10.03
Bakuman is back! Kind of. Sorta of. Two prequel chapters will be run in this issue and the next, focusing on the two leads’ lives in middle school, before the start of the series. I’ll save my thoughts on it for it’s section proper, but I have to say, it’s nice to see Ohba and Obata collaborating again. As it is knowing that they’ll soon be working on a new ongoing series again for the first time since Bakuman ended three years ago! Yes, the acclaimed mangaka duo’s next work, Platinum End, is slated to begin serialization in Jump Square this November. It’s a given that the english Jump will pick it up. I mean, Gakkyu Hotei was quickly added to the regular lineup when it came out, and only Obata was involved with that, so there’s no reason why a series with both Ohba and Obata together wouldn’t get the same treatment, especially since as a monthly series, it’s easier for them to run it than adding another weekly series would be. As a fan of the duo, I’m of course interested in their newest series, and hope it lives up to the quality set by Death Note and Bakuman, if not surpasses them.
Outside of Platinum End, there isn’t much to really discuss in terms of news this week. Though, with the fall season of anime fast approaching, some Jump anime talk could be spared. It was recently announced the Assassination Classroom anime’s second season has been confirmed for the winter 2016 season, but everyone already figured that out a while back, so natch. Food Wars!‘s second season, however, has yet to be announced, but similarly, I have a feeling it’ll pop up during next year’s spring season. I’m definitely looking forward to both. Not as much as I’m looking forward to the One-Punch Man anime’s debut coming up, but certainly more so than I am about the second season of Haikyuu!, and waaaaaayyyyy more than Seraph of the End‘s. Bleargh. Dragon Ball Super should also hopefully pick up now that they’re finally polishing off the Battle of Gods storyline this week, and while the show has been rather pointless rehashing so far, the fact that it’s still Dragon Ball means that I still cling to the hope that it’ll eventually justify itself as at the very least a decent continuation for the story and characters I love.
But the anime adaption that probably interests me the most, oddly enough, is World Trigger‘s second season. Now, everything I’ve seen of the World Trigger anime is terrible, from the animation, the pacing, just everything besides the voice acting and music, and even those are only mediocre at best. But just on the grounds of it being an anime-only storyline does WT’s second season earn more of my interest than it should, if only because it will be telling stories with the characters not already seen in the manga. And while it could be dismissed as filler, it seems like Toei will be taking the series in a different direction through this new season, and I have to wonder how that’s going to play out. Whether or not I’m going to keep up with it is another thing entirely. At the very least, I’m glad Toei is keeping the anime going, if only because that will keep World Trigger definitively safe from cancellation for a long while yet, and considering how low it’s rankings have tended to be, that’s a relieving safeguard to have.
I’ll most likely contribute opinions on One-Punch Man, Haikyuu!!, Seraph of the End, and World Trigger for the upcoming Fall Clusterfuck. For now, though, let’s stop with the anime talk, and get on with some manga discussion! In this week’s issue, a guy emotionally tortures an innocent girl just for kicks, Szayel Aporro returns to berate Mayuri for having any sense of character depth, Marika’s mother is unsurprisingly unpersuaded by emotionally-driven platitudes and half-baked arguments, and something really important happens in Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V! Maybe! I think! All this and more, After the Jump!
Weekly Shonen Jump: 2015, Issue No. 43
Samon the Summoner chapter #1 – “Samon-kun Hates Me”
Making a comedy with a unabashedly villainous, horrible person as the protagonist isn’t impossible. Nor is it impossible to make such a character likable, or at least enjoyable. Series using horrible people doing horrible things to others to drive comedy mostly work because the characters are often portrayed as dysfunctional or pathetic, there’s something that feels understandable and relatable driving their behavior, and they get comeuppance for their misdeeds on a regular basis. This careful balancing of characterization is how series like It’s Always Sunny in Philedelphia and South Park, among others, even work in the first place. A series with a lead who does horrible things to nice people, but always comes on top, and we’re still supposed to like, just doesn’t work. You can’t get behind a character who’s entire goal in life is to make others suffer, and he’s always in control and everything in his life is perfect. That’s not a protagonist, that’s a villain. Not even a villain protagonist, but among the most contemptible villains you could characterize. As a protagonist, he’s be completely unsympathetic and unlikable, and consequently, it’ll be hard to like the series.
This is Samon the Summoner‘s biggest problem. The titular character has a somewhat amusing chipper personality while he’s doing the awful things he does that could work, but it doesn’t, and that’s because of his reasons and overall characterization. Samon doesn’t seem to have any real problems in his life, is never put in a position where he feels threatened or shows any weaknesses or loses control, and the only impetus for him to ruin Teshigawara’s life is that he dislikes how nice she is. He’s a Gary Stu villain protagonist, with an answer for every problem he’s faced with, even enemy demons. Even if he had a amicable personality and motivations he would be hard to like, so the fact that his only goal in this entire series is to break a genuinely good person into a terrible one and send them straight to hell really doesn’t do him any favors. To reference a classic Jump manga, Prince Baka from Level E had no redeeming qualities, and his only goal in life was to fuck with people, but he was presented as pathetic, and would get screwed over by the people he tried to mess with in karmic ways. The people surrounding him also didn’t just go along with his bullshit, and fought him every step of the way. Not to mention that characters like Captain Kraft had genuinely good chemistry with him for humor to bounce off of. But the victim in this series, the female lead, has no agency in the story, and the relationship she has with Samon isn’t funny, but disturbing.
The problem is confounded by the fact that Teshigawara is genuinely sympathetic. If she was also kind of a jerk, then I could see the story could working fairly well, sort of in the same vein as Good Luck Girl! But Teshigawara isn’t a bad person, in any way. Not to say she’s a complete goody-two shoes, but she does the right thing when she needs to. She’s kind to others no matter what other people think of them, or her for going out of her way to talk with them. She’s nice to people no matter how weird or mean they are to her. She really cares about other people’s well-being, and tries to spin a positive light on any negative circumstance she befalls. That’s admirable. She’s an admirable person. I’d enjoy reading a story that really focused on her trying to deal with Samon’s schemes to break her, in a battle of wits sort of way. But that’s not the way Samon the Summoner has been set up. Instead, the series presents Teshigawara as very passive towards Samon’s actions, completely at the mercy of his whims, even having to be rescued from him. She has no conceivable way to level the playing field against him; she’s been thoroughly victimized. For the series to work under it’s premise, she needs to be able to do something to get back at Samon, and undermine his attempts to mess with her. She needs to be the central protagonist, and have an active role in how the story turns out, rather than passively react to what Samon does in it.
