Naruto 486
This week: Running straight at each other – the conclusion!
Ugh, now people are stepping in to stop actual action? And the only remotely notable fight left in the series is being delayed? Terrible.
Horrible, emo, fanfiction-fodder dialogue. Enough already.
Final Flash: A huge step backwards.
Bleach 395
Page 2 and its white space are a prime example of how not to draw manga.
I doubt Kubo could make Yamamoto/Aizen dialogue more boring if he tried.
I don’t care how massive they are; explosions aren’t pure white.
Who is that character on the last page, again? He doesn’t do enough for me to remember him.
Final Flash: This is all one big joke, right? Kubo is a superstar mangaka who barely draws or writes.
One Piece 577
Rayleigh seems to be done coating Thousand Sunny. Now as for the crew returning there…
I’m torn on Akainu. On one hand, someone (presumably Jinbei or Ivankov) defeating him so shortly after his introduction would somewhat demean his status as an admiral, even if he’d already fought Whitebeard. On the other hand, I can’t say I find him a worthwhile enough character to postpone the climax of a fight with him until the distant future.
Oh, Buggy.
Regarding Blackbeard: … that just happened. I don’t think I like this. Really. Those are strange words to hear from me regarding One Piece, but I am not keen on this plot decision.
Final Flash: If anyone can redeem this, it’s Oda, but I am highly apprehensive of new Blackbeard.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 281
It’s actually over. I was worried Amano would pull some Bleach-like stunt and only one of Byakuran’s forms was defeated or something equally ridiculous.
Whoa, Xanxus. Brutal.
The unknown, strange-talking infant is actually somewhat amusing. Better than Skull, at least.
It’s about to have all been a dream! Can’t wait to wrap up this colossal waste of time.
Final Flash: Still waiting on completely conclusion of this terrible arc, but nice to see we’re getting there.
Hayate no Gotoku! 263
Little A-tan is adorable.
Pretty redundant, space-filling dialogue. Nothing to see here.
His face! About time.
Final Flash: Not very substantive at all, so an accordingly short writeup.
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.
History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi 375
Still quite unfortunate that we’re getting Shigure fighting the Muay Thai master instead of Apachai.
It’s a relief that Kenichi is still afraid of blades. Don’t want him getting too badass yet.
The art always seems to stand out as exceptional when Kenichi is sprinting at something. Definitely one of the artist’s strong points.
Final Flash: Good fighting and an interesting setup for the next 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.
MiXiM 11 86
Though I’m still largely uninterested by this arc, Anzai always manages to make Dodo look incredibly scary.
The title spread comes on the second-to-last page? Bizarre. Bad choice, even.
Mercifully short training chapter.
Final Flash: Still can’t be bothered to care much for what’s going on.
Defense Devil 40
It’s good to see Idamaria reassert herself as a competent fighter, even if there are (presumably) lower-level baddies.
It’s evil Voltron!
On that performance, saying they have a chance against Legato is a stereotypical huge shonen overstatement, but their teamwork is good.
I can’t say I read Defense Devil for harem-style shower scenes.
Final Flash: Yet another transitional chapter (!), but not a great one.
Gamaran 39
It’s too bad we don’t get to see these other schools fight until Gama meets each of them. That’s a pretty poor way of building up a credible antagonist.
It’s Ranmaru!… ok, which one is he again? I’m fairly favorable towards this series, but aside from Gama and Naoyoshi-san, I’d have a difficult time producing names from memory.
Ok, it is pretty cool that Ranmaru is a student of Jinsuke. There isn’t enough development in the Jinsuke storyline.
Ranmaru steps in to fight? This is one hell of a Ranmaru chapter, which is just bizarre.
Final Flash: Ranmaru v. nobodies isn’t a fight I really care to see. If all we’re going to get is a tournament, I at least want to see said tournament.
Beelzebub 51
What the hell is Oga wearing on the cover page?
Always good to see what Baby Beel is up to. This week, just relaxing, drinking milk at Oga’s desk.
Hints of Nene/Kanzaki?
Shy Kunieda is horribly cute.
The other students seem interesting, particularly Azusa.
Panels like Oga saying “Hey” are why I love this series. Well, those and Furuichi.
Final Flash: Like many others this week, this is a transitional chapter, but good. Oga/Kunieda and Furuichi alone should both be fun to read.
Code:Breaker 79
Really like the seams on Ogami’s shoulder.
It must be said of The One Being Sought: “ZA WARUDO”
Little Ogami is a strange combination of cute and gruesome. Kamijyo’s art style is suiting these scenes rather well.
I like how hard Toki has fought throughout this arc, and I also like how The One can so easily throw him and Sakurakouji aside.
Flame powers may be overused in shonen, but this one is fairly interesting.
Final Flash: Good, but not quite the impact of the last few chapters.
Kekkaishi 296
The exploration of Yoshimori’s powers is so much more interesting than similar scenarios in other series. Kekkaishi is such a tasteful shonen series.
I still really like Shiguma. He (it?) is a creative way to improve the protagonist without an overused linear increase in strength.
Whoa, plot twist! An interesting one, too.
Final Flash: At this point, finding out anything related to Yoshimori’s mother is great. Not the most thrilling chapter, but enjoyable and important.
Psyren 109
The art seems different this week. Not worse, just different.
Amamiya’s girly side is cute… and hilarious.
Not surprised to see the kids interfere with Yoshina and Amamiya, but I’m pleased there was actually some progression there. There isn’t much time to expand upon this relationship, so it’s nice to see the few chapters between arcs being used like this.
Finally! Another call. I’ve been looking forward to returning to Psyren for so long.
Final Flash: A transitional chapter, but a good one.
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