[Manga Chat]

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

The anticipation for the rest of her performance is intense

 

Also, finally caught up on Earthchild.  Shit's fucking insane and like...I'm here for the ride, regardless of how long it is.

[dr. b 492]

Earthchild is getting rather silly. End it!

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Honestly, the more ridiculous it gets, the more I'm into it

 

in all honesty, I'd love for the next few chapters to be a big showdown and then release the series as a pair of OVAs if they can't fit the whole thing into a movie.  I'd love to just get really baked and watch this craziness.

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Chainsaw Man didn't have anything too remarkable this chapter, but I was vibin'

 

Spoiler

I liked the light character development and sort of slice of life vibes, tbh.  I'm also further convinced that Yuko is Denji.

 

[Anelle 794]

 

man, already hiatus for Ruri Dragon due to author health issues! So far it wasn't anything overly outstanding, but it was a lot of fun--- definitely something I would have been vibin' hard with as a teen  I hope the mangaka recovers well, that sucks

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

I haven't read that one yet, but I was curious about it.  Either way, it's sad to hear about that, but I'm also happy that Shonen Jump has been doing more to foster the mangaka's health needs.  They probably would have told him to power through it 10+ years ago 

[Anelle 794]

Yeah! I've been really glad to see more open communication about mangaka health and breaks. The industry is still insane workload conditions but there does seem to have been a positive shift! I don't mind waiting for more of series if it means the author is taking care of themselves and coming back ready to give their best.

 

UNLESS IT'S FUCKING CLAMP, IT'S BEEN 123123123 YEARS PLEASE FUCKING FINISH X/1999 I'M FUCKING BEGGING PLEASE 

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Yeah, that's why I'm fine with the bi-weekly manga and letting them get some of those weeks off.  In the case of Spy x Family, the quality is always worth the wait and I'd rather the writer stay healthy and happy to keep it going as long as they'd like then see them burn out trying to churn out a chapter every week

[dr. b 492]

That's too bad about the author of Ruri Dragon. I haven't gotten around to checking it out yet, but I was going to eventually...

 

Any mention of hiatus invariably reminds of the on-going H×H hiatus. Please come back soon, Togashi???  No new chapters since the end of 2018: Hiatus Chart. It hurts to look at that chart

[Anelle 794]

You've seen his twitter, right??? He's working hard!

[dr. b 492]

Yeah I saw that he’s been working on a new batch of chapters. I’m just getting impatient

 

Sounds like he has pretty terrible back/hip issues, so I should be more mindful of that while I wait impatiently for new chapters...  

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Finally caught up on Sakamoto Days, and holy shit has it been great

 

Spoiler

The fight with Gaku was excellent.  And I love how much more they've been leaning into the over-the-top action.  Art's been incredible, and thankfully the infiltration of the school hasn't just been a cliche

 

[dr. b 492]

New Choujin X chapter (25) was solid. 
 

I am having some struggles remembering what’s going on from chapter to chapter because of the longer gaps between them… but it usually comes back to me after a few pages. Even when it doesn’t, I still enjoy it

[Anelle 794]

AKANEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA my heart

[dr. b 492]

 

Also, PPPPPP: Saiba 

 

It’s tough wanting Lucky to win but also wanting to cheer for people like Saiba and Meloli on Fanta’s team  

Meloli’s up next to end her suffering…
 

 

[Anelle 794]

AKANEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE my giiiiiiiiiiirl I love her so much I want an anime of this now now now now 

 

PPPPPP

Spoiler

aaaaaaaaaaaaaa Mimin is also my giiiiiirl I  love her. I want everyone to be as happy and free as she feels right now. 

 

 

[dr. b 492]

 

 

Akane is the best  Mimin too! Her crazy hair never disappoints either

[dr. b 492]

Elusive Samurai #73

A pretty kooky start to this chapter, to drive home the idea that these guys are so nuts. OK. I’m convinced, they’re all weirdos. 

Tokiyuki is gaining followers and this is going to be quite the clash coming up soon!

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Elusive Samurai 73

Spoiler

I'll be honest, I think the concept of "we're gonna make all these guys weird as fuck" felt a bit too gimmicky, but I expect their characterization will be good when we see them in conflicts.  The horse dude is pretty fucked up tbf. Otherwise, it was nice to see Tokiyuki have a boost in numbers already and just trounce this camp.

