Archive
Toriko 103
[scanlation by Hi Wa Mata Noboru]
Two pages into the chapter and I’m already hungry. Curse you, Toriko.
What are those?
I’m relieved to find out that Komatsu is coming. He needs to capitalize on his recent character development, and continue progressing into an equal partner for Toriko.
It seems Toriko is wasting no time on that front, either. His (admittedly somewhat awkward) proposal is only interrupted by the arrival of a Sealion Bird, which may very well be the creepiest-looking animal to date.
There’s nothing quite like a vine in the sky to create a great sense of anticipation.
Final Flash: It’s great that Komatsu is here for the trip, but what about Terry? And what happened to Komatsu needing a bodyguard, who should rightfully be Rin?
Beelzebub 70
[scanlation by Keishou Scans]
A cat. There’s a cat.
The sub-conversation between Izuma and Kunieda is very amusing.
Don't you dare take Beel out of the picture
A little spotlight for Kunieda! Good.
Oga going up for the overhead kick is pretty funny. While surely purely used for comedy, this move could also be referencing a real sport, sepak takraw, which is essentially volleyball played with the feet.
Final Flash: A couple good moments in this chapter, but this volleyball business is still in the way of interesting plot.
Weekly Power Rankings: 7/11 – 7/17
GE ~ Good Ending 43
[scanlation by iMangaScans]
Who cares if the text is long? Just send it! Be done with this.
He calls instead, and the issue is circumvented. That’s not a good sign.
No matter whether Shou should be in the harem again, it’s still sad to see her this distraught over the situation.
Yuki being so perceptive of Shou’s troubles is both a kind character trait and slightly worrisome. It’s great that she’s such a good friend, but I worry that she might use her guilt as yet another self-imposed obstacle in the way of her feelings for Seiji.
Shou is certainly a fan of ice cream.
This is an awkward flashback. It’s a little late to be seeing Shou in such a positive light. I don’t want to be rooting for her anymore; she had her chance already. That’s not to say I dislike her character, but the story needs to progress without her in the spotlight as much.
It seems Yuki is conflicted after all. I can only hope she doesn’t ask Seiji to resume morning practice.
Final Flash: The potential displayed at the end of last chapter hasn’t been realized at all.
Psyren 128
[scanlation by QandA]
Amamiya’s Nova becoming intertwined with her sword could make for good attacking variety, setting her apart from the other protagonists.
A little Hiryu action, for once. It’s a shame he’s fallen so far out of the spotlight for so long.
Lavos needs a hug
Frederica complements Kyle’s fighting style nicely. It seems Iwashiro is in a rush to show as much plot development as possible in a short time, so these fights are more concentrated. We get to see the large attacks, but not very much in between.
Ridiculous power from Frederica.
Grana saves Uranus at the last minute, though who knows what kind of fighting condition he’ll be in for the remainder of the arc. Time to switch fights, and perhaps switch focus as well, hopefully to Shao and Kabuto.
Final Flash: Good, straightforward action chapter.
History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi 391
[scanlation by Keishou Scans]
Finally, Sakaki. By default, this should be an improvement from last chapter.
Truly impressive display from a brand new character. Sakaki might not be in a tight spot, but he isn’t winning handily, either.
Sakaki is just the type to allow himself to be hit in order to strike the decisive blow… although his method here is a little ridiculous, frankly.
Next time, pull both your legs into your rib cage
Final Flash: Good short fight. Nice to have another quick chapter, paving the way for the main event beginning next week.
Kimi no Iru Machi 98
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
Nagoshi is terribly cute in the way she’s completely misunderstanding all of this. Again, it’s such a pity she wasn’t around earlier to be part of the “real” possibilities.
More series should have "big failure" signs
Eba was smiling last chapter because she was talking about Haruto! That’s some fantastic progress.
Excellent two page spread of Kazama announcing his intention to have the surgery.
This is setting up brilliantly well. My main concern in the entire Tokyo trip has been that Haruto could potentially end up with Eba again without actually “winning her back,” which would completely demean Haruto (and, by association, the entire story).
Final Flash: This chapter is hugely reassuring for the future of the series.
Bakuman 95
[scanlation by Sleepy Fans]
It’s happening! Romantic tension between Eiji and Iwase! This is a great moment.
Appropriate disbelief
She’s leaning right next to him, no less. This is going to be a fun chapter.
Eiji’s uncanny prediction abilities come up again, but honestly, this time was a bit much. Most of his predictions have been enjoyable, but this one was too specific and therefore didn’t carry as much impact.
Excellent comedic interplay
Actually, this is starting to be far too much exposition of the “relationship” between Eiji and Iwase for it to be real. It seems everyone is mistaken, and she’s pushing for something else.