Samon the Summoner has set itself up with a way in to becoming a battle manga with the whole demons coming after Samon subplot. Which not only tells me that it doesn’t have much faith in it’s concept, but that it really wants to stick with Samon as the protagonist of this series, rather than be it’s villain. Like I said, this concept can work, but only if Teshigawara is allowed to fight back. She needs to be on an equal playing field with Samon, and their relationship needs to have more of a back and forth dynamic, especially since Samon is always going to be so clearly in the wrong when Teshigawara will always have to be in the right (lest she fall into hell, and the series ends). I really wanted to like this concept; done right, and I could see it being very entertaining, and very funny. But the way things are now, it just doesn’t work. Samon in unlikable, Teshigawara is coded as the passive sidekick to the lead. While the hook of seeing whether Samon will make Teshigawara slip up and go to hell is interesting, it’s not going to be fun if every week shows Samon doing something mean-spirited to her and only gives up when her life gets threatened by some other monster, and she’s at the mercy of whatever he decides to do throughout the story.
I’m generally pretty lenient towards the Jump Starts. It takes a while for most series to really find their footing, so when it comes to reviewing their early chapters, I like to focus on what I think has a lot of potential, and what they are already excelling in. I’ve found the new series I’ve covered for these issue reviews so far to have all been pretty promising, with much I liked and appreciated about them, and so I’ve written very positively towards them. Samon the Summoner is the first new Jump Start in a while that I’m feeling very negatively towards, and writing very negatively about. But it’s not without some merit. I really do like Teshigawara as a character in of herself, and the reactions she has throughout the chapter and a lot of the dialogue in the series is a lot of fun and humorous in spirit. It certainly has more going for it than, say Lady Justice did, but Viz didn’t run that as a Jump Start (and good riddance). But on the whole, there’s just not a whole lot going for it, and it didn’t leave me looking forward to reading any more of it. The premise isn’t bad, so maybe it could somehow rehaul itself, and give Teshigawara more agency, and make Samon more fallible. But compared to the phenomenal first chapter Mononofu put out last week, as well as it’s strong follow up chapter this week, there’s just no comparison between the two in terms of quality. If either of them is going to survive in Jump in the longterm, much less be added to Viz’s lineup, I sincerely doubt it’ll be Samon the Summoner.
One Piece chapter #800 – “Sons’ Cups”
I had expected Luffy to turn down the offer of being the leader of a huge pirate fleet. He has always rejected being in a position of a lot of power and responsibility. He’s a free spirit, and his idea of the pirate king is to be the ultimate free man, the world his to explore and roam to his pleasure. As such, he’s never been after money or fame, and never seen the need to have a big crew (remember, at the beginning of the series he believed ten would be enough). He does what he wants when he wants because he wants to, and for no other reason. And he doesn’t want to be a big shot who’s giving orders to a jillion people and has to be responsible for an organization. So in the end, he rejects Bartholomew and co.’s offer to be their boss. Yet, at the same time, he’s always been keen on helping his friends out and calling on them to help him out in a jam. So Luffy doesn’t mind just a friendly alliance between the crews; he just doesn’t want it to be a very structured and systematic organization. But since everyone else is basically on the same page, the Straw Hats get their grand fleet whether Luffy wants to call it that or not.
Suffice to say, this is BIG. This development puts into context just why there was so much attention payed to these characters during the Dressrosa arc. They were all being built up for greater things outside this arc, and as honorary members of the Straw Hat crew. I had inklings of this as the arc was going on. Ever since we first saw Whitebeard’s fleet of ships in Marineford, the idea that the Straw Hats would one day command a force as big if not bigger than that was probably on the back of every fan’s mind. But to see it finally play out, especially in the way it has, is so incredibly satisfying. While there are some characters in this bunch I’m indifferent on, most of them are people who received a lot of focus and have been developed as fully realized characters. The idea that all of them will soon play a big role in future events, a great historic event as they claim, is incredibly exciting. Like the looming war with Kaido, this is yet another plotline in the series to look forward to seeing developed, and really sets the scale of future events and the series to greater heights.
All in all, you couldn’t ask for a better chapter to celebrate the series’ 800th chapter and the end of the Dressrosa arc. The big moments in the chapter were well complimented by great character moments, especially from Fujitora, that really make it feel like a huge milestone in the series has really been reached. Ever since the timseskip, OP has slowly been building it’s arcs back up to greater scales, and this chapter makes it clear that things are only going to get bigger from here on out. The future has never been more promising for the series, and I’ve got to raise a toast to Oda for that. Dressrosa may have been a trying arc to read through at times, but the payoff and ramifications of it have been absolutely brilliant. I don’t know what the series has in store next, but with the promise that something big will happen on the scale of Marineford sooner than later, there is plenty to be excited about. We’ve finally left Dressrosa behind, and are now in uncharted territory, but the thrill of adventure and looming danger has breathed new life and momentum into the series, and restored confidence that the next phase of the series will take it to even bigger and better places than it’s ever been before.
Toriko chapter #339 – “Midora vs. Joie!!”
This was a mostly battle-heavy chapter, focusing on the duel between Midora and Joie. As a fan of Midora, I loved how much he kicked ass in the chapter, and his cool responses to Joie’s taunts. Damn, I’m almost positive we aren’t going to see more of their fight, but I want to so bad. If there’s one thing about Toriko that I get miffed about these days, it’s the series’ tendency to switch between plot threads and characters so suddenly and without giving proper closure or follow-up to subplots in a timely enough matter. It hasn’t detracted from my enjoyment of the series as of late too much, but I know it has for others, and it does really frustrate me when we get something as engaging as the Midora and Joie conflict we have to switch gears and focus on something else.
