Weekly Power Rankings: 10/3 – 10/9
Rank |
Change |
Series |
Chapter |
Score |
| 1 | — | Beelzebub | 79 | 80.00% |
| 2 | +1 | Hayate no Gotoku! | 291 | 75.78% |
| 3 | +7 | History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi | 401 | 74.99% |
| 4 | +3 | Gintama | 326 | 74.94% |
| 5 | +1 | Toriko | 113 | 74.22% |
| 6 | -4 | Bakuman | 103 | 73.55% |
| 7 | +2 | AR∀GO | 39 | 71.73% |
| 8 | -3 | Nurarihyon no Mago | 125 | 71.55% |
| 9 | -5 | Kimi no Iru Machi | 108 | 70.22% |
| 10 | +5 | Fairy Tail | 203 | 69.28% |
| 11 | -3 | Psyren | 137 | 67.71% |
| 12 | +2 | Kekkaishi | 324 | 65.39% |
| 13 | — | Gamaran | 67 | 63.72% |
| 14 | -3 | Code:Breaker | 107 | 63.24% |
| 15 | +3 | Enigma | 4 | 62.18% |
| 16 | +3 | Mahou Sensei Negima! | 304 | 56.99% |
| 17 | -1 | The World God Only Knows | 116 | 55.42% |
| 18 | +2 | Air Gear | 290 | 54.65% |
| 19 | -2 | Defense Devil | 68 | 54.09% |
| 20 | -8 | Naruto | — | 52.35% |
| 21 | Hia | One Piece | 598 | 50.59% |
| 22 | -1 | Kyoukai no Rin-ne | 68 | 46.28% |
| 23 | -1 | GE ~ Good Ending | 54 | 45.07% |
| 24 | -1 | Zettai Karen Children | — | 34.19% |
| 25 | +1 | Bleach | 422 | 24.81% |
| 26 | -1 | MiXiM☆11 | 114 | 24.36% |
| 27 | -3 | Katekyo Hitman Reborn! | 308 | 20.79% |
| 28 | Abs | SWOT | 13 | 18.31% |
Absent: Bloody Monday: Season 2
Toriko 115
[scanlation by Hi Wa Mata Noboru]
Rumors about Melk build him up as too much of a manly badass beforehand. There has to be some other aspect to his character. That said, each of the steps up his mountain are personally carved man-height stairs, so he’s definitely your average Toriko character.
Komatsu does his own speculating as to Melk’s true identity. We’ll see soon enough whether he or Toriko is more on the mark.
Planes cannot be used as an effective means of travel in this world while giant squids patrol the sky. Why did the engineers of this world even bother to invent them?
More of an air-travel deterrent than bag fees
Capture level 15 beasts indicate the danger of this mission is, at least for now, way below the difficulty of Vegetable Sky. Just as well. There won’t be a cucumber at the end of this one to de-age Komatsu, after all.
Melk’s done a good job of scaring the animals from ever coming close to his workshop. Clearly his intimidation-aura projects pretty far out, confirmed by the depiction of Toriko’s face being pseudo-cut by selfsame intimidation.
Hello again, Match
Melk makes a show of his power by scaling a live animal, though imperfectly, from a distance using a knife that’s far from the sharpest he can make. Yeah, he’s a power character. Interestingly, aside from being an obvious bishie, he seems to have a character design based on a cross between a Sashimi chef and a blacksmith.
Final Flash: Made it to Melk’s place quickly enough. Now let’s see what he has to say about Komatsu’s new knife.
The World God Only Knows 117
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
I believe we already knew the story of old/new Hell. Doesn’t mean much to tell it again here.
The dark mass surrounding Kanon’s wound was indeed darkness from a curse rather than blood, meaning she’s alive, although in a coma for now.
This series is definitely dialing up the serious tone, what with Keima slumped behind the chair/computer setup in his bedroom, for once not playing galge. Regret for not noticing Kanon earlier evidently hit him pretty hard.
Maybe the floor is just more comfortable
Attempts to pull the cursed dagger out from Kanon’s body are met with predictable failure. They’ll need more magical power than one goddess can provide, evidently.
Vintage is confirmed as the organization in charge of being bad guys. I guess this series was going to get one for the sake of plot, and I’m less dubious about said plot after the whole 3-chapter stretch re-introducing Kanon, but villains for this type of series could stand to be a bit less overtly wicked.
So there is confirmed to be a double agent somewhere in the New Hell squad. Probably won’t be any of the three we’ve seen thus far, though.
Hey there, Keima. After sulking about for half a chapter, our main character has regained his calculating approach to problem-solving. He does still play the cool, logical type fairly well.
Because she hasn't been cleaved in two, and this isn't Bleach
So our time limit is one week, conveniently enough time to fit in the dance festival goddess-hunting Keima was going to do anyway. Maybe it’s just me, but Keima’s bold declaration just comes down to reaffirming what he was going to do anyway.
Final Flash: Okay chapter, but all we really got was a little bit of new information. Expect the dance festival to be a bit darker-toned with Kanon hanging over Keima’s head.