 

[dr. b 492]

'Gimmicky' is not a bad way to describe it  

Probably a couple of these people are just pushovers, but I'm sure there will be at least one seriously threatening person in the bunch of weirdos. A bit reminiscent of the Ginyu Force.

 

Also, Earthchild continues to not be over... 

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Chainsaw Man 102

Spoiler

FINALLY WE SEE Chainsaw Man!!

 

Was a good return to action.  My theory about Yuko was apparently wrong.  I've been digging the Asa character development, though, what with her fighting with the devil in her to still be a good person.

 

Also, OF COURSE Denji gave no fucks about the people and opted to save the cat lol

 

[dr. b 492]

Akane!!!!  I don’t want to wait seven days for the next chapter

[dr. b 492]

DB Super #87

Kind of a sloppy ending to this arc IMO. I was enjoying the chapter at first. Gas was looking in really ghastly there. Pretty brutal of Elec to basically ask him to throw his life away. It started getting messy when Frieza showed up. It was nice to see him vaporize Elec, I suppose, but the random super duper power up he had was out of nowhere. And I found it odd that he didn't want to beat Goku and Vegeta right then and there if he was really that much more powerful. Kinda weird. Now the manga is on break for a bit.

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Was literally about to post about DBS

Spoiler

Not as tight of an arc as the Moro arc, but still a lot of great highlights, especially in the action.  I was actually spoiled about Frieza because the internet was making a stink, so it didn't really catch me off guard.  And him saying he's got bigger fish to worry about kind of explains why he didn't beat Goku and Vegeta.  It's kind of messy like you said, but it definitely left me intrigued for what's to come next.

 

[dr. b 492]

Kusanagi

Doron Dororon #36

 

The ending was OK, if a bit rushed. I was enjoying Doron Dororon well enough, but I'm not heartbroken that it is over either. I think there's enough source material here to make for a cool movie or short OVA/ONA. Hard to see that ever happening though.

 

Akane-bahashi #27

 

Akane  Pretty intense conversation going on here with Arakawa.

 

The Elusive Samurai #75

 

Very curious to see the plan that the kids come up with! In the meantime, it should be fun to see the old dudes duke it out. Tokiyuki getting all worked up over being in danger is still hilarious  

 

PPPPPP #46

I don't really have a specific comment... just another very nice chapter. Mimin and Meloli  

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Akane-banashi #27-28

Spoiler

Damn, dude actually had a good point.  But I love that Akane is still driven to prove him wrong.  Excited to see what the next arc brings!

 

Also, EARTHCHILD IS FINALLY OVER

 

Bring on the movie/OVA.

[dr. b 492]

21 minutes ago, Psycho666Soldier said:

Akane-banashi #27-28

  Reveal hidden contents

Damn, dude actually had a good point.  But I love that Akane is still driven to prove him wrong.  Excited to see what the next arc brings!

 

Also, EARTHCHILD IS FINALLY OVER

 

Bring on the movie/OVA.

Akane-banashi 

 

Yeah, I can see Arakawa’s reasoning. I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’d be more inclined to want to invite more people into the rakugo community to make it more popular, as opposed to his gatekeeper / quality-over-quantity sort of approach… but I guess both ways would have their merits. Of course it doesn’t faze Akane though. Love that determination and defiance.

 

I am happy to read that Earthchild is over. Phew. I’ll read that chapter later. 
 

I’m pretty pumped for the next chapter of PPPPPP ! What is Sorachika’s playing going to be like?

[Anelle 794]

EARTHCHILD IS FUCKIN' OVER PARTY YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[dr. b 492]

Chainsaw Man #104

 

"Loser."

   

 

That whole exchange between her and Denji was great.

 

[dr. b 492]

I started reading Death Note this week. Not entirely sure why... to see what all the fuss is about, I guess? Boredom? I'm about 40 chapters in, so I'm zipping through it pretty quick. There are some interesting ideas and characters. But it's also kinda dumb. Given what I already know about how Platinum End finished, my expectations are very low  

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

I actually read through Death Note for the first time about a year ago.  I had already watched the anime multiple times, but never read the manga.  I definitely think the manga adaptation is more successful and less corny.  Does a lot to get us deeper in L's head as well as fleshes out some encounters better.  I dunno, I'm still a huge fan of it up until the second half, especially the manga version.  That said, I think the manga is also much more successful at telling the second half and I found it more engaging.  When I re-watched the anime after for comparison, the second half feels so rushed and forced in comparison, with no reason to get attached to the new characters they bring in.