But as strong as the Midora/Joie fight is, the switch-ups here are admittedly necessary and important. Though I’m not entirely keen on the idea Zaus is completely blameless since he was under Joie’s mind control this whole time, there is a precedent for it with Grinpatch that served to show that perhaps others had been manipulated in the same way. What Teppei plans to do with Joie’s golden tool is a mystery, but it’ll likely be essential in combating the threat of Acacia’s demon. Speaking of which, that’s the next biggest reveal in the chapter. The gourmet cell demon within Acacia has been revived, and it’s going to go after the full course and God itself. We see Acacia’s new form in this chapter, and holy shit does he look like a monster, and the way he rips to shreds a Blue Nitro, one of the strongest creatures on the planet, and proceeds to devours it in such a violent, animalistic way, is disturbing as heck. You don’t need to do anything more to sell me how big a threat Acacia is; the design and sheer intensity of his presence does well to characterize the danger and chaos it poses.
But interestingly enough, the demon might have a match in another, and it’s none other than the late Ichiryu’s gourmet cell demon, Don Slime. Wow. I did not see that coming, but it’s Jiji’s relationship and treatment of it makes a whole lot of sense now. But then, how did Don Slime come to be the ruler of Blue Grill What is his role in “the project?” The revelation of Don Slime’s origins poses even more questions about it’s motives and loyalties than ever before, and that makes me want to get back to the cooking festival to learn more about it. So much is going on in Toriko now that it’s getting a bit hard to keep track, but somehow, I can’t help but enjoy the craziness and unpredictability of it all. The series has been a wild ride as of late, and if this chapter is any indication, it’s about to become a whole lot wilder.
Mononofu chapter #2 – “Hanging Pawn”
It’s not easy to become good at something, much less become a professional at it. I played chess for many years, and I’ll tell you, it takes incredible amounts of dedication, practice, and skill to become good at it, much less become great at it. Confound this by the fact that, at the end of the day, very few can actually make a comfortable living as a professional chess player. The game can’t just be your hobby; it needs to be your life. You need to live and breathe it to get to the level of the best. I don’t know how professional shogi works, but I’m pretty confident it’s the same, if not stricter due to how isolated the game is in Japan, as opposed to chess’ international popularity and support.
Shinobu needed to learn that becoming a professional shogi player is easier said than done, and it’s a serious choice. There is not only fierce competition to get to the top, but it’s also incredibly selective, and there’s a time limit to how long you can take to get there. Yasukane has been working hard at it for over ten years, and he doesn’t have a lot of time left to make it to the next level. Shinobu might have a talent for the game with his tunnel vision, but if he wants to become pro, he needs to understand that he has to be truly obsessed with the game. He has to be prepared to stick with it for the long haul, even with no guarantee his efforts will be rewarded.
In an odd paradox, the connection between Yasukane and Shinobu is made both blatant and subtle. We get enough of a sense of what Yasukane’s background is, and what he’s had to endure in his life, to know that he can relate and really sympathize with Shinobu’s plight, which is why he is so worried about doing what’s best for him. But his background also puts into context his speech about how effort will eventually be rewarded, and why he was so passionate about proving that to Shinobu and helping him regain confidence in himself. Yasukane has clearly been in the same place Shinobu was once in his life, but persisted, and never gave up. While he’s faced many challenges, and still hasn’t succeeded, he firmly believes that in the end, his hard work will be rewarded, and wants to encourage others to meet their potential by lending a helping hand to them, which is likely why he became a tutor. It’s rather outstanding just how much there is to this character just two chapters in, and how compelling the connection between him and Shinobu is already. Comparing it to, say, the Aono/Kagura relationship in Best Blue, and this is on a whole other level of quality. Possibly because of how real the morals and situation feel in the way they are presented, but also just in terms of the depth of the characters and the relationship itself. It’s something that will surely be a big driving point for the series going forward, and a great mentor/student foundation for the series to have in general.
But Yasukane isn’t the only other character whose spotlight leads to some great moments. Keishi has quickly become a scene-stealer not only through his comedic antics, but also through his genuine interest in helping Shinobu out. Though most of the group discourages him because they know what a commitment training to be a professional shogi player is and don’t know if Shinobu has what it takes to make it, Keishi gives him a chance. He tests him by having play a game with him, and prove to him that he’s not just talk; that he does love the game, that it’s fun for him, even after multiple losses. And slowly but surely, the experience not only strengthens Shinobu’s resolve and love for the game, but reveals his strengths in the endgame, and his potential to be a great player. It’s something he not only wants to do, but he can do. He has a long road to go, and nobody lets him forget that. But the tone of the chapter is still very optimistic. Shinobu has a long road ahead of him, but I’m keen to see him grow on his journey, and feel the same about the series so far. Like Shinobu, it has a lot of potential to be great, and I just hope it has more chances to prove it. For now, we have at least another chapter to look forward to in this Jump Start run, and I’m eagerly looking forward to it.
Bleach chapter #643 – “Baby, Hold Your Hand 6 [Waiting for Love]”
I laughed out loud when Szayel Aporro just showed up out of nowhere. I mean, of all the characters Kubo could bring back, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see him again. The callback makes sense in of itself, though. I mean, it’s a bit of a stretch that Mayuri even remembered Szayel Aporro considering he was completely unfazed and unimpressed with anything he threw at him, but that conversation they had about a scientist aiming for perfection is actually relevant to the situation. Aporro thought he had made himself perfect through his science, but Mayuri scoffed at him, claiming that a scientist could never truly find perfection, that the idea of it was be meaningless. A scientist should always seek to better his work, to evolve his craft. Mayuri told Aporro that the thought of a perfect being, one that couldn’t evolve any further, disgusted him. However, as recently shown in his interactions with Nemu, it seems that Mayuri thought of her as his masterpiece, and found her perfect the way she is. So Aporro is mocking Mayuri for his hypocrisy. Though ultimately, it just reaffirms Mayuri’s resolve, and reminds him that as a scientist, he must take these setbacks as they are, and continue to move forward.
