Bakuman 104
[scanlation by SleepyFans]
The focus of the Jump cover is mostly to promote the anime, but the artwork is still nice.
This bold declaration from Mashiro is still worrying. Regardless of how realistic this scenario could possibly be, I read this series in hopes of seeing Ashirogi Muto succeed, not Mashiro and Takagi each.
Unusual yet interesting decision to have the two arguing / heatedly discussing while on bicycles. It’s different, but it works; the speed lines accentuate the passion of the conversation, but they aren’t out of place, because the characters actually are moving.
Some action to complement the mounds of text
Watching Mashiro race against the clock in an attempt to improve his drawing speed is surprisingly exciting. This is about as close to a training arc as Bakuman can get, and it’s being pulled off well.
Takagi needs to open up to Kaya more. Clearly, she is the predominant voice of reason.
Moriya is exactly the type to sneak around behind everyone’s back and visit with a different publisher. I hope the focus on this storyline remains somewhat limited, because I don’t want him turning into another Shiratori, but this definitely has potential.
Excellent running gag
Speaking of Shiratori, we’re being “treated” to more pages of his family life. As with other recent Shiratori development, it’s not that the content of these pages is poor when viewed individually, but it’s how this is meant to matter so much after introducing Shiratori so recently. He’s too new of a character to carry serious drama like this.
Moriya not only spilled the beans about Ashirogi being the penname of a duo rather than a single mangaka, but he also divulged how each of them are seeking new projects. The fact that Ashirogi is a duo never seemed to be a fiercely-guarded secret, but Manaka’s reaction and Moriya’s resulting worry makes it seem as though some important plot will unfold as a result of this knowledge being made available to the competition.
Shiratori is sleeping outside, in the cold, with a dog. This is a surprising yet critical dip in writing quality from Ohba. Continuously throwing sad scenes at the readers isn’t going to help legitimize Shiratori whatsoever. If the plot involving him is really this vital, he should have been developed over dozens of chapters; now that we’re in this scenario, though, with an underdeveloped character already receiving such strong attention, the best thing to do is to relax a little and let Shiratori settle in to the ensemble cast. Instead, Ohba is continuing to force him into prominent scenes where he just doesn’t feel right, and as a result, this entire arc is continuing to disappoint.
Blizzard, pneumonia, next arc
Final Flash: “Too much Shiratori” is an overused complaint, but it still applies. Aside from that, watching Mashiro improve was fun.
Bleach 423
[scanlation by Binktopia]
It’s too early to see Aizen again. No one misses him, nor does anyone miss the plot that accompanied him.
Aizen’s sentence being raised from 18.800 years to a tidy and convenient 20,000 years is amusing. It’s also reminiscent of Hayate no Gotoku!, when it’s decided that Hayate’s debt of 156,804,000 yen is too difficult to say, so it’s rounded… up.
Hayate could escape this, though
Yamamoto is alive. Huh. Ukitake’s comment that Yamamoto is currently irreplaceable speaks strongly to why he’s been kept alive; it was the easy way out for Kubo to keep Yamamoto alive, rather than deal with the serious scenario of a power vacuum in Soul Society. Unfortunately, in this case, the easy way out is also the less interesting option.
Replace that text bubble with "FORESHADOWING"
One chapter of Kurotsuchi and he’s already gone off to do more research. I suppose that fits his character, though.
Seeing Hitsugaya train reminds me that I probably would rather see more Aizen than more of this whiny little nobody. It’s not the fact that he’s the de facto Bleach female fanservice character; it’s that all his popularity-driven focus has produced absolutely no results. He’s still the same useless character who can’t protect one (incredibly irritating) little girl.
Matsumoto has every reason to feel sad. Her love was killed off for absolutely no good reason.
Ichigo is taking his loss of Shinigami powers in surprisingly good stride, which itself is a little upsetting.
Background of the week
The scene between Ichigo and Rukia, who is already fading away from Ichigo’s awareness, is rather well done. How Ichigo recovers from this will be crucial; if he continues to take it in stride like nothing has happened, it will feel like all the time spent on the Soul Society characters (Rukia in particular) was wasted, but similarly, Kubo can’t have Ichigo go too far in the other direction and be overly dramatic. This kind of storyline requires the kind of delicate balancing of a character’s emotions that I don’t have the confidence in Kubo to be able to pull off properly.
Twist of the week
Final Flash: Why can’t Bleach just end right here? This would be fine.
Naruto 512
[scanlation by Binktopia]
A chapter entitled “The Truth Behind Zetsu” and Kabuto on the cover. Looks like Kishimoto has finally heard my call for more exposition on the villains.
Poor Guy. No medical help is around, and Naruto isn’t exactly the delicate type.