[Revolver 27]

I’ve never been a fan of the anime but I think the manga is great.

 

Most recently I read through Claymore. I started this series a long long time ago back when it was in serialization but got bored waiting for chapters. Reading through it I really liked the first half but think the second half really dipped in quality.l of the writing. I’m also not a huge fan of how it went sci-fi part of the way through.

[dr. b 492]

re: Death Note: I was getting bored for a bit there after Light went into hiding, but the investigation into Yotsuba and the ensuing trap to capture Higuchi renewed my interest. Those chapters were pretty exciting. Light getting ahold of the notebook and regaining his memories--that evil look that flashes across his face in the helicopter--was worth the wait. My interest level has dropped a bit since the introduction of Mello and Near, not sure if I like either of them yet... but I am curious to see what happens next. I'm at chapter 65. Sayu's just been rescued (unless they end up dying anyways? ) and the notebook is apparently going to fly away on a missile...  

 

 

15 hours ago, Revolver said:

Most recently I read through Claymore. I started this series a long long time ago back when it was in serialization but got bored waiting for chapters. Reading through it I really liked the first half but think the second half really dipped in quality.l of the writing. I’m also not a huge fan of how it went sci-fi part of the way through.

I've been thinking about reading that after Death Note... Haven't made up my mind yet though

[Anelle 794]

I did a big re-read of Claymore not too long ago! I might have talked about it in here, I don't fucking remember anything ever. It was the first time I got to just read the entire thing beginning to end and was a really good reminder of the influence it had on my art. The story gets weird, like I didn't hate it or anything but it has the Shingeki no Kyojin tonal shift beat out by a decade or so lmao. I think it's worth a read!

[dr. b 492]

It's decided then! Claymore is next on the reading list after I finish Death Note

[dr. b 492]

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 swayed me to start reading Jujutsu Kaisen next, so Claymore will stay on the backburner for a while yet. I was going to pick up the manga where the anime left off (around chapter 64, I think) but I might as well just read it from the start and get a refresher on what was covered in the anime.

 

I finished Death Note last weekend. In the end, I wasn't a huge fan. Interesting ideas, but I ultimately didn't love the execution of it. I will spoiler my rambling thoughts...

 

I guess the biggest issue for me was that I didn't really like any of the main characters. Light was not likeable. I wasn't cheering for him to win out in the end. I didn't find the first L very interesting. And Near I found to be even less interesting. So, I wasn't really cheering for them to catch Kira either. It's kinda weird because I *love* reading Sherlock Holmes stories, so you'd think I would have liked these investigative genius type characters more than I did, but I found L and Near to be so boring. Oh well. I would say my favourite characters were actually Matsuda--solid comic relief, likeable dude, and I appreciated that he fired at Light in the end--and Ryuk. It was unfortunate that Ryuk's contributions were so limited in latter half of the manga. He couldn't really converse with Light with the other members of the team able to see and hear him. I rather enjoyed his little comments on Light's methods of operation, his womanizing, etc.

 

I will say though, in spite of my complaints, this story was a real page-turner. I read through it faster than I thought I would. Even though I didn't feel like I was really enjoying it, I still needed to know what would happen next. 

[dr. b 492]

So I started reading Jujutsu Kaisen on the weekend and blasted through 64 chapters since then. I am almost at the point where the anime ended. This was a great refresher. There were definitely a lot of details I've forgotten, so I'm glad I didn't try to pick it up where the anime left off. Can't wait to keep reading more!

 

Also, Todo is the best  

[dr. b 492]

Dudes! O M G  

 

It's happening!!!

 

 

 

New chapter coming in 11 days

 

 

 

This is not a drill!

 

  

 

The whole series right up until the most recent chapter (390) is available on the Jump app! The anime ended at chapter 339, so it's not too much to catch up on if your liked the anime and want to pick it up. Some crazy stuff happens. It's been so long since there were new chapters, I'm probably just going to read everything again starting from 340 to refresh my memory.

 

Oh man oh man oh man oh man I cannot believe this  

 

 

 

[Anelle 794]

yesssss i have begun my binge, the hype is real

[dr. b 492]

I'm about 15 chapters away from current on HxH. Can't wait for a new chapter! I'm very happy with my choice to re-read these chapters, because oh boy does it get complicated. I might have to start taking notes

 

Elusive Samurai #82

A couple of big wins in the last two chapters for the elusive warriors--this is great stuff! I'm loving it. It almost feels a bit too easy though. I am worried something devastating is going to happen to them soon...

[dr. b 492]

HxH #383

 

Oh man I sort of remembered this but it was also like reading it for the first time again. What a tragic chapter. Kacho   

[dr. b 492]

All caught up on HxH and excited for a new chapter!
 

This is a pretty massive story arc. Togashi has given himself a lot of work to do! I can't help but wonder how long it will take for him to finish, if ever...  Oh well, hope for the best.

[dr. b 492]

Oh yeah, HxH is back! It's a shame that the return from hiatus happened to coincide with a chapter that didn't feature any primary (or even secondary) characters. Not the most exciting point in the story for a return. But there was a very slick cover page featuring Gon and Yusuke, so I was thrilled to see that. So many things are happening concurrently aboard the Black Whale. I hope Togashi can churn out a good amount of chapters before the next hiatus, because I'm so curious to see how it all plays out!

 

Other things:

• I'll say it yet again: The Elusive Samurai is very good! The last few chapters have been so satisfying  
• The latest Akane-banashi was great--you show 'em, Akane!
• The action going in Sakamoto Days lately has been really good too

 

 

edit: I forgot to mention, I've been reading Jujutsu Kaisen at a pretty quick pace. I cannot wait to see the next major story arc get animated (The Shibuya Incident). It is nuts. There is so much going on all at once, several different fights, lots of different characters involved. It's a bit reminiscent of the Palace Invasion during the Chimera Ant arc in HxH in that regard.  

[dr. b 492]

 

Quintuple posting... @Anelle and @Psycho666Soldier where'd you go?

 

I am current on Jujutsu Kaisen now. I am not enjoying the current arc (The Culling Game) quite as much as the previous one, which I thought was fantastic (The Shibuya Incident), but it's still been pretty solid anyways. 

 

Still thrilled that HxH is back in my life. Also still worried that this arc is so big that Togashi may never finish it  There is so much going on.

 

Elusive Samurai

Curious to see how they handle this latest challenge with Horse-head, he seems pretty wild

 

PPPPPP

Just go visit your mum already, Fanta

 

Also, I love the colour Rakugo Quest cover page for Akane-banashi this week!    

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

My final school semester started up so I haven't had as much time to keep up on all the manga. I'm still a few chapters behind on everything, and the last binge I did was to finally finish up Protect Me, Shugomaru.  And today I polished off the last two chapters of Earthchild.

 

I'll post my thoughts when/as I catch up on everything

[Anelle 794]

I've been super sick from a bunch of med adjustments/new meds and it's been all i can do to barely keep up with things

 

I've never actually read much HxH and I wanna dive into that!

 

I'm actually really fucking sick of the current JJK arc, I'm ready for something else to happen...

[dr. b 492]

That's a bummer about your health situation. Hope you start feeling better soon. 

 

re: JJK: The Shibuya Incident was a pretty tough act to follow! Some cool stuff has happened in the Culling Game arc but yeah it hasn't been as good.

 

I'm thinking about taking a dive into JoJo's Bizarre Adventure as the next thing I start reading...

[Anelle 794]

Thank you! It'll even out eventually but it's been rough af.

 

There's been stuff I enjoyed in the Culling Game arc but for the most part it just feels like it just DRAGS so hard, and a lot of the action is hard to read because of the art style. Assuming the anime makes it to this point though.... it'll probably be rad as hell when animated. At least in the latest chapters it really feels more like plot progression than it has in a while!

 

I've never read all of JJBA either.... maybe once I get HxH under my belt I'll go for it too

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

I read through JJBA up to Part 4 and only got a few chapters in before I had to break from my binge of Stardust Crusaders.  If you two start digging in, I just might have to get back to finishing it myself.

[Psycho666Soldier 283]

Have you guys read The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins?  It's made by the person who made Takopi's Original Sin which is only available on the website, but I remember SuperEyepatchWolf mentioned it during his State of Shonen Jump video.

 

It seems like a really cool concept so far.  I'm gonna try and keep up with it.  And at some point try to check out Takopi, too.