Currently Running Manga Discussion

[LumRanmaYasha]

Meh, whatever. Point taken.

[LumRanmaYasha]

New promo for the Assassination Classroom anime.

Meh, this is still looking like it'll be a bleh adaption. The animation is stiff, the character designs don't mesh well with the backgrounds, the delivery of the voice acting isn't terribly interesting...I have a feeling a lot of people who have heard good things about AC are going to be mighty disappointed in this anime, especially since the first 30-ish chapters of the series were a slow burn already, and if they only adapt the stuff at a gradual pace in this anime with the blah qualities displayed in this promo, I have a feeling it won't hold many people's interests. Shame, considering how big this series could have gotten if it had got an exceptional anime adaption that polished the source material's early rough edges and highlighted it's great parts even more. But Seiji Kishii just has to ruin that, I guess.

This promo isn't even exciting. Compare this with the Shokugeki no Soma promo that was released earlier this day. Now THAT's how you hype up a series, dammit. The difference is night and day.

I could be wrong, but yeah, I'm already expecting a whole bunch of "meh" reactions towards the AC anime. That disappoints me, especially since the manga is one of two that I can for sure count on to give me an exceptionally entertaining chapter every week right now, but oh well. Just goes to show; when it comes to most series, the manga is nearly always the way to go. 

[LumRanmaYasha]

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014



#10: Detective Conan chapter #896: "Scarlet Return"

SHUICHI. AKAI. IS. BACK.

I really can just sum up why this chapter was amazing in that one simple sentence, can I? This year was Detective Conan's 20th anniversary, and while for the most part it wasn't a dramatic turn from the norm of the series, it did have a lot of great moments worthy of the milestone, this BY FAR being the biggest and best one of them. But really, it was all in the build up to this that made this so, so awesome. Not just within this chapter, but the years, and years of speculation, hints, teases, all leading up to this one glorious moment. The "death" of Akai was a moment that changed the game for DC, and now so has his return.  The series has become noticeably more plot-focused as of late. That is to say, while we've still had many one-off cases, they are all at least tangentially tied with Conan's current goals trying to decipher who Rum is. I feel the series is going in a more focused direction now, and the Scarlet Suspicion arc was the game-changer that's made that happened.

To focus on this chapter by itself, I just love the tension in the scenes with Okiya and Bourbon. At this point we, the audience, know that Okiya has been Akai in disguise all this time. So with Bourbon pressuring him, his forces right outside the door of Kudo manor, we have to wonder how - how is he going to get out of this? And when, when will he reveal his true identity? What is Conan going to do? And then we have Bourbon's forces chasing down Jodie Starling and Andre Camel, at their wits end and backs towards the wall. It just seems hopeless on both sides. And then... BAM! SHOCK! HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT! FUCK YEAH! Amazing.

The subsequent chapter is another awesome one, paying off on the reveal of this one as well as providing a fitting conclusion to the Bourbon storyline and setting up interesting things for the future of the series. But I put this chapter on here because it's really that moment; that sweet, sweet payoff to years and years of build up and chapters of intensity and "oh shit" peril, all building up to the return of the series' greatest badass in one glorious moment of awesome. By far the most satisfying and memorable moment in this string of incredible Conan chapters, and one of the greatest I've had the pleasure of reading all this year. Thank you, Detective Conan. Even after 20 years, you still know how to get me invested in a mystery like few other series can.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Okay....we have a serious problem here.

Kodansha has officially announced that they are suspending the release of Vinland Saga volume 6. No word when it's going to come out. They say it's only temporary but then they give Amazon a release date of 2017. I'm sure that's a placeholder and such, but it still doesn't sit right with me.

But it's one thing that they've suspended the releases of the series for now. They were catching up as it is. No, there's another, much worrying issue here. I was curious so I went on the ANN forum topic for this to see what people thought and saying about this news, and then I ended up coming across this post from a Vertical representative back during a survey thread:



That's right - apparently the Vinland Saga releases have been a total FLOP. They aren't selling well at all for Kodansha. The compared series, Wolfsmund, is also one of Vertical's worst-selling titles, which doesn't reflect well on how much better VS might be doing.