Please stop making Sakura seem useful
Giant, island-sized tortoises aren’t exactly new, but the premise is effective here. I particularly like the tortoise’s hardened face.
Save us, Lavos
Finally, Kabuto steps out of the shadows and seeks some direct involvement with Naruto and Bee. Most excitingly, though, Kabuto’s reference to borrowing “this Zetsu’s body” alludes to Zetsu being more than just one person.
Excellent artwork on the Heretical Demon Statue.
I love how so many fascinating monuments and experiments are simply afterthoughts as Madara leads Kabuto down to their ultimate destination. This may not be the on-screen (on-page?) character development that I’ve wanted from Madara, but it does help to round out his overall image much better than simple explanations of his strength by the narration or by other characters.
There’s the big reveal: Madara has secretly developed about 100,000 Zetsu clones. This revelation carries with it a couple positives. First, it justifies the fact that “Zetsu” as we knew him was never explicitly strong, since individual strength obviously isn’t intended to be the highlight of a member of a massive army. Second, it provides the possibility of a massive ninja war, a scenario which would prove interesting if only because we’ve seen nothing like it in the Naruto universe.
Next week: Zetsu army vs. Dougal County Sheriff clones
Final Flash: Excellent setup chapter. Kabuto is like the antithesis of Sasuke, in that everything involving Kabuto seems to improve the plot.
One Piece 599
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Oda takes cover page requests now? People of the internet, this must be used for the greater good.
This flashback involving Hancock really seems like the last time we’ll see her for a long while. If that is indeed the case, her last appearance aptly showcases her blind love and her hilarious misunderstandings. She may not have fit in with the crew, but she was a tremendously enjoyable arc character.
Cover story, please
I’m inclined to believe that the claim of a 400 million Beli bounty is just as fake as this would-be Luffy is. We’ve seen no hint of such a number anywhere, let alone confirmation. Furthermore, a 100 million Beli increase seems incredibly low for everything that has taken place since Enies Lobby. It could be true, but I’d be disappointed if it was.
Luffy’s small demonstration of his Haki is an acceptable amount of suave, but it mustn’t go too much further than this. It was the fact that Luffy has been so lovable and carefree in most of his adventures that made the times when he got serious so impactful. If Luffy is now always calm and collected, there won’t be an appropriate sense of importance when the plot moves towards a climactic revelation or fight.
New Franky is… bad. Honestly, I like the idea of one of the crew members being huge compared to the others, especially considering the giants and “large humans” we’ve seen in other crews in the series, but these new modifications are far too outlandish, even for Franky. At this rate, he might as well just turn himself into the Strawhats’ ship.
… actually, that isn’t a terrible idea. Franky is too weird for the crew, and yet his position is a vital one. Turn him into the ship, and he remains integral, but he won’t take focus away from the rest of the crew.
Where is your hair?!
The conversation between Robin and Franky about Brook brings up another interesting potential twist, and one that I would support: Brook should leave the crew. I like his personality, I like his humor, and his backstory is acceptable (if not great). However, unlike the rest of the crew, his dream is already directly attainable. If he is already so successful as to be able to hold a world tour, there’s no reason he couldn’t travel to Laboon right now. Seriously speaking, I don’t believe Brook leaving is even a possibility, considering the emphasis the series places on unity (and being “nakama”) and just how long we’ve waited to get a musician, but I miss the 5- and 7-person crews we had earlier in the series. Perhaps this long-winded idea only serves to reaffirm that Brook being a famous rock star was a bad writing choice, because of how it crosses over with Brook’s primary objective.
In stark contrast to the last paragraph: Chopper is still adorable. That is all.
The Marines are inept enough to focus all their resources on the fake Straw Hats. This could be seen as a necessity for the real crew to escape quickly, but given how strong everyone must be now, I’m sure they could still escape even with the Marines right on them. Demeaning the Marines like this is rather unnecessary.
Zoro’s reintroduction is the most satisfying moment of the last two chapters. He hasn’t lost his terrible sense of direction, he’s incredibly powerful, he made a dramatic statement, he provided a funny scene, and he has a seemingly specific and important new quirk: a scar over his left eye, contrary to the color spread in the last chapter, when it was on his right. This is an admitted mistake from Oda, who has since said that it is intended to be over Zoro’s left eye (and will continue to be, going forward). I’m tremendously curious as to how something as seemingly innocuous as which eye is scarred matters enough to make a public admission of error.
Even setup chapters can't contain how badass Zoro is
Final Flash: Still no reunion. As a setup chapter, this one is perhaps more enjoyable than the last, if only because we’re this much closer to finally moving on with the plot. This chapter also provided more interesting material for theorizing. Overall, though, it seems quite obvious that Oda has deliberately set up chapter 600 as an important milestone.
