What Are You Reading?

[Avaitor]

Wait, Jacob hated Monster's finale?

[gunswordfist]

I thought it was a copout *runs*

[The Shadow Gentleman]

I thought it was a copout *runs*

[Grave]

Jacob deserves the lashings. I have no problem with a guy who's opinions I downright don't agree with, but JTP seems to be under the deluded notion that his opinions are truth itself. This guy is praising Naruto like it's the second coming, yet is complaining that nothing is happening in the Hunter X Hunter anime lately (or, pardon me, "nothing interesting"). I pretty much highlighted all of the important shit going on in this week's episode the day before he posted that, but apparently he must have fallen asleep when watching it.

In fact, let me show you!

Here's what I wrote:

So, this week we learn that the selection process has already started, and entire villages are being wiped out in the process. Meanwhile, some of the old squadron leaders are now allying themselves with the true king. As for Gon and Killua, they have gone their separate ways for the time being. Now Gon is alone and has two chimera ants attacking him while using the darkness to their advantage, and at the same time he has another one with a cloaking ability stalking him. Killua on the other hand has gone off on his own to be a bad-ass and kill a whole mess of chimera ant soldiers that are attempting to start the selection process early.

So, yeah, shit's finally going down, now. And on top of that, we even get some good old fashioned politics thrown in for good measure!

And Jacob's response:

Wow, nothing of interest happened in this episode.

I'm guessing it didn't have enough contrived plot twists for him.

Yeah, I stopped reading anything he had to say a long time ago. I try my hardest to not go off on anyone, but Jacob is one (along with a few others) where I actually had to use the ignore function.

Anyway, started reading One Piece again yesterday. Started with Nami vs Mr. 1's partner (I just read this stuff yesterday and I can't remember her name for nothing). I think when I ranked the arc's I gave the Alabasta arc a 4.5/5. I'd probably take it down to about a 4 instead. Then again I'm probably just a bit impatient and want to hurry up and get to Water 7 (I think that's the name lol). You know what, I take that back, I know that's the problem. Nothing wrong with the arc outside of the the draggy-ness, just want to get to where I thought the story really hooked me at, but at the same time I need to read this just to remember everything as well.

[Grave]

One Piece
In the end I ended up skipping most of these chapters anyway just so I can read Water 7 on up. Yeah, my patience didn't last long for that lol. Most of the characters in this arc really was a great addition, although, I can't say I'm a fan of Franky, but then again I do recall saying this back when I first read this arc as well. However, I don't recall him ever growing onto me either. That dynamic fight between Luffy and Usopp didn't have much of an impact on me like the first time I read this either, and that's mainly because I became less tolerant of both types of characters than back then as well. Sanji, Zoro, Nami and Robin still keep me intrigued/entertained, though, that's for sure.

Once I'm caught up on OP, I'll immediately move onto HnI.

I should probably give Slam Dunk a try as well since my sister been trying to get me into that series, or was it the football series.. I can't remember. I think it was Slam Dunk though.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, I've heard great things about Eyeshield 21, myself, so maybe I should check that one out as well. However, Slam Dunk is great. The only thing I should warn you about is that Sakuragi, the main character, is the type that I happen to know you're not a fan of. Of course, it's not like he's the only character who gets focus in the series, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Speaking of Hajime no Ippo, I'm just over the 600 chapter mark, and am currently in the middle of the Itagaki vs. Imai fight. Man, if Imai is doing this unexpectedly well in the beginning of the fight, than by traditional shounen logic, I'm thinking that he's going to get his ass seriously kicked later on in the fight. It just never bodes well if things seem too easy at first.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Well, I've heard great things about Eyeshield 21, myself, so maybe I should check that one out as well.

Eyeshield 21 is really enjoyable. Well, at least the parts I've watched/read, which admittedly is mostly the beginning of the series. One of these days I need to restart the series and finish it, but I'd say it's worth checking out.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Spoiler

[close]

I stop reading you for a few months, and you seem to have gotten worse, Fairy Tail. Shamelessly much, much worse. 

How low will you sink, Mashima? Is it really necessary to squeeze in tasteless fanservice at every possible opportunity? Good lord, even Kubo doesn't sink as low as that, and he's just as bad a writer. Bah...

I also tried to read the newest Naruto and Bleach chapters. I nearly threw up reading the Naruto one. Everyone kissing Naruto's ass like that, even Shikimaru, and that taking up the whole chapter, pure shit, right there. Not only did the entire dialogue sound forced, unnatural, and corny, but it did nothing to move the story forward. It was shameless ass-kissing to hype up what a great, swell hero Naruto is worried about everyone even though he is tired and burdened with responsibility and whatever crap that was said in that chapter. How do people read this crap and not get pissed off? 

The Bleach chapter was just mediocre, in that nothing happened except, surprise, the villains aint' dead and Hitsugaya and Soi Fon are getting their asses kicked. But wait, what's this, Urahara has miraculously developed a way for them to get back their Bankais? Without any buildup whatsoever, and so quickly into this entire thing? Yeah...screw you Kubo. Just get this shit over with already so I can say I've read all of your disappointing series and be done with it for good.

