Weekly Shounen Sunday #46



We're closing in on the end of a Sunday fiscal(?) year with the 46th issue! Hard to believe in a few weeks we'll be talking 2018 while the rest of the world will be still spouting 2017 platitudes, but that's what life in Sunday is ---cutting edge! Be sure not to get too close or you'll cut yourself, but if you're feeling brave, I'll guide you in so you can kiss the sun with minimal risk to yourself!

.
Manga seems to rarely cover Sunday (at least lately) so when the magazine sees fit to give the pinups a vacation, you know it has to be for something big, and that's exactly the case as this week brings us to the end of the adventure epic --Magi by Shinobu Ohtaka! Although Magi had a wonderful 8 year run, it feels strange to say goodbye to another series after only a few weeks...Heck, Mushi was 7 years old when it ended. Still, I'll put my malease aside and commemorate this auspicious occasion by covering Magi for the first time in...well, heck almost a year.


Lining up the magazine this week are the following series.

Magi by Shinobu Ohtaka (Lead Color/Finale)
Amano Megumi Suki Darake! by Nekoguchi
Shinobi No by Rokuro Ohgaki
Komi-san wa komyusho desu by Tomohito Oda
Dagashikashi by KOTOYAMA
Hatsukoi Zombie by Ryou Minenami
Major 2nd by Mitsuya Takeda
Tenshi & Akuto!! By Aya Hirakawa (Center color)
Aozakura Bouei daigakkou monogatari by Hikaru Nikaido
Kyoukai no RINNE by Rumiko Takahashi
Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ By Mizuki Kuiryama
K.O.I King of Idol by Tamaki Wakaki
Maoujo de Oyasumi by Kagiji Kumanomata
Saike Matashitemo By Tsubasa Fukuchi (Color page)
Be Blues by Motoyuki Tanaka
Souboutei Kowasubeshi by Kazuhiro Fujita
Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san by Aiko Koyama
Hiiragi-sama Jibun wo Sagashiteru by Hiroyuki Nishimori
Zettai Karen Children by Takashi Shiina
Daiku no Hatou by Michiteru Kusaba
Tenshou no Quadrable by Takahiro Arai
Meteor Girl by Reach Ishiyama
Youkai Giga by Satsuki Satou
Nekottake! by Wataru Nadatani

Not in this issue are:

Detective Conan
RYOKO


A pretty normal-ish TOC after a few weeks of weird ones. Shinobi no being so high pleases me as I'd really like to see it succeed, and not surprisingly Magi is sitting on top of things as it ships out. Saike is back which is the most exciting part of this week to me, anyway. Though it's return is a little lower than I'd like with a color page, honestly. Otherwise there's not anything of note in this TOC except for a special chapter of Nekottake which runs in Shounen Sunday Super. I wonder if they're just going to rotate things out in the Laboratory's absence until whatever the new manga is starts? Considering that only Conan and Ryoko are out of the magazine for now, I can't believe there's a need for that much more space, but who am I to say, really?


Some more Dagashikashi anime news for you my friends! The anime's airdate has been confirmed for January 2018, and Chinatsu Akasaki has been cast to play Hajime Owari. I've not seen Fate/Apocrypha, but she's Fiore in that, and Alice Nakiri in Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma. What I do know Akasaki from is Boku Dake ga Inai Machi as Airi Katagiri though! I did rather enjoy the first season of the anime, so I'll tune in for this one --especially since I really like Hajime. Will you all at home be watching too?



A face not seen much on the blog returns for it's finale in Magi! Between the series being licensed for official release in the US, and scanslations being pretty much caught up, I figured I'd work on lesser known series as that's the point of this blog. That's not to say at all Magi isn't a wonderful manga and I'm not going to miss seeing it in the magazine each week! Sadly this finale starts off on a downer note --for Alibaba anyway, as what he thought would be marital bliss turns into a case of reality ensuing as his soon to be wife Morgiana informs him that the final battle of ultimate destiny ruined the place they were to be married and her dress to boot. Alibaba wants to complain about this but reluctantly very reluctantly as the tears of blood indicate decides they should hold off for now. Poor dude really wanted to be married though, look at his face on the right and you'll get what I mean.


