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One Piece 583
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Loving the cover image. I wouldn’t mind a cover story with these two, or any of the Thriller Bark side characters.
It’s been hundreds of chapters since we got to see any kid Luffy. The shrill sound you hear in the distance is the female portion of the fandom (or the more effeminate males) cooing over how cute he was. Can’t say I disagree, though.
I’m finding distant-Ace interesting.
Sabo, hm? Clearly, we’re going to meet this character all grown up sometime, and hopefully soon. Also, for some reason, he reminds me of a young Setzer.
Porchemy’s tattoo looks slightly similar to the Sunny Pirates emblem.
Luffy lying is hilarious.
Final Flash: Everything I could have asked for from a Luffy/Ace flashback. Assuming the flashback doesn’t last for too many more chapters, this will be a welcome addition to the overall story.
Beelzebub 58
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Toujou would only make these fights better.
The cover page is Beel being adorable, yet again.
I love Baby Beel’s recent inclination towards swearing. Well, baby-swearing.
P10, top panel: Immensely gratifying.
Toujou went to the wrong school! Amazing.
Kanzaki! Whoa. Makes sense, but I didn’t see that coming at all. Good that he’s not down for the count (… yet?).
P17: Uproariously funny. Evoked huge laughter from me. Fantastic.
Final Flash: The slight disappointment of last chapter, along with the worry that Oga would too easily be beaten, is completely wiped away. Excellent chapter.
Psyren 116
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Kyle time!
Kyle vs. 5 Wise seems like a fair fight. Well, maybe not entirely fair. Kyle still has a bit of an edge.
P6, main panel: I can already tell this is going to be another series of fights that will look excellent once animated.
Kyle’s power is interesting. Reminiscent of Kekkaishi, obviously, but a totally different mechanic.
He’s able to keep up with all five of them. Excellent.
Ash, Necca, Varley, Odo, and Delboro. The names aren’t bad.
Final Flash: Very good stretch of chapters recently, and next chapter, a serious solo Kyle fight, should be no different.
Bakuman 83
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Finally. I’ve been anxious to find out what the postcard signifies.
P2, middle panel: Very reminiscent of Yagami Light. Except, you know… that it’s about trailing someone instead of murder.
It’s great how seriously they’re taking this, turning off their phones and all.
Masks and sunglasses! This is fun.
Hattori’s selections at the bookstore: Absolutely priceless. This is exactly how to properly weave a narrative. Characters don’t always have to come out and explain plot.
Wow. Iwase looks gorgeous. As always, Obata’s art makes a great story even better.
“Your youth is certainly dazzling”? Hilarious.
Follow that taxi! This will be a fantastic episode when the anime gets this far.
So happy to hear that Hattori wanted to be their editor after all. I (like many others) always presumed as such, but it’s good to hear reassurance.
Takagi is finally inspired. After such an enjoyable chapter, I have huge hopes for whatever he comes up with.
Final Flash: Excellent chapter. The tone was a refreshing change of pace, we got to see a little more than expected from some side characters, and Takagi has an idea. Very fun read.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 287
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Cover: “The All New Popular Series!”? This has been running fox six years. Maybe they mean “arc” instead of “series.”
P2, bottom-left panel: Again, Amano’s use of speed lines reflects poorly. She’s a great artist, but speed lines are not only tacky, but they make the scene harder to read.
Yeah, I pretty much have no idea what’s going on throughout page 3. Thanks, speed lines.
Short fight. I can’t tell if it was good. I know it wasn’t awful, because there was no excess melodrama, but the art made it too difficult to follow.
Yes, yes, Enma has hidden powers. We know that. Let’s just hope he’s not going to turn evil and fight Tsuna.
Katou Julie is stalking Chrome, readily admits it, and asks someone to say ‘hi’ to Adelheid’s thigh? Sounds like we have quite the winner, here.
Enjoying Gokudera’s increased role as a right-hand man so far.
