Currently Running Manga Discussion

[Spark Of Spirit]

MHA is proof that execution is everything.

But it does make me laugh a bit when people watching the anime for the first time dismiss it as generic and think they know where the story is going. The only thing they tend to get right is that there's a sort-of tournament arc, though it doesn't end the way you'd think it would. Everything else has been decidedly off. Especially because it rides on the idea that every character is a walking cliche like most other shonen. Everything Horikoshi has set up so far has been character development and building all leading towards the main story.

On the other hand, if this arc goes where I think it might, it might hint that the main story is about ready to begin. But if we didn't get all that material about Midoriya, Bakugo, Ida, Todoroki, Uraraka, All Might, Stain, the other students who all had their own moments, or Shigaraki and his crew, it probably wouldn't be as interesting as it is to keep up with.

[VLordGTZ]

I'm starting to think that Togashi is really tired of the hiatus jokes. 

[Spark Of Spirit]

The weird part of that comment is that it came in between all the other comments about offering prayers and well wishes to those affected by the earthquake. If you didn't know better you'd think he was affected by the disaster with a comment like that.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

This fight between Hisoka and Chrollo is turning out to be one of the best in the series. It's the most fun that I've had with this manga in a long time.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24 (May 16th, 2016):
Takuan and Batsu's Daily Demon Diary (Cover, Lead CP, New Series, 54 p.)
1- Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma
2- Black Clover
3- My Hero Academia
4- Haikyu!!
5- World Trigger
Mononofu (Center Color)
6- Kimetsu no Yaiba: Blade of Demon Destruction
7- Yuna of Yuragi Manor
Hinomaru Sumo (Center Color)
8- Samon the Summoner
Hunter x Hunter (Not Ranked)
9- The Mishaps of Kusuo Saiki
10- Straighten Up! Welcome to Shika High's Competitive Dance Club
11- Kochikame
12- Nisekoi
13- Bleach
14- Gintama
15- Toriko
Chronicle of Isobe -Life is Hard-
One Piece (Absent)

I'm breathing a sigh of relief for KnY. It's made it to #6. Should be around for a good while now. Food Wars is already back at #1, continuing its odd ranking. It is actually funny that the bottom 4 series are all on their final arcs right now, which means hopefully nothing else will be canceled for quite some time.

[Spark Of Spirit]

This week's ranking:

My Hero Academia
World Trigger
Food Wars
Takuan & Batsu's Daily Demon Diary


Now, if this chapter of MHA doesn't show you that Bakugo has come a long way, I doubt anything will. There is no way the Bakugo from Chapter 1 would have accepted any help regardless of who it was. It also proves the reason he told Midoriya to stay away was not out of pride, but because he didn't want him to get hurt for his sake. Oh yeah, and All For One continues to smash everything to crap while All Might tries to fight him off. Excellent chapter.

Now, World Trigger was off the chain. Osamu! Finally, my man! He took out two members of Katori Squad on his own, just as Kuga wiped out Kakizaki. Now it's just the three members of Tamakoma-2 against Katori and Teruya. This match is almost wrapped up, here's hoping they can go for a clean sweep. All that build up made this chapter one fun read.

An exciting chapter of Food Wars this week where we see Soma lost and the others start winning. But who really knows where this is all leading, especially since Advancement Exams are just up ahead.

Takuan & Batsu reminded me of Muhyo & Ryoji, except with Takuan being a bit of a different character. I really enjoyed the guy striving to live a normal life who secretly has demons of his own he had been fighting inside the whole time. Really, I think he made the whole chapter work. The rest of it was fine, probably a better version of Samon as a whole, but I think if it sticks around it will be due to Takuan. Good start for the series.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Food Wars has me excited at the prospect of sending the students back out into the world for some practical experience again (which really reminds me of my student pharmacy rotations back in college). The last time they did this resulted in probably my favorite arc of the series, so far. Also, I have a strong feeling that Soma will run into one or more Tootsuki alumni again, most likely Gin or his dad.

[LumRanmaYasha]

The funny thing about MHA is that I've heard certain people say that it goes downhill after the beginning because it basically just follows the very typical shonen formula that we've seen in at least a hundred other Jump manga. You see, while I can't actually disagree with the latter, I feel that the people criticizing it merely for being formulaic are letting that blind them from what's more important. It's not what the story is, but how it's told that's actually worth caring about. Yes, MHA is crammed full of battle shonen tropes, but it's also clearly aware of that and makes things entertaining by presenting its own interesting spin on many of those tropes, while simultaneously doing a better job with balancing and developing its characters than most other Jump manga tend to be able to do.

So, to me, the people who just slap the "generic" label on MHA simply because of what story beats it follows on the outset are the type who have a clear vision in their head for what they think is a trope-driven, uninspired story, and let that cloud them from judging the story based on what's actually going on within the context and details of its world and characters.

-I'm already bored of My Hero Academy. It's a generic battle shonen now. That....really didn't take long.