Weekly Power Rankings: 9/19 – 9/25
Rank |
Change |
Series |
Chapter |
Score |
| 1 | — | Bakuman | 101 | 84.09% |
| 2 | — | Beelzebub | 77 | 78.45% |
| 3 | — | Kimi no Iru Machi | 106 | 75.43% |
| 4 | +3 | Hayate no Gotoku! | 289 | 73.15% |
| 5 | +4 | Nurarihyon no Mago | 123 | 71.92% |
| 6 | -1 | Naruto | 510 | 71.85% |
| 7 | -3 | Code:Breaker | 105 | 70.57% |
| 8 | +2 | Kekkaishi | 322 | 69.43% |
| 9 | +2 | Toriko | 111 | 68.68% |
| 10 | -4 | AR∀GO | 37 | 66.85% |
| 11 | -3 | Psyren | 135 | 66.72% |
| 12 | +5 | Gintama | 324 | 64.50% |
| 13 | -1 | Mahou Sensei Negima! | 303 | 60.59% |
| 14 | -1 | Defense Devil | 66 | 59.15% |
| 15 | +1 | Fairy Tail | 201 | 57.48% |
| 16 | -2 | History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi | 399 | 57.31% |
| 17 | -2 | The World God Only Knows | 114 | 56.10% |
| 18 | +1 | Kyoukai no Rin-ne | 66 | 46.54% |
| 19 | -1 | GE ~ Good Ending | 52 | 45.28% |
| 20 | +1 | Air Gear | 288 | 43.28% |
| 21 | -1 | Zettai Karen Children | 232 | 40.37% |
| 22 | +1 | Katekyo Hitman Reborn! | 306 | 27.82% |
| 23 | -1 | MiXiM☆11 | 112 | 26.96% |
| 24 | — | SWOT | 11 | 22.61% |
| 25 | — | Bleach | 420 | 21.47% |
Absent: Bloody Monday: Season 2, Gamaran, Hajime no Ippo
Hiatus: One Piece
Series Roundup: 9/26 – 10/2
Mini-reviews for all the series without full individual posts.
Air Gear 289
[scanlation by SSA Scanlations]
We’re actually kinda supposed to root for Sarome? That’s helpful; I was doing so anyway. Anything to get Onigiri out of the picture.
He still won. Sarome disrobing herself was just fanservice after all, and not ridiculous Oh!Great logic.
Once again, I have no attachment to Sarome, so seeing her scrapped (then later saved) does nothing for me. Authors shouldn’t attempt to place emotional importance on brand new characters.
Even more Onigiri fighting? Surely he’ll lose this next one, but having to read more of him is tiresome.
Code:Breaker 105
[scanlation by ShinraTensei]
That’s a pretty weak flashback. Yuuki deserved a stronger driving force in his past than this.
“[The fight is] merely starting” — and all variations of that phrase — is too overused to seem cool, even if I care about these characters and this situation.
I appreciate that Yuuki’s last resort isn’t intended to kill Ogami, but instead to give Ogami his remaining power, but Yuuki dying here feels cheap.
Thankfully, Sakurakouji is here to stop him. I sometimes tire of her preaching, but I’ll tolerate it here if it means Yuuki lives.
Morse code? Yuuki’s comatose friend just happens to know Morse code and have a telegraph. Ridiculous.
D.Gray-man 199
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Wait, I just barely understand why Alma is exploding, but why is Kanda crumbling? I need CliffsNotes for this series.
This just in: Alma is a girl. … sort of. There might be some kind of bizarre pseudo-reincarnation stuff going on here. I have no idea.
Alma turns into a giant-living-bubble-statue-thing, Kanda is somehow still alive, the Earl and the Noahs get wrapped up in something (literally), and Allen uses the Ark to teleport Alma and Kanda away somewhere to supposed safety. Did I get that right? I seriously can’t follow what’s going on. I promise that I’m trying, but I can’t really analyze and evaluate something that makes absolutely no sense to me. The one thing I take away from this is that Allen can freely control the Ark, which makes him pretty damn powerful. That aside, I’m totally lost, and I’m pretty sure the blame for that lies with the series and not me.
Defense Devil 66-67
[scanlation by I Eat Manga]
(66) … what the hell, cover page?
I’m not terribly interested in Y’s past, actually. Her introduction is too recent and her actions and motives are too trite for her to get this much attention.
Y stupidly frees herself from Kucabara’s rescue and chooses to fight (and lose to) the Naive Devils, forcing both Kucabara and Bichula to drop down and use full power (granted from Idamaria) to protect her, thereby nullifying the last couple chapters. I don’t mind the action at all, as it’s a welcome change, but I do mind that this plot choice means that all that pacifism just wasted our time.
