Currently Running Manga Discussion

[LumRanmaYasha]

Double the amount of manga to read this week compared to the norm...and the majority of it was really good!

All You Need Is Kill chapter 12 - So, because Kiriya killed the main server of the Mimics in the first chapter, he was forced into the loop by the back-ups, and that's why he keeps experiencing it over and over again. So, after Rita takes out all the backups in this chapter, Kiriya should've been able to kill the main server Mimic once and for all, and end his loop. But, for some reason, this didn't work. I can only guess the same that others have also speculated: either Kiriya or Rita has also become a "server" of the Mimics, responsible for resetting the loop, and whoever it is, that person needs to die before the loop can be broken permanently. I don't think the series will run much longer, since the story seems near it's end. The Edge of Tomorrow will be released on June 6th, and I'm assuming the manga will be over just before then, so I'd say at most there'll be 8 more chapters. Still, I'm going to enjoy speculating and seeing the story unfold as the next few weeks unfurl all the same.

Assassination Classroom chapter 84 - Shiro and Itona wanted to put Korosensei into a state of mental unease from having the students lose trust in him, and then limit his movement by enclosing him in a tight space. Of course, since the students already used a strategy like that on him before, he's adapted a counter strategy to it, as well as a new technique (which basically seems like some sort of energy ball) to get rid of opponents in tight spaces. That's cool. It's only natural Korosensei would improve his own skills after seeing how close he was to being killed back in the summer vacation arc, after all. The big thing about this chapter was Shiro abandoning Itona for his failure. I think Shiro has some sort of grudge against Korosensei, maybe a history with him, which is why he desires his death so badly. He also mentioned something about a "new model," which means there might be a new government-made monster being created to kill Korosensei. I have to wonder how Itona will exactly fit in with the rest of class E, since he doesn't really have much of a personality aside from being angry. Well, that'll probably be addressed next chapter, and then I guess we'll just see how it goes from there. 

Attack on Titan chapter 56 - Wow, I really liked this chapter, which is something I haven't been able to say for a long time. From Hange's conversation with Sanes and her frustration at the role she has to play, to Levi telling Historia to shut up and do what she has to do, and why he's willing to be flexible to do whatever it takes if it means saving the entire human race (a good explanation for his behavior last few chapters), and to the ending of the chapter, where the Survery Corps has already seen through Levi and Reebs' scheme, slaughters Reebs and his men (with only Reebs' son left alive, managing to stay out of sight, somehow), and has taken Historia and Eren captive. It seems the plan has fallen apart, but I knowing Levi, he probably has some sort of backup to help fix the situation. I can say though, that in terms of plot and character interactions, nothing at all annoyed me here, making for the best chapter of this series I've read since the end of the Female Titan arc. I could hope this won't be a fluke and the series can be enjoyable in future chapters, but I guess I'll need to wait until next month to find out.

Bleach chapter 576 - I can't say this made me as bored or irritated as the last few chapters, but this whole battle...just, Gremmy should just imagine Kenpachi dead or mutilated already, c'mon. Well, Kenny'll be taking on an entire fucking meteorite next week, and that might be fun, I guess.

Detective Conan chapter 889-890 - Hey, guess what's back! Overall, I really enjoyed the Tea Cup mystery, though I do think, in retrospect, that the culprit was pretty obvious. The brilliant thing about this mystery was actually how obvious it was, but could be so easily missed if you don't stop and think about it or apply a basic understanding of acids and bases. I love it when Aoyama tells these more realistic sort of cases than the "strings" plots which tend to get overused from time to time. The next case looks to be featuring more of Bourbon (or should I say Zero?) and explore his past a little more, which should be really interesting. Hopefully the translators don't delay it for over a month this time.