Eiji doing a textless chapter is a bold act perfectly befitting of the rivalry between him and Ashirogi. This is exactly the kind of back and forth behavior I’ve been waiting for.
Mashiro continues to be the best part of this series. His shock at Eiji’s actions and his own level of talent by comparison are another great milestone in his fantastic character evolution.
Excellent facial expression
Great showing from Road Racer. Fukuda is still going to figure prominently in the competition for top spot in the magazine.
There’s the payoff: Iwase was pushing for Eiji to include Crow in +Natural. Frankly, I’m not sure I like the idea. Yes, Ashirogi must compete with Eiji overall, so it does condense the rivalry, but this feels more like a convoluted trick for +Natural to stay competitive against the ever-improving PCP. This somewhat cheapens Iwase’s role in the rivalry, especially considering her recent character change.
… of course, worst of all, this means Iwase might not be in love with Eiji after all!
Final Flash: Engaging chapter with a questionable turn of events at the end.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 299
[scanlation by I Eat Manga]
“A shadow approaches” … to probably train Tsuna and his team.
There is apparently a fine line between looking devastated and looking high. Tsuna is crossing that line.
This is a munchies emergency
There’s a character called “Coyote Nougat.” Yep. Only in Reborn!.
No prizes for guessing the figure on the cover page was a mentor character of some kind, and only a couple points awarded for guessing he was a bizarre old man.
Oh dear, the Vongola rings have spirits. Not that it’s being done well, but Bleach is already covering the “inhabited weapons” quota for Jump. This is a path I’d hoped Reborn! wouldn’t take.
Well-explored territory
This is incredibly linear power-up development, right down to this creepy old man having the blood of Vongola Primo. It’s such a waste of an entire series to just deliberately make infinite parallels between the main characters and their predecessors. Why not let Tsuna succeed on his own merit?
Who doesn't carry around other people's blood in vials?
Final Flash: All of the early charm of the series is again being ignored in favor of the simplest shonen storytelling imaginable. Boring chapter.
Bleach 413
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Yes, Isshin, Bleach is still publishing
Back to focusing on Ichigo’s friends, and we’re still in the Deicide numbering scheme. The former is fine, the latter is incomprehensible.
Background of the week
Ichigo’s friends looting for supplies is actually fairly amusing. I don’t mind focusing on these kids. They’re decidedly less terrible than the main cast.
Years later, Kubo is finally getting back to Chizuru being the only one in this group who can’t sense spiritual aura. This storyline was interesting back when it was still fairly new, and while it’s lost almost all its momentum in the time it hasn’t been mentioned, it’s still more worthwhile than the current major plot.
This chase scene (or, more appropriately, this slow-walk scene) could work if anyone but Aizen was doing the chasing. Despite his broken abilities, his lack of proper character establishment means he’s not menacing whatsoever.
Similarly, all this pseudo-comedy could work, if only Aizen wasn’t involved.
Twist of the week
Final Flash: Actually, the “twist of the week” could be that I didn’t hate this chapter. The fact that Ichigo wasn’t involved in a non-horrible chapter is no coincidence.
Naruto 503
[scanlation by Binktopia]
What a pleasant cover page. Pity our protagonist has never had a taste of this kind of life. Kushina’s hair being in the shape of Kyuubi’s tails is an excellent touch.
Brilliant skill displayed by Minato. In particular, Flying Thunder God is an excellent technique with (apparently) an interesting limitation to it.
Kishimoto has been on a fantastic streak lately, producing some of his best artwork in recent memory. It’s not even just the grand-scale attacks and flashy techniques, either; something as simple as the transition of control over Kyuubi has been shown through the art rather than wasting space with excessive dialogue.
Clear, explanatory art
Hugely powerful scene between Iruka and his parents. In fact, all these scenes involving present-day jounin back when they were young and comparatively helpless carry so much weight. This effect could only have been achieved in the manner that Kishimoto structured the overall story. Extremely well done.
Stunning family moment between Minato, Kushina, and young Naruto. Kushina instantly gains credibility as one of the toughest females in the series, and not just for the lack of competition in that category. Her genuine smile despite obvious pain is impressive and uncharacteristic of most other Naruto females.
Sakura can only dream of being this good of a character
In the same scene, Minato’s sadness is overwhelming. Again, the art shines, most specifically in one small, yet precisely detailed, panel:
Moving
Closing out the chapter, Minato prepares the ultimate sacrifice to resolve the situation. As with seemingly everything else in Naruto lately, the final page is very well-drawn.
Final Flash: Fantastic chapter.
One Piece 593
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Robin continues to be involved in the most intriguing subplot of all the Strawhats. Not only is her connection to Ohara fascinating, but now the Revolutionary Army is revealed to have been out to protect her. Excellent.
Great to see Robin’s confidence in her crew. Thanks largely to her involvement and backstory in it, Enies Lobby still stands out to me as the strongest arc in all of One Piece. Any further storylines that can be derived from her past are more than welcome.
Poor Sanji. His reactions are priceless, though.
Best imagined in the voice of Hiroaki Hirata
Hugely important news being discussed here, even if the audience isn’t being made aware of any details yet. Even finding out that the Revolutionary Army has various “leaders” spread around the world is notable, as is Dragon reaffirming the change in Kuma. Also, Dragon seems to have been drawn to look older than in previous scenes.
Noticeably older
Duval! The Thousand Sunny is perfectly safe in his handsome hands.
Even more focus on the duality of Kuma, as again highlighted here by Shakky mentioning the earlier meeting between the still-human Kuma and Rayleigh. With this much focus on Kuma, a revelation must be forthcoming fairly soon.
In an already stunningly vague chapter, Vivi’s comments stand out the most. What could she possibly be reading about Luffy that would lead her to question whether something is “stylish?”
Crocodile is heading to the New World, and Daz Bones is coming with him. Crocodile’s expression is fantastic; he might still be more evil than good, but it seems he’s regained the fire he once had as a young pirate, the fire that he mentioned back in Alabasta.
Livelier than usual
Closing out the chapter, some more foreshadowing, this time involving Buggy. It’s unusual (and equally intriguing) that his crew would interpret the contents of the paper in a way that Buggy has been hailed as a hero.
Final Flash: What an overwhelmingly forward-looking chapter. Deliberately confusing, but thoroughly fascinating.
Fairy Tail 193
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Four pages wasted on establishing that each character has an opposite. We were already well aware of that, thanks.
Finally, the Erza fight continues. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and it’ll end in this chapter.
Mashima has again revealed his complete lack of creativity, rehashing another idea from Rave. This time, it’s Ravelt.
Might as well have Haru join the cast
Of course, each Erza’s trump card is destroyed, so we’re “treated” to a catfight.
In Fairy Tail tradition, the fight is ultimately won by force of willpower rather than any tangible or interesting means.
Not content to allow a hesitant positive (end of the Erza fight) to take the spotlight, Mashima has to reintroduce Gerard’s face, which is factually impossible to like.
Final Flash: At least that fight is over. We’re nearing the end of the arc.
Beamcast – July 19
[download link – 115min, 52mb]
In this week’s show:
News
MangaToshokan pulls all publisher coalition manga
Wall Street Journal reports on manga “piracy”
Voice actor Norio Imamura arrested for indecent pictures
Pluto, 20th Century Boys nominated for Harveys
Tenjou Tenge ending, Jumbor restarting
Weekly Oricon rankings (7/5 – 7/11)
New releases
[anime]
Bleach (DVD 30) $24.99
Shuffle! Complete Series – Viridian Collection (DVD) $49.98
Vampire Knight (DVD 1) $19.99
[manga]
Dragon Ball Z (vol. 8) $17.99
Fullmetal Alchemist (vol. 23) $9.99
Vagabond (vol. 8) $19.99
Current/Classic Reviews
The World God Only Knows
Mx0
The Great Shonen Tier List
Introduced this week:
Sanji (One Piece)
Gaara (Naruto)
Yasutora “Chad” Sado (Bleach)
Kuzumi Taiga (Mx0)
Killua Zaoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)
Jack Rakan (Mahou Sensei Negima!)
Anime Discussion
Highschool of the Dead (ep. 2)
Seitokai Yakuindomo (ep. 3)
Legend of the Legendary Heroes (ep. 3)
Nurarihyon no Mago (ep.2)
This Week in Manga
1:08:47 – Sankarea 8 (new series!)
1:12:29 – One Piece 592
1:18:07 – Naruto 502
1:21:36 – Bleach 412
1:25:17 – Bakuman 94
1:30:39 – Beelzebub 69
1:33:42 – Fairy Tail 192
1:35:33 – Hayate no Gotoku! 280
1:36:51 – History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi 390
1:39:48 – Toriko 102
1:42:24 – The World God Only Knows 105
1:43:58 – Psyren 127
1:46:29 – Hajime no Ippo 900
1:48:48 – AR∀GO 27
1:50:04 – Air Gear 284
1:51:39 – Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 298
1:52:29 – Kimi no Iru Machi 97
Chapters of the Week
Final Flash
Comments / questions / additions? Email the show.
Want to share with friends? How kind. Have a shortlink: http://wp.me/pJOZe-uT
Credit: AnimeNewsNetwork
Weekly Power Rankings: 7/4 – 7/10
Shonen Beam Social Network
Shonen Beam 