Weekly Shounen Sunday #24 (2018)

After what feels like an eternity away, we're back for the best day of the week! I'm rested and recharged, while I'm sure you guys are Sunday starved. (And man I've got the rhymes too) So let's get into this twice a week Sunday bliss.

On the cover is the very lovely Mizuki Yamashita from Nogizaka 46, along with Souboutei which is celebrating it's 100th chapter, Gopun go no sekai celebrating it's 2nd chapter, and A new series "Zero's Tea time" celebrating a new serialization. A lot to be happy for, no?

Meanwhile we'll christen this occasion of our momentous reunion with the TOC.

Detective Conan: Zero's Tea Time: Art by Takahiro Arai/Supervision by Gosho Aoyama (New series/lead color.)

Detective Conan by Gosho Aoyama (Chapter 1012)

Gopun go no Sekai by Hiroshi Fukuda (Chapter 2)

Komi-san wa Komyushou desu by Tomohito Oda (Chapter 140)

Chrono Magia by Fujiko Dousei (Chapter 3)

Maoujo de Oyasumi by Kagiji Kumanomata (Chapter 99)

Souboutei Kowasubeshi by Kazuhiro Fujita (Chapter 100/Center Color) 

Amano Megumi wa Suki darake by Nekoguchi (Chapter 121)

Major 2nd by Takuya Mitsuda (Chapter 137)

Tonikaku Cawaii by Kenjirou Hata (Chapter 13)

Kimi wa 008 by Syun Matsuena (Chapter 11)

Memesis by Takuya Yagyuu (Chapter 10)

Tenshi and Akuto by Aya Hirakawa (Chapter 163/Center Color)

switch by Atsushi Namikiri (Chapter 4)

Hatsukoi Zombie by Ryou Minenami (Chapter 124)

Daiku no Hatou by Michiteru Kusaba (Chapter 49)

Be Blues by Motoyuki Tanaka (Chapter 331)

Aozakura Bouei daigakkou no monogatari by Hikaru Nikaido (Chapter 88)

Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san by Aiko Koyama (Chapter 66)

Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu no satsujin misshitsu Story by Kyouichi Nanatsuki/Art by Teppei Sugiyama (Chapter 21)

K.O.I King of Idol by Tamaki Wakaki (Chapter 44)

Marry Grave by Hidenori Yamaji (Chapter 19)

Sokyuu no Ariadne by Norhihiro Yagi (Chapter 20)

Zettai Karen Children by Takashi Shiina (Chapter 503)

Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ by Mizuki Kuriyama (Chapter 53)

Shinobi no by Rokurou Ogaki (Chapter 39)

Youkai Giga by Satsuki Satou 

Tokaichi Hitoribocchi Nouen by Yuuji Yokoyama (Chapter 21)

Not in this issue

RYOKO

Whatta flip-flop. I imagine this is probably a temporary thing what with all the new series, the color pages and everything else going on, but it's crazy to see almost all of the established series take a dunk like this, while the new bloods reign supreme. Not to talk bad of Daiku, but seeing it so much higher than other newer series is interesting --I've heard editorial departments will often keep a series on life support even if it's not doing well as it helps out other series but Daiku is a certified mystery to me now. What can it possibly offer over other series at this point? In any case, I don't think there's much to worry about if you're a Marry/Xeno/Ariadne fan --especially the latter, since that actually sold pretty decently. Evans and Shinobi no might wanna worry a little though since  the new bloods are coming for their...blood. I also get this feeling that Zero's Tea Time and Chrono Magia won't be around too long, but that's merely my speculation at this point.

Most likely to promote her going solo for this pinup this week's Sunday gal --Mizuki Yamashita. She was born July 26th 1999 and is about 159 cm (5'2). Not much information is offered on the lady herself, but there's a new single "Synchronicity" that's out from Nogizaka 46 that they totally think you should check out. If you can read Japanese head here for more info!

So let's kick things of from step one, or should I say "Step Zero"? That's right, the hotly(?) anticipated spin off about Conan's questionable partner kicks off this issue and I have a few things to say about it! The color pages above really push the fact that this is a story completely supervised by Aoyama himself, and it's an "official" spin off. Really interesting that they're establishing that this isn't Conan, but it is. It's probably to tie in with the movie currently in theaters, I feel like --which makes sense since Amuro is a hot topic both in and out of canon, so they'd might as well capitalize on that, no? 