Magi chapter 221 - This chapter was mostly about Sheba obsessing over Solomon, which was kinda funny but also a bit irritating after a while. I do appreciate Solomon's desire to be treated like a normal person by people close to him, so that he won't grow arrogant or an ego that would lead him to getting a superiority complex. The quality of the magoi being corrupted is most likely a sign that black rukh is starting to develop, so perhaps we'll see corruption among those in Solomon's rank soon (we know Ithnan will eventually betray him, after all). I'm curious about the Origin Dragon and what it possibly might say, but otherwise, I feel that the flashback arc is moving too slowly. Hopefully it shows signs of wrapping up soon.

Naruto chapter 672 - Another chapter that I've liked, but it's hard not to get a smile seeing Guy unleash a final, all of strike against Madara, after seeing a flashback of his childhood, showing him flunking the entrance exam to Konoha academy and Kakashi mocking him. He came a long way, and even Madara could say he's the strongest practitioner of taijutsu he's ever seen. I think I might have been too hard on Guy's fight with Madara and his backstory in the last few weeks, since it ended up finishing rather nicely here. It ended up appealing a lot to me, and after weeks of tedium and stupidity, the end of the chapter actually made me a bit excited to see what is (hopefully) the last fight between Naruto and Sasuke against Madara. That feeling probably won't last, but hey, good chapter here anyways.

One Piece chapter 744 - Oh man, this chapter was just so awesome. Sabo gettng Ace's fruit, getting his powers, and his reveal was just expected but so epic in execution. While the schtick with Ussop being considered a savior to a large group of people was done before with Buggy, it was still freakin' hilarious since we actually know the characters of a lot of these guys like Cavendish whereas the Impel Down prisoners were nameless goons, and that extra bit of characterization helps make it be a little less of a retread and just as funny. And like everyone expected, Doflamingo ain't dead and is now using a technique called "Bird Cage," which freaks out Law. This arc has finally gotten to a point where the mad chaos has balanced out into something consistently enjoyable, I can say that I am absolutely excited for the next chapter, something I have not been for a good while.

Peephole chapter 19 - I figure I better start talking about this too or I'll keep forgetting to read it for weeks at a time. Anyway, this series is basically about a total loser of a guy called Kurosou getting into a faux relationship with his next door neighbor, Miyachi, who is basically a female version of Dexter, after accidentally watching her kill a guy through the peephole he has in his room, and the frightening life-threatening shit he gets into as a result of his association with her. It's over the top and disturbing in an amusing way and makes for a legitimately entertaining guilty-pleasure sort of series. In this chapter Kurosou is sent to a Match party by Miyachi in order to lure out a serial killer she wants to kill, and lo, it works. The unfortunate thing about this series is that the chapters are so short, and this week I can't say there's much I can talk about, but next week should be fun, especially since both the police and Miyachi are out after this serial killer, so it'll be a sort of competition between them, and lord knows the danger Kurosou is gonna be put in as a result.

Stealth Symphony chapter 8 - I like Jig's initiative and desire to do what he thinks is right even if it means fighting against his own friends. That said, the action in this chapter was kind of a blur to me, and mostly it seems like a set up for Jig deciding to use his wings to help people instead of just lamenting it as a nuisance. The next chapter should prove more eventful now that he's taking action.

Toriko chapter 273 - Toriko's group braved a sea of thorns and giant manta rays and are now on Yutou Island, the location of the "salad" of Acacia's full course. The Riddle Chapter is basically a pokedex sort of device for the several million discovered animals/plants known in the Human and Gourmet World, but like Zebra says, it will probably become useless the further they go into the Gourmet World and into it's unexplored regions, so I'm not sure what the point of it is, but maybe that'll be something expanded upon in time.  I am much more interested in knowing just who the hell is that frog that was so carelessly drinking tea while reading the torn waves and is controlling the skeletons of the dead sailors at the Harbor of Evil Spirits, but that's something that'll surely be revealed as the arc progresses. This was basically a transition chapter, just trying to get the group to the Island and set up the arc proper, but it did it well, and I can't wait to see how the first proper arc of part 2 of Toriko'll go down.