Gokudera’s teams: Predictable, or most predictable?
Did we really need yet another chapter to establish that Enma is secretly the leader? Assume your audience has a little intelligence, Amano. Some things are better left assumed.
Final Flash: Another chapter that leaves me feeling hesitantly good about this arc. Good enough to be optimistic, but not quite good enough to feel confident.
Nurarihyon no Mago 102
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Every chapter Kubinashi is involved in seems to involve copious amount of mutilation.
Kino has been drawn beautifully well in the flashback. The art in this chapter seems to stand out more than usual.
Glad the board is about to crack. I would have been disappointed if this was the end of the fight. I want to get back to Nura, but Kubinashi and Kejurou are interesting characters, and they deserve quality fights.
Final Flash: Straightforward chapter, with not much to write about, but enjoyable.
Hunter x Hunter 306
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To say that I have high hopes for this chapter would be a fairly colossal understatement.
Whoa. What happened to Gon? … What happened to Gon’s shirt?
Initial impressions on mature Gon: Not to my liking. A little too uncharacteristic of the little boy I’ve enjoyed following over hundreds of chapters. The face and overly-toned muscles are too out of place. I don’t mind the hair, though maybe I’ve grown to expect it a bit, given Togashi’s previous work.
That said, few attack catchphrases send a chill of anticipation down my spine quite like “First comes rock…” I know it’s a little cheesy, but Togashi has done a great job making it carry serious meaning.
Were I some rabid forum-trolling fanboy, that punch would elicit a long string of exclamation points and bolded text. What a moment.
Final Flash: Questionable feelings regarding Gon’s “mature” state aside, I’ve been waiting for that punch for years, and no amount of nitpicking over the way muscles are drawn or scribbled speed lines will stand in the way of my enjoyment of this chapter. My only concern now is whether Gon will be able to maintain this state and challenge the King, or whether he’ll have used up all his nen and be reduced to watching from the sidelines again as other characters take the spotlight. I seriously hope for the former.
Bleach 401
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Oh good, the Hougyoku is even more broken than anticipated. It’s not just a linear power-up anymore, but a wish-fulfilling Wonder Ball. That’s all Aizen, and consequently this series, needed.
Talking.
More talking.
Hey, there’s that long sword again.
Some more talking.
There we go. It wouldn’t be a Bleach chapter without a “shocking” appearance/revelation/power-up on the last page. (You might notice quotation marks around the word “shocking” in that last sentence.) Now taking bets on who shows up/dies/unleashes a heretofore-concealed power next.
Final Flash: This series is entirely without hope of being salvaged. Absolute rubbish that continues to decompose by the page.
Naruto 492
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I’m enjoying Naruto’s reluctance to accept Bee. That fairly well sums up how I feel; he could still impress me, but I’m initially turned off.
Ballad-rapping? No one find inspiration in this, please.
I didn’t know Gai-sensei could get seasick, either. Of course, I didn’t even remember that he was on this trip.
Bee’s house looks more like an ox than his beast.
No, I don’t want Naruto to rap.
I would be happy with more Yamato, though. I’ve yet to find anything to dislike about his character.
We’re really doing this, Kishimoto? We’re going down the “evil twin / embodiment of my faults” route?
Final Flash: Maybe he’ll turn into Paladin Cecil and the series will get better.
One Piece 582
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One Piece got the Jump cover this week, and it’s nice. Highlights: Mashiro, Jaguar, Kuroko, the trio of Oga (with Beel!) / Yotsuya / Hadesu. Lowlights: Nura (hat doesn’t suit him), Medaka (these breasts are getting out of hand), Ichigo (and his terrible fat-triangle face).
Fantastic color spread. Where’s my poster?
It’s going to be hard to watch Luffy’s reaction.
The fact that we’re back at Amazon Lily lends even more credibility to the idea of Hancock joining the crew. She can properly say her farewells to everyone. Still not sure if it will happen, or if I’d want it to, but I can’t ignore the signs.
