[Manga Chat]

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

40 minutes ago, Anelle said:

 

I am!!! Very keen on the next chapter coming out 

Spoiler

Very curious to see how big of a timeskip they do.  I'll admit there was a part of me that kind of felt like if everything had just perfectly gone to plan, it would be a bit much of "EVERYTHING ALWAYS WORKS OUT FOR SENKU!"  So I was happy that it came down to a matter of Stanley ultimately making the decision of letting their plan go through.  Added a lot more weight to everything leading up to it.

 

22 minutes ago, little birdy said:

If one wanted to read Dr. Stone starting from where the Stone Wars anime ended in the winter, then what chapter would one start at..?  

Chapter 84 picks up where the next season should start.  Chapter 83 ends exactly where Stone Wars ended.

[dr. b 492]

Hmm... so that's a bit over 100 chapters to get current. I might have it in me.

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

I will say that I truly believe the arc you'd be starting with and what's to come gets to the heart of the series, and without getting into spoilers, I feel like the actual stakes of the series' premise become higher.  On a much lower scale, some of the recent chapters have left me kind reeling in the same way Attack on Titan would.

 

I do also find that as probably the most critical fan of the series, it's amusing that you're feeling an itch to continue in the manga.

[dr. b 492]

Well, you keep telling me the story gets better, so I can’t help but be curious! Despite my (numerous? ) complaints so far about the anime, it is an interesting premise with some interesting characters, so I’ll keep giving it a chance even if I’m not in love with everything about it. 

[Anelle 792]

we might need a Spy X Family thread just so we can gush about it and make more people curious

[dr. b 492]

Can you split the posts about Spy x Family in this thread into a new one..?

[Anelle 792]

4 hours ago, little birdy said:

Can you split the posts about Spy x Family in this thread into a new one..?

yes, but i already fucked it up and just split one post gimme a minute and i'll fix it all, we just got back from a 10 hour car ride so brain no work good

[dr. b 492]

23 minutes ago, Anelle said:

yes, but i already fucked it up and just split one post gimme a minute and i'll fix it all, we just got back from a 10 hour car ride so brain no work good

If @webhead would just hand over the nuclear codes and make me an admin already then I would have offered to take care of it  

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Now that Spy x Family has it's own space

 

Dr. Stone

Spoiler

With the usual pace/style the manga has adopted since The Stone Wars, I fully expected this to be resolved by this chapter.  So I'm very pleased that instead, we were left with Suika being the sole survivor with no revival fluid.  I'm really stoked for this because Suika has always been a favorite of mine and I felt like she had started taking a major step back over the last year or so.  The potential of even a tiny arc where Suika has to grow and survive alone(or with minimal others) has me excited.

 

3 minutes ago, little birdy said:

If @webhead would just hand over the nuclear codes and make me an admin already then I would have offered to take care of it  

#buzzbomb4mod

[dr. b 492]

Speaking of Dr. Stone -- I read a few chapters when I couldn't sleep last night, I think I went from... 84? (wherever it was you told me to start from) through to the end of 90. A lot happened in just a few chapters. I like how ambitious they're being, deciding to build a ship to set off sailing across the ocean, and promptly moving on to trying to find oil and building a hot air balloon to facilitate finding the oil. The loom they made for Yuzuriha was pretty rad too. 

 

One minor detail that kinda fascinates me a bit is that sometimes Gen speaks in Pig Latin..?  I don't recall that ever coming through in the subtitles of the anime. It seems so random, but I like it. It does leave me wondering though, does Pig Latin work in Japanese..? Like, how are those bits of text written originally in the manga. I can't understand a lick of Japanese, much less read it, so I'm not gonna go down that rabbit hole anytime soon... but it's occupying a tiny bit of space in the back of my mind....

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

The Pig Latin threw me, too, because I used to read the scanlations and they weren't there.

 

Part of me wonders if it was exclusively a decision by the manga localization that didn't translate when subbing the anime.

[Anelle 792]

The scans I read had the pig latin! I do not remember which group I started with, but they had the pig latin! They treated some of the other character's speech quirks differently though, so when I did switch to the official stuff I remember being a bit jarred by having to shift how I read their speech, particularly Chrome. I fucking hate the "baaaaad" thing. 

