Weekly Shounen Sunday #34



Sunday returns on Wednesday with an issue jam packed with manga...literally. With three one shots in the issue this time around, there's a lot to talk about and while time isn't an issue I'd still like to get this show on the road.


On the cover is Minami Hanabe who shares it with Komi who's getting a lead color page this issue to celebrate the release of a new volume. It helps that Komi is also selling really well which is why it gets special treatment. 


Let's get crack-a-lackin' with the TOC.

Komi-san wa, Komyushou desu by Tomohito Oda (Lead color page)
Shinobi no by Rokuro Ohgaki
Gin no Saji by Hiromu Arakawa
Major 2nd by Mitsuya Takuya
Hatsukoi Zombie by Ryou Minenami
K.O.I  King of Idol by Tamaki Wakaki
Kyoukai no RINNE by Rumiko Takahashi (Color page)
Detective Conan by Gosho Aoyama
Magi by Shinobu Ohtaka
Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san by Aiko Koyama
Amano Megumi wa Suki Darake by Nekoguchi
Daiku no Hatou by Michiteru Kusaba
Senobi no Arisa-chan by Atsumi Takeru (One shot)
150kg no Kanojo by Koharu Inoue (One shot)
Ami-chan wa Warawanai by Fumitaka Torisu (One shot)
Hoankan Evens no Uso ~Dead or Love~ by Midzuki Kuriyama
Saike Matashitemo by Tsubasa Fukuchi
Dagashikashi by KOTOYAMA
Souboutei Kowasubeshi by Kazuhiro Fujita
Tenshi to Akuto!! by Aya Hirakawa
Tenshou no Quadrable by Takahiro Arai
Maou-jou de Oyasumi by Kagiji Kumanomata
Meteor Girl by Reach Ishiyama
Be Blues by Motoyuki Tanaka
Joujuu Senjin!! Mushibugyo by Hiroshi Fukuda
Youkai Giga by Satsuki Satou
Sunday Hikagaku Kenkyujo by Yuuji Yokoyama

Not included in this lineup is..

Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou Monogatari
Hiiragi-sama wa Jibun o Sagashite Iru
RYOKO
Zettai Karen Children (Absent till Summer)

Just when I thought I understood the TOC we get a huge shakeup. Saike not in the basement --and not only that it's head of Souboutei and Dagashikashi? Though the troubling implication here is that Saike's position isn't fixed and that it just isn't very popular. Granted with series ending one after another in the magazine I don't think it's in any immediate danger, but it is a cause for concern. Souboutei has also been rather low lately but it sells okay so it should be fine. Meteor Girl and Quadrable are sinking fast, with their mates K.O.I, Daiku and Evans managing to stay upward bound...and of course the three one shots are also making the TOC stand out a bit more than usual. 

 


I'm still contractually obligated to bring you guys dual page spreads --even when they're not manga. I do really like the composition here with the train being placed to the left like it is and the focus on the scenery rather than the model. 


Shougakukan is really pushing the heroines of the magazine --with good reason as there are so many! Though there are a few faces here from Sunday super --notably six and seven. Summer is a good time to cuddle up to someone close or barring that with a good manga. 


Opening with a bad pun (YaranaIKA =Will you do it? With "ika" meaning "squid") is an advert for Splatoon 2 which launches July 21st worldwide (I think.) There's not much here being said that one hasn't heard in domestic (western media) so I won't TL but i figured it'd be fun to see Splatoon on the other side of the pond.


Bringing in sp--su--er, winter with a lead color page is Komi-san! Though I have to wonder how this'll look in Black and white with the title and advertising text removed. Usually the advertisements obscure the space for color pages, but in this case it actually lends the art a bit of charm. I suppose anyone who wants to pick up the volume can let me know? 



