development.
A foreign ninja girl attacks the Ogame group? This is the most out of place character design yet shown in the series, so Juuren Village is already looking to be a change of pace.
GE ~ Good Ending 55
[scanlation by iMangaScans]
Pages and pages of aggravation. I can’t quantify how much I’d rather be reading a series about Eri or Izumi.
Errand boy Seiji crashes into a girl at the photo lab. The absolute last thing this series needed was another harem member, and yet this series is terrible enough that such a meeting already cements this girl as a love interest.
The mixup between Seiji and the mystery girl means each character’s photos land in the wrong hands, and some professional photographers get a look at Seiji’s pictures. As uninteresting and unrelated to existing plot as this is, perhaps it will lead to Seiji finding something to do as a career, which would satisfy his self-imposed requirement for dating Yuki. Maybe this could lead to something positive.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 311
[scanlation by Binktopia]
It’s depressing that Amano feels the need to explain the concept of the 10-year bazooka. That’s yet another sign of how far downhill this series has gone; if Reborn! was still as good as it used to be, Lambo would have been featured prominently in fun roles all along.
Rauji is a huge stag beetle. Ridiculous.
Lambo’s “pride” is pretty comical. Even in 15-year old form, he’s still the most enjoyable character in the series.
Oh so coincidentally, Lambo’s weapon gives him horns. Horns vs. jaws. Yawn.
An entire chapter wasted on putting on a helmet. Even Lambo can’t redeem this.
SWOT 13
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
This week’s SWOT despair-saving TV theme is the intro to CHiPs. Help me, Erik Estrada.
Of course Yamikura can use Resolve already. He’s been off-screen. That’s all it takes in bad shonen.
Yamikura was able to defeat the sophomore in a matter of pages. I know this series is on the verge of cancellation (thankfully), but that’s still criminal.
Wonderful, a moody eyepatch character. Thanks for reminding us that no matter how bad it was, Lock On! was still indescribably superior to this garbage.
What the hell? Discounting the overall idiocy of the last page, look at Manabizaki’s teeth. It’s obvious the author can’t write worth a damn, but at least have the decency to draw properly.
—
Feel that one or more of these series should be getting full-review treatment each week? Show your support by participating in chapter discussion in comments. Actively-discussed series will be considered for full reviews.
Bakuman 106
[scanlation by I Eat Manga]
I didn’t mind Mashiro learning from Shiratori last chapter, because I felt it was a way for Mashiro to remain down-to-earth. This chapter, though, the emphasis is being placed on just how good Shiratori is to be able to teach an established mangaka, rather than Mashiro being an open-minded professional for learning from an assistant. This shift in emphasis is slight but enough to make a considerable and upsetting difference.
Moriya’s outburst is more exciting than anything Shiratori has done since his introduction. I wouldn’t approve of Moriya getting the amount of spotlight that Shiratori has received, but at least some of the time that’s been wasted on Shiratori could have been used more effectively to develop Moriya further.
What excellent taste you have
Moriya is in love! How adorable.
Otter #11 is being canceled? What a horrible turn of events! Also, it’s sad to see The Time of Green Leaves leaving the magazine as well. That said, this plot development has led to my personal favorite piece of artwork ever produced by Obata.
A completely new kind of testament to Obata's brilliance
The decision to parody the real Jump’s “Top of the Super Legend” one-shot series is both amusing and perhaps the most up-to-date reflection of the manga industry yet featured in Bakuman. Also, it’s a good method to keep side characters relevant and involved while the primary focus of the series is in transition.
Hilarious exchange between Hiramaru and his editor. I miss when “Weekly Aoki Ko” was a regular feature of the series, rather than an occasional joke in between Shiratori plot elements.
Excellent comedy duo
Mashiro’s demonstration of his two drawing styles is an impressive achievement from Obata, as well as simply being an interesting peek into the life of a professional artist. I can’t overstate how much I appreciate the way this series has kept the technical side of manga accessible to readers. It would be extremely easy of Ohba and Obata to include tons of advanced details, all of which would be accurate but potentially over the heads of the audience; instead, they’ve managed to include just enough to make the series feel authentic, yet not so much as to confuse anyone.