Though it's not just his place that's a mess. Oddly enough with everything being trashed, there's a sense of serene discord on the left, no doubt aided by Ohtaka's artwork. More than anything, I'm going to miss just how unique her artistry is for both characters and BG --oh and her perpencity to make Alibaba a butt-monkey, as the other characters poke fun at his situation --ladies do change their minds and hearts easily, maybe Morgiana won't want to get married after this delay? Alibaba, your tears taste wonderful, I'm sorry tos ay. 


Admittedly I love when finales have the time to take the characters through a retrospective of what they saw/achieved/and did throughout the series and Magi does this as well. Alibaba despite his occasional slip into butt-monkey status has been through a lot and achieved a lot more. Ah, I'm getting sad thinking about opening issue #47 and not seeing Magi in the lineup. 


I don't know how she manages to pull it off, but Ohtaka's art impresses just as much as Morgiana does in that dress. I've always been a big fan of how she does things at a slight tilt for action scenes and here as well. it's like the weight of the page slightly leans to the side, and it's pleasing to me aesthetically. Though yes, while Alibaba was out sulking, his friends were getting his bride ready for their marriage, and they did a wonderful job! 


Now this I remember. As Ugo leaves, he recalls Aladdin's heartfelt wish to have a friend --to have him as a friend. Ugo and the others have left Aladdin now, but he now has the friends he wished for and so much more. 


Species of different kinds and worlds unseen come together in this finale, and it's with this that Magi comes to a close. Many popular anime and manga have ended leaving fans feeling sour, but I think Ohtaka did a wonderful job of capturing just what made Magi a joy to read over the years in this final chapter. Admittedly while I did translate the first maybe...three volumes of the manga, I fell behind by quite a bit in recent years, so I can't speak about the series quality in general, but I have been reading the final arc here and there while researching things for the blog, and it's been pretty exciting, so I can't wait till I have time to read the entire series again. Also before anyone asks, there is no indication of what Ohtaka will do after Magi --as the customary "Look forward to this author's next work" is no where present. Now that could just mean that Ohtaka hasn't thought about what she'd like to do next or where she'll do it, and that's fair enough as 8 years in a weekly magazine is a lot of work and she probably wants her rest, but I sure hope whatever she decides to do it'll be with Shougakukan again. So long Magi, you will be missed. 


Speaking of re-reading, the editorial department has this advertisement ready for those who intend to do just that! Volume 36 of the manga will be in stories on October 18th, and the 35 volumes before that are up for grabs! For a nominal fee of course.  I might see if I can get the whole series for digital platforms once I have a little free time. 


Interestingly enough, right after Magi's conclusion --as if the Editorial staff is trying to say "Wait, don't leave! We have more things for you to read!" There's a flier/advertisement for new series heading to Sunday in the winter. The first one is an unnamed series by Nobuhiro Yagi who is the author of Angel Legend and Claymore --both of which ran in Shogakukan's rival publisher Shuiesha, so this is going to be a case of jumping publishers, something I have seen a lot of, but not much of Shuiesha--->Shougakukan. Unfortunately there's no information about the series, but I'm sure we'll get more soon. The second is by Kyouichi Nanatsuki who was behind Arms and Area D and artist Teppei Sugiyama, and it'll be callsed "Tantei Nemo to Nanatsu no Satsujin Hisshitsu" Or "Nemo the Detetctice and the secret room of seven murders." Going from the title, I'm assuming this will be a mystery thriller series which could be a lot of fun if done just right. On the side, it's implied there will be more artists announced down the line, so the new serialization round I've been wondering about is essentially underway at this point. It'll be interesting to see what the magazine will look like in a few months! 


Shinobi no is at the top of it's game (and almost the top of the magazine) this week with a rare peaceful scene for pops on it's frontspiece this week. Heck, the opening text even refers to this, basically reading "At least on the frontispiece, I'd like to be able to take it easy." 


Heading right back into the action, Shioin is gunning for Perry's ship, as Pops carries out his promised execution from last week. Ahh I think it's great that Ohgaki lets action do his talking, cause it means I get to do less....talking. Pops makes short work of the warrior monks sent to deal with him, and manages to make sport of their openings. This is what a veteran shinobi is all about! 


Meanwhile Miranda and Todou are having their own fight, where it seems the latter is making quick work of the former. Toudou refers to her as an old lady (big mistake) but he's fortunate in that Miranda very loudly states that she has no idea of what he's saying. If only she did know, if only.


