dr. b

I find “Fooey!” kind of charming, and I think it fits fairly well with how juvenile the sense of humour is in DB. I guess it’s kinda funny juxtaposed against all the panels of naked Goku (“Damn!” or “Shit!” would not have been so bad really.) But even the other maybe-not-so-kid-friendly things like the sex jokes, naked Goku, etc. are all relatively tame and childish. I think it works to keep the language clean in the translation. I don’t know if I’ll continue on with DBZ. Maybe just the Saiyan saga, which is low-key maybe my favorite arc of DBZ overall. I’m well into the Piccolo arc now in DB because I couldn’t sleep last night, so it won’t take long to finish.

I’ve been reading loads of Dragon Ball the last few days. Just finished the Red Ribbon and Fortuneteller Baba arcs. Goddamn I love the original DB. Time to get into the next tournament!

The Elusive Samurai #171 Akane-banashi #125 -- No spoilers, but Master Shiguma is an absolute boss Sakamoto Days #181 Undead Unluck #221

Anybody else watching DeDeDeDe..? You’re missing out if you’re not! Only three episodes left.

Dang that’s fast. I started reading Dragon Ball a couple weeks ago but haven’t had much time to really binge it. I’m ~30 chapters in. It’s awesome. I love how short-but-not-short the chapters are. Toriyama could pack a lot into 13 pages!

Shojo Null #33 (final chapter) - There were some beautifully drawn panels in this chapter. I was satisfied with the ending. Not too many loose ends. Chainsaw Man #176 Choujin X #55 - This series has been consistently really good (IMHO) for quite a while now. There is so much detail in the story and I love the style. The current arc feels like it will ultimately be the last, but it's going to be pretty long and drawn out. Beat & Motion #39 Got the new Show-ha Shoten! queued up for later today to read.

Sucks to see how the M’s have slid in the Wild Card standings. Firing the Manager doesn’t seem to have helped. I don’t think their struggles were Servais’s fault anyhow… if they keep stumbling then somebody in the front office will have to take more accountability. They built the roster that keeps losing.

Spy x Family #104 was a fun little adventure with Damian and his buddies. I like his butler. Akane-banashi #124 - Master Shiguma’s performance continues to be great. I’m really curious to see how his story ends! Kagurabachi #47 - You might want to check this one out if you haven’t yet. It seems to have some staying power. They’re embarking on what feels like a rather big new arc in this chapter. Sweet colour title pages this week too.

Episode #9 of The Elusive Samurai was absolutely awesome. So much good stuff packed into one episode

So tempted to use the jizz smiley to react to that one It's a fun coincidence that you mention facial expressions in Show-ha! Shoten before also commenting on Chainsaw Man. I love the many weird, sad, dejected, wacky, awkward, and just plain messed up faces that Denji makes. That guy wear's his heart (and his stupidity) on his sleeve Just one glance at a panel and you know exactly what is (or isn't) going through his mind. I totally agree that the-thing-that-happened-with-Asa is so perfect for Chainsaw Man. It would be cringey or feel forced almost anywhere else. Not in Chainsaw Man!

Only one chapter left for Shojo Null. This weeks chapter had a lot packed into like 16 pages. It seems there is a time skip now, then the final chapter somehow will resolve everything..? Or it will be a more open-ended type of ending. I dunno. I’m curious to see how it wraps up.

With Show-ha Shoten!, all the goings-on in this big competition have been fun to follow. I still struggle to make sense of the comedy that these kids are doing. But that's a cultural difference that I assume is not easy to explain. The translators would have to add so many little notes under the panels, it wouldn't work But outside of not really finding their comedy funny, there are a lot of likeable characters, and the interpersonal relationships between the different comedy groups are interesting. I like a lot of the characters so I don't even know who I want to win anymore. Can't they just all win!?!

Thought there was going to be a new chapter of Chainsaw Man yesterday but apparently it doesn't actually come out until next Tuesday. Thanks for nothin' VIZ Are you caught up on Chainsaw Man? It hit a low point for me a couple months back, but the more recent chapters have been more compelling so I'm kind of back on the bandwagon.

Yeah that made it look awesome The first couple of episodes were especially good, but I have not noticed a major drop off in animation quality since then. I love the style and colours. It feels just a bit aged, but in a good way.