Most modern battle shonen are just one of two things:

-Interesting worlds with great concepts yet hardly do anything interesting with them and/or don't have interesting enough characters to support them and give you sonething to get really invested in (Magi, My Hero Academy, World Trigger, etc.)

-Generic safe crap that gets just enough ratings to keep it running and getting the mangaka a steady weekly paycheck

My Hero Academy: As a comedy manga I was enjoying it. Now that it focuses more on traditional battles, character archetypes, and predictable speeches about what it means to be a hero and stick to ideals, I just don't find it to be particularly interesting outside of some occasional comedy.

I liked the manga early on when it was less about generic training and villain fights, and more about just being fun. I'm not against either of those things, but I don't find the execution to be anything special. Clearly you do. That's fine. There really isn't much more to say about it than that. I'm just not personally a fan of the direction that this manga is taking.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Those were during the Sports Festival arc, which I have said and still say is the weakest and most uninspired part of the series. I still strongly hold to that opinion. I was talking about how I disagree with people who insist that the manga is still a generic battle shonen for everything after that.

So yeah, nice try, but it doesn't work when you take my posts out of context.

Do I really need to overexplain everything? It's like if I leave out some obvious details you always somehow miss the point.

[Spark Of Spirit]

He simply changed his mind. It happens. Since I've been re-reading the early chapters in the volume releases, I appreciate the Sports Festival more now since most of the best stuff doesn't actually take place during any of the events, but I can't argue that it is the weakest material in the manga.

For instance, the material between the short tournament rounds are much more interesting than the tournament itself, outside of maybe three total fights, and only one of which involves Midoriya himself. The fights are actually rather uninspired (Kaminari loses in a single panel . . . really?) compared to just about every other one in the series. I hold to the opinion that the race, Bakugo, Uraraka, and Todoroki, are the best parts of the arc. Everything else is not as good as what came before or after.

That said, when the tournament ends, it gets awesome and has stayed awesome ever since.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Hayate the Combat Butler is finally nearing the end.

I find it amazing it has run this long, honestly. It's not exactly the type of story that needs to run 50 volumes.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I appreciate the Sports Festival more now since most of the best stuff doesn't actually take place during any of the events, but I can't argue that it is the weakest material in the manga.

For instance, the material between the short tournament rounds are much more interesting than the tournament itself, outside of maybe three total fights, and only one of which involves Midoriya himself. The fights are actually rather uninspired (Kaminari loses in a single panel . . . really?) compared to just about every other one in the series. I hold to the opinion that the race, Bakugo, Uraraka, and Todoroki, are the best parts of the arc. Everything else is not as good as what came before or after.

I agree that the best parts of the arc are Bakugo, Uraraka, and Todoroki's character development because they, alongside Midoriya and Ida's own development, comprise the meat and heart of the arc. I suppose it's a matter of perspective, but personally, I've always enjoyed the developments between the fights in tournament arcs more interesting than fights themselves. My favorite material in the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai in Dragon Ball are the scenes of Tenshinhan debating with Master Roshi and Tsuru-sennin about honor and morality, and Yusuke's training with Genkai and her encounter and history with Toguro are my favorite parts of the Dark Tournament. Of course, this character-building that happens outside the fights ends up paying off in the penultimate fights of those arcs, which is why Goku vs. Tenshinhan and the Dark Tournament matches are among my favorites in anime/manga.

I think the Sports Festival functions similarly, and I'd argue it has a more acute sense of focus than most tournament arcs I've seen. What I enjoyed most in the Sports Festival arc was the character development delivered in scenes outside the fights in the final third, such as Uraraka discussing how seeing Deku give his all has lit her own fighting spirit, Ida's obsession with impressing his family and living up to his brother's pedigree, and the centerpiece of the arc, Todoroki and his volatile relationship with his parents, his hatred and desire to become a hero without using his fire powers to spite his father, and how Midoriya ultimately forces him to confront how empty such a pursuit is, making him reconsider the kind of hero he wants to be, and consequently embracing both sides of himself becoming a stronger person for it. Most of this was explored during the scenes between the fights, and were payed off during the fights themselves to great emotional effect. I don't think it's coincidental that the only fights we see that last more than a few panels involve Midoriya, Todoroki, Bakugo, Uraraka, and Ida specifically. I think Horikoshi decided to specifically focus on those five characters during the arc, and consequently, the fights in the arc all work in service of their character arcs and development, which kept the pacing very tight and focused, and meaningful to the overall story. I think the majority of the fights involving those characters served a valuable narrative purpose, and more importantly, laid the foundation for pretty much everything involving those characters down the line, particularly in the Internship arc which succeeds it.