This news makes me worry that Kodansha might simply cancel further releases of Vinland Saga and drop the license altogether. Which, if the title really isn't selling well for them, I can't fault them for, but oh my god HOW HAS VINLAND SAGA NOT BEEN DOING WELL? Sure, whatever, maybe historical fiction is a hard sell but VS has so many appealing qualities that I'd think people would jump right on. Considering that Berserk still sells extremely well even though it only releases one volume a year nowadays, and VS has many similar qualities to Berserk in terms of it's great action and strong storytelling and rich world, I'd have thought this would have been a series that would have quickly gathered a reputation and sell, sell, sell. And it has gotten plenty of critical acclaim. Every review I've read for every volume has been glowing with praise. So how, HOW has VS managed to stay off peoples' radar? It'd be one thing if it was a great manga that only sells okay because it's somewhat of a niche title, like Bride's Story. But how, HOW could it sell so badly it is considered a FLOP? How can such a great manga that everyone has praised and praised, with quality releases with great page quality and released in glorious hardcover, not find an audience? How do we live in a world where fucking Nisekoi is a best-seller and Vinland Saga is a flop? How the fuck does that even happen? GOD DAMMIT AAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

....sorry, sorry...I am just...SO pissed off right now. Hopefully Kodansha continues with the Vinland Saga releases sometime soon. At least release volume 6, dammit. Since I already had pre-ordered it and everything, and whatnot.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Because otaku talk a good game, but they don't buy quality when given the chance.

That people aren't buying Vinland Saga says it all. Shame it'll probably never be finished now, especially since the series isn't close to ending.

It would probably help if it had some kind of anime, though.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Well, then, at least I can be satisfied of the fact that I pre-ordered every volume of the series released thus before weeks to months before their release date without fail and they all sit proudly on my shelf:



All those other fair-weather fans out there can go suck it.

But yes, I agree that an anime adaption is really what we need to push this series into the limelight. I honestly have a feeling Berserk would never have gotten as popular as it did if it never had gotten an anime either. Most series don't.

Goddammit Japan, what's taking you so long? Why is it that most of the best manga never seem to ever get a good anime?

[Spark Of Spirit]

Imagining that animated.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014



#9: One Piece chapter #763: "Declaration of Humanity"

Though I'm sure that there are plenty of fans across the internet who disagree with me on this, I contend that this really wasn't a great year for One Piece. In fact, to be perfectly honest, it was rather disappointing on the whole. The Dressrosa arc began last year and showed a lot of potential and promise early on to be a really big, excellent arc that could return One Piece to top form. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the arc became too big for it's own good. So many plotlines, too many introduced characters, and inconsistent pacing has made the arc one big mess of confused payoffs and poor execution in many areas. It would be wrong to say the series has been bad, necessarily, but it has hard to grasp on to a lot of the action and invest in much of the story. Especially since, outside of encounters with Doflamingo himself, the Strawhats still don't feel particularly challenged or well-incorporated into the story. As such, reading OP this year has been an inconsistent experience with many ups and downs, and honestly, quite a few chapters just came across as mediocre.

However, that isn't to say there weren't any good moments or chapters of the series this year. There were a few. But there is one clear stretch of chapters that were by far the best of the lot. One section of the story this year that was not only incredibly well-written, but showed the series in top form and on a level of quality comparable to the pre-timeskip chapters. They weren't chapters having to do with the main action of the present story or the Straw Hats, as it turns out. Instead, it was something that built up and teased for a long, LONG time, and was finally shown starting just three or so months ago. If you've been reading OP, you should know what I'm talking about. The best written part of the series this year, was by a mile, the backstory of a one Trafalgar D. Water Law.

Well, both that AND arc villain Donquixote Doflamingo's backstory, as it were. Both were combined and brillinatly interwoven together within a short stretch of chapters. We learned a lot about both Law and Doflamingo in that backstory arc, which showed much needed depth to their characters, among much other interesting tidbits (much has been noted of the interesting historical commentary and parallels Oda interwove into it). And no chapter of this portion was more exemplary and revelatory of both characters than this chapter. I wrote a lot about this one months ago in that first impressions recap I did that week. And really, I'd just encourage you to re-read that for more specifics about it. I don't mean to be lazy here, but to try and explain EVERYTHING about it here would be extremely difficult because I'd basically be describing every panel of every page of the whole chapter. It is THAT dense and full of information.