Oda (not that one) must really be confident in his art to convey a story that he does these chapters without any text whatsoever...and I'm tempted to say he's right to be. Plus it makes writeups for me easier when there's nothing to translate. It's just Komi and friends having a good time in the snow, which is weirdly appropriate considering how hot it is in real life. 


Tadano, his sister and Komi have a fun time on their own, but the first half of the two part chapters end with more friends on their way to join the winter festivities. It's interesting that the chapter just wasn't regular length --since Oda (not that one) does do it from time to time depending on the story he wants to tell, but I guess it does give an air of "that's the end of one thing, now to another". 


And now we move to chapter 90 of Komi (Wow! It's almost at two years of serialization!) where the appearance of friends in winter can only mean one thing...SNOWBALL FIGHT!! 


Poor Komi just isn't athletically inclines if it wasn't clear from the fourth panel of the left page. I just really like the little "_______ has died" message that pops up each time someone is hit by a snowball. Snowballs fights are serious business! So what's Komi to do if her throwing arm isn't quite up to snuff?


Why walk right up to the enemy gate and attack them directly! That's why one should never underestimate their enemy. No kill like over kill and Komi shoots and scooores! Not much for me to say for these chapters but they were a lot of fun!


And now we move back in time to the newly started (but getting up there in age) adventure of Shinobi no starring Jinsaburo Sawamura who has been asked to sneak aboard the Black ships from America...except he is an old man and old men need their rest. The text very specifically states he is "the last shinobi left behind by the times", which dictates how this story is gonna go, I think. Also something I got a bit of a heads up in regard to the last chapter --it seems we're going to perhaps see some very familiar historical faces in this manga such as Sakuma Shozan  Shioin Yoshida and Ryoma Sakamoto. A good friend of mine who is very into Japanese history had a look at the color page in the last issue here, and was able to identify dopplegangers of the real guys! I'd suggest giving her a follow on twitter as Shinobi no progresses, as I'm sure her insight will be integral to my understanding and enjoyment of the series! 


So yes, as we left Pops last time, Takayuki Toudou had tasked him with the endeavor of sneaking upon the American ships and getting intel on them. Pops states the truth flat out --that they're black ships, which Takayuki seems not to take at face value. Pops seems disinterested in the whole job until he gets a whiff of what seems to be gunpowder which is enough to light his flame. 



Night is a Shinobi's ally, so it's not till later on that we return to the ports and find that some men are taking gunpowder to the ships --or in short taking matters into their own hands since the crappy ineffective government (their words, not mine) won't do what it takes to protect Japan. Unfortunately for them, the "group" they came with seems to be dwindling one by one...could there be another element at play?


Pops is on duty, and he's not going to let a little thing like illegal fireworks keep him from the job he was hired on for! Maybe these guys might have had a good idea in sneaking in and blowing up the ships at night, but being openly brazen is the last thing one wants in a situation like this. 


Though Pops is still a step too late as the guys have already started rowing bombs to the ships, and in thirty minutes --or a half hour, things are going to start going boom. The page isn't pictured here, but we get a brief explanation as to why this is an extremely bad thing and in short it's because Japan isn't at the point where they could pick a fight with America and win, and attacking them outright is basically suicide. 


With his handy-dandy Kusarigama, Pops is able to get from ship to ship like a breeze, taking down guys with relative ease. I know that I mentioned how Ohgaki's action scenes might need a little work last week, but I wasn't expecting him to have improved this much in a mere week! Look at that bottom panel on the right! I never knew Shounen Sunday could be this savage, and I'll never underestimate the mag again!


Mostly linked because this page is just amazing to behold. The focal point being on Pops's fingers which seem to pop right out of the page, and the camera-lens like focus coming from below on the entire page, as if we're under the action giving it that much more weight and balance. I also really, really like Ohgaki's sense of shading with the blacks looking ink-blochy making them stand out upon the page. I actually really like his minimalist approach to backgrounds in this page as it gives us just that much more to appreciate with Pops' dynamic entry on the bottom. 


