Weekly Shounen Sunday #17 (2018)

Warmer breezes blow sort of, as Sunday takes off into the springtime of our hearts and souls. If you weren't aware, it's once again time to open the good book and spread the good word. There's change in the air, and I'm not just talking about the seasons! Let's start the week on Tuesday right!

Komi is looking wonderful as she brings in spring on this floral friendly cover. Surprisingly there are no announcements coming along with her --at least not yet, but I do feel like it's a matter of "when" and not if for this series. More surprising is Youkai Giga getting a tiiiiiiny little advert alongside some of the bigger and newer series in the magazine. I guess even though it's a permanent back dweller, the editorial department saw fit to acknowledge it's existence, but that's probably because a new volume is releasing soon. 

First up is, you guessed it, the TOC:

Amano Megumi wa Suki Darake by Nekoguchi (Lead color pages/Chapter 115)

Kimi wa 008 by Syun Matsuena (Chapter 5)

Dagashikashi by KOTOYAMA (Chapter 183)

Shinigami bouchan to Kuroi Maid by Koharu Inoue (One page special 3/8)

Major 2nd by Takuya Mitsuda (Chapter 132)

Tenshi & Akuto by Aya Hirakawa (Chapter 157)

Komi-san wa Komyushou desu By Tomohito Oda (Chapter 132)

Shinobi no by Rokurou Ogaki (Color page/ Chapter 33)

Tonikaku Cawaii by Kenjirou Hata (Chapter 7)

Memesis by Takuya Yagyuu (Chapter 4)

Maoujou de Oyasumi by Kagiji Kumanomata (Chapter 93)

Aozakura bouei daigakkou monogatari by Hikaru Nikaido (Chapter 82)

Hatsukoi Zombie by Ryou Minenami (Chapter 118)

Be Blues! By Motoyuki Tanaka (Chapter 325)

Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu no Satsujin misshitsu: Story by Kyouichi Nanatsuki/Art by Teppei Sugiyama (Chapter 15)

Marry Grave by Hidenori Yamaji (Chapter 13)

Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san by Aiko Koyama (Chapter 60)

Souboutei Kowasubeshi by Kazuhiro Fujita (Chapter 94)

Daiku no Hatou by Michiteru Kusaba (Chapter 43)

Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ by Mizuki Kuriyama (Chapter 47)

Yuugami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga inai by Jun Sakurai (Chapter 68)

Zettai Karen Children by Takashi Shiina (Chapter 499)

Sokyuu no Ariadne by Norihiro Yagi (Chapter 14)

K.O.I King of Idol by Wakaki Tamaki (Chapter 39)

Saike Matashitemo by Tsubasa Fukuchi (Chapter 109)

Youkai Giga by Satsuki Satou (Kuro 22)

Tokachi hitoribocchi nouen by Yuuji Yokoyama (Chapter 15)

Not in This issue are the following:

RYOKO

Detective Conan

The more things stay the same, the more they stay the same. Not too surprising that Sunday's still leading up with it's stronger acts as seen by Matsuena and KOTOYAMA spearheading this week's effort. I'm happier to see Xeno and Marry Grave clawing their way back up in the standings, and Pops might be protected by a color page this week, but with the recommendations of Rumiko Takahashi and Adachi Mitsuru --not to mention a double serialization on Webry, I think he's safe even without protection. Also I regret not covering Kuroi Maid's one page ditty last week because it's only now I realize there are going to be 8 of them in total and it would have been nice to hit all of 'em up. Ah, oh well, that's the price of not paying close attention. Though, man, if you had told me Ariadne would be doing the worst out of the previous serialization round I wouldn't have believed you, but here we are at least going by TOC standings. It could blow everything out of the water come release time in April but there's a certain correlation to these things I think. Also, being a veteran gives a little bit of a boost but you gotta make good manga too as Wakaki is learning with K.O.I's apparent collapse. As for Saike, well....it was a good run. This arc has been in the dumpster (despite being very good) since essentially the beginning and the arc itself is called "Last action hero" so I'd assume Saike is on it's way out sooner rather than later. It might be odd to say this, but I think we might be due for another serialization round...

On that note, I'm a bit surprised to see a new series advertised like this, though Sunday is no stranger to tie ins, what with a Pokemon manga once running in the magazine. So, Crono Ma:Gia is a cell phone RPG card game that recently launched, and is getting a new manga in the magazine at some point. Right now only a few rough sketches of the series are available as seen above, but the artist and start date are going to be revealed later. The art does look appealing, and tie-in stuff can be good with the right execution so I'm withholding judgement until we see the final product --though this kinda thing does have the history of being middling at best, so I'm tempering my expectations. 

Warrior Megumi is quite a look on our heroine in this color page. Might even say Nekoguchi might have a knack for this should he be considering his next series after Megumi ends --not that he should be in any hurry since the series is doing quite well for itself. After all, they don't give lead color pages for new volumes to series that aren't pulling their weight. That's right, volume 10 is now out and Sunday's hoping this color page will entice you into buying it, and while I'm not following the series closely enough to be seduced by it's wiles, I do think Megumi is a charming (if not very lewd) series, and this chapter captures exactly that sentiment. 