I feel using Kaminari's "fight" as an example of the arc's fights being "uninspired" is kind of a misleading example. Because that's not really presented as a fight - it's more of a gag. Kaminari wasn't a character who was given focus during the Sports Festival, nor was him as a character built up as important to the arc in any way. Neither his "fight" nor the character was meant to be focused on or considered in any meaningful capacity, except perhaps to establish and introduce his opponent and her quirk. Who, admittedly, hasn't been seen since that arc, making the scene kinda superfluous. But it's one of the few scenes in the arc that are, and using it as an example of how the fights in the arc are uninspired is akin to saying Tenten vs. Temari in the Chunin Exams or Chiaotzu vs. Tao Pai Pai in the 23rd Budokai are examples of how the fights in those respective arcs are uninspired. They can barely be considered fights because all we see of them are the outcomes, and aren't really representative of the quality of their arc's fights on the whole. And again, in regards to MHA, none of the fights that don't involve Midoriya, Todoroki, Bakugo, Uraraka, and Ida aren't emphasized, because they aren't integral to the core character development delivered in the arc. The only exception is Kirishima vs. Tetsutesu, which is interspersed with Uraraka's speech about how everyone is giving it their all and competing as rivals and she's determined to do the same, and the contrast of which strengthens the emotional intensity of Uraraka's conviction, giving the scene more power, as well as creating a energetic sense of flow that really builds up her confronting Bakugo at the end of the chapter. The way Horikoshi used that fight to manipulate the pacing and emotion of Uraraka's speech is incredibly cinematic, and I think the execution of that particular chapter is marvelously done from a structural standpoint. 

I don't expect to change any minds, but I wanted to defend aspects of the arc that I feel are being overlooked and glossed over. Ultimately, I think the way Horikoshi executed and focused the fights in the arc were all purposeful and meaningful in developing either the characters, creating levity, a sense of pace or tone, or otherwise laying the foundation for future character and narrative exploration that is payed off in later arcs. Compared to other tournament arcs, even ones in series I love, I think it's remarkably concise and purposeful in what it sets out to do with little padding or distracting extraneous elements. I think both the Obstacle Course and Human Calvary portions are a lot of fun and very creative, and while the fights wary in how visually impressive or memorable they are compared to some others in the series, they all played a role functionally, and the best provided a strong foundation that the story and character development has expanded on since, and Midoriya vs. Todoroki and Todoroki vs. Bakugo in particular are two of the most emotionally charged and powerful fights in the series so far. Whether you enjoy the execution is another matter, certainly, but in terms of it's narrative structure, character development, and impact on the story, I personally think the arc contains some of the strongest material in the series to date.

Those were during the Sports Festival arc, which I have said and still say is the weakest and most uninspired part of the series. I still strongly hold to that opinion. I was talking about how I disagree with people who insist that the manga is still a generic battle shonen for everything after that.

So yeah, nice try, but it doesn't work when you take my posts out of context.

Do I really need to overexplain everything? It's like if I leave out some obvious details you always somehow miss the point.

Regardless, as someone who's been an avid proponent of the series from the very beginning, and the only person on the board who seemed to be enthusiastic about it for quite some time, I'm very glad that so many people on here now have embraced it and consider it one of their favorite currently-running anime/manga. 

[LumRanmaYasha]

Hayate the Combat Butler is finally nearing the end.

I find it amazing it has run this long, honestly. It's not exactly the type of story that needs to run 50 volumes.

I enjoyed what I read of the series a long time back, so this seems like a good time to try and start it up again. Particularly if it could lend towards a good discussion piece or provide value towards a Shonen Sunday focused episode for Manga Mavericks.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Hilarious that you'd drop an eyeroll after dumping a massive wall of text explaining your rebuttal. I'm not quite sure you understand how that gesture is supposed to work.

[Spark Of Spirit]

My issue is that the non-Todoroki, Midoriya, and Bakugo fights were ALL treated as comedy or glossed over. I don't expect every fight to be on the level Goku Vs. Jackie Chun or Tenshinhan, or Team Uremeshi Vs. Team Masho, but sometimes these sorts of fights are the only chances for certain characters to get any time to shine.

And using Temari Vs. Tenten is not the best example. That was Kishimoto being lazy. The anime fight was brief, but it showed something of both characters outside of just cutting straight to the end.

Yes, Kaminari's fight was treated as a joke, but like I said, that's part of my problem. I actually think one of Horikoshi's weak-point on the characters has been treating Kaminari like a punching bag. Let's face it, his quirk is overpowered and one of the best, as it was shone in the villain invasion arc, but since his first fight he has been as overlooked as Kirishima. And at least Kirishima is finally getting a chance to shine. Not that I don't think he won't eventually get some focus but, compared to Yaoyarozu, Kirishima, Mineta, Fumikage, Shoji, or, heck, even Aoyama, he hasn't gotten much of anything yet. And, yet, he's in the top ten of the official character poll.

At least Sero's loss came because of something plot related, and Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's fight was in the background of another scene. Kaminari was jobbed in a single panel by a character who has never reappeared again and who lost anyway.

Kaminari aside, I think the Sports Festival suffered because of Horikoshi's razor focus. A tournament setting is a chance to branch out and see characters aside from our mains and see how they're faring, cheer for the underdog, and see some surprising things from characters we wouldn't expect. While the character development of the main characters in this arc was great, it's about all I really enjoyed from the tournament. The fights were simply not very engaging compared to better material like DB, YYH, FoR, and, yeah, some of the fights in Naruto's Chuunin exams.

It's a good arc in a great series. That's all I can say.