Pops formally introduces himself to his enemy as a "Shinobi from Iga". What's interesting here is the guy who's probably a hair's breadth from losing his life finds the very idea of Shinobis existing to be a joke....or well, more like they're a relic from a past era. Which as I mentioned before seems to be the theme of this work. In any case the brave or stupid  guy levels a gun at Pops and claims they'll die together in the explosion meant for the black ship. Not pictured is Pops laughing at him and saying that darkness is a Shinobi's friend. (I mentioned that!) and that anything that gets between him and darkness will be erased. Maybe the guy is looking for a boom, and Pops informs him one is coming from an extremely unlikely place.


It's cannon fire! A Shinobi follows his nose, and he was able to tell that they were about to fire, which distracts the guy for just a second --a second too long, and...


Normally I don't like to be proven wrong it's human nature. But I'll take my medicine when I see things like this. Ohgaki, I'm sorry I dissed your art last week. Look at this! The sword is rendered as a splash of light and ink, along with the speed lines being right on Pops as he cuts the guy in half --and wonderful choice to render this page in black and white on Ohgaki's part. This is the kind of thing I'd want in color and blown up to a size I could hang. It's all simply breathtaking. 




With the enemy dispatched, Pops is left to wonder what kind of madman would be captain of a ship like the Black one he stands before? Jump cut to the next day where we're taken to a room with a man writing in books as he is informed that the plans for last night were interrupted. The man seems overjoyed by this rather than upset --the heavens are testing him (or so he says.) Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Shouin Yoshida who's the leader of Choushuu. The side text reads that the Black ships have attracted the attention of another man --him, so it seems inevitable that he and Pops will cross paths eventually, and I can't wait to see how it goes down! 


We open up Silver Spoon with Hachiken deciding to do his spring cleaning rather than doing his studying which if anyone reading this is a student is something I truly don't recommend despite being extremely relatable. 




Hachiken then visits his brother who's child --Mugi (meaning "wheat") seems to take after him much to his chagrin, heh. He then says at the very least Mugi's easier to understand than livestock at any rate, after of which he goes into a tirade about how they're noisy when they're in heat and can't tell him whether they're sick or not and...essentially sort of giving the child a backhanded compliment/insult. Arakawa's sense of humor is still in top form, and I always look forward to seeing  it. 




However Hachiken hasn't returned home to see his brother, but his father --after all he has to tell him that he's going to take University entrance exams. It's here as well that Hachiken is able to somewhat tell his Dad his true feelings --that he's not good at dealing with him. (He'd like to say he flat out dislikes him, but he ain't that brave.) That being said, he knows he's a reliable person and as such wants to show his father his business strategy plan. 




Meanwhile Ohkawa is hanging out with Mikage's family because, well he hates seeing them. (I'm sensing a pattern here....is your family life okay Arakawa-sensei?)  Meanwhile after talking to his father, Hachiken decides to take it easy and ease his way into his goal. Unfortunately as the notice at the bottom of the page says, despite just returning to pasture, Silver Spoon will be headed back out to the range I'll stop this, I promise.  of hiatus land for some time again. The next volume is out August 18th, but there's no indication of when the series will return to the magazine, alas. Let's just wish Hachiken and Arakawa-sensei the best of luck in their endeavors. 




I figured I'd do a snapshot of Major 2nd this week because I found the mixed gender team pictured above really nice for a shounen sports series. Sadly with all I've got to cover I can't exactly hit up the entire chapter, but this is a nice dual page spread of the team that I thought you'd enjoy as much as I did.


Celebrating it's 379th installment and release of it's 37th volume is Rinne! Sakura doesn't look half bad with a tan does she? I also like the ink coloring used for her hair --it gives the image of a pop art piece you might see in a subway or on the side of a building. With Takahashi's clout that's actually not too hard to imagine, actually. 