Of course Eiji wants to contribute a one-shot. He can apparently do anything, so why wouldn’t he?
I’m pleased that Iwase is determined to enter, since she’s been marginalized for a little while now, but the strong hints of her pairing up with Mashiro are worrisome. That would be yet another development that leads the story further away from the original goal of Ashirogi Muto and Azuki, and this one could feel worse than any of the others, considering the unsettled rivalry between Iwase and Takagi, as well as Iwase’s earlier dislike of Azuki.
The chapter ends with a united declaration from Ashirogi that they are entering the Super Leaders’ Fest, yet I still can’t shake the feeling that Takagi will be too overwhelmed to uphold his end of the deal, and that Mashiro and Iwase might end up working together. If that’s the case, I’d be extremely disappointed by this chapter, in that the story didn’t just move directly to such a partnership rather than traveling through drama and turmoil first.
Final Flash: A few splendid moments only serve to break up the frustrating monotony of where this series has gone in the last couple months.
Zettai Karen Children 235
[scanlation by JS Scans]
No omake this time around, and another Hyoubu cover. This claims to be the last chapter of the arc, which should work given that most of the action is wrapped up.
We get to see a little more of the play. Not fantastic, but it is supposed to be middle school students acting. They’re not all going to be Oscar-winners.
Kaoru gets a vision of Yuuri in her head somehow and rushes off in the middle of the play, leaving Kazura and Hino to cover for her. The script for the play may not be great, but watching characters improvise on stage is a ton of fun.
Written by Gainax
Kaoru rushes backstage to find Yuuri is fine, except for a total gap in her memories of the first half of the play. With all the maturing she’s done recently, she could stand to come out of this a little more suspicious of Yuuri.
Apparently, Hyoubu got Nai and Hanzo to take Yuuri back for him, after having temporarily sealed Mirage off. An interesting thing I took out of this flashback: Hyoubu changed his wording when saying that normals had made Yuuri suffer. He casually corrected himself and instead blames the adults around her. This is a subtle shift in the character that used to blame normals for everything without a second thought, appropriate for the long-term track this series takes.
The decision to get Mirage to quit Black Phantom on her own, allowing her to spend time as Yuuri, is not perhaps the best possible one to come out of this arc, but it is more suitable for Hyoubu. He can’t kill other espers for two reasons very central to his character: 1) needing to be morally above Minamoto in Kaoru’s eyes, and 2) his own strong esper-supremacist stance. It wouldn’t quite be appropriate for him to go all Killer 7 on other espers now.
As always, the anti-villain
Thus, the play ends with a middle school-level story twist – a reincarnated character. I guess it sort of fits with the serious part of the arc.
Final Flash: The play itself didn’t amount to much story-wise, but Yuuri vs. Hyoubu was interesting, and Mirage being sealed means that Black Phantom is not going to be a plot focus for at least the next arc. I’m looking forward to whatever Shiina decides to shift focus to.
History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi 404
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Straight into the action, and Kenichi fully intends to make good on his promise of using Muay Thai to finish this. The art is doing an excellent job of relating how beat up both fights are. The blood and bruises work with the ragged, torn clothing so well that you can nearly feel the wear on both Kenichi and Koukin.
This chapter is doing some great work with technical martial arts that we haven’t seen in a while. Fights like this are what I’ve been missing: pure martial arts with a minimal amount of text.
Koukin has the upper hand, as well he should. Kenichi beating him on technical merit in Muay Thai would be out of character. What Kenichi pulls out to turn the tides, however, is an excellent move. Master eyes! Certainly Kenichi isn’t a master, but he’s channeling Apachai so faithfully that he’s mirrored his eyes.
But do they shoot lasers?
A tiny flashback to set up the fact this is an Apachai move. Something as basic as putting all your strength into an uppercut is befitting of Apachai, and Kenichi should have that down pretty well — after all, he gets sent flying by it every other day. (Good job, now dodge!)