 

Gen does a thing where he'll switch the order of syllables in a word or phrase in the original Japanese. So he might say "paisen" instead of "senpai" or "goisu" instead of "sugoi" Localizing this to pig latin flows better than doing the same in English because people are more likely to understand that him saying "Ool-cay" is pig latin for cool over him going "Olco" 

 

It's one of those verbal tic things common in anime and manga (DATTEBAYO) that falls super flat in English so they either axe it, turn it into a catchphrase or alter it to flow better!

[dr. b 492]

1 hour ago, Anelle said:

particularly Chrome. I fucking hate the "baaaaad" thing

That threw me off a bit too, I really don't remember Chrome being like that in the anime  I don't totally dislike it, but it does strike me as a bit dumb. Chrome can be a bit of a dopey character though, I guess...

 

Thanks for the insight re: Gen's Pig Latin as well. That makes sense. I'm glad they chose to do something with it instead of just discarding it. Pig Latin is fun. I would have gone for Egg Latin, that would be hilarious... but I guess also harder to read  

[dr. b 492]

Dr. Stone - Finished chapter 100 yesterday. I am very curious about "Why-man" and what they are going to encounter on the Treasure Island. I hope the next story arc is fun. When reading this, I'm trying to turn off the part of my brain that takes exception with Dr. Stone, because it is a comic after all... I think what irks me is there is all this science talk, like there is a realistic, scientific basis for all of the stuff Senku does, but at the same time some things seem so incredibly unrealistic. It's a bit of a disconnect. The science stuff can be interesting and all, but I think I'd rather get rid of that element and just make it unrealistic and fantastical. In any case, I guess I'll enjoy it more if I overlook the science-y stuff  

 

I also started reading the DB Super manga last night on a lark. I think I started at chapter 42, somewhere around there, I looked it up on a wiki. After the tournament with all of the other universes (the manga just glosses over the Broly movie). Goku and Vegeta are joining the Galactic Patrol. Might be fun! I don't know if/when more anime is planned... so I'll just take in the manga and be happy with that.

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Why-man becomes a big hook going forward.  That thread is a pretty satisfying one to follow even though it takes a few in-between steps.  The Treasure Island arc in general is very fun.  I felt it took on a bit more of a serious vibe then everything before it.

 

The DB Super manga has been a blast.  That arc you're starting on just feels like a fairly different villain, yet classic, while some of the build to it feels a bit more thought out.  It feels like the writers care a bit more about making a meaningful plot from the direction Toriyama gives.  The new arc that started is pretty sweet so far, so I definitely recommend reading through.

[dr. b 492]

Read a few DB Super chapters last night. Kinda funny seeing Vegeta step up and want to protect the Namekians. Almost seems out of character. But Vegeta has experienced quite a bit of character growth through Super, so I guess it is more fitting when you take the rest of Super into account. Of course then he pulls a classic Vegeta and takes on an enemy he knows very little about, just assuming he will beat him no problem  I'm glad he is still consistent in that regard.

[dr. b 492]

I'm almost caught up on DB Super, just three chapters left to read. The Galactic Patrol / Moro saga was pretty decent overall. Seems like it could be a bit of a slog if it eventually gets animated though. There is a lot of room in there for the standard "buy time for Goku / Vegeta" stuff that can make the anime drag. I liked Merus and the Ultra Instinct stuff, and while I think the technique Vegeta learned on Yardrat was ultimately kinda lame (Forced Spirit Fission? what a mouthful), I did like that he tried  a new tactic and have some success with it. I don't think we needed to get all the Z Fighters back together again, as I didn't think like they added much substance... except for Androids 17 and 18, it made perfect sense for them to help out against Moro. I'm not a fan of Seven-Three, too gimmick-y of a character to me, but I guess he will play a role again eventually, so I will try not to make a final judgement yet.

[dr. b 492]

Dr. Stone 103 - Now it’s getting good! Seeing everybody petrified on the ship deck was a great visual. 