Series Roundup: 10/10 – 10/16
Mini-reviews for all the series without full individual posts.
Gamaran 66
[scanlation by helz0ne]
If there’s anything worse for Gama than being demolished by his opponent, it’s being allowed to live “because that is Jinsuke-san’s will.”
The compassion shown by Zenmaru’s brother contradicts the rest of his character… until he then offers to “let him off” with only one arm lost. That’s reassuring in the worst way.
Naoyoshi may not be right about everything because his fault, but he is right to finally act.
It’s shocking enough that Naoyoshi’s mother was waiting for him at the castle, but her revelation that Naoyoshi is to become the next Daimyo is a complete surprise. It’s a great one, though, and one that helps the series transition from the previous long-term plot (Grand Tournament of Unabara) to new material.
Hayate no Gotoku! 292
[scanlation by [C]hán]
Six years is an impressive milestone. It’s been a quality journey throughout.
The concept of Nagi doing image training for a doujinshi convention is hilarious, and the Kamen Rider 555 reference is even funnier. Great comedy chapter thus far.
Housen has some kind of connection to the picture Hayate found of “the 28th.” We seem to be in store for some serious plot, which makes the backdrop of the doujinshi convention even more striking.
The gym teacher punchline (and subsequent “introduction”) is absolutely priceless. What a great choice.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 310
[scanlation by Binktopia]
I don’t recall Lambo being shown naked before. Has Amano taken influence from Baby Beel?
Of course the geological structure is exactly the same as where Vongola Primo did something. All this series cares about is what Vongola Primo did, probably because Tsuna is Vongola Primo in some stupidly convoluted time loop.
For as terrible as this series is, it’s still fun to see Lambo strut around confidently. Remember these few pages of comedy, as they’ll probably be the last bit of enjoyment to be derived for the next 50 chapters.
Obviously, it would have been too creative and fun to have young Lambo somehow stumble his way to a victory, so as always, here comes 10-years-older Lambo to save the day. Will that be enough, or are we in for 20- or even 30-years-older Lambo? Frankly, I don’t care, and it takes effort by Amano to make me stop caring about Lambo.
Mahou Sensei Negima! 304-305
[scanlation by reddevilshn]
(304) … why is Dynamis getting naked?
Excellent action scenes throughout this chapter. This is a case where manga action may actually trump what an anime adaptation would produce, since each scene would be focused on longer and lose the frenetic pace.
Ako’s 1.8cm syringe artifact presents a rather comedic (if awkward) scenario, yet also produces some impressive results.
(305) It’s no surprise that Asuna has been taken away, given both that Fate was here and that such an act is par for the course for such a fantasy storyline.
Kaede is as impressive as always. Her fighting is such a joy to watch.
Great reaction from Negi not to become intangible, but it was a bit naive of him not to take Dynamis seriously.
Nurarihyon no Mago 126-127
[scanlation by reddevilshn]
(126) The more we learn about Rikuo’s father, the better. The lack of information regarding him has effectively built up tension for any plot involving him.
The past between Hagoromo Gitsune and Rikuo’s father is being made deliberately unclear. Rikuo claims she killed him, but the small flashback vision she sees could indicate a misunderstanding.
Kurotabou’s plan hints at a mid-fight development of Rikuo’s powers of some kind. Meanwhile, is the Nue hatching already?
(127) The colors on the cover page are nice, but I would appreciated a scene even moderately related to the current action.
Finally, some concrete information regarding Nura’s father. His name was Rihan, and he invented Matoi. Those tidbits are nice, but the most exciting knowledge is that Matoi is a technique specifically designed for youkai-human hybrids. Considering Rihan’s implied strength and the fact that he was only half human, Rikuo stands to be established rightfully as even more powerful, considering he is three quarters human. This is a great way to explain the strength of the protagonist.
Amid the excellent action, Rikuo poses a fascinating question to Hagoromo Gitsune. If she is indeed partly human, it would prove an interesting twist in the story.
The Supreme Commander’s words and Gyuuki’s presence indicate some ominous and fun plot ahead. The Supreme Commander’s face at the bottom of page 18 is particularly well drawn, too.
If that huge eyeball-having youkai is indeed the character pulling the strings, I give tremendous credit to Shiibashi for setting him up properly. His lunge at the elder Nurarihyon when Hagoromo Gitsune was close to giving birth was an action befitting of an underling, so I never gave this character second thought. Well done.
Psyren 138-139
[scanlation by Muda Scantrad]
(138) Wonderful little scene with Marco, especially with the proud parent boasting afterward.
Miroku’s final intended action is impressive, and the facial expression Mithra gives in reaction is haunting. She may have been introduced far too late in the game to be a great character, but judging each scene on its own merits, that is a great shot.