I love Bepo more every time we get to see him. Poor talking bear.
I feel horrible for Luffy.
Good time for a flashback. We need to put most of the Ace/Luffy backstory behind us. Also, anything to interrupt Luffy’s agony. This is difficult to read.
Dadan! Officially recognized as their foster mother, too. I have to say, she’s a little… different… from what I expected. Not that that’s a bad thing.
Is this the first time Oda has placed an arc-relevant flashback after its relevant event? I’m so used to seeing flashbacks before fights that this carries even more impact.
Final Flash: A clinic on the benefits of proper character development. I feel genuine sympathy for a fictional character. This chapter is an accomplishment.
Psyren 115
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Fairly plain color cover.
Don’t call them magic arms. That makes them sound lame.
Vigo is easily one of the more memorable villains we’ve seen so far.
Can’t understand Shao’s idea here. Punch the guy who can control whether his body can be passed through? Hm.
I could make a case for not translating “Anti-Psychic Yin-Yang Shakeup.” Exhibit A: It sounds stupid.
Did Shao just win with a reverse DDT? Did not expect that.
Kyle fight! Hooray.
Final Flash: No complaints with more action.
Hunter x Hunter 305
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The sketch drawing of Kaito would be awesome if Togashi didn’t slack off on his art so often. In contrast to detailed art, the first page would have been fantastic.
Same with the stark two-page spread. I can’t help but feel like it’s laziness rather than an artistic statement.
“I swear on my eye”? Uh, sure.
At least Killua wants to provide the audience with some action.
P12, bottom-right panel: I literally have goosebumps. Please. This is what we’ve been waiting for.
P15, top-left: Whoa.
I have absolutely no idea what Gon is about to do. I’m overwhelmingly excited by this.
Final Flash: FINALLY.
Bakuman 82
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Excellent cover page. Absolutely love the colors.
The first (non-cover) page is a perfect example of when to use speed lines and blank backgrounds! Great contrast between the large panel and the stark bottom panels.
True to life, Bleach gets some semblance of mention on the Jump cover. This brings back up an interesting discussion: What series are currently running in the fictional Bakuman version of Jump? We’ve seen several real-life series mentioned, but with also several series by fictional mangaka. I wonder if fictional Jump is simply larger to accommodate both real-life and fictional series, or if the fictional series replace any real-life series (and if so, which?).
Aiming for serious humor is a brilliant idea.
Weekly Aoki Ko! Amazing.
It’s nice to see the other authors’ assistants.
A postcard from Hattori? Huh. No idea what that could be about.
Final Flash: Lacks the impact of previous chapters, but contains quite a bit of necessary development.
Bleach 400
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First panel, a roof and no background. Really setting the stage, aren’t you?
I am finding very little to say. I’m not saying shonen must always have recognizable moves with names, but fights must at least be able to be followed. There’s no flow to this fight whatsoever.
Gin’s Bankai isn’t the longest zanpakutou? That’s depressing knowledge. For the record, Kubo, we don’t need or want to see the longest.
Speed lines, white backgrounds, and sword slash cutaways. This chapter is yet another primer on how not to draw manga.
Oh, good. All we needed was for Aizen to power up. How about you write some character development, Kubo?
I suppose it’s appropriate that a milestone chapter was such rubbish.
Final Flash: Horrid. Also, what was the point of showing Matsumoto if she wasn’t going to do anything?
Naruto 491
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What the hell? Why does Naruto have to eat a frog?
Naruto the celebrity will be hard to get used to.
Officially tired of Kage meetings. This is an action series, Kishimoto.
Gaara is further establishing himself as a mature leader. Surprising character evolution.
Same-chapter prediction-to-development is so shallow. The frog says you’ll find the octopus on an island, and mere pages later, Naruto heads to an island.
They finally meet. I’ve already been sick of Bee. This is going to be difficult.
Final Flash: Frogs, a meeting, and a boat ride. Fairly inconsequential chapter.
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