Rankings:

1. One Piece - 10/10
2. Attack on Titan - 10/10
3. Naruto - 9/10
4. Magi - 9/10
5. Toriko - 8.5/10
6. Detective Conan - 8/10
7. Assassination Classroom - 8/10
8. All You Need Is Kill - 8/10
9. Stealth Symphony - 8/10
10. Peephole - 7.5/10
11. Bleach - 5/10

11 manga, and most everything was good this weak, with the Bleach chapter being the only one I didn't like, but even that was just meh rather than awful. I feel weird ranking AOT and Naruto so high since I do not at all like those series normally, but they had good chapters this week, and I can't deny I enjoyed them and found them stronger than the others I ranked them above.  A fluke, perhaps, but all the same.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I'm gonna be hella busy next few days, so I'll just share my thoughts on this week's manga today. I guess I'll have to talk about the new Stealth Symphony some other time during the week, since those come out tomorrow.

Assassination Classroom chapter 85 - Shiro is such a bastard. This is something that's been established before, in how he used Class E as pawns in his gambles to capture Korosensei without any regard for their lives, but abandoning Itona, leaving him to die, and then using him as bait to lure Korosensei into a trap? Geez, I should've nominated him for the villains tournament. Aside from seeing Shiro be a total asshole, this chapter also reveals that Itona is actually a human, with tentacle implants. He needs treatment every three days to keep control of them, and if he doesn't, he'll go mad and eventually die. This actually explains why he acted so psychotic in previous installments. Well, partially. We still need to know more about him; how he met Shiro, what his connection to Korosensei is, and why he wants to kill him so badly. Korosensei's determination to help Itona despite the bad blood between them in the past is characteristic but, as always, admirable and there is a sweet moment between them here that did make me smile (until Shiro ambushed both of them). I think at the end of this arc Itona will join Class E permanently, so hopefully we learn more about him in the ext few chapters. Which will be fun to read, since the whole of Class E is pissed off at Shiro for using them as pawns again, so there will no doubt be some delicious payback coming up soon enough.

Bleach chapter 577 - This chapter was just time-wasting and boring, because it's essentially devoted to reaction shots of various characters as the meteor is falling down, and Gremmy's lame gloating about how he'll be the only one left standing and whatever. It is nice that we finally learn the name of Kenpachi's shikai, even though the design is unwieldy and honestly kind lame considering the build up. Meh. This whole Gremmy nonsense is just boring, especially because, with his power, he should be doing way more inventive and exciting things than just make one duplicate of himself and create a big rock in the sky. It should end next week, at least.

Detective Conan chapter 891 - Takagi, you idiot! Why the hell would you tell a random stranger, you just met, about the identities of two FBI agents? Even if he's a detective, that information should be kept secret. Sigh, well, sometimes Aoyama has characters like Aoyama make blunders like this, but in his defense, Takagi is the sort of person who would blunder like this, so I can forgive it. Especially since know that Bourbon knows about Jodie and Camel, he's sure to be even more suspicious of Conan, and finally put the pieces together. Plus, "Oh? FBI, you say?" I love Bourbon. I really, really do. The case itself is pretty interesting this time too, especially since the victim has a history with Jodie, which might be related to the case in some way. I haven't been this excited for a new case since "The Raven Train Murder," and I can't wait to see where this one will go.

Magi chapter 222 - I admit...this flashback arc has had it's dull moments. A lot of that is because, besides Ugo and Ithnan, these characters are completely new, so it's hard to care about them. However, I've found myself really growing fond of Sheba and Solomon as it's gone on, and that's really what's making these chapters work for me. Here, for instance, a lot of fun humor comes from Sheba's insistence to accompanying Solomon and reactions to things, and she and Solomon share a sweet character moment where she reassures him that, despite his past, his followers firmly believe in him. I enjoyed learning how Solomon slowly changed his mind about the other species thanks to getting to know the Mother Dragon, since it adds some depth to his character and why he's fighting for the equality of all. The best part of this chapter, though, was the expansion of the mythology, and the characters trying to figure out what is happening to the world, throwing out several theories, and coming to the conclusion that, because someone is becoming more powerful than the "god' of their world, the magoi is being increasingly depleted, and once there is no energy left, the world will die out. Their are a lot of stakes on the line here, and the enemy is none other than Solomon's own father. While I do wish we could get to the meat of why we need to know all this, I'm enjoying the mythology building, and Solomon and Sheba have become interesting enough characters for me to want to see where this flashback arc is going. Quite frankly, this chapter had everything I love about Magi at it's finest and shows a lot of why it stands out as the most ambitious and articulate of the currently-running shonen series I'm aware of and keeping up with. An excellent chapter, and I'm looking forward to the next.

