Currently Running Manga Discussion

[LumRanmaYasha]

Kakukaku Shikajika is ending next month. Considering the ending the most recently translated volume, I had a feeling that Higashimura was moving towards the end of her story, so I'm not surprised, but I'll still be sad to see it go. It was a fascinating look into the life and early career of who is now one of my favorite mangaka, and I appreciate Higashimura's honesty and willingness to lay bare some of the most intimate and emotional moments of herself and her life to the world. I look forward to reading the final volume(s?) once they are translated.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014



#4: Berserk chapter #337: "Bridge of Parting"

The past few chapters of Berserk have spent time away from Guts and co. and focused back on the other surviving Band of the Hawk member, Rickert, as he is invited into Griffith's newly founded paradise kingdom, Falconia. At first this might have seemed an unwarranted distraction, considering they still haven't reached Elfhelm after all these years and such, but after the tedium of that pirates arc, this turned out to be a welcome respite. One that also lead to enjoyable and much appreciated plot and character development. Rickert never exactly chose a side between Guts and Griffith back when the truth of what happened was revealed to him. his decision was to continue living his life peacefully. A decision he's still sticking to, but with his feelings and position towards Griffith made clear. Throughout this mini-arc, as it might be called, Rickert has seen both sides of what Griffith's done to the world; the peace and prosperity within the walls of Falconia, and the danger and depravity of his demon army, and the chaos devouring the world outside. Rickert has mixed feelings towards the whole thing, and wondered if he should really see Griffith after all, and if he does, what he would have to say to him.

This chapter was the long built-up reunion between the two, and it was more than a worthy payoff. Griffith asks Rickert the simple question of whether he still shared his dream, and if he found the answer to the question he asked him at the hill of the swords. Rickert's response? He slaps Griffith. He. SLAPS. GRIFFITH. GRIFFITH. That might not seem like that big a deal, but think about it, when was the last time we've seen someone harm Griffith? Ganishka, despite being the ungodly abomination he was, couldn't even touch Griffith. This is the first time we've seen Griffith on the receiving end of criticism and dealt actual harm in essentially over two decades. And it was done by Rickert, of all characters. That is both extraordinary AND awesome. But it's what Rickert says to Griffith that truly makes an impact. Rickert admits he is ashamed he couldn't go with Windham with the rest of the gang that day. That he has a debt to pay to his comrades for not being their for them, for surviving and living peacefully when they met cruel unfortunate ends. But unlike Guts, he couldn't get angry at what happened or bear the burden of revenge. But what he did do was honor their memories by forging swords in remembrance of them and creating a grave site honoring them. Unlike Griffith, he didn't abandon or forsake his former comrades. He shows him how the wings of the symbol of his new Band of the Hawk are different in shape than the old one. He tells him that hsi commander was Griffith, the white-winged hawk, not Griffith, the hawk of light. And then he simply says his farewells, and leaves Griffith, standing alone on the bridge.

Not only did we see Griffith in a rare moment of weakness, but Rickert's character development and arc essentially reached it's critical point. He has no intentions of going against Griffith, but he will have nothing to do with him either. He is the one empowered in the meeting between them. For all the Hawk of Light has won, he was incapable of swaying the heart of a former comrade. This might seem like a small thing, but considering Griffith's winning streak and the fact he is essentially worship as a god-like figure by just about everyone except the obvious exception of Griffith's group, and considering one of Griffith's aims was to become a king that commanded the respect and worship of all, this is a powerful moment that shows Griffith, for the first time in a long, long time, not getting what he wants. This was quite easily the best chapter of Berserk in at least 5 years, and highly fulfilling in it's character and plot development, something Berserk hasn't been able to boast in about as long. And seeing Griffith get slapped was one of the most satisfying, fuck yeah moments I've read in any manga ever all this year and easily one of the most memorable. For as much as I liked this chapter, I suppose, admittedly, it's not quite as strong throughout as some other chapters I've featured previously on this list, considering the moments I've focused on in this chapter were only in the last half and the first half was mostly some comedy bits with Sonia (which I did find amusing, at least), but this list is ranked in terms of how strong the moments/chapters have sat with me through the year, and this was easily one of the most vivid and strongest for what it represented for the story, and for just how powerful that final image of Rickert turning his back on a speechless Griffith truly is.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014



#3: Fuuka chapter #36: "Live Music Club!"