Toudou admits she's a strong opponent, but he's aiming to be the world's best Samurai, so it's nothing personal but she's gotta go...is what was supposed to happen until this bearded gentlemen came, defied gravity and became Toudou's new opponent! One thing I don't think I've mentioned much is how I adore Ohgaki's character designs and how varied they are. On these two pages we've got Miranda, Toudou, and the mystery old guy, all of whom look like they came from different manga. Not only that, although Toudou's words seem pretty noble --and in another shounen manga they would be, he comes off as completely deranged in the bottom panel on the left. It gets me wondering just what kind of past this kid has and how much is Yoshida Shioin involved in it? 


Like most shounen protags his age, Toudou is ready for a challenge and changes his focus to the old man. Miranda isn't sure who he is either, but her reaction is surprisingly subdued --you'd think she'd be more riled up that some guy came out of nowhere and clearly isn't interested in introductions, but she keeps her thoughts to herself. Meanwhile Pops is still taking on the guards in spectacular fashion --so much so that they wonder just what kind of old man is this? Is he actually a monster? Notice too that Pops hasn't taken any sort of battle damage either....



Those eyes and his declaration on the left page that they're not even in the same dimension tell you that Pops is a guy who should not be trifled with when he's serious. Meanwhile Yoshida finds that his party has been reduced to a literal graveyard shift, and he's none to pleased about this. Pops and Yoshida have been operating separately up until now, but a confrontation is brewing. Yoshida is having a break down as he remarks that his perfect plan --his perfect world is falling into disorder and he can't have that! Shougakukan seems to think Shinobi no is going to be a big deal as they're giving the next two weeks color pages to commemorate it's first volume's release like they did Evans --and now Evans is clearly the front runner of the new serialization set. Can lightning strike twice? For Shinobi no's sake, I hope so. 



After last week's chapter of Komi where the taciturn young lady opened up more than she has up until this point and left us on one heck of a cliffhanger, I'm sure this week's installment couldn't come fast enough. Well, I've got exactly what you're looking for here, and to cut to the chase --Komi turns down Tadano's offer to skip the trip and spend time together. She knows he wants to go, and doesn't want him to stay with her out of a sense of obligation --and realizing that change comes from taking that first step, Komi says she'll go on the trip with Tadano citing that it could be fun. 


Komi not realizing just how beloved she is with her classmates might come off as a little strange, but after her confession last chapter, I can picture her thinking she's nothing but a bother to them. She is of course very wrong about this, and couldn't be more of a center of their lives --for better or worse. Turns out everyone in the class wants to have Komi in their group (The classmates are split into groups of three for the trip), but little do they know that the selection will be done by lottery, --and even if it weren't did they really think they'd all be able to get Komi to themselves? Chapter 103 ends on this note, but no need to fear, chapter 104 is here --below. 



The second half of the chapter does what I love best about Komi-san, which is show off Oda (not that one)'s penchant for varied character designs and personalities. Right down to the narcissist who was introduced in the chapter before this one. Speaking of which I had no idea (on the left page bottom panel) that there was a group of students that espouse samurai cliches, heh. Meanwhile Komi's group is with two other girls who seem just as shy as her....Tadano is right to be worried about this group. 


However the other girls in the group shake on a deal --to make this the most fun school trip Komi has ever been on! Meanwhile Komi herself feels alienated from the very start which she isn't...wrong, about necessarily, but yeah as I said, Tadano isn't wrong to be concerned with this group even if their intentions are in the right place. As always I can't promise I'll be able to cover their trip into Kyoto next week, but if there's space in the entry, I will more than likely do so! I hope the trip goes smoothly either way...



After a softer, gentler chapter of Dagashikashi last week, we're back to what makes the series the sweet treat it is --madcap way out there comedy. This week's chapter is about eating frozen treats (specifically Azuki ice) on cold days, and man do Koko and Hotaru play really well off each other. Something as simple as splitting a bar in half so that both of them have something to eat becomes an ultimate battle of ultimate destiny that would make the recently departed Magi jealous. It helps that Kotoyama's art is such where it seems almost appropriate for him to do a battle manga should he decide that cheap sweets candy isn't filling for him. Seriously if I weren't describing this, would non Japanese readers be under the impression that this is in fact a battle manga? Especially the third page on the left with the excellent camera work. They're just breaking apart an ice-cream bar though, that's it, nothing else to see here. 