It’s a good moment, in theory. But honestly, the entire sequence is totally pointless. It’s trying to add more pathos and depth to Mayuri, but as we’ve discussed before, the entire relationship between Mayuri and Nemu just doesn’t work with the way Kubo has previously characterized them throughout the series. So instead, the entire scene feels like Kubo is trying to cover-up a continuity error in regards to Mayuri’s philosophy about his science, as well as shoehorn in an appearance by a previous character for fan-service, since this the final arc and whatnot.
I’m rather pissed off that Nemu is the one who died, and it wasn’t Mayuri. The latter having to make a sacrifice and passing the torch on to his daughter would have been much more effective in terms of giving the character legitimate pathos. But no, Nemu’s supposedly badass moment is completely made pointless by the beginning of the chapter and she gets killed off, meaning her character development was completely pointless too. I mean, sure, she’ll probably be revived by Mayuri since he saved her brain and whatnot, but that’ll probably be something we see in the epilogue for the series, so she won’t contribute anything else in this arc proper. What a load. At least she sorta does kill Pernida with it getting blown up because her body produces cells at an exponential rate.
Or some shit like that, I don’t know. It’s some overcomplicated bullshit Kubo pulled out of his ass, why should I give a fuck? At least this goddamn fight is over now, meaning there are less enemies to deal with, meaning the series is getting closer to ending. I really, really hope that the fights with the other Sternritter grunts don’t take so damn long to finish so we can get to fights with Haschwaltz, Uryu, and Ywach already. You know, the ones that will actually matter? God, let’s just move on to My Hero Academia already…
My Hero Academia chapter #59 – “Listen Up!! A Tale from the Past”
After the way last week ended, I wasn’t expecting this chapter to open up with such a delightful and hilarious sequence of comic relief. Mineta is a really fun take on the perverted character archetype, and works because of just how over-the-top and ineffectual he is. He’s in his own world of delusion, no one respect or takes him very seriously, and he always gets his comeuppances. For the moment, it works to make him an enjoyable character, if not really very likable, and while his antics could get annoying if overdone down the line, for now they provide welcome levity. And starting this chapter off with a strong bit of humor was definitely a good move on Horikoshi’s part, since it’s a very serious, heavy chapter the rest of the way, with a lot of implications to process and consider.
It seems some found the explanation of One For All’s origins confusing, but I thought it was pretty straightforward. Really, all you need to take from it is that the series is playing with the duality and an dynamic relationship between good and evil. They are mutually co-existent forces, one unable to exist without the other, born from and closely related to each other. The story of All For One and One For All is a pretty classic story of good vs evil. All for One was initially used to bring people together in a time where people had been torn apart. When it was abused and twisted for malicious means, a great force for good was created to counteract it. One For All was born out of one man’s desire to do the right thing and fight against injustice and oppression. It owes it’s existence solely as a consequence of All For One’s negative influence, even though it’s creation was in many respects a mistake. The fact the One For All is passed down generation in generation to always counterattack and defeat the former is symbolic of the never-ending fight for justice as well. All Might thought his generation took All For One down for good, but good and evil can never disappear. Both powers grew stronger over time, constantly at odds and in competition with each other to be dominant. The age of heroes has come about because, for a while, good had secured a victory over evil, suppressing and lessening it. But it was inevitable that it would return. Even if the current user dies, he will make sure to pass on his power to Shigaraki and have him be his successor. This is a battle that can never end or be won, and now, Midoriya must inherit that burden.
Midoriya doesn’t really seem to understand all the implications of what All Might has told him, but he has a strong sense of justice, and is willing to face the challenge head on. However, he trusts that All Might will be there by his side when that day comes. It’s become increasingly clear that All Might probably won’t. From the beginning, I assumed that as Midoriya mastered One For All, All Might would gradually lose the power himself. Now it seems that isn’t the only consequence of him passing on the power. While it hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s heavily implied that All Might is slowly dying. By the time Midoriya has to stand up to All For One, he most likely will not still be around to support him. It may or may not have been the best decision to not tell Midoriya about this, but no doubt that decision will shake Midoriya’s resolve and confidence when the truth does finally come out, and the full weight of his responsibility becomes apparent to him.
While I’m expecting a buffer arc first, it’s clear that things will be soon become incredibly serious in MHA. While Midoriya and friends have faced dire and intense encounters with villains before, the storm of chaos and violence that is sure to follow with the formation of the League of Villains and Shigaraki and All For One’s scheme will no doubt seriously challenge the characters and the current era of peace the world is in. With a deepened goal, future conflict, and potential ramifications set in place, the series’ future has never looked brighter even though the story itself is becoming progressively darker. The situation in the series right now is a ticking time-bomb of tension, and I eagerly anticipate the moment it explodes, no matter how long the wait for it will take.
Bakuman age 13
While more Bakuman chapters are a treat, I think most people would have preferred to see epilogue chapters as opposed to prequel ones. There were a lot of story threads and characters that didn’t really get much of a resolution in the final chapters, so it would have been nice to see some focus and give some closure to Fukuda, Hirumaru, and other members of the secondary cast. Of course, the reason these prequel chapters were commissioned in the first place was to promote the upcoming movie, so of course they’d prioritize focusing on the characters as they were before the movie, as opposed to how they were afterwards. But that’s not a bad thing. Those backstory chapters for Shishio that Watsuki made to promote the final Kenshin movie actually added to the character’s story, giving a lot more context and depth to his motivations and relationship with Yumi, in a way that actually enhanced my appreciation for the character.
That’s the value of these prequel chapters. While we don’t learn anything necessarily new about Takagi here, it’s interesting to actually see who he was before the series began, and what motivated him to become a manga writer. The Takagi we first see in Bakuman was very outgoing and pushy, very eagerly and passionately urging Mashiro to partner with him. Here, we see that he wasn’t always such a gung-ho guy. In middle school, Takagi was kind of quiet and detached from others. He wasn’t anti-social, but he didn’t really feel like he had any true friends either, and mostly kept to himself. He really didn’t put that much effort into school, kind of just easing by on his natural smarts, and mostly spent his middle school years in a daze, seriously thinking about what he wanted to do in life, and frustrated by his lack of progress in finding that something and working towards it. The way Takagi realizes he wants to be a manga artist isn’t really some big, inspiring event in his way, but rather a more natural epiphany about how he could marry his interests and his talents. It’s a bit childish the way Takagi immediately goes “hey, I can do this!,” but that’s exactly how kids are when they talk about what they want to be when they grow up. It really reflects how easy-going Takagi’s character was in early Bakuman, when he didn’t really know what he was getting into, and how much hard work it would actually entail. And in this way, the chapter makes a very welcome piece for the character, one that might not have been needed, but is still entertaining and substantial.