Take, for example, Doflamingo's past. Shown here as one of tragedy brought upon by his own arrogance and vanity, his warped view of the world and mistreatment of other providing a karmic retribution that cost him not only a peaceful life but his family as well. We understand here why he built the empire he has; to reclaim a life of luxury he once lost, and one he dares not lose again. We see here why he has such a close, genuine bond with his crew; why he considers them family. He lost his. No, he destroyed his. His mother died as a consequence of his mistakes. He killed his own father with his own hands for the sake of restoring his status, only for this all to be in vain. He lost his brother for years. This was all brought upon by a fundamental difference in the beliefs of Doflamingo, a selfish, greedy noble who because of his upbringing did not understand the consequences of his lifestyle, and his father, who was aware and wished for his family to lead a fair, normal life like most human beings. That misunderstanding between them ended up in Doflamingo outing his family's former status as Tenryubito to the townspeople and riling them up to persecute and torture them in spite and vengeance, forcing his lifestyle on the run impoverished and famished. But now, he's surrounded himself with people of all types and ages. People who share his ambitions and values and will fight and die for him. He lost a family once, but he's gained a new one. One he doesn't just appreciate, he cherishes. He will defend it. We see that later on in the chapter, in the scene where Baby 5 and Law are struggling against a bandit and nearly get killed. When he sees they are in trouble, he immediately jumps to save them. Not only that, but afterwards, he allows a bawling Baby 5 cling to his leg. He doesn't try to shake her off. He doesn't say anything. No words are spoken between him and Law and Baby 5. But there's that look on his face. A sort of relieved look. That he's glad that they came out unscathed. Take this with information we learn about Doflamingo later on, like how when Corazon showed up before him after years of absence and claimed he was his brother, he immediately, and unquestioningly, accepted him into his ranks and into his home. Or the scenes in this chapter showing the Donquixote family teaching Law and celebrating and teasing each other. There is a close bond between this group. In his desire to reclaim everything that he once lost, Doflamingo not only regained his wealth and prestige, but he regained a loving family as well.

But that is just Doflamingo's part of this chapter. And I haven't even finished covering everything about his part. There are so many fascinating details to his backstory that can be looked at and analyzed and applied to what we know of him now. For a villain who's appeal was once in his unflinching mastermind-like nature; his influence and reach extending across the vastness of the Grand Line's underworld, we learn why he came to be who he is, why he has the motives he does. We see him here at his most vulnerable, and see a side to him that is strikingly...human. It is quite easily the best backstory for a villain I've seen Oda execute yet.

But, enough about Doflamingo, what about Law? Much more is done with Law's side of the story in subsequent chapters, in the development in his relationship with Corazon, but we see here through an excellent multi-page montage that he genuinely was a part of the Quixote family. They thought of him as one of their own, and, despite himself, he became close to many of them as well, with a particular friendship developed with Baby 5 and Buffalo that I really hope to see touched upon again in the present sometime. And so we are left to wonder what possibly could have made Law betray these people; turn his back on people who accepted him when he had no other place to go? We also get a huge revelation about him - not just that he is a D (everybody and their mother could have seen that coming), but his other middle name "Water," a development that is stressed and is surely hinting at something bigger with the character in the future, as well as expanding the world of the series further. But the revelation of Law being a D is important in terms of how Corazon reacts to it, and what this means. That Doflamingo hates and fears those with the Will of D is set up here and also brings that long established element into new found prominence.