Tenshi descends on Akuto in the 136th chapter of the voice acting manga. I noted it before, but the series seems to be getting quite a few color pages lately, so I wonder if the editorial staff is trying to push it to some unseen end? I'd be pleased if the manga about voice acting anime got an actual anime, but I won't get my hopes up. Speaking of the editoral staff, they also seem to be hinting (with the color page) a turn for something more romantic in the series after this development which I admittedly have mixed feelings toward. In any case, Akuto has been reunited with Nari who apparently has grown into quite the looker. Interesting they don't outright state her age though, hm. 


Despite seeming more serene and ladylike, she greets Akuto with a "How ya doin?!" Which apparently is how she used to be --sadly I haven't really read the start of this series, but from the bits and pieces I've seen up until now, she's definitely the "genki girl" type. She's also grown about 6cm since he last saw her, (I wasn't able to include the page, but she comments that her breasts have gotten bigger too which indicates a level of familiarity around him that indicates a deep friendship despite his protests.) After the pleasantries, they get right to work --Akuto is known for his feminine voice, while Nari apparently can pull off a male version quite well, though since the last time we saw her as Akuto comments --her already impressive range has only gotten wider. Akuto realizes while he's had a breakthrough on Sugar girl, he's going to need to think out of the box or he'll be left behind before long. 


After recording the two friends hang out and Nari almost has an accidental spill when Akuto saves her. He complains she's of an age where she should know better than to play around and complains she's quite heavy --probably to hide his own worry for her. 



And Nari realizes during the whole exchange her face had become hot. "What's going on?" She asks. I think we know don't we? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. It wasn't an eventful chapter of Tenshi and Akuto, but I think the true battle is going to start from here on in. 




It's been a while, and this has been entirely my fault but Aozakura is back for the time honored mixer chapter! The guys are back in town for a little while, and what's more fun than knocking back a few with some lady friends? Not that I'd know since I'm writing this blog, hah. I think what gets to me here is the nonstandard character design for Kanou-chan in the second pic on the right. Not only that, but the guy there looks at her and asks himself "What am I seeing"..? It's one thing to play around with nonstandard art, but completely another for the characters to acknowledge it. (Not that I'm calling Kanou-chan an "it"!) Unfortunately, Kondo's the one getting all of the attention from the girls in the last page on the right, and it's then that the suggestion to play the "I love you" game comes up. 


The "I love you game" is pretty simple --people go around the table saying it to each other, and the first person to blush loses. Kondo is able to say it without any reservation, and knocks out one lady almost immediately, and the others don't fare any better until it's Kano's turn and....again what am I seeing at the end of this chapter....it's weirdly cute, and offputting but mostly cute I think? Sparks are flying, and I'm sure this is what no one intended at all. Who will walk out with whom next week is anyone's guess but I think Kano-chan, nonstandard character design or not might be the true winner. 


Rinne is also returning after a little bit of time away and like Aozakura it seems it's lady (and guy) night, or in this date? 



Rinne gets lucky enough to win a "secret tour" and while at first he's mostly disinterested, he realizes this could be his chance to repay Sakura for looking out for him. At first he just thinks of it as a fun day out with a friend, but when Rokumon drops the "d"ate word, his composure completely fades and he gets nervous, viewing every thing that happens on the trip as a slight to Sakura when she herself seems to be having a great time. Rinne is so nervous that he ends up stressing the entire trip --worried about making a perfect date rather than just enjoying himself. He hits a real low point when Sakura buys food for them (because he can't afford it.) and offhandedly comments that she doesn't mind since she always has to. Nothing is meant by it, but poor Rinne, seriously. They end up finding a shiny stone in a river --which has to be paid for, hah. Rinne is about to dump it, but against his baser urges, buys the stone while vomiting blood in duplicate (as everything has to be bought in twos.) In the end Sakura thanks him for the fun day together and comments to herself that while it was the same as usual in regards to her paying for things, she still had a really good time. It's nice to have a Rinne chapter end on a fairly upbeat note, and as Sakura says in the closing narration, I hope days like this can continue forever. 


