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Code:Breaker 82
[chapter link]
This is a rarity in shonen: The leader falling in battle before his subordinates. Very interested in what will happen next.
It’s somewhat of a pity that he gets in some last words. I thought the ending to the last chapter was great.
Middle panel, p12: What an unsettling blank stare. Excellently drawn.
The two-page spread here is an example of an acceptable lack of background. Used sparingly, it can achieve great effect.
Shigure? I suppose I should have been trained by shonen always to keep an eye on the weak one, but this surprised me.
Final Flash: Right back into the action, then. Someone really should have been keeping an eye on that box.
Mahou Sensei Negima! 284
[chapter link]
Luna, officially part of the harem. Welcome aboard.
Damn, Asuna. You old.
Are we sure it’s “Gatou” and not “Gâteau?” I could go for the latter.
Seriously, it’s good that Asuna is finally remembering the past. Unlike Hayate, where the recent serious arc (while very good) had to keep itself in check somewhat because of its overall genre, Negima has successfully bridged the gap from harem comedy to fantasy action. More Asuna drama, please.
I was hoping for a little more depth out of Fate. (I am fully aware of the comedy in that statement.) ‘People are going to die so I’ll kill them myself’ is pretty tired at this point.
Wait, was everyone being an illusion not already revealed several times? Maybe not explicitly, but I think every reader knew that by now.
Final Flash: Good to see Asuna again, and even better to see that we’re seemingly heading toward the final showdown.
Fairy Tail 178
[chapter link]
Please: Fewer cats.
A character named Pyro? I’ll just pretend it’s the Pyro.
“Sugerboy,” too. Wow.
Oh, good. Cats.
… and a million more cats. That square-faced cat makes me rage a little bit every time I see him.
Even if you like Happy, you couldn’t sensibly argue that this arc was a good idea. I love One Piece, and I love Chopper, but a One Piece arc with an entire parallel world full of Choppers would be putrid. Nearly as putrid as this, even.
Final Flash: Hurry up and rescue Natsu. He’s the only chance this arc has of any redemption.
Kimi no Iru Machi 83
I know Haruto is trying not to become attached to or distracted by anyone here, but he could at least not be a jerk. His time in Tokyo so far has made me think less of him.
Oh, good, Mishima is taking care of that.
I’m sure the author is going to create some romantic tension between these two, given the genre, but I’m finding it difficult to retain interest in the supposed “right” couple since we haven’t so much as seen Eba in so long.
Yeah, there it is. Harem series protagonist innocently calling a girl cute. Never fails.
Final Flash: Eba needs to show her face soon, because between the two-week break and non-chapters like these, this is quickly losing any remaining momentum.
Gamaran 41
More enemy introductions, and more Ranmaru fighting.
This seems unusually straightforward. Still waiting for the mandatory mid-fight advantage shift.
Looks like we’ll have to wait until next chapter, too.
It’s the only brother Naoyoshi likes? Wow, that’s completely… expected.
Final Flash: I really don’t care for how long we’re focusing on Ranmaru. His flashback was decent, and the fact that he’s also Ogame school is interesting, but this is taking too long.
Fairy Tail 177
I can tell from the cover page that I’m not going to have many nice things to say.
Impossible to take any of this action seriously.
Huh. So those were his parents. Neat.
Final Flash: In the conversation with episode 101 of Naruto.
Code:Breaker 81
It’s a little cheap the way The One Being Sought always has another power handy. Now he’s Diavolo and Wolverine?
“Presser” is a bad attack name.
Code:Names? Uh-oh. That’s the sign of the next major series of fights. I never like when enemies are prefaced like this. At least these won’t all have Spanish titles. (I hope.)
The Seeking One, is it? That sounds a little less cool. Too bad.
The direction this chapter is going, by humanizing The Seeking One, is making me worry that we have another Itachi on our hands, i.e. the credible villain the series has built up since the beginning is actually a good guy (… well, kinda) and other, stronger people are the real evil ones.
“Deep Presser” is even worse.
The two-page spread is pretty cool.
The second two-page spread is even better. Itachi scenario avoided; this storyline has a little similarity, but is far better.
Final Flash: Mixed feelings about this climax, because of the foreshadowing of the Code:Names, but overall, the fights were good.
Mahou Sensei Negima! 283
“We’re in the middle of an extremely serious situation right now, and I really don’t think it’s the time [for a fan-servicing bath scene]…” – Negi, reading my mind
I need to verify whether or not you’re a fake, so… let’s have sex? Good plan.