Naruto chapter 673 - There isn't anything bad here. It's all quite good action and it gets right to the point on everything it needs to, setting up Naruto and Sauske confronting Madara together for what Kishimoto promises to be the final battle. It's a good chapter that doesn't really have any of the annoying faults that plague the series week to week, and while I can't say I'm excited to see the ultimate showdown since I'm not invested in the characters/story at this point (I'm more relieved that it seems to be finally ending), but the chapter does it's job and works for me. Now let's just see if this final fight was worth the tedium of the past three years.

One-Punch Man chapter 46 - Too short. TOO. SHORT. This is one problem of keeping up with OPM on a bi-weekly basis; sometimes Murata makes the chapters just too damn short. Like, I was so fucking excited with all the epic action going on in Lord Boros' and Saitama's fight and all the beautiful destruction and chaos...and bam! Over. Just 9 pages, and done. Not even really a proper conclusion-y kinda thing to the chapter. It just stops. And this irritates me. Because I wanted more. Well, at least I'm hella pumped up to read the next chapter asap. 

Peephole chapter 20 - Miyachi is actually pretty clever, figuring out who the insurance money killer was by carefully studying trends in a couple seemingly unrelated blog posts. And it actually makes sense why Kurosou was chosen to bait her out, since he fits the kind of guy the killer likes to go after. This was a really well-done chapter. Honestly, this series might be better than I'm willing to give it credit for. Maybe that's too early to say, but this is pretty interesting stuff here, and I'm curious to see what the next step in Miyachi's plan is.

Toriko chapter 274 - Oh man, poor Quin. Whole chunks of his neck were bitten off by those piranhas. I don't think that's going to heal easily. Lot's of great action this chapter, and it looks like we'll be learning more about the mysterious frog guy from the last chapter already. I'm curious as to what the "Real Mist" is as well.

Rankings:

1. Toriko - 10/10
2. Magi - 9/10
3. Detective Conan - 9/10
4. Assassination Classroom - 8.5/10
5. One-Punch Man - 8.5/10
6. Peephole - 8/10
7. Naruto - 7/10
8. Bleach - 1/10

I'll edit in Stealth Symphony later, or just add it next week. Overall, though, a solid week of manga just like the last. I'm very pleased.

[gunswordfist]

Did Grave self-delete?

[LumRanmaYasha]

Vix has licensed World Trigger for a print release. I've heard good things about it, and they've been running it in Alpha since it's beginning, so it's no surprise that they are finally doing this. I really do need to get on reading the series, sometime. Now, if only they made print volumes of One-Punch Man...

[VLordGTZ]

Now, if only they made print volumes of One-Punch Man...

I remember Viz mentioning a while back that they are working on getting the series a print-release, so hopefully it happens soon. 