Beyond Takagi, there were some interesting moments with Iwase in the chapter. While we know she had a one-sided competitive relationship and romantic interest in him before, it’s revealing to see that she really used to be a very upright, meek girl who actually really admired Takagi and developed her crush on him almost from the start. There’s definitely a disconnect between how she’s presented here and was presented at the beginning of the series (from what I remember). Whereas she was full-on tsundere towards Takagi in early Bakuman, she’s much more friendly and soft-spoken around him here. While I don’t think we’ll see how she develops the personality she has later on, knowing the circumstances under which she and Takagi formed their opinions of each other does put their relationship in an interesting new context. The implication that Takagi was completely oblivious to Iwase’s interests with him, and dismissal of her as overly study-happy, also might present a reason why Iwase’s opinion on him became more bitter over time, as he repeated rejected her attempts to get to know her better. Iwase is one of poorer written characters in Bakuman, but this chapter does well in showing her in a new light that makes her somewhat more sympathetic and shows she was not always the obsessively competitive, mean-spirited person she became later on.
The most entertaining part of the chapter for me, though, was the two pages showing Hirumaru working his soul-crushing salesman job. Poor Hirumaru. He might have been lazy and incompetent, but he definitely didn’t live a very fun life before he became a mangaka, and I both felt and laughed at the guy’s world-weariness and desire to get his own porsche. Again, there’s nothing necessary or substantial about this scene. But it’s moments like this, seeing the characters’ lives as they were before the series, that makes the chapter so entertaining, and a treat for Bakuman fans. Hopefully the second chapter continues to shed light on some other characters in as fun a manner, and keeps adding new and interesting facets to their backgrounds as well.
World Trigger chapter #116 – “Yuichi Jin: Part 9”
Osamu’s logic as to why he wanted Jin to join his team definitely shows his improved understanding of what he needs to do to better the team, and cover their weaknesses. Tamakoma-2 needs an agent with both the strength and experience needed to compete with the top B-ranked teams, and better compete and secure a place as an away team. Jin would fit their needs perfectly. Of course, Jin has other responsibilities, and if perhaps too powerful for him to be added to the team at this point, so he declines. He does of course hint that Osamu has another option right under his nose, and I think we can all guess who that is.
This is a rare showing of Jin’s more emotional side. We previously had hints that he felt responsible for what befell Tamakoma-2 in the invasion, but this is the first time we learn that his burden comes from the fact that he could’ve prevented a lot of damage done to the group, and having used Chika as a pawn to focus the invaders’ attention on her, and minimize damage to the city. He used Tamakoma-2 as part of his plan without their knowledge or consent, and Replica died and Osamu almost died because of his decision. But, as stated before, this was one of the better outcomes from the Invasion that he foresaw. It could’ve gone better, but it also could’ve gone far worse. In the end, Jin’s decision worked out, but that doesn’t assuage the personal guilt he feels for manipulating the team.
Of course, Osamu feels differently. Jin might have used them, but he’s also helped them. He knows Jin definitely cares about their well-being and interests, and he’s grateful for that. Even though Jin says he figures Osamu’d say that, it’s a rather nice touching character moment for him. Jin is usually presented as an in-control, unruffled tactician, but here we see some more shades of him without having him become over-emotional or behave in a uncharacteristic way. He probably wishes he could do more for Tamakoma-2 than he’s already doing, but as we see at the end of the chapter, he’s a part of something much bigger, something that requires his full investment and cooperation in.
Presumably, the next chapter should expand upon the nature of the Emergency Response Team, as well as bring Osamu closer to identifying the teammate Jin’s suggested. Contrary to what I had thought, it seems that the Rank Wars will continue a bit longer yet. However, the focus is likely going to move away from the matches themselves, and focus more on how Tamakoma-2 improves both as individuals and as a team in order to climb back to the top, and secure a spot on the away mission. It may take a while for everything to fall into place, but this is a new start for Tamakoma-2, a chance to re-invent themselves, and I’m eager to see their continued growth in the coming weeks.
Black Clover chapter #30 – “A New Rival”
I’d been wondering how the subplot with Charmy was going to pay off. In the previous arc, we learned quite a bit about Luck’s backstory and his character and abilities were fleshed out quite a bit, establishing him well as a likable protagonist with a clear character arc to be developed further in the story. I had assumed that Charmy would be given a similar amount of depth, in addition to her powers being shown off. Her shenanigans in the background of this arc, persistently pursuing the capital’s food, was serviceable comic relief, but it also seemed to be a slow build-up to her getting involved in the battle and more pertinent things being done with her then. If this chapter is really the climax of her subplot, and basically everything she’s going to do in this arc, then man, was it a baffling waste of time.
Charmy beating the witch would be more impressive if she was at full-power, and Yuno was at the end of his rope. But the witch was already severely weakened by Yuno, and really wouldn’t stand a chance against anyone with a decent amount of strength. And as a senior member of the Black Bulls, you’d have to assume that someone like her could have been dealt with by Charmy well-enough if she’d have been at full strength. So there’s nothing particularly “cool” or impressive about Charmy taking down an opponent that was essentially already defeated. The scene just doesn’t work in trying to build Charmy up as a strong mage, or even showing off how cool her powers are, because the threat isn’t credible, and danger posed wasn’t particularly serious.