When I pick up Megumi for coverage (usually when it gets color pages) it becomes clear to me why the series has such a following --and yes while about 50% of the reason is because Megumi has a dynamite body, the other 50% is because it is just a very simple and cute series about a girl, her friends, and the guy she likes --and who likes her back but can't say it since it wouldn't be much of a plot if they spat out their feelings directly. Rather we get it through their interactions each week in subtle ways that they really value each other. Take this week for example, Megumi's upperclassmates are going to be graduating soon meaning that she will soon be in charge of the fencing club that she so treasures. It's a sudden realization for her, and understandably a large undertaking that she's not sure she can handle. All it takes is Ma-kun reassuring her that she can do it for her spirits to be lifted, and for her to approach this new change with renewed enthusiasm. Of course Nekoguchi can't help but throw in that panty shot at the end, but it's sorta a price of entry at this point. I really do think that Meugmi is more than it's outer appearance would suggest, and it's simplicity is a boon rather than a demerit. Granted if one isn't into fanservice it is a high price to pay to get to some very charming content. Still it's good to see a series like this thriving in the pages of Sunday.

I'd say I'm not surprised by this, but and to an extent I'm not, but at the same time....just being told suddenly that Dagashikashi has but three chapters left is enough to get me to double take. It's hard to believe that the series that so defined this magazine during it's dark period in 2015 is saying goodbye. Granted KOTOYAMA has all but screamed that the series is on it's way out, but I'm used to seeing that kind of languages in Shounen magazines and having manga for years to come. Speaking of manga, things are looking up for Koko as the manga he submitted won an award --a cash one at that, which is pretty promising for future developments in regard to a fledgling mangaka's career. He immediately goes to tell his friends and Saya --darling that she is breaks out in tears, while Tou congratulates him on advancing in his dream. Of course this leaves talking to Hotaru about his decision --which Hotaru (and by extension the audience) is thought to mean that Koko is deciding to stay behind and pursue his path as a mangaka, which Hotaru expresses some regret toward but promises to support him and bids him farewell. There are still three chapters to go, and thus a bit more story to tell. Most interesting here is that Koko himself hasn't said what he wants to do --Hotaru just inferred it. Hmm....

As I stated in the opening, I do somewhat regret not covering the last chapter of this as I thought they would end after one or two, but apparently Shougakukan has seen fit to give us a whopping 8. With Dagashikashi packing up and at least one or two other series probably seeing to do the same soon, I have to wonder if maybe they're testing the waters to see if Kuroi Maid will be able to make the jump to the main magazine at some point? This short strip encompasses the series' theme --Iris teases her young master to illicit reactions from him while nursing just a bit of a puppy love crush on him. It really is cute fluffy stuff, and admittedly would make a pretty good replacement for Dagashikashi.  

This week's Tenshi and Akuto was pretty predictable but in no way is this a bad thing. In fact I'd probably have been disappointed if we didn't get to see the fallout of things after Akuto's sudden retirement. What did surprise me is he's instead studying for the bar exam....talk about your 180's. In any case probably the most satisfying part of this chapter was Akuto's character development. He's still using informal/rude terms to refer to his friends and is as haughty as ever, but he genuinely does acknowlege them, no, is grateful for them and the time he spent being a voice actor alongside the group of people he calls comrades. The fact that everyone from the studio comes out to find out what the meaning is behind his sudden departure also speaks volumes. After they leave, Akuto is reading aloud to the children at the daycare he works part time at and realizes just how much he loves voice acting and it's actually heartbreaking for him to realize he's giving up something he loves for someone he loves --however it doesn't stop there --at the end of the chapter his father shows up and judging from his expression and crew he's not here to catch up and shoot the breeze. 

I was going to try and rotate out the shorter series each week (Komi, Dagashi, Maoujo) but with Dagashi giving me reason to cover it, that got thrown out the window. It was Komi's turn this week anyway, so for her sake I'm doing double duty! Though this is generally how I'll handle the short series so I can try to cover them with more frequency and not leave anything out --and with Dagashi leaving I guess that gives me two options rather than three each week. Anyway, Komi begins this week with a recap of things since the semester started for Komi --she and a new character Rumiko Manbagi have made exactly 0 new friends since the semester began, and considering their eccentricities, they have more in common than not with Rumiko looking very...unique, and Komi essentially mute. The truth is Rumiko is actually very lonely but is awkward, and thus finds it difficult to outright seek friendship instead hoping people will approach her. When that doesn't work, she finds herself almost about to cry in front of everyone in a nervous breakdown, but luckily for her Tadano notices and asks Komi to take her to the health room where she confesses all she wants is for someone to eat lunch with her. 