[dr. b 492]

Read up to the end of chapter 138 last night, some thoughts re: Treasure Island:

Overall this was pretty fun. I don't know if the story is getting better or if I'm just getting better at appreciating it for what it is and not getting hung up on the stuff that irked me in the past

 

 

Soyuz (the character) kinda came out of nowhere... did he make minor appearances earlier on the story? Or was he just a random addition? I'm not gonna go back and look. But it was interesting to learn that there was an outsider that had been living in Ishigami Village.

 

At first I was bit disappointed that their first (short) journey at sea went so smoothly, you'd think they would have come across a bit more adversity, but in the end it was worth it to just get to the island and jump into the action. The advancements they made on the island were pretty cool, like the drone and gun. I don't bother with my usual reactions anymore like, "They did that? Really..?" I'm over it, just gonna have fun with it.

 

I thought the villains were perhaps the weakest part about this arc, especially Ibara. I did come around on Mozu in the end though, as his showdown with Hyoga was pretty rad.

 

I am still unsure what I think about the petrification thingy. It's not what I was expecting, that's for sure. I will wait until more is revealed/learned about it before I make up my mind on that.

 

Curious to see where we go next. I assume it will be a bigger ocean expedition, since they got their ship back...

[dr. b 492]

Read a few more chapters of Dr. Stone last night...

 

I knew we'd be going sailing around the world... but I did not expect them to want to go to space!  Now we're really getting silly, and I'm here for it. Very curious about Why-man and what is going on up on the moon.

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Dr. Stone Ch. 195

Spoiler

Fuck, this was both heartbreaking and heartwarming to read.

 

Just imagine if Suika threw away that paper!

 

[dr. b 492]

Between some sleepless nights this week and some other downtime, I got caught up on Dr. Stone. 
 

Chapter 195:

 

It’s great that Suika was the first one to get revived - and now she’s gonna do science! Curious to see how that goes. 194 and 195 were really nice chapters.

 

From Treasure Island up to current:

 

The romp through North and South America has been pretty good, but I think I enjoyed the Treasure Island arc more. I continue to find the antagonists unimpressive / uninteresting. I dunno. Ibara was pretty lame, and Stanley and Dr. Xeno aren’t doing much for me either. I guess I don’t dislike them. Chelsea and Luna are fun additions to the team though (even if Luna’s catch phrases are annoying) and the revelations about the petrifaction devices, diamond batteries, etc. have been pretty neat. The action in recent chapters has also been very exciting. It sucks to see everybody getting gunned down, but I trust they will find a way to revive everybody. Come on, Suika!

Candy Flurry #3

 

Irie is good addition. Is she a dependable, hotshot agent? Or an airhead? (Or both?)

 Minase trying to find out about the investigation into her, while also not getting caught, could lead to some funny situations. We’ll see.

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Dr. Stone

 

Spoiler

Yeah, I thought Ibara was decent enough just because it was nice to get someone who was legit a piece of shit, but I was more into the scenarios surrounding the circumstances than anything he actually did.  I'm cool with Dr. Xeno and Stanley only because the moment where Stanley made the decision to not shoot the revival fluid brought a lot more depth to their characters that redeemed some of the lackluster parts before it.

 

I agree about 194/195.  Like I said in an earlier post, I'm glad they went the route of actually having Suika survive by herself for a couple chapters rather than having her resolve the issue all in one chapter.  It's also just a great moment of growth for her.

 

[dr. b 492]

First chapter of Choujin X is on the Shonen Jump app -- new manga from Sui Ishida. I never read the Tokyo Ghoul manga because I watched the anime, though IIRC there were differences so maybe I should go back and read that manga eventually... but I did read Ishida's HxH one-shot, Hisoka's origin story, and I thought it was really good. I like Ishida's style.

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Never read/watched Tokyo Ghoul, but the cover art grabbed my attention, so I'll probably check it out.

[dr. b 492]

Huh. You should give Tokyo Ghoul a look sometime. It was pretty cool. 

 

I thought the first chapter of Choujin X was solid.

 

I like the vulture imagery. They are fugly birds, but they are also pretty interesting. The way Tokio sort of falls into becoming a choujin is certainly reminiscent of how Kaneki became a ghoul in Tokyo Ghoul, even if the finer details are different. Looks like choujin will have some interesting - and maybe goofy - superpowers. I have to assume that Azuma will become a villain/antihero type of character and later he and Tokio will be pitted against each other. But maybe that's too predictable and it will go a different way. Wait and see!