Agaard speaking out during the match is a huge taboo. The manga goes so far as to have Agaard thinking about how it was a mistake to do so, and a reaction panel of silence from Koukin. There has to be something that will happen as a result of this, it simply has too much focus. All that said, the CHAI-KICK is excellent, and the stark whiteness used for the attack makes it seem devastating.
Everything but his hair is gone!
A nice bit of closure to the fight. I’m ready to wind down and feel the implications from this. Apachai seems to have died the permanent kind of death, but we’ll see. Also, if this whole ordeal hasn’t left a mark on Kenichi’s character and evolution, I will be incredibly disappointed.
Final Flash: The past two chapters were a return to form for HSDK, and everything that we originally wanted out of this arc. It’s a shame they came so late, but that doesn’t lessen the quality they present.
Kekkaishi 326
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Tokine’s dive to the center of the earth continues. She’s still using the Kekkai for makeshift stairs rather than just freefalling, a cautious approach that makes perfect sense in light of how much Mahora’s power has been built up.
As Tokine closes in on the center, we’re treated to a bunch of appropriately otherworldly imagery. When she actually reaches him, she wastes no time waking him up. Typical no-nonsense Tokine.
Interesting negotiating tactic
Well, Mahora’s awake now. Diplomacy commences with all the necessary formalities, and Mahora immediately responds by spearing her through the chest with a mass of shadow. This is a pretty neat development. I certainly wasn’t expecting the negotiations to be any kind of easy, but there’s no way Tokine’s done now. How exactly she copes with this will be an interesting measure of her training while she was out of the main story.
Spearing for a spearing
Leaving off at that ideal cliffhanger, the focus switches to Shichiro, whose land god makes a passing comment to the effect that whatever Mahora just did was significant. This is more reaffirmation that land gods are interconnected somehow.
Yoshimori’s mom shows up to ask Shichiro for help with the sealing. Interesting banter between the two, but most of it is just her continuing to to be supremely confident. As little as we’ve seen of her, she feels like an overpowered character already.
Either extremely powerful or extremely arrogant
We come back to Tokine fairly early. I was expecting to have to wait until the next chapter to see more of her.
… not that I mind at all. The panels that depict Tokine sliding out of a skewer are on the high end of fantastic. Her power-up, Utsusemi, is full-on intangibility, something that goes such a long way towards legitimizing her as a capable diplomat. She now has the technique necessary to stand against the worst of demons, nicely complimenting the levelheadedness she’s always had. Without there being some specific limit on how long or how much she can use this one, I sense a significant shift in her Tier List position.
Final Flash: Awesome Tokine chapter, period. Her character was lagging behind Yoshimori’s in power for the longest time. Here, she survives a situation that would likely have killed him, perfectly reestablishing her as a relevant character.
Naruto 514
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Uh, Kishimoto? As enticing as the title “Kabuto’s Plot” is, I can’t be made to overlook your attempted Disney-esque subliminal drawing.
... ahem.
Even in a fight against completely new opponents, it’s still disheartening to see Deidara in action, with all his old abilities.
I would have much preferred to infer Naruto’s stupidity, rather than to be explicitly reminded of how stupid he was through cheesy internal monologue. In fact, there have far too many internal thought bubbles in Naruto recently. That’s a terrible storytelling crutch on which to rely, akin to Togashi’s excessive use of narrative boxes.
Kurotsuchi’s combination attacks are a nice use of forethought and skill, but it was again accompanied by internal thought bubbles. Also, there’s no way Kabuto is falling victim to these opponents.
Even Deidara is getting in on the thought bubble bonanza. This is ridiculous.
SAY THAT. With your mouth.
As expected, Kabuto was both too prepared and too strong to be defeated by Kurotsuchi, Yamato and the rest. Capturing Yamato is an interesting choice, as well.
Just as Deidara and the Tsuchikage are about to use their powerful attacks against in each other in grand shonen fashion, Deidara is recalled by Kabuto through one of his now-trademark coffins. This confuses me slightly, as I was under the impression that Deidara was a reformed Zetsu clone, not an undead summon. If he’s the latter, then I don’t quite understand the earlier exchange between Kabuto and Madara, when Kabuto offered to help if he could borrow a Zetsu clone. If Deidara is a Zetsu clone, however, then Kabuto suddenly becomes considerably more intriguing, as the ability to summon and recall these clones at will is a huge asset.
