Shonen Beam

[scanlation by Binktopia]

I’m really enjoying the humor in Ichigo’s abrupt, jerky movements lately. A couple chapters ago, he intercepted Keigo with a deadpan headlock; here, he flies in from off-screen and shoves one of the delinquents’ heads to the ground. This is effective communication through artwork, which is something I never would have been able to say about Kubo before the timeskip.

Pop quiz: Name that wrestling move

The obnoxious intruder is nonchalantly eliminated by both Ichigo and Ishida, and his now-removed teeth serve as the backdrop for the chapter number. That was clever.

Good dichotomy established by Kubo, as the competitive relationship between Ichigo and Ishida is played out through dialogue while the art shows them cooperating to rid themselves of the intruders. It’s nothing new, but considering Kubo’s questionable writing talent, there’s no shame in relying on established plot devices.

I actually had to look up who Yoko-chin is, and even after that I don’t really have strong memories of his involvement, but the punchline he delivers about Ichigo’s obvious flashback was worth bringing him back. Good comedy in the first half of the chapter.

This random lady is Ichigo’s boss? What excellent news! Ichigo working for someone other than Urahara further distances him (and the overall story) from boring Shinigami plot.

Oh dear, another small group of people that performs assorted tasks for those who require assistance? If there was such a thing as a reasonable limit on this kind of plot device, then Jump would have long since exceeded it, what with Gintama, Sket Dance, and Medaka Box.

Ikumi has a son. Not only does he provide a nice (if easy) little piece of comedy, but he immediately makes Ikumi’s introduction one of the most successful and interesting in the entire series.

Our Rob Lucci lookalike makes his grand entrance, but pleasingly, his menace is tempered by the fact that he has oddly brought a bowl of ramen to Ichigo’s workplace. This scene isn’t perfect (there’s still no excuse not to draw backgrounds, especially indoors, when it could just be a wall), but it’s much better than I would have expected of this character’s return.

Do you always carry ramen around with you?

Final Flash: We still have yet to truly establish a sense of direction since the timeskip, but I’m not complaining about that. This was good comedy and acceptable seriousness.