It really doesn’t help that Charmy’s characterization continues to be so one-note and selfish. It was bad enough that she shirked her duties to help people in trouble to go off and eat grub, but the fact that she only reacts to an enemy when said food was threatened (not even the people who made the food, just the food itself), really doesn’t portray her in a particularly noble light. Unlike Luck, we haven’t learned any more about her through this arc other than “she really likes food;” she’s an extremely shallow character, and literally one in her characterization. Perhaps not unlikable, since there’s a certain amusing charm in just how much she seems to be in her own world, but the lack of dynamism and depth to her character doesn’t make me particularly interested in seeing more of her in the story. Especially if her crush on Yuno becomes a serious recurring thing. I just don’t think Black Clover is in a position to handle runners like that without it quickly becoming grating.
The rest of the chapter is entertaining enough, though it doesn’t offer anything more substantial than the first half either. I do appreciate friendly, encouraging rivals and authority figures as opposed to assholes, so I do like Fegoleon jumping into the battle because he thinks Asta has potential, and considers him a worthy rival for the title of Wizard King. It’s odd to me that he’s yet another member of the Vermillion clan to take a liking to Asta, after Mimosa and Leo, and it characterizes their family as a whole to be more open-minded and accepting of others than, say, Noelle’s family. I feel that a rivalry and contention between the two clans is inevitable, if it doesn’t already exist. While Charmy proved to be a poorly-developed character, the next chapter could develop Fegoleon as someone worth keeping an eye on and investing in, and another legitimate rival for Asta to aspire to surpass. I mean, just by presence alone, he’s certainly more interesting and credible as one than Leo, who we could really stand to learn a lot more about.
Overall, this chapter had it’s amusing bits, but the first half with Charmy was a poor payoff to that subplot and establishing the character, and reflects many of the weaknesses in Black Clover‘s storytelling so far. I do still find the series enjoyable to read and keep up with, but we’re 30 chapters in, and it has yet to reach a level that really brings it above the level of your average shonen battle series. I mean, Black Clover has been described by many to be the spiritual successor to Naruto, and indeed, there are many similarities between the two, and I think that’s a contributing factor as to why it’s been doing so well. But by this point in Naruto, the series was closing off the Zabuza arc, which had much more dynamic and fleshed out antagonists, stronger world-building, and greater character development for the central protagonists. Later arcs of Naruto might have soured the impact of those early arcs, but re-read through the Zabuza arc of Naruto and compare it to what we have from Black Clover so far, and the difference in quality is night and day.
Say what you will about how Naruto is overall, but that series started strong, and with the Zabuza arc, told a great multi-layered story with nuanced characters that showed depth and growth that really set the bar high for the rest of the series high. Black Clover simply has not reached that level of excellence yet. It might continue to take a while for the series to find it’s footing, and I really do think it has the right assets to become a great series. Right now, though, I don’t the series is adequately living up to the expectations or popularity it’s been given, and chapters like this one are really not doing it any favors.
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma chapter #135 – “The Nakiri Family”
After the shocking climax of the last chapter, it was clear that big changes were in store for Totsuki. So it was a little surprising that, for the first half of the chapter, life at Totsuki seemed to be the same as before. However, this makes a lot of sense. If you try to implement radically changes right away, especially if you don’t have the trust of a lot of people first, you’ll get a bunch of discontents revolting against you and rejecting the system. Azami’s process is very slow and deliberate. He’ll change things slowly but surely, he’s in no hurry, and he really doesn’t need to be. For all intents and purposes he’s already won and in complete control, and it’s precisely because he’s so smugly self-confident that he can do as he pleases without the need for pretense or worrying about showing his hand too soon or too late. We only see what Azami wants us to see and know what Azami wants us to know, but even so, everything he’s said and done has been him being himself.
So while Azami might be a manipulative mastermind, he is nonetheless earnest and honest about what he wants to do, and what he says he’s going to do. And the first thing he’s going to do is reclaim his hold over Erina’s life. He removes her away from any other influences by banishing Senzaemon and firing Hisako, and keeping her isolated in her home, and Erina, conditioned to fear her father and obey his words, cannot muster up the courage to stand up for herself, to tell him to let Hisako stay with her, and to leave her be. He holds too strong a hold over her, and she can’t break free from it alone.
Which is no doubt why Senzaemon has appeared in front of Soma. There seems to be a reason why Senzaemon had Joichiro send him to Totsuki, and that reason could have been in anticipation of something like this happening. Probably because like Joichiro, Soma is an eccentric; his unique outlook and experimental style of cooking challenges the people he goes up against and makes them reevaluate and improve themselves both as people and chefs. Soma makes cooking for everyone to enjoy, Azami wants cooking to only be enjoyed by a privileged few. Their differing philosophies and personalities will no doubt soon clash, and Soma will likely be the spearhead in the reactive movement soon to follow once Azami starts going after those who don’t fit his program, which means essentially everyone at the Polar Star dorms, and Soma’s entire group of friends in general, are going to be at risk. What Senzaemon has to tell Soma will probably be essential to understanding the enemy he and his friends will soon have to challenge if they want to stay at Totsuki, and whatever it is, it’s no doubt going to add another layer of tension to an already ominous and intense calm before the storm.
Nisekoi chapter #186 – “Why?”
It was clear Marika had a very bitter, unloving relationship with her mother. This chapter shows that she was not unjustified in her grudge with her. Chika Tachibana is in many respects other-worldy; from her elaborate dress to her eerily youthful appearance, she could easily pass as a goddess or supernatural deity in another manga, or at very least a princess or queen. But it’s not her physical appearance that’s what’s truly unnerving about her. It’s her wholly nihilistic and passionless outlook on people and the world, in a manner that’d put even Spock on edge. Her emotionless face and strictly logic-driven arguments make her come across as almost robotic, most certainly cold. And as the conversation goes on, it’s becomes increasingly clear that she has no regard for Marika’s happiness, or really anyone’s. She’s going through the motions of what is expected of her as the leader of the Tachibana family, and imposing that will onto Marika for tradition’s sake and not their own. She is bereft of any emotion throughout the entire conversation, until the end, when Raku asks her what she thinks about Marika, a prompt which makes her cringe, annoyed.