Tsuchikage conveys the urgency of the situation, as Yamato is brought before Madara. The information that could be drawn from him already makes Kabuto’s improvised choice of kidnapping Yamato a sensible one, and one that further raises his credibility as a villain, but the less obvious and more interesting part of Kabuto’s statement is his claim that with Yamato, Madara can now produce “a lot more [Zetsu clones].” If this is true, then Kabuto’s tactical analysis and quick decision-making cement him as the premier villain of the series, far and away superior to the all-too-straightforward Madara.
Final Flash: Great chapter for developing the best hope this series has remaining for a great antagonist, and a mercifully brief display of less interesting characters, all of whom have “Tsuchi” in their names.
The World God Only Knows 118
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
So the item the Vintage agent dropped was more than just an accessory. The goddess detector should make the whole festival arc go much quicker.
… unless the author introduces some other constraint, like the goddesses being warned off.
Six goddesses, leaving four more. That’s a bit more than I expected. I wonder if all of them are in girls we’ve already met. Also, if I remember my Roman mythology correctly, four of those names are of male goddesses. That probably doesn’t mean anything, though, seeing as Apollo is one of the aforementioned.
Slash Diana being a part of the festival arc. Just as well, she would probably be more of a hindrance in that case anyway, and she might as well be hiding while the other goddesses are. Anyway, Keima has much more important things in mind right now.
Perfectly executed mood transition
Elsee, of all people, is going to being playing the role of Kanon to make sure she’s not missed. Stellar comedy, and good use of the fact that Elsee is a fan of Kanon’s music. Firetruck-themed concerts, anyone?
All it takes to change Elsee into Kanon is a new haircut. I was expecting Wakaki to at least recolor her hair. Guess Kanon’s staffers are just going to overlook that somehow. That bugs me a bit.
Nevermind, Haqua cast an optical illusion spell invisible to the readers. That’s still kinda lame. Oh well, magic is magic.
Next in the line of characters being removed from the main plot: Keima’s mom. Fortunately, this one is both plot-independent and totally hilarious.
Lest mom wonder why a stabbed girl is on her couch
This leaves room for some quality time (read: shipteasing) between Haqua and Keima. This is exactly as much setup as the dance festival needs. Start the main arc now, please.
Final Flash: Very funny moments in this chapter, and the setup part of this arc should now be 100% done.
Mahou Sensei Negima! 306
[scanlation by reddevilshn]
The effects of Magia Erebea are kicking in, and Negi is obviously not himself. The art of the swirling energy is well done every time Magia Erebea appears, even if the art isn’t something I normally notice in Negima. The jagged edges and inverted colors Negi’s appearance takes on help the effect being created.
Excellently appropriate, and not a bad tribal tattoo
A big fight is about to happen. The attacks taking place are of an appropriately large scale, and they’re getting bigger as the fight goes on. A bit of a mini-revelation, for Dynamis to tell us that Magia Erebea is a technique of his master. We know that Negi learned from Evangeline; does that make her Dynamis’s teacher? I doubt it, which means we’re being foreshadowed for a little more story on one of the mages we saw Nagi fighting in his flashback.
Negi is shrugging off no small number of completely devastating attacks, while tossing attacks back that match the output from Dynamis. The return of the lightning spear, but black lightning this time. Maybe Akamatsu Ken is taking some sort of signal from Kishimoto on this being the time to illustrate huge scale attacks. In defense of Negima, it has been doing this sort of thing for a long time now.
While I don’t exactly want to see Negi only win this by being overcome with this sort of dark magic, I much prefer an evil-powered smackdown to the incredibly played out trope of restraining himself before the fight is settled in his favor for some reason like “not wanting to win that way”. All of the girls are trying to stop him, but the one who throws herself in his way is… our newcomer? This is going to be interesting.
This is how to establish a new character
Final Flash: Excellent action, some intense fights, and nothing but more of the same on the horizon.
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