Currently Running Manga Discussion

[Spark Of Spirit]

Or course Gai isn't going to win. He would have to be a main character to do that. He's not should-be-overpowered-but-for-some-reason-isn't Naruto or should-not-be-this-strong-but-is-because Sasuke or even I-don't-know-why he-wasn't-killed-in-the-first-hit Kakashi.

Kishimoto really has no idea who is what anymore.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I was actually thinking of blogging about the final arc of the manga (which, mind you, is in and of itself around 200 chapters long, counting the entire Shinobi war as one mega story line) and how godawful it is once the manga wraps up. If you want to tag team with me on that one, CX, it'd be great. God knows I'll need the help to go over just how horrendous it truly is. There's just way too much to cover, that I don't even know where to start.

And don't get me wrong, Naruto was bad long before that arc, but this is where the series truly sunk to an unbelievable low that it just has to be talked about.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Spoiler alert: Gai doesn't win. He in fact almost dies. Naruto brings him back to life. Because...he can do that now, apparently. Basically everything with Gai ended up being filler in the grand scheme of things, because nothing about his fight with Madara ends up impacting the story in any way. It's so fucking stupid.

I was actually thinking of blogging about the final arc of the manga (which, mind you, is in and of itself around 200 chapters long, counting the entire Shinobi war as one mega story line) and how godawful it is once the manga wraps up. If you want to tag team with me on that one, CX, it'd be great. God knows I'll need the help to go over just how horrendous it truly is. There's just way too much to cover, that I don't even know where to start.

And don't get me wrong, Naruto was bad long before that arc, but this is where the series truly sunk to an unbelievable low that it just has to be talked about.

Yeah, I'd be down for doing that. It's a looooong arc, after all, and there's a lot to pick apart about it.

[Avaitor]

I'm tempted to make a blog after the series is over where I go over it from the beginning and pick apart everything that went wrong and is wrong with it. Of course, that would require me to actually re-read the series, which is something I'd really rather not do, so...I'll see how I feel about that idea when the series is actually over and done.

Heh, did my tweet give you the idea to do so? It sounds like it'd be a lot of fun to read, even though Naruto itself clearly became unbearable after a certain point.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I think Naruto would have been a far better series if it stuck to arcs like the Zabusa/Haku one and not "ninja politics meets Bleach" which it devolved to by the end of part one.

I do think the series started with promise, but it shed off as it went on.

And promptly fell into the toilet with this war arc.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I'm tempted to make a blog after the series is over where I go over it from the beginning and pick apart everything that went wrong and is wrong with it. Of course, that would require me to actually re-read the series, which is something I'd really rather not do, so...I'll see how I feel about that idea when the series is actually over and done.

Heh, did my tweet give you the idea to do so? It sounds like it'd be a lot of fun to read, even though Naruto itself clearly became unbearable after a certain point.

I've been thinking about the idea for a while, actually, but seeing your tweet did make me start considering whether I should actually do it more seriously, especially since while I'm already aware of a blog that highlights all the shitty stuff in Bleach, I don't think anyone has made one for Naruto. In general, I've been meaning to start a blog for a while now, and going over Naruto's downfall is one of the things I've been considering that seems like a good topic to focus on and write about, provided I can stomach going through the series all over again. 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

You don't have to go through the entire series all over again. You can just skim through the more significantly bad parts. It's easy enough to read plot summaries covering the entire series in detail to refresh your memory, and then just go back to the specific worst parts that you remember, after all, that's what I would do, as opposed to re-reading a 700-chapter long manga in full, which is just insane.

Also, in regard to Desensitized's post, I consider the Zabuza/Hakusho arc to be the closest that this series has ever come to being legitimately good. In truth it's an average arc by battle shounen standards, but at least it had some heart to it. The earlier stuff just felt dull and by the numbers, while the Chuunin Exams arc was just a poor man's version of the Hunter Exams arc from HXH, IMO. Everything after that point was just a fluctuation of mediocre story-telling to flat-out boring, drawn out arcs, and then the time skip happened....

....Let's just say that I've never seen such a steep and constant downhill slope in which the descent in the quality of the series literally just kept getting worse and worse. When it got to the point where you thought that it had hit rock bottom and couldn't possibly get any worse than it already was, it would never fail to surprise you and prove you wrong. It's really amazing just how horrible it could get, and the funny thing is that I'm still experiencing that right now as I'm attempting to catch up with it before it ends. It's really something else.

[LumRanmaYasha]

You don't have to go through the entire series all over again. You can just skim through the more significantly bad parts. It's easy enough to read plot summaries covering the entire series in detail to refresh your memory, and then just go back to the specific worst parts that you remember, after all, that's what I would do, as opposed to re-reading a 700-chapter long manga in full, which is just insane.

Well, what I was thinking was that I'd go through it an arc or a volume or few at a time, at my own pace, and then write about the development of the story, what worked, what didn't, etc, and from time to time make a point to highlight specific problems that pervaded the entire series. Something akin to series retrospective/episode review blogs, except with volumes/arcs of Naruto, and frequent editorial articles addressing specific problems/characters. It's certainly not something I was going try and marathon read all at once or anything like that.

Basically, it would be sorta a combination of this and something like JO's Digimon retrospectives.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Ah, I see. As for me, it's need to be something that I'm passionate about in order to do a retrospective on the entire thing. JO's Digimon series worked because she was actually very, very into it, and you could tell that she did truly enjoy the series. It's the same with Linkara's History of Power Rangers.

To review a series that you hate, though, really makes the tons of work that goes into it all the more painful, hence why when I do blog about it, I'll just do an entry that covers how pathetically had the final arc was.

[LumRanmaYasha]

For various reasons, I never ended up posting up my weekly manga recap for the week before last, which is kind of a shame, since it was a really good week overall. As a consequence, though, I put off reading a lot of the new chapters from last week. So, for a bit of fun, I'm going to do something a bit different this time - a "live" reaction to the chapters. What I mean by that is that I'm just going to read through the chapters one by one, and as I'm going through them, bullet pont spontaneous thoughts that come to my mind. Sort of a stream-of-consciousness sort of thing, you know? I think that might make for a good change of pace, so let's try it out, shall we? Oh, also, I have exactly 20 series to read this time, so this is going to be a loooong one...

A Silent Voice chapter 56

- Per usual, first up is A Silent Voice! After the wonderful reconciliation between Shoya and Shoko's mothers last week, I expect this week will continue showing more resolutions between the characters.