That was the brilliance of this flashback. There is so much information here that not only develops and gives us new insight into long-established characters like Law and Doflamingo that fundamentally changes how we understand them as characters, but also sets up elements to be paid off later in the story down the line, and touches upon small details and facts that build the world of the series with new layers. That was what made previous great One Piece flashbacks so impressive, and what makes this flashback stand worthy on a comparable level, if not possibly greater, to it's all-time best ones. And of all the chapters in the flashback, this was the one to first grab my attention. This was the chapter that reminded me, after a long time of being ambivalent towards the series, just why I used to enjoy it as much as I once did. I was astonished at just how much story and information just a single panel of this chapter told. Now THIS is the One Piece I know and love. If only it could only be this good every chapter these days. But, at least I can be assured, that Oda does still have it in him. He still has the potential to tell great stories with his characters again. So long as those characters aren't the Straw Hats, it seems. But maybe, maybe, as this long, long arc comes to a close and a new one begins, things will improve on their front as well. I can only dream, right? Hopefully mine doesn't turn out as bad as Doflamingo's.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Yeah, I agree that this was a really weak year for One Piece (as were the last few), but chapters like this were among the exceptions.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014



#8: Silver Spoon chapter #103: "The Four Seasons (6)"

Silver Spoon had a great year with lots of great chapters, so it was tough to choose just one pick from it to put on this list. But, after a lot of thought, I realized if I were to put any chapter in, it had to be this one. Not just because this was the first new chapter released after I got caught up on the series, but also because it was such a pivotal chapter for the character arc of Komaba. All throughout the initial series of chapters of the "Four Seasons" arc, we got a section of the story focused on each of the major characters, where we learn what their plans for the future are and what direction they've decided to go as they continue through their second year of High School. The last character to get his spotlight was none other than Komaba, in this chapter here. Komaba was dealt a hard blow in life due to circumstances beyond his control. And he felt that he needed to put everything aside and focus on helping out his family: supporting them financially, paying back his family's debt to Mikage's family, saving up to make sure his little sisters can get into a good college, quitting high school, baseball, and his future dreams all in order to make that happen. And that never sat right with his friends. But at the same time, for most, what happened to Komaba's family was something that could happen to any of theirs at anytime. They understood that. They were resigned to accept his decision. Everyone except Hachiken. Hachiken confronted Komaba. He questioned whether he was really willing to give everything up like he was. Whether there was nothing he could do, no way he could help, no other options left. And when all Komaba could give were resigned, stoic answers, Hachiken became infuriated, and scolded Komaba for keeping his feelings bottled up inside and saying things he didn't mean, crying the tears and showing the emotion he refused to. Then later Ayame right out called him out on giving up, when he was so aggressive on chasing his dreams before. And then just a chapter before, with Mikage, they reminisced about childhood memories, on what was over the vast mountain peaks that surrounded their area, and what lay beyond, and how while Mikage climbed many times over the mountains to see, Komaba never even tried.

And then comes this chapter. Komaba has been working his ass off trying to support his family for nearly an entire year while his mother tried to get a permanent job as an official staff member of the Dairy Farm association. Now that she has, their income has been stabilized, and she asks Komaba what he'd like to do. Komaba replies that he's just going to continue to work in order to support the family, but his mom, in an awesome scene, basically tells him to stop being full of shit and spit out what he really wants to do with his life, in his future. And Komaba, stunned, reservedly tells her his dream: that he wants a farm of his own, and his mother tells him to go for it. Komaba asks "how?:" he has nothing. But then Komaba remembers; he remembers everything his friends have told him, everything that they've done for him, and realizes the one thing he does have that nobody can take away from him - himself. All this time he has worked hard at everything he's done using his own strength and determination. Now it's finally time to put that strength to use for himself once again. And more importantly, now is the time to stop being safe and be aggressive again, and expand his horizons. It's finally time to see what's over the mountain. What's over those impossible odds that seemed so far and daunting. To see what he can make of his life.