(67) Is it possible to be tsundere about sniping?
Kucabara is the warrior/tank, Bichula is the scout/thief, Idamaria is the cleric/support, and now Y will be the rogue/sniper. (I’m not counting the damn talking/flying car.) When did this series become so formulaic?
When Luffy is oblivious and stupid, it’s classic. When Kucabara is oblivious and stupid, it’s cliché.
Her name is Samus? Seriously? How is that not on the international list of Names Never to Use?
Enigma 3
[scanlation by CXC Scans]
At first glance, Hasekura seems only to fulfill the role of the mandatory group coward, but his exact interpretation of such a role is amusing.
Excellent scene in the hallway, with Hasekura revealing his power to escape the incoming shadow. That was pretty thrilling for a scene in the third chapter.
Hilarious bad photo of Hasekura in his flashback, too. I’m enjoying this character so far.
Sumio is a decent protagonist, and his optimism and attitude clearly have him set up for an integral leadership position, but his “Mayday call” catchphrase just doesn’t cut it.
Wow, what a creepy moment. The man in picture changed from wearing a serious face to one with a horrific grin. I’m truly impressed.
Appropriately intriguing cliffhanger for the next chapter, too. Chapters like these give the series great hope for the future. Very well done.
Gamaran 64
[scanlation by helz0ne]
I was hoping for something a little more imaginative and exciting than “I will conquer the the country” for Jinsuke’s backstory. After tremendous hype for the 63 chapters leading up to his introduction, something this straightforward and overdone is a letdown.
It’s also unfortunate that so much of Jinsuke’s imposing aura is being built up by his subordinate’s internal monologue, rather than through Jinsuke finally taking action himself.
Gama’s rage upon hearing part of Jinsuke’s plan is good. Even if he is completely outclassed here by Ranmaru, his hatred of his father needs to be made evident from time to time.
There will be an actual demonstration of technique from Ranmaru next chapter, apparently. That should be more interesting than this chapter.
GE ~ Good Ending 52-53
[scanlation by iMangaScans]
(52) No more baseball, please.
In addition to “summer festival,” “natsu matsuri” also translates directly into “mandatory yukata fanservice opportunity.”
It’s logical for Oonuma to be at the festival as well, but it’s disappointing that she had to join with this group. There aren’t nearly enough moments alone between Seiji and Yuki anymore.
Yuki had her moment alone with Seiji many chapters ago, and Shou had hers recently, so now it’s Oonuma’s turn. Yawn.
(53) Finally, Seiji shows a little backbone. I don’t expect him to suddenly be a likable protagonist, but judging each important moment on its own worth, this is a good one.
… and that’s followed up with a pratfall and a sudden lack of clothing. Way to ruin a positive moment.
Oonuma is certainly taking her time in covering herself back up, too. At least she’s been written consistently since her character transformation, I suppose.
Once again, Izumi’s observations are spot on. His exchange with Oonuma was direct and provoked an interesting response from her, too.
Nice conversation between Eri and Kouno.
Yuki sees Seiji and Oonuma flustered and starts forming a reasonable assumption about what they were doing. We’re headed for more drama. I know that the “right” girl in a harem series always has the bulk of her romantic development saved for the end, but can’t Yuki have any?
Hayate no Gotoku! 290
[scanlation by reddevilshn]
Nagi’s thoughts are surprisingly complex. We knew she thought highly of herself, but “needing” to be a genius is a revelation about her character.
What a devilish cover page.
Ashibashi-sensei’s facial expression and Nagi’s reaction are both excellent. This is a surprisingly serious chapter.
The fact that Ashibashi only read one page of Nagi’s manga makes his earlier long pondering that much more telling. Excellent delivery.
Appropriate ending to a very nice chapter. The manga part of this storyline probably won’t matter too much longer, but I hope Nagi’s realization about her place in the world affects future storylines.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 308
[scanlation by Binktopia]
“It looks exactly like the sun!” Please feel free to stare directly at it for extended periods of time, then.
“Maximum Sunshine Counter” is about as bad of an attack name as Amano could have come up with.
A draw. This fight ends in a draw. This colossal and unprecedented waste of time and effort doesn’t even have the decency to end in a way beneficial to either side. Pathetic.
More Vongola Primo stuff. Moving on.
Somehow Katou Julie had the silhouette of Mukuro. That’s fractionally more interesting than the fight that just ended.
Kekkaishi 323-324
[scanlation by Binktopia]
(323) Raijin’s conversation with the earth god is an interesting one, and one that continues to portray her as a fascinating character.