- Oh man, so Shoya has decided to go back to school. How are people going to treat him, after knowing what he's been through? I remember some were doubting that he really saved Shoko, and postulated that he actually tried to push her off the balcony himself, and others still felt indifferent to his plight. Though he's made tremendous strides in becoming a better person and has been through so much to make amends, this previous reputation as an awkward, mean-spirited bully still lingers. He still has a long way to go before he's able to wipe his slate clean. I'm sure, though, that with the help of the people who truly know the kind of person he is, the people who proudly call themselves his friends, will help him accomplish that.

- Yeah, he is really, really nervous. I feel for him. He really wants to change people's perceptions of him, apologize for what he's done in the past. One thing that hits home for me here is him practicing trying to talk to people, because that's something I, personally, still have trouble with. I can really sympathize with him trying to learn how to be more sociable, and make a better impression on people.

- I also love his resolve to not only talk to more people, but to listen to them as well, no matter what they have to say. He's come a long way from the beginning of the series.

- It looks like their going to see Nagatsuka's movie. I was thinking there'd be a few more chapters until that, but that's interesting. Shoya's reaction to it is bound to be very emotional.

- X faces! Wow, we haven't seen those in a while. I guess most of his classmates still feel distant and alien from him.

- Oh Shoya...I feel ya man. But you can't just avoid the problem any longer. You got to keep your head up.

- D'aw...Shoko pulling Shoya around is as adorable as it is hilariously awkward. 

- Oh geez, Nagatsuka's movie is fucking dark. And really, really relevant to what Shoko and Shoya have been through. Damn.

- What, Kawai wrote this? I'm as surprised as Shoya. I guess that proves the point that you can never know what they can be truly capable of or the mark of their character unless you really try and get to know them better. Though, in Kawai's case, I don't think her rotten behavior can be forgiven, especially since she's oblivious about it. It'll be interesting to see how Shoya deals with her when they meet again.

- Way to get everyone's attention, Shoya. Oh god, the look on his face. Painful. You can tell he's overwhelmed and uncomfortable with everyone's else being on him. Not only that, but notably, none of them have their faces crossed out. Shoya sees their faces. They see his. He has to deal with other people again; it's now or never. What will he do? What can he say? What will they do? What will they say? God dammit, A Silent Voice, why must you tug at my heartstrings so!

- Wow, I wrote that much on just A Silent Voice? Looks like this is going to be a multi-post write-up at this rate.

Assassination Classroom chapter 103

- Chapter 104 just came out today, but I'll put off reading it for now, since it came out this week, and this write-up is for all the chapters that came last week.

- I like how Nagisa knows how to keep his cool in this situation. Most shonen protagonists would just get mad and blindly attack in a fit of rage, but Nagisa knows better to stick to the plan and not show his anger, though he is infuriated at what's happened to Kayano.

- The Nekodamanshi strategy he used against Takaoka, eh? I like that's not his endgame, though, since there's always the possibility that the God of Death already knows he's capable of it and has a counter-measure. But, in a moment of distraction, his attack will allow the others to get an opening in which to try and take him out. It's a smart plan, though risky, and Nagisa could easily lose his life if he makes one small misstep.

- Oh, so Kayano's ribs aren't broken, then? Well, she is wearing that thick protective gear, so it makes sense. Still, it clearly hurt like hell. God knows what could have happened had she not been wearing it.

- Yeah, Nagisa is still mad about it all right, but he's using that anger to hide his bloodlust. Good plan, let's see if it wo...

- OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK

- Ack, they sure miscalculated there. This guy is crazy skilled to be able to get the timing right in order to stun Nagisa WITH A CLAP and then use the surprise to quickly go and knock everyone else in the room out before they have time to react. This means that both Nagisa AND Karma are out now. Yep, Class E is screwed.

- Holy crap, the way Nagisa is twitching on the floor. Yowch.

- Well, the other teams haven't given up just yet, but I don't see what they can do outside of recapturing Bitch-sensei and retreating. Maybe Itona still has some of his old powers that can help him hold his own in a fight for a little while, and he and Terasaka could potentially make a good team, but I just don't see them turning the tables on this guy unless Korosensei and Karasuma come and bail them out.

- Okay, good, they've rescued Bitch-sensei. Now if they can just find a way to esca...

- WHAT WHAT WHAT BITCH-SENSEI HAS BETRAYED THEM WHAT WHAT WHAT

- Did not see that coming! Like, I remember there were a bunch of spoilers saying that she was gonna die or something, but I guess that was all bullshit, and nobody mentioned anything about this. It makes sense, though. Around Class E she lost sight of her old ways as an assassin and became rusty, and that's what's led her to be on thin ice with the government and Karasuma, and has gotten her nearly fired. Around them, she probably feels like she can't accomplish the assassination mission. But if she works together with the God of Death, she does have a much higher chance.

- But this is pretty ice cold of her to betray her students like that. "God of Death Skill - Instigation?" Hmm, maybe this she under some sort of mind-control or influence? I have to wonder. Of course, there's always the possibility this is a ruse to trick the God of Death and rescue the students from him. If she takes them out, then he can't, and she can prevent any of them from getting killed or seriously injured if she's careful enough. I'm looking forward to seeing which it is as the arc progresses.

Attack on Titan chapter 62

- Blah blah explaining what happened last chapter blah blah.

- Really, Erwin? You would have really been okay with sending your friends to their deaths and handing over Eren to the monarchy for their use? Yes, the monarchy had kept humanity alive until now...but they were also corrupt and much more interested in their own self-preservation than that of humanity. I get that you think it might have been better because even if half of humanity was sacrificed it still wouldn't be extinct, but sooner or later I'd expect their actions combined with dwindling resources would slowly lead humanity to extinction anyway. But I get what this is. Just self-doubts about whether what he did was the right thing. It's still a stupid thought though. There's no going back and no time for a pity parade, and It's kind of out of character for Erwin to be talking like this, since he's never been indecisive or questioned himself before. But not a bad idea to address, at any rate.

- Ho boy, for the life of me I still don't know the names and can't recognize half the characters in this series. I don't remember who this old guy is at all.

- He makes a good point, though. Erwin chose this course of action because he favored the life of himself and his friends over humanity. So he's got to take responsibility for this, and ensure that what he did was the right thing to do after all.

- All this stuff with Levi's group reads dull and basically just amounts to "we're going to rescue Eren now." Could have easily gotten all of this across in way less pages.

- Okay, so not buying that Historia's father is some sort of good guy. He's got Eren chained up and gagged for heaven's sake! It is painfully obvious he has sinister intentions.