It’s subtle, but that one bit of dialogue says so much about her beliefs and her goals. Marika’s mother is not just another mere selfish parent using her child for her own gain. On the contrary, she’s not doing what she does out of love or lack of it. She’s doing it because that’s the way things are, always have been, and must continue to be. Her happiness wasn’t and still isn’t important, and neither is Marika’s. She has given Marika more freedom than she had been given, which she thinks was more than generous as it is. She believes that promises must be kept, rules and traditions must be followed, and responsibility must be taken. And that’s what makes her so frightening; she is an empty person. She has nothing to gain and nothing to lose; nothing she cares about, loves, or lives for. She has been conditioned by her own upbringing to uphold a system for it’s sake alone. She is a robot, whose will is that but the extension of her clan, her existence and decisions influenced by the need for her line to continue. While she might not be scary or malicious in the traditional sense, the reason why Marika considers her a monster is abundantly clear. Human beings are driven by emotions, be it love, greed, or whatever. They have desire. Chika Tachibana displays none of these things. Her complete lack of emotion, passion, and desire in her decision making, in her thinking, in her way of life, makes her feel soulless. It makes her seem inhuman.
Under this context, it’s not hard to see why Marika is so outgoing and energetic, and so open about her feelings and emotions with people. The household she has lived in must have been horribly oppressive; sterile and emotionless. So in reaction to her mother’s lack of passion for life, Marika embraced it. She actively became the complete opposite of her mother in behavior and outlook. She took full advantage of every opportunity she was given to have fun, make friends, and pursue her own interests. Knowing that, inevitably, that freedom would be taken away from her, she chose to leave nothing on the table, and do everything she did with all that she had. It really puts Marika’s boldness and active pursuit of Raku in a wholly new context that redefines why and who she is, and gives her characterization another shade of depth that really separates her from other characters with the same archetype.
Raku really had no idea what he was getting into, or much of a plan to convince Chika to let Marika go free. He was driven by his guilt about being dishonest with Marika, and the desire to do what he thought was right as her friend. But as Chika points out, the Tachibana family has their way of doing things that has worked for them in the past and must be continued. Raku has no right to impose his value system on her just because he wants to feel less guilty about himself, and neither he or Marika have the right to interfere with the traditions and will of a clan that has persisted for generations. Raku tried to convince Chika to let Marika go based on cliche arguments that she’s a human being, that she should be happy. His rationales are based on emotions rather than logic, and that’s precisely why his attempts to get Chika to change her mind failed so badly. For her, rules, traditions, and responsibilities supersede frivolous things like happiness. She doesn’t think it’s important for one to be happy, for one to love or be loved. Her way of thinking is purely based in logic. Marika needs to be married off so the clan can continue and a new heir is raised. If Raku has no intention of marrying Marika and fulfilling that need, then he is of no use to that end, and his opinion and arguments hold little weight.
So the question is just what can Raku do now to help Marika. While I’m sure that they will somehow get through to Chika, I don’t think this conflict will end as it would typically considering her motivations are as selfless as they are selfish. In the end, I think it’ll be up to Marika to convince her mother that she doesn’t need to follow a system. That there’s more to life than just propagating the existence of her clan. That there’s value in being happy, in love and being loved. Somehow they need to get Chika to see why exactly it’d be worthwhile for Marika to be free to choose how she lives her life. Now that Marika’s escaped her chambers, she’s due for another clash of words with her mother sooner or later. Whether they’ll be able to convince her is uncertain, but at the very least I’m sure Marika’s not getting married off without a fight, and with Raku, Chitoge, and Tsugumi all captured, we’re no doubt due for both a jail-break and a wedding crashing sometime very soon.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V chapter #2 – “Yuto vs. Sawatari!”
I thought that because Arc-V was starting at the beginning that it’d be much easier to review than ZeXal, which I jumped in at the end of. However, we’re only two chapters in and I’m still feeling mighty confused about what exactly is going on. I understand what’s happening in this chapter. Yuto is a duelist allied with the supposed main character of the series, nicknamed “the phantom,” and he duels some employee of a presumably shady corporation who’s after him because he has some super special awesome secret power that makes him the “destiny factor,” and will determine the world’s future. Apparently, Yuto doesn’t have said power, because he can’t do a Pendulum Summons, which Yuya is supposed to be able to do. Which leads the question of why they thought he had any “special aura” about him to begin with. He’s a competent duelist, sure, but he’s clearly not a great one since Shingo start to overpower him by the end, and the implication is that Yuya will be able to cream the guy easily.
So I don’t know what the chapter really accomplishes in terms of establishing characters. It’s really hard to get a sense of Yuto’s personality in the duel, whereas Shingo’s pompousness and overconfidence gets much better characterized. We still don’t really know what’s at stake, what this “destiny factor” is, or even how the game is even played now, because it seems to have gotten shaken up yet again with all these new rules and bullshit. It’s hard to find the duels entertaining when things just seem to happen just because, and there aren’t consistent limitations to what players can do. So on both a character and action level, the chapter just reads extremely shallow.
Now that the actual main character of this series has finally shown up after two whole chapters, maybe we’ll finally get a legitimate explanation of the plot, rules of the world, and this variation of Duel Monsters, and the story will be easier to follow. Right now though, I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to take away from all of this. The only parts of the last two chapters that I’ve found particularly entertaining involved the comic relief supplied by the female lead, and that’s too basic, as well as too far and in between, to really get me to care about the story at all. Right now, Arc-V is feeling like a confusing slow-burn, and I like some clarification on what exactly it expects me to care about sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, this being a monthly series, I feel that’s going to take a long while yet.
Psyren chapter #3 – “Danger Zone”
This chapter continues a classic horror vibe that’s been characterizing the last few chapters of Psyren. Even going so far as to apply one of the genres most common cliches; a group of people ignoring a blatant warning to avoid danger, and suffering the consequences of their transgressions with their lives. In this particular circumstance, the way the characters act isn’t that stupid; their logic that they are supposed to head in the direction of the siren, and disbelief in monsters, especially after Ageha is unable to provide any evidence of them, is understandable. We, the readers, know Ageha is right and these people really should listen to him, but they don’t know what he does. They don’t even know him; there’s no reason for them to trust the word of some high school punk, especially when each of them is already at each others throats in their quest for the reward.