[LumRanmaYasha]

It'd be great if it does. OPM is just too brilliant to be relegated to only the digital format.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

You know, I've been trying my damnedest to appreciate One Piece lately, but I'm sorry to say that it's still just mediocre at best for me. Oda's formula has gotten stale. There's only so many 'times that I can see some plot about the Straw Hats overcoming some corrupt or downright evil organization or regime, liberating a whole kingdom, and then moving into the next island to do the same again. I mean, this could still work if executed well, but the problem is that Oda hasn't really been doing it that well lately. Previously arcs knew just how to pace themselves and gave you just enough story and action in the right balance to keep you engaged. Oda is trying to cram too much story into each chapter in many cases, and even now that he's evened out the pace in this arc, I don't find myself caring as much because I never really got a chance to bond with the supporting characters. Going back to the pacing, while I don't like a ridiculously slow story, OP has the opposite problem right now. It just doesn't give you any breathing room anymore. Every single action scene has to be some 2-page spread or happen on some really large scale to look impressive, but to me it just looks unceative, and I miss the visceral feel of earlier fights in the manga. Whatever happened to just a gold old fashioned punch a guy in the face panels that were drawn effectively by not going into explicit detail of how it's wrecking the surrounding environment a la DBZ.

There are still enough interesting elements to this series to keep me reading, but my patience is really wearing thin. Oda need to change things up now. I'm no longer satisfied with the usual 1-dimensional villains. And for crying out loud, at least come up with some new character gags. I'm tired of seeing the "Usopp is a coward" shtick for one thing. Shouldn't we have already moved past that? I suppose Oda forgets the little bit of character development that he gave Usopp in a much earlier arc. I'm also just tired of seeing no real change in any of the main characters since their introduction arcs.

This series really needs an adrenaline shot in the arm, right now. It's supposed to be fun, but I'm just not having any fun right now, and I haven't had any real fun since before the major time-skip.

[LumRanmaYasha]

This might be surprising to hear, from me, but I honestly don't think I'm that into One Piece anymore

Well, at least not as much as I used to be. Part of that is because I've been reading a lot more manga than I used to, and re-evaluting the stuff I enjoy and why I enjoy them as a result, but I think the biggest reason is because of how Oda has handled things after the timeskip. I've said this before, but I do not feel the crew has been organically returned to the story. Yes, they are there and present, but their interactions now feel forced and it seems like Oda is struggling to give them something to do so far. In the pre-timeskip arcs, every member of the crew had something to do in the arc and the focus was evenly divided among them. Now, the majority of the focus is on Luffy, and the rest of the crew feels like an afterthought. I find Oda's overuse of the crew's character quirks and gags to be evidence of how he's forgotten how to write these characters. Much like the cast of The Simpsons, everyone has been flanderized, emphasizing the superficial aspects of their characters without touching the bit of depth to them that made them lovable and enjoyable protagonists in the first place. The degeneration of Ussop's character arc a few chapters ago to play on the old, overused gag of his cowardice pretty much confirmed this to me. So not only has no single member of the crew besides Luffy done much of interest or had much focus thus far post-timeskip, they have also become more shallow and one-dimensional than they used to be. This is likely why I find myself more concerned and interested in what's happening to the other characters like Kine'mon, Law, and Kyros than, say, Franky or Robin, who I frankly sometimes forget are still in the story.

While I love the effort Oda puts into his artwork every chapter, I'll agree that, quite frankly, it's become too much. It's one of the reasons why I don't enjoy american superhero comics: too much going on in a panel is distracting and off-putting, serving to take me out of the experience when I should be immersed in what's going on. Sometimes it's so cluttered I can't make out all the action, and this weakens the impact of the fight scenes to me. Simpler is better, and would leave more of an impact. I honestly feel Oda is trying too hard with his artwork. I would much prefer he cut back on cramming as much as he can into every panel, and focus on getting a grasp of his characters better.

Story-wise, this arc has been hit and miss. There's lots of interesting stuff going on, but Oda hasn't balanced everything properly, so a lot of it, the tournament especially, seems like Oda meant it to go somewhere, but then changed his mind or got bored with it, so he hastily came up with a way to move on from it quickly. There have been lots of good moments, but also a lot of meh ones. I seriously didn't care for anything involving the Tontatta and I have to wonder why they even needed to be in this arc in the first place.