- Oh, so Eren ate his father when he transformed into a Titan his first time, and blocked the traumatic experience from his mind until now. Okay. I'm not sure I get how he has his fathers memories....I guess because he ate him? Oh, oh, wait, actually I think I get it now! His father was a human who could transform into a Titan, and he gave Eren a drug that would turn him into a Titan. So now we know that Titan's were once human beings who were just transformed into being Titans by drugs, which explains what happened to Connie's mother all those chapters back. Anyway, then he intentionally had him eat him so that Eren would gain his ability to be a human who could become a Titan at will. Okay, yep, this is all clicking together, explains a lot. Looks like we'll finally be learning more about where the Titans came from and why soon enough.

Bleach chapter 600

- 600 chapters. That is a soul-crushing milestone. To think shit like this has lasted so long makes me fucking depressed.

- This is Bleach, so even though this is a milestone chapter and whatever, I don't think I'll have much to say about it. Or, maybe I will, if enough things piss me off.

- This chapter starts off with a bang! In that a gun is fired. And blows the top half of what's-her-name Squad Zero member's head right off. So much for being one of the most powerful warriors in all of Soul Society.

- I'm reminded now that all the black guys in Bleach just happen to be villains. Except for Yoruichi, but she doesn't ever get to do anything. In general, if you have dark skin in this manga, you are either a bad guy or you are completely ineffective.

- Lots of blood must have been in her head for that much of it to be spilling out like that.

-  This guy has yet another dumb design. All of Kubo's villains seem meant to look cool, but just come off as goofy and weird. Like, this armor-wearing guy that sort of looks like Hawkman. He looks stupid too. How can I take these guys seriously when they look like rejects from Bobobo? Actually, they aren't even worthy to be gag manga villains, since I can take Bobobo villains way more seriously than these guys. I can take a stick of yogurt gum way more seriously as a villain than these guys. A stick of yogurt gum was actually a villain in Bobobo, by the way. It didn't talk. It didn't have any powers. It was not even sentient. It was literally just a stick of yogurt gum. And yet, Jelly Jiggler's "battle" with it proved to be far more entertaining and interesting than anything that happens in Bleach these days. What was my point again? Oh yeah, Kubo's villains are inferior to sticks of yogurt gum. And I hate both yogurt and gum. Putting them together...ick. Bleach is worse than ick. Bleach makes me want to puke. What am I talking about again? Oh, right, this chapter. I have to read the rest of this. (throws up)

- What, you're seriously pissed off he killed her in front of Ywach's path? Why do you give a shit? I'm sure he's capable of walking around a dead body and a pool of blood.

- So I guess this cloak guy has psychic powers, and he uses them to roll the corpse across the floor to...somewhere else on the floor, I guess. Okay.

- I agree with this guy that these Squad Zero guys are fucking disappointing. I do not agree that there is no one who wouldn't keel over and faint at the likes of them, because if I met these guys in real life, I think I would just laugh myself to death because of how dumb they look.

- Wasted panel space! Close ups of eyes! Bleach is soooo stylish, everybody!

- Yeah, so she's not dead. So the entire first half of this chapter was classic Bleach fake-out bullshit. Wheee. And basically this whole thing was just Fake Karakura Town all over again, pretty much. And now you go and tell your enemy where the real Soul King's palace is. Smaaaarrrttt.

- A cage made out of trees, huh? That's so cool and interesting, especially because they look exactly like regular old trees and must be so easy to draw. Good work, fat chick who's name I can't remember.

- Oh god Onetsu's back. Please no.

- Onestu's schtick is not funny Kubo. He is not cool either. No one cares about him. No one cares about Squad Zero. No one cares about these grunt villains you introduced a damn chapter ago. AND NO ONE GIVES A SHIT OF SEEING THESE GUYS FIGHT WHATSOEVER. GAHHHH!!!

- And so the true battle of Squad Zero is about to start. Except that this this chapter is over now. Woo.

- Vlord was right, Bleach celebrated it's 600th chapter in a very special brand of stupid. I love how nobody important in the story got featured in this chapter all to set up a fight that no one wants to see. But I'm too tired to rant more about this crap now, so let's just move on to something better. Congrats on 600 chapters of mediocrity, Bleach. I hope to god you don't make it to 700.

Fuuka chapter 34

- I hope Fuuka is just what I need to get the horrible taste of Bleach out of my mouth.

- Hmm, looks like this will be a stand-alone chapter. Could be funny.

- When is the right time to kiss a girl? That's a tricky question. I think that Yuu should just wait until the moment feels right, and not worry about any specifics or anything.

- One thing's for sure, he should not be taking advice about this from an unromantic jock and a playboy gay man. These two are like the worst people he could ask for advice on this subject.

- See, they are giving him advice based off of stuff they've read in manga and from one-night stands. They can't help you out here, man.

-  "Check it out! This is awesome!" "What, is that a porn video?" 

- When your real friends can't give you good advice for shit, ask your twitter friends!...who you know in real life.

- Sara is yet another bad person for him to talk to about this, since she's infatuated with him and doesn't know he and Fuuka are an item yet.

- Yep, see, misunderstanding! She thinks this is a roundabout way of asking her out/giving her a love confession. This is going to be awk~waaaarrdd!!!

- "It's..TH-THE WALL SLAM!" 

- Oh god, Sara's dialogue in this chapter is fucking hysterical. I can't stop laughing. This is some good romantic comedy right here.

-  Well, in an unintentional way, looks like Sara has given Yuu the idea to do basically what I said he should do; go with the moment.

- I love how confused Sara is at what just happened. Poor girl.

- Yeah, y'know, that's right. He and Fuuka are going out. It's not weird for them to just kiss when they feel like it, and there's no reason to be worried/nervous about it, he should just do it. Go for it, Yuu-kun!

- Aw...way to wimp out, Yuu.

- D'aw...way to be awesome, Fuuka!

- I always love how Fuuka doesn't worry too much about shit and just does what her heart tells her to in the moment. She's so free-spirited, but in a good way, and that's a breath of fresh air in this climate of archetypical and cliche anime/manga romantic heroines.

- Uh oh, looks like the cat's out of the bag! Looks like everyone's going to know their dating know. Well, they couldn't keep it a secret forever, anyways. They shouldn't need to hide it either. Everyone in this manga actually acts like real people, so I doubt anyone is going to get pissy about it or anything, or really care all that much anyways.