Speaking of Takahashi's color art, Lum from her series "Urusei Yatsura" was featured on the 1st Anniversary DVD and Blu Ray of the idol group NG148. UY is a series I do have but have not watched --which is essentially the story of my life, sadly, but I thought this was a cute collaboration so I'm bringing it to you. 


The chapter begins with Rokumon getting toilet paper for Rinne in the Shinigami world where he overhears that Kain has an "Omiai" coming up. Omiai are like blind dates...kinda, but rather than hitting a movie or restaurant two people meet with the specific intention of marriage, and in Kain's case the person he's supposedly going to meet up with is a very rich lady.  Rokumon informs everyone about this as they're at the beach enjoying themselves while Rinne is on patrol for spirits. 


Kain sort of dithers on accepting the meeting at first but eventually decides not to despite running out of food (which Suzu complains about above on the left), stating that it's too soon for him to think about such things. Meanwhile Renge is out giving poor saps Yakisoba that causes their souls to come out of their body, something Rinne tries to immediately put a stop to. It seems he's going to tell her about Kain's omiai, but....



Ageha stops him before he can and says that it'd be awfully cruel to crush the poor girl's heart like that, and putting that aside they'd never be able to get along since Kain and Renge are on opposite sides of the good soul/bad soul spectrum. To everyone's surprise the aforementioned shows up on the beach and almost catches Renge in the act until she distracts him. 



Further surprises when Kain asks if she can meet him after "work" that night, which sends Renge over the moon as she's never been invited out by Kain before. She's all but ready for him to confess his feelings and turn their one-way relationship into the real deal. Unfortunately a series of events leads to Suzu blurting out that Kain is going to get married to the rich lady he's supposedly supposed to have the Omiai with....and yeah you can imagine what kind of effect this has on Renge. 


Oh poor Renge, now she thinks that he's only going to ask her to make a speech at his wedding (that's so oddly specific, but in a way it only makes things funnier so let's roll with it.) Renge is so despondent about the news she heard that she tells him that she's a Damashigami --the one thing she's been trying to hide from him for the entirety of their relationship. Though it turns out Kain was referring to a picture they took in middle school...oops. So now the cat is out of the bag and the side text says that the next issue is one that shouldn't be missed, which I'll do my best not to! 



Two more chapters to go until the big 1,000 for Mr. Shounen Sunday. The chapter actually hit the interwebs a few days ago so most Conan fans probably already know what happens, but it's worth repeating that this case seems totally wild, hah. Just what the heck does that well dressed shadowman want with Haibara's charm? We'll have to wait till next week to find out!


Another snapshot --this time of Magi with an impressive dual page spread. Like Conan, the chapter is out if you know where to look so there's not much of a point for me to talk about what happens --though I am really considering doing snapshots of series that I don't cover for whatever reason just so the blog isn't just the same things from week to week. If you like that idea, leave me a comment!


And now we start with the first of three oneshots --Senobi no Arisa-chan (Arisa-chan on Tip toe) by Takeru Atsumi. Arisa is a girl who's short in both literal and metaphysical aspects as stated on the page to the left --from reaching for books, to taking pictures to talking about herself --Arisa always sells herself short. 


Probably what I like most about this oneshot is Atsumi's text placement --which I have to admit is a weird thing to praise but have a look at the right page and that text floating on it's side. I've never seen that done in a manga before! Anyway, to my surprise this oneshot gets right in the depth of things --the protagonists Arisa and Makoto are already dating, rather than still in friend zone...but they haven't yet made it to first base (the kiss) because Arisa finds it embarrassing. The text beside the numbers are the characters names, which makes sense as each part seems to be about them. Ah, I almost forgot the name puns, which are the best part! So Makoto's family name is "Toushindai" which literally means "life sized" and Arisa's is "Senobino" which can mean something along the lines of "Standing on tip-toe" or "stretching oneself to seem taller." Although Atsumi uses different kanji to make it seem more like a name, it's clear what the intent was. 