Uh, yeah, talking about this chapter without mentioning the series-changing twist is way too hard. Though, I suppose I spoiled that months ago for most people who bother reading my weekly recaps, didn't I? Either way I'm going to avoid doing that so this will likely be my shortest write-up for these yet, though honestly it might as well since the moment practically speaks for itself. But, to any people out there who complained about the twist not being set-up and being a swerve for the sake of it...I completely disagree. There was set-up. Pretty obvious set-up, in hindsight. And the execution here worked exceptionally well, and was accompanied by meaningful and powerful imagery. And while Seo hasn't handled the aftermath as excellently as what I'd have liked, it's still very well-done and pushing the story in a strong direction. I was impressed with the series before this chapter and continue to do so now. I definitely felt the loss here. It was a jaw-dropper moment. But I respect Kouji Seo for having the balls and the writing talent to attempt to tell a story like this and, so far, make it work.

This list is a selection of what I found the most memorable chapter and moments in manga this year, and after 35 chapters of getting to know these characters, appreciate and come to love the developing relationship between the main characters, and to have such a huge tragedy destroy everything just when things were looking up...just...damn, man. It's a moment that's just really hard to top, particularly because of how unexpected it is, and because how destroyed you feel if you cared about the character as much as I, and many other people, did. Heck, that's part of the reason a lot of people were so upset and ragequit the series over this. One of the things they liked most was mercilessly and suddenly taken away. It was just too much for them. But, for me, the first time I read through it is still a vivid memory. I dunno how this series will end up, whether the overall story will be great or not. But, if it does, this will be not just a memorable moment, but an iconic one - one that will forever be associated with this story and manga as a turning point for a great story and series. Don't let me down Fuuka. Don't let what you've done here be for nothing.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014



#2: A Silent Voice chapter #45: "It Was All For Nothing?"

When I started making this list, by far the hardest part was figuring out which chapter of A Silent Voice I should include. If I was being totally honest and not just limiting this list to a one chapter per series representation, then A Silent Voice chapters would take up, like, around half the slots if not just most of them. Of course, as I said before, I thought that would be lame, so I didn't do that. Still, that meant that I could only choose one chapter from the series for this list, and how was I supposed to go about doing that? Figuring out which chapter had the most impact or was the best and most memorable and whatnot? When I was reading through the series before I got caught up to it the whole story flowed so smoothly and effectively that I couldn't really pick out a standout chapter from that portion of it. And then when I did get caught up to it, every week reading this series was pretty much like that. It had the best chapter of the week pretty much every week. It continually had standout, strong moments that impressed me. So thinking about all that, which chapter could I really say left the most impact on me?

I ended up thinking about when I started keeping up with the series - the chapter where Shoya fell while preventing Shoko's suicide (what a chapter to end off getting caught up with, right?), and then I thought about how I felt about the series after reading that, and all the questions I was asking myself. "Holy shit, did they just do that?", "How is this going to play out?" ", "Is he really going to die?" , among others, but most importantly, I was wondering to myself, "Will this series do this right?" After a big moment like that, I was both curious and worried. It was a delicate, volatile direction it was taking. One misstep in the plotting or the handling of the characters and the themes , and the story could sour horribly. And so I entered keeping up to the series on a weekly basis with a lot of concerns. I wanted this story to be a success, and not end without fulfilling that potential. I had high hopes, but I've been burned before, so I was keeping my expectations in check, trying not to get too excited or confident about it. But very quickly, my concerns were dashed, and never arose again. The rest you know by now. But what was that moment? That moment where I could be confident this series would turn out right? To be honest, I'm not sure if I can say exactly when it was. It might have been earlier, it might have been later, but when I think about the series, this is one of the moments that always sticks out to me the most. And it came right around the time I started keeping up with the series too. It wasn't the first chapter I read when I started keeping up with it, technically, but it was one of the first, and it was certainly a moment that left me very optimistic for it's future.

There are many parts to this chapters that struck me well. First was seeing Ueno finally get physically reprimanded for being such an asshole to everyone, particularly after she beat up Shoko in the previous chapter. The fact that it was Mrs. Nishimiya, who you would never expect to go that far, especially against a child, who was slapping her around for what she did to her daughter made it even more satisfying (I especially loved the fact she did it while maintaining her usual stoic expression, which makes another moment that happens later in the chapter all the more powerful). It was great seeing Ueno finally get called out on and hurt as much as she's hurt others, but what's really great about it to me is the aftermath. Seeing Ueno cry and recognize that she's done a horrible thing. The idea that she is aware that the way she's behaving and the way she has been treating others is wrong, but how despite that she does it anyway and won't stop. It added a lot of depth to a character that had some visible nuances before, and would set up a good study of her character further down the line.

But the most potent content in this chapter is in the second half, focusing on the Nishimiya family and how they are processing and dealing with what's just happened. When Ueno asks Yuzuru why she didn't stop her, she responds by saying she didn't know if that was the right thing to do. Because all this time, she's done what she thought was the right thing to do to protect her sister. She kept her away from people who might harm her. She stood up for her. When she saw her feelings for Ishida she tried to bring the two closer together. She did everything she could do to make her sister happy. Every day since that day where Shoko first tried and failed to commit suicide and said she wanted to die, she tried her best to make it so she wouldn't feel that way again. Even her hobby of taking pictures of dead and decayed things was done to dissuade Shoko from dying too. But none of that worked. All those years she tried to make her happy were pointless. She still tried to kill herself. She would have died if Ishida wasn't there to stop her. So what right does she have to criticize Ueno's way of trying to get Shoko to her sense when what she tried didn't work in the first place? What was the point of anything she's done for her if it didn't stop her thinking like that, and for almost going through with that again? And so she goes home and starts tearing down the photos she's plastered all over the wall. They didn't help. The message she was sending to her didn't get through. They're meaningless. Her mother helps her. And she thinks to herself "Should I have just told her her "don't die?", "What would Ishida have done?", "What should I have done?" And then Shoko walks into the room. And the whole family just looks at each other for a moment. And then, backs turned to one another, they all start to cry.

But it was a cleansing cry. Afterwards, Shoko heads out. She's no longer weak, timid, or shy. She's confident. Determined. She knows what she needs to do. She will take the initiative. She will repay what Ishida has done for her. She will make things right again. And Yuzuru sees her like this, and she's able to smile. The time for feeling sorry for herself is over. The time to dwell on regrets and "what if's" have long past. What's important is what happens now. How she makes use of this second chance she has. What she can do for someone who she owes her life to. This chapter marks a huge turning point for Shoko's character arc, and sets the stage for the following chapters exploring each of the main characters, and their reactions to what's happened and as they come together again to finish the movie in support of Ishida. In addition, it's a fantastic look into the characters of Ueno and Yuzuru, and the relationship between the Nishimiya family. While much of the chapter focuses on self-loathing and regrets, at the very end, there is a light of hope. Optimism for a brighter future. A future that Shoko is determined to make happen. It's a moving moment for characters that have been through so much, and it was a moment where, despite myself, I felt that this series' future was secure. A feeling that I ended up being justified for having in the end.

Most of A Silent Voice's entire run was printed in 2014. To rank this chapter on my list might imply that I'd consider this the best chapter in the series. Is it? Maybe, maybe not. I couldn't say. Like I said, it was hard thinking about which chapter of the series I wanted on this list. I had so many to choose from, and so many I could justify making it on here instead of this one. But I chose it because I really do feel it was a turning point in the series. Not just for the story or a few characters' character arcs, but for my impressions and expectations for it going into it's final chapters as well. And it provided a powerful, memorable moment that has stuck with me ever since I've read it, among other elements that I find as appreciable if not more so since then. So yeah, feel free to disagree with me, but chapter 45 of A Silent Voice is my choice for it's best chapter this year and the #2 best in manga overall.

But I bet you must be thinking right now "Wait a minute, CX. An A Silent Voice chapter only ended up as #2 on your list? But you've been so fervent about how super sugoi amazing you think this series is non-stop for like half the year! What series could possibly boast a chapter that bests what you've said a bajillion zillion times was your by far your favorite manga of the year?" Well, you'll just have to wait for tomorrow's entry to find out, won't you? Depending on how well you've kept track of my opinions on manga this year, you may or may not be surprised (probably shouldn't, though, if you consider what series I haven't brought up yet)...

[Spark Of Spirit]

Here comes the final chapter of Naruto! 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

To be fair, that chapter was amazing....for all of the wrong reasons.

[LumRanmaYasha]

 

Anyways, I read the first chapter of that Kuroko no Basket sequel manga. It's basically like New Prince of Tennis in that all the popular characters from the first series are now on the same team for some reason or another, though in this case there's at least a more legitimate justification as to why. But overall, I was just immensely bored reading the chapter and the set-up for the story did nothing for me, what with that other team just being stereotypical asshole jocks and the whole thing feeling like a set-up to some lame 90's sports movie. I dunno if this is just supposed to be a mini-series or whatever, though I feel like it'll be, but even so, I think I'll pass on keeping up with it. I think I'm still just too burned on Kuroko to try and like it again, atm.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'd say you're far too lenient on it if just being "bored" was your only problem with it.

That had to be one of the most incredibly racist things that I've read in a modern manga series.

The first half of the chapter was just boring unecessary sequel stuff like any GTO spin-off, but at least not offensively bad. The rest of the chapter made the weaker parts of the original manga look like a masterpiece in comparison. It's literally that bad.

And yes, I've seen this kind of bastardizing of American athletes done in other manga, but whereas something like Hajime no Ippo was far more tongue-in-cheek and self aware when it came to Bryan Hawk (and other such manga doing it in a similar manner), this manga passed the border of "all in good fun" and went straight to "WTF am I even reading?" territory. Seriously, what person who was even remotely sane would tell an entire country to kill themselves (while in said country) because they don't think that they are any good at....a fucking sport? Jesus Christ. I hope that this is nobody's introduction to sports manga.

Hands down the worst chapter that I've read of anything, this year.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Oh yeah, that scene. I kinda forgot about that because I was so completely bored reading the chapter by that point I couldn't muster any rage or annoyed feelings. But yeah, that was a pretty fucking stupid scene. I might not have the highest opinion of KnB, but I still wouldn't have expected it to pull something that offensive. I wouldn't say it's the worst chapter of anything I've read this year, but it's up there for sure. Like, if I was making a list, it'd be in the top half of it, definitely.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I wasn't really offended by the chapter, myself. It's really hard to offend me with stuff in fiction ,at least personally. Iwas just really annoyed by it, more than anything, because a manga that I once actually genuinely enjoyed went from being solid good entertainment to boring mediocrity, and then in this single chapter, it went from boring mediocrity to just flat out terrible drek.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Since we are on the subject, I might as well list what I'd personally consider THE TOP WORST MANGA CHAPTERS OF 2014:

12. Magi chapter 244 - "The Black King Vessel"

In this chapter Hakuryu gives into depravity aka he becomes a one-dimensional villain who now irrationally hates everyone including his former loved ones. Really, this chapter earns a spot on here for one, single panel, where Hakuryu literally says "I will not stop with just this illusion, I will kill the real you sooner or later Morgiana. You are nothing more than garbage, just like your master Alibaba, because you follow his hypocrisy blindly. Hahaha..." No. Just...no. I don't care if Hakuryu is going crazy now, there's a way to handle it and this wasn't the way. It's fucking stupid.

11. Toriko chapter 304 - "Seed of Courage"

Toriko...what happened to you? You were so good until just about 4 months ago, when you pulled that Blue Demon twist out of nowhere, and you've been all over the place since. I tried to remain hopeful that you would get back on track, but then you had to go and pull another fake-out death scene, which you just did in the last arc, and while it was at first amusing, you then completely ruined when you tried to explain and justify how everyone survived with the most bullshit explanation possible. And then, to make it hurt worse, you're doing another training arc. Wasn't the point of the timeskip that the gang got stronger to fight foes in the Gourmet World? We're only a year in, haven't accomplished anything that feels really meaningful or seen the gang go through something that feels really challenging, and you're now doing another training arc. No. Just...no. I hate to say it, but I've lost faith in you.  Please stop the constant teasing and lack of tension and the bullshit explanations. It's fucking stupid.

10. Kuroko no Basket chapter 261 - "That's Enough"

Akashi starts to play by himself and owns everyone alone, "abandoning" his teammates because they are useless, forcing other players "to kneel" in front of him, and to top it all off, he says this "And thus, by witnessing my glorious final form, you should now realize you defeat is absolute." BARF! Oh, and now there's a zone level two that Kagami needs to enter in order to beat Akaishi! Yay power-ups in sports manga! No. Just...no. Holy shit, re-reading this chapter reminded me how much I hated this final game so much. It's fucking stupid.

9. Naruto chapter 679 - "The Beginning of Everything"

Hey, let's replace Madara, the villain we've hyped and been fighting for 100+ chapters, by unceremoniously killing him off and replacing him with Kaguya, that one character was was mentioned 5 chapters ago in that bullshit Naruto and Sasuke are reincarnations of the sons of the Sage of Six Paths and whatever. No. Just...no. This chapter was so surreal in how out of nowhere and bad it. But more than anything, it's just fucking stupid.

8. Kuroko no Basket: Extra Game chapter 1 - "Make It Flashy!"

Apparently american basketball players think japanese basketball players are monkeys and they should just kill themselves. No. Just....no. After re-reading it, I got more pissed off about it than I was previously. It's just so fucking stupid.

7. Bleach chapter 603 - "What The Hell"

Let's bring back those worthless mooks who got killed off in one chapter back to life except stronger now for some bullshit reason. No. Just...no. What was the point of killing them off in the first place? What's the point of these characters anyway? Do we need to see these fights? The whole thing is just fucking stupid.

6. Fairy Tail chapter 404 - "00:00"

Erza can fight perfectly fine and is kicking Kyouka's ass despite losing ALL FIVE OF HER SENSES, and why? Because "she's Erza!" HAHAHA...no. Just...no. Why do people in Japan (and elsewhere) love this shit so much? It's fucking stupid.

5. GTO: Paradise Lost chapter 14 - "The Girl Who Dreams, The Boy Who Sells Dreams"

Asshole idol boy is an asshole because he had to give oral to his producer when he was a kid. Also, Sadako isn't ugly. No no no, she's actually been pretty all this time! And everyone knows that pretty people can't be bad people. What the shit kind of message is that GTO? Holy fuck was this a bad chapter. I didn't think Fujisawa could write something this bad, but god, just wow. And we're supposed to sympathize with asshole idol boy after this and we have to deal with Sadako being in love with Onizuka now because he told her she was pretty and shit. No. Just...no. I am not going to continue reading this series next year. Just nope, can't do it. It's fucking stupid.

4. Bleach chapter 578 - "The Undead 5"

Gremmy, the guy whose power is imagination except he thinks of the most unimaginative things ever, loses to Kenpachi just because he imagined that Kenpachi was a monster that was stronger than him. ...What? No. Just...no. Even for Bleach, that's fucking stupid.

3. Bleach chapter 579 - "The Undead 6"

Oh, also Gremmy was actually a brain in a jar all this time. Seriously. Wow. Just....wow. I take back what I said about the previous chapter. Clearly Bleach is just that fucking stupid.

2. Fairy Tail chapter 388 - "Erza vs. Minerva"

Wendy cuts her hair to show that she is strong-willed now or whatever, in a scene that is supposed to emulate that one scene in Naruto where Sakura did that. Except that made sense to do in Naruto; Sakura was being grabbed by her hair and she needed to escape so that was the only option. This made no sense. Wendy just did it...because. And it's supposed to be a big deal for some reason. Why? Sakura grew her hair long because she thought Sasuke liked long-haired girls. Her hair meant something to her. That's another reason why the scene made as much impact as it did. Wendy doesn't have any of that. Her hair didn't mean anything to her or anything. So the scene JUST DOESN'T WORK HIRO STOP RIPPING OFF BETTER MANGA YOU FUCKING HACK. Can you believe that this is just the first two pages of the chapter. The rest of it is focused on Erza vs Minerva, oh sorry, NEO Minerva as she now likes to call herself because she's been "reborn" or some shit, and she acts all mighty and whatever for two pages when Erza then just beats the shit out of her which of course prompts a flashback to her super sad backstory, which is basically that she was abused as a child by her father, who beat her because she wasn't strong and also made her STRIP DOWN NAKED IN PUBLIC as punishment for CRYING. And then for some reason Erza is pitying Minerva even though she has been an awful person for 100+ chapters with no redeeming qualities or justification as to why she's that way until this chapter, and even then it's not like Erza knows her past or anything, she's just assuming she did what she did for the sake of her guild. And so, then, suddenly that prompts Minerva to say yeah, she's right, and tells Erza to kill her because she's weak and some shit, but Erza doesn't because there would be people sad if she was gone. What? And so then Mard Geer shows up and tries to kill both of them, except they are saved by Sting and Rogue, who haven't been in this arc at any point before until now and shouldn't even know what's going on, who are apparently here to rescue Minerva. You know, the same Minerva who abused them and laughed at them for being weak back in the tournament arc? And then Minerva cries because, aw, she DOES have friends after all! And as everyone knows, in Fairy Tail, so long as you've got friends, you can't be a bad person! And so Minerva is now suddenly a good guy. In one single chapter. Without any build up. Just Because. No. Just...no. Why did I start keeping up with Fairy Tail again? It's fucking stupid.

1. Naruto chapter 681 - "Kaguya's Tears"

Yeah, even after all the shit I just talked about in FT chapter 388, this is still hands down the worst chapter I've read this year, imo. It pretty much destroys the entire mythology and story of Naruto by retconning everything to be the work of fricken' Black Zetsu who manipulated everyone and everything until this point. I really don't think I need to go on and on about this one. I can't fathom how anyone can possibly enjoy the series after this chapter since this chapter essentially says that everything that the characters have done in the story up until this point has been completely pointless. No. Just...no. I think you get where I'm going with this. Say it with me now: IT'S. FUCKING. STUPID.

There are probably objectively worse chapters that I've read this year than some of these, but these stick out to me as moments and chapters from manga this year that really pissed me off and I genuinely hated.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

That One Piece chapter where Rebecca cries and begs "Soldier-san" to save her also comes to mind. Even for a character that was only just established in this arc, Oda can't seem to stay consistent with her and instead writes her out of character just a few chapters after we're reminded that she does actually know how to fight and defend herself.

[Spark Of Spirit]

That's a lot of stupid.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Yeah, I know I'm late with this. I wrote a whole lengthy piece on this one, but then somehow I got timed out of the forum just when I was finished writing it and I lost everything. This both depresses me and pisses me off since I just spent over a half hour or so writing it, and so now I don't feel motivated to do it all over again (and I don't have the time right now to do so as it is). But, here's what my #1 chapter of the year is anyway:

Twelve Days of Manga: The Top Manga Chapters of 2014




#1: Princess Jellyfish chapters 70 & 71: "The Devil Wears a White Shirt" & "Good Jellyfish Hunting"

Yeah, I know I'm cheating by listing two chapters. I wrote a big spiel justifying it, but that got deleted so....deal with it. I'll just have to go into more detail about the series later in my Top Manga of the Year list (spoiler, it's on there), which I'll get around to posting maybe later tonight but more likely tomorrow. I'll edit in an explanation for this one later when I'm in a better mood.

[LumRanmaYasha]

The Heroic Legend of Arslan anime is coming in April.

That spring season man, that spring season...