- I like how we get to see Yuu and Fuuka deal with actual relationship issues and problems. In fact, I like the fact that they are in an official relationship, so early on into this series. So, so many other anime and manga spent their entire series teasing the characters will become a couple, and go in and out of repetitive pre-relationship non-issues and the love/hate phase way, way too much. The characters getting together is the end. We tend to never see anything after that. It's so rare to see an anime manga couple in a serious, non-comedic relationship, and deal with issues in that relationship, and see it develop past just the beginning. So I really appreciate this, and chapters like these, especially when they are well-done with a dose of reality and really darn funny to boot. Now the plot will start moving again with this week's chapter, I'm sure, but I'm just as excited to see Fuuka and Yuu's relationship develop as much as I am their music careers. This series is such an underrated gem, and I'm loving it.

- So yeah, this week's Fuuka has washed the Bleach stains out of my brain and then some. Thank you, Fuuka, thank you. So...what's next?

GTO: Paradise Lost chapter 13

- ........

- To be fair, the last chapter wasn't that bad, just kinda meh. Maybe this chapter won't be shit either? I hope so...

- Eikichi Onizuka, school-girl loving teacher vs. Sadako the Giant, yaoi-loving fan-girl. Forks vs. Knife. The match of the century.

- I did not need to know how big Onizuka's junk is. Then again...what kind of turtle are we talking about, here?

- Onizuka is still a badass, at least. Too bad this fight is lame as fuck.

- The supposedly ugly girl actually being cute is such a cliche.

- "...Sheesh. They say love is blind...but this one's deaf and mute too!"

- So, Onizuka let himself get stabbed. Yeah, I can see where this is all going. I am curious as to who this "friend" is that Onizuka is going to call. Would be nice to see one of the old students or his other pals from Shonan Junai Gumi besides Ryuuji again.

- All in all, I guess it wasn't an awful chapter. It just doesn't do much for me because this is the same kind of stuff that always happens in GTO except not as good because the other characters aren't interesting/sympathetic/likable at all. At least with chapters like this, though, I'm not bored to death, so I guess that's a step up.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan chapter 16

- I feel bad for these slaves. They just got screwed over again. Should've known that they can't trust these fucking people, though.

- HOW DARE THEY ASK FOR CIVIL RIGHTS! BURRRRNNN THEM!

- HOW DARE SHE REFUSE TO MARRY OUR KING! BURRRRNNNN HER!

- HOW DARE HE QUESTION THE LOGIC OF BURNING VALUABLE MEDICAL TEXTS! BURRRRNNNNN HIM!

-  Cliche crazy religious fanatic is cliche.

- Dull chapter, but at least Narsus and Daryun are going to kick some ass next time, hopefully.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Hinomaru Zumo chapters 1-3

- This is a Jump series that only just started recently, but has already became an overnight success, apparently. New chapters have ranked consistently in the top 5 of the magazine since it's debut. That caught my attention, so I wanted to check it out. As it happened, the first three chapters have been translated, the third one having just been released last week. So, let's dive in and see if this series is any good, shall we?

- The only series about sumo I've experienced is Matsutaro. I only watched the first episode of that one, though, and the less said about it the better. Admittedly, there wasn't any sumo in that episode, though. In any case, I can't believe a sumo manga is actually popular with Jump readers these days, though. Let's see how they make this concept work.

- Okay, so I guess the goal of the manga is to become a "Yokozuna," the highest rank in the sumo world.

- Obviously, a fat main character who looks like most sumo wrestlers would wouldn't be popular with young readers, so let's make him a muscle-buff but thin dude! At least he isn't bishonen, I guess, but still, this kind of annoys me a little. Why make a sumo manga unless you go all the way? Then again, I'm sure there are thin sumo wrestlers, so maybe I'm just nitpicking based on provincial perceptions and whatnot.

- The group shot makes me wonder if we'll see any female sumo wrestlers. I looked it up, and it IS a thing, so who knows? Probably not, though.

- This guy seems like your typical good natured comical shonen protagonist so far. Seems likable enough, though.

- I'm always amused at how pushy club activities teams are in shonen manga.

- "FOOTBALL IS FRIENDSHIP!"

- "Club Welcoming Road?" I wonder if this is meant to be some sort of absurd satire.

- Sigh...why does every sports team in shonen manga these days have to start out as "failing?" these days. I'm getting rather tired of this cliche.

- Come to think of it, haven't all the main characters in recent Jump sports manga been short and unassuming? Kuroko, Hinata, and now Hinomaru. I guess Jump readers relate better to nonathletic looking main characters who still accomplish big results, because it makes them feel they can do it too... if they work hard! I can be down with giving positive inspiration to young'uns, but at the same time I'm getting annoyed that this is becoming a whole new cliche in itself.

- ...And just like Hinata, though this guy loves Sumo, he wasn't able to play much with other people in Middle School or participate in official matches. Ehmmm.

- So it looks like a bunch of bullies turned the Sumo Dojo into a fighting ring. I think we all know where this is going...

- This Oozeki guy is pretty spineless. I think this is the most desperate a club leader I've seen in a manga.

- This Yuuma guy was in the opening spread, so I'm guessing when Hinomaru beats the shit out of him, he'll make a heel face turn and join the Sumo club.

- This is all cliche stuff so far, but pretty likable nonetheless.

- I wish that the mangaka had Oozeki fight Yuuma before Hinomaru. It's good that he does have guts, but I'd have liked too see him try and give his all to protect the club and his teammate by himself before Hinomaru came and helped out.

- But I like how Hinomaru's won by not fighting. He just stood there in one place and took his blows for fifteen minutes straight, never budging in inch or showing any pain. Considering sumo wrestlers do need to have that kind of resilience, that's kind of a cool thing to show.

- Damn! That was one serious headbutt!

- Looks like this Yuuma guy does have a sense of honor after all. A loss is a loss. Well, like I said, I'm pretty sure he's going to join the sumo club, so he needs to have some redeemable qualities.

- Alright! Chapter two...start!

- I like the dichotomy between Oozeki's description of the school and it's actual appearance.

- Lol, delinquents.

- The delinquents are scared of the sumo club, huh? Hmm...

- Now these are what I think of when I think of sumo wrestlers! Big, bald fat and muscle-buff guys!

- Oh, so they went to the wrong school. That makes sense. I couldn't imagine Oozeki training with these guys.

- And they just happen to be the second strongest team in Kanto! Oh ho, of course they are.

- I guess that stomping thing is way, way more difficult than it looks.

- So Hinomaru was famous back in elementary school, huh? Maru the Demon.

- Oh, looks like we'll see an actual sumo match now! It's the classic "if I lose I will quit" schtick, so obviously Hinomaru will win, but this should be interesting to see regardless.

- Chapter 3, welp, I'm pretty sure this match ain't going to be only one chapter long, but let's see how much happens.