And to cap off a brilliant chapter of character development is an incredible sequence where, at the airport, Komaba sees his old baseball team playing on the tv. His friend, the batter Uryu, felt deep regret and shame when he cost them the tournament last year, which in turn cost Komaba his last chance to make it as a baseball player and go to Koshien. And so, driven by making the team succeed this year in honor of Komaba, Uryu is found in a pinch with a critical play that will win or lost the game. And Komaba watches and sees him, and he smiles, and he turns away. He knows. And though it seems desperate and increasingly tense for Uryu, he ultimately hits hit, and with that ball, so goes Uezo High to Koshien, and so goes Komaba flying off far away, in pursuit of a future only he can make for himself, and just as how he was confident about his old team's success, so is he confident that he, too, will succeed. And so was I. This was a brilliant, phenomenal chapter for the series and the character of Komaba that made a huge emotional impression the first time I read and continued to do so upon re-read upon re-read. After a long period where things seemed bleak for Komaba, his character arc is given a huge burst of optimism, one that we've since seen, little-by-little, could very well pay off. For a series that isn't afraid to tackle the harsh realities of life, it isn't shy to show the hope and dreams of people living it either, in a way that feels genuine, relatable, and possible. There were many other great, great moments in Silver Spoon this year, but above all, this was the one that I connected to the most personally, and came back to the most often. And with a series as consistently impressive as Silver Spoon, that really is no small feat.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Ack, I realized that I was late again. Gosh dang it. 

[LumRanmaYasha]

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014



#7: Kyou Kara Yonshimai chapter #6

Sometimes it's good to just check out a random manga. Not one that has been hyped or has any notoriety, or you even know anything about. A series where you don't have any expectations or guesses on what it's about. Just a random surprise. Often, a pleasant surprise. And for me, the most memorable "surprise" manga I checked out this year was Kyou Kara Yonshimai, a manga about a family of sisters adapting to their brother's decision to become a woman. Deeply intimate and smartly written, this manga touches upon the subject matter with delicacy and has done well to characterize and develop it's characters realistically in only ten short chapters, and a very moving relationship between the four sisters was quickly established. But the most poignant chapter of the series thus far, was, for me, the chapter exploring the relationship between Kashiwa and her girlfriend, Kasumi. From the start the development is a surprise; after all, one might expect that Kashiwa would be attracted to men, considering he identifies as a woman, and after she described her partner as "strong, reliable, and cool," when Kasumi seems very delicate, shy, and girly. And the other characters do wonder, what does that make Kashiwa? Does this mean he's straight, that he's gay? And what of Kasumi? Does she mind that Kashiwa is currently a man. Is she attracted to him as a man or is she attracted to women? How did this relationship start.

And that moves into the story of how Kashiwa and Kasumi met. How by chance Kasumi one day at a clothing store the two met, and she discovered Kashiwa's attempt at cross-dressing, and how they quickly became close friends. Intimate friends; two people who could share their secrets, and their true selves, with each other and each other alone. For Kasumi, it was like there was a beautiful girl only she knew about, a girl she could do things with that she could not do with any of her other friends. For Kashiwa, Kasumi was his only confidant, and helped him become closer to becoming the woman he always saw himself as. And over time, the connection these two had with each other became something much deeper than an ordinary friendship. Kashiwa realized she was jealous when Kasumi talked of other men, even though she considered herself a girl, and Kasumi is one as well. She realized she had grown to care about her in a much more personal way than a friendship (explained in a very awkward moment and line in the middle of the chapter). When Kasumi learned of Kashiwa's feelings for her, she was flustered and confused at how to respond; she thought of Kashiwa not as either a girl or a guy, and she didn't know if she could have a relationship with him. But, in the end, beyond all the barriers of sex and gender, there was an undeniable attraction between the two. It isn't so much that they love one another because they are a certain way; they love them for who they are. Kashiwa loves Kasumi, and Kasumi loves Kashiwa. And it's this pure mutual love, that has nothing to do with sex, such needs, or traditional ideas, that has made them experiment with a relationship, and, as it seems, be perfectly content with it.

It's a fascinating concept, a moving, touching story, and a kind that I've rarely seen executed with such delicacy and thoughtfulness in any medium. There is perhaps one line that, at first, I thought was rather bizarre. But upon re-reads, it's meant to be awkward. A way for Kashiwa to describe her feelings for Kasumi in the best way she could think of in the heat of the moment. And it works well within the context of the story and with what we know of the characters. The follow-up chapter was also excellent, exploring how these two fulfill their sexual feelings towards one another when Kashiwa hates is ashamed of his male body. Ultimately, I chose this chapter of the series because it tells such a profound story in so few pages, and touched upon and idea so rarely handled. How can we define love? How can we place limitations on what form love takes? Do those limitations even exist, or are they there only because we think them? I don't know if this series will be able to go in depth into these ideas, but the fact it acknowledges them at all is a breath of fresh air to me. That, and the fact the story told her was so well-written and interesting, that it really bums me that I haven't seen any more chapters for this series updated since I caught up to it and probably wont for a while. I hope it does soon; I want to see more of Kashiwa's story, and more of the challenges, and triumphs, she and her family will face as they try to figure out who they are and where they belong in the world.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014



