Currently Running Manga Discussion

[Angus]

CLAMP did the moe thing back when magical girls were still in the shojo category (Magic Knight Rayearth and Cardcaptor Sakura) and long before the dating sim trend ruined it. A lot of their stuff also pokes light fun at the different genres, although something like Tsubasa gets to be rather tedious in anime form. I don't see how anyone who isn't a Cardcaptor Sakura and CLAMP fan would find it more than average since it's very Kingdom Hearts / House of Mouse in mixing characters. As for Code Geass, they only did the character design.

[Foggle]

Is anyone else reading Billy Bat? I just started. It's Urasawa's newest manga and it's fucking awesome.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

This week's chapter of Bakuman left things off at an interesting set-up. It looks like Ashirogi is going to focus on trying to crush Nanamine's first serialized work with PCP, showing him just who has more experience as a writer and an artist. Also, is it just me, or did Nanamine make a Light/Kira style smile on that one panel when he was talking to his editor, Kosugi? Yup, he definitely feels like a Death Note character in many regards.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Things are definitely heating up in this arc. I'm especially interested to note that only Yoshida and Eiji [and Hattori to an extent], seemed to notice the flaws of Nanamine's work (although Kosugi was the first to spot something felt off)... In truth, it's pretty much what I figured, there's a lot of flash and the illusion of depth, but when you get down to it there's not a lot of meat to it. Not to mention the lack of heart which probably comes from the surplus of cooks in the kitchen.

I think as it goes along these problems will become more and more obvious to everyone, as they frequently do in most similar works in manga, TV, movies, and what have you. Those things rarely tend to have much longevity.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Now this chapter was downright intense and exciting. The phone conversation at the end of the chapter is really a terrific scene in which Ashirogi and Nanamine declare war on each other, with Ashirogi saying that they will take responsibility and get his series canceled within 10 weeks by crushing him in the reader's poles. While I don't really know if they'll be able to take him down that quickly, I'm willing to bet they'll still follow through eventually, though I'm expecting his series to initially take the lead over them until it steadily starts to decline in quality.

I also wanted to point out that this scene in its own way felt very reminiscent of a Death Note-like moment, sort of like when Light and L (and in the 2nd arc Light and Near) declared war on each other (albeit in a much more indirect way, though).

[Spark Of Spirit]

10 weeks seems a bit fast for me, but I find it more likely he'll collapse under the pressure first. He is going to be in over his head soon enough. I agree, this was a great chapter and leaves me anticipating what will happen next.

Other than Enigma, I don't think there is a single manga in jump that touches Bakuman in quality right now.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'd actually argue that One Piece is higher in quality for those who are invested in the characters and the overall adventure aspect of the series, but to be fair that's on an overall basis more than a current one, since the current arc is moving a bit slow right now (but then again I'm still getting used to the slower but normal series pace after the intense major arc that ended the first part of the story before the time-skip). Still, to be honest, I kind of anticipate the next week's OP chapter each week more than I do for Bakuman (especially with Jinbei finally reappearing at the end of last week's chapter), but I still enjoy both series.

I'd like to be highly anticipating HXH every week, but the bastard Togashi hasn't said a word of when he will end the current hiatus (if ever). I just re-read chapter 310 and it seriously pisses me off at how big of a cliffhanger he left off at. I'd at least be able to stomach his constant hiatuses if the guy would only do them each time he ended an arc, but he's still on the same fucking arc and left off at a completely pivotal point in the story, so it really ticks me off.

[Spark Of Spirit]

OH SHIT AT THE LAST PAGE OF BAKUMAN

I did not see that coming! Great idea!

I can't wait to see what happens next. 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Hmmmm....Could that be Nakai?....Nah, that's ridiculous....Aha! I see through your ploy to try and deceive us Mr. Death Note author. It must be Koogi!

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'm just wondering what it was that brought him back. He didn't seem interested in manga at all the last time we saw him.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Wow, Nakai really let himself go....I mean even more than before....

Heh, It looks like Nanamine is already in denial about the problems with his series based on his method of doing things. Its also pretty risky of him to lie to his online pals about getting ranked in 1st place when they really only got 2nd.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Poor Nakai really hit rock bottom. He really needs to wake up before he kills himself.But at least he realizes what a bad idea Nanamine's plan is and how it's wrong.

Nanamine to me now feels like someone who paints over the rust on his car. It may look better for a while, but it's still there and it will only get worse.

[Spark Of Spirit]

 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, I can't say that I didn't see this coming. Honestly though I'm a bit disappointed that Ashirogi isn't really beating him because they are making PCP even better than before. Its because, as everyone already knows, his way of doing things is not the real way to make a manga, and as I predicted earlier this idea has already come crashing down on him. Still....damn, I didn't expect him to decline in quality THIS quickly. Its great to see him get such a slap in the face for his extreme cocky-ness, though. I love when he tried to challenge Ashirogi to do the same type of story and see who was more popular, and Takagi was just responded something like: "....You're on thin straws, aren't you....?"

And it doesn't look like it took Nakai too long to revert back into being a douche-bag. It was nice to see him just cower away from trying to show off to Aoki, though, when he saw her with Hiramaru.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I just love how fast everything came crashing down like that. That's how fragile his plan was, and he didn't bank on Nakai being such a fragile idiot. Here's hoping this leads to a wake up call to both of them, because what's happening is just plain embarrassing.

Yeah, it's kind of a shame Ashirogi wasn't the one to do it, but it did prove that he was no where near their league. Or any other of the Bakuman mangaka for that matter. Even when Nakai was serialized he was doing better than this.