So… this is just Chrono Trigger now? Time travel and Lavos? I know Iwashiro is probably trying to wrap things up far earlier than he intended, but this is a considerable reach. Knowing this and Mithra’s relation to Quat Nevas is also hugely disappointing in terms of missed opportunities: In Chrono Trigger, Lavos was just a huge alien being. Introducing Mithra as a speaker and representative of such an alien being could be fantastic, but she would have had to have been introduced much, much sooner. In fact, if this Quat Nevas business was a legitimate storyline option before a couple months ago, the groundwork should have been laid far earlier. It’s a shame.
(139) I can’t say I found the death of Kusakabe moving whatsoever. He’s never been any more than a completely minor character.
Old enemies are now allies by way of a common enemy! Well, they’re not all old; some just met for the first time mere chapters ago. Old and new enemies are now allies. Sort of.
The world is practically ending, and Nemesis Q appears, making a pseudo-closing statement. Are we in line for a “bad end,” with the world being consumed and destroyed? I can’t say I’d find that horribly out of place, frankly. It would still be jarring, considering we only just met Quat Nevas, but it would be a creative approach.
SWOT 12
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
What old TV theme song will make SWOT tolerable this week? Let’s try Starsky & Hutch.
This new bad guy is wearing his pants way, way too low. At least quit freeballing there, Murderface.
Sophomores! Run away!
… seriously though, of course the next class up is the next level of strength. It’s SWOT. Everything is predictable and bad.
The big guy can do E. Honda’s attack from Street Fighter II. If you’re going to rip off video game attacks, couldn’t you at least pick something interesting?
Wait, if his head is impervious to damage, how is he defeated after landing on it? It doesn’t matter if he fell from higher; the tiny establishment we got of this character was that he can’t be hurt on his head. This is idiotic.
Frankly, the delayed Resolve slash idea is actually pretty cool, but it’s being wasted on a dull character in a horrible series.
Oh good, it’s Yamikura. That’s all we needed: Bleach-style fight interruptions. Putrid.
—
Feel that one or more of these series should be getting full-review treatment each week? Show your support by participating in chapter discussion in comments. Actively-discussed series will be considered for full reviews.
Enigma 6
[scanlation by CXC Scans]
Escaping through the ventilation shaft? Not in this manga.
Sakaki Kenji must not be a fan of that cliché
Hiina’s hand was unable to stop a ceiling fan. This is unequivocally a good thing. Too many fight-capable characters can fill a mystery-puzzle manga with more plotholes than you can shake a stick at. Limited, specific powers offer the opportunity for significantly more writing depth.
Haiba falls back under, then finds the last piece in the ceiling fan. There was indeed trickery at work here. The fact that this room was basically designed as an unwinnable puzzle suggests Enigma (or someone, anyway) has a penchant for watching the participants squirm while having an obvious solution right before their eyes. This brings the possibility of a torture-maniac type villain all the more likely.
Haiba’s way of stopping the ceiling fan – wrapping his jacket around his arm for a cushion – is a believable one. Hiina proves herself useful one more time in stretching to grab the final piece. Game clear.
This series definitely has a love triangle brewing. Works for me, I guess. Hiina is interesting enough, and Shigeru is a character who fits a fairly standard childhood friend role (for now, anyway).
It feels a little bit soon for Haiba’s power to be evolving. His current dream diary power is useful enough in the e-test without having to give him anything extra this arc. Obviously we can expect the power to evolve at some point, and the hint here makes it fairly clear as to how.
Maybe the improved foresight on Haiba’s part is just an offset to balance the fact that he’s now flaunting polka dots. That sweater will take some getting used to.
Good time to balance the puzzle-solving with the events of the outside world. Naturally, their attempts to reach the people walking around outside fail; it’s never that easy. There are people there though, which, as Haiba points out, is big. Eventually, people will be using this school. Unless the characters are somehow intangible, they should be able to communicate then.
… not if the people in question are already “infected” by shadows, though. Pretty shocking page, that. Either this world isn’t the real one or Matsurigi is not the shadow’s first victim. Creepy.
You don't want him picking your kids up from school
The girls are taking a well-deserved rest. This other diary entry now opens the door to showcase the remaining two male characters, and to get a better look at what’s happening to Matsurigi. What it does not open the door to is having the girls kidnapped while they sleep.
Final Flash: Getting the last puzzle piece was cleverly handled, and the revelation in the latter half was a creepy one.
Zettai Karen Children 234
[scanlation by JS Scans]
So ends the saga of Yo’s impending death. Apparently Feather is broken enough to change the future in totally irrelevant ways as well.
I don’t usually have a problem with Shiina’s characters looking too similar, but Yuuri on page 3 looks exactly like Kaoru. Don’t tell me she’s also Feather. Fortunately, she starts looking normal come next page.
Yuuri falling off the roof of a building with a hole blasted through her chest places her fairly high on the list of fatal injuries accrued. It also shows Hyoubu is still willing to kill people off, which we haven’t seen much lately.
The brief flashback showing Yuuri’s past starts by revealing she was a test-tube baby, and that she knew that at an early age. This does an alright job of giving her another set of believable issues, as opposed to the fact that she didn’t have a proper mom, which has been done before and carries less impact.