#6: Gintama chapter #520: "Sakata Gintoki of Shouka Sonjuku"

While most everybody sat back and bitched about how their favorite uber popular battle shonen series sucked this year, the Gintama fans were surely laughing at their sorry asses because of how fucking amazing their favorite series was this year, mainly in the last six months with the Shogun Assassination arc, which felt so big and climactic that I could have sworn it would be the final arc for the series...until the end where it became very clear there was much, much more story it still wants and needs to tell. Even though I wasn't fully caught up with the series, I've been checking in on the recent chapter of it on and off for around three years now, mainly reading the more comedy focused chapters/arcs and skipping the serious ones. However, I could not do so with this arc. It not only instantly intrigued me, it commanded my attention. And as it went on I got increasingly sucked in. It's amazing; this was only a 20-ish chapter arc, but it somehow managed to do more interesting and exciting things than the current arc of OP has done in around 70. And perhaps my favorite part of the whole arc was the exploration of Gintoki and Takasugi's backstory with each other, and what caused Takasugi to go astray. All contrasted with some incredible fight scenes of them in the present day, duking it out in a long awaited, seemingly climactic, life-and-death grudge match.

All of those elements are combined excellently in this chapter, which concludes both the backstory and the battle between the two. And it's a tragic 'un. Near the end of the war, Gintoki was forced to execute their sensei in order to save Takasugi and Katsura's lives, much to Takasugi's horror and fury. But what was the last thing his left eye saw before it was gouged out? A crying Gintoki. He did not forsake Shouyou sensei, like Takasugi has so desperately wanted to believe. He did what was requested of him, what he knew sensei wanted. He bore that burden. And when Takasugi thinks back to that image forever engraved in his eye, the wound aches. Why did Gintoki sacrifice sensei, use him as a stepping stone so the others could survive, when he could have saved him? Why did he value their lives before his, when, more than anyone else, he cared for him the most? Takasugi attacks the Bakufu in spite. The one he's always been the most angry with is himself. That is why he points his blade at someone other than himself, someone who has caused him the most pain - Gintoki, an enemy that would be more painful to hurt than he himself would. But Gintoki will not fall. He will honor his vow to Shouyou sensei, and protect what he held dear. Even if means he has to kill him, he will save Takasugi's soul.

This was an incredible chapter that simultaneously developed and resolved the antagonism of Takasugi: why he truly does what he does, and what Gintoki truly means and represents to him. He has been the main villain of this series for so long, and here, finally, we see him in a moment of understanding, and at his most vulnerable. The ending of the chapter, and subsequent events, make his story and his fall all the more tragic. It was a phenomenal capper on a series of very revealing and humanizing chapters, and rendered Takasugi as a much more complex villain than we've previously understood him as and set up great things for his character going forward, as well as with Gintoki's relationship with him and his goals moving forward. Chapters like these make me wish I could get through the backlog of this series faster so I can be fully caught up on it. That said, I'm glad I've seen plenty enough to be able to appreciate this arc and the events within. I have a feeling Gintama will last a while longer, and if it can keep up the level of quality shown in this arc going forward, then I have no complaints. Also, it makes me super pumped for the new anime season coming next spring. This arc should be even more EPIC in animated form.

[LumRanmaYasha]

So, I received this in the mail today:



So yeah... things are not looking good for Vinland Saga right now. 

[LumRanmaYasha]

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014



#5: Assassination Classroom chapter #72: "Sound Time"

Assassination Classroom had an excellent year, and the last few weeks of the series in particular have been a non-stop string of phenomenal chapters that are moving the series in an interesting and highly engrossing direction. There were so many standout moments from the series this year that I had trouble at first deciding which of it's chapters I should include for this list. That is, until I went all the way back to where the series was at in the beginning of the year, and saw how it started it off. That was the clincher. I knew I had to pick this chapter to represent the series for this year. AC began the year by concluding it's first long, and truly serious, story arc, one that pushed the characters and story to a whole new level, and turned this series from just a manga I only enjoyed to one that I was thoroughly invested and engrossed in.