Kakeru not only is resisting Oumi’s mind control, but also plays a vital role in Oumi’s plan. That’s a good twist for a character who shouldn’t be neglected.
Oumi’s ultimate plan is immensely disappointing. He’s gone from an intricate villain to yet another with a world-destruction plan.
(324) It’s so nice to finally see Tokine in action again.
Yuugami is a good character, and I like his interactions with Tokine, but something about the way his hair sits on his forehead irks the hell out of me, especially in the scene when he offers his help to Tokine. Weird.
Everyone receiving precisely designated tactics is a huge positive. The author has done an excellent job establishing unique characters, and here she is taking full advantage of their specific strengths and abilities. That said, my excitement is wholly reliant on each character following through with their assignments, the most important of which being Masamori killing Oumi.
Nurarihyon no Mago 123-124
[scanlation by ShinraTensei]
(123) Beautiful color page.
Nura’s masterful use of this new Matoi is impressive. It’s also a relief that it doesn’t seem like we’ll have to endure a training arc where he learns to use it properly.
The new Matoi enhances Nura’s existing Fear (and its related techniques), rather than replacing them. This is a very strong power, but I have to wonder how much of its future development relies on Nura improving, rather than just finding new members of his Hyakki Yakou to do it with.
(124) Of course they’re too late. The party is always late in stopping the cataclysmic event from starting, and stops it after it’s at full strength afterward. This is obvious, really.
A gigantic dark matter-baby is floating around and destroying buildings. If this was One Piece, I’d be begging for this to be cover story material after this arc ends.
Surely the Onmyouji are here to serve no purpose greater than losing to the Nue to make it look strong.
Psyren 136-137
[scanlation by Muda Scantrad]
(136) “There are billions of stars in space. For us to meet again on one of them, it sure is fate.” Well… maybe, but you did sort of kill billions of people on this planet, the planet where the two of you met. The chances weren’t exactly infinitesimal.
Nemesis Q and Amagi Miroku are siblings. I suppose that’s not as shocking as it seems; it’s a fairly common plot twist, and their hair color is rather similar.
I cannot overstate how much I appreciate the small comedic moment between Nemesis Q and Ageha (saving her when it was unnecessary) not being overdone. So many other series would have accompanied Ageha’s “Ah… my bad” with a ridiculous facial expression that would have been horrible out of place.
On the other hand, I’m not so sure I appreciate Ageha flying off into a rage as he activates his new Nova power. He hasn’t been written as that kind of a shonen hero; it’s a bit late to make him the temperamental type. At least his Nova looks cool, though.
(137) The way the new Melchsee’s Door is being drawn really accentuates its increase in power nicely.
Yes yes, dark is good and light is bad. You’ve switched them around. I see that.
The amount of dialogue in this fight breaks up the pacing of the action.
Miroku is dead within two chapters. I know Iwashiro is moving quickly towards the end of the series, but it took two chapters to kill off the only substantial villain of the series. Now we’re stuck with whatever aftermath results from his death, including the massive overflow of energy, whatever “new life” will be born that Miroku alluded to, and Mithra.
SWOT 11
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
It’s time to read SWOT! Put on the Magnum P.I. theme song or something; we need anything moderately exciting to get us through this.
Toudou was aiming for the top for a dead friend. Even this shoddy villain gets the “he was just misunderstood” copout. Leave evil characters evil! I’m going to have to turn this into a campaign.
“I– It’s not like I did it for you or anything” has just cemented SWOT as the worst series of the year. More anti-accolades are forthcoming, I’m sure.
A maid café. Wow. Apparently all it takes to get a series published these days is a large enough hat to put every shonen stereotype in, to later pull out a few per chapter.
There isn’t even the pretense of this series being bound by natural laws anymore. If people can transform weapons and command nature in this universe, why didn’t we find out about it until now? For anyone who may try to answer that rhetorical question, “the author is hopelessly grasping at straws, trying to keep his series alive” is not an acceptable answer.
Apparently every girl in this series works at this one café.
The World God Only Knows 115
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
It’s been fine for a couple chapters, but this blond devil working for the “old Hell” needs to take action soon or face irrelevance.
Thank goodness for Diana. Now that Keima is aware of the specific presence of a Goddess, the plot should move more quickly.
Kanon’s paranoia is excellent to watch. This series has disappointingly moved away from its strengths (short arcs featuring Keima capturing spirits) to uncharted territory with a long-term serious plot, but the tone of the series hadn’t yet made the switch. Apollo warning Kanon of constant imminent danger helps to legitimize the current plot.
Finally, the antagonist acts. This is about as genuinely scary as this series gets, and it’s an enjoyable change.
Kanon directly confronting Keima and confessing to remembering everything is fantastic. It saves us the time and agony of chapters of miscommunication.