Pettiness suits Evans just fine in this week's installment where Ted is talking to a buddy about having a meal with a girl the former had helped out in some way. His buddy implies that maybe she could be something more, but Ted replies this is no more than an obligatory dinner. Evans suddenly announces he's headed out and that Ted is in charge of the place, while commenting on the down low that an obligatory dinner isn't something to be afraid of. While this sounds like sage advice, the narrative box doesn't hide that this comes from a place of jealousy. Something Kuriyama does a good job with is walking that fine line between making Evans relatable to the audience, and keeping him from going off the deep end of being unlikable. He does do some questionable things in the name of popularity with the ladies, but in the end he does the right thing...kinda. 


Miffed that his loyal sidekick is getting more ladies than he is, Evans patrols the town and as I mentioned above --while he is purely motivated by the probability of getting a girlfriend, he does generally do a very good job of warding off bad guys and keeping the town safe. The problem is since our gunslinger tries a little too hard to act cool rather than genuine, his efforts to get what he wants fall flat on his face. Like in the first page on the left, he saves a lady from two guys threatening her, and when she asks how she can repay him, he shrugs it off hoping she'll insist but when she calls him back, it's just to take the knife the baddies left behind. A second damsel is saved from distress, and when Evans starts to insist that she repay him, he fades back to Dad lecture land...


Dad claims insisting on being rewarded is the mark of a coward, but if he is going to use that method, he'd dang better make sure not to fail. Evans shoots and....he fails --seems she has a boyfriend. Yikes. The gunman's lonely evening continues when he happens upon another damsel, who seems to be too inebriated to walk on her own. She then makes the unusual request that Evans follow her to another bar...which is an opening for Evans...it's cowardly and ill advised, but...



He instead takes her to where Pheebs lives. This is what I was referring to earlier --even though Evans has a bottom line in mind for his actions, he chooses the right thing and even manages to do so without being coerced by other characters or the narrative. Evans comes off as a good guy, because he is a good guy, who has slightly less than good desires. He leaves her in Pheebs' care, and the latter even asks if she can treat him to anything which he refuses. "This is what a lawman is supposed to do". "Good thing it was you who saved her, then....there are plenty of men out there who would try to take advantage of a lady." Pheebs comments as Evans sweats and replies that they're lowlifes. A pretty good chapter all around, and exemplary of why Kuriyama's story of a lone gunman is a great read. 



With a color page that looks one track away from a platinum selling hip hop album, Saike returns to Weekly Shounen Sunday, and I'm here to spit that lethal fire for my boy. From the outset of this arc I was excited as Kuroda Yumewo --the negatibrain appears --and in color no less! I had been concerned that his appearances in the series had been reduced to being a plot point, but Fukuchi proves me wrong by having him be the mic man for a bad premonition courtesy of his power of having precognitive dreams. The one thing that did let me down slightly was the lack of volume 10's cover preview. I wonder if we'll get it later? Saike is nearing it's 100th chapter --in fact this arc will bring us there, and I wonder if WSS will see fit to give the series a second color page? Granted even if they do that'll be after the volume hits in November. Ah, oh well, maybe Fukuchi just hasn't finished work on it. 


While Kuroda is roused from his slumber by bad news, the heroic trio is celebrating Hizu's birthday which he casually revealed to be the very next day --the day before they had this get-together. A personal anecdote --I actually asked Fukuchi on twitter how old the trio is (And let me tell you, talking to your hero is as nerve-racking as it is terrifying.) And through my own deficient Japanese screwing up the question, he answered that Saike is about 14 years old. (I asked how old the protagonist of the series was, rather than asking how old the protagonist(s) are.) When I tried to clarify, I didn't get a further answer, but maybe that was by design --Hizu continuously dodges the question of his age when Ana asks him. I suppose knowing this is a spoiler of sorts or important to a later story element? Hm. The conversation topic changes when Saike asks about Hizu's ability to see the "ability fumes" coming from other oracle holders identifying them as such. Hizu says there's a trick to doing so, but refuses to tell them as if they know, he'll be less useful to Saike and thus dumped. Fukuchi stop baiting the fangirls.  