So now Yuuri’s life is legitimately flashing before her eyes. This is exactly the kind of moment I wanted to see from this arc. The three pages that mix close-ups of her coughing up blood and slamming into the ground with memories of time spent with Kaoru are short, but deliver very solid emotional impact. The ragdoll-style way her body is drawn on page 13 is a fitting cap to end this fight sequence.
Sad way to go
Nai teleports in…
… and is immediately shut down by Momiji. Hanzo also attacks, but gets oneshotted by Magi. Say what you want about the majority of Pandra’s staff, but those two are the no-nonsense pair, nicely complementing the serious tone for this arc.
Ninja this, Maruto fanboy!
So Yuuri died in Hyoubu’s illusion and fell into unconstructed dreamspace. A little bit of a disappointment given how good the “death” scene was. This means my overall impression of this arc still hinges on what exactly Hyoubu’s got planned.
Final Flash: Good emotional chapter for Yuuri’s flashback, and the fight has been taken care of. I’m really curious to see the happy ending for the play to which Yuuri alluded.
Enigma 5
[scanlation by CXC Scans]
We last left our heroes in a deathtrap of a gym shower. Gym showers are hazards in more ways than one, but not all of them try to drown you.
So we’re hunting not only puzzle pieces, but transparent ones. So they then start finding them by touch, and naturally, the girl with the stretchy third hand can do that exponentially faster. That is a pretty legitimate way to make Hiina the key to winning this scenario.
Needles, your haystack days are numbered
Also, nice quick realization by Sumio that Hiina has and is using a power. He didn’t know earlier, so a little reaction, exactly what is shown, is about right.
Of course their allies can’t open the door. That would spoil the fun of this puzzle having a time limit. Not sure why they don’t just smash a hole in the glass, but maybe the door is more solid than that. Anyway, I’d much rather see legitimate nick-of-time puzzle solving.
The shadow hunting people down apparently both has a personality and is not the only player in this game, referencing another who will “consume” Matsurigi, who incidentally seems to be covered in shadows. Also, he seems to know Matsurigi, his first victim. This provides fuel for too many interesting theories to list here.
Dark matter says hello
That water gets harder to search the higher the level is accurate, and also proof that the author paid attention in math class. Yet another nice touch in a series full of them.
Backstory time, it would seem. Her parents both slept around a bit, rather than just one. The hand was seemingly either developed as a direct response to bullying attempts, but even the way it was used, lifting a wallet from her bag and putting it back in the owner’s stuff, is atypical enough to get the Law of Ueki junkie in me even more excited over the skill sets these characters have.
Hiina wants ‘bonds’ out of this game. That’s a pretty abstract goal, but it does open up the possibility of setting up a long-term plot with her as one of the main party.
Haiba seems set to deliver those bonds of friendship as well, lifting her out of the water as it overtakes her head in a typical shonen hero moment.
Exactly 1 piece still missing. No bets as to it being on the ceiling.
Final Flash: This was a solidly enjoyable chapter for the puzzle hunt and did a good start forming the framework of the larger mystery surrounding the e-test.
Toriko 114
[scanlation by Hi Wa Mata Noboru]
Ichigohan translates wonderfully into Strawberrice. That is such a convenient cross-language portmanteau.
This food would be even more notable if not for the fact that Komatsu was getting tears (and snot) of joy all over it. Bromance much?
Truth be told, the more I think about it, the less I mind the increased levels Toriko and Komatsu’s relationship as taken. Given that he’s going to have to have Toriko’s protection throughout the Gourmet World, it makes sense that they would become closer friends. Plus, it’s a funny way for the author to give Komatsu another reason to worry himself silly about nothing.
Sani having been behind Komatsu being behind Jiro coming to rescue Toriko is not totally unanticipated, given the aloof attitude he took in their conversation earlier, despite knowing how bad of a blender the Gourmet World was. He is the type of guy to take a subtle approach to things like that.
And, eating. Wouldn’t be an action-free Toriko chapter without it.
Fruit snacks for men
The meat banana, immature jokes aside, looks delectable. Toriko does all food well, but there’s something special about the way the meat in this series is drawn that makes me even hungrier.
More affirmation of Torikomatsu’s combo status is interrupted by Komatsu’s knife being broken by a reader submission. Speaking of reasons for Komatsu to freak out…
Shock so strong it won't fit into an ordinary speech bubble
This brings us very naturally to a Komatsu “power-up,” a souped-up kitchen knife, that is totally character-appropriate. Nice.
Final Flash: The nature of the arc coming up is a good indication that Komtsu’s going to be back in the plot for a while. Personally couldn’t be happier about that.
AR∀GO 40
[scanlation by Trinity BAKumA]
I’m still thrilled at the prospect of Cloteaux, the Black Horseman, being embedded within the group of perceived friendlies.
The exchange between Arago and Cloteaux doesn’t seem to have alerted Arago, who could stand to be a bit more discerning about who to trust.