Komi commiserates with her --she was the same way not too long ago until a certain person --Tadano extended his friendship to her, and thus she was able to make many more friends, and she in turn wants to be that person --to be the "Tadano" to someone else, so she asks if maybe Rumiko would like her to be her first friend? And thus, a friendship is formed between the two girls. Ah, Oda (not that one), making that content that goes from awkward to hilarious to heart felt in only a few pages. Also, it's a tiny thing but I really like that the chapter ends on a note of "And so Komi became friends with Rumiko". Nothing major, or exaggerated just like that. I also just really enjoy the full circle effect employed here as well as Rumiko's design in general --well, when she goes without all of the makeup! She's a pretty girl as seen on the last page, and a great addition to the cast of characters in the class. 

I'm not too sure what this is actually. It's not quite a color page, but not quite an advertiesment either? It's kind of both I guess. It gives a little rundown of the series, but what throws me off is the red box there that advertises it as if this is an ad taken out in another magazine or something. Yes, we know it runs in Sunday because we're reading Sunday. It's just a little odd to me, but perhaps I'm thinking far too hard about it. The color page or advert or whatever looks really nice, and I like how Tadano in the foreground is sort of distorted evidencing a focus elsewhere and the lighting in the hallway is on point as well. 

They're really hyping up that Rumiko Takahashi and Mitsuru Adachi enjoy Shinobi no aren't they? (It's what it says in the red bubble above.) It makes sense of course, and I'm not at all complaining about it --it's just amusing. I hope it means that Pops is safe for the coming future --he should be considering he's still getting color pages and for the most part stays in the middle of the lineup. That's as safe as a manga not drawn by a veteran and without an anime can be, honestly. To the events in the manga, I am kinda sad to see that Kaede isn't sharing the color page with Heisuke and Pops, but this is basically advertised as being a super manly manga. You chose the wrong series to exist in dear, but I'm sure she'll be back as the plot calls for it. 

After the events of the Moonlight Beauty incident, you'd think Pops would be on his guard and practicing his ninja arts, and maybe, just maybe he is doing those things while...fishing? That's what's got Heisuke's panties in a bunch on the left --he expected them to be y'know, doing things, and Pops' nondescript answer that they are hunting doesn't really fill him with confidence either. Pops says that he's waiting for the fish to return to it's home before hunting it down and then we supciiiously cut to a person walking down the street bleeding as they go. 

I'm always in awe of how Ogaki sets a mood as the person makes their way down this hallway that's as large as it is impressively unnerving. Also, no need to hide this guy's identity --it's Kawakami Gensai, and he's looking to report in --or well, more likely beg for his life after failing to complete his mission. 

My second guess is right as his boss expresses some surprise that he's alive but says that those who fail their mission are dead either way. What follows is a monologue of Kawakami basically shunning off a fear of death --but still finding himself in complete fear before this person --named Saitani. Interestingly, he refers to Saitani as "-san" which is akin to "Mr" rather than "Lord" or "Master" --quite telling if you ask me. Saitani is also referred to with emphasis, but a quick google search gave me nothing, so I wonder what relevance that name has? Saitani decrees he'll hear Gensai out, but only if he manages to win a battle to the death against another who failed their mission and they're both only armed with paper fans. His attendant who looks awfully familiar, thinks this is going too far, but Saitani comments that a person only shows their true strength when their life is threatened. A candle burns brightest right when it's about to go out --and a flame that can overcome being snuffed will grow in strength and prominence. 

It's here Saitani is all but revealed to be Sakamoto by his attendant. (Wow you're really not good at your job, buddy) and his fearsome aptitude and lack of empathy are on display as Kawakami wins the fight for his life by killing a man right in front of him. Kawakami then explains himself and expresses a desire to have a rematch against pops. Saitani is amused by the idea of a Shinobi even existing in this day and age, and expresses interest in seeing one for himself. Cue Pops appearance right behind Saitani and his retort that he's found where the little guppy's boss is. I'm in constant awe of how fast Ogaki moves --I feel like if this were another manga Pops wouldn't be meeting Sakamoto for another volume or three. Of course I don't expect him to defeat Sakamoto next week but geez, it's not out of the realm of possiblity considering how fast some of the events of Shinobi no have gone which gets me thinking about how much history Ogaki intends to cover in his series? Of course he's sort of rewriting rules as he goes, but how far will he go? For now, to focus on what's in front of us --Sakamoto vs Jinsaburo. Taking bets for the throwdown next week! 

Memesis serves to impress this week too with perhaps the strongest chapter so far, and overall one of the best parts of Sunday this week. Not bad for a manga that's only four weeks old, huh? Admittedly before this while I was mostly on board for Kijira and Ash's adventures, I did have some trepidation in terms of the overall premise wearing thin rather quickly, and that still is true to an extent in my opinion, but as a character driven adventure/action series with some comedic elements, I think it has a bright future ahead. Another thing that Yagyuu has done so far that other newbies took a bit to figure out is bolstering his cast of characters immediately, though I'm not sure whether this new character will be a permanent addition of the cast --though I hope so! 

Holy anacronisms! T-Shirts? Theme parks? It's all here much to the chagrin of Ash and Kijira, which leads me to wonder just how popular Leon is