- I like that the main character acknowledges his weaknesses compared to other sumo wrestlers, namely his height and mass, and that's why he actually wasn't able to do much in middle school. But he used those three years to train himself and erase that handicap with experience.

- Though, as I said, this concept has been done before, I do find this execution very palatable and enjoyable.

- Also, I guess I was wrong about this match going to last more than this chapter after all. Hooray for good pacing!

- Wait, ah man, does this mean I'm done already? But...I want to read more...

- So, overall, while a typical set-up for a shonen sports manga so far, with the expected situations and cliches, Hinomaru Zumo still managed to entertain me with it's simple but likable characters and excellent artwork and action sequences. In fact, if I were to compare these three chapters to the first three chapters of both Kuroko and Haikyuu!, I would actually say I enjoyed them more, and that this series has started off much stronger for me than they did. Part of it is because it's focus is only on a few main characters so far, unlike the other two, which introduced the other cast quickly early on. Another thing, though, is a simple combination of good artwork, pacing, and the execution of it's story telling elements, which made for a much better page-turning experience. Haikyuu! is better as an anime, from what I've seen, and the manga starts off super slow for me and the combination of it's messy art, cluttered panels, and somewhat overuse of tired shonen gags makes it very difficult for me to marathon read it, which is why when I do try to I usually only get through a chapter before stopping for the day. Kuroko had a much more addictive quality at the start thanks to good pacing and an interesting concept, but it also took a while for me to grow to actually care about Kuroko and Kagami. Perhaps it's because these are character archetypes that I can get more into, but I already do want to see more of Hinomaru, and see what kind of character arcs Oozeki and Yuuma go through. Perhaps this is also why Jump readers have latched on to this series much faster than they did Kuroko and Haikyuu! as well. At any rate, while it's too soon to tell whether this series will be good or not in the long run, or whether it will evolve beyond the basic shonen series cliches and tropes it's presented so far , I can say that it has got my attention and makes me want to read more of it, and I look forward to keeping up with this series and see where it goes from now.

Magi chapter 242

- Like Judar, I too wonder what's happening in the capital now that Hakuryu has taken it over. After all, people aren't just going to accept him taking the throne this easily.

- Ah, martial law. Hakuryu is already off to a fine start as a tyrant.

- Hmm, Hakuryu got the two generals that once served by the previous emperor on his side, huh? How'd he manage that?

- So Hakuryu got two new metal vessels, and used them to mind-control Al Thamen magicians to side with him. Judar seems oddly annoyed by the fact he doesn't have any allies who legitimately sided with him by their free will, though Hakuryu doesn't seem to really care about it.

- ...Don't we already know everything about Hakuryu's backstory? Do we really need to see it again?

- Okay, who says things like that? Hakuryu must have been quite the precocious brat.

- ...Not digging how Hakuryu is just narrating his backstory like this. It's lame enough that it's nothing that we already didn't know, but couldn't Ohtaka at least just shown instead of having everything be told like this? That would have been a much more interesting way to read all this.

- Well, I guess we know for sure that Gyokuen is actually still alive.

- Some people have been comparing him to Sasuke, but I don't see it outside of the basic gist of both of them wanting revenge and getting it by killing a former loved on. Imo, Hakuryu is a revenge-driven character done right, with objectives beyond just revenge, and a much more interesting personality and self-awareness.

- I really wish this chapter was less narration heavy, though, because it was kind of boring to read overall. Eh, maybe next time things will pick up again.

Magi: Adventure of Sinbad chapters 36-37

- Now on to the prequel series.

- Dragul is back in Partevia, and it's seen better days.

- Looks like Serendine is about to be wed off to Barbarossa. Dragul will probably be able to intercept her before then, though.

- Yep, reunion.

- I'm assuming their escape attempt wont end well, as this set-up seems to demand failure so that Dragul can find reason to ally with Sinbad once again.

- Serendine is very pragmatic, it seems.

- Whoa...Drakon's brother is Seto Kaiba!

- I know this guy has an actual name, but fuck it, he looks like Kaiba, I'm calling him Kaiba.

- "Big brother, isn't copyright infringement against the rules?" "Screw the rules, I have a fair use policy!"

- I think trying to kill your brother in cold blood is much more rude, dude. Give Moku...er, Drakon a break!

- Four Heavenly Generals? At least they aren't based on or named after the 4 Holy Beasts for the umpteenth time in a shonen series.

- The fuck kind of name is Zayzafoon?

- Why is there a little kid a general in this army? And what kind of horrible parents would give their kid the name Rotter?

- Remember kids, if someone is giving a creepy grin in a manga/anime series, 99% of the time they will turn out to be sadists. That, or they're insane. Or both.

- This guy fights using rats? He must be rotten, then.

- So the rats crawl all over him and transform him into a giant rat-thing? That's probably the weirdest power I've seen in this series yet.

- Looks like Drakon is about to activate his Household Vessel powers.

- Ho, Serendine's handmaids can kick ass!

- Oh. Well, that didn't last long.

- Drakon has his dragon arms now! It'll probably take a while, but I can't wait to see how his entire body ends up like we see it in the main series.

- So Rotter was once a street rat, and now he's an actual giant rat. The irony.

- Uh oh, looks like Kaiba's pissed. But he's Kaiba, so he's like emo-pissed. 

- Oh no, Kaiba has an Egyptian God car-er, I mean a Metal Vessel!

- For a second there I was expecting his Djinn Equip to make him look like Obelisk the Tormentor. How hilarious would that have been? He sorta looks like he's wearing the Wing Dragon of Ra's armor, though.

- That's right Drakon, it's time to DO DO DUEL, DO DO DUEL, DUUUUUUUEEEEELLLLLLL!!!!

- Except not right now, because the chapter is over.

Magic Kaito chapters 31-32

- I can't believe it's been over two years since the last Magic Kaito chapters were released. Good to have you back Kaito!...for three chapters, at least.

- Kaito remembering the poker face speech from the first chapter? Geez, this surely can't be an obvious attempt to tie in with the first episode of the new anime, is it now?

- Kaito Kid is always fabulous.

- Hah! Hakuba and Nakamori sure got Kaito fooled.

- "I only told Aoko I had a cold, so how does Kid know?" I love how clueless Nakamori is.

- Double disguise? That's all it took to fool them. Maybe they were expecting something more flashy from Kid. Still, I guess nobody would really think Kid would use such a strategy, and the fact he knocked out the guy he was impersonating led credibility to the ruse.

- I guess this "old guy" will be the antagonist for this new mini-arc.

- Oh Hakuba, if only you knew what you've just done? 

- The Hedgehog is not a very intimidating name for a villain.

