Currently Running Manga Discussion

[VLordGTZ]

This reminds me that I still need to finish Zatch Bell and read Animal Land at some point.   

Hopefully, Crunchyroll will simul-pub Raiku's new manga like they're doing for a lot of other WSM series.

[VLordGTZ]

I just finished reading the new HxH chapter......

Spoiler

HOLY SHIT CHROLLO IS BACK!!!!!!! 

[close]

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, that came out of nowhere....but it was awesome!

That said, I highly doubt that this fight will end in a death. I just can't see Togashi killing either of these major villains off at this point in the series.

[Spark Of Spirit]

You can't, huh? 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Unlike a certain expendable butler, Chrollo actually has major villain-status armor protecting him. And Hisoka can't die because Gon.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I've been so busy as of late that I'll have to skip putting a review up for last week' s issue of Shonen Jump, so here's what my rankings would've been for that issue:

Spoiler

1. Toriko - Badass in signature Toriko fashion. I loved the way Jiro knocks out all the Nitro are progressively more entertaining, brutal, and over the top than the last, and the set-up for the Neo/Acacia vs. Jiro fight was timed and executed (pun intended) so well. The chapter I re-read the most that week.
2. World Trigger - Satisfying showing of Tamakoma-2's prowess, with great strategy really contingent on every member playing a role, and an awesome moment from Chika in the final page.
3. My Hero Academia - Great build-up for the top heroes storming the League of Villains' base, with good character moments from Bakugo and set-up for All-For-One's intervention in the conflict.
4. Black Clover - A funny and enjoyable way to reintroduce a lot of characters and seque into the next arc.

Character of the Week: Erina Nakiri (Food Wars!) - I appreciated how Erina has been truly affected by her recent experiences and is now really starting to think about what she wants as an individual and whether she should rebel against her father and seek her own path in life. It's development that been building up throughout the series, and while it didn't pay off in the chapter, this is the first time she's really been so self-aware and reflective of herself as a person, and I'm really excited to see where her character arc will go.

Line of the Week:

"Sheesh. Why is it that all chefs all such self-centered egomaniacs?" - Soma Yuhihira (Food Wars!)

Panel of the Week:



Page of the Week:

[close]

Hopefully I can find time to write about this week's issue since I don't want to miss the first issue of HxH's return and all. But since school ends for me next week, I should at least be able to put them out at consistently during the rest of the summer.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #21/22 (April 25th 2016)

One Piece (Cover & Lead Color Page)
1- My Hero Academia
2- Black Clover
3- Haikyuu!!
Haikyuu!! (Extra Chapter)
Hunter x Hunter
4- Samon-kun wa Summoner
Naruto - Gaiden (Color Page)
5- PSI Kusuo Saiki
Assassination Classroom: Side Story (Color Page, End)
6- Mononofu
7- Yuna of Yuragi Manor
8- World Trigger
Hinomaru Zumou (Color Page)
9- Kimetsu no Yaiba
10- Nisekoi
11- Straighten Up! Welcome to Shika High's Competitive Dance Club
12- Food Wars!
13- Kochikame
14- Bleach
15- Gintama
16- Toriko
Isobe Isobee Monogatari

[Spark Of Spirit]

Kimetsu no Yaiba cracked into the single digits! Good to see.

Nice write ups. Last week's issue was really fun.

[Spark Of Spirit]

My rankings for the week:

#1 - My Hero Academia

Spoiler

Do I need to give any reasons other than this?

[close]

#2 - World Trigger

Tamakoma is wiping the floor with them! It really is good to see them not only back in action but at their best again. As far as I can see, the match is basically over now. Kuga is in a two on one after taking out the third, no one can block Chika's shots, and Osamu has gone his ground game figured out. If either of the other teams are going to make a move soon they have to do it quick.

#3 - Food Wars

I always enjoy the Shokugeki parts of the series, and even if this isn't technically official, it's still enjoyable. Especially when they find a way to end it like that. Really eager to see where this goes next issue.

#4 - Black Clover

Black Clover, oddly enough, is a battle series where I feel it's more enjoyable outside of battles. Though I am eager to see where this goes next. It has improved a good deal since the invasion arc.

[VLordGTZ]

The Disaster of Psi Kusuo Saiki is finally getting a TV anime this July!

[Spark Of Spirit]

Awesome. That should let it stick around for a while in the magazine and give it a chance for NA release.

Only adaptions left for the older series is Hinamaru Sumo. Nothing else has enough material yet.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #23 (May 9th, 2016):
The Mishaps of Kusuo Saiki (Cover, Lead CP, 4th Anniversary, Anime Announcement)
1- My Hero Academia
2- One Piece
3- Gintama
4- World Trigger
Haikyu!! (Center Color)
5- Samon the Summoner
Hunter x Hunter (Not Ranked)
Boruto: Naruto Next Generation (New Monthly Series, Center Color, 59 p.)
6- Yuna of Yuragi Manor
Black Clover (Center Color)
7- Hinomaru Sumo
8- Kimetsu no Yaiba: Blade of Demon Destruction
9- Kochikame
10- Straighten Up! Welcome to Shika High's Competitive Dance Club
11- Mononofu
12- Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma
13- Nisekoi
14- Bleach
15- Toriko
Chronicle of Isobe -Life is Hard-

Surprising stuff this week. KnY continues its slow climb up, Gintama and World Trigger near the top, and Mononofu out of the top 10 for the first time in a while. Straighten Up and Food Wars continue their random placements. Nisekoi, Bleach, and Toriko, are still stuck near the bottom which is probably good that they're all nearing the end now.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

As long-winded as Togashi's explanations of Nen abilities can be, this chapter proved that sometimes they can be totally worth it. The tactics that Chrollo is using against Hisoka are brilliant, and really put him in a serious bind.

Also, despite both being ruthless killers, it's really cool to see Togashi highlight a clear difference between their personalities and life philosophies.

[Spark Of Spirit]

My Hero Academia
World Trigger
Food Wars
Blue Exorcist

My Hero Academia is still on fire. I'm pretty sure they just killed one of the heroes and now All Might is setting off against All For One with Bakugo's life on the line and the others huddling out of fear. There's still no question in my mind that this is the best series currently running in Jump. Some nice character moments from World Trigger this week. I always like when we learn a little bit about the other squads, and it's good to see Kakizaki squad in a whole other light. Also, I do wonder what this means for Kuga. If he's out, then Tamakoma will be in a tight space. Food Wars really lets the tension sit, leaving me still wondering what is going to happen next. Also liked that Blue Exorcist finally finished the current arc. It was surprisingly enjoyable for someone not too familiar with it.

Another great week.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'm not entirely sure if Best Jeanist is dead or not. He's a fairly minor character so I wouldn't be surprised if he is, but the way that the scene played out was purposefully vague on whether he was pierced anywhere vital or not, so he could either be dead or just passed out. Either way, he's not an incredibly important character, so it probably wouldn't affect too much, unless somehow Bakugou developed an off-screen sort of respect for him during his career week and would be enraged to see him dead (which I doubt). It definitely was another really good chapter, though.

The funny thing about MHA is that I've heard certain people say that it goes downhill after the beginning because it basically just follows the very typical shonen formula that we've seen in at least a hundred other Jump manga. You see, while I can't actually disagree with the latter, I feel that the people criticizing it merely for being formulaic are letting that blind them from what's more important. It's not what the story is, but how it's told that's actually worth caring about. Yes, MHA is crammed full of battle shonen tropes, but it's also clearly aware of that and makes things entertaining by presenting its own interesting spin on many of those tropes, while simultaneously doing a better job with balancing and developing its characters than most other Jump manga tend to be able to do. For example, the students being attacked and one of them being kidnapped is a cliche, and you could find similar plot points in manga like Naruto or HSDK. However where MHA differs, and why it's more interesting with this trope, is how it handles it. We get to see things that we don't normally see, like how the school has to deal with repercussions from the media, politicians, and kids's parents for their fuck-up, which are serious consequences that make the situation more interesting and provides an excellent sense of world-building. Furthermore, both the villains and Bakugou are characterized differently from how we might expect. The villains actually seem rather convinced that they have a good cause behind them (well, at least most of them do, while some clearly don't care), but whereas a lesser writer would have Bakugou succumb to his dark side or temptations, his character shows his true colors by rightfully pointing out that the villains are essentially a bunch of whiny emos who can't deal with life not always throwing everything their way. It's both a nice surprise from the usual cliche, while also being a good commentary on lame many other battle shonen villains can be when they are meant to come off as cool or threatening, but instead come off as unintentionally bratty.

So, to me, the people who just slap the "generic" label on MHA simply because of what story beats it follows on the outset are the type who have a clear vision in their head for what they think is a trope-driven, uninspired story, and let that cloud them from judging the story based on what's actually going on within the context and details of its world and characters. It's quite a lot like how Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament arc is a tournament arc, something that's been done in hundreds to thousands of manga and anime, but looking beneath the surface level, you see rich details like nuanced characters with great development, a more complex and intricate story unfolding within the guise of a tournament, and a very unique and interesting set of villains to keep encounters interesting despite the formula itself being rather old and overdone.