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Spoiler

I always appreciate when shonen series focus on college-aged or older protagonists.  I know it's a demographic thing, but it gets tiring when every manga is based on middle or high school students.

 

I'm actually curious whether Azuma might have had a bad reaction to the Choujin serum and maybe died?  Because he was still lying on the ground at the end after taking the shot.  

 

But yeah, pretty unique art style, and seems like they have a lot of wiggle room for some out there abilities.  Definitely down to follow this for a few more chapters to see where it goes.

 

I think I might go ahead and open up the first chapter of Tokyo Ghoul to remind myself to read it some time soon.

[dr. b 492]

My first guess was that Tokio didn't inject the serum into Azuma, sort of like "it's my turn to stick up for you now" to pay his friend back for all the times he needed Azuma's help, and he wanted to spare him becoming a choujin. But it doesn't really make sense that he'd be down on the ground at the end there though...

 because he was up on his feet just before that. Maybe it was a bad reaction to the serum. I still assume Azuma will become the antagonist, but I will be happy to be proven wrong on that if it plays out differently

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Did you ever read Chainsaw Man?  It's a big recommend if you haven't.  That said, with the anime coming out this year, it might be better to just wait for that.  I have a feeling the anime could do some of the action panels more justice than the manga did.  It's one of those manga where the black-and-white pallette doesn't always serve the details well.

[dr. b 492]

I noticed Chainsaw Man while browsing in the Jump app but haven’t started reading it yet. I’ll check it out this week. 96 chapters won’t take long to read through if I keep waking up in the middle of the night every night...

 

I also started reading The Elusive Samurai last night. Only about 3 chapters in, so I don’t know all about it yet, but it’s interesting enough to keep reading. I like a good underdog story. 

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Yeah, I tried The Elusive Samurai, and there were parts I liked about it, but it didn't really hold me past Chapter 4.  Let me know what you end up thinking.  If you think it's worth it, I might pick it back up.

[dr. b 492]

I’m up to chapter 8 now. The last 2-3 chapters were better than the start. Tokiyuki and his retainers (the other kids) start bonding, go on a hunting trip and end up facing off with a demon. Now they want Tokiyuki to learn some combat skills, and he has to go undercover to learn archery from a dude that is trying to find and kill him, so he has to conceal identity and all that. The next few chapters should be exciting and suspenseful based on the setup. I sometimes don’t like period stuff like this where you have to learn historical terms, etc. but that element of it hasn’t been too bad so far. 

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Ok, that does sound pretty interesting.  I'll probably give the next few chapters a whirl some time soon in that case.

[dr. b 492]

The next few chapters were not quite as good as I thought they would be. Not bad, but I guess I expected more  I never read/watched Assassination Classroom, but I understand that a lot of people liked it, so I sorta feel like I should give The Elusive Samurai more of a chance based on the author's reputation. Won't hurt to read a few more chapters. 

 

Speaking of the author, I was reading up on him and saw that he previously was an assistant to the author of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. I found that kinda amusing. That's a series I have not thought about in a looooong time

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

I watched like the first 7+ episodes of Assassination Classroom, and it was kind of amusing, but it never really struck me as must-see.  I could have probably wrote a short thesis on what I felt was missing from it back when I watched it, but fuck if I could detail it now lol.  So when Elusive Samurai first debuted, it was already fighting an uphill battle with me.

[dr. b 492]

I read up to current. From around chapter 12 or 13 on, it was better again. I’ll stick it out a few weeks and see what happens next in the story. There are some cool elements. The next retainer to join Tokiyuki is pretty cool (ninjas are always cool!)

[dr. b 492]

I'm 6 or 7 chapters into Chainsaw Man, it's definitely a winner. My man's got his priorities straight  

Don't we all want to touch some boobs?

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Oh man, enjoy the fucking ride.  I had one little brief run of fatigue when I caught up to current about halfway through, bit it hooked me right back in once I picked it up again.  Really is a standout.

 

[dr. b 492]

New chapters today for almost everything I’m reading

[dr. b 492]

Whole lot of “I can’t wait to see what happens next chapter!” going on this week.