Thank god for One Piece and Toriko! These last two weeks have led to some great plot developments, with the conflict with Doflamingo now being taken up a notch with Sanji engaging him in battle, and I'm enjoying Midora's backstory in Toriko as well, even if it isn't all that fresh. Definitely  takes the sour taste of Naruto, Bleach, and Fairy Tail out of my mouth, but good lord I swear those series are reaching all time lows right now. I wish I could just stay away and be done with them for good, like D. Grayman, but they are so, so close to their ends and I've been keeping up with them for so many years I want the satisfaction of finishing them, but boy howdy are they making it difficult for me, and despite my attempts to drop them at several times curiosity keeps puling me back into the abyss... it's like a harmful addiction that never ends.   

Anyways, Soul Eater ending reminded me that I haven't kept up with Black Butler in a long ass time. I might as well pick up from where I left off on that one. Don't care for the characters much (really bland, although Ciel and Sebastian are twisted in a way that makes them somewhat interesting), but at least the story is good. First I should catch up on Vinland Saga, Hajime no Ippo, Kuroko no Basket, and Gintama since I really like what I've read of those, and maybe Rin-Ne as well if only because it's Takahashi's currently ongoing series and it's apparently a Ranma 1/2-esque action comedy. Really, at this point I just want to be keeping up with some good manga aside from my three go-to's. 

[Grave]

Spoiler

[close]

I stop reading you for a few months, and you seem to have gotten worse, Fairy Tail. Shamelessly much, much worse. 

How low will you sink, Mashima? Is it really necessary to squeeze in tasteless fanservice at every possible opportunity? Good lord, even Kubo doesn't sink as low as that, and he's just as bad a writer. Bah...

THANK YOU! People seem to think I'm harsh on Fairy Tail because I call it a lighter version of Tenjou Tenge, and perhaps I'm probably being too harsh on TT for that matter since that was fairly interesting, but, yes, this tasteless fanservice has been going on since the Gildartz was introduced. I mean, for the most part we knew that Lucy was going to be the focal point when it came to fanservice since the series started, but it's gotten out of hand now, and it's one of the reasons why I stopped reading/caring for it.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I just saw the popularity poll for the best fights in Hajime no Ippo at the beginning of the last chapter that I read (it was voted on by readers, obviously). Remember how I said that Ippo vs. Sendo (2nd match/championship) was my favorite anime/manga fight ever? Well, glad to see that Japan agrees with me.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I've finished volumes 6-14 of 20th Century Boys, and ho boy, was that some great manga! Urasawa has balls to do what he did to the Friend like that, although obviously a replacement has appeared, and I'm curious to see how that'll play out. I think it's odd how the Friend Land's simulation acts so much like a time-machine kinda thing, since Yoshitsune and Kanna's conversations with Kamisama, young Yoshitsune, and Donkey are odd since those latter's personalities seem too perfectly captured to seem like just a simulation, but maybe that'll be clarified later on. Well, otherwise the story has been gripping and interesting so far and I'll be interested in plowing through the next 10 volumes to see where this all goes.

[Pharass]

I went to London again recently and aside from visiting museums and stuff, I also had time to add some new titles to my already overflowing bookshelf. Here's what I bought:

100 Bullet vol 6
Scalped vol 5
Hellblazer vol 1
The Unwritten vol 2
Criminal vol 3

I've read some bits and pieces of Hellblazer before, but I've never read the comic from the beginning. I decided that it was time to rectify this.
I also find it an interesting coincidence that both the sixth and fifth volumes of Scalped and 100 Bullets respectively consists of various short-stories that focuses on one member of each comics' growing cast. Of course, both also move the main plot of their respective series forward.

[gunswordfist]

I went to London again recently and aside from visiting museums and stuff, I also had time to add some new titles to my already overflowing bookshelf. Here's what I bought:

100 Bullet vol 6
Scalped vol 5
Hellblazer vol 1
The Unwritten vol 2
Criminal vol 3

I've read some bits and pieces of Hellblazer before, but I've never read the comic from the beginning. I decided that it was time to rectify this.
I also find it an interesting coincidence that both the sixth and fifth volumes of Scalped and 100 Bullets respectively consists of various short-stories that focuses on one member of each comics' growing cast. Of course, both also move the main plot of their respective series forward.

100 Bullets, Scalped and Criminal are great. I can't thank Insomniac enough for getting me into Scalped.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I've finished 20th Century Boys and 21st Century Boys, and yeah, it was incredible. Admittedly, there were some parts of the 3FE arc that I wasn't that interested in (most of the events not involving Kenji and Otcho in the first 2/3rds of that arc), but it was still an excellent story through and through and I love the ending, myself, even if the identity of the second friend is a bit out there. I suppose i still like Monster more because it's more focused and didn't have any parts I wasn't into, but this manga is only about a rank lower than it on my favorites list regardless. Now I'll move onto Pluto, and then I'll have finished all of Urasawa's english-translated manga, and then I'll read Billy Bat up to it's current point as well.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I read up to date with Kuroko no Basket again.

And....yeah, what do you know, right off the bat Kagami uses "The Zone" again. This thing is officially the sports series equivalent of a Super Saiyan transformation, especially since all of the other players become irrelevant while Kagami is doing it. Sorry, but aside from the one match between Aomine and Kagami where the idea worked, the author has since made it a lazy writing device. I'm probably going to take another break from this manga again to let the final match gain a decent amout of chapters that I can read in one go, as I just don't have the patience to sit through this really slow pacing on a weekly basis.

In more positive news, One Piece is finally picking up again with the current manga. For the first time in over two complete story arcs, the story is actually taking coherent shape in an interesting way, and the most interesting characters of this arc seem to be everyone BUT the Straw Hat pirates, themselves.