I have really enjoyed the last three chapters because there were a lot of cool things happening and going on and stuff, but for the most part this arc has been incredibly inconsistent and that's kinda a shame. I'm certainly not bored with it, but I've fallen a bit out of love with the series as well. As far as currently-running shonen manga go, Toriko, Magi, Assassination Classroom, and Silver Spoon are more enjoyable to me on a regular basis (though I need to catch up on SS, which I will, because SS is by far the best shonen manga currently running). And with the exception of SS, I really wouldn't say I like those series more than OP as a whole nor do I love them as much as I did OP in it's prime. But Dressrosa has kinda shown me that despite Oda's efforts in trying to make the series better and more exciting, he's actually lost what made the series so great. The characters are now just pale imitations and exaggerations of who they once were. The story has become too convoluted, taking the simple formula of the past ad cramming a lot of stuff into it but not really adding anything new, and because there is so much going on it's hard to become invested in a single plot element and care about it. There are still chapters that I really, really enjoy, and I do still look forward to new ones every week, but I do think the series is in a rut, and don't find myself particularly as invested and as much a fan of it as I once was. And unless Oda manages to write the crew in the organic, natural way he used to, and focus his story, I'm not sure I will.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I posted this in the Hunter X Hunter thread, but I might as well do it here as well.



http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-04-22/hunter-x-hunter-manga-to-resume-in-june

Looks like I'll be keeping up with a 15th currently running manga sooner than I thought. After all this time, the series better be as good as it can. Don't disappoint me, Togashi.

[gunswordfist]

YES!! YESS!! THERE IS A GOD!! YES!! YES!!!!  *joy tears*

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'll go with ten chapters this time before the delays. How about you, Ensatsu-ken?

[LumRanmaYasha]

It'd actually be hilarious if he came back with just one or two chapters before going on hiatus again. Part of me wants that to happen for the lulz of it. 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Ten? Me thinks you are giving Togashi too much credit. Watch it be 5 new chapters and a 3-year hiatus to follow. Calling it.

[LumRanmaYasha]

An average week, I'd say.

All You Need Is Kill chapter 13 - This was such a sweet chapter. Kiriya and Rita letting go of all their worries for a day, and bonding over the simplest of things like having an eating contest, looking at the ocean, and telling each other stories. It really put a smile on my face seeing two characters, suffering so much and alone this whole time, find happiness in a companionship with someone in the same situation. A very moving chapter, and it really makes me want to see these characters finally break the loop, saving these experiences.

Assassination Classroom chapters 86-87 - Two chapters this week! Nice, since they conclude this current story with Itona. Terakasawa is honestly one of the series' best characters, because behind his rough, delinquent exterior, he's got a great heart and is world-wise when he wants to be. Seeing him try and help Itona, by just having him hang out his him and his crew and do simple, fun things, was great. Itona's backstory also shed light onto why he was so obsessed with victory. It also seems he doesn't really have a connection with Korosensei after all; it was just a set-up by Shrio to get Korosensei off guard. That makes sense. I'm glad Terakasawa helped him realize he does not need to put himself down so hard for failure, and that he should keep trying, and live happily day by day. Without his tentacles now, though, he's more of a normal student, but he should have some great chemistry with Terakasawa in particular so I'm looking forward to that in future chapters. Overall, some more great chapters from AC, and it's nice to see Itona join the main cast to boot.

Bleach chapter 578 - Gremmy is dead because Gremmy is stupid. Understatement of the century. Lame chapter, but hey, at least this fight is over with.

Dragon Ball Minus - So, the bonus chapter released in the Jaco volume has been translated, so I decided to read it. I don't care for how Toriyama has retconned the entire Bardock: The Father of Goku special with this chapter, but it isn't bad. I don't know why Bardock and Gine didn't try escaping Planet Vegeta themselves, and I really don't buy "oh, they'd get tracked with the scouter excuse" thing because space is vast and I doubt Freeza would actively hunt them down. The scene where they send off baby Goku is nice, though. But Goku wearing saiyan armor when he left Planet Vegeta is another retcon that I can't really say could be explained well, since he didn't have armor on when he landed on earth. Whatever. I'm more disappointed that we barely saw or learned anything about Gine in the chapter, though she seemed like a fun character from her interactions with Bardock. Of course, the best parts of the chapter weren't about Bardock and Gine. Nah, the Jaco stuff was way funnier, and  Jaco's enthusiasm at being able to allow humanity to be exterminated actually got me to laugh out loud. So it's kind of disappointing that the Jaco parts of the chapter were better than the Dragon Ball parts, but it was a fun little read all the same.