 

Dr. Stone

 

Suika did good! And grew up a bit too? Must have been a lonely 7 years

 

Gonna have showdowns next week in Candy Flurry and The Elusive Samurai. I think they could both be exciting.

 

Also curious to see what happens next with mAR in i tell c. 

 

[dr. b 492]

Read up to chapter 71 of Chainsaw Man over the last week or so. I have to admit, I started losing track of the plot, probably 15-20 chapters ago. It started getting messy as they introduced more devil hunters, and then all these different characters that all were out to get Denji. A bit too much going on for me. But I am still curious to learn what the heck is so special about Makima, and of course to see if my guy gets to touch some boobs. Only about 25 chapters to go. I hope it ends on a high note and starts getting less confusing. 
 

edit: I should say too, I think this could be pretty awesome animated. Lots of action. It’s not always easy to see what all is really happening in the fighting panels. Seeing it animated would be nice and probably clearer. 

[Vic Boss 612]

RIP Kentaro Miura

 

FUCK

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Fuck, the feels on the last Dr. Stone

 

Spoiler

Really enjoyed how this arc has played out, even if this is the last of it - though I imagine Senku being back doesn't mean everyone else is, too.  There's bound to be some kind of roadblock for at least a chapter or two.  Seeing Suika do this all on her own and enduring 7 years is some really great character growth.  The moment she went in to hug Senku got me a little choked up.  Wonderful stuff.

 

On 5/18/2021 at 6:36 PM, little birdy said:

Read up to chapter 71 of Chainsaw Man over the last week or so. I have to admit, I started losing track of the plot, probably 15-20 chapters ago. It started getting messy as they introduced more devil hunters, and then all these different characters that all were out to get Denji. A bit too much going on for me. But I am still curious to learn what the heck is so special about Makima, and of course to see if my guy gets to touch some boobs. Only about 25 chapters to go. I hope it ends on a high note and starts getting less confusing. 
 

edit: I should say too, I think this could be pretty awesome animated. Lots of action. It’s not always easy to see what all is really happening in the fighting panels. Seeing it animated would be nice and probably clearer. 

I told you about that animation lol.  I had a similar moment of kind of losing the plot for a bit once the people you were growing to learn started dying and pieces started shifting a bit.  That's about the same point I hit a wall with the series and kind of stopped reading for a bit.  But the last leg of the story pivots in a direction that puts it back on track.  The final 10 or so chapters are a fucking treat to read through, and I was on the edge of my seat with hype when I was reading it weekly.

 

More reason I think the anime will do it justice as both clearer/more awesome action scenes and a second pass on the plot for manga readers.

[dr. b 492]

5 hours ago, Vic Boss said:

RIP Kentaro Miura

 

FUCK

Well that’s a bummer

[dr. b 492]

Chainsaw Man #75

Makima: The Control Devil... now things are starting to make a bit more sense! I know something was off about her. Also, the Gun Devil is pretty gruesome looking. My interest level is up again, and I am looking forward to reading through to the end now.

[dr. b 492]

Dr. Stone

 

Yay the gang is all back together. Senku works just a biiiit faster than Suika

 

 Pretty big revelation at the end of the chapter!

[dr. b 492]

Fun new chapters from Candy Flurry, i tell c, and The Elusive Samurai too. 

[dr. b 492]

I polished off Chainsaw Man over the long weekend. I thought the ending was pretty good, though I have to admit I was a bit disappointed to learn at the end that this was only part 1. It was a pretty fun story with a decent ending that didn't leave me with too many questions. I'd rather that just be the end. 

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

I was kinda hoping it would be the proper end, too.  But I think capping it as a Part 1 is a good way to go.  They had a very satisfying ending to a story they started and ended without dragging out.  So if they want to keep it going, at least they can move on to completely new ideas and toy around with that, rather than trying to milk a story that died a good while before.

[dr. b 492]

Yeah, breaking it into separate parts is a decent way to go about it. And, to be fair, if I had been reading the manga when it was current, then I might be feeling different by now since it ended back in December... maybe after a few months' break, I'd be keen to read more, but right I've had my fill for a while. Doesn't help that the description of part 2 doesn't thrill me too much. But I will reserve my final judgement for when it comes out and I've read a few chapters.