Nurarihyon no Mago 102
[chapter link]
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.
Gamaran 45
[chapter link]
You know who Jinno (scruffy old man) reminds me of? Fry’s dog, from Futurama.
 Jinno Ichiou |
 Fry's dog, Seymour |
The resemblance is uncanny.
The sudden personal conversation about Jinsuke is a little jarring. It could have been used to good effect if Shingo was trying to get in his head, but he quickly goes back to boasting. Doesn’t quite work.
This fight is exceptionally easy to follow. That seems to be a major strong point of Gamaran as a whole; the art always clearly illustrates what’s going on, even in a heated fight.
Final Flash: Interesting beginning to the fight. Hope the rest is memorable, because barring a huge plot twist (Gama deciding to take on everyone), we move away from the most interesting character when this fight ends.
Hunter x Hunter 306
[chapter link]
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
[chapter link]
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
[chapter link]
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
[chapter link]
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.
Fairy Tail 181
Cat Island is expendable, for the record.
Natsu’s face is amusing, but his reaction is predictable. So little originality in his character.
Wendy might be the stereotypical “little girl with secret power thrust into difficult situation,” but she’s still cute.
Gazille! More of him would be entirely acceptable.
So he’s just going to go punch the crystals? Yeah, I’m sure no one will interfere.
… “I’m sure no one will interfere,” he said.
Transparent foreshadowing, but unlike Naruto, where it leads to plot advancement, this is entirely gratuitous. An amusement park? Really?
More weirdo enemies.
Final Flash: “At least we’re moving forward” is becoming a tired assessment of this series. Some decent storytelling along the way wouldn’t hurt.
Beamcast Launch!
[download link – 92min, 44mb]
Shonen Beam is proud to announce Beamcast, a new weekly podcast covering the world of shonen! Each week, Jean, Clint, and Drew will discuss recent news, analyze current manga chapters, and offer entertaining special features.
In this week’s show:
News
Shueisha takes a stance against manga piracy; the demise of Raw-Paradise
Shonen Jump Next
Oniwaga to Ushiwaga (new series from GetBackers duo)
DBZ Kai on Nicktoons
Strong World in Hawaii
Weekly Oricon rankings
Licensing announcements
Psyren, Kurozakuro, Itsuwaribito Utsuho
New releases
D.Gray-man Season 1 Part 2 (Blu-ray)
NANA Box Set 4 (DVD)
Bleach 27 (DVD)
Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny 3 (DVD)
Petite Cossette (DVD – OVA)
Ghost in the Shell vol. 2 (omnibus)
House of Five Leaves vol. 1
This Week in Manga
Bleach 400
Naruto 491
One Piece 581
Bakuman 82
Beelzebub 56-57
Fairy Tail 180
Kekkaishi 302
History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi 380
Hayate no Gotoku! 268
Mahou Sensei Negima! 286
Psyren 115
Zettai Karen Children 212-213
Lock On! 8
Gamaran 44
AR∀GO 15-16
Soul Eater 73
Deadman Wonderland 33
Hunter x Hunter 305
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 286
Full Metal Alchemist 106
Defense Devil 44-45
GE – Good Ending 31
Kaitai Shinsho 0 6
MiXiM☆11 91
Toriko 90-91
All that and more packed into 90 minutes of clever, humorous, insightful discussion. Join us every week!
Comments / questions / additions? Email the show.
Credit: News-Paradise, AnimeNewsNetwork
Weekly Power Rankings – 4/4 – 4/10
Psyren 115
[chapter link]
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
[chapter link]
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
[chapter link]
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.
Hayate no Gotoku! 268
[chapter link]
Great color spread. Nagi’s shirt is fantastic and should be made available for purchase.
Fourth wall-breaking advertisement! That’s the Hayate I like.
If Hata really does intend to follow through on Mikado’s intent to take away Nagi’s inheritance, it will mark a huge change in the manga. Not necessarily bad, but considerably different. Should be interesting to see where we go from here.
Tama! It’s been a while.
Final Flash: Not exactly sure where this is going. I like authors that have the conviction to force real change in a series with an established formula, but Hayate without infinitely-rich Nagi may not feel right.
Mahou Sensei Negima! 286
[chapter link]
Amnesia is so convenient for the novelty of having a character fall in love with the same person again.
I appreciate quick releases of low quality scans… but man, this one is terribly difficult to read.
Akamatsu’s art style is enjoyable, but sometimes the drawn-characters-obviously-pasted-on-backgrounds approach is too overt. At least lessen the white outlines around the black outlines of the characters.
P15, large center panel: “What’s this, then? Some kind of magic? Hand power?” Yes, use your hands to make him feel better. All of you. … wait, this isn’t a doujin yet, never mind.
Final Flash: Supremely uneventful chapter. Training arcs are difficult.
Kaitai Shinsho 0 – 6
[chapter link]
P2, top-left panel: The way the non-bubble Japanese text has been cleaned, it leaves what looks like a heart. Combine that with “Be good to each other” and you have an easily misunderstood panel for anyone skimming through.
I wish every series would simply declare when it’s time for fanservice. At least it’s honest.
Ah, good old “the thing you’re searching for is just a legend” storylines.
Fanservice to cliché to unnecessarily explanatory conversation for the sake of new readers, all within a few pages.
(And right back to fanservice.)
Somehow, I doubt that Narutaki said “Fail.”
Antagonists!
Final Flash: Probably the weakest chapter of the series’ short life to date, but still okay. Good to see some villains.
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