Shonen Beam

[scanlation by I Eat Manga]

“A shadow approaches” … to probably train Tsuna and his team.

There is apparently a fine line between looking devastated and looking high. Tsuna is crossing that line.

This is a munchies emergency

There’s a character called “Coyote Nougat.” Yep. Only in Reborn!.

No prizes for guessing the figure on the cover page was a mentor character of some kind, and only a couple points awarded for guessing he was a bizarre old man.

Oh dear, the Vongola rings have spirits. Not that it’s being done well, but Bleach is already covering the “inhabited weapons” quota for Jump. This is a path I’d hoped Reborn! wouldn’t take.

Well-explored territory

This is incredibly linear power-up development, right down to this creepy old man having the blood of Vongola Primo. It’s such a waste of an entire series to just deliberately make infinite parallels between the main characters and their predecessors. Why not let Tsuna succeed on his own merit?

Who doesn't carry around other people's blood in vials?

Final Flash: All of the early charm of the series is again being ignored in favor of the simplest shonen storytelling imaginable. Boring chapter.

[chapter link]

This is all a direct result of the future arc. That’s rather fitting, actually. Bad begets bad.

Is now really the time to choose an angle to show off Adelheid’s chest?

Poor timing

This Shimon/Vongola backstory is obviously wrong.  Suddenly, the silly and out-of-place scene of Lambo knocking Enma’s letter into the trash can makes some kind of sense; it was likely a similar kind of accident that prevented Vongola Primo from helping the Shimon family. That doesn’t make the Lambo/letter scene any more acceptable, nor does that plot resolution stand on its own as acceptable either, since that would draw yet another needless parallel between Tsuna and Vongola Primo.

It’s completely impossible to look badass and menacing with these two in your group:

Standing out for all the wrong reasons

Final Flash: Predictable backstory, predictable antagonizing speech, predictable showdown.

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Attack in progress at the inheritance ceremony.

It’s a little tiresome to constantly read attack and ability names in Italian (not that there’s anything wrong with the Italian language). That said, unlike Spanish in Bleach, at least there’s a legitimate reason behind the Italian in Reborn.

Edutainment at its finest

The Ninth predicted all of this, naturally. Hopefully, he will have the chance to show off a little bit before stepping out of the way for Tsuna.

These enemies sure are comprehensive. They saw through the ruse quite easily. If only we didn’t know who they are.

Some kind of disassembling or perhaps gravity-based power is shown to be used on a pistol. That could prove to be great if used in an interesting fashion.

Unusual attack

No surprise here. In entirely straightforward fashion, the Shimon family is revealed as the enemy.

Really worrying transformation in Enma. Overly suave, serious characters ruined the series in the future arc. The author must try to keep this as lighthearted as is reasonably possible.

Looking good. -Too- good.

Final Flash: No prizes awarded for guessing the identity of the enemy. Pity Akira didn’t decide to swerve the audience a little.

[chapter link]

Great detail on the castle.

It’s been different for some time now, but it’s still hard to believe just how much Amano’s art style has changed. Compare a scene in this chapter with one from chapter 22. (Click to enlarge.)

Chapter 295

Chapter 22

Naito Longchamp hasn’t been around for at least a couple hundred chapters. Nice to see Amano hasn’t forgotten her minor characters.

Speaking of the art, the major flaw of Amano’s current style is that, at times, the details can devolve. It doesn’t get quite as sketch-like as Hunter x Hunter, but it’s still inconsistent.

Example of loose artwork

Amusing scene between Dino, Squalo, and Tsuna.

The rest of the chapter is just the assembling of the main cast for the pivotal moment during the ceremony.

Nice final spread.

Final Flash: Some nice character reappearances, but almost entirely a setup chapter.

[chapter link]

Unsettling cover page, given what happened at the end of last chapter.

Tsuna, having just turned down the inheritance despite not wanting his friends to be hurt, is being confronted with a situation where he’ll likely be convinced to accept the inheritance because his friends have been hurt. This storyline is a sensible way to move the plot forward, but it certainly won’t be winning any praise for complexity.

P6, center panel: Surprisingly grim artwork for this series. Even in the future arc, there was still a sense that these were just kids caught up in something serious. This is far from seinen, but it’s hardly a childish scene.

Reborn fluctuates too much between passive guardian and active member of the group. I don’t mind either role for him, but it would be nice for him to stick to one of them.

Someone had time to write a message in blood? Mizuno stupidly left a calling card, or Yamamoto somehow had enough energy left? Either way, that’s fairly silly.

That little vial the ninth was carrying turns out to be Vongola’s Sin. This is going to involve even more connections to the original Vongola. The connections that have already been drawn are tiresome, so hopefully this will involve more history and fewer contrived parallels between Tsuna’s group and the original guardians.

Sure enough, Tsuna steps up when he’s needed. So long as he’s reluctant and doesn’t turn back into the suave and collected pretty-boy from the insipid future arc, I’ll be curious to see how this develops.

Final Flash: Decent chapter, but the series has lost a step with the straightforward revelation that the Shimon family isn’t as friendly as we were supposed to expect.

[chapter link]

Tsuna, you’d be well advised not to sleep with a PSP. It’ll break if you look at it wrong, let alone roll onto it or drop it a couple feet.

(He sleeps with Nuts, too?)

Another future project for me to consider: A comprehensive list of shonen stereotypes. I say this now because Tsuna’s mom is clearly the quintessential ‘gullible/oblivious parent’, which would surely chart highly on the list.

P6: “Is it really okay [for me to stay]?” “Of course!! Nuts is here too!” … uh, what? Stupid name aside, how the hell does that make any sense?

Gokudera has easily inspired the most confidence in me regarding this series’ return to form. He’s been excellent thus far in this arc.

Studying battle? Amano is going all the way back to the beginning of Reborn for this style of humor.

P16, bottom-left panel: Adelheid is keeping watch. Clearly, the Shimon family aren’t quite as straightforward of allies as the author would have us expect. I doubt they’re enemies, but I’m curious as to their agenda.

The ninth! Good timing.

Final Flash: Solidly enjoyable chapter. The charming humor from the very beginning of the series with a little of the action that set the series apart from its comedy contemporaries.

[chapter link]

Cover: “The All New Popular Series!”? This has been running fox six years. Maybe they mean “arc” instead of “series.”

P2, bottom-left panel: Again, Amano’s use of speed lines reflects poorly. She’s a great artist, but speed lines are not only tacky, but they make the scene harder to read.

Yeah, I pretty much have no idea what’s going on throughout page 3. Thanks, speed lines.

Short fight. I can’t tell if it was good. I know it wasn’t awful, because there was no excess melodrama, but the art made it too difficult to follow.

Yes, yes, Enma has hidden powers. We know that. Let’s just hope he’s not going to turn evil and fight Tsuna.

Katou Julie is stalking Chrome, readily admits it, and asks someone to say ‘hi’ to Adelheid’s thigh? Sounds like we have quite the winner, here.

Enjoying Gokudera’s increased role as a right-hand man so far.

Gokudera’s teams: Predictable, or most predictable?

Did we really need yet another chapter to establish that Enma is secretly the leader? Assume your audience has a little intelligence, Amano. Some things are better left assumed.

Final Flash: Another chapter that leaves me feeling hesitantly good about this arc. Good enough to be optimistic, but not quite good enough to feel confident.

[chapter link]

This week’s cover page: In case you still haven’t noticed Adelheid’s chest.

“You never asked.” was a pretty funny line.

There’s even more of the Reborn who I’ve missed.

The ninth knows all about your fight in the future, which paradoxically shouldn’t happen (have happened?) now.

Robot Roll Ca– er, Upcoming Characters Roll Call!

P12, top-right panel: Literally laugh-out-loud funny. Actually laughed audibly. What a pleasant return to form. Sustain this, please.

Conveniently, Reborn reveals that people will attack Tsuna right before someone attacks Tsuna.

Not liking the hugeness. Anyway, first fight since the future arc.

Final Flash: This is the first big test. Tsuna is reverting to Hyper Mode, where, in the future, he was way too determined and suave instead of cowardly but noble. This fight will go a long way in seeing if Amano can carry over any remnants from the future arc without spoiling what has so far been an enjoyable arc. (By the way, why did Hibari and Adelheid get the cover? They were barely even in this chapter.)

Enma is so apathetic that he censored his own face? … oh.

“Thanks for yesterday. For fixing my pants.”

(Just going to leave that there without context.)

Can I see your hand? I want to creepily caress it.

This is the Gokudera I missed. Ridiculous, crazy, amusing.

If Hibari is knocked out, he’ll get beaten up? I’m hoping that’s a translation error. That makes no sense.

Reborn swinging in on a vine! This is also like the old/good Reborn.

They’re guests of the ceremony. That’s not bad, actually. Less predictable than “a group of exactly 7 people who think they’re the rightful heirs.”

Final Flash: The first taste in a long time of the style that made this series enjoyable so many chapters ago. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

[chapter link]

Shitt-P Shitt-P Shitt-P Shitt-P Shitt-P Shitt-P Shitt-P okay it’s out of my system. Let’s hope there’s something else to talk about.

Someone who looks much older than they are who’s conflicted about playing a sport? Your new name is Musashi.

A boxer, too? I understand making opposing characters similar, but this is getting ridiculous… unless these new characters aren’t opponents, but people sent by the mafia to substitute for the Vongola family in their everyday school life, so the Vongola can go run the mafia. Now that would be more interesting.

“Gokudera’s shown interest in Shitt-P.” Damn, that’s a terrible fight. Why does Gokudera get stuck with lame fights?

Whoa. Bottom-left panel, page 11. Hello, fanservice character. I hadn’t quite noticed exactly how endowed Adelheid was.

Lambo! That was something criminally wrong with the Future arc: Not enough Lambo.

Final Flash: We get the point – these students have some significance relating to the Vongola. We don’t need any more hints and setup. This is already better than the Future arc, but let’s get moving.