- That's one heck of an "anti-freezing system" you've got there, Kaito. 

- Kaito Corbeau? Kid has a dark counterpart now?

- Ah man, I just love how Kid's encounter with Corbeau mirrors the first time Conan encountered Kid. Awesome nod.

- Whoa, looks like this guy was one of Kaito's father's peers.

- And he's just as skilled as Kaito, if not moreso. This should be an interesting face-off.

- Oh, look who's home!

- I have a feeling Kaito's mother is actually Corbeau. I mean, she's been in Las Vegas this whole time, and Corbeau apparently got his start there, so...

- Well, looks like Kaito's figured out Corbeau's trick! Can't wait to see him go toe to toe with the guy in the next chapter. It's really too bad we don't get new Magic Kaito chapters that often. It's such a fun series.

Naruto chapter 695

- Naruto, on the other hand, is the antithesis of a fun series.

- Welp, so we're finally at the long-awaited rematch between Naruto and Sasuke. This shit has been built up for ten fucking years, over 450 chapters. Let's see if it's worth it...(though I already know it won't be)...

- Their arm bones should already be broken from that impact, but okay, manga-logic and whatnot.

- Move forward, step back! The classic strategy!

- The fuck is with the cover spread? Realistic looking Naruto and Sasuke look horrifying. And horrible. I can fucking see the brush and ink strokes, and it looks ugly as fuck. Bleck.

- ...It strikes me that I can't find anything to say about the action in this chapter. It's just kinda dull and there. I guess the Susanoo and Naruto's Jinchuriki form clashing fists is kind of a neat page, but it seems a bit quick that things escalated to this point already.

- Oh god, flashbacks. FLASHBACKS. WHY NOW THE FIGHT WAS NOT EVEN TEN PAGES LONG GOD DAMMIT.

- They seriously just wasted five pages on flashbacks.

- Blah blah I don't want to kill you blah blah you are mah friend blah blah.

- Just turn your back on him Naruto. Sasuke deserves no second chances. He is an asshole.

- EXPLOSIONS!!! WOOO!!!!

- ...The fuck? Are they in some sort of spirit form now? And the fight is over now? Are you telling me, that people have waited TEN fucking years and 450 fucking chapters for a one chapter fight where one fourth of it was completely wasted on flashbacks and repetitive dialogue?

- ....

- ....

- ...

-...Fuck you, Naruto.

-...Fuck you, Kishimoto.

- ...Fuck you, Weekly Shonen Jump.

- ...FUCK THIS SERIES AND EVERYBODY WHO ASSOCIATES WITH IT. YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. IN THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF DON PATCH:



- Nah, but, seriously, that was some super lame shit. And now we have to endure more lame Talk no Jutsu for the remaining chapters, I bet. Ugh...

Oishii Kamishama chapters 1-2

- Geez, Tohru Fujisawa is really spreading himself thin, isn't he? This makes, what, 4 currently running manga he's drawing? And yet none of them are good. Well, no, 2 of them aren't good. I still can't judge much of Shonan Seven because only the first chapter has been translated. As for this series, well, let's find out right now. I'm not keeping my fingers crossed, but hey, at least it's not another delinquent manga/GTO spinoff from him, so at least it will be different...

- A story about a god that resides in trout sushi? This is my kind of concept. Please let this be good.

- Uh, I'm confused. Who is talking in this scene?

- ...Could've done without a fanservice scene, especially this early on. Mmm...not a good omen.

- Wait, the fuck, that was an entire chapter? That was only, like, 8 pages! And nothing happened! What, was that fanservice scene supposed to be the entire joke of the chapter? Because if it was, well, it sure was not funny I'll tell you that much.

- ...Maybe the second chapter will be better.

- Okay...so there's a different god in this chapter. The god of the Loach pot.

- ...Nothing happened in this one either. Just the God explaining the history of the Loach pot. And another stupid fanservice scene.

- ...I guess the only point of this manga is to promote local cuisine. It's basically a glorified advertisement for obscure japanese dishes. It's humorless and there's certainly not going to be any plot to speak of, as far as I can tell. Yeah...another dud by Fujisawa, it seems. Won't keep up with this.

[LumRanmaYasha]

One Piece chapter 763

- So it seems that after Doflamingo's family became former Tennryubito, they were ostracized and tortured by those they used to abuse. Very karmic.

- Dang, this is some messed up stuff. Doflamingo got a fucking arrow shot into his chest. No wonder he's so fucked up.

- Yeah, he was clearly traumatized by this stuff. It's interesting to see Doflamingo be so vulnerable like this, haunted by the memories of his past. Having once had everything, he was cast into a life of misery when he was still a young child, who didn't really know that the life he was living was at the expense of others until he suffered the same treatment he once gave them. Instead of humbling him, though, that just made him desire returning to the top and reclaiming his status again above all else, and this explains his overall ambition to become so powerful that his way of life couldn't be put at risk again, explaining his vast network of connections and various enterprises, which serve to protect him and maintain his wealth and influence.

- Yeah...Doflamingo wrought his own misfortune all right. Because of his upbringing, his way of the world was so radically different as a Tenrubito that he didn't understand that all of it came at the expense of people who were just as human as he was. And because of his behavior, he ended up costing his family an innocuous life, and for the first time in his life he felt things like hunger. Though his father was the one who gave up their status as nobles, it was his naivety and warped view of the world that actually forced him into a horrible childhood, led his mother to her death, cost his brother his voice, and of course, led him to kill his own father. Essentially, he destroyed his entire life and family, all by just telling people that he was once a tenryubtio, and trying to force them to bow down. That's some harsh shit.

- Like I expected, Corazon didn't tell on Law. I wonder what his reason not to was.

- I enjoy seeing how the Doflamingo family used to operate. Especially since a lot in this montage shows that they really considered themselves a genuine family. My favorite scene in this sequence is when Law and Baby 5 are fighting that big pirate and nearly get killed, but Doflamingo comes along and rescues them, and though he doesn't comfort them directly, there's this look on his face that shows that he wasn't going to let anyone hurt one of his own, and just lets a  crying Baby 5 continue clinging to his leg. I also love these scenes where the family is teaching Law things, some of them showing him tough love, but it really does seem they care about him. There are quite a few villain groups in OP that we've seen be close to each other, but never quite as intimately as we're seeing here.

- Yeah, so Law is a D. Shocker. I'm curious as to the significance of his surname,  Water, since he makes a point of mentioning that it's taboo for him to acknowledge it for some reason.

- Wait, Corazon can speak? Huh, I wonder why he would hide this from people, especially his own brother?