Today's chapters! Jujutsu Kaisen #267 5 chapters left! The Culling Game has been dragging on and on. Recent chapters, the final showdown with Sukuna, have admittedly been very solid... but overall this arc has not been amazing. I am happy to see the end in sight. Also the end of this chapter had a very exciting re-appearance by a certain fan favourite character Despite being down on The Culling Game arc on the whole, I still look forward to seeing it animated eventually. I wonder if it will come across better animated. The Chimera Ant arc in HxH was not exactly a fan favourite originally, but it was incredibly well done in the HxH 2011 anime and I think that changed a lot of people's minds about it. Maybe the same will happen with The Culling Game in JJK. Undead Unluck #219 The Elusive Samurai #169 Akane-banashi #123 Sakamoto Days #179

Just a couple of hours until the next chapter drops!!! . Yeah, this has been a really special story for sure. The characters are all so likable and relatable in their own ways. Feels good to read it.

Agreed on all points re: Akane-banashi and Spy x Family! You will like what’s going on in Beat and Motion. Guaranteed. That reminds me, there is a new chapter of it today. Yay! New Shojo Null today too. It’s only got a couple chapters left. It’s been an interesting and sometimes weird series. I have enjoyed it overall, but I’m also glad that it’s not running much longer. It seems like the author has the ending planned out fairly well. I never picked up Jiangshi X. I can’t recall seeing it updated anytime recently. Guess it got cancelled a while back. I haven’t really touched any of the most recent new series. I am curious about a couple. I’ll wait for Shojo Null to finish in a few weeks before adding another to my reading list. Let me know which new ones you think are good!

I definitely endorse reading the manga. It’s great. It makes me feel like a tiny bit of a hipster, essentially like a hardcore music fan saying “They’re early albums were better!”, but I am totally on board the “Dragon Ball was better than DBZ” bandwagon. Not that I dislike DBZ. I just really really like the early parts of the story better. The Saiyan Saga that DBZ begins with is arguably my next favourite arc. I think most cite either the Frieza or Cell sagas as the best of the best… but the Saiyan saga was really special IMHO. Yeah man some of these moments have been brutal

I started reading the OG Dragon Ball manga the other night. Man it’s been a long time. I’m only like 12 chapters in but I’m absolutely loving it. The simple beginnings of the whole DB story. Obviously I love much of everything that came after in DBZ and DB Super, but I have a strong appreciation for — and feel very nostalgic for — these early chapters.

I liked the anime well enough. I watched it with my 13-year-old, so I guess taking in the episodes together with her added a little something extra. The comedic elements of Kaiju No. 8 come across very nicely in the anime. And the action and voice acting were solid. But, I dunno, the anime failed to capture _something_ that came across better in the manga. I'll continue watching the anime if there's another season, since it's always fun to see big fights animated. I'm not sure they can do anything in the anime to one-up the manga though. The manga is just so good. Yesterday's batch of new chapters in Jump had so much good stuff going on Spy x Family #103 Elusive Samurai #168 Sakamoto Days #178 Akane-banashi #122

I won’t spoil any of the stuff coming up in Elusive Samurai. Lots happens. Did you read the latest Kaiju No. 8 chapter from a few days ago? That was a long gap between chapters!

Happy birthday dude! Come back someday.

Any of you folks been watching Dead Dead Demons DeDeDeDe Destruction? (Let's just refer to it as DDDD from here on out! ) What a trip this thing is. It started out a bit slow, but then eventually takes some wild turns. It's an interesting mix of drama, sci-fi, some more atmospheric and almost slice-of-life-y elements, and some amusing humour sprinkled in as well. It's a vibe. Apparently the anime is an adaptation of a two-part movie series (with the movies based on a manga that ran from 2014-2022). It's supposed to be 18 episodes. It's up to #12 now, so there's still time to get on board and catch up before it ends. I just started watching it a few days ago and I binged through all the available episodes real fast.

I cannot stand Zensho. But I also loved that he could not help but vote for Maikeru. Props to him for being honest with the art. Also good on the author for swerving like that. It would have been so easy to take it the other direction and make Zensho a cookie-cutter villain. That would have been a bit spicier at first, but ultimately more dull and predictable. Part of me just keeps waiting for Akane to fall flat on her face. I am dreading it but thankfully it hasn’t happened. Y’know, not that it’s been easy for her all the way, but often in these kinds of stories the main character has to endure more hardships and dramatic failures before really succeeding. I hope she slays in her next performance! Keep the good vibes rolling. I’m also hyped to see the boss show what he’s got.