Cloteaux staring intently at Coco potentially indicates a motive of his involving her. Kidnapping is the obvious choice, as it’s someone close enough to Arago that Cloteaux could threaten to bring Brionac closer, but it’s also such an obvious choice that it would be a little unimaginative of an otherwise creative author to rely on such a crutch.
Hello there, shonen hero. You’re looking dangerously like Tsuna in this shot, complete with Dying Will Flame. Cut back on that a little, would you?
As long as it isn't Reverse Resolve
Seth’s explanation, understanding, and coaching of the Brionac power makes me think Arago is going to be considerably stronger not too long from now. That’s exciting news for those of you who follow The Great Shonen Tier List, but it’s also somewhat worrisome, as much of the charm of Arago’s battles comes from the clever application of the limited Brionac ability. AR∀GO is not at all a generic shonen battle series, and the writing could suffer greatly if Arago becomes too much like a stereotypical overpowered shonen hero.
Not all shonen characters should have beam attacks
For being coy about his motives and his status in relation to Arago, Seth sure is proactively analytical about Arago. Granted, this is giving him an opportunity to learn about the power he’s chasing after, but it’s still amusing to see a character as intentionally distant as Seth drawing up detailed diagrams.
Arago is getting a named finishing move? What is this, Gintama?
Cloteaux’s new golem is appropriately fearsome, and it certainly makes an instant impact, ripping Arago to shreds. This will surely be a test of the regeneration ability of Brionac, and it’s enough of a dire and urgent situation to put Brionac to the ultimate test, especially considering how worn out Arago is from training.
Final Flash: Interesting insight on Brionac, great Seth moments, and a good villain, but a little too close to formulaic shonen for this series.
Beamcast – October 18
[download link – 124min, 55mb]
In this week’s show:
News
Level E to be adapted into anime by Studio Pierrot
Saijou no Meii live action adaptation
Weekly Oricon rankings (10/4 – 10/10)
New releases
[anime]
Hayate the Combat Butler (Sub.DVD 7) $39.98
Naruto Shippuden (DVD box 4) $49.98
Naruto Shippuden Special Edition (DVD box 4) $69.98
[manga]
Rin-ne (vol. 5) $9.99
[non-shonen]
20th Century Boys (vol. 11) $12.99
Vagabond (vol. 33) $9.95
Vagabond – VIZBIG Edition (vol. 9) $19.99
Discussion / Weekly Poll
Last week’s results:
Which of these Fall 2010 shonen anime are you watching?
1. Bakuman (50%)
2. The World God Only Knows (25%)
3. To Aru Majutsu no Index II (15%)
4. Shinryaku! Ika Musume (10%)
This week:
Which among the Jump “Super Legends” is your favorite author?
(Akimoto Osamu, Kishimoto Masashi, Konomi Takeshi, Sorachi Hideaki, Toriyama Akira, Usuta Kyousuke)
The Great Shonen Tier List
Characters re-tiered:
Kurosaki Ichigo (Bleach)
Yoshina Ageha (Psyren)
Characters added:
Magellan (One Piece)
Hyuuga Neji (Naruto)
Black Star & Tsubaki (Soul Eater)
Sannomiya Shiho (Zettai Karen Children)
Senji “Crow” Kiyomasa (Deadman Wonderland)
Yamamoto Takeshi (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)
Anime Discussion
Nurarihyon no Mago (ep. 15)
Shinryaku! Ika Musume (ep. 2)
To Aru Majutsu no Index II (ep. 2)
The World God Only Knows (ep. 2)
Bakuman (ep. 2)
This Week in Manga
0:41:20 – Soul Eater 79
0:46:30 – One Piece 600
0:57:27 – Naruto 513
1:03:44 – Bakuman 105
1:09:31 – Fairy Tail 205
1:13:41 – Hayate no Gotoku! 292
1:18:18 – Kekkaishi 325
1:20:45 – AR∀GO 39
1:24:11 – Toriko 114
1:27:33 – The World God Only Knows 117
1:30:36 – Defense Devil 69
1:32:29 – Mahou Sensei Negima! 304-305
1:37:32 – Psyren 139
1:40:51 – Nurarihyon no Mago 126-127
1:46:35 – Zettai Karen Children 234
1:49:30 – Kimi no Iru Machi 109
1:52:08 – SWOT 12
1:54:52 – Enigma 5
1:59:07 – Air Gear 291
2:00:41 – Bloody Monday: Season 2 – 43
2:01:18 – Gintama 326-327
2:02:27 – Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 310
Chapters of the Week
Final Flash
Comments / questions / additions? Email the show.
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Credit: AnimeNewsNetwork
Bakuman 105
[scanlation by SleepyFans]
This week, on The Adventures of Shiratori…
Mashiro’s idea for a new PCP storyline is noticeably superior to Takagi’s. Takagi is right to point out that Saiko can now construct a story, and this is promising knowledge for Mashiro’s immediate future. Still, in the long run, I hope it only contributed to Ashirogi’s overall success, rather than downplaying Takagi’s importance or (worst of all) leading to Mashiro successfully splitting off from the duo.