- Why is it dangerous for a D like Law to be near Doflamingo. I guess this secret is what ends up causing the fallout of events from here, which leads Law to be indebted to Corazon and Corazon to lose his life.

- This was a pretty great chapter, actually. I liked the layers to Doflamingo and the Doflamingo family, and seeing how Law integrated as a genuine member of the family. I'm very interested in seeing how this develops.

One-Punch Man chapter 56

- Ha, Genos exploded a fire-extinguisher on the metal man!.

- Uh, I don't the city is going to be pleased that you've flooded it, Genos.

- Ooh, a makeshift steam cover! Clever!

- I find it hard to say anything else about this chapter, since it's short and most of it was focused on the fight between Genos and the metal man. It was excellent action as ever, though, and a treat to read, but I find myself more interested in seeing how Saitama will convince King to truly live up to his status as a hero, so I hope we focus more on them in the next chapter.

Peephole chapter 42

- Looks like there's a new character, and this guy seems to be a crazy back-alley surgeon.

- He's apart of the yakuza group that Miyachi took out last time, eh? I guess we've found our new antagonist for this arc.

- This guy is connected to Fujiura somehow? Uh oh.

- Whoa, this guy is fucked up. It seems he's a killer out for Miyachi's heart. Both figuratively and literally.

- He just hung a guy to death. This Sakaki guy is merciless.

- "My...Hole..." What the hell kind of line is that? Weird.

- Haruko is out of the story for a while, I guess. I'm sure she'll be back in due time to try and out Miyachi and Kurosu's murders at some point, though.

- TWINS WHO LOOK JUST LIKE FUJIURA? OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT

- Kurosu is so screwed. I guess Fujiura's entire family was a family of psycopaths, and now they're all after him. I'm guessing Sakaki is also a relative of hers too. Ho boy, I can tell this will be one crazy, messed-up arc, all right.

The Seven Deadly Sins chapter 97

- You are very sad, Elizabeth. Girl, you should be pissed the fuck off! Hendricksen fucking killed Hawk goddamit!

- It makes much more sense why Hendricksen needed her as a sacrifice now that we know she's a disciple of the goddess.

- ENERGY FIELD BATTLE!

- This scene reminds me of when Gohan unlocked his hidden power and became a Super Saiyan 2, for some reason.

- Looks like Elizabeth released some sort of energy that is healing everyone's wounds and rejuvenating plant life.

- I guess her power is able to bring people back to life too? Hey, in that case maybe Hawk will come back to li-

-

- ...Oh.

- I guess she can't bring people back to life, then. That's good. Limits to her power, and whatnot.

- DROP KICK!

- Geez, that sure left a mark!

- THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ARE HERE! Except there's only five of them...and one of them isn't in the panel for some reason...so four...yeah...

- Some people have criticized the development of Elizabeth's healing powers as a cliche. Yeah, it is, and definitely convenient in turning the tide of the battle back in the favor of the heroes. However, this twist has been set up since the earliest chapters of this series and been foreshadowed at several points. Moreover, it explains details as to why Hendricksen needed her, specifically, as a sacrifice, and why he was cautious about her, which clears up that plot detail. Moreover, in the context of the moment, her powers did not resolve the crises that awakened them - Hawk's death. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Hawk will be brought back to life, somehow, but it's clear that 1. Elizabeth can't bring people back to life and 2. She doesn't know how to control her powers in the first place. Instead, this plays as a favorable accident, and this development should allow Elizabeth, who is the least developed member of the main cast, to finally have an avenue in which to get better character development. Her role as a "healer" is definitely a cliche archetype, but one that I could see interesting things being done with if handled correctly.

- This chapters reminds me that Sins, despite how much I do like it, is a very straightforward battle-shonen in every respect, arguably even "generic." In fact, watching the early material in the anime reminds me of how boring it was in the beginning because of that. I really didn't like this series at first, but somehow, though it hasn't done anything I haven't seen in other series before, the combination of all it's elements, and general good writing, make it something I not only enjoy reading on a week to week basis, but something I'm excited to do so. I've said this before, but Sins is a typical shonen, but a well-done one nonetheless. It's written competently and follows through on it's set-ups and character arcs, and knows to prioritize good story and characters over epic action or coolness or whatever. It might be generic, but not in any bad ways, and hence manages to be very enjoyable to read. While I'm not crazy about this chapter and the development in it's self, because it was executed correctly and soundly story-wise, and as such, there's not much I can fault it for. In fact, I'm looking forward to the next chapter, and seeing the Sins and friends take out Hendricksen once and for all. While Sins is a basic battle-shonen in most respects, it also is one that genuinely entertains, and really, that's all I care about anyway.

Shokugeki no Soma chapter 89

- Rip that contract! Yeah!

- I like how Mimasaka just suddenly starts referring to himself in the third person.

- Oh god, Soma is having Mimasaka taste his dish.

- Yep. YEP. Here it comes!

- FLASHBACK!...not what I was expecting. I thought we'd just see the usual ecstasy moment, but I guess that'll come later. 

- Young Mimasaka has some huge lips, geez.

- I guess big lips run in the family.

- Of course Mimasaka has daddy issues. 

- Huh, you mean THAT's how Mimasaka adopted his copycat strategy? His father was just a dick to him after he improved his dish and sent him away to Tootsuki, and he came to the conclusion that meant his father was worried that he would outshine him? I was expecting something...actually, I wasn't expecting a backstory for Mimasaka at all. How Mimasaka got to his way of thinking just kind of feels a bit contrived.

- Yay, everyone is getting their cooking tools back! The part where a total stranger thanks Soma for helping her get back a memento from her mother that Mimasaka confiscated is a nice scene.

-  Mimasaka: "I'm going to stop cooking now" Soma's response: smack him on the head with a karate chop.

- Woo, Takumi is prideful, and he wants a rematch with Mimasaka! It looks like he and Mimasaka might become rivals.

- Oh now here we go, ecstasy scene~

- OH GOD YES YES YES YES I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING YES!

- God is this series awesome.

- Oh Erina, you tsundere, you.

- Aw yeah, now it's time for Akira vs. Kurokiba! This should be one hell of a badass cooking match. Yeah, I know Akira is probably going to win so that Soma can have his rematch with him...but who the fuck cares, like the Mimasaka match the execution is going to make this fucking awesome. I can't wait! 

Shuriken to Pleats chapter 1

- This is a new series from the creator of Vampire Knight. I have not seen much of VK, and I did not like what I have seen, but since it's one of the most popular modern shojo, I figured I should at least try and check out the author's newest work, since it'll probably become a hit too. Who knows, maybe it will actually be good?