Their party is interrupted by Kuroda when he comes a-knocking with the members of his gang who have been freed from Johann's mind control, his claim that he has something important to discuss with the group. Interestingly enough he comments that he wasn't able to get in touch with Yaotome --a character who hasn't appeared since volume four, neither on Johann's side or Kuroda's. One thing Fukuchi is good at doing is spreading a bread crumb trail of foreshadowing with seemingly arbitrary information, so I'm s ure this will be important later. Meanwhile Johann is looking pretty worse for wear after his last confrontation with Saike and his friends in Nepal, but his schemes still continue --however they've hit a bit of a snag as the ability user with the ability to create ability users has escaped from the transport they had for him and is now on the lose in Japan. 


He's at least got a picture of the guy they need eliciting a unified reaction of surprise from his henchmen as he assures them that their target shouldn't have been able to get far, and is necessary for his plan to make a world for those with abilities. Meanwhile Kuroda informs Saike of seemingly the very same person and that they've come from Nepal. Saike remembers that the Healing God had mentioned the amount of ability users in Nepal had risen exponentially (See what I mean about those throwaway comments?) And this explains it. Hizu comments that this means Kuroda knew about this ability user before they went to Nepal and asks what angle he's working on them. 


Kuroda reveals that he did indeed meet this individual in Nepal about four years ago on a search to find an ability user who could awaken his sister from her deep sleep --someone with the ability to have precognitive dreams.  Apparently when he was injured by them, he gained the abilities he sought! That's right, he has two oracles due to this chance encounter! I had been wondering for some time how Kuroda managed to get two powers when one seems to be the default, and this explains it! It also opens up a whole new set of possibilities....usually in stories like this the characters are restricted to one ability to keep them from being too powerful, but if Fukuchi is doing away with that then how many abilities can one person have? For now at least, Kuroda has two, and a request --that Hizu use his ability to see the fumes of abilities from others to help him locate this ability user before someone else does. 


Saike admits that he and Kuroda don't see eye to eye, but this is one case where he agrees they need to work together in order to stop Johann from getting his hands on this power since he's undoubtedly looking for it as well. Kuroda consents to this condition, and it's now that things get weird --Hizu asks what kind of dude this ability user is and Kuroda replies that they're a "male" but not exactly a "dude" the culprit in this case is a Lesser Panda --also known as a Red Panda. While I can't imagine what Kuroda sounds like anime when, Shougakukan?!  Picturing him dantily hold up that picture while saying in a completely serious voice "This is our target. Look at him...doesn't that face just look like one of evil?" is enough to get a laugh out of me. (And yes he does say that.) The search is on in the next chapter, and with a start as strong as this I have high hopes. It's great for Saike to be back--yes, I'm gonna say it --once again. 

.
Rokuro opens up Souboutei this week with the strange girl he met --the one who's heavily implied to be Sakamaki Teido's older sister. She introduces herself as "Shino" and says she's been trapped in the house for her entire life! --Though what's interesting to me is that she seems to look more mature in every panel she's in. Might just be that Fujita hasn't quite decided on a concrete "look" for her, but I think it works well as she has a very transient and creepy quality to her. Rokuro pleads with her to escape with him as the house is coming down eventually --but Shino seems less interested in leaving and asks why he'd want to destroy the Souboutei. 


Rokuro's still hurting over the house eating his dad --via dragging him into a picture. He then goes on a rant asking who could possibly paint such a devilish picture and why when Shino stops him and asks if he'd really like to know. Rokuro wants to know everything about the Souboutei and pleads with Shino for her to tell him everything, but she answers his question with one of her own that comes in the form of a story in which a "aqueous living being lived in a place a long ways away." One day this life form decided it wanted to live somewhere new and left in search of this place...


Fujita's artwork is incredible as the story unfolds --this being was able to split into different parts and travel the universe looking for different places to live. While some of these parts were destroyed by heat and other perils in space, one in particular was able to make it to Earth --specifically Japan. 


The one part on earth tried to contact it's comrades but lacked the power and opportunity, instead falling into a deep slumber for 700 years. While it was sleeping, the land changed, and became a swamp near a city, but no people or animals would get anywhere near this place.


Shino then implies that it was probably because he could unconsciously feel the presence of something strange that he went and built the Souboutei in such an inconspicuous location. It's here that Rokuro hears Sakamaki Teido's name from Shino for the first time. The story of the artist discovering the stuff in his basement is reiterated from another point of view here as well --the strange life form was looking for a means of getting around in it's weakened state, and it got a bit of that through being used on his canvas. Seems like the story of the souboutei is slowly coming all together and I like that now it's not completely clear who's the villain in this. 


