Weekly Power Rankings: 9/12 – 9/18
Rank |
Change |
Series |
Chapter |
Score |
| 1 | +2 | Bakuman | 100 | 80.54% |
| 2 | +6 | Beelzebub | 76 | 73.24% |
| 3 | +1 | Kimi no Iru Machi | 105 | 72.86% |
| 4 | +3 | Code:Breaker | 104 | 72.06% |
| 5 | -3 | Naruto | 509 | 71.10% |
| 6 | -1 | AR∀GO | 36 | 70.79% |
| 7 | +6 | Hayate no Gotoku! | 288 | 69.21% |
| 8 | +1 | Psyren | 134 | 68.37% |
| 9 | -3 | Nurarihyon no Mago | 122 | 68.13% |
| 10 | +4 | Kekkaishi | 321 | 66.39% |
| 11 | — | Toriko | 110 | 64.08% |
| 12 | +3 | Mahou Sensei Negima! | 302 | 62.13% |
| 13 | -1 | Defense Devil | 65 | 61.85% |
| 14 | +5 | History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi | 398 | 54.51% |
| 15 | +3 | The World God Only Knows | 113 | 52.79% |
| 16 | — | Fairy Tail | 200 | 52.44% |
| 17 | -7 | Gintama | — | 49.42% |
| 18 | -1 | GE ~ Good Ending | 51 | 47.27% |
| 19 | +2 | Kyoukai no Rin-ne | 65 | 44.59% |
| 20 | — | Zettai Karen Children | 231 | 43.57% |
| 21 | Abs | Air Gear | 287 | 43.14% |
| 22 | +1 | MiXiM☆11 | 111 | 31.06% |
| 23 | +1 | Katekyo Hitman Reborn! | 305 | 24.97% |
| 24 | -2 | SWOT | 10 | 21.47% |
| 25 | — | Bleach | 419 | 13.38% |
Absent: Bloody Monday: Season 2, Gamaran, Hajime no Ippo
Hiatus: One Piece
Series Roundup: 9/19 – 9/25
Mini-reviews for all the series without full individual posts.
Air Gear 288
[scanlation by SSA Scanlations]
I would like to casually remind you that the girl you see on the first couple pages with practically nothing on is, in fact, body-swapped President Obama.
The color cover page is another example of fine artwork (despite some fanservice) from Oh!Great.
Am I the only one who finds absolutely zero interest in anything involving Onigiri?
Sarome not being a Gravity Child isn’t much of a revelation, considering how new of a character she is.
Rika at risk of being brainwashed into becoming the Thorn Queen is a much better and more urgent reason for Kogarasumaru to rescue her than a simple kidnapping.
Defense Devil 65
[scanlation by I Eat Manga]
I suppose it’s been a little while since the last blatantly fanservicing cover page. Acceptable.
Kucabara’s plan may be working, but it’s not doing much to promote him as a credible hero. It’s fine to rely on intelligence, but a protagonist in this style of series really needs to support that with at least a small display of power.
This is a decent time for Y to reveal her true motive, but it’s not at all a good time to reveal her troubled past, much less through a flashback.
Kucabara, suffering greatly from poison, still manages to save Y. This is far too straightforward.
Enigma 2
[scanlation by CXC Scans]
Our group of protagonists has cleared the first suspense/thriller hurdle, at least: Don’t split up. Never split up.
Poor Shigeru. Even when faced with only one female adversary, Sumio’s attention doesn’t fall on her.
In such a completely modern trap, a typewriter-lock on the door is a nice anachronism.
The secret “emergency evacuation” broadcast code is an excellent and realistic touch.
Matsurigi is the first casualty of the shadow. (Lower case, mind you. I don’t see Interceptor anywhere… yet.) The art depicting the abduction is effectively scary.
The focus of Sumio’s Dream Diary is obviously the prediction it generates, but the accompanying artwork is amusing.
We’re set to see a new power, as Hasekura apparently must “erase” the person in the photo blocking the necessary name tag. Without yet knowing the exact nature of this power, the initial concept is already suitably interesting. Good chapter and a good sense of intrigue heading into the next one.
Gamaran 63
[scanlation by helz0ne]
Funny exchange between Gama and Zenmaru, and great artwork of their faces.
What an incredible difference in power between Gama and Ranmaru. I could have expected Gama to be at a disadvantage because of his recent fight, but this sheer gap in class is surprising.
Jinsuke already had much to live up to, but our anticipation is made to increase even further with the news that he is behind literally everything that has happened to Gama recently. With this much riding on his shoulders, let’s hope Jinsuke’s introduction lives up to the hype.