Black Butler chapter 92 - Yeah, so the Green Witch is in league with the were-wolves. BIG SHOCKER. Whatever. Finnian's backstory is kind of over-the-top ridiculous too, but that's par for the course when it comes to this series, so okay. Not sure where this is going at this point, but it wasn't a bad chapter, just kinda "there."

Magi chapter 222.5 - So, we get a short side-story kind of chapter. And it's really, really boring. Just a bunch of paragraphs that, I'm assuming detail Solomon's dads' feelings over the birth of his child. Bah.

Naruto chapter 674 - None of the action was really interesting to me, especially because there was so much talking and Madara going "oh my god these guys are so impressive" and that annoyed me. Kakashi losing an eye to Madara was kind of out of nowhere, but it was a quick and effective scene. And of course, Sakura is useless again and fails to do an easy, simple job right before Madara shows up. Guess Obito is going to die protecting her and redeem himself or whatever. Eh.

One Piece chapter 745 - Yeah, so Robin knew Sabo and Koala already. Called it! Bird Cage is an interesting technique. The set-up is familiar, but the crew being hunted down by the entire island is a concept that could lead to a lot of good action and tension if Oda pulls it off right. I also want to know what the deal with the duplicate is, and just what Kine'mon was carrying in his hands. A pretty good transition chapter.

Peephole chapter 21 - Lol, and Miyachi kills the policeman. This manga is so stupidly fun, and that's because Miyachi is such a clever, insane character who is fun to watch in action. I find myself looking forward to seeing her take down the insurance money killer in a wonderful battle of psychopathic wit.

Stealth Symphony chapter 9 - So the boss is a crazy killer mermaid. That is awesome. What is lame is how this character is so stereotypically evil and is picking a fight she should know she can't win. That's a lame way to get Toroma and company back on Jig's side. The series has been doing shitty in rankings, though, so an epic battle at this point is probably it's only way to try and shoot up, stave off cancelation, or otherwise provide a decent-ish (if no rushed and convenient) ending to it. It's a real shame that it hasn't been doing so hot, since it has a lot of potential. Well, I'll enjoy what I can of it while I can I suppose.

Toriko chapter 275 - This chapter was like "oh shit," then it was like "oh, shit!," and then it was like "oh, SHIT!" and then I was like "Fuck yeah!" Coco is so awesome. Poison Dolls, an ability that creates a living, moving duplicate out of the poison in his body. Such a unbelievable ability, but it's so useful and played out here so cool. I've said it before, but this series is like what you'd get if you took JoJo's and Dragon Ball and mixed 'em into one glorious creation, and this chapter was a perfect illustration of that. Full of great action and suspense, and setting up for Toriko to show his stuff in a battle next week. Yes. Easily the best chapter of the week.


Rankings:

1. Toriko - 10/10
2. All You Need Is Kill - 10/10
3. Assassination Classroom - 9/10
4. Dragon Ball Minus - 8/10
5. One Piece -8/10
6. Peephole - 8/10
7. Stealth Symphony - 7.5/10
8. Black Butler - 6/10
9. Naruto - 5/10
10. Magi - 2/10
11. Bleach - 1/10

So, not really a great week of manga, but the Toriko, AYNIK, and AC chapters were hella great so I'm happy enough. Hopefully a regular, interesting chapter of Magi comes next week and another pointless distraction like this week's doesn't happen again.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Lol, I just realized all the Shonen Jump manga I was reading this week had clones of some sort in them. What a weird coincidence.