Zettai Karen Children 232
[scanlation by JS Scans]
The heart attack medicine omake was hilarious.
This confrontation between Hyoubu and Yuuri, on the other hand, is less than exciting.
It makes sense for Kugutsu to control a fake Yuuri to cover up what’s happening, but I like that he’s been caught in the act.
Yuuri tricks her opponent’s brain into thinking that she has been wounded, and the body reacts as though it’s in pain… but the art shows a real wound with real blood? That’s a bit much to chalk up to artistic license. Representative artwork is fine, but that usually is done more effectively without the accompaniment of lengthy logistical explanation. Then again, representative artwork in general is a bit problematic (see Air Gear).
—
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.
Bleach 422
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Kurotsuchi Mayuri? Characters laughing? Apparently Aizen died last chapter. That could have been made a little more clear.
The Visored are here, too, as well as Unohana. This is like a casting call for anyone more tolerable than the characters we’ve had to endure for the last year.
Background of the week
Leave it to Kubo to make even his most interesting characters boring. Why don’t we get to see everything that happened with Zaraki and Byakuya? Certainly, that would have been far and away more exciting than watching Aizen turn into a butterfly and yell at people.
Probably the Spirit King
Judging by the non-Deicide title, I guess Aizen really is dead. What a completely anticlimactic end to the arc. That’s rather pathetic, really.
Ichigo being excited at the prospect of explaining everything to his friends is fine. Good, even. It’s long been obvious that he was up to something; he might as well ditch the secret identity facade. On the other hand, Ichigo showing sadness when thinking of Aizen is absolutely infuriating. This trend of obviously evil characters later being redeemed must stop. Let evil characters stay evil! Kubo lessens the impact of Aizen’s defeat by writing him as someone misunderstood, and any status that Ichigo gained by having a hand in Aizen’s demise is now lost. Besides, what message is Kubo sending readers by doing this? “You wasted the last few years following this guy as your villain, because he wasn’t that bad after all.”
Ichigo’s pondering of what Aizen could have wanted is even more preposterous. Has everyone, author included, forgotten that the Hougyoku is a plot-rewriting, series-breaking artifact? If all Aizen wanted was to be “just a Shinigami,” he could have done that. Absolutely idiotic.
More comparatively acceptable people. I’m having a hard time recognizing this as the same 3-character series I’ve been reading all year.
It's okay, I barely remember them, too
Ichigo had a seizure and died! Hooray! Now we can focus on… oh, wait, he’s just having some kind of stupid breakdown. Probably something Hollow-related. Cancel the celebrations.
Twist of the week
Final Flash: Frustrating as it was, I’ll take subtly terrible instead of overtly terrible any day.
One Piece 598
[scanlation by Binktopia]
It’s been too long, old friend.
Excellent Jump cover. Right away, we get to see one of the character redesigns, in the form of a huge scar on Luffy’s chest.
Beautiful color selections (as always) in the opening color pages. Particularly amusing is Luffy’s dismissal of Hancock’s marriage plans, and particularly notable is that Luffy mastered everything Rayleigh had to offer in half a year less time than needed.
The color cover page reveals all the redesigns, so let’s go over them:
Luffy: Aside from the scar, not much has changed. We can’t see if he still has the tattoo.
Zoro: I hope he’s closing his eye to accentuate the scar; one one-eyed character is enough in the crew. The slightly longer hair is a nice touch.
Nami: Long hair will take a while to get used to, honestly. It looks good, but short hair represented her character better. Perhaps she has matured.
Usopp: He’s thin again, and his hair is longer. Nothing unexpected.
Sanji: His hair is covering the other eye?! That’s priceless. I could live without the facial hair, though.
Chopper: Still adorable.
Robin: Her facial features are more defined, giving her even more striking looks compared to other One Piece women. Good choice.
Franky: … he’s huge. Where’s the hair?
Brook: 2 years turned him into a glam rocker, apparently. I’d say that’s weird, but it’s a talking skeleton with an afro. This is par for the course.
Of all the Supernovas, the narration specifically mentions Kid and Drake. Kid is understandable, but Drake wasn’t in focus nearly as much as Law. Whether or not it’s a deliberate hint, I think this is a further sign that Drake bears some serious importance to future plot.
Brook becoming a world-renowned rock star is a bit much. By design, Brook is more comic relief than serious crew member, but any extent to which his place in the crew (and in the series) has been legitimized is entirely because of his serious plot (Laboon). Pandering too much to his comic side makes him feel more out of place in the crew than ever.
I do want a Sharkuitar, though
So much for Sanji having a scar or facial deformity or any kind of unique feature on his left eye. Oda’s nonchalance in switching Sanji’s hair parting is the perfect kind of character redesign. Also, I’m glad Sanji’s taste for women hasn’t changed.
The new Fleet Admiral is already shaking things up, by switching the locations of G1 and Marine HQ. I wonder about the explanation, though; if the emphasis of moving the HQ was to put it closer to the Yonkou, that could have been done anytime. To our knowledge, there hasn’t been any plot point involving the Yonkou that would have triggered this move. Perhaps the barkeep is an unreliable narrator, and the move relates more to the pirates from the first half of the Grand Line. This could even be a reaction to Luffy’s actions at Marineford.
Please tell me the fake Straw Hat Pirates are in line for a cover story.
Not that she’s in any trouble here, obviously, but thinking back to Jaya, Nami has bad luck in bars.
Usopp’s brief demonstration of his Pop Greens is exciting. His fights have so much more potential for variety now. Meanwhile, his claim that he’s grown stronger and more confident is worrying. This could just be a lie, or it could be false bravado in the face of a weak opponent, but if Usopp really is brave, that would mean that the single most important change in his life happened off-screen, and that would be unacceptable.
Interesting "confirmation" there
Zoro was first to return? He better have had some help getting there. I don’t think I can accept Zoro having a sense of direction.
Not enough time to learn to wink?
Robin wouldn’t really feel right without someone chasing after her, would she?
Like Usopp, Chopper can’t tell the fake crew from his own nakama. He is too cute.
I, uh, have to point out that where and how fake-Robin is holding that cucumber looks a bit… well…
I agree with Chopper.
How incompetent are Robin’s potential captors that they could fall for these fakes? That’s laughable.
Luffy’s response to this “threat” in the next chapter will be a key sign of how his character has changed, if at all. Will he rampage like old, immature Luffy, or will he expand on the maturity and restraint he showed in the face of Bellamy’s men assaulting him at the aforementioned bar in Jaya?
Final Flash: Not much to go on. Some of the redesigns are good, some are great, and some are slightly disappointing. There wasn’t much plot, either. It’s fantastic to have One Piece back, but long hair and new clothes aren’t what we’ve waited a month for. Hopefully, the good stuff (reunion, finally heading to Fishman Island) starts next week.
Bakuman 102
[scanlation by SleepyFans]
“Awkward” doesn’t come close to describing Mashiro’s expressions and reactions. Clearly, he isn’t comfortable with Takagi branching out on his own yet, but Mashiro isn’t the type to speak up about it at all, much less in front of the involved parties themselves.
Eyes are not meant to look like that
At least Takagi is still thinking about improving for the sake of Ashirogi, instead of focusing on his own individual success. Still, something about this just doesn’t feel right. Perhaps it’s how abruptly we’re being pushed towards long-term plot involving a character as recently introduced as Shiratori?
Aoki Ko serving as the judge for Treasure is another subtle sign of the progression of time and the success of our core cast of characters.
Mashiro definitely has issues with this. The scenes of him watching the impromptu Rabuta & Peace meeting from afar add a tinge of sadness to the existing overwhelming awkwardness.
I want a PCP coffee mug.
This is quite a bit of exposition on Shiratori. I’m perfectly fine with him as a supporting character, but I have some serious reservations about his sudden rise to prominence in the plot. It’s rare that I question Ohba’s writing, but the pacing surrounding Shiratori is unusual at best, and jarring at worst.
The exchange between Hattori and Shiratori about Shiratori’s career desires is another example of the over-importance of Shiratori right now. Frankly, the more that’s being made of him, the less I find myself caring about him and plot related to him.
Sorry, I can't be forced to care about him
Rabuta & Peace is set to run in Jump, skipping over the possibility of Treasure or Next. Then, even more pages of convoluted Shiratori story, this time focusing more intently on his family drama. Really, this is getting ridiculous.
Leave it to Kaya to bring some sense to an otherwise increasingly alien chapter. Her take on Mashiro is absolutely spot-on, and Takagi needs to realize she’s right before the plot moves too far away from its original direction.
Where would the series be without her?
It has seemed for a while that Bakuman could be nearing its end relatively soon, and while I’d be happy with more chapters than expected of such a good series, a rift between Mashiro and Takagi seems more like a way to unnecessarily stretch out extra mileage from a series rather than contributing positively to the overall plot, particularly if said rift is caused by such an irrelevant character as Shiratori.
Final Flash: I have enough faith in Ohba to be optimistic and hope this is nothing more than a small stumble in the plot instead of a massive fall in quality.
Fairy Tail 202
[scanlation by Binktopia]
I hope the cover page’s claim of “The strongest cat in all of FT history!!” is intended to imply that Pantherlily is the strongest cat in the entire series universe, rather than simply the strongest one yet in the series timeline, or the strongest we’ve seen. Him being the strongest overall lessens the chance of future cat introductions.
Natsu choosing Happy as his partner is such a boring choice. This is a rare chance for Mashima to explore chemistry between characters who rarely interact, and instead we’re given the most obvious choice right from the start. Often, series with side characters more interesting than the protagonist translate to praise for the author, for creating such interesting diversions; in Fairy Tail, unfortunately, the side characters are more interesting than Natsu because Natsu is boring.
It may only be conjecture, but an explicit mention of Igneel after so long is pleasing.
Gray’s choice of Loke is an excellent one. That’s exactly the kind of surprise choice that I wanted from Natsu.
Lisanna pairing with Lluvia hopefully means that Lluvia will play a major role in this arc, considering how immediately relevant Lisanna is.
Elfman with Evergreen! Levy and Gazille! Mest and Wendy! With each choice, I’m more incredulous as to how Mashima can mess up Natsu so badly, given how well he’s pairing up everyone else.
Partner contrast is vital
Cana will obviously be integral to the upcoming plot. Whenever we finally do get to learn her backstory, I hope it’s convincingly sad. Natsu bears obvious rooting interest, whether relying on the crutch of being the protagonist or in hope that attaining S-Class really will facilitate a meeting with Igneel; others such as Lluvia are personal choices at best, with little established reason for success; Cana’s plot will need to be important enough to strongly rival Natsu meeting Igneel for the arc to carry real tension (again, as with last chapter, assuming that only one person will be promoted, which isn’t the kind of super-happy arc ending that Fairy Tail tends to provide).
Final Flash: Mostly exciting choices (save for Natsu), thus another promising chapter. That’s enough promise, though; it’s now time to start delivering.
Fairy Tail 201
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Hello again, fanservice. Invite yourself in, why don’t you?
It took six pages to get to a character wearing clothes. Maybe I shouldn’t have complained all those times Fairy Tail cover pages have been so shameless; Mashima is evidently deciding to move things around.
This kind of bustling activity within the guild is considerably more exciting than the usual incessant partying.
Charle’s power of precognition must be kept as explicitly limited as shown here for her character to fit it with the ensemble cast at all.
Lluvia deserves so much more involvement in the main plot. She’s such a fun character, and she isn’t lacking in ability.
More of her, please
The S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial is very promising. The strength of Fairy Tail has never been originality, but rather solid execution of classic shonen formulas. An exam- and/or tournament-style arc is the perfect way to get the series back on its feet.
Tenrou Island is designed interestingly enough. It should prove a good backdrop for the arc.
...
Most importantly for such an arc, the eight chosen participants provide great variety. Natsu and Gray are obvious choices, Lluvia and Elman are welcome surprises, Fried and Mest are the necessary unknown quantities, and Cana provides great plot tension in relation to the more “main” characters, given that only one entrant passes. (… that is, if we are to take this information as gospel; it’s entirely possible that some sort of crisis will befall the Trial and multiple wizards will display enough skill to warrant the promotion.)
Charle’s premonition is a worrying note amid an otherwise intriguing chapter. An exam among guild members is exactly the kind of positive change of pace the series needs right now; weighing the arc down with this sad-looking boy and whatever depressing plot he carries makes the arc lose its freshness. Mashima needs to learn that not every arc can be a climactic masterpiece. For an author who looks to One Piece so much, it’s a surprise that Mashima completely overlooks Oda’s “serious arc, fun arc” approach. Would Water 7 / Enies Lobby have felt nearly as powerful without the Davy Back Fight right before it, to relieve the tension built up over the course of Skypiea? Fairy Tail has a fun cast of characters with excellent comedic traits, but they (and, by proxy, we) are rarely given the chance to relax anymore.
Final Flash: Hugely promising setup with an undertone of worry. I wish I could trust Mashima more not to screw this up.
Kimi no Iru Machi 106
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
That cover page is… suggestive. Ahem.
It’s great that everyone is planning on heading back to Tokyo this soon, because that means we’re likely in for some immediate plot development, but this small town has easily been a better setting than the big city. Plot advancement would be welcome; a return to drama would not.
Haruto’s memories of Mishima are amusing. She has certainly stood out since her introduction.
Uh-oh. “We need to talk” is rarely a good sign.
Men, this is a red flag. Learn it well.
There goes another romance series love interest deciding things all on her own.
Fortunately, Mishima’s anxiety isn’t at all a lead-in to unwarranted drama. Seo has quite a gift for impactful panels.
Excellent scene
Fantastic last few pages. This is exactly the right step for the series to take.
Final Flash: Pleasantly nostalgic chapter with a wonderful ending.
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