Zenmaru’s reunion with his older brother is both suspenseful and shockingly informative, with the news that the grand tournament of Unabara has ended.
This underling of Jinsuke looks as close to Two-Face as a samurai-era character could reasonably get.
Finally, Jinsuke himself. Not much in the way of plot-related introduction, but his appearance alone is monumental. Nakamaru has done a good job of drawing him to look similar to Gama.
GE ~ Good Ending 51
[scanlation by iMangaScans]
It was about baseball.
… seriously, if the author can’t be bothered to write a chapter that has any relevance to the plot, then I can’t be bothered to review it.
Hayate no Gotoku! 289
[scanlation by reddevilshn]
The summary of Important Detective is riotously funny.
Ayumu’s ignorance regarding manga is proving useful for multiple solid punchlines.
Plenty of meta mangaka humor here. It’s like if Bakuman tried pure, nonsensical comedy.
Hilarious face-off between Ayumu and Azumamiya.
Amazing realization by Nagi on the last page. It takes a seriously excellent moment to overshadow such a strong comedy chapter, but this is worth the praise.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 307
[scanlation by Binktopia]
P3, top-right panel: Pitiful art. I can see he’s against the spiked barrier, and that he’s bleeding, but what the hell is that black mass by his waist supposed to be?
Ryohei needs to charge up to full power to defeat him? No kidding. Thanks for pointing out the obvious flaw with your ridiculous power: Every fight of yours from now on will be an endurance test until you’re fully charged.
Speed lines around the characters, in the projectiles, and in the physical attacks themselves. I derive more enjoyment from looking at graph paper.
He’s fully charged. Yawn.
Kekkaishi 321-322
[scanlation by A-Team]
(321) Interesting and pleasantly brief exposition on Shiromi’s family life. That, combined with the knowledge that he has two powers, could set him up to be an interesting character.
Bizarrely direct conversation between Masamori and Hazama, consider their complete lack of any relationship.
Tokine! Finally.
(322) Yoshimori’s dad is… unique.
Wow, Tokine is flooding Yoshimori’s thoughts. This series hasn’t handled their relationship too much until now; this is a pleasant change.
Tokine’s job as a diplomat is perfectly suited to her. She’s strong enough to support herself, yet not quite strong enough to take on a role akin to Yoshimori. This is an effective differentiation between the two main characters.
The embrace between the two is just what anyone could have hoped for. It provides just the right amount of connection between the two, without over-developing their relationship at this stage.
Mahou Sensei Negima! 303
[scanlation by reddevilshn]
It would have been amusing if Koutarou had just taken out Fate here.
This “meeting” is really just Akamatsu’s roundabout way of cementing Fate as a colossally strong character. I’m not entirely convinced Fate didn’t notice and ignore Koutarou’s group, either.
Setsuna’s fights are always a good source of action. The art complements the action nicely, too; speed lines are used in such a way as not to overpower the characters or attacks, and the most important scenes have no speed lines at all.
That teacher in Setsuna’s flashback seems far too similar to Tsuruko Aoyama, Motoko’s older sister in Love Hina, just to be a coincidence.
Tsukuyomi wielding a cursed sword is a minor disappointment. I’m frustrated at the ever-growing trend of evil characters having a particular reason why they are so evil, therefore redeeming them. Why can’t evil characters just be evil sometimes?
Psyren 135
[scanlation by Muda Scantrad]
It makes sense for Vigo to be killed off, considering Vigo has had his moment of spotlight, but it’s unfortunate that he’s being replaced by someone as unknown as Mithra.
No, Marie! You’re able to contact Shao, so get out of there! Don’t sit around with dying Vigo! Don’t pull a Vivi!
Mithra’s flashback regarding Miroku is decent enough, but the wolf/sheep metaphors make no sense whatsoever.
Some nonsensical turns of events later, Ageha arrives, right behind Miroku and poised to attack with Melchsee’s Door. It’s a pity that the preceding backstory made such little impact, but I’m ready for what could be the series’ climactic final fight.
SWOT 10
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
It’s confirmed, then: This is no longer a terrible delinquent series. It’s now a terrible supernatural delinquent series.
Manabizaki has a “99.9% chance of losing.” Could this series try any harder to be generic?
Reverse resolve. In one chapter, our semi-realistic protagonist learned a perfect counter to a newly-introduced supernatural element. Absolutely pathetic. This series has managed to evoke the same feelings that I typically reserve exclusively for Bleach, except that SWOT has managed the feat about 200 chapters sooner. What a thoroughly putrid series. Nothing deserves cancellation more than SWOT right now, Bleach included. That statement isn’t even exclusive to Jump, either; I’d cancel SWOT sooner than MiXiM☆11, too.
The World God Only Knows 113-114
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
(113) Keima’s attempts at building his own perfect human are amusing but obviously futile. This seems hopeless.
What a strange series of panels, featuring awkward, pseudo-philosophical dialogue. I’m not exactly sure what the author was trying to achieve, but unless the goal was to alienate me, I think the objective wasn’t quite met. I don’t see how any of the points raised in these pages couldn’t have been better addressed through ordinary storytelling. There’s no need to over-complicate the narrative.
Keima was unable to win from the very beginning. This teacher is rather interesting, but she needs to proceed with whatever she’s planning. This is the second time she’s been teased as a major behind-the-scenes character; best to capitalize on the existing anticipation before it’s lost.
(114) Not only is Kanon back, but she has a goddess! This is a refreshing change, particularly after the previous chapter.
Apollo is certainly less reliable than Diana, but that better suits Kanon.
Fairly sad last couple pages focusing on the distance between Keima and Kanon.
Zettai Karen Children 231
[scanlation by JS Scans]
The brief comedy of Kaoru holding a cherished maid cafe ticket is considerably more interesting than anything the preceding or following pages have to offer.
The maid cafe mixup is amusing.
Thanks, Shiina, but I haven’t forgotten that Kaoru is in love with Minamoto.
Good dialogue in the last panel. The wordplay works well with Hyoubu’s current double-natured character.
—
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.
Kimi no Iru Machi 105
[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]
Kanzaki finally makes her appearance, and it will be a vital one. She’s the defining line between harem and single-relationship focus.
More breast humor. Mishima is keeping things enjoyable and light.
Calvin would not be proud
Kanzaki is playing a sad role in her conversation with Haruto. She obviously still has some feelings for him, but she can tell that he is currently most comfortable around Mishima, whether or not he realizes his feelings for her.
I wonder if Haruto really is “too late” for Kanzaki. She wasn’t terribly convincing.
Uh, wow. More disregard for any form of censorship. I hate to make a fuss out of it, because I’m personally against censorship, but I’m surprised at just how blatant Magazine has been recently.
Final Flash: A pleasant but unremarkable chapter.
AR∀GO 36
[scanlation by Trinity BAKumA]
This is a vastly different style of fight than Arago has had in the past. It’s no Ippo, but the focus on speed and precision provides interesting contrast to simple reliance on the Brionac power.
Arago bore the brunt of the werewolf’s finishing blow? This is some supreme confidence he’s showing in his regenerative abilities.
… and evidently, given that he just regenerated his entire left arm from bone and limp flesh, he was right in doing so. Whether the power itself has improved or Arago is simply more adept at using it, Brionac is more impressive now than it ever has been.
Notable sign of improvement
Underneath the pelt was “just some normal old guy.” On one hand, I appreciate that the focus remained on the pelt, since that myth has proven extremely interesting. On the other hand, it’s a slight disappointment that this plot is entirely self-contained, rather than linking to any larger premise, whether or not that would involve Patchman.
So, according to Seth and what little I know of nutritional science, Brionac and the wolf pelt are similar because they’re both like supernatural caffeine?
Final Flash: Ultimately, this arc (and particularly this chapter) served to provide some insight into the nature of Arago as a character, but little else. It was enjoyable, but the conclusion of this mini-arc feels strongly of missed opportunities.
Toriko 111
[scanlation by Hi Wa Mata Noboru]
The phrase “starting with the legendary ingredient ‘God'” is intriguing. Does the list “start” with God because that’s the most important ingredient, or was that actually the first ingredient Acacia found?
Not to draw any parallels or accuse anyone of plagiarism, but the description of the outlandish Gourmet World has me similarly excited to my outlook on the upcoming New World in One Piece.
Mr. Hatch is being intentionally and curiously vague about this “certain Bishokuya” with whom he traveled.
Excellent pacing of the establishment of the Gourmet World as a feared place. Shimabukuro fit quite a bit of lore into three pages.
I could simply be forgetful of these details, but I find myself surprised at just how proportionally huge the Gourmet World is in comparison to the Human World. That’s quite the vast expanse of adventure waiting for Toriko.
100% promising
Clearly, the Poison Tide is the tailor-made Gourmet World entrance for Coco. Does that mean Sani eventually successfully enters through the sky?
“Someone famous” approaches! This is set up for a major introduction. Time to finally meet Zebura?
Wow. Toriko hasn’t even made it down the cliff and he’s already decimated.
That didn't take long
What an appropriately fearsome beast for Toriko’s first up-close encounter of the Gourmet World. Given his condition, it seems like he could use the help of the aforementioned “someone famous.”
Final Flash: With the last of the important setup now out of the way, this was a good introduction of just what Toriko is up against.
Beelzebub 77
[scanlation by Keishou Scans]
Baby Beel singing is the perfect way to start a chapter. How funny.
He has a fan club, too! This is great stuff. Also, Oga should really teach Beel the proper way to eat Pocky.
Just a little off with your aim, Beel
We’re right back in the comedic swing of things, with Kunieda’s followers just as harsh to Oga as they’ve ever been.
Miki is being unbelievably suggestive in his awkward approaches to Oga. Fortunately, Baby Beel has an appropriate reaction and facial expression for this, as well.
Mah.
Shizuka and Toujou clearly have some history together, given that she feels comfortable enough with him to call him by a nickname. Shizuka has potential to be a good character, but so far we’ve seen far too little of her.
A very exciting meeting between Oga, Toujou, and Izuma is interrupted by this ominous new character. The fact that he is strong enough to wipe them all out in a flash is promising, as this series has lacked a consistent mentor character. Someone authoritative who can keep these delinquents in check is a welcome addition. Plus, his tattoo means he may be able to serve as a mentor to Oga with regard to the demon storyline, which deserves a renewed focus.
Final Flash: Great comedy and good action are the foundation of any enjoyable Beelzebub chapter.
Naruto 511
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Fairly average Jump cover despite the celebration of the milestone. Despite already knowing when Naruto began, it’s still surprising to reflect on eleven years of the series.
Madara wastes no time in taking back the Rinnegan. Unfortunately, that isn’t a segue into plot progression in this chapter; instead, we’re being treated to a flashback to finally put this trio to rest. While I appreciate knowing that we’ll be finished with these three for good, I have to question just how much was left unanswered as of last chapter. I don’t particularly dislike any of these characters, but I don’t feel they’re worth a full chapter postmortem flashback.
Of course Jiraiya wore a toad suit and forced his three students to do the same. Why wouldn’t he?
It's impossible not to miss him
Great couple pages of silent storytelling. The last few panels of page 11 are an example of Kishimoto making good use of the imagery he created within this same chapter.
The remaining pages dealing with the Amegakure trio are somehow simultaneously touching and out of place. Again, the imagery used is evocative, but it still feels as though devoting an entire chapter to these characters at this point in the story is counterproductive. Yes, this is the last sensible chance Kishimoto will have to do so, but even now it feels too detached from the original plot involving these characters.
Madara’s new mask looks pretty good. It’s an appropriate evolution of his previous mask. Zetsu is still around, playing the information expert, but most importantly, Kabuto is back in the picture. It’s no understatement to say that the enjoyment and legitimacy of much of the remaining plot relies entirely on the way in which Kabuto is used.
Final Flash: A suitable end to a what felt like a diversion from the main plot. The last few chapters have been enjoyable as a standalone read, but have felt awkward in context.
Bleach 421
[scanlation by Binktopia]
Good to know that Ichigo’s new fabric-outfit wasn’t black, but rather blue. His skin looks sickeningly pallid, though.
Background of the week
Ichigo’s Shinigami abilities disappear after only one attack. I suppose that’s entirely fitting, given that Ichigo is only really predisposed to using one attack, but that still seems like something that will need to be addressed before the next major battle.
I cannot and will not accept that Urahara conveniently set a trap on Aizen when he “had [his] guard down the most.” The Hougyoku is, to some undetermined extent, a sentient being, with which Aizen has completely fused. (At least, they were completely “one” back when Kisuke hid this Kidou.) There is no excuse for Aizen having his guard down when he was able to supplement his own awareness with that of the Hougyoku.
Even worse than this leap of logic is the fact that this is such a cheap twist. Why does nearly every major fight in Bleach have to involve a sudden appearance? Why can’t characters — very specifically, our main character — do anything themselves? Ichigo just received a massive (and, for once, sensible) power-up, and he can’t even finish his own fight with it? One week after reestablishing our protagonist as someone useful, Kubo turns around and neuters him once more.
Twist of the week
The Hougyoku has finally deemed Aizen unworthy of its power. This has been a long time coming, so I can’t even muster the faintest hint of surprise.
We’re finally beginning to learn about our next primary antagonist (or at least a driving force behind upcoming plot), the Spirit King. Kisuke’s distant attitude on the matter is mildly interesting, but it also worryingly feels like a setup for a “fight the established order” storyline. That feeling is compounded by Kubo’s last-ditch attempt to redeem Aizen’s character as one who perhaps was not inherently evil, but rather one who sought to overthrow an unjust system. This kind of character alteration is perfectly acceptable when the character being amended has had sufficient development all along the way; for all the problems with the pacing and unnecessary drama in Naruto (particularly surrounding Sasuke), the final revelations about Itachi’s motives were not only interesting, but fit well with all of his actions leading up to that moment. With regard to Bleach, Aizen has committed far too many blatantly evil acts to be redeemed, and furthermore, he’s barely had any actual character development. His progress has been littered with power-ups and strength upgrades, not personality establishment and evolution. In short, then, I don’t appreciate Kubo trying to pull this off with Aizen, as it feels like an afterthought. Let an evil character be evil and move on.
Final Flash: A tremendous step back from the previous chapter.
Beamcast – September 20
[download link – 125min, 56mb]
In this week’s show:
News
Fairy Tail anime second season confirmed
Shonen Jump running one-shots by six legendary mangaka
Imamura Norio fined 500k yen
City Hunter receives live action Korean TV series
Weekly Oricon rankings (9/6 – 9/12)
New releases
[anime]
Bleach (DVD 32) $24.92
[manga]
Black Jack (vol. 13) $16.95
Discussion / Weekly Poll
Last week’s results:
Multiple choice – Which of these shonen genres do you enjoy?
1. Action (32%) | 2. Comedy / Mystery (tie) (22% each) | 4. Sports (13%) | 5. Romance (11%)
This week:
How do you prefer to read manga?
(Localized volume releases, online scanlations, original raws)
The Great Shonen Tier List
Characters added:
Boa Hancock (One Piece)
Konan (Naruto)
Kagura (Gintama)
Ogami Rei (Code:Breaker)
Sano Seiichirou (The Law of Ueki)
Mikura “Kazu” Kazuma (Air Gear)
Anime Discussion
Highschool of the Dead (ep. 11)
Seitokai Yakuindomo (ep. 11)
Legend of the Legendary Heroes (ep. 12)
Nurarihyon no Mago (ep. 11)
This Week in Manga
0:41:07 – Kure-nai 34
0:45:41 – Naruto 510
0:49:35 – Bleach 420
0:55:58 – Bakuman 101
1:01:20 – Beelzebub 77
1:05:24 – Fairy Tail 200-201
1:11:29 – Hayate no Gotoku! 288
1:15:12 – History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi 398-399
1:20:40 – AR∀GO 35
1:24:12 – Toriko 110
1:29:05 – Mahou Sensei Negima! 302
1:31:39 – Psyren 134
1:34:05 – Nurarihyon no Mago 122
1:38:52 – Zettai Karen Children 230
1:43:42 – GE ~ Good Ending 50
1:46:44 – Kimi no Iru Machi 105
1:49:46 – Enigma 1
1:58:48 – Deadman Wonderland 38
1:59:38 – Air Gear 287
2:00:13 – Code:Breaker 104
2:01:02 – Defense Devil 64
2:01:44 – Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 306
Chapters of the Week
Final Flash
Comments / questions / additions? Email the show.
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Credit: AnimeNewsNetwork
Weekly Power Rankings: 9/5 – 9/11
Rank |
Change |
Series |
Chapter |
Score |
| 1 | +2 | Bloody Monday: Season 2 | 41 | 78.11% |
| 2 | -1 | Naruto | 508 | 75.99% |
| 3 | +8 | Bakuman | 99 | 75.07% |
| 4 | -2 | Kimi no Iru Machi | 104 | 72.70% |
| 5 | -1 | AR∀GO | 35 | 70.03% |
| 6 | +4 | Nurarihyon no Mago | 121 | 69.27% |
| 7 | — | Code:Breaker | 103 | 68.37% |
| 8 | +4 | Beelzebub | 75+spc | 68.22% |
| 9 | +5 | Psyren | 133 | 66.08% |
| 10 | -4 | Gintama | 323 | 64.79% |
| 11 | +5 | Toriko | 109 | 62.96% |
| 12 | -3 | Defense Devil | 64 | 61.66% |
| 13 | +2 | Hayate no Gotoku! | 287 | 61.37% |
| 14 | +5 | Kekkaishi | 320 | 61.13% |
| 15 | +3 | Mahou Sensei Negima! | 301 | 55.68% |
| 16 | +7 | Fairy Tail | 199 | 50.33% |
| 17 | +3 | GE ~ Good Ending | 50 | 49.79% |
| 18 | -5 | The World God Only Knows | — | 49.70% |
| 19 | +6 | History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi | 397 | 42.54% |
| 20 | +1 | Zettai Karen Children | 230 | 42.00% |
| 21 | +1 | Kyoukai no Rin-ne | 64 | 39.80% |
| 22 | +2 | SWOT | 9 | 30.10% |
| 23 | Abs | MiXiM☆11 | 110 | 29.01% |
| 24 | +2 | Katekyo Hitman Reborn! | 304 | 27.45% |
| 25 | +2 | Bleach | 418 | 14.00% |
Absent: Gamaran, Hajime no Ippo
Hiatus: Air Gear, One Piece
Series Roundup: 9/12 – 9/18
Mini-reviews for all the series without full individual posts.
Air Gear 287
[scanlation by SSA Scanlations]
Beautiful color page. This is a perfect example of quality art and a tiny bit of fanservice easily trumping over-the-top gratuitous fanservice.
Ringo has every reason to feel like she’s at fault about this. Regardless of where the blame lies, though, Ikki’s Regalia must be repaired quickly, or else not only will he be unable to win his fight, but also the plot will be unable to progress.
This is mostly setup after setup for each fight. I suppose it’s acceptable as a way to refresh the audience’s memory, after six weeks of no Air Gear.
Ikki demonstrates some strong leadership qualities by getting everyone back on track. Between the Regalia hunt and the various battles, the next few chapters should be exciting.
AR∀GO 35
[scanlation by Trinity BAKumA]
Cute cover page.
Interesting nod by Arai towards boxers, and lightweight boxers specifically. It’s true that this training should help Arago’s evasiveness.
I’ve finally figured out the secret behind the worst arc of Hajime no Ippo: Woli had Brionac.
The reactions from Rio, Coco, and Seth to Arago’s request are as funny as they are vastly different.
Captain Tsubasa now? This is an oddly sports-themed chapter.
Arago’s idea of a duel (and the werewolf’s immediate acceptance) is fascinating. The two-page spread of them exchanging blows is great, as well.
Code:Breaker 104
[scanlation by ShinraTensei]
Not that I could put a face to the name, but Dekasugi going missing right after Yuuki drops the hint points to Code:Revenger having been closely watching everything all along.
Ogami’s new flame is incredibly powerful and far more versatile than the first flame. It’s also more bizarrely supernatural, perhaps even spiritual.
Once again, Ogami’s unique sense of justice, where he continues to quietly burden himself with others’ problems, is enjoyable to read.
Yuuki is obviously torn over having to fight Ogami, but chooses to turn to his trump card, in the form of some pills in his collar. I hope Yuuki doesn’t die in all of this action.
Defense Devil 64
[scanlation by I Eat Manga]
Kucabara’s focus on pacifism is a bit out of place. He has been established as a “good” character, but this feels more like time-wasting than personality establishment.
Several pages later, and Kucabara has exactly the same stance. It’s taking far too long for anything to happen.
His brilliant plan was to shoot out the lights? That’s a bit childish.
The naive devils throw the “soccer” field into chaos, and Kucabara drops in like Batman to save Idamaria. Sadly, the spurt of action at the end of the chapter doesn’t redeem the time wasted at the beginning.
Enigma 1
[scanlation by CXC Scans]
Love to see a brand new series get scanned right away. I hope CXC will keep up with this one.
The main character has a “Dream Diary” that predicts the future. A future diary. In Japanese, one would call that a Mirai Nikki.
Sumio’s flirting is a decently enjoyable character trait, but not one that stands out too greatly.
The skull with the reversed jawbone is an appropriately scary symbol. Good design.
The way Sumio’s mother panics provides some intrigue as to exactly why Sumio saw the symbol.
Sumio’s larger panel poses are too generic.
Sumio and six others wake up in a gymnasium, unable to exit or contact the outside world. Then, the Enigme symbol appears on a screen and gives them an objective. So, this series isn’t just Mirai Nikki; it’s also Gantz. Wonderful.
Based on only one chapter, this series has far more potential than recent Jump newcomers (Lock On!, Yotsuya, SWOT, etc.), but its success will depend entirely on the execution of the premise introduced in this chapter. Sadly, the two major concepts the series is built on are far too derivative of other, existing series.
GE ~ Good Ending 50
[scanlation by iMangaScans]
Yuki’s farewell smile to her mother and attendant is creepy as hell.
Evidently Yuki’s family is aware of whatever horrible business went down between Yuki and Touru. I appreciate him being unwelcome there; I don’t appreciate the focus being on him running around trying to find her. This series needs less drama.
This bald guy being on a Koushien-bound baseball team comes out of nowhere. How odd.
Oonuma finally snapped at Seiji! That’s exactly what needed to happen. Finally, a little positive progress.
Never mind. It’s all undone by some ludicrous fireworks and a statement that reflects just how right Oonuma was about Seiji’s superficial kindness. Seriously though, fireworks?! Fireworks.
… fireworks.
Kure-nai 34
[scanlation by JAC Scans]
It’s finally sinking in to Shinkurou that Kirihiko is an assassin. To be fair, she’s right in pointing out that she said that when they first met.
She stabbed him, with no effect. Is she taking it easy on him, or is has his Houdzuki training again rendered him impervious to blade attacks?
Interesting competition proposed by Kirihiko. It’ll be good to see how Shinkurou reacts to her when she’s in a killing mindset.
I can’t accept Yuuno’s explanation of the manner in which Kirihiko cut Shinkurou. A time-delayed cut? This makes absolutely no sense.
Strangely comedic ending. Saving someone from suicide does not tend to immediately lead into a job offer.
Hayate no Gotoku! 288
[scanlation by reddevilshn]
Nagi’s “plans” are hilarious. Her obliviousness is always great, but she’s so certain here that she can succeed.
Excellent meta comedy! The Jump joke is apt, and the Sunday praise is fun.
Ashibashi-sensei may have been a completely minor character, but he was very funny in his limited role as the author of the successful series “This or That Depresses Me,” which clearly does not parody any real life series whatsoever. He should provide great interaction with aspiring mangaka Nagi.
Brilliant punchline from Ashibashi, and an even better reaction from Hayate and the girls. What a funny chapter.
I love that Ayumu had no idea how successful Ashibashi was.
Mahou Sensei Negima! 302
[scanlation by reddevilshn]
Excellent detail in Akamatsu’s drawing of the various magic attacks.
Negi is trying to be everywhere at once. He should rely on the girls more. He’s obviously far more powerful than any of them, but they’re far from incompetent.
Dragonfolk? I thought it was Demonfolk. The Dragonzord joke is catching on… sadly.
Nodoka is ridiculous. Time manipulation is one of the most potentially broken powers in any setting, and she just crashes into the user. Wasn’t she supposed to be the shy one?
Very nice affirmation of the girls’ abilities over the final pages.
Nurarihyon no Mago 122
[scanlation by ShinraTensei]
Multiple ways to perform Matoi should eventually both solidify Rikuo as a seriously strong protagonist, and also keep the more prominent members of the Hyakki Yakou involved in the main plot. This technique is a fantastic idea.
Kidoumaru is a legitimately strong enemy with some good techniques of his own. Ouka is impressive.
Kurotabou’s pride is nice to see. Rikuo really has grown considerably since the beginning of the series.
Beautiful full-page art of Rikuo using the new variation of Matoi.
Rikuo is wearing Kurotabou in a far more literal sense than his previous uses of Matoi. Does this mean Rikuo will become the type of character who routinely uses other characters’ powers? While this version of Matoi is interesting, I hope Rikuo doesn’t rely on it too much. Members of the Hyakki Yakou need to stand out on their own, rather than be relegated to pure supporting roles for Rikuo.
Psyren 134
[scanlation by Keishou Scans]
“Now, the battle between Matsuri and Grana–!!” … and two pages later, we switch focus to Kagetora. Amusing.
Kagetora has always been fun to watch fight, but he’s even more interesting here in the future, surrounded by those with flashier abilities.
Back to Matsuri/Grana, and this fight is far more of an exchange of psychic abilities. Grana’s admittance that Matsuri has more battle sense is what keeps this fight balanced and interesting.
Ageha and Amamiya chase after Miroku, and the chapter ends. Some fun fighting, but not too much plot progression.
Zettai Karen Children 230
[scanlation by JS Scans]
Great omake page. Of course Hanzo is a Naruto fan. … oh, pardon me. Maruto.
Kiritsubo’s overprotective nature has grown tiresome.
Hanzo’s Naruto fandom extends within the chapter! He even has the Mangekyou Sharingan. Good comedy.
I’m pretty sure the shirt worn by the character on the last page is intended to represent a browser’s Refresh function. The shirt says “F5” (the keyboard shortcut for Refresh), and has circular arrows above and below the lettering. Amusing. That said, the comedy of this chapter far outweighs the attempt at engaging serious plot.
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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.
Bakuman 101
[scanlation by SleepyFans]
PCP being unable to receive an anime adaptation for diplomatic reasons is an unfortunately plausible scenario. Complaints are a harsh truth that mangaka must live with, even when the intent of the work is positive and/or harmless. (The Sket Dance balloon incident comes to mind.) Hattori needed a truly legitimate reason why PCP wouldn’t get an anime, and this plot thread delivers.
Takagi is fighting hard for Mashiro’s side of their shared dream. Often, in scenarios similar to these, when a partnership or team finds overall success but an individual in said group isn’t satisfied, the plot shifts to a developing rift. I’m glad to see that this problem is solidifying the relationship (both personal and professional) between Mashiro and Takagi, rather than introducing conflict.
Impassioned words
At least a midnight anime is still a possibility. It doesn’t seem likely, given the tone of this chapter, but it would be difficult to maintain long-term interest in PCP if there was a defined ceiling on its success that fell short of the biggest remaining goal in the series.
Damn, Hiramaru is loaded. Also amusing is his blatant acknowledgment of Yoshida’s manipulative tactics.
Surprising financial shrewdness
Poignant conversation between Mashiro and Takagi about marriage age. These characters aren’t immature, so the conversation isn’t entirely out of place, but they’re still pretty young.
It’s completely satisfying to see Shiratori praised (and, indirectly, Takagi) and Moriya brought back to reality.
Takagi writing a series for an artist other than Mashiro is worrisome. That would continue to positively portray Takagi as having “made it” as a writer in command of his craft, but it would also take the focus of the series away from the dream held by the original trio of Mashiro, Takagi, and Azuki. This has opened the door to countless possibilities, and has pushed back the potential end of the series by a considerable distance.
Final Flash: A decent chapter with a disconcerting ending.
History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi 398
[scanlation by Keishou Scans]
Decent Shonen Sunday cover page, but awful color pages. Fanservice (and borderline nudity) this gratuitous is uncalled for. Worse still is the fact that the color pages have no connection to the rest of the chapter. That’s basically an admittance of pandering from Matsuena.
Kenichi’s counter to Yan Erawan, which had previously “killed” him, is exactly the kind of martial arts exchange I’ve wanted. Discounting the color pages, this is an excellent start to the chapter.
The way Matsuena draws Kenichi’s eyes never gets old. I can’t remember any other manga character with such pure intensity shown through his or her eyes alone.
But are they Mystic Eyes?
Tirawit shows some fantastic martial arts skill, and even taunts Kenichi properly, but name-dropping Kanou Shou only reminds me how much more interesting of an opponent Kanou was. Tirawit may well be a stronger fighter, but Kanou had the underlying plot to round out his character.
The masters believe their battle will end first. That would bode well for some great development out of Kenichi, who finally seems poised for a sharp improvement.
Final Flash: Insulting color pages aside, this was a great chapter. This kind of fighting is what this arc should have featured all along.
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! 306
[scanlation by I Eat Manga]
Character popularity poll results are unsurprising when you consider the overwhelmingly female audience. That said, shame on you, voters! Lambo down in 18th?! I implore you to think back to when the series was fun.
This isn’t only Hajime no Ippo and Saint Seiya, but now also Fist of the North Star? Shameless.
You are already boring
More straightforward attacks from Aoba and his new magical eye. Fortunately, Ryohei actually seems to have a plan to counter this attacking strategy, rather than just another uninteresting twist to one-up Aoba.
It seems Aoba’s limiter-sunglasses were restricting use of his extreme vision for his own sake. Again, it’s good to see Ryohei’s awareness being used to capitalize on that.
Final Flash: Speed lines and punching. Would anyone mind if I demoted this to Series Roundup? Individual writeups for this series now seem like a waste.
Bleach 420
[scanlation by Binktopia]
From the plethora of available “420” jokes, let’s just go with something like “wasn’t that the only way to enjoy Bleach anyway?” and move on.
After some flashback pages of the earlier fight between Ichigo and post-Fountain of Youth Zangetsu, the twist is finally revealed: the “Final Getsuga Tenshou” is when Ichigo himself becomes Getsuga.
The important note: I don’t find this terrible. I still think it’s stale and uninteresting to have Ichigo become taller, older, and longer-haired, and I certainly have to laugh at the Hot Topic-catalog laziness of designing Final Form Ichigo with flowing black hair, black fabric, and a black aura, but I will give some credit to Kubo: this concept is acceptable. To defeat Aizen, whose abilities are “broken” (despite being improperly written in the last few chapters), Ichigo needed to achieve some kind of powerup that wasn’t just a linear increase in strength. There’s no telling how deep Kubo will go into the concept, and it’s entirely possible that the spiritual evolution part of the process will be conveniently forgotten and/or rewritten as though this is a linear powerup, but from initial indication, “becoming Getsuga” seems to work.
Twist of the week
The less-important note:
Have fun, yaoi fans
The rest of the chapter is pretty standard Bleach: Venom/Aizen gets pissed and yells too much, and Ichigo uses a big monochromatic attack.
Background of the week
Final Flash: Not “good,” but “good for a recent Bleach chapter,” meaning surprisingly acceptable overall.
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