I dub this arc - the "Island Time" arc, after the fact it takes place on, well, an island. After a fantastic series of chapters where all the students pool together all their skills to outwit Korosensei and nearly score a fatal strike against him (to which he only survives by reverting to an invulnerable but helpless ball-like form), they are immediately caught up in disaster when half of the group is fatally poisoned by an unknown assailant. Their only hope to save their friends' lives is to take on a deadly group of professional assassins head on and procure the antidote from them. This leads to incredible and tense encounters where the students, out-powered and out-matched, have to use wit, cunning, and teamwork to survive and get past their enemies and reach their mysterious employer. Who, as it turns out, is none other than their former teacher-turned-enemy, Takaoka, who is now seriously psychotic and desires nothing more than to see his former students writhe in agony as revenge for his expulsion, in particular, revenge against Nagisa for defeating and humiliating him. This leads to him forcing Nagisa into a death match between them. Nagisa has been worried about his friend, who has Terasaka been poisoned and needs the antidote. Takaoka, however, knows how desperate the students are to save their poisoned friends, and destroys the antidote right before Nagisa's eyes, causing him to become absolutely infuriated and lose his cool, causing him to try to kill Takaoka - which is exactly what he wants him to do so he can destroy his own life by being charged as a murderer. However, Terasaka, despite his pain, cries out to Nagisa not to screw up because he's worried about him and not play into Takaoka's game, words that allow him to come back to his senses. But even then, the frail Nagisa is simply outmatched in power and bloodlust compared to the bulky, muscle-bound Takaoka and he gets slaughtered for a long, long time at the start of the battle to the point where things looks incredibly bleak for him. But then, despite being battered and bruised, he lets out a confident smile. A shivering smile that rocks Takaoka to his core. Nagisa was luring Takaoka to lower his guard and enter a false sense of security, setting basic conditions he needed to execute the high-level technique he learned long ago from Lovro in the process. And now all the conditions have been met. And Takaoka will be his first victim. "Takaoka-sensei, please become my guinea pig..."

There was so much build up and tension building up to this chapter, where a huge bout of payoff is gloriously delivered. Using an excellent fake-out tactic Nagisa brings Takaoka into a state of paranoia and then absolutely SHATTERS his state of mind, quickly proceeding to execute one powerful and definitive strike that knocks Takaoka helpless. And then the glorious final blow. The most satisfying, fuck yeah moment - where Nagisa gives Takaoka one last smile, a smile that will forever haunt his memory, before knocking him out cold. Fucking. Amazing.

What was so brilliant about this arc was how it developed these characters and put them into a situation where they had to deal with professional killers way above their level, and how they managed to get past and survive against them felt so believable in that they still clearly had a longs ways to go but had still grown so much and have so much potential and it shows. And in particular, this chapter was excellent in showing how Nagisa has evolved as a character. Initially someone often overlooked as someone average, his unassuming looks and quiet personality soon turned out to make him the most effective and promising of the students as an assassin, and his skills have evolved on a level where they can rival seasoned professionals like Takaoka. And his growth as someone timid and submissive to someone who is able to both take charge in a situation, hold his own against dangerous opponents without fear or hesitation, calm himself after experiencing emotional duress, and freaking be able to intimidate, if not outright scar, a grown ass man and make him fear for his life...and the best part is, he hasn't stopped growing since then. This chapter was the perfect culmination to a phenomenal story arc; utterly satisfying on many levels, and above all, showing a rewarding and awesome growth in the character of Nagisa, one that promised, and quickly showed, great things for his character arc in the future. And among all the great moments that happened in this series throughout this year, this moment and chapter is the one that sticks in the mind the most, as the moment I knew, with absolute certainty, that AC was in fact something special and a manga not just worthy of it's hype and praise, but something that no doubt would continue to entertain and impress me throughout it's run (as it, in fact, has!), and maybe, one day, even hold a spot among my favorites.