The expressions of terror on the right as the truth starts to dawn on Rokuro are Fujita's claim to fame. If the thing was looking for somewhere else to live, and couldn't move on it's own until Sakamaki Teido moved it via his painting, then....he was the one who inadvertently brought the horror of the Souboutei to their world. The chapter ends with the aforementioned realizing he is inside of his painting, and calmly asking just who...or what has called him into this plane of existence? It's still unknown who's on the side of "good" and "evil" with this development --or if perhaps looking at the souboutei through that lens is even a good idea, but the parts are moving together for us to get answers. Sakamaki Teido has to be at least a little complicit I think, and perhaps we'll get answers next week. 



I'd be lying if I didn't have a quandary each week in covering quadrable. It's been much better than it was when it started, but am I ready to induct it into the hall of fame with Saike, Evans, Souboutei and the others? I dunno yet. I feel like Miguel who's stuck watching over Shun when he wishes he could do more than that, which is how this chapter opens. Unable to join in because he doesn't make a convincing girl, Miguel keeps an eye on Shun the best way he can via a woodland connection being a little squirrel in this case. It's becoming increasingly clear that Faust isn't behind the girls being kidnapped and held...uh, well not against their will, but probably not exactly on the up and up either. It's probably Mephisto who's running the show, but Shun has to act on her fist instinct. 



Though when she listens to Old man Faust beg her to save the girls, her heart is swayed and despite Miguel commanding her to do the opposite, she asks him to lead her to where the girls are --trusting him over the mission. Meanwhile Mephisto finds their communicator squirrel and messily destroyed it which is reflected on Miguel's psyche, (don't worry he's fine.) Though Mephisto knows what's up, and he's stalking Shun and Faust --the former of which now has no backup and is essentially alone. Does she have what it takes? See you maybe next week!


Meteor Girl keeps sinking further in the TOC rankings and in trouble as this chapter opens up with a MG falling into Tetto and Chihiro's midst. Not one to let an opportunity like this go by, Chihiro uses her mysterious abilities to deputize this new MG to do her bidding. 


I imagine that if Ishiyama has been told to wrap up the story that this sudden decent into gratuitous violence is a way to rebel --or to flip the limiters off. Either way, Chihiro has her new henchwoman basically rip the head of a unsuspecting and probably undeserving person who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is a shame since the paneling of these pages are really cinematic in their execution --Ishiyama's been getting really artsy with the violence which is cool to behold. 


Tetto asks Chihiro about her ability to deputize MG's and she replies with a cheerful "Isn't it cool?!" Like Souboutei before it, character motivations come into question here as well as the greater morality of the plot. If Chihiro is as innocent as she comes off as when talking to Tetto here as if she's not doing anything wrong at all, then what is all of this for? Revenge? Or is Chihiro really just not aware of her actions? --Is what I'd like to say, but the next page makes it clear there is something sinister going on as Chihiro says this is a "welcome back" signal to the people -who don't remember or act as if they're innocent. I'm not actually sure what she means though --and I'm getting worried this won't be properly explained. 


I'm no shounen manga expert, but Tetto's reaction is very much the antithesis of the demographic. No long speech of bravado, or declaration that he'll stop Chihiro just Tetto freaking out, unable to comprehend what he's seeing, unable to understand what Chihiro means by "welcome back" most of all --and probably my favorite thing on this page is the realization, the plea from the bottom of his heart that someone please do something. This isn't the girl he loved as a child, it's someone --something completely different. There's something about Tetto's complete inability to do anything, and his realization of this fact that makes the situation gain more "weight". There really doesn't feel like anything the good guys can do right now when the protagonist himself is terrified. Meanwhile another terrifying MG shows up around Tetto's friends bringing a whole new level of fear to this already crazy scene. 


Before a further incident can occur, Hane stops the MG and uses her own mysterious ability to calm it down before announcing she's gotta go look for someone --three guesses as to who she means. I would have thought she and Chihiro would have been together after their last interaction, but I suppose for whatever reason they went their separate ways. Seems like a bit of a logic hole as if she seems to know that Tetto is in trouble (which admittedly is my assertion more than actual fact) then why not have kept a closer eye on him? I think it's fair to assume that a confrontation between the two girls is going to happen sooner rather than later, so the question now is how will Tetto factor into things?



