Weekly Shounen Sunday #15 (2018)



It's a fine week for Sunday! What? You say there's a Sunday every week whether it's good or bad? That's true, but only here do we celebrate Sundays twice! Of course it's better if it's a Good Sunday rather than a bad one, but sometimes one has to take the Sundays they're given. Okay, I'll stop that, I promise.


Mikoto Hibi is on the cover this week, along with the entirety of the new trio and Marry Grave. Surprisingly Memesis is getting a color page for it's second chapter while 008 had to wait for it's third. I dunno if this is preference or something, but it's interesting to note. 


Tic, Tock, TOC.

Kimi wa 008 by Syun Matsuena (Color page/ Chapter 3)
Komi-san Komyusho desu by Tomohito Oda (Chapter 129)
Tonikaku Cawaii by Kenjirou Hata (Chapter 5)
Memesis by Takuya Yagyuu (Color page/ Chapter 2)
Dagashikashi by KOTOYAMA (Chapter 181)
Shinigami Bocchan to Kuroi Maid by Koharu Inoue (One page mini special)
Tenshi to Akuto by Aya Hirakawa (Chapter 155)
Marry Grave by Hidenori Yamaji (Color Page/ Chapter 11)
Hatsukoi Zombie by Ryou Minenami (Chapter 116)
Major 2nd by Takuya Mitsuda (Chapter 130)
Maojou de Oyasumi by Kagiji Kumanomata (Chapter 91)
Shinobi no by Rokuro Ogaki (Chapter 31)
Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ by Mizuki Kuriyama (Chapter 43)
Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou monogatari by Hikaru Nikaido (Chapter 80)
Maiko-san chi no makanai-san by Aiko Koyama (Chapter 58)
Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu Satsujin Misshitsu Story by Kyouichi Nanatsuki/ Art by Teppei Sugiyama (Chapter 13)
Be Blues! By Motoyuki Tanaka (Chapter 323)
Zettai Karen Children by Takashi Shiina (Chapter 497)
Soukyuu no Ariadne by Nobuhiro Yagi (Chapter 12)
K.O.I King of Idol by Tamaki Wakaki (Chapter 37)
Souboutei Kowasubeshi by Kazuhiro Fujita (Chapter 92)
Saike matashitemo by Tsubasa Fukuchi (Chapter 107)
Youkai Giga by Satsuki Satou
Tokaichi Hitoribocchi nouen by Yuuji Yokoyama (Chapter 13)

Not in this issue:

Detective Conan
RYOKO
Daiku No Hatou

I think I'm just going to have to come to terms with Saike's probably impending doom. In all fairness the series pretty much has gotten to it's climax for the most part, and there's not much more that needs to be done, plus Fukuchi has more or less overcome his five to six volume slump, so the sky is the limit with another series, I suppose. ---Though I shouldn't write him off so quickly, should I? It ain't over till it's over, and such. Souboutei returns to be...rather low as well, and as sad as it is to see, Ariadne might not be the super star we (The editorial department and me) thought it was. K.O.I is also "koilappsing" and Even Aozakura is lower than usual. The upside is that Evans is back in the upper half of the magazine, as is Shinobi no, so that's something to celebrate. Also Koharu Inoue's manga that I previewed some time ago is back in a one page format. I wonder if this is a cry for help or triumph? Hmm.



Mikoto Hibi is this week's Sunday gal, and her shoot is a little more risque than I'm used to from these. Granted it's not that much more by any means, but I actually had to be a little more discerning than usual. Seriously you're not missing much, I just want to walk on the side of caution since this is a fairly innocuous blog.  Miss Hibi was born in Kanagawa September 20th 1998, making her 19 as of this year. Her specialty and hobby is dance, and she's on twitter @mikoto_hibi. I'm assuming since there's no attachments to idol groups or movies that she's primarily a model, and a pretty one at that.



Oddly for the third chapter of 008, the magazine (or Matsuena?) saw fit to give us a review of the events thus far. I'm not at all against this, but it's weird since the other new series didn't recieve this kind of treatment, and it's not like a whole lot has happened thus far, so what was the need for it? I mean to sum things up, Eito goes to a school for spies after finding out his Dad was a spy and now his future romantic interest may not have a future. See? Easy. Except for the part where Ayame Kido is shot to death by their instructor.


Except she's actually okay, if you discount Eito getting a firm grip on her lady handles. Turns out the school uniform they're wearing is made of a special "Nano fiber" that can be cut, but not shot. It was teach's intention to test their reactions to seeing their classmates being shot which is why he pulled this stunt. The next up on the menu is testing their combat prowress. 


Except nowadays agents aren't expected to fight with guns. I like how the instructor pokes at that misconception that movies have created that agents fight specifically with guns and nothing else. A good agent is able to fight with whatever is around them, being a belt, or a pen, and according to him a Civilian's fundamental weapon should be something like a "katana". I was confused for a second too, but stay with me here. Remember how on the first chapter when Ayame fought she removed her tie? I assumed that had been for fanservice purposes This is Matsuena we're talking about after all. But it turns out there was a method to this madness after all --her tie actually doubles as a sword! 


And she's quite good using it as this dual page spread shows. Matsuena finds a way to sneak these into every chapter, and I'm really appreciative of it. Not to mention he finds a way to keep them from being static by having a lot going on --all without it being too visually distracting. 