So much dialogue for a scene with a half-naked girl in chains.
Kissing solves everything. Oh, sorry. “Pactio.” By the way, why aren’t there hundreds of Negi cosplayers at anime conventions? It’s the perfect excuse to run around and try to kiss as many girls as possible. Just draw them a card and apparently they’ll be satisfied.
A new harem member! I’m relieved. Negi was running low.
Final Flash: Whether or not you like this storyline, you can’t complain about the pacing. The series is progressing through important storylines much more quickly than most current series.
Fairy Tail 176
More focus on talking cats. Hooray. That’s all this series needs to improve.
So… we had a talking cat. Then a cube guy. Now a cube cat.
Exactly what kind of a hand motion is Nadei making on page 9?
An entire town full of talking cats. What little respect I had for this series and its author is evaporating with each new page.
I guess that hand motion is Nadei’s trademark. Sure, whatever.
 Nadei (Fairy Tail) |
 Gecko Moria (One Piece) |
(Okay, okay, I’m trying on that one.)
Someone we thought was good is actually bad! But they’re still good! But… they’re supposed to be bad! sigh.
Nope, sorry. A talking cat’s tears earn no sympathy points.
Final Flash: I remember being excited at the very beginning of this arc, when the Fairy Tail guild house disappeared. How stupid I was.
Kimi no Iru Machi 82
Two weeks off felt like a long time for a romance series.
Not sure how I feel about Haruto’s new acquaintances. I have yet to warm up to them.
Oh, Rin-chan.
I know Seo has a distinct art style, but Rin on page 13 looks exactly like Suzuka.
Well then, that will certainly help me warm up to Kazama. Good last few pages.
Final Flash: We have entered the main stretch of standard romance series heart-wrenching. As always, I hope the conclusion will be worth the trouble.
Code:Breaker 80
We’re starting with a flashback? Last chapter ended on such an excellent moment, too. Interesting.
There’s not much depth about The One Being Sought. He’s evil, sure. That’s really all we know. The flashback is only serving to reinforce that, rather than expanding upon it. Maybe there’s nothing to expand upon. Too bad.
It seems The One’s power is a little less Dio and a little more Diavolo.
The little twist in the action is giving this fight a very end-of-series feel, which can’t be right (given, at least, the foreshadowing remarks at the end of Toki’s fight).
Final Flash: This fight is odd. It isn’t bad, but there’s an awkward feeling about it.
Hajime no Ippo 887
This fight needs to end.
Ippo has been saved by the bell way too many times. Everything about this fight is ridiculous.
Some inane chatter from the crowd, the exact same scenario in Woli’s corner, and the chapter is over. This fight has killed any momentum this otherwise brilliant series had.
Final Flash: Awful. Please let this be over soon.
Gamaran 40
“… and you are?” I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way about Ranmaru.
A Ranmaru flashback? Well, at least it’s short.
Brutal scenes like this are such a big part of the appeal of this series, which is why I’m irritated by how much unnecessary exposition we’ve been given recently. It’s a pure samurai action series; give us action with the bare minimum amount of plot to keep it interesting.
The art in the large panel of page 16 is bizarrely reminiscent of Good Ending. Maybe it’s in the hair.
Final Flash: One moment of action excellence doesn’t make up for the pacing. You have swords! Use them!
Mahou Sensei Negima! 282
Up to this point, Negima has always been able to pull off lighthearted fantasy in a decently original fashion, but every time I see the Great Grand Master Key, the series feels a little too childish and Kingdom Hearts for my tastes.
That said, it’s good to see young Negi again. It was beginning to feel as though Akamatsu was trying to force the coolness a bit too much with Negi’s older self.
“I am about to enter the Hyperbolic Time Ch– I mean, the Diorama Sphere…”
Akamatsu sure loves making this series as close to an RPG as possible.
Finally, some development in the fake Asuna storyline is coming.
Final Flash: Nothing terribly exciting about yet another transitional chapter.
Fairy Tail 175
Oh good, fanservice right away.
For all the completely legitimate complaints about it ripping off One Piece, the art is refreshingly crisp compared to some other series.
The increased focus on Lucy is good variety.
Completely obvious and unsurprising plot twist!
Final Flash: I was really hoping to be pleasantly surprised by Mashima not going the easy direction. Disappointing.
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