As the chapter progresses, we get very briefly a sense of what this group of characters wants to get out of the game, the simplicity of which raises a whole bunch of death flags. It becomes pretty clear that the greedy characters who are after the money are all probably going to die, as are the characters that flat-out laughed at Aghea for his claim there are monsters about. The omission of Asaga from the group’s inner thoughts sequence singles him out as a character who is probably going to end up having more complicated motivations to be explored in the story, if the emphasis placed on the scene of him calling Ageha a disappointment didn’t already.
In this way, the story arguably moves in a more predictable direction with this chapter. Through the implementation of a standard horror structure and tropes, a well-read reader will quickly be able to connect the dots in his brain, and kinda figure out that this is all going to go down badly for these people. Even down to the pathetic guy who just wants to go home being the first to get whacked off, there isn’t much in the way of surprises to this chapter compared to the first two. Though, the shock-value of the moment pathetic guy gets arrowed through the head sort of is in it’s suddenness and cruelty, though I feel the censorship of the scene robs some of it’s effectiveness, or at least damages it’s readability (it took me more than one glance at the panel to figure out exactly what happened to him).
The focus on the inevitable doom facing the troupe of characters is matched by the slight character development given to Sakurano, which provides the real meat of the chapter. The way she despairs when she finds out that these people are unknowingly marching to their doom, something she could have prevented, and her breakdown about how no one believes her and their deaths weren’t and aren’t her fault says a whole lot. She’s clearly been playing this game for a long time, and have seen many people die in front of her eyes, helpless to save them, and the guilt of that has weighed on her mind, and caused her to develop a split personality of sorts that manifests when she’s under a lot of stress. She’s been thoroughly broken down by this game, and this latest failure has really pushed her to the breaking point. Which is why Ageha’s trust in her, and his desire to help her change the outcome of the game, is made out to be a big deal. Sure, it’s not a remarkable moment for a shonen manga , but in terms of Sakurano’s character arc, the connection she starts to make with Ageha allows her to regain some composure, and a slightly renewed sense of hope, those these particular elements are left understated at the end of this chapter and will be developed into more complex forms as their relationship grows as the series progresses.
While the first two chapters of Psyren kept you guessing, this third chapter plays it a lot more safer, or at least more predictably. Still, that doesn’t make it a bad read. The real intrigue comes in the form of how Sakurano’s character is handled in the chapter, making you wonder how much exactly this poor girl has endured, and make you want to see Ageha vindicate her previous efforts to help people by succeeding in saving lives this time around. If Psyren had been run as a Jump Start back in the day, this would have provided a good cut-off point, since by this chapter we’ve gotten both leads’ motivations, and a sense of the dangers and stakes of the game, but are still left with a lot of mysteries left to know, and a situation we want to see resolved. I’d probably vote for it just on the strength of the lead two characters at this point, as by this point I’d be invested enough to want to see them come out alright at the end of their ordeal. The unique horror tone and mystery vibe of Psyren’s early chapters continues to stand out against other battle manga even now, and while the series’ beats start to become a little easier to figure out in this chapter, the narrative and characters are more than enough to keep it interesting and engaging, and make me want to read the next.
Final Thoughts:
This was a massive issue not only in terms of quantity but also in terms of the magnitude of what happened in each and every series in the issue. Not that all of it was great. Samon the Summoner made for a weak new Jump Start with it’s unlikable lead character and mishandled execution of it’s concept and the female lead. Bleach‘s attempts to give depth to Mayuri was completely unsatisfying and just doesn’t work in any respect. Black Clover had a poor payoff to a poorly handled subplot about a poorly established character. Not to mention Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V continues to be astoundingly incomprehensible. So that’s about 4 mediocre series this week; a third of the issue. But, that’s arguably counterbalanced by the sheer quality of everything else. Big things happened in pretty much every other series and chapter, with strong character moment and exciting plot developments all around. There isn’t even any real bad in this issue; just mediocre, and suffice to say, the good far outweighs it. All in all, this proved to be an exceptional, if not perfect, issue of WSJ. There’s a lot to look forward to in the next issue, the review of which will hopefully be done far sooner than this one did (it does have two less series in it, that’ll help).
Best Manga of the Week:
1. One Piece – A perfect way to close off the Dressrosa arc as well as make use of the series’ 800 chapter milestone. It’s a big moment worthy of such a big chapter, and really sets the pace and stage for even better things in store.
2. Mononofu – I continue to be impressed with the strong character writing in this series. I already find both Shinobu and Yasukane to be very compelling characters whose stories I actively want to see more of, and whose efforts I genuinely want to see rewarded. Even Gakkyu Hotei took longer for me to make so emotionally invested in it’s success, and that speaks to much potential I think this series truly has.
3. Food Wars! – The tension is thick as Azami slowly but surely sets the stage for his shakeup of Totsuki. Erina’s inability to disobey her father and keep Hisako by her side is as chilling as it is heartbreaking, and the revelation that Senzaemon was the one who led Soma to Totsuki leaves a lot of speculation as to why and for what purpose.
4. My Hero Academia – The backstory of One For All and All for One was even more interesting and dynamic than I had expected, and I love how the series is playing with the concept that great forces of good and evil are born of one another, and the struggle between the two is a never-ending battle that is passed down throughout generations and can never truly be won. The comedy bits with Mineta were a lot of fun too.
Line(s) of the Week:
Mineta: “Yaoyorozu’s boob-orozus!! Ashido’s sexy silhouette!! Hagakure’s floating panties!! Uraraka’s positively ooh la la body, and Asui’s surprisingly decent boooo-”
– My Hero Academia
Panel(s) of the Week:
Page(s) of the Week:
And that does it for this issue! Ideally I’ll get the issue #44 review out before the weekend is up, but considering the amount of work I have to do for school, work, and on other projects, I can’t promise anything definite. I will say that no matter what I’m determined to get reviews out for every issue remaining this year. Which might not be much good if I get them out too late…but I find it good to set a goal like that, and it should be manageable if I get my work schedule on track. Anyway, until next time, look forward to the upcoming One-Punch Man anime, get hyped for Platinum End, and remember never to waste money on live-action film adaptions of shonen manga series (oh dear that live-action Attack on Titan movie…), and I’ll see you again after the jump!