But yes, Arisa has a height complex, and at 144 cm (About 4'7) one can see why. She's often mocked by her peers, but hey she has a boyfriend which is more than they have! She even goes as far as "stretching the truth" and saying she has five of them! Makoto is the type to say whatever is on his mind, so when he starts talking about how tiny she is, she expects him to call her a shrimp like the other kids, but instead he says he loves her height and all. D'aww. 


Arisa's  lies kind of catch up to her when the other guys ask if her other four boyfriends would be okay with her dating Makoto which he asks her about and she has no choice but to confess to --which seemingly (and understandably) causes a rift in their relationship. Arisa starts to blame the other kids for her possibly losing the first boyfriend she's ever had, but...


In the end she realizes it's her fault. The next day she finds Makoto and loudly professes that there's no one else in the world for her but him. It's not pictured but his "Thank you?!" response is friggin hilarious. She's then able to clear the air with him that she was lying to improve her image and Makoto accepts her apology. He then proposes they make their relationship real by..you guessed it, going to first base. Arisa's still not ready for that step quite yet...


But they're able to settle on holding hands. No need to grow up too fast Arisa-chan! Love that someone shouts that they'll cheer them on in the bottom panel too, hah. It was a cute and short oneshot --Atsumi has a very good sense of pacing, I think where we got a beginning, middle and end in 18 pages. It's said on the side there that Atsumi is preparing another work which I wouldn't mind seeing if it can be as cute and or interesting as this. 


Next up is 150kg no Kanojo or "150kg Girlfriend" by Koharu Inoue. At least with these two one-shots, there's this rare-for-shounen-element of the protagonists already being in a relationship of sorts-- something your poor host has never experienced *sob*  so I have to wonder if the Shougakukan editorial department grouped them together on purpose? In any case, the oneshot begins with the protagonist musing over having a girlfriend for the first time in his life, and having her over his house to boot. She then offers to take off her sweater, and when he protests (not very much mind you) she reveals that she's actually 150kg which is about 330 pounds. 


Subject matter aside, his reaction in the first panel is comedy gold. Though to be fair to him he actually takes it in stride for the most part. --He just asks where his girlfriend went. She explains she uses the sweater to hide her weight which he remarks must be like some sort of magic trick. In the end he realizes her feelings are genuine and goes through with the date. While the sweater might hide her rotund nature, it can't hide her actual weight as you can see in the bottom panel. 


The main character is caught between wanting to leave and realizing that having a girl who's cute --and maybe a little big isn't such a bad thing, though getting used to her being able to bend tables is a new experience for him. They head out to the movies next, where a man takes a child captive and demands they stop the movie immediately or he'll harm the boy. 


Protagonist-kun starts to call the cops, but his girlfriend steps in to defuse the situation much to his surprise. She manages to talk the stranger into discussing his reasons for these actions, and it's apparently because his artistic vision was stolen by the movie which bears a striking (not) resemblance to his amateur manga, and when he doesn't get the reaction he was expecting out of the girl he attacks...!


However the knife is incapable of stabbing into her like he imagined and instead finds himself in her embrace, one that feels like being smothered by the love of the holy mother herself. Protagonist-kun is able to knock him out after that and to his surprise refers to her as his girlfriend. They decide to head home --well after a stop for pancakes. Although this premise seemed a little shaky at first, the last lines of the chapter --"My girlfriend who I'm proud to boast about is 150kg". Kind of make it worth it, I think. The side text actually flat out says that Inoue is preparing a new serial for Shounen Sunday's web manga magazine "Sunday Webry", so I think we'll be seeing something from her(?) soon. 


The last oneshot is "Ami-chan wa Warawanai" or "Ami-chan doesn't laugh" by Fumitaka Torisu, and it's about Ami who just started working in a maid cafe, but already has quite the reputation due to coming off like a prisoner in a cage due to her dour expression which seems to belie a secret that people can't help but be piqued by.