- Okay, so this series takes place during the Meiji Restoration. Thank god this isn't another shojo set in a High School.

- Oh...scratch that, this series takes place in the time period...but the setting is in London, not Japan. I'm pretty sure schools existed in England back then...so...not out of the woods yet.

- Maids. Another bad sign.

- Ninja Maids. Less of a bad sign.

- This girl's overprotective attitude towards her master has raises more red flags.

- Wow, that was some clunky exposition. Who the hell would say something like that in that situation?

- So she's a ninja for hire? This is an interesting concept.

- So she met the guy when she was a little girl...uh oh. Another red flag.

- This guy sure likes to mention the fact his wife and daughter are dead a whole lot, doesn't he?

- This guy's wife was japanese. What a small world.

- Ugh...I do not appreciate this cliche shojoshit dialogue.

- This is not stuff real people say.

- OH OF COURSE SHE'S JUST LIKE HIS DECEASED WIFE 

- UGH UGHHH UGHHHHHH

- This is not a good foundation for a romance.

- Well...at least he doesn't have romantic feelings for her...at least for now. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time in a shojo that the father-figure ends up being the romantic love interest...

- Aw, of course, she's going to go to fucking school. In Japan no less. Because a series about ninjas working in the shadows of mid-19th century London is soooo less interesting. 

- Well...he's dead. Okay.

- That's convenient.

- ...That looks absolutely nothing like Meiji era Japan.

- I guess there's still going to be ninja action...supposedly

- Yeah...this is a generic as fuck shojoshit in all the worst ways. Not interested.

Toriko chapter 296

- All right, last series, Toriko! Finally...

- I still can't believe there's a fucking shark who's body is a train in this series. Now that's just silly. 

- And the end of it's body there's a large caboose that conveniently can house everyone's giant animal pets? Come on. 

- "GIANT SEA URCHINS ARE RAINING DOWN ON US!"

- What, that's flower pollen? Must be from one giant-ass flower, then.

- Hoo...looks like they don't call it the gigantic continent for nothing!

- It's as big as the entire size of our earth? Daaaammnnn....

- UH OH KILLER MONKEYS

- Shoot first, ask questions later!

- Zebra don't follow your shitty rules, ass-face! Zebra MAKES the rules. No, he IS the rule! He don't conform to you, you adapt to him!

- That monkey sure had one death heck of a death wish. No one who fucks with Zebra lives to tell about it.

- That said, he called out for help before he died, so the gang is in some hot water now. I can't wait to see to see how things escalate from here.

.....

And, I'm done. That took for-fucking-ever. I've basically been writing this on and off throughout the whole day. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice change from what I usually do, and I had fun with it. But yeah...I don't think I'll be doing this kind of thing very often.

Rankings:

1. A Silent Voice - 10/10
2. Assassination Classroom - 9.5/10
3. One Piece - 9/10
4. Shokugeki no Soma - 9/10
5. Fuuka - 9/10
6. Magic Kaito - 8.5/10
7. Hinomaru Zumo - 8/10
8. Toriko - 8/10
9. Magi: Adventure of Sinbad - 8/10
10. Peephole - 8/10
11. One-Punch Man - 8/10
12. The Seven Deadly Sins - 7/10
13. Attack on Titan - 7/10
14. Magi - 7/10
15. The Heroic Legend of Arslan - 6/10
16. GTO: Paradise Lost - 5/10
17. Shuriken to Pleats 1/10
18. Naruto - 1/10
19. Oishii Kamishama - 1/10
20. Bleach - 1/10

This was actually a pretty bad week. Not irredeemable, obviously, but exceptionally and surprisingly below average. Almost half of these series were mediocre or shit this week, and half of the rest were only just good, but not great. I would the series in my top 5 for this week were highly enjoyable and legitimately great enough to make up for that, in terms of how much I enjoyed them outweighing how much I didn't the worst stuff here, but this was definitely one of the weakest weeks I've experienced in a long, long time. Of the three new series I tried out this week, the only one I'll be keeping tabs on is Hinomaru Zumo, since that made a good first impression on me. The other two were terrible, though. Rather I didn't even try them. But, trial and error is the only way to discover good new stuff, after all. And there's still a heck of a lot I have on my list to look into in the future.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Nice impressions.

The silliest part about Naruto is after everything he has gained, there is no chance Sasuke should be anywhere near his league, but Kishimoto has never been consistent in regards to anything regarding strength or techniques. At least this series will be over soon. Hopefully Bleach won't be too far after it.

[Rynnec]

- ...The fuck? Are they in some sort of spirit form now? And the fight is over now? Are you telling me, that people have waited TEN fucking years and 450 fucking chapters for a one chapter fight where one fourth of it was completely wasted on flashbacks and repetitive dialogue?

You know, as much crap as we all (deservedly) give Naruto, at least there was a chance, however small, where we could all say that "well, at least that final battle was awesome!" and lo and behold, Kishimoto couldn't even get that right.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Actually, that fight being unbelievably (and mercifully) short sounds like a good thing to me. I say this because Kishimoto has NEVER been good with drawing fights. His art style for action scenes is way too all over the place and hard to follow, and his concept of "strategy" is just to give each a guy a new super powerful ninjutsu that you never heard of until just now because he made it up on the spot. And hell, the ninjutsu aren't even creative anymore. It's just some more powerful use of a Chakra that is more "explodey" than the previous attacks, and the battle just comes down to whoever is the more important character is going to win. I hate how long some of these battles have lasted since they are actually more boring to endure than even the main story, which in and of itself can at least be amusing to rip to shreds for how badly written it is. So, yeah, I'm glad that this fight is short. It was never going to be good, anyways. Hell, the first fight between those 2 was pretty lame, IMO. It just came down to them trading a few blows and then using their special attacks on each other, but Sasuke won....just because Kishimoto has a hard-on for him or something.

Also, this goes without saying, but Sasuke is one of the most horrendously written characters in all of fiction. The fact that he even still has a fan base (Korra even had one to begin with) almost makes me lose my faith in manga and anime fans entirely. That said, if you've ever wanted to see a version of his character archetype done right, that can easily be summed up in just one name: Kurapika.

Seriously, I could do an entire blog or even a series just picking apart everything done so badly about Sasuke's character that Kurapika from HXH just nails down perfectly. The thing is that, Kishimoto definitely intended for you to sympathize with Sasuke, but he's such a despicable character that you just end up loathing him. Kurapika is a legitimately likable character despite being the dark and brooding type, and unlike Sasuke, his character development actually makes fucking sense.