I also think it's great how the teacher tells them only now that they've all got the same nano fibers in their clothes so to be careful, and the students are like "Dude tell us that before we put these on." On the left, the guy talking to Eito says that Ayame is a honors student who aced all of the tests to be accepted in and is apparently well versed in armed combat too. Hmm...by the way, her code name is "103" and she's been raised by an organization to be the ultimate agent. A backstory that's not particularly unique in this demographic, but I'm willing to let Matsuena work it out as the story unfolds. On the right, another student easily passes, while Ayame helps a girl with some advice. 



Eito on the other hand is having a bit of trouble with his own training, and can't seem to make any progress, even hours later after everyone has left. Ayame notices him and that one of his buttons is loose, and helps him fix it. Ah gotta love Matsuena for employing unique angles all for fanservice. It's really not my thing, but there's a sort of charm in how he knows exactly what he wants and doggedly goes after it --though hey, he does have the skill to pull it off too, can't deny that. 

Ayame does have a cute side after all, as she gets flustered when Eito complements her on her patchwork and she admits she's never been praised for anything other than fighting. Eito thinks this is all cute and such until he asks when they get to go home. Sadly things don't work that way as this is a dormitory, meaning you don't go home, shocking Eito as the third chapter comes to a close. It's verdict time for 008 now that I've completed obligatory coverage, and I'm of two minds here --a part of me wants to keep it around as it's been modestly entertaining so far, but the other part of me also figures it'll get scanslated before long due to Matsuena's relative popularity which would defeat the purpose of me continuing it. I think I might just give myself a fourth week to make a decision as I do want to give the series a fair shake at dedicated coverage. 




Memesis opens up with one heck of a spread out of the gate, even though the color page isn't anything special. Granted, I think that Yagyuu's artwork has a certain "tone" to it that works way better in black and white than it does in color, so perhaps it's just that speaking to me. In any case the second chapter of the serial opens up with Ash and Kijira approaching a castle and recounting what has lead them here thus far --in a much more "interactive" way than 008. Though just in case you forgot in the last week, these two knights are out for revenge against the warrior "Leon" who cast them aside, and the best way to do that is find the demon king before he does and slay him first. Though a little bit of errata --but not by much, I did mention that the title of the series "Memesis" comes from "Memeshii" or "feminine", and I took that to mean that this related to Ash and Kijira looking for a lady knight to rival the ones Leon left them for, but on further consideration, I think it's probably more akin to a feminine sort of "pettiness" --or their reasons for becoming knights in the first place. This hasn't been directly confirmed by anyone so it's just my conjecture, but after reading this week's chapter it feels more right than my original guess --though the first isn't exactly wrong either. 


The castle itself has been overrun with monsters who eat humans for fun, even when they're sick and weak as the person there notes on the left. At first the monsters seem dismayed by this information and draw back, but then they say that sick humans actually taste awesome, and prepare to dive in when they're all mercilessly killed. Gotta say this kind of ultraviolence isn't the type I expeceted to see in a magazine like Sunday --though it is about right for shounen, I suppose. Just, up until a few months ago, this was the "heroine" magazine, y'know? That being said, I am glad to have guys like Yagyuu coming in to bend that expectation over. 


Ash and Kijira aren't really as well known here as they were with Linda surprisingly enough. The guys take this in stride and ask everyone to leave as they will take down the lord of the castle. It's kind of leaning into the shounen tropes for the two to be doubted every time they make a claim like this, but a kind of diversion that they're actually able to back up their claims this early in the story. Also, I really like the monster designs --they have a wide range from being cartoony and kind of funny looking to being downright terrifying as seen above. Also, despite how much these two hate Leon for abandoning them, I find it interesting they actually took his advice to heart as above Kijira knows strengthening magic and uses it on Ash before he goes into battle. I do wonder if the ending will be something like "Our true strength actually did come from Leon after all"? 


Not much for me to say here other than hot cats is Yagyuu's panel work and sense of scale amazing. I had to hold myself back from posting the entire chapter since a lot of it is dual page spreads of varying but still rather high amounts of intensity, but Yagyuu really is a monster himself to pull this off weekly. I actually read his author's note on Shounen Sunday's website last week and would you believe that this guy is actually scared out of his mind as this is his first serial? Talk about surprising, huh? 



The two reach into the farthest depths of the keep and encounter the boss monster Goma, who they've actually had a run-in with before back when they were still Leon's followers. Leon was able to cut the monster in half and he's got the scars and the fury from back then to illustrate how not pleased he is to see them again. This time he promises not to hold back, and Yagyuu doesn't either as the battle literally heats up due to Goma's powers. Kijira and Ash are no match for Goma at first, but then he makes a critical mistake...


Apparently Goma's underlings were able to record some footage of Leon talking to one of his girls about his firing of Ash and Kijira --at first he does seem somewhat contrite about doing it, but in the end, that's a farce and he essentially let them go because he felt like it. Goma probably did this in an effort to weaken their resolve and lead them to their eventual end, but he clearly didn't get the memo about how Kijira and Ash feel in regard to their former friend and leader. 


Something else burns hotter than Goma's flames, so hot that even he's confused as to what's going on. What you may ask could possibly burn hotter than Goma's hellfire? The fire that is the two knight's holy fury. They're so pissed at Leon that Goma's fire is like a candle in the breeze to them --how could he just fire them because he "felt like it"? How dare he?! Goma buddy, you were caught doin' too much and now you're about to pay for it. Ash and Kijira look way more terrifying than any of the monsters they've killed so far in these two pages, and that's pretty awesome in it's own right. 


I think though, Memesis's strongest attribute (besides the incredible art) is that it just revels in the audacity of it's narrative. I almost think it's a a liability to understand what's going on in these pages because it's actually loses a smidgen. Like, without knowing any Japanese this page just looks incredible as Goma meets his untimely end. Though to me, and Japanese readers, the text here says "Cause I felt like it' is the worst possible thing you could say...!" Not exactly befitting the flaming image here, right? Of course I exaggerate, but Memesis revels in just how what is illustrated doesn't match up with what is being said. 


The top panel is my favorite of the chapter for sure, though this final page does give us a bit of worldbuidling --it's implied that Leon isn't doing much of the hero stuff anymore as people clamor for his return --a thing Ash and Kijira take advantage of as their journey in pettiness continues. Chapter two was a much more serious entry in the series than the first, but it still leans into what makes Memesis an engaging read. My hope is that the third time can continue the charm next week. 


Sunday's really pushing Koharu Inoue's admittedly adorable series about Young Death and the Maid he's in love with, even giving it a one page mini manga to sort of advertise it's run on Webry. At this point it feels like they should just bring it over to the main magazine if they like it this much, hah. Anyway in this one Alice invades the young master's space and when he says that he's pretty sure this isn't how people behave, Iris tells him the lie that people in the city greet each other like this which he immediately calls out as a lie. If you like what you're reading here, then by all means check out the manga every Tuesday on Sunday Webry! Sadly it's in Japanese, but for the interested, just mosey on (but don't get too close) here. 



It's revelations abound in Tenshi and Akuto this week as their relationship is now public information, and as seen on top, even their co-workers were in the dark about it. On the page directly above this paragraph on the left, Akuto flat out confirms that he and Nari are dating. On top of that he states his intention to stop hiding it as he doesn't feel that they're doing anything wrong....though on the very next page he shows up disguised to meet her, hah. That's Akuto for you, a man of many talents and words. 


Now this is interesting. Nari is not only aiming to be a voice actress, but an Idol, and in Japan, idols --as fun and pretty as they are are heavily regulated --and one of the biggest no-nos in the business is having private relationships (the text here even indicates it's a part of her contract). so this whole thing has erupted into a huge scandal as they're supposed to be selling "purity".  I hadn't expected Hirakawa to tackle this part of the industry at all, but here we are and it's far more interesting than the romantic exploits we had been getting.  Akuto tries to defend Nari the best he can, saying that he's the one who initiated the relationship, and he's only a newbie voice actor --he even implies that this is more the problem than anything, or maybe it's their difference in ages? Though no, none of these are the problem at all. Rather, it's that Akuto is the son of a politician. Talk about a revelation! I hadn't been reading the series since the beginning so I wouldn't have known anyway, but judging from everyone's reactions this was news to the entire group. 


With the net on fire with rumors, and the company really feeling the heat, they decide that there's no choice in the matter but to relieve Nari of her post --as of now she is no longer an idol. As a sign of real character development, Akuto actually feels terrible for what has happened, and when he talks to his manager later, he confirms he will complete the "remainder" of the jobs he has left --yup, he's not taking any new ones and declares that this will be his "last" job. Akuto choosing love over work? Say it ain't so! Next week will have a color page, and apparently the series is approaching it's "climax" as well --could it be that the curtain could be closing on Tenshi and Akuto after all? We'll have to see what the next issue brings! 


Marry Grave grows so fast *sniffle* all ready with a new ally and rival(?) and at eleven chapters is best boy Sawyer and his fairy friend Jean. Though with two Deadman Recipe books, the story is headed in places never thought possible (at least for me anyway.) However with a chapter like "Three mistakes" it seems likely this chapter won't be full of celebrations and sunshine. Let's pop open that grave and have a look. 


The new guy's name is Rock, and he seems like a pleasant enough individual at first glance, aside from the large sword and scar on his face --okay yeah he's kind of suspicious, and Sawyer acts exactly like you'd imagine a guy like like him would around someone else who claims they're going to complete the Deadman Recipe.  With complete trust, all from a few words and a smile. I mentioned it last time, but Yamaji never mentioned in his narrative that there was only one of these books so this is all plausible enough. Rock asks Sawyer if he's been at this for a while, and Sawyer (hilariously) acts as if he's a big shot and hasn't mainly been wandering around for 40 years and says he's got more than 50 of the ingredients --shame that Rock has 76. This is another detail that I hadn't considered --just how much is there to the recipe in in the first place? Rozalie's journey took her well into her elderly years, but I didn't make the connection until now....


Rock says he's doing it for his sister who was killed by demons a long time ago seemingly being overcome by emotion --except when Sawyer goes to comfort him, Rock attacks commenting that people who are too nice like Sawyer get killed all too quickly. Rock seemingly finishes Sawyer off and goes to plunder his ingredients as Jean watches helpless, but Sawyer is immediately back up and at them since he is immortal after all. Rock is slightly surprised by this (interesting reaction to seeing a guy come back to life before his eyes), and then challenges Sawyer for his ingredients --this time saying his dead parents need it. Either this guy can't keep his stories straight, or he's been lying the whole time. My money is on the latter. 


Remember those Harpies from last week? Well, you don't need to cause as they attack the trio, Rock slices them dead and we get to see his sword properly --it's got teeth. He declares as the chapter ends that Sawyer doesn't stand a chance against him. The "three mistakes" mentioned in the chapter title are 1) Trusting him just because of his sob story, 2) giving away that his items are in the coffin by desperately defending it, and 3) allowing him to see that his magic power isn't even half his own. I'm sure there's more to Rock than meets the eye, but he's made one heck of a first impression. 



I've missed the Princess's exploits but with the new series bogging me down, I've had to leave her out. I'm glad to see her back in the blog again though, but geez, she went and got sick! That's right, this week the sleepy princess is in the place she wants to be most, but with a bad fever. The other monsters have business to attend to, leaving his highness the demon king to look after her himself in a weird twist of fate. The princess is delirious with sickness and thinks the demon King is her pillow despite his best efforts to convince her otherwise. In the end he allows her to use his cape as a blanket, though this ends badly as well, hah. Though in a rare moment (for  this series) of candor, the princess begins to dream of her home and the demon king actually feels a little sorry for her as she seems incredibly homesick. He leaves her his cape and walks out of the room until it's revealed she's actually talking about hunting animals on his land, and he quickly takes back everything, hah. All in all, Maoujo keeps doing what it does best, and excelling at it. 


Last time we left Pops, he had just discovered that the Moonlight Beauty is still quite pretty but not at all the lady of the evening he thought she was. In fact, she is very much a he! And it's here a name familiar to me as the translator of Gintama comes up --this gentleman is Kawakami Gensai one of the four most notable assassins of the late edo period. For more info, check out his wiki article here. OF course in Gintama he goes by "Bansai" rather than "Gensai" but I'd recognize his role in both stories almost immediately. Kaede recounts a time where she was with an expedition through Kumamoto with an envoy when they encountered Kawakami who despite his size slaughtered everyone in cold blood without breaking a sweat. Of course he wasn't dressed up as a girl back then, so what's his deal now? Kawakami says he hated his feminine looks and how everyone would ridicule him as a reminder. One day he killed someone for talking smack about him and something within himself changed --he embraced that side of himself and figured if people were going to give him grief about it why not dress as a woman and kill --to embarrass those warriors that embarrassed him for his outer appearance? Comically Kaede and Heisuke don't get it at all and the former calls him a pervert, heh, though I guess I do sorta get where Kawakami is coming from --it's certainly a unique point of view, but it is important for a character's actions to make sense in the scheme of things even if we don't agree with them, and on that level Kawakami jives. 


Though in the end it all boils down to Kawakami looking to have a good time, and he's willing to risk his life to do it --charging straight at Ei even after his cover has been blown, and even managing to injure pops slightly. Despite this, Pops stops him cold in his tracks (and looks dang cool doing it) 


Pops tells him to knock off the games, and brags that he's already figured out how his moonlight slayings worked after seeing it just once. He figures that his sword must be made with mercury and bits of bird plumage, which when mixed together reacts in the darkness, thus blinding enemies who are exposed to it's underside as the shine of the moonlight reflects right off the blade. Heisuke quickly works out that Pops let himself be hit to figure out this information, and pops snaps the sword to keep Kawakami from using it on him. He then asks Kawakami what he fights for? If he's like Ei who fights to become a better person than she was then he can only get more powerful, but if he really is someone who fights to escape into their own sense of ecstasy, then he's nothing. 


Kawakami still has a means of fighting even if his swords in pieces, and even if Pops knows how the sword works, it doesn't do him a whole lot of good since he had to get injured to work it out. Things are looking bad, but Ei declares that the painting is meaningless to her --and that Kawakami shouldn't belittle the blood of the Hokusai family --accepting her father while setting the painting on fire --she can do better than him while embracing his work. 


Realizing his job is for naught now, Kawakami tries to escape, but Heisuke has him blocked in as Pops uses a shuriken to break a hole in a window, and the ninja art "Itachi bi" (or Weasel flame) to force the fire out of the window behind them and apparently burn Kawakami to cinders. I don't think this is the end of him by far, but we've got a week to wait to find out his fate, and honestly it would be a shame if Kawakami's story were to end here. 



The roles have reversed slightly in Evans this arc as it's Pheebs who is under the mistaken impression that Evans has an Ex, which is a bit more believable than when Evans was under this impression. Though it's a layered kind of misunderstanding because not only does Pheebs think that Evans is having ex girlfriend issues, but Evans is under the impression his life is in danger and the woman here is an assassin sent to kill him. Of course neither of these fools consider the possibility that she really is here just to give Evans cake as a way of thanking him for solving a past incident, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun that way would it? Evans assumes her cake is poisoned, and Pheebs wanting to find out just what she is to him is willing to try it until Evans drags her away. I actually feel sorry for the poor lady as she tries her cake wondering if it's really that nasty, and it's then it dawns on Evans that perhaps it isn't actually poisoned. 


Evans manages to explain his current "killer" situation to Pheebs, but it's all for naught as "Someone who is clearly an assassin" appears in his doorway (His words not mine, though it's hilarious either way.) And with a well placed gunshot he's able to bring this stalemate to an end. 


It's after he throws the baddie in the slammer that he --the bad guy reveals he was the one he brought down at the Macgregor stable, and Evans remembers everything --that the lady in his house is the wife of the owner and an innocent party. Gotta love that Evans tries to play off everything that happened as a big joke, hah. In the ensuing conversation he asks how her husband is doing, and Pheebs also gets her confirmation as well and her expression on the final page is one of relief that Evans doesn't have an ex. All's well that ends well, and I'm glad this didn't drag on for too long as it would have gotten old fast. Otherwise it was a pretty funny short arc, and one that makes me realize that Evans shorter page count actually works in favor of these stories as they never overstay their welcome due to them being just the right length. 



It feels like a long time since we've seen Onikobe in action --though that's what happens when you're the foil to a detective in a story like this, isn't it? You either become their assistant or irrelevant. In fairness as much as things are moving quickly in Xeno's story, we're still essentially in the opening act, so perhaps he'll be able to shake off those early installment doldrums after a while. Still, no offense to the good cop, but I'm much more interested in learning about Ayla's past that seems to have more or less been put on the back burner now that she's become Xeno's partner in justice. Even in this chapter she's off doing grocery shopping with the detective when she notices Onikobe on his own. Though something I noticed and I kind of like in the scheme of mini character development is how Ayla feels no fear in calling Onikobe out and sitting with him as if they're friends when at the start of the series she was wary of him due to her occupation. This is probably closer to the "real" Ayla and it's fun seeing her be herself.  Anyway she and Onikobe get to talking and he voices his frustrations with Xeno since he awakened a year ago and ended up in his life --frustrations that he as a cop can't do anything without Xeno's assistance. Even as Xeno offers to help him with whatever he's doing, Onikobe tells him to back out as this is his job --a cop's job. 


Turns out he's here to stop a deal and apprehend a man named Ohmaki who is accepting funds for a job well done --evilly. Though that's not all, Ohmaki has his guns blazing as he spots a child and mother, and despite the danger Onikobe heads in saving the child but taking a few shots to the back himself. Luckily he has a bullet proof vest so he comes out unharmed, and Ohmaki is captured. Though is that really all...?


A little detail here is that the kid in harms way was pushed there by a nearby woman, who is the real mastermind behind this kidnapping. She and Onikobe have met before but she's changed up her face. Still the officer knows his perp when he sees her, and despite her pulling a gun on him, he just smacks it away --guy's got balls of steel. Xeno says there's more product in the cart where he got his lunch from, as even though they told him they were out of mustard, the bottle itself looks full, meaning that there's more to be found there if he needs evidence. 


Onikobe reminds Xeno of the murder doors, that there's someone out there who is informing others how to kill without being caught. This is probably to keep us aware of just what the plot of the series is since we've had two weeks away from it, but I enjoyed these two breather chapters if I'm to be honest. Granted, it's probably better the series get back on it's "A" game, but these detours have fleshed out the characters in ways I think were necessary in keeping us invested. 


Been a bit for Ariadne, but it's back in the blog again! I have been kind of concerned for the series since it had gone on a weird tangent for the last few weeks and slowed down dramatically --which isn't a problem in and of itself, but Yagi made the decision to essentially build Rashil up as a God like figure this early in the series against the knights hoping to serve under Leana, hence making the battle against them kind of moot. Normally at this point of the series the main character learns his or her limitations, then learns from them going forward....which would have served bringing the story to a sudden halt some purpose, but for the life of me I can't understand the point of that whole detour if it was to demonstrate how overpowered Rashil is when we figured that out from the opening chapters. Eh, I'll keep from dwelling on the past and hope it was just a small blip on an otherwise impressive radar --though judging from this position in the magazine, the fans didn't think too much of Yagi's storytelling for the last few weeks either, though we can't really be too sure. At the very least this opening spread looks incredibly impressive and is reminiscent of what hooked me into this series to begin with. 

So as a mini review, the knights protecting the princess came to reclaim her in the name of the kingdom, but Leana has chosen to travel with Rashil as she knows once her marriage goes through, she'll have no chances to explore the outside world. It's an interesting take on this story as the princess hasn't run away from oppression --or well, she has sort of, but is fully aware she must go back and doesn't seem to have a problem with that. In fact here she talks excitably with Rashil about how strong her knights are, and last week was really contrite in choosing her selfish journey over doing what she knows she should, making her far more mature than one would expect for someone her age. It's this dichotomy in terms that is interesting to me and etches Ariadne as a far more interesting story than it's parts would indicate. We also get a little bit of background on Ariadne itself --it is split between two factions, one lead by Leana's Dad, and the other by the army and right now struggles over energy sources have led to wars.  As one might have figured, Leana's marriage is a political one seeking to unite countries together in a bid for peace, as her father doesn't want to see any further conflict.  


The two are about to ship off, but Rashil senses something in the mountains adjacent to their location. Rashil says he's always looking up at the skies and so his eyes have become well adjusted to seeing great distances --as much as Leana doesn't believe this, she's proven wrong when he can see the "Rusa clan" in the distance, something that excites the boy as he's been told a lot about them by his grandfather, and they're apparently one of the top two illusory clans --and nothing else is known of them other than their bodies give off light. 


Just as quickly as they see the clan however, they disappear and Rashil is excited that he was able to see such a thing --a hint that such a clan even existed. I don't blame him though! The adventure aspect of this series is definitely it's strongest attribute and why I was a bit let down that Yagi had moved away from it to embrace it being more of a action manga, not that his artwork isn't suited for it, mind you, but there's plenty of time for this after introducing the winding world that we've heard so much about from the characters and the narrative. The duo don't get another chance to see this clan as they find their path blocked by a rock slide, and another threatens to bury them alive so they make a dash to the entrance as fast as they can, but end up being blocked anyway --worst yet that this is the only path through the valley they must transverse. 


Rashil heads up to find out what caused this to happen, and gets an eyeful of rock eating worms! Weird creatures, wide landscapes, and political intrigue...feels like Ariadne is back in the saddle at last! With first volumes for it, Xeno and Marry Grave coming out April 18th, perhaps that'll be the boost it needs to save it from sagging TOC ratings, but I do think that having Yagi as the author will give it a bit more clout, but I do want to see him earn it, and if he can pump out chapters like these again then he very well may be able to. 


It's weird to think there was a week without Souboutei, but that's what happened last week. I think what's even weirder is that I almost didn't miss it? That might sound terrible, but I think it really just speaks to how strong the Sunday line up is currently. That being said, now that Souboutei is back --albeit at a dangerously low place, I realize that I don't want to be out of the house again. Whene we left everyone last, the killer domicile had decided Seiichi was in it's way and started ripping his mind apart to eventually bring him down. Meanwhile Takoha who was on the verge of death managed to make a full recovery and wander his way back into the fray. I like how when everyone asked what happened, he just sorta says "Oh I guess I was a ghost for a while, heheh." Never change Takoha, never, ever change. 


The big guy is always on the move though, as he's ready to head into the painting to save Seiichi right after coming back to life, despite the protests of everyone present. I like the brief reunion before this, Takoha hasn't seen the siblings together in a while and he chides them both for doing dangerous things right before he does the most dangerous thing, the big hypocrite hah. Still when Rokuro asks to go with him declaring that Seiichi is his friend, Takoha refuses at first but then realizing how earnest the boy is can't turn him down and asks for his help. 


When they head into the painting and leave the girls --Kurenai and Kaerikuro behind, they find Zanka fighting helplessly to free Seiichi from the house's grips. Zanka is incredulous that Takoha can do much of anything since it's clear just looking at him that he hasn't had any sort of training. On the right page is Takoha loudly admitting he can't do much of anything and I adore his expression of indignance as he does so, hah, but more importantly he reveals he has Seiichi's friend Rokuro with him, and thus cannot back down. 


It's a terrifying sight inside of Seiichi's body as what's left of his mother torments him into thinking that the only way to atone for his sins is to die. He's so convinced that when Takoha gets close he immediately attacks him and says that he shouldn't get in his way --that if he were to die, it would be better. His desperate expression is one I've not seen the entire series and it's heart rending to see Seiichi like this when he's always been sort of a foil to Takoha in some ways while being exactly like him in his straightforwardness. Next week will bring a color page for the series which is always exciting, as well as something "important" if the preview is any indication. I can't say I have much faith in believing it's that but anything is possible as Souboutei strides towards it's second year of serialization. 


An extended 22 pages for a chapter is usually something to celebrate, but like Silva and Johann in this week's issue of Saike, all I can feel is a sense of gloom as two weeks at the bottom, and this narrative briskly moving on to it's final parts means that the heroic time traveler is probably looking toward his final trip. I love Fukuchi, and I like Saike so seeing them possibly leave me behind hurts, but in fairness Fukuchi probably has done what he could do with the story up until this point and unless they --the editors can find takers for an anime, Saike has reached the pinnacle of it's popularity. In any case, there will be time to mourn later for both Johann and I. The chapter opens up with Silva explaining that Sumire suffers from a lung sickness and knowing she didn't have much time left transferred to the college he and Johann attended. She desperately wanted to find the root of the oracles, and had worked with the duo until her life was nearly at it's end and she only has three days to live. She voices her frustrations at dying without knowing anything, and Johann promises to come back with something for her before she passes on. Calling them --Johann her heroes they go looking for the roots of the oracles, forgetting about food, sleep and drink the two frantically search for the truth of their abilities. 


Their hard work bears fruit when they finally come upon the box that seemingly hides their origin within it. The two are overjoyed and immediately want to rush toward the hospital to show Sumire their findings, but what they hadn't realized before now is that a classmate of theirs had been watching their actions due to suspicions of their true natures and intentions --it's clear now that they are different from normal powerless people, and now they have photographic evidence of Silva using his ability proving that they are freaks. 


It might sound like I say this with derision, though I don't mean it that way at all! However, in all fairness I think it is easy to tell how things go from there. Surrounding Johann and Silva, the others refuse to let them go anywhere unless they leave the box behind. Johann doesn't want to harm anyone but has no choice but to use his abilities in an effort to get by --as much as he begs for them to move so he won't have to. Unfortunately as Saike's ordeal with Hirayasu back in volume nine detailed, seeing truly is believing --in the worse sense of that phrase. If the other students were suspicious of them before, then seeing the strange powers in play only solidifies their fears and anxieties of the monsters that live among them. In a way Saike could be an allegory to populations who find themselves in the minority due to them being different than what's accepted as "normal", but I'm sure Fukuchi wasn't thinking that deeply (though don't quote me on that.) 


It's both a painful and ironic echo that Johann protests this and says that he is the same human as the group attacking them since this is something Saike said as well. Sure we could look at it on a surface level, that the two are antagonistic because they're so similar, but on the other hand I like the idea of it explaining why while Johann is the antagonist to Saike, he's never been outright hostile to him. Perhaps the simple truth of the matter is, Johann's never really wanted to hurt Saike because he sees himself in him. Admittedly keeping us in the dark this long in regard to Johann cheapens this revelation just a bit, but not so much that it totally loses it's effectiveness. Especially since Johann's story is that much more tragic than Saike's, as even after he struggles to make his way through the crowd, there's no happy ending waiting for him as Sumire passes away before he can reveal what it is she so desperately sought. 



It's really no wonder Johann has such a warped outlook on humanity after this event. Fukuchi illustrates it on this page without his usual boisterous sound effects, lending a kind of silent, resolved...hm, Not sure I'd call it fury since what Johann expresses on the pages here as he walks out of the hospital with Sumire in his arms isn't anger, but understanding. Sumire had said they'd look for a new dream together, and Johann has found his in the doldrums of human reasoning and fear. The close up of his eyes that we haven't seen this entire flashback --their odd design less enticing and more unnerving, and the insistence of not showing his expression, but rather his hand is evidence that now Johann is the same person, sure, but different. 


Invoking this almost religious imagery here is probably intentional on Fukuchi's part as Johann has had an epiphany. He must make a world for his kind --those who are ostracized due to their abilities, and thus the transformation into the Johann we know who has a Messiah complex is complete, and the sun shining behind this new man who thinks of himself as a herald of a new world is fitting as he declares they will gather allies, and the narrative text from Silva saying "From that day on, Johann had changed". With the path towards the conclusion of this arc set, the important question is how will Saike react? 



This week's Youkai featured in Youkai Giga is the Yamachichi, a being which lives in the mountains and sucks out human life force as they sleep. The kanji that make up it's name sort of refer to this as they are "mountain region" and "sucking".  People who have their life force stolen by the youkai usually die the next day, but if they catch it in the act, then their life force is actually extended exponentially instead. In the Youkai Giga chapter, a woman finds herself being pitched a longer life line by a little youkai who only wants to give "a little" of her life force to a Yamachichi. Unfortunately she's not really interested, so the little youkai explains that this particular Yamachichi would always pull back before sucking it's victims clean so they all lived long lives at the expense of it's own health and so it's withering away. The girl seems to be feeling a bit more receptive to the idea until she asks why her in particular, and the little youkai reveals it's because she's pretty and if it's withering away it'd might as well do with a hottie --ah the little guy said too much, and the lady is completely turned off. Welp, they say it's about the art of the deal, and you guys failed. 


That is all for issue #15! Next time Souboutei (or maybe just Fujita?) has a pretty huge announcement in store, which means Souboutei is taking the cover and getting color pages! Meanwhile Cawaii is joining in on the color page fun with it's own as is Tenshi and Akuto. While this is being reported as big news for Souboutei, the announcement seems to imply it's more about Fujita....perhaps it might be one of the same celebrations they did for Takahashi and Aoyama earlier this year? I'd be more comfortable thinking it's that than an anime announcement for Souboutei --especially since it's not yet complete and there are other fujita works to choose from, but the world of anime production is mysterious as much as it is fascinating so we'll just have to see. I'll be bringing the goods next week, and I hope you'll stop on in! 

Comments

  1. I love Marry Grave so much, it's so cool. I had a fangirl moment when I saw Rock's sword, it's so cool! I really hope this manga does well when the volume goes on sale!


    Regarding Ariadne, I don't think the fight against the knights was pointless, I think it was a good showcase of how strong our mc actually is and it also showed that the knights weren't even as strong as they were made out to be, but we do know that there are much more powerful adversaries out there. I really like the variety in the settings for the manga, it's all about adventure, exploring and I love that. Yagi's experience as an author will give him confidence in this weekly ride.


    Speaking of confidence, I hope the mangaka for Memesis stays strong and that he has a lot of confidence in himself, because he should, his work is outstanding. The art is incredible and I believe that he will be able to keep up. I don't think this will stay untranslated for very long.I also love his monster designs and his panel work and sense of scale really make this manga incredible, it really stands out. The large scale of everything that's going on really makes the entire experience so much more memorable, it gives things this grand feel, because things are taking place on a grand scale. I'm looking forward to more.

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    1. I forgot to say that I hope Souboutei Kowasubeshi's announcement is an anime.

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    2. Maybe "Pointless" was too strong a word. I just think it wasn't the right move this early in the series. It makes Rashil seem unrealistically overpowered to defeat knights who have been training for some time now. Had this been much later into the story I'd believe it since he'd have been through things and gained experience but the duo just left home. It also slowed down the story quite a bit for a kind of anticlimactic ending. Still, now that the story has returned to adventuring, I have hope it'll go back to being to what it was before.

      Yagyuu was quite the grab by Shougakukan! I'm still not sure on Memesis's overall plot, but the artwork is incredible and the paneling great for a rookie. Here's hoping Yagyuu has a bring future ahead.

      As I said on the article, it seems more like this is going to be an announcement about Fujita moreso than one for Souboutei. Either way I'm hoping for something awesome.

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  2. Thanks for another great review.

    It's only my guess, butI think the review in 008 might be due to this chapter having one colour page and 25 b/w pages. They might need that extra b/w page to get an even page number, since they cannot print b/w and colour on the same page. The colour page probably has advertisements printed on its back and was thus left out. I wished they didn't remove those pages from the digital version even if it's only ads.
    Back to the actual chapter. I liked the "Just don't get shot in the face" answer. Thanks, Mr. nameless teacher. I will keep that in mind.
    It would be nice if this one gets picked up. If it happens I hope it's done by a good group and not by a certain infamous group that slaps their watermarks on everything.


    Ash and Kijira are extremely relatable. I hope they succeed one day. The three-eyed monsters were oddly cute. May this manga stick around and bless us with more great art.

    The new villain in Marry Grave is great. I really want to punch him. Hope Yamaji won't give him a sobfest backstory like the ones he made up, but I doubt he will.

    Good to see that Shinobi no is doing well in the TOC. I guess publishing older chapters on Webry worked well. The contrast between the rather masculine Ei and the feminine Kawakami was interesting. The sword isn't made with mercury and feathers, but had a powder made from those substances applied to it. You are right, he most likely survived the fire and will come back. I wonder what the fire and that mercury powder he smeared on his body will have done to him when he appears again.

    That little youkai might have to look for a new job sooner rather that later.

    Three pages Jinmei ads again. I hope that they are replaced with Granblue Fantasy ads now that Cygames has announced a collab with Detective Conan for early April. (http://granbluefantasy.jp/pages/?p=16677 You have to scroll down a bit to get to the collab announcement) GBF style Conan is a lot more pleasing to the eye than whatever that Jinmen thing is.

    I think it might not haven been mentioned here yet. Websunday updated their download section with wallpapers for Tonikaku Cawaii and Kimi wa 008.

    I'm sorry for not commenting on last week's article.
    I only wanted to add I short not about that new character in Birdmen. From what I can tell their last name is Larsson. The first name could be either Alva (female) or Alvar (male), unfortunately both are often written the same in Japanese. Going by their name this character is probably from Sweden.

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    1. Thanks for your continued comments here! I've come to really enjoy your commentary~

      Yeah, 008 is hard for me to peg right now which is why I'm giving it four weeks rather than three. For all the problems Kenichi had, it was still immensely entertaining so I'd like to keep up with this one for a bit. I think even if I ultimately don't give it dedicated coverage for the blog, I'll be keeping up with it behind the scenes.

      I don't really *relate* to Ash and Kijira, but I find them hilarious so that's good enough. Hoping Yagyuu sticks around with more Memesis in the future.

      Rock is certainly a force to be reckoned with, and I agree that I hope he isn't given a sympathetic backstory --at least not yet. My feeling is he will be given one, but I'd like it to be saved till later.

      I typically don't talk too much about the site, but perhaps I should. I saw the Conan collaboration online and it looks cool! I don't play cellphone games, but I'd totally like more art for it.

      And thanks for the clarification on the names! For sure that'll be helpful for the next chapter of Birdmen! You're a great help. ^^

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  3. Memesis is still incredible i love it, also pops being there makes shounen sunday even more shounen and i love it, and obviously: the almost religious panel of johann carrying sumire? i love it

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    1. You love everything don'tcha, lol. Yeah, I think Memesis is a necessary thing for the mangazine right now. I mean the heroine image is unique, but a shounen mag needs ridiculous, over the top action series too!

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  4. Those eye close ups are great, I also think even though Johann's been drawn with irises during this flashback, that was actually the first time he had the strange designs and it's a nice way to signal a change in him. There were plenty of beatiful imagery throughout this chapter, then again we get a lot of those in recent chapters too.

    Though I admit, the backstory was a little straightforward, it wasn't bad. It works and explains Johann's motive pretty well and also gives him a nice parallel to Saike during the Hirayasu arc. They both faced some discrimination from normal people though Saike was able to reverse and fix events, Johann ended up having to kill them and I think them seeing Sumire dead and just calling her a friend of monsters(not sure about this translation however) had quite an emotional impact on him.

    Also, this backstory did well to delve into Sumire's character and her struggles. She feels a lot more like a character of her own rather than just a device for Johann's motive I think. Even though I knew it was inevitable that things won't end well for her, it was still sad to see her go.

    I think it's also possible to interpret this backstory as Johann and his friends focusing on finding out who they, oracle holders, are and their place in the world. Then there are those normal people who come in and call them monsters as if giving them the answer.

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    1. While the backstory wasn't novel, it was definetly well executed and all I could ask for from this, though I wish we could have spent more time with Sumire. It is true they called her the ally of monsters and that's probably what sent Johann over the edge. You are right that Fukuchi has been amping up the imagery in recent chapters --which is definetly a sign of his artwork and storywriting getting to an amazing point. It's a shame we may not be seeing it in Saike much longer, but I'm glad it lasted this long.

      Looking forward to the next entry and your comment!

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