From an art standpoint Arai does a wonderful job of emulating Aoyama's art style --it's almost indistinguishable except for minor things. I guess if Aoyama ever wanted to retire to just writing Conan he knows who to look to.  However, I would like to point out something significant, and that's Arai's paneling and sense of composition. Now, to be fair Detective Conan isn't an action series by nature, it's a mystery one, and as such the text tells the story moreso than the artwork. Furthermore, Arai has cut his teeth on drawing action series, so it makes sense he'd approach composition much differently than his senior. That being said, there's a sense of life breathed into these panels that I don't think I've ever seen in Detective Conan proper, and it really helps to further establish that this is Conan, but not really. 

Another thing is that the chapter is awfully short for a debut --clocking in at a mere 22 pages, and believe me dear readers, I don't mean to stiff you on content,  it's just not really much happens in this chapter other than Amuro having short banter with Azusa Enomoto while working in the Cafe Poirot regarding his jobs as a waiter, Kogorou's assistant and his main occupation of being a detective. By day he's a mild mannered sorta guy who claims all three of these things will eventually lead him to his goal, but by night he's the "triple face" who works for the Black Organization, the Japanese National Police Agency, and a private detective. The chapter ends with him headed off while remarking that one person he'll never forget is Shuuichi Akai, thus bringing the first chapter of the spinoff to an end. I'm not quite sure what to make of this honestly. I get this overwhelming feeling that this is sort of an addendum..okay, more than it obviously is --to Conan and the magazine overall and that once it's been around for a little while that it'll end quietly and we'll be back to having one Conan series in the magazine. I do look forward to seeing how much of Amuro's secret life we'll get in this series, but I wonder just how much of this is going to be Amuro's daily activities and how much will be background of the series proper? 

Back to house rules with the series proper --I won't reveal how the case is solved just in case there are those reading Conan via other channels, but since this has been an Amuro heavy week, I figured I'd at least show off how he and Akai ended up in their situation depicted when the mystery began. Not surprisingly, the mystery itself had nothing to do with Akai and Amuro other than showing off a bit of Amuro's past. I know I talked about panel work and how Arai's is a bit more exciting than Aoyama, but Aoyama shouldn't be counted out glancing at the panel on the left above this paragraph. It's great that the master of Conan can still put out some interesting compositions when it's not about deductive battles, rare as that is. Amuro and Akai have a bit of foreplay before the bullets are about to fly, with the latter pointing out he had already seen through all of the moves of the former, until...

Co--er, Shinichi's mom and dad step in and break the boys roughhousing up?! The Kudos invite the duo to have tea and discuss their differences civilly, and even the side text hypes things up by proclaiming that the three --Akai, Yukiko and Yuusaku are plotting something before a dumbfounded Amuro, and that the next arc will be a long one, but....sadly Conan is back on the benches for the next three weeks. While Sunday was off, I was talking to others about the spin off and it's relationship to the main series and a lot of them were doubtful we'd get both simultaneously --and while I in turn doubted them, it certainly does look like they might be right. At least, it does really feel like Zero's spinoff might be something to tide the fans over while the main series is on hiatus. I watched an interview with Aoyama and a news program, and it sounds like his break was more his editor's idea than him actually requiring one --seems Shougakukan wants to take care of their savior of sorts, which isn't surprising but really illustrates the state of the magazine. For now at least, Conan's back out, but we've got more than enough fun down below to keep us busy while he's gone. 

The tragedy continues in the second chapter of "After the Five minutes" this week. Whether you're into the series or not, I think a hand is deserved for Shougakukan (and Fukuda)'s marketing for this series from obscuring the title until the very last moment, to being scant on details of what the series is actually about --it was all a master stroke to really throw people off their guard and ensure that this would be a big surprise. So then, now that the proverbial lid has been yanked from the series, what are we looking at inside? The answer to that is...I'm not entirely sure. It looks as if the series will be a survival/action work, but there just isn't enough to go on right now to figure things out either way. All I know for sure right now is despair is the name of the game, and it's a much different tone from Fukuda's first work "Mushibugyo" which was very much in tune with the typical shounen spirit right from the get-go.

Yamato is understandably panicked about this whole situation. Sure he has the means to jump back in time and warn everyone of the danger headed their way, but he only jumped forward five minutes which doesn't give him a lot of leeway. Michiru tries her best to calm him down so he can think of his next move, but before he can tell them of his new time-traveling abilities, the Buddhas are upon them and aren't taking prisoners. 

Michiru proves to be quite cool-headed as she's the one to tell everyone to calm down and help those who can't run, as well as direct people away from the other monsters (her words) in the area. She's got some great expressions of determination as seen above even as the odds are stacked against them. Also the exaggerated panels that are Fukuda's hallmark work to really give a sense of scale of what's going on and the weight of it all. There are some casualties, but the group manages to escape underground where Yamato is finally able to explain his newfound time-slip abilities. Surprisingly his little bro Yuuto and Michiru seemingly believe him right away, though the person himself is doubtful that this will be of any use. After all he only gets 5 minutes to do anything at all...

Thinking back to a time where the trio were in trouble due to a mishap in class where they broke into the Chemistry lab to do an experiment with alcohol (and apparently gasoline as the little text within the bubble reads)  Yamato gets his wits about him by remembering that he is the one who has to protect his brother and friend, and confesses it was all his idea despite all of them being complicit. Yet in the end, they all confess, because they're in this together. Yamato wants to protect them himself this time, and is determined to do so even if has to jump back in time and fix the future. The premise is similar to Saike in some ways, but Fukuda keeps it fresh through the characterizations --Yamato's ability is an open secret right now, and is a last ditch effort sorta thing. 

Also the brutality of the series keeps it from being Saike --I mean wow. The people being maimed and tossed aside by the monster Buddhas is something else. Attacking them does absolutely no good, and running doesn't help either. The Buddhas mercilessly kill anyone who are unlucky enough to be in their way, and it takes everyone's efforts to barely escape. 

Again Fukuda's artwork steals the show in his use of nonstandard points-of-view and over exaggeration. The Buddha that came after the group is taller than the average human, sure, but the artwork makes it look simply gargantuan. Not only that but the first page of the monster staring down at it's hapless prey has an amount of visceral impact that can only be achieved by pin-perfect execution and Fukuda's own sense of over-the-top scale. Here Yamato and the others try to make a break for it, but find themselves surrounded --and Yamato tries to desperately remember the password to use his time skip ability but is too late...

As Michiru dives in to save him. Wow Fukuda, just, wow. To kill of the heroine on the second chapter of the serialization...and not to skimp on any details is pretty brave of you. There's no ambiguity here, Michiru has been violently plucked from the mortal plane here, and all right before Yamato's eyes. Even as she fades, she implores Yamato not to die as his ability to jump through time will be what saves them. It's only five minutes, but somehow he has to find a way to prevent this disaster from happening. 

And the chapter ends with Michiru confessing she has loved Yamato since they were children. Cruel to be kind last words, really. Though in a way they're her vote of confidence in Yamato, as she says "see you later" before dying off for good. There are still more questions than answers in regard to the series right now, but that's per the course so early on. The question remains --what can Yamato do with only five minutes? Can anything be done to prevent this, and what exactly is happening? All this and more (I hope?) next week. 

Komi's back up in the house for a little bit of bowling with friends, specifically her new pal Rumiko Manbagi who upon having her friendship wants to continue the buddy ring by introducing her --Manbagi's friends to Komi. The girls are happy to meet up with the girl who befriended one of their own, and as always Oda's (not that one) storyboard like artwork and charming character designs steal the show. I already really like all three of Rumiko's friends --Mu-tan, Yukapo, and Gonzales. (If that third one didn't make it obvious, these are nicknames.) It's also great that Komi just sorta goes along with everything they do (don't worry, they're very accommodating and don't force her!) Right down to dressing up in costume to bowl! It's super adorable, honestly. 

Though that is really what Komi is all about, being that warm-and-fuzzy series about a girl getting acclimated to making friends and how all it takes is one person to reach out for great things to be born. Rumiko's friends thank Komi for being friends with her, since they were worried about being in separate classes, but with a friend like Komi they can rest easy. Tadano observing them while with his own friends is good too as it shows that they can function not only as characters but as individuals in different circles as well. Oda (not that one) keeps knocking it out of the park with Komi, and it continues to be a joy to cover. 

It's the final chapter of "obligatory coverage" for Chrono Magia, and the chapter kicks off with a marriage proposal?! Inumaru gets right to it by denying that Hana-tan (if that's her name??) should get married to someone just because they win in a card game! Sounds noble enough, until he starts to ask that she marry him --except, she has no idea of who he is. Seems if they made a childhood promise or whatever that it was severely onesided as she can't remember him. Talk about a wall and a hard place. It's incredible to see him deflate on stage too, poor guy, but women aren't objects for you to own even if your intentions are good. 

More than anything is how varied Dousei's art is. It's for comedic effect here as Hana's entourage come to remove Inumaru from their charge's sight, but man they look like they fell out of Cromartie high school or something. Or well, Inumaru has a different idea of where they came from as he remarks that they look like a trio from the end of a century --a blatant reference to "Fist of the North star/ Hokuto no Ken". I do appreciate this series's sense of humor and Dousei really has improved by leaps and bounds from her first serial so long ago. 

Like in this spread, for example. Those monsters look awesome. Hana's not interested in marrying anyone unless they can beat her, and with a crew like that, it looks like she's going to be single for a while. Everyone including Karin is surprised she's able to sustain herself and summon three monsters at once due to this absorbing a lot of Magia. Though Hana's sweet face hides a cruel side, as she intends to erase Inumaru without any mercy with her motley crew. 

Not only that, but the price for failing to keep Inumaru from approaching her in the first place is extremely costly --she intends on eliminating the end of the century trio as well! Luckily Inumaru comes in to save them and challenges her to a battle, but can a guy who barely manages to summon one monster beat a girl who can summon three in her sleep? That's a question for next issue! As for me, well, I'll be keeping an eye on Chrono Magia, but it won't get dedicated coverage. That being said, I do think it has major potential, and I love Fujiko Dousei's art, but it being related to a card gam and thus likely not long for this magazine, and me not having any knowledge or interest, lets be honest in the source material will probably damper any coverage I can give this. Unlike switch before it though, I am actually fond of it so far, but would like to give the nod to other series.  

Souboutei celebrates it's 100th chapter with color artwork from both sides of the spectrum --very pop art worthy opening pages and then a muted, quieter lead color page --with both of the artists of the series depicted. I've thought about it for a little bit, but this color page brings it back home --Souboutei is a series about "art" as much as it is the horror of a house with sentience. After all, Sakamaki's ultimate goal is for the "color" that will represent his artwork, and Takoha too is an artist albeit not nearly as noteworthy as the latter. I don't imagine such a comparison is without any merit, but I wonder how it'll all tie in as the series silently lumbers to it's not-so-far-off conclusion? 

It's been a few weeks since we've visited the inside of the house, and we're reminded immediately what's at stake --if the Souboutei is able to reach it's evil tendrils into the water supply, then it'll be free to roam about the world and conquer it as it sees fit. To that end it's using enslaved people to dig their way out. While Takoha and company can provide a brief distraction, they'll need a better exit plan to stop the house from achieving it's goals. Takoha informs Zanka and Kaerikuro of this (I didn't realize they didn't know...) and while Zanka wants to tackle the problem outright, even he can't take on a huge wave of people at once. 

Which is of course the rub. They don't have nearly enough hands on deck to solve this problem on their own which infuriates Takoha to no end as seen on the left above. They're going to need help --which is a perfect segue to the group we have been following the last few weeks --the escape effort by the other survivors of the first Souboutei raid. They're able to make their way to the Barret (pardon if I romanized it differently before, but I think this makes more sense.) corporation run by Barret's son (he's the husband of the pyromaniac doll user Mary) where they hope to seek assistance in getting back to the Souboutei. Luckily for them the Barret corporation has a Japanese branch that's on friendly terms with them. That being said they are escapees, and it would be bad if the company got tied up helping them, so what can they do? Well....there is a particular mode of transport that is actually rather fitting for them it turns out! 

And that's with a group of American tourists! Ah the melding of different text fonts here is as the fuzzy haired dude on top says "totally amazing". By the way, Yoshimasa Kanze is an actual person who does Noh performances, so it's not as if Fujita is playing fast and loose. Tsuchigumo as mentioned on the page above is a noh play as well, and the American tourist pictured here is even wearing a wig to mimic the play. It reminds me of my time in Japan and how much I'd really like to head back, man.

So the plan for the escapees is to blend into the tourists and escape that way which seems to work at first, since the cops are pressed for time with both traffic and impatient tourists goading them to get lost so they can continue their fun times. They begin to let this slide until they notice Auguste's height matches that of one of the prisoners (makes sense he is one of them) and they ask him to stand up. Meanwhile back at the Souboutei, one of the zombified folk makes a breakthrough which can only mean trouble for everyone....

008 comes back to the blog after a while away simply because this is a facet of Matsuena that I can't help but be enamored by. Although I'm not too fond of his penchant for T&A, I do love how over the top his artwork and character designs can be, and rabbit-head is a perfect illustration of both. The insert text implies that this masked individual is also a secret agent, but they seem more interested in "playing" with the students rather than testing them. Their playful mannerisms seem more deadly than endearing though, let's be real. That out of the way I really love how Matsuena employs use of stretch and squash to convey a sense of speed and motion even if this is a flat image on a digital plane. 

Look at the bottom panel on the left for example? The rabbit mask is stretched to almost goofy proportions as the agent runs towards the students to "play", giving this sense of frenetic movement --Matsuena has really taken all of those years on Kenichi and Tokiwa to heart. Though enough of my gushing, the students have a big problem here as Rabbit-head is tossing anyone they deem unworthy of playing with off the cliff and into the unknown, and even has weaponized --gloves? To keep the students from getting very far. This teacher is a "threat" with a capital "T"! 

Kamizuki jumps in to save the others while commanding them to get away, but rabbit-head makes short work of him and tosses him off the cliff. Although helped his friends escape, in the world of spies "results are everything", and the result of his actions might have saved everyone, but they certainty didn't do him any favors as he plunges to his doom while Eito can only look on helplessly. I dunno if I'll be back here next week, but it was good to see Matsuena strut his stuff in regard to his other talents --just wish he would do this more often. 

Memesis is a little longer than it's last outing this week, but only a little. I'm beginning to think that the editors up at WSS are allowing Yagyuu to draw as quickly/slowly as he feels he needs to with these uneven page-counts. I'd think maybe it was just him falling behind schedule, but the art doesn't seem to have been affected in the least as it still remains pretty incredible week to week. It'd make sense in the long run as Shougakukan wants to attract more talent to their ranks and being seen as accommodating would go a long way. I guess it also helps that Memesis is sort of a comedy manga and those always get shorter page counts --especially in Sunday where a lot of manga seem to run shorter (14-16 pages rather than 18) anyway. In regard to Memesis proper, the news that Leon has defeated another demon king officer has reached the "Hedoro Brothers" --two monsters for the price of one. They're having a leisurely conversation about how Leon's exploits have inspired new heroes to take up the sword, in particular the group lead by the hero Bail which is made up of his childhood friends, Pansy, and Ricks the warrior. They had a great future laid ahead ---until they made the unfortunate mistake of challenging the Hedoro Brothers which cost Ricks his life and leave Pansy and Bail in the lurch. 

The brothers --two monsters in one body promise to let Bail if she pledges allegiance to them --a difficult choice but she'd rather see him live than keep her pride. Bail struggles with this and demands she take that back, stating how much he wants to be like Leon, how much he vowed he'd be like him! Of course those are the last words a certain duo want to hear---

And they're heeeeeeeeeeere. Rose saves Pansy while the boys take the front lines declaring that they won't be Leon, they'll be better than him while lobbing off one of the monster's arms with ease. This is the first time a monster hunt has taken more than a few pages, so I'm thinking the Hedoro Brothers will offer a little bit more of a fight than their allies which I'm looking forward to. Also, I think that Memesis being as long as it needs to be rather than filling a page quota does well for it. That aside, it is a formula that could lose it's novelty if not utilized with some fidelity, so I hope Yagyuu knows what he's doing. 

I'm overjoyed that Tenshi and Akuto returns to it's roots in these final four chapters. It does feel like most of the time that shounen series get far from where they've started (Which don't get me wrong, is a wonderful thing! I love seeing characters grow into people different than who they were at the start!) so by the end they seem totally different. I admittedly haven't read the beginning of this particular manga, but at least as long as I've been following it, it's slowly gone from a voice acting "battle" manga of sorts into a romantic comedy/drama, and now has swung back to being about voice acting "battle", and it couldn't have been between two better opponents --the two starcrossed voice actor/couple Nari and Akuto staring in a production almost created for them --Romeo and Juliet! Like me, Akuto is almost immediately swept up into the moment thinking of how he and Nari met --and the comparisons between them and the characters they're bringing to life are just as heavy. 

There's not too much for me to comment on in regard to the contents of the story as this seems to be a straightforward rendition of the famous play, but that's fine as that isn't the focus of this chapter --it's the joy of seeing Nari and Akuto take the long way around throughout this series --discovering what's important, what's precious, and each other as the curtains slowly close around them. 

However --while they have managed to outpace the drama of their scandal, it's not quite done with them as the press has followed Nari and disguised as cleaning people begin to pester her for details on Akuto while she's on break. She manages to get away from them and make it back to the recording that's currently in session, but that begets another problem...

Nari had taken a break in order to rest herself, but due to the press pestering her, she wasn't able to, and has lost her voice at the worst possible time. There are only three chapters to go --so what will happen to the voice acting couple now? Will their biggest performance be a bust?

Oddly this wasn't included in the TOC, but I didn't let it slip past my eagle eyes! It's the final one page chapter of the Shinigami Bocchan and Kuroi Maid specials. Surprising (to just me I suppose?) there's no notice announcing the series's move to the main magazine, just one telling people to read Webry for more. Darn, guess I was wrong. Still it's a good series and I'd fully recommend reading it there if you're able! Anyway, this final chapter has the young master asking Iris why she's always wearing black, and if she could perhaps give something white a try? Except the dress that comes to mind when he thinks of her in white is well....you see it, right? And then he's too embarrassed to press the issue further. I could totally see this series being a great companion to Komi if it ever does make the leap over, honestly. Though at least for now, the young master and his maid are sticking to the Webry manor. Do give them a visit when you have a chance. 

Aozakura has really been away for a while which I'm deeply sorry for. Finding an "in" for the series in order to talk about it has been difficult since like with many other works I hadn't really paid attention to this until after I started the blog so a lot of what occurred at the beginning and characters introduced there are a bit lost on me. For this week's chapter, it's the anniversary of the school's founding so visitors of all kinds are present for our boys in uniform. Even those from overseas as seen on the right --Okita's older sister is pretty good at communicating with them though. 

Kondo's making the rounds, and Geez that's three different Kondos in three different series I have to keep track of...when he sees his childhood friend in attendance which would typically be a good thing, except she's talking to other guys and he's not sure of this feeling he has upon seeing this. Kondo m'boy I think you might have a whole lot more feelings than that coming soon.  

Xeno opens up with a cool time slip of it's own as a man is gunned down after commenting that he won't let someone have their way. His identity is unknown but his tattoo suggests that he's someone working on the other side of the law. This is all pretty straightfoward, so why call Xeno? As seen in the opening pages, the guy was burning something --specifically a black envelope --known as the "invitation" from Kai and his "murder rooms". So this time Xeno has the lead on a crime that might happen soon, but the envelope is empty, so there's no way of telling who the culprit and victim are right now. 

I like the page set up on the left as Xeno examines the body --I can almost feel his eyes glancing over each detail as he takes it in, from the location of the wound on the body indicating it was a rifle that did this guy in, to the soil on his shoes indicating he was in a flowerbed and his back with leaf foliage on it suggesting he was in a tree. Sugiyama is getting more used to packing pages with information without cluttering them or artificially filling pages with text and it's another thing that keeps Xeno distinct from it's big little brother Conan. Though while Xeno is investigating, Onikobe notices that Ayla isn't looking too hot, not that this is surprising seeing how close she is to a corpse. Yet that's not what's bothering her as Xeno flippantly tells the Officer that he has no leads and not to call him as he'll do the calling once he's figured something out. Rather, Xeno can tell immediately that Ayla was acquainted by this particular gentleman who's shuffled off the mortal coil, and he's right. Ayla tells him that the guy's name is Nogami and he was a veteran in the organization she works in. Though it's less that she's worried about the organization and more that she's not sure how to react here --does she act as the detective's assistant? Or the assassin from the underworld? 

Xeno's investigation leads him into an Emergency management cellar where the two meet up with a rather surprising person --Ayla's Dad? I still have my doubts that this guy is her actual father, but that's how she refers to him, so let's roll with it. She's none too thrilled to meet up with him in a place like this with her current employer, but the men don't waste too much time with pleasantries. Dad wants to know why Xeno is here, and Xeno says he's deducted that Nogami's death was a cover for someone to escape --him. Dad wants to know why Xeno hasn't called the police to apprehend him, and the latter responds that he has things he'd like to know, such as where did he get that black envelope? Apparently the underworld has been looking into Kai's murder rooms as well, and only a few days earlier did they receive the envelope for themselves, detailing a place to meet the sender in person. Dad and Nogami showed up for the meeting but rather than a chat they were met with gunfire. 

Xeno shows his magnanimous side (kinda) by giving Dad the means to escape --a employee uniform he can put on sneak out without notice. To be fair, Xeno was hired to look into Nogami's death, not capture Ayla's Dad. Dad doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth and gets moving, but not before asking Xeno to look after his daughter. Xeno refuses however, saying that he has no obligation fulfill the request a killer gives him. If he's to do anything for Ayla, it'll be because she's his assistant, and that's all there is to it. Great character development on his side, I'd say --he's gone from being sort of blunt and uncaring to at least showing a bit of care in his words and actions, something Ayla is thankful for. In any case, Xeno examines the clues he's gathered thus far --someone called pro assassins to meet here in this park and left only the envelope and a body  behind...could it be? Then another body drops in front of him, dead by sniper fire. It's 11 in the morning and in the Aisora coastal park, a case of indiscriminate gunfire has begun.  

Marry Grave is full of surprises as the Golem Atos's master has seemingly returned from the dead for his charge. Though this can't make any sense as Jean and Sawyer just saw that very master dead on their way in! Jean is flabbergasted, but Sawyer seems oddly composed by what he's seeing. The Golem seems completely thrown off by this too, unable to fathom whether it's a dream or not that it's seeing. The master laughs this off saying that he's not one to die so easily and that he's proud of Atos for protecting the books and doing it's duty for so long. Although we cant see the golem's face, the little details like it dropping it's sword and shivering in happiness are more than enough to show just how important this reunion was for it. 

Though to everyone's surprise the Golem begins to fall apart as soon as it acknowledges that it's master has returned. A flashback reveals the master's feelings on the Deadman Recipes and I think I can understand the reasoning for keeping them hidden --although they are miraculous books that will undoubtedly bring happiness to those who have lost something precious, they also pervert the natural order of things and invites chaos into the world, and this is what ties into Marry Grave's unique narrative --the series is just as much about life as it is death, and how while sad death is important. Yes, Sawyer is looking to bring back his dead wife, and yes he himself is undead, but one thing I'm sensing from Yamaji's stance on things is that death itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, and being able to live forever isn't necessarily a good thing. It's this dichotomy that drives the series unique take on the idea that "forever" means something eternal, unbroken, and thus shouldn't be taken lightly.

The golem falls apart after meeting it's master, and Sawyer hypothesizes that perhaps it wasn't it's mission that kept it going, but it's desire to see it's dead master one more time. Jean is rightfully confused --aren't they talking to the guy right now? Turns out the truth is simultaneously less and more complex than that. Sawyer pulled a little swicheroo by using "slime liquid" to form the master once more and give the Golem what it wanted --all without using violence. It's a very "Sawyer" solution, no? He had thought of the plan back when they saw the portrait of the master and heard the Golem's words. (I should point out here that Sawyer refers to the golem as a he, though I've been avoiding pronouns myself.) Thus spurring him to action. 

Maybe more than life or death or the ephemeral vs the eternal is Marry Grave's simple message that kindness can go a long way. The journey continues for the two who have infinitely long lifespans, but there's something to how a little kindness is rather effective in solving conflicts --especially when time is so short for everyone else around them. With that, Sawyer buries Atos along with his master and with that case closed. 

Except the chapter goes on just a bit more where we find the duplicitous rival of Sawyer and Jean who has made a discovery of his own in a certain set of ruins --in the group that Atos's master was once a part of there was apparently a little girl who looks very much like Rozalie...and let's keep in mind the Grave association had large number of Deadman Recipes....which begs the question I never thought of this entire time: Who is Rozalie? Or, to be more precise --who was she? We know her as Sawyer's wife, but before that she had a life of her own, and it seems Yamaji is in a mood to perhaps talk about that a bit. 

It's all complications and misunderstandings on Evans and honestly I wouldn't want the series to be any other way. I will admit I felt a little bit sorry for Pheebs this week. What do I mean? Well, let's glance over this dog-and-pony show. Layla the chain using bounty hunting woman gets into a tiff with Abby while pointing out that she's a well, slut. I tread lightly on this blog since I do want it to be a place where anyone can hang out --that and I really don't see that specific Japanese term used much in shounen manga. It gets me wondering as to whether there's a list of no-go words in the demographic as it feels like Gintama gets away with everything...

To be fair, in her own weird way Layla is sort of projecting since Abby tries to pass herself off as an assistant when she's very clearly Evans's lover. Which throws her for a loop --since she doesn't think she's being lovey-dovey or anything. She even asks Pheebs about this which plays into her unique dynamic in this series --she's actually not interested in Evans in that way at all, and the misunderstanding comes from that. I'm actually rather pleased with this since this is what I wanted from Abby to begin with. Sadly this hits Pheebs hard as she views this as Abby not really bragging per se, but confirming the thing she believed all ready --that Abby and Evans are an item. Still, she doesn't take this opportunity to badmouth Evans which I really respect. In fact she talk about how much she believes in him, but due to his mysterious nature it's easy to misunderstand him.

Evans' smirk says it all here --a mysterious man is the popular type, so he's perfectly fine with this even if that's not exactly what Pheebs meant, lol. She meant it more in a sense of she can't really understand him, but hey if it makes him happy then let him have it. He takes on Layla and her chain throwing moves with little to no problem, probably filled with the strength of flattery, hah. 

He soon appears in front of everyone much to Pheebs's delight, but there's a bit of an issue here --the carriage they're supposed to be chasing? Has flipped over on it's side and stopped moving as everyone picks up speed to catch up to it. Talk about a twist! Now all bets are off as it's whomever who realizes the truth first who'll be able to make the first move. Who will it be? Next week!

Shinobi no is pretty straightforward in it's 39th installment, though it's location at the bottom of the magazine is a little worrisome. In any case even pops can't take on a group by himself, as his aerial assault is quickly thwarted by a well placed kick from Hijikata --into Kondo's back knocking him aside, and it's all he can do to avoid being sliced down by all of the Shinsengumi at once. 

Okita is up next at bat, though she's unable to land a hit on Pops even with her expert swordplay. Interestingly enough Pops has switched from referring to her as a girl and to something more gender neutral/slanted to boys....hm. In any case, Okita admits Pops is pretty cool, what with being able to avoid all of her strikes in succession, with a pretty cool page layout to boot. Being at the bottom of the magazine isn't going to dissuade Ogaki from putting in his best, thank goodness. 

Pops fires his hidden flintlock at his attackers but they're more than easily able to avoid this and get the drop on him. Though he wasn't shooting to kill but to inform --and the recipient of his message has gotten it loud and clear! New Challenger --Toudou Heisuke appears on the battle field ready and rearing to go. See? Pretty straightforward this week, but still very awesome. Should be fun to see how Pops and Toudou handle the Shinsengumi next week. 

This week's chapter of Youkai Giga features the "Wanyudo" which is also known as the fire wheel known for being a damiyo who was tyrannical in his life and in death was made to be a wheel that takes souls to the underworld. In Youkai Giga,  a girl asks a Wanyudo to help her get medicine for her sick mother as she is injured and can't make the trek on foot. The thing is, the wheel can't get spinning unless it's laughing, and this Wanyudo doesnt' think her plight is a laughing matter. It blames the times, but there just isn't anything it finds funny --even the girl's face painted and her weird expressions. All seems lost until the girl accidentally taps it on the cheek and reveals that the spinning wheel is actually very ticklish. 

And as the side text says there, the girl tickles it's chin and the wheel keeps things moving. In short a win-win situation. Except maybe for the two people who are probably properly weirded out by what they just saw, heh. 

And that's it for issue #25! Next week (that's right week, no breaks for the blog!) Features Tonikaku Cawaii on the cover, Maoujo grabbing a color page for it's 100th chapter, Be Blues for it's 31st volume, and switch will receive one as well. There will also be a special chapter for a webry manga by Makoto Hoshino named Danshi no Hinkaku or "A boy's dignity" which is apparently a yuri manga but about boys?! Sounds like it'll be unique! Well until next Sunday, take care and be well!