The oneshot is a set of vignettes about how the protagonist walks into the maid cafe and is immediately captured by Ami's sad beauty, which is captured quite well in Torisu's art which errs on being more realistic looking than most. On the strip to the left, we find out that Ami really doesn't want to be a maid, she was more or less forced into doing it by a friend --who quit three days later. Unfortunately Ami's too straight laced to do the same and sort of stays behind despite not enjoying herself. The second is about how she manages to keep her dour nature pretty much all of the time. In a way this reminds me of Komi-san, actually....


The left strip shows that despite her beautiful looks, Ami has her human side --as she's a bit of a klutz. Meanwhile on the right we see that maid cafes can be embarrassing for the patrons as well as the workers when they have to say/do embarrassing things like sing a little song before eating a rice omelette. 




In the end even Ami has to serve food with a silly chant and funny animals, which only makes her that much more appealing, Although the mystery behind her gloominess is only known to her and us the audience, maybe a little mystery is a good thing, no? The demure Ami is more than enough reason for the protagonist to return the next day as he says to himself.  Torisu is also preparing another work, but it doesn't specify where it'll be serialized --but I too will return for this really pretty art. 


This week's Evans opens up with the gunman as a gunlad who rushed into danger merely because he thought it would make him popular with the ladies, however he hasn't scored once in his life even as a hotshot sheriff, and so the search for love goes on. 


This week his assistant Ted and a friend of his --Jennifer (who's character design right down to her freckles makes her majorly adorable) have run into a snag for dinner plans as one of their friends had to cancel leaving a spot open. Evans wants to ask if he can tag along, but Dad lectures say that popular men do not invite themselves along to functions like this --rather they are invited. So now all Evans can do is hope that Ted picks up on the hint and extends a hand to him. 


Evans does whatever he can to seem available, even acting as if he's so bored that he falls asleep at his desk. Jennifer seems to pick up on this and starts to ask if he'd like to go, but Ted puts the kibosh on this, though to be fair it's because he thinks so highly of Evans! Why would someone like him want to hang out with them? 


Jennifer isn't bothered by Evans's reputation and proceeds to ask him anyway (so she's very much the fiery redhead), but Ted continues to argue with her making Evans "wake up" and ask what the matter is. Jen asks him to come along --after all he's bound to have fans of his quick shot there, and they need an extra person! Evans acts like he's not interested, but in his soul he wants to go to this..he needs to. He even prepares his gun and best duds to go but...


However the guy who cancelled can in fact make it and as such there's no need for Evans to step in. Ted even says he won't bother him about something like this ever again! Such a good assistant, isn't he? In any case next week Pheebs will be back, but I admit I enjoyed this one off chapter without her, and in general Evans hasn't missed a beat. 


Rising from the depths and in a surprising place this week is Saike! He and Ana are on a date at animate (I'm a poet and dang well know it.) where they the latter lost a bid in a shirt war to two strange brothers. Ana's none too thrilled by this outcome, if the bottom panel isn't an indication, hah.


Saike is more interested in finding out whether the bros are good guys are bad guys, so he enlists Ana's reluctant aid to pursue them. What ensues after that is well...lessons in manliness from the older bro in which he uses his ability to cheat, while his little brother does things the right way. Who's supposed to be teaching who here...


The lessons continue as the older brother tries to teach his little brother to concentrate and ends up concentrating so hard that he falls asleep --and his little bro gets bored and goes fishing. In short these two are goofballs of the highest order, which is kind of refreshing as I can't really think of any characters who are dedicated to just being funny in the series --which now that I think of it is rather strange for a Fukuchi work. Glad he's getting back to what makes him tick though!


In any case the brothers soon come upon a girl who's being hassled by bullies, and the older brother steps in saying that like God above, he cannot watch evil happen and do nothing about it, and Saike is satisfied that he is in fact a good person. 


I've seen my fair share of complaints in regard to how women are treated in media --with a particular focus on shounen manga, and since this is a general shounen Sunday blog, I won't go into my opinion on the matter, but I will say that Ana being the one to go in and deal with the bullies in Saike's stead is a refreshing change of pace in this demographic of manga. Especially since Ana is depicted as a girly girl on the outside --being into gothic lolita fashion, while on the inside she's just as fierce as any boy as demonstrated in the top panel. It's that variance between what's on the inside and outside that makes a character interesting in my opinion. Layers people, layers. In any case the brothers bid Saike and Ana farewell, but after they go their separate ways, the older brother receives a phone call asking if he's considered their conversation from earlier --and adds that it'd be good for him since he's strapped for cash. The side text implies that this phone call brings with it the premonition of "evil" which means perhaps this part may not be all comedy after all....



We're on chapter 63 of Souboutei where Seiichi for the first time in the series is actually having trouble against an opponent! That's a first as the kid has been usually depicted as a level of indestructible. 


However this group of people seem to have him out classed in every way, and are ready to deliver the finishing blow when they find that Seiichi is made of harder stuff than he seems (not pictured). They try to stab him in the heart but the sword breaks instead! So the group goes for a team execution, and it seems Seiichi is really done for, then...





With two amazing dual page spreads one of the group turns on the others, commenting that he has returned to to give the group new orders --to go straight to hell. 


The others are confused by this and drop the pertinent info that this man -- Ensign Sanka Kinoshita had been eaten by the Souboutei and supposedly died, so how is he here now? We'll have to wait till next week to find out!


On it's fifteenth installment --and returning to the blog is Tenshou no Quadrable! It's been a while since we've seen the boys! What are they up to? Well, it seems they're in India now! 


I will never get tired of seeing Arai's artwork, even if I don't cover this series every week. The run down city and depiction of the withered corpse are both exquisitely done as the boys travel through town to find no one there.


Apparently a "jet black" sickness has seized the city leaving all the people in the state seen above. There's a demon raveging the land, and while the boys want to help each and every person they see on the way to their ultimate destination, the only way they can do any good is if they defeat it first. The situation in Europe is similar to this, as well so they really don't have time to dither in one place for too long --so they head back out to sea where Migel calls Julian and only Julian out for some reason, hmm..



It's then the others realize that the Goa in India is on fire...more specifically the church has gone up into flames! The nightmare that Valiniyano was hoping to avoid has come to pass..his fellow clergymen have been killed...or have they? 





Meteor girl starts to bear it's horror fangs in it's 10th installment with the chapter opening up with the girl we saw last week. I had been wondering about the horror label Shougakukan gave to the series, and I guess I shouldn't have. Look at that bottom panel on the right...it's creepy --almost as if the girl has two mouths. 


It even continues like an urban horror tale with the girl saying "Oh no...you sawww it". before cutting away to Hane and Tetto. Tetto wants to go see Ryoko and find out what kind of thanks she has for him, but he really doesn't want Hane to tag along and turn their date for two into a threesome. (hah), so he's got to somehow think of a way to ditch her and get there without being seen. 


Spoiler: He fails. Turns out Hane is a lot sturdier than her petite frame would imply. Also I know that the thing on her head is probably going to receive an explanation eventually, but seeing it in a casual setting is extremely off putting. In any case Hane cuts right to the chase and asks about Ryoko's dead sister who has apparently become a Meteor Girl as well as the men in black who were after them. Tetto begins to lay into Hane for being insensitive, but to his surprise Ryoko has questions for them as well. 


Hane presents her hypothesis on what Meteor Girls are --dead human girls, and that the men in black are perhaps an organization dedicated to finding and collecting Meteor girls who are able to move. Which is to say if they want to run into the men in black again they just need to find a place where a moving MG is. Hane asks Tetto who wonders why he's even involved in this nonsense at first, but then realizes the rumors of a ghost at the old school building may just be the in they're looking for. 


The story then cuts to a fellow named Kawamoto who is at work on a Sunday --which is odd as called out by his co-worker. He says he came to pick up leftover work and leaves it at that, but then switches his glasses and heads to where he can "smell" a meteor girl. With so many hands interested in Meteor Girls gathering in one place, it seems like a confrontation is likely....


Kuro's back in this week's Youkai Giga along with another strange looking youkai. When Kuro asks what this new youkai --well to be fair, it doesn't say whether it's a youkai or not, so I'm not sure, honestly, what it's doing there, it implies it was born to give important premonitions to people. 


It seems to be fine being trod upon only because in it's opinion there's no point in doing anything --there's no point in anything in the world to it really, except the girl who's name is Makoto. (Two in one issue!) Apparently this thing has been watching over her since she was a little girl, though it seems now she's forgotten about it. 


The thing takes responsibility for raising her into a fine woman, however she has the nasty habit of bottling up her feelings for the sake of others --clenching her fists as she does so. It wonders just why she's enduring so much? Her father (the guy with glasses) come to her later and asks if "Toshiyuki" has responded to her yet, and she confesses he hasn't. Dad says he likes Toshiyuki, but he's willing to hear Makoto out if she feels differently, but she says she's of the same mind as her Dad --while clenching her fist. Now the story is getting interesting! --Not that it wasn't already but I like this angle where we get a bit more about the humanity in this story about youkai. Though assuming Satou's pattern holds up, we won't be seeing Kuro again till issue 36. 


And that's it! Next issue starts the "2017 Adachi Mitsuru Summer festival" which offers prizes and other things in relation to Mitsuru's works including original manuscripts, seals, and a Punch doll! Of course it wouldn't be much of a celebration without a manga from the great himself, and we get one in the form of a new oneshot called "Natsu no Rakugasa" Maoujo will get color pages, and Birdmen returns for it's monthly visit. As always, I'm grateful you accompanied me through this issue, and hope you'll do so again. Until then, see ya! 

Comments

  1. Shinobino feels a bit more like a seinen manga than a shonen manga. I assume that this mc is not going to give any speeches about justice and friendship. Anyway, the first two chapters look really good, even if my knowledge about Japanese history is rather rudimentary. I'll keep an eye on your friend's twitter for explanations.

    The other yokai's face reminds me of someone, but I don't know who. What it said was similar to what the old yokai in "The Last Yokai" said. If all yokai in Satou's world are born for a purpose and disappear after it has been fulfilled, does that mean Kuro is going to vanish once his "master" is in good hands? Please no.

    Arai's are is wonderful. I found the illness' depiction very similar to what can bee seen on old European paintings of the "black death". I wonder how they'll deal with something that causes a demonic version of the plague without getting infected themselves. If only the boys were a bit more interesting. Can we have Oda back?

    Where can I buy those magic clothes that hide all imperfections?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry for the lateness of this reply. The notification system for this blog is borked, orz. Niente is definitely one you want to keep an eye on since she's a huge history buff.

      Clearly I need to read the last yokai..I haven't and it seems Youkai Giga is a continuation of sorts --I hope Kuro doesn't disappear! I've come to enjoy it's adventures every other week!

      Well by now the new entry is up so I suppose you're aware that your wish was granted in regard to Tenshou, but Oda's definitely not playing nice.

      Maybe you can get the clothes at animate? Lol.

      Delete
  2. deep breath im dying i want to read the translation for Tenshou no Quadrable i hope it gets tankobon version so it has a chance to get translated overseas too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah a new visitor! Hello, and thanks for visiting! I'd assume we'll get the first volume in September or October. Though judging from it's TOC placement, it's struggling --hopefully the sales will help it out a bit otherwise the soaring quadrable could see it's wings get clipped.

      Delete

Post a Comment