Archive
AR∀GO 15
[chapter link]
Honestly, I didn’t expect the old man to be good. Maybe that was just me.
Don’t get hit by the arrowhead, Joe! You’ll gain a Stand!
P6, top panel: What a panel. Excellently drawn.
Ooh, I do believe we have some Doppel action. Good to see, he’s quite an interesting character.
Tons of background on leprechauns.
Joe has history with Patchman! Flashback time.
Final Flash: I suppose chapter 15 is acceptable for a side character flashback.
Zettai Karen Children 212
[chapter link]
Finally, a new arc.
I wonder how many times I’ve seen a manga character in the fetal position.
We move from African plains to trying to get a body for Feather? More time-wasting before real plot. Hooray.
The girls like Minamoto. I get it. Please move forward with this storyline or stop rehashing the same tired jokes.
Hm, a decoy. The decoy mini-arcs earlier in the series weren’t bad. This could yet be salvaged.
Final Flash: If nothing else, I’m glad to have the girls back.
MiXiM☆11 91
[chapter link]
What I’m hearing is “Main character: Focus only on strength, leaving you conveniently out of the picture for a while, while we all fight and lose.”
Okay, officially strongly disapprove of Project Kurai Ryu. Leave your pathetic, unfunny attempts at humor out of the series. You somehow manage to look worse than an already poor manga. One of the worst scanlation groups I’ve ever has the displeasure of having to read. I wish Keishou did this series more quickly.
Such a straightforward, predictable chapter. I bet Dodo will easily brush off Ichimatsu’s next attack.
Sadly, I was right.
No, Anzai, your audience isn’t going to be emotionally moved by the sacrifice of a finger puppet.
Final Flash: Another week, another uninspired chapter.
Nurarihyon no Mago 101
[chapter link]
Kubinashi’s first line is pretty cool, actually.
Ibaraki’s fear is a little difficult to view. A case of too much detail.
So… this fight is Enel vs. Jolyne?
“I’ll take each of your necks and leave them looking like his!” First joke I can recall in many, many chapters. Not bad, either.
Yuki Onna! Nothing wrong with it, but I’m a little surprised to see her dripping blood.
That’s a very foreboding last page.
Final Flash: Hoping to see Kubinashi come back to his senses and fight better with Kejourou. Of course, I have a thing for fighting teams.
Kimi no Iru Machi 85
[chapter link]
Well. Hello, Aoi.
Oh, the perils of being a stalker.
Wow. This turn of events is too much of a stretch. Anyone would see the problem with using another girl for this. You can only make your main character so naive before the audience’s suspension of disbelief breaks down.
When Negi adds a harem member, it’s a great occasion. When Haruto adds a romantic interest, it’s frustrating. Show us Eba already.
This entire chapter is following the most basic of romantic comedy formulas. Seo is a better writer than this. What a letdown.
Final Flash: Well, I suppose since Haruto doesn’t want to see Eba with Nagoshi in tow, there’s a 99% chance it will happen. I wish we didn’t have to drag this disappointing storyline to the long-awaited meeting.
Weekly Power Rankings – 3/28 – 4/3
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 285
Enma is so apathetic that he censored his own face? … oh.
“Thanks for yesterday. For fixing my pants.”
(Just going to leave that there without context.)
Can I see your hand? I want to creepily caress it.
This is the Gokudera I missed. Ridiculous, crazy, amusing.
If Hibari is knocked out, he’ll get beaten up? I’m hoping that’s a translation error. That makes no sense.
Reborn swinging in on a vine! This is also like the old/good Reborn.
They’re guests of the ceremony. That’s not bad, actually. Less predictable than “a group of exactly 7 people who think they’re the rightful heirs.”
Final Flash: The first taste in a long time of the style that made this series enjoyable so many chapters ago. Hopefully a sign of things to come.
Psyren 114
[chapter link]
Tangela attack!
P1, bottom right panel: The facial expressions on Yoshina and Amamiya genuinely convey chaos. Great panel.
Kyle was playing basketball? He gets cooler every week.
Shao Van fighting makes me want an anime. Right now. His style seems so fluid.
No, I didn’t need a flashback for this villain, thanks. He was cool enough, and the fight was just getting awesome. Oh well, at least it’s only a couple pages.
P16, center panel: Now that’s a good use of a blank background.
Great change in momentum.
Final Flash: Excellent fight thus far. If this is any indication of the fights to come, we’re in for a treat.
Bakuman 81
[chapter link]
Whoa, Mashiro. Your finger. It’s huge.
I’m liking Hattori’s plan. I like just about anything Hattori is involved with. How much would this manga lose without Hattori?
“Think One Piece and [Dragon Quest II: Dai no Daibouken].” Brilliant line.
Confident-Mashiro has taken this manga to a new level. I’m glad he’s on the same page as Hattori (through Miura).
I love how Eiji can pick up on tiny personal insecurities by reading a script.
“Magma of Stopper”… may not be the best title ever. Keep going, though, you guys are great.
Finally, the culmination. Great time for color pages next chapter.
Final Flash: The great thing about Bakuman’s unique genre is that chapters such as these, which might ordinarily be labeled “transitional” or “setup” chapters, feel just as exciting, interesting, and necessary as the chapters with shocking plot twists.
Hunter x Hunter 304
[chapter link]
See, everyone with background-drawing deficiency? Even Togashi can draw trees, and he plays Dragon Quest 27 hours a day.
“Wink Blue” is a silly name.
We get to see Gon starting on page 7! Finally, some more face time for the best character.
Can’t wait for Pouf to be killed.
Wow. Kaito is dead. It would carry a little more impact without the other fights and without the hiatuses, but it’s still sad.
Final Flash: Your moment has arrived, Gon. Make it happen.
Gamaran 43
[chapter link]
I have absolutely no qualifications to talk about proper swordfighting technique, and I know this is manga, but the stance for Muhi Musou Renjin seems a little… completely wide-open. Even for a fully offensive move, it makes little sense. If this is grounded in any reality, he would die before even reaching his target.
I point it out in the bad series, so I have to play fair and point it out in better ones: Hugely disappointing number of speed lines this chapter. I know the action is fast-paced, but limit yourself.
P13, top panel: Why we like this series.
I hope when I die, I don’t say “Abeh…”
Final Flash: Shinnoujou’s fight is over. It might have lasted a little too long for my tastes, but it was still acceptable. Ready for the main cast again.
Jump SQ.19 – New Shueisha Magazine
Shueisha, publisher of Weekly Shonen Jump, is set to launch a new magazine entitled Jump SQ. 19. Presumably targeting a similar demographic as another of Shueisha magazine, Jump SQ, JS19 features a fairly impressive lineup of mangaka for its debut. The more notable series and respective authors include:
Kekkai Sensou, Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun, Gungrave)
Teichi no Kuni, Usamaru Furuya (Genkaku Picasso)
Agrippa, Uchimizu Tohru (Kain, Asklepios)
Wakaki Utsumaru no Nayami, Honemaru Mikami (Tsumikabatsu)
Himasupe Usagi, Yuuki Nakashima (Kirihoushi, Element Hunters)
Issue 1 will also feature an as yet untitled series by Miki Miyashita (Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou), a spin-off of Mayoi Neko Overrun! by Kentaro Yabuki (Black Cat, To LOVE-Ru), one-shots by Kawashita Mizuki (Ichigo 100%, Hatsukoi Limited, Ane Doki) and Yamato Yamamoto (artist of Kure-nai), and assorted other works by lesser known authors.
The first issue will hit Japanese newsstands May 19. Its subsequent release schedule is thus far undetermined.
Credit: News-Paradise (plus followup article)
Hayate no Gotoku! 267
[chapter link]
Wow. That’s a pretty sudden return to comedy.
“This is called a hat.” Isumi at her deadpan best.
Hayate walking in on her was a little too telegraphed.
Current financial climate joke! Actually, quite a good one. Unexpected.
Final Flash: The return to this style of episodic comedy could only have been more jarring if Hayate wasn’t on break last week. Funny, but difficult to get used to again.
Bleach 399
These covers make me think Kubo has become disinterested with his own series. While Bleach has obviously gone in a poor direction, I would be fair enough to give his next manga a chance. The interaction between the classmates early in Bleach wasn’t bad, and Kubo seems to have an eye for fashion, so perhaps he could pull off a schoolkids/comedy series.
I just want to point out that the text at the top of the first proper page says “Finally, the Last Battle!!” I’m holding him to that. Not necessarily the final battle of the series (though I’d love that), but at least the final battle of this arc.
In the first few pages of the fight, Isshin is clearly outmatched. Hasn’t landed a hit yet.
Ichigo’s explanation is way too long. You’re in the middle of a fight. Fight.
Yeah, I’m going to have to agree with Gin on this one. Ichigo is creepy.
Broken. Gin’s Bankai is completely broken. Silly, overpowered, yet completely useless in a direct fight if he actually had credible opposition. Broken.
(Incidentally, I can’t wait for doujins to start parodying this. Do you know how long my… “bankai”… is?)
The frustrating thing about Gin’s power, in exactly the same way Aizen’s reappearance was frustrating (when he killed his own men for being weak), is that it completely nullifies everything we’ve read until this point. If Aizen and Gin are this strong, there’s absolutely no reason they couldn’t have achieved their goals long ago. I don’t feel as though as I’m reading a sensibly paced conflict; I feel I’m reading conflict written for the express purpose of racking up chapter and volume numbers.
Ichigo, performing his one move. The entire fighting style and structure is completely counterproductive to shonen storytelling. The Shikai/Bankai concept is fine, and it’s guaranteed to provide at least one memorable (though not necessarily quality) moment each time someone first reveals their Bankai, but Kubo didn’t establish any underlying powers or fighting styles innately associated with Bankai, so each time someone powers up, that’s it. They have a couple attacks at most. Yes, the Soul Society folks have Kidou, and Hollows have Cero, but their power has been explicitly limited.
Final Flash: Not great, and Gin’s Bankai was completely disappointing, but there was more action and progress in this chapter than in many recent chapters, at least.
Naruto 490
[chapter link]
Kabuto could yet prove to be the redeeming villain this series has needed for years. His pure interest in ninjutsu, as long as it remains unaffected by personal motives on either side of the war, is refreshing.
Ten bucks says Konohamaru was in the obscured coffin.
Wait, who’s Tokuma? Was it really necessary to create another Byakugan user when Negi and Hinata don’t get nearly enough face time as it is? That’s too bad. I was actually excited for a moment.
A plotline loosely involving Orochimaru develops and, all of a sudden, Anko reappears.
Whoa. What Naruto is doing is exactly the same as what Negi is doing in Negima. Neither author is copying the other, obviously, but… how strange.
Time to go find us an octopus! … that’s actually an ox. … inside of a Bee. I’m lost.
Final Flash: For a developmental chapter, it was enjoyable. Let the coffin-theorizing begin! Friend of the site Clint has presented the theory that the body contained in the coffin presented to Madara is none other than… Madara! Quoth Clint: “If you look at his reactions, and what he’s saying, in the context, it makes a ton of sense. Tobi actually isn’t Madara, and he had to join up with Kabuto, or Kabuto would reveal him.” A fascinating theory!
Shonen Beam Social Network
Shonen Beam 