This week's Youkai Giga is about the "Shibagami" --a protector god who saves and watches over travelers who get lost or hurt. Satou however makes this a more domestic affair when two youkai who act as the shibagami of a mountain have a bit of a spat over there being more travelers because the husband one keeps healing people. Not only that, but a shiba inu has followed the hubby home because it mistook "shibagami" for "shiba inu" leaving them with a dog they can't possibly take care of. Hubby wants to keep playing good Samaritan but his wife will have none of it, which is why he ends up having to leave a poor girl in mid peril. 


Wifey got what she wanted but...now another legend has begun of a dog who saved a girl who was injured by healing her injured leg. The bait and switch of this story is what makes it awesome, I think. Also I'm a sucker for stories that take the supernatural and domesticate it. Wifey wanted a quiet life without a  bunch of people coming to pray at their mountain due to the hubby healing them, but instead things have gotten worse in a way on that front. You can't win for losing can you? 



Going from Dogs to Cats with a special chapter of Nekottake! Which ordinarily runs in Shounen Sunday Super. If I had to sum up the the manga (based on this single chapter) it's basically a look at the life of house cats from their point of view --this week's chapter being about Tora who considers himself the ruler of his house --or it's what he'd like to believe if it weren't' for another cat living there that he has to put up with. It's a pretty short look into the manga, but it's quite cute and I can see why it's popular (according to the shougakukan editors, at any rate.) It's been advertised in this magazine a few times, so I wouldn't be surprised if we got more things like this to take the place of the laboratory in future weeks! 


And that brings us to the end of issue 46! Next week brings us the first of two consecutive color pages for Shinobi no's first chapter, A color page for Maoujo's fifth volume (actually looking closer it says two weeks of color pages for it too, though oddly while Shinobi no's color pages say "two weeks" the one for Maoujo says "two issues". Typo, maybe?) Yuugami stopping in for his monthly visit and with him, a color page, and last but surely not least is Major 2nd which will not only get the cover, but a color page and a huge annoucement! All of this attention leads me to believe it'll be an anime, but I've been wrong before. Major 2nd is far enough along for one, and if it airs in 2018 that'd coincide with Dagashikashi's 2nd season so I'm all for it even if I probably won't watch it. I'll be talking about it regardless, so please stop in for next week's Sunday on Tuesday! See ya!

Comments

  1. im not gonna lie part of what attract me to arai takahiro's works are his body horrors :")

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I more like his character designs, but to each their own. Quadrable has gotten a lot more interesting now that Shun is the quasi-main character though.

      Delete
  2. Wow, these are such amazing write-ups for this magazine! I learned some pretty interesting stuff about these series, and I'll try to pick up a few if there's any English translations available.

    By any chance, do you do this type of write-up for any other manga magazine, such as Weekly Shonen Champion or Weekly Shonen Magazine?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah another new commentator! First, thank you for your kind words! I really appreciate them! Though to answer your question, writing this up for Shounen Sunday takes a lot of time as is. I couldn't possibly throw in two other shounen magazines and hope to keep my sanity, lol. Not to mention --I do translate Saike and I'm even behind on that now....

      I feel like Magazine has pretty good coverage as they do their own English releases, though it would be interesting to see someone tackle Champion! I only do this because Sunday is mostly ignored by the manga community and it has really good series in it. Up until Maoujo's license recently, the last series picked up by English companies was Magi almost four years ago. That's a real shame and I'm doing this to cover the gap. I wish I could do more for other neglected manga, but I'm only one person, sadly.

      Delete
    2. Oh by no means was my reply meant to be a complaint! You are doing fabulous work on this blog, and it is completely understandable that this would take a ton of time to do.

      I didn't realize that WSM had english releases. I'll have to look more into that. To reiterate, I am really happy that you go out of your way to take the time to write up this for WSS. Please keep up the great work!! :)

      Delete
  3. Wow, Team Saike vs Team Johann in fighting over a little panda? This is going to be legend. I also love everyone's awkward reaction to a completely serious Kuroda showing the picture. Though I'd say it is too much to hope for seeing it in anime as not only we need an adaptation but it will probably need about 40 episodes to get to this part.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment