Currently Running Manga Discussion

[Foggle]

I haven't gotten to Chimera Ant yet and usually JoJo's is insane and over the top enough to not be disturbing. Also, the torture in AoT is actually being performed by the heroes, who you're still expected to like after it's over. Then again, given the writer's stance on Nanking and WW2 in general, that isn't much of a shock.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Well, I remember seeing stuff just as bad as that in other shonen before, but since I can't find/remember anything on that level,  I will admit defeat, though I don't find the scene where the chimera-ant turned humans begging for death that disturbing and the scene with the little girl being killed came off more as an attempt at dark comedy to me (what with Pitou clapping his hands in the side of the panel and all).  If he ever finishes Hunter X Hunter (yeah, right), maybe Togashi should make a horror comedy manga. 

But regardless, the torture scene in the newest Attack on Titan chapter is violence that can be potentially imitated (and isn't that unbelievable from real torture methods) and is performed by the protagonists, whereas most of the disturbing stuff in early Chimera Ant is stuff done by villains and not something you'd expect to happen in real life. That's why it's more on the grounds of plausible violence and more questionable material to have in a shonen series, even though the Chimera Ant stuff is more gruesome. My original point, before I undermined it with a pointless attempt at humor by referencing Jojo, was that difference, which I see as a clear separation of plausible and fantasy violence, and that the latter, no matter how gruesome, isn't as dangerous or uncomfortable for young audiences to read than the former, especially considering these examples since in Titan it's the protagonists performing the violence whereas in Hunter X Hunter it's the villains.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The trouble Ashirogi Muto got into for PCP seems so small in comparison.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Almost forgot to comment on last week's manga. Since I caught up with Assassination Classroom, I'll start talking about new chapters of that series too.

Assassination Classroom chapter 80 - It's nice to see Kaede get some focus. She usually gets relegated to gag bits, so seeing her be active in an assassination was nice. Her plan to trick Korosensei with bomb-laced pudding was actually pretty brilliant, considering he always lets his guard down when it comes to sweets. Lots of good humorous bits in this chapter, and it's nice to see Kaede's strengths as an assassin be explored. I like these kinds of chapters. I don't know if they'll be another more breather chapter this week, but I certainly wouldn't mind.

Attack on Titan chapter 55 - Okay...I barely remember this chapter. Aside from seeing our heroes torture a guy, it was kind of a slog to read, honestly. It takes too long to get to the points that "the government is corrupt and only wants to protect the privileges of the elite," "the government is covering shit up," "the government wants to exploit Eren's titan powers," "the government is EVIL DO YOU GET IT YET HURR FURR DURR," "we want a bloodless revolution even though we don't have a good plan to execute one," "we are bad people now cause we have to torture some guys boo hoo," blah blah. All this could have been told more effectively in a third of the time it took. I guess it's interesting that the Reiss family is the true royal line and they want to get Historia to succeed the throne, but overall it was a boring as hell chapter. 

Bleach chapter 571 - Yachiru kicks ass in this chapter. I absolutely cannot hate that. It is just too hilarious and awesome and long overdue. So, another chapter that I liked it.
I don't know how this is happening, but it is. I'm almost disturbed.

Detective Conan chapter 888 - First new translated chapter in a month...and they completely skipped the last mystery. Hmm. Well, this one is way more fun, because Bourbon is back! And man, Conan is really screwing up around him. I think it's only a matter of time before Bourbon deduces his true identity, and that's when shit is gonna hit the fan. This new case is going to be interesting, since Bourbon will be watching Conan very closely this time. Should be interesting to see how it develops.

Magi chapter 216-217 - I've already read the newest chapter, so I'll just combine my thoughts on that one too. King Solomon is who I expected him to be, a no-nonsense but good person who wants all the races to live in equality and is fighting against the magi tools used by human magicians to subjugate the other races. Sheba seems important. I like that she ends up realizing her view on the other species is wrong when she plays with that child manticore. She seems like she'll develop an interesting relationship with Solomon and Ugo. One thing that really has me curious, though, is Ithnan being so loyal to Solomon. I really, really wonder how he ends up on Gyokuen's side later on. That'll be interesting to see.

Naruto chapter 667 - So Kabuto broke free of the Izanami...by accepting who he is? And he's made a complete hell face turn? And is healing Sauske to redeem himself? No. Fuck that convenient ass shit. And then the rest of the chapter...why is Guy here? Why does he need to fight against Madara? Why do we need to see him try and sacrifice himself next time? This is just padding. The only purpose of Guy being here is basically to bring the Sage of Six Paths' tools WHICH MADARA JUST LEFT BEHIND FOR NO GOOD REASON to help use in his defeat. That's what I assume the point of that scene was. So just get Naruto and I guess Sasuke healed and do that already, Kishimoto. We do not need to see Guy try and fight against Madara with no set-up or reason. Do I even need to point out that this completely takes away the focus from Obito's redemption, and his and Kakashi's teamup, completely weakening the effectiveness of that. Ugh, terribly written chapter full of nonsensical bullshit. Why won't this battle end already...

One Piece chapter 740 - Okay, no, NO. What the fuck, Oda? Ussop should NOT be running away from his opponents at this point. He is NOT that cowardly anymore. The last time he ran away from a fight was in the battle with Mrs. Merry Christmas and Mr. 4 over 550 chapters ago. He might still get scared, but he's long past running away from a fight and will especially try and pull through if his friends are in danger. This is a horrible regression of his characters and near ruins his character arc, which is by far the best and most consistent of any character in the manga, for me. I cna only hope this is remedied somehow this weak, but I have never, NEVER been so mad at something in One Piece as I am at this. Oda should know better of his characters than this! This just proves to me that he doesn't know how to write any of the Strawhats besides Luffy well anymore. This saddens me greatly.

The rest of the chapter was good though. Zoro vs. Pica. Baby 5 trying (and failing) to torture and question Law. Seeing Kinemon impersonate Doflamingo in order to find Kanjorou. Luffy and Violet meeting up with Soldier and now lying in wait for Sugar's defeat so they can strike. Robin being turned into a toy by accident, and the rest of the tontatta being captured...really good stuff here. Which is why that last page so goddamn infuriates me. Oda better have Ussop get his shit together next chapter. If not, there's gonna be hell to pay, I tell you what.

Toriko chapter 269 - Lots of fun stuff here! Toriko reunited with Terri, how he was discovered by Ichiryu revealed, Setsuno and Jiro waiting for Toriko and company in the Gourmet World, Komatsu accepting a meal from Nono...a perfect set-up and breather chapter in one. The Bishokuya should all be heading to the Gourmet World in the next chapter or so, and I'm excited for that. Another solid chapter.

Rankings:

1. Toriko - 10/10
2. Assassination Classroom - 9.5/10
3. Magi - 9/10
4. Detective Conan - 8/10
5. One Piece - 7/10
6. Bleach - 7/10
7. Attack on Titan - 2/10
8. Naruto - 1/10

Never thought I'd be ranking OP that low and Bleach that high, but them's the breaks I suppose. It was, for the most part, a pretty good week of manga. Hopefully OP will make up for last week this week, and just want more solidness from Toriko, AC, Magi, and DC. And I have to wonder how long Bleach being "fun" to read is going to last...

[LumRanmaYasha]

This week wasn't as good as last week, but the good was very good, at least.

Assassination Classroom chapter 81 - I love it when Karasuma and Korosensei work together to help train the students. Now, I think the ability they are honing is a little too unrealistic, but then again this is a manga where a yellow octupus alien who can fly at mach 20 and destroyed the moon is a ridiculously nice middle school teacher. Anyway, this chapter was full of great bits. My favorite part was when Bitch-sensei thought about pushing Karasuma into the water when she found him and get "hot and heavy" with him, and Karasuma just pushes her head into the water in the middle of her talking to herself. And that final line, "The strongest human and strongest creature...they're coming to attack us and give us more homework!"  Hilarious chapter all around.

Bleach chapter 572 - So creepy guy is thought out of existence by bishie guy, and Yachiru is made useless again, and Kenpachi returns right at the end as I expected (so I guess Unohana really is dead...unless she isn't. This is Bleach after all.) Yeah, boring and lame ass chapter. Guess Bleach is back to being bleh again. All is "right" with the world.

Naruto chapter 668 - Why do we have to care about this? Why do we need Might Guy's backstory right now? Really, why? Why is Guy important again all of a sudden? The focus should be on Obito and Kakashi shouldn't it? This focus shift and unneeded backstory stuff is just incomprehensible to me. Ugh.

One Piece chapter 741 - Ugh, we've seen all this before Oda, and again, Ussop should be past this. This schtick of him returning to help people believing in him despite his cowardice is something that should not be at this point because his character development up until recently showed he was no longer afraid of jumping into battle when the need arose. This is just pointless character regression, and it hurts me especially because Ussop is by far my favorite character in the series. And aside from that we get Soldier/Kyros' backstory, which honestly doesn't tell us anything we needed to know about him and just feels like filler to me. A pretty bad chapter this week, sadly.

One-Punch Man chapter 44 - Blizzard is a total badass. I love how she so easily stopped the bullet meteor things by herself when no one else could. It seems Silver Fang is really hurt, though. I wonder if it'll be serious. The most important thing, though, is Engine Knight tell Genos that Metal Knight is actually an enemy and can't be trusted. I wonder what his deal is, or if Engine Knight can even be trusted himself. Hmm.

Toriko chapter 270 - I suspected Toriko and co. would return to the site of Ichiryuu's final ingredient and go into that tree-house to talk with the inhabitant. I expected it to be a Nitro, but I didn't expect it to be a talking Nitro with a cranky attitude and an old sense of humor. Interesting. Since he clearly knows Ichiryu, I wonder what he can tell Toriko and the others about GOD and the Gourment World. Next week should be revelatory.

Rankings:

1. Assassination Classroom - 10/10
2. One-Punch Man -  9/10
3. Toriko - 9/10
4. One Piece - 4/10
5. Naruto - 1/10
6. Bleach - 1/10

Compared to last week, this week was pretty bad, but that Assassination Classroom was so good, it more than makes up for it. I have already re-read it quite a few times, even. I'm glad I'm keeping up with the series now. 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

The to say it, but it's what I've been saying for a while, now. Oda really just doesn't develop these characters past their initial arcs. It's true. When you stop to think about it. We see them act out their little quirks for comedic effect with each new arc, but what do we see change about them? We still go through the routine of the weak trio of characters getting scared easily but then standing up for someone else when the time comes. We've seen other characters have to deal with tough situations and make tough decisions, but everything always comes out OK in the end, which doesn't force any of them to change. The biggest disappointment came after the time-skip. Luffy should at least be somewhat different after Ace's death, but he's just the same character except stronger. Even Son Goku wasn't really the same kind of character he was as a kid when DB had its time-skip into his adult years (though he still acts as immature as a kid ).

Oda, you've done a good job making the same formula actually interesting for way longer than it should've been, but ever since the Fishman Island arc, it has really been running thin for me.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Eh, I think Ussop and Nami at least had very good character development up until the timeskip. I will elaborate on that later when I have the time. I will agree about everyone else though, especially about being disappointed on how little Luffy had changed after the timeskip. I mean, even fucking Naruto became a different character than he was at the beginning of the series after that series' timeskip (not that he's a good character, mind you, but I'll give him credit for having actual character development).

Somebody else really needs to start reading One-Punch Man, All You Need Is Kill, Toriko, Magi, and/or Assassination Classroom or I need to finish catching up on Kuroko. It'd be nice to have a discussion on a currently running manga in their prime for once instead of just the occasional "One Piece isn't as good anymore" talk.   

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well I was on season 2 of Magi, but I still need to get back to it on CR (as well as Space Brothers, for that matter). After I finish season 2, I'll catch up to the manga. As for Toriko, I'll probably start the manga for that in May, after I finish my final rotation, assuming that I've at least managed to line-up a job by then.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Toriko and One Piece were absent, Conan is late again, and the rest haven't updated either. On the plus side, it was a quality week, for the most part.

All You Need Is Kill chapters 8 and 9 - I apparently missed the AYNIK last week, so I have two chapters to talk about this week. Both feature Rita's backstory, which I quite like. She was a normal, regular old person, and in just one night her life was completely turned upside down, spurring her into the single-minded goal of revenge against the Mimics. I find it interesting that her real name isn't even Rita, and it's a stolen identity she used so that she could join the defense force despite being underaged. I think the most interesting thing out of these chapters is the hints as to what's causing the loops. Rita's loop started when she killed an odd Mimic with an antenna, and in each progressive loop that Mimic is increasingly guarded and aware of her moves, so it has to have been it that caused her loop to being with. That's interesting, especially since it's the complete opposite of Kirya's experience, since he loops after a Mimic kills him, whereas Rita loops when she kills that Mimic. It'll be interesting to see how those seemingly contradicting events are related. Excellent chapters.

Assassination Classroom chapter 82 - Korosensei is such a great character. I love how he's always trying to make the students grow and improve, like in this chapter, giving them advice on how to  better their evasion techniques and hinting at how they could outwit him and Karasuma. The funniest parts, of course, were him being so easily bribed and fooled by the students and letting them escape from the jail zone. It's clear he doesn't care about winning the game, so long as the students get experience out of it. Seeing them fool Karasuma was surprising, since they obviously couldn't best his speed or technique, they needed to find a way to exploit his and Korosensei's limitations to win. I wonder if next week will start a longer story arc, or if they'll have more short, but funny stories for a while. Hard to tell, but this series is so in the zone that whatever happens is bound to be enjoyable.

Bleach chapter 573 - Isane's comment is just harsh and out of character. She should be more emotional about Unohana being dead, seriously. Worse than usual dialogue in this chapter. One some level I do like how Kenpachi can cut down a guy who's very power is that everything happens how he imagines it too, which should be unbeatable and stuff, but it's still stupid and it doesn't help that the villain is yet another one of Kubo's lame over the top evil bishie baddies. Meh.

Magi chapter 218 - I'm liking Sheba more now. Seeing her befriend the Momo and then being guilty of what she had done to them in the past, but not having the courage to tell them about it, and hating herself for it, was some good moments. But I loved the fact that, to rub salt in the wound, a magician appears and turns them into mindless beasts again, and Solomon knew this was going to happen, and let it. Solomon is a pretty cruel dude in some ways. I find it especially interesting that the whole mess was actually Solomon's and co's fault in the first place, since they were the ones who initially gave the magic power to those towers, though I doubt they thought it was going to be abused like that by the magicians. I'm not sure what is meant by them being "the avatars of the divine states," though I'm sure that'll be explained next chapter, which also promises an epic magic battle, which of course it's sure to deliver.

Naruto chapter 669 - I still don't get why Guy is so important again. I mean, it's sort of sad that he's sacrificing himself to buy time against Madara and sort of cool that he's actually damaging him, but it's still feels unnecessary to me. It also makes no sense how even with the 8th gate unlocked he's hurting Madara, since the 5 kages together were untterly curbstomped by the guy. Well, I can't say I hated this chapter, like I usually do, but there's still a lot of bothersome things. I guess Naruto's awake now, which hopefully means they can end this damn thing soon...maybe.

Rankings:

1. All You Need Is Kill - 10/10
2. Magi - 10/10
3. Assassination Classroom - 10/10
4. Naruto - 5/10
5. Bleach - 4/10

The good was really good and the bad was just kinda "eh." The good stuff outweighs the bad, though, and it's rare that I am willing to think so highly as to give three series 10/10's for their latest chapters, so that says something about how solid AYNIK, Magi, and AC were for me this week. Hopefully I have more good stuff to read this week.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Not a bad week. 

Assassination Classroom chapter 83 - It's hard to describe why the chapter was so funny, but it's mainly because it has to do with Korosensei's character. We've seen him act perverted in many moments in the past, so for him to be accused as a lingerie thief is hilarious because on one hand it's something that you wouldn't expect him to do because of his pride as a teacher, but on the other hand, he is eccentrically pervy enough to justify the accusation. And the reactions of both him and the students are just priceless. But I'd say the interesting thing was that this impostor Korosensei as actually a set-up by Shiro and Itona. I was wondering when they'd show up again, since they were shown on the move a few chapters ago. It'll be interesting to see where this situation leads next week.

Black Butler chapter 91 -  This is probably the first time I've mentioned a BB chapter, huh. I tend to forget about it since it doesn't update regularly (and only monthly, anyway). On the subject, seeing Sebastian actually do butler-y things in this one is sort of amusing, I guess. For once I am actually interested in Ciel, since he's lost his memory and suffering from past traumas and whatnot. Hey, maybe he'll become a likable character for once! I don't read BB expecting it to be good (I read it because it can be so flamboyant and twisted that it turns around and becomes amusing), but this was a pretty competent chapter on a story-level,  and I do find myself interested in Ciel's situation, so this was an okay one.

Bleach chapter 574 - I chuckled at Kenpachi calling the Sternritter Captain Obvious, but this is still a stupid chapter. I mean, first off, this guy has the power of imagination, so he should just imagine Kenpachi dead already. Hell, he should imagine all the Soul Reapers dead and Juha Bach the victor. Why doesn't he? It makes no sense. He's just another bland and pretentious villain that thinks he's smarter than he is. Why does Kubo seem to have such an affinity for those? They got old years ago. Anyway, Yachiru's bones are no longer cookies because apparently this guy can't think about multiple things at once and Kenpachi is commanding his attention. Cool? Gah, boring and stupid chapter as usual. I like Kenpachi's retorts, since he at least has a personality unlike everyone else in the manga nowadays, but that only goes so far when there is so much of this stupidity going on.

Magi chapter 219 - We were promised a high-octane magic battle, and we got a curbstomp. Pretty cool, regardless. Interesting that Solomon is the son of the leader of the Council of Elders. There's really not much to say about the chapter other than it was a cool fight, and that next week should further some answers or details on the current situation.

Naruto chapter 670 - I have mixed feelings on this one, which I suppose is a step up from hating it. I was bored out of my mind at the useless generation gap dialogue jokes at the beginning, but I did like learning the origin of the Sage of Six Paths,  the use of chakra, and why/how the ten tails was sealed. That said, I have to groan at Naruto being the reincarnation of the Sage's younger son. I mean, come one, isn't Naruto already special enough, Kishimoto? Ugh. I expect copious character shilling next week. I get it, Naruto is special and amazing and a savior and whatever, shut up already. Otherwise, I guess it was a decentish chapter, as it at least made sense to do unlike having Guy be randomly important again these last few weeks.

One Piece chapter 742 - Man, I was disappointed with the last few chapters, but this one was great. In a succinct manner Oda shows Kyros progress from a criminal gladiator in the Colosseum, to a respected general, the development of the relationship between him and Scarlet, sweet moments of his family life, how he got turned into the Toy Soldier, and that scene where he sees Scarlet being shot, but she no longer remembers him because he's now a toy, and dies in his arms...fucking tragic. It's amazing how much backstory Oda was able to get into this chapter, and have it still be incredibly effective. And what's more, there's so much else happening here. Rebecca has lost her will to fight after learning Diamante was the one who killed her mother, Franky has been defeated and likely will be taken captive, and everyone's last hope, Ussop, has been rendered unconscious after a vicious beating by Sugar and Trebol. But, then, Sugar force feeds Ussop the Tabasico grape, and his reaction...and her reaction to his reaction...oh my god, I laughed so hard. That was a clever way for them to beat Sugar, Oda.  Instead of a typical battle where she looses thanks to last minute effort or what not like in a normal series, she just gets freaked out and passes out because Ussop's freaky reaction to the Tabasico. That is amazing. I loved this chapter, something I haven't been able to say about a chapter of OP in a good while. Hopefully next weeks will keep the pace.

One-Punch Man chapter 45 - Ah, man. I was worried about Silver Fang after he got knocked around like that last chapter, but he kicked some ass and was a total badass here. With that regenerating alien dead, all that's left is Saitama's fight with Boros to conclude. It was excitingly drawn, as always, but of course, the best part is seeing Saitama, after all the damage Boros is doing and his confident taunting, passively just asks him "are you done yet?" Yeah, this arc should end next chapter, but the payoff should be satisfying as always.

Toriko chapter 271 - Chichi is a riot. An old, crotchety guy that is strangely perverted and has a penchant for lying for the sake of lying...and he's a fucking Nitro...that's just brilliant. I wish we actually learned more about how he and Ichiryu met, but I guess that story needs to be saved for now. Acacia's full course must really be something if the mere scent of one of it's ingredients on an apple is enough to make the group go wild. It'll be interesting to see what sorts of things the "night" of the Gourmet World has to offer.

Rankings:

1. One Piece - 10/10
2. Assassination Classroom - 9/10
3. Toriko - 9/10
4. One-Punch Man - 8.5/10
5. Magi - 8/10
6. Black Butler - 6/10
7. Naruto - 5.5/10
8. Bleach - 2/10

Last week might've been better if only because 3 of the series had 10/10 worthy chapters, but this one had a lot of good in it too. Some interesting developments should be going down next week in all of the good major series I'm reading, and I'm looking forward to reading them.

[LumRanmaYasha]

No Assassination Classroom this week, and Conan is still not updated. But, even without them, this was a good week of manga.

All You Need Is Kill chapters 10-11 - These chapters show how Rita learned to make use of the loop, showing how Rita fights in battle, how she got the axe blade, and why she engages in seemingly random conversations with dying soldiers on the battlefield. The main point of chapter 11 was Rita learning Kiriya also loops, but that last scene was very well-done scene. After so long, she finally is no longer alone in experiencing the loop, and has found a comrade who understands what she's been through. It was a simple and effectively emotional moment. Looking forward to how the plot develops now that both of them will start to collaborate with each other.

Bleach chapter 575 - SIGH. If the guy has the power of imagination, he should just wish Kenpachi dead already. Instead he does really unimaginative things with his power, when he should just be able to win in a second. This is just a really dumb situation, and a boring as fuck chapter.

Magi chapter 220 - Solomon rallies the Manticore, Gorgon, and Hermit tribes to his cause by telling them that, even though some species have advantages in some ways over others, they all have one common thing that bonds them together and makes them deserving of equality and life - the ability to love and care for other creatures besides oneself. Solomon continues to be an very interesting and likable character, and while this chapter is devoted to this inspirational speech, it is very moving and thoughtful. I'm also liking Sheba, and wondering how her role in the story will develop from her. Yet another fine chapter in this flashback, and I'm eager to see how it develops from here.

Naruto chapter 671 - You know...I don't really hate anything about this chapter, for once. Yeah, it's stupid as fuck that Naruto and Sasuke and the reincarnations of the Sage's sons and whatever, but the chapter explained some aspects of the plot previously unexplored and I thought the ending was very nicely done. I still think the whole situation is dumb, but it was a "good" chapter by my standards, a rarity for this series. 

One Piece chapter 743 - It was very satisfying to see the toys turn back into humans, and I laughed so hard at a lot of the reversions, like the pirates one and the gorilla one. I must say that seeing Kyros return to form, and Violet, Rebecca, and Riku remembering him struck some good emotional chords, and him cutting Doflamnigo's head right off was a real moment of badass. Though, I doubt Doflamingo is going down that easy, so we'll see how he manages to survive that next week I guess. Overall, there was lots of great stuff in this chapter, and I'm pleased to see the series start to return to form a bit.


Stealth Symphony chapters 1-7 - This is a new WSJ series written by the creator of Baccano! and Durarara, Ryohgo Narita. I wasn't planning on checking out the series until I was sure it would be worth my time, but I ultimately ended up reading through these chapters, and it's enjoyable enough at this stage for me to keep reading it. The first few chapters are rather slow and sorta standard of battle shonen, but the recent ones have made the main character, Sieg, more likable than he was initially, and the invisible dragon Toroma is a good one too. This first arc is kinda interesting in that Sieg has found employment with a group who is out to stop a human trafficking operation...which is being guarded by Toroma and others of the Virtue & Vice company, who not only saved Sieg's life but also who he heavily admires. So it's an interesting situation, where the main character has to fight against his friends, and both are just doing their jobs without concern for what's "good" or "evil." It's a unique story arc to have early on and has definitely piqued my interest in the series a bit. Reading a manga when it's just starting up is a relatively new experience for me, with AYNIK being my only precedent, and that series is based on a ten year old novel while this is a new story, so I think it'll be fun for me to keep up with it and see where it goes.

Toriko chapter 272 - The monster that was sprouting from the ground in the last chapter turned out to be a Melon Octupus, which the gang will use as tent and transportation in the early parts of the Gourmet World. This was a nice send-off chapter for the group, with all of their compatriots returning, and the pets coming along with them. It's a simple chapter, but it succeeds in feeling triumphant and exciting. After a bit over two months of waiting, it's finally time to see the group go off into the Gourmet World, and I'm excited to see what the series has in store.

Rankings:

1. One Piece - 10/10
2. Toriko - 10/10
3. All You Need Is Kill - 10/10
4. Magi - 9.5/10
5. Stealth Symphony - 7.5/10
6. Naruto - 7/10
7. Bleach - 1/10

So, I was very pleased with my favorites this week, Naruto was better than usual, and Bleach....well, it sucked hard, but the pros definitely outweighed the cons this week.

[Grave]

Bleach chapter 575 - SIGH. If the guy has the power of imagination, he should just wish Kenpachi dead already. Instead he does really unimaginative things with his power, when he should just be able to win in a second. This is just a really dumb situation, and a boring as fuck chapter.

You're setting yourself up for failure every time you think there's gonna be some form of logic in Bleach (You're better off giving up on the series now instead of torturing yourself). If only people can remember that logic/plot and Bleach don't go together, people would probably think differently of the series, but then again I've become rather simple minded when it comes to manga (otherwise I wouldn't be reading Bleach or Naruto for that matter). I've come to accept Bleach as an action series alone with decent characters. That being said, the last 3 chapters were still awful to me.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I'm sorry, but even in "action" stories that emphasize fighting over the story there does need to be a form of logic in what characters do and how the plot develops. Toriko has bizarre shit happen all the time, but it makes sense why the characters act the way they do and why things happen plot-wise. Saying that Bleach and logic/plot don't go together and that's okay is a lame way to justify it's entertainment value, since Kubo is writing a series he wants people to take seriously, not an absurd parody or bout of random action and craziness. The problem with this fight is that Kubo has set up the villain to have the power of imagination. He should be able to do anything he wants, and with a power like that he could easily kill Kenpachi, or heck, why doesn't he try turning his bones into cookies or something like he did with Yachiru? You're telling me to just ignore that this character, who Kubo has established as capable of imagining his opponents to death, is not doing that to Kenpachi for no explained reason because apparently I'm not supposed to care about the plot in Bleach? No. This is bad writing. Nothing changes that.

As for why I still read Bleach and Naruto, it is because I have been invested in them for a long time and with the promise of their conclusions nearing I figure I might as well finish what I've started. Bleach chapters take two minutes to read because Kubo wastes space so much so it doesn't waste that much of my time. And luckily, as you can see from all my thoughts on the series I'm keeping up with these last few weeks, I am reading several well-written and entertaining series like Magi and Toriko that I genuinely enjoy. I don't need to become "simple minded" to enjoy manga, and I fairly and easily find outrage in the poor plotting of Naruto and Bleach when I compare them to the good manga I read. There is more manga out there beyond the so-called the most popular WSJ stuff, and if you are tired of shonen I'd suggest you try out series like All You Need Is Kill and One-Punch Man, both of which are simple but excellent seinin manga with epic battle scenes and well-done stories and characters. There's plenty of good manga out there, and it isn't really that hard to find. You just need to be wiling to try them.

[Grave]

Maybe I'm wording it the wrong way. I'm not trying to say its okay to excuse it. Hell, this is exactly why I ignore Kubo's writing. I've been ignoring Kubo's writing since Toshiro battled Halibel. The logic during that war was quite something right? Yet, here we are still reading and it's been how many years? Bitching about it now? What's that gonna get you? Granted I'll give you that it does feel good to complain after all these years though, right?

I don't need to become "simple minded" to enjoy manga, and I fairly and easily find outrage in the poor plotting of Naruto and Bleach when I compare them to the good manga I read. There is more manga out there beyond the so-called the most popular WSJ stuff, and if you are tired of shonen I'd suggest you try out series like All You Need Is Kill and One-Punch Man, both of which are simple but excellent seinin manga with epic battle scenes and well-done stories and characters. There's plenty of good manga out there, and it isn't really that hard to find. You just need to be wiling to try them.

I'm not telling you to become simple minded. That's just how I am. The only reason I'm reading mangas now, good action, artwork and characters. Simple minded stuff. But telling you this stuff means nothing, so whatever. Forget about it.

[LumRanmaYasha]

 I've always complained when anything in any series is poorly written and does not make sense. That is nothing new, and it is not something I only do with Bleach, and I'll have you know I've been complaining about Bleach's story for a couple of years now, but I didn't bother putting my thoughts on every individual chapter until recently when I decided I needed a way to help me keep track of what I'm keeping up with.  Perhaps I should've dropped Bleach for good long ago, and to be honest, I did drop it for a long while after the Fullbringer arc, but after hearing that this was to be the final arc of the series, I figured I might as well finish the series. It doesn't make me feel good to complain about Bleach. I'm honestly pretty emotionally uninvested in it at this point, so I'm just giving my honest opinions on what I thought of a chapter. It doesn't "get" me anything, I'm just posting what I think of a chapter and how the story is progressing. And I read manga for story/characters, so I'm not just going to ignore the series' deficiencies in both of those.

I'm not telling you to become simple minded. That's just how I am. The only reason I'm reading mangas now, good action, artwork and characters. Simple minded stuff. But telling you this stuff means nothing, so whatever. Forget about it.

Alright. You read manga for your reasons, I read them for mine, and we can leave it at that.