Having to read about poor little Shiratori out in the cold is bad enough, but having to sit through another flashback is borderline insulting.
Kaya, Takagi, and Mashiro holding a small secret meeting about the state of Shiratori’s hygiene is amusing.
This entire scene in the park is completely intolerable, but seeing Mashiro and Takagi acting almost parent-like is funny. It’s almost like I find interest in them because I care about the main characters or something. How odd.
Yet another bizarre and blatant admission of a healthy relationship between Takagi and Kaya.
Strangely honest
Admittedly, the “pet potty” line is fairly funny. Shiratori’s ineptness with household appliances is decent, too, but combined with all the other focus on him, it’s just too much.
Shiratori’s father is the kind-hearted good guy who understands that his son isn’t fit to run the family business, while Shiratori’s mother is this arc’s embodiment of evil, pushing her son to do what best pleases her? This is setting up far too easily and obviously for the father telling off the mother rather than the two coming to an understanding, or even the father politely helping the mother see the error of her ways. Does Ohba have a problem with women?
Shiratori has finally contributed to the characters who matter! His explanation to Mashiro of inking the characters from outlines is a fantastic idea, and an excellent way for Mashiro to achieve the improvement he desires. That said, this revelation could still have been made to feel powerful without weeks of building up Shiratori.
Finally, the classic (or overused) public showdown with the controlling parent.
Wait, are you going to stab her?
I can respect both Mashiro and Takagi showing some outrage at this person who has entered their studio and blatantly insulted their passion, but I can’t accept Takagi defiantly opposing Shiratori’s mother to the point of heatedly declaring that he will work on Rabuta & Peace. This series is about Ashirogi challenging the manga world and defying the odds to succeed. At this point, given the manner in which Shiratori has been made so prominent so quickly, I simply cannot be made to care about him.
For those curious about where this series has gone, I did a little counting:
Pages containing Mashiro: 13
Pages containing Takagi: 11
Pages containing Shiratori: 16
Final Flash: A few funny moments aside, this was yet another disappointing chapter, and one that practically guarantees several more, considering Takagi’s confirmation.
Naruto 513
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Tsuchi Tsuchi Tsuchi. Is everyone in the Tsuchikage’s group going to have Tsuchi in their name somewhere? Plus, combining themed names with color-related prefixes makes them sound like a sentai team.
Bench! is done, Kishimoto; draw proper noses again
It was bad enough that Deidara’s appearance was being reused; it’s considerably worse that his personality and consciousness have returned. Deidara was a pretty enjoyable character, but his time has come and gone. Reusing defeated characters cheapens both their final scenes and the current plot.
Pandaman! Oh, wait...
Bee playing Rock-Paper-Scissors against a crab is a great little joke.
I understand that Naruto is under the impression that he’s on an S-rank mission to study ecology, but I really don’t need to know about an armadillo’s private parts, thanks.
It’s nice to have confirmation that this isn’t the real Deidara, and that he really did die, but was that really an outstanding issue? I didn’t read this reappearance of “Deidara” as a shocking announcement of his survival, but rather a manipulation from Kabuto. It makes sense for the Tsuchikage to realize that he’s a fake, but spending more than one panel on this knowledge is a waste of time.
Manda lends credibility to just how powerful Kabuto is supposed to be, but it’s slightly unfortunate that Kabuto has to continue to rely on techniques and summons lifted from Orochimaru. Orochimaru was an excellent villain, but now that he is gone, Kabuto needs to stand out on his own merits.
The Six Million Dollar Snake?
Kishimoto has fallen in love with grand-scale attacks and artwork. The scene with the giant turtle being capsized would make for excellent animation, too.
The armadillo punchline is unnecessary and takes away from the seriousness of Kabuto’s first major action as an independent villain. Leave the blatant male nudity to Beelzebub, please.
The chapter ends with a fight poised to break out between fake Deidara and the Tsuchikage. This is immensely frustrating, as Deidara has already been defeated; any display of strength the Tsuchikage exhibits will mean significantly less against an already-fallen opponent. It shouldn’t have taken this long for the Tsuchikage to get in a serious fight, either.
Final Flash: Unfortunate treatment of Kabuto, inappropriate humor, and too much setup time for a useless fight.
One Piece 600
[scanlation by Binktopia]
It seems Oda’s cover page commission wasn’t a one-off. One for each crew member, perhaps?
Chopper didn’t look any different in Brain Point, but his face definitely does in Walk Point. Whether that is an active change in character design or simply a subtle change in art style is difficult to determine, though. Reading on a couple more pages reveals that Chopper is also much larger than before. If he has grown this notably in Walk Point, I have to wonder what he looks like in all forms now.
Thankfully, Usopp and Chopper are still on the same comedy wavelength. This interaction has been sorely missed.
How badly do you want to see Usopp's signature?
Speaking of characters falling back into their preferred interaction, the argument between Zoro and Sanji is hilarious.
Poor Number Sev-- er, Sanji
The collection of pirates waiting to join Fake Luffy’s crew is impressive in terms of individual bounty values, but their character designs are all a little too “generic evil,” which in One Piece usually translates to a warped face and a scowl. It isn’t worth wasting too much time intricately crafting throwaway pirates, but at least one of them looking a tad less bizarre would have helped variety in this scene.
Stole the Rinnegan during the timeskip
Luffy is still dumb! He may not be as overtly stupid as before (which could be a result of him trying to keep a low profile), but he’s definitely still oblivious if he believes that those are the real Zoro and Sanji.
So much for the .0000000001% chance of Brook leaving the crew. Also, I stand by my dislike of the excessive glamorizing of his character by focusing entirely on his comedy elements, but they did set up the opportunity for Brook to announce to the world that Luffy is alive, which is a powerful moment.
Similarly, I still have a negative opinion of Franky’s redesign, but I also still respect Oda’s inventiveness. Franky’s hand-within-a-hand is clever, his robot speech is amusing, and while I wish it was always there, I’m at least somewhat relieved that his hair can regrow instantly.
Push three seconds for personality
The crew’s reactions upon hearing of Luffy’s imminent arrival are exciting, and Rayleigh’s speech builds tension nicely heading into the new arc, but all thoughts of chapter 600 being the milestone reunion chapter were wrong.
Final Flash: The pieces are falling into place, and the comedy elements really helped this chapter stand above the previous two, but ultimately this was yet another setup chapter, and we still have at least one week to wait until the highly anticipated full reunion.
Weekly Power Rankings: 9/26 – 10/2
Rank |
Change |
Series |
Chapter |
Score |
| 1 | +1 | Beelzebub | 78 | 80.00% |
| 2 | -1 | Bakuman | 102 | 78.27% |
| 3 | +1 | Hayate no Gotoku! | 290 | 75.22% |
| 4 | -1 | Kimi no Iru Machi | 107 | 73.35% |
| 5 | — | Nurarihyon no Mago | 124 | 71.69% |
| 6 | +3 | Toriko | 112 | 70.15% |
| 7 | +5 | Gintama | 325 | 70.01% |
| 8 | +3 | Psyren | 136 | 68.89% |
| 9 | +1 | AR∀GO | 38 | 67.45% |
| 10 | +6 | History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi | 400 | 66.71% |
| 11 | -4 | Code:Breaker | 106 | 66.70% |
| 12 | -6 | Naruto | 511 | 66.48% |
| 13 | Abs | Gamaran | 66 | 65.91% |
| 14 | -6 | Kekkaishi | 323 | 62.62% |
| 15 | — | Fairy Tail | 202 | 61.53% |
| 16 | +1 | The World God Only Knows | 115 | 61.51% |
| 17 | -3 | Defense Devil | 67 | 57.94% |
| 18 | New | Enigma | 3 | 56.66% |
| 19 | -6 | Mahou Sensei Negima! | — | 52.76% |
| 20 | — | Air Gear | 289 | 45.94% |
| 21 | -3 | Kyoukai no Rin-ne | 67 | 45.64% |
| 22 | -3 | GE ~ Good Ending | 53 | 44.47% |
| 23 | -2 | Zettai Karen Children | 233 | 41.69% |
| 24 | -2 | Katekyo Hitman Reborn! | 307 | 25.41% |
| 25 | -2 | MiXiM☆11 | 113 | 23.46% |
| 26 | -1 | Bleach | 421 | 20.89% |
New: Enigma (Sakaki Kenji)
Absent: Bloody Monday: Season 2, SWOT
Hiatus: One Piece
Removed: Hajime no Ippo
Series Roundup: 10/3 – 10/9
Mini-reviews for all the series without full individual posts.
Code:Breaker 106-107
[scanlation by ShinraTensei]
(106) Finally, Yuuki is back to normal. He’s easily at his most enjoyable when he’s this straightforward. Even if he was acting pretty evilly in the last few chapters, he’s still the adorable kid we remember.
Maeda saving Yuuki from judgment is nice, but the follow-up speech is less desirable, and the Nyanmaru dialogue is ridiculous.
The Emperor’s appearance and insistence on sacrifice is a chance to make this character mean something significant, instead of simply keeping him as a mentor-type character.
(107) Rei having to lose senses for each level of power he gains is a completely appropriate “sacrifice” for him to endure.
The Emperor is taking Yuuki’s sound just after he gave it to Rei? That’s hugely disappointing. It’s not like I wanted to see Rei use a variety of powers — he’s not a power-collecting type of character — but this is far too immediate of a turn-around from Yuuki giving all his remaining power to Rei. Yuuki’s trust in Rei now seems cheapened.
Uesugi isn’t the Revenger, but a member of the Code:Names? I guess that’s fine, but it’s not much of a plot twist, considering he was only really developed in the last couple chapters. This does allow for the Revenger to be someone more interesting, though.
Defense Devil 68
[scanlation by I Eat Manga]
Fanservice. Jody taking pictures of the girls was decently funny, the waterslide-plant was amusing, and the punchline with Kucabara was pretty good. Otherwise, very forgettable chapter.
Enigma 4
[scanlation by CXC Scans]
Sumio’s cheerful attitude is clearly setting up for a rift in the group. It may be able to win over a few of them, but at least one of the guys in the group that split off are obviously put off by it.
It’s Hiina’s turn to be developed. Her personality is pleasingly strong, and her ability nicely complements her fierce sense of independence.
After some excellent, creepy scenes with black backgrounds and deformed text bubbles in the first few chapters, seeing the same setup for a joke about the girls showering is a great touch.
It would make sense for Hiina to have to solve this puzzle, given that her ability has just been introduced, but it seems unusual to rely on a fairly weak manipulative power to save three people from a room filling with water. I’m curious to see whether her ability is used in an unexpected fashion, or whether yet another character steps in and reveals their own power.
Gamaran 65
[scanlation by Overload Scans]
I know this is hot-blooded shonen manga, but lines like “I’ve trained hard… to kick your ass!!” are pretty tired at this point.
Zenmaru’s brother is creepy and imposing just through his facial expressions alone.
It’s strange that the author feels another explanation of Narukami is necessary. It hasn’t been all that long since we’ve seen it.
Ranmaru is absolutely demolishing Gama. It’s one thing to have the protagonist suffer a loss; it’s a humanizing process that refocuses the character and the plot. It’s another thing entirely to so completely overshadow the protagonist that the reader is left to wonder exactly how he can even begin to improve to reach the level of the opponent that defeated him.
Even worse, Zenmaru was defeated by the mere hilt of his brother’s sword. This is a complete humiliation of the Ogame school.
GE ~ Good Ending 54
[scanlation by iMangaScans]
Seiji must be the stupidest protagonist in all of manga right now. This is setting new lows for main character obliviousness.
Izumi is the saving grace of this series. It’s a pity the author doesn’t have the courage to simply have Izumi tell every character who loves him/her.
Seiji’s speech to Yuki is decent, and he even came out and alluded to his feelings for her. Plus, at least the fireworks had context in which to make sense this time.
Hayate no Gotoku! 291
[scanlation by [C]hán]
Nagi is depressed enough to go to school of her own volition? This is some intensely depressing plot for such a gag-oriented series.
The reactions from all her classmates and teachers are somewhat darkly humorous, but mostly help to further the sense of malaise.
Even the test score praise backfired completely. Again, there’s some humor to be found in the twisting of readers’ expectations, and in the reactions of the other characters around Nagi, but this is seriously depressing.
The mood of the chapter makes the punchline on the final page that much more unexpected and hilarious.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 309
[scanlation by Binktopia]
So, the message of the first several pages is that Katou Julie is a sexual predator? I’m not impressed.
Not only that, but he also acted violently towards Adelheid. Lovely.
The Vindice guarantee that this entire arc will continue to lead towards an increased awareness of Vongola Primo. Amano still hasn’t learned.
Gokudera’s readiness for Lambo’s complaints is both amusing and a rare glimpse into character development. It’s a pity characters don’t receive this kind of focus anymore.
This entire chapter was a setup for a Lambo fight? What a waste of a week. I love Lambo, but he doesn’t exactly require preparation.
Nurarihyon no Mago 125
[scanlation by reddevilshn]
Sadly, these Onmyouji don’t stand any chance against Hagoromo Gitsune. They’ve been interesting, but they’re nowhere near “main character” status enough to make a sizable difference in this fight.
The misdirection and hidden intent of the Onmyouji is well done, though.
Tsuchigumo’s return to save the Nue is an unusual choice. It makes sense with the will of the character, and the Nue is still defenseless at this stage, but it does little to help Hagorome Gitsune as a credible villain.
Finally, Nura and Hagoromo Gitsune face off. This may not be the climax of the arc, given that the Nue will surely be ready soon, but this is the fight we’ve wanted to see for months.
The World God Only Knows 116
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
Kanon’s confession scene, in the middle of an exam, is a fantastic development with regard to every element of the plot.
It’s good that Apollo now has enough power to be able to switch places with Kanon, but her stubbornness in refusing to allow Keima to help is irritating, especially when Apollo doesn’t yet have all of her powers back.
The name “Vintage” for the group from old Hell is a great choice.
Some of these developments have been appreciated, but Fiore outright stabbing Kanon/Apollo through the stomach is absolutely too far. This is still supposed to be a fun, formulaic comedy series, and while long-term plot elements are necessary, they should not completely eschew the tone of the entire series. What a horrendously disappointing event.
Zettai Karen Children 233
[scanlation by JS Scans]
The exchange between Yuuri and Hyoubu might mean something more to me if I were at all invested in Hyoubu as a villain, or at this point, as a character whatsoever.
Perhaps the author has enjoyed Inception recently? Not that Nolan invented the concept, but this seems highly reminiscent so soon after the film.
The play is still completely uninteresting, but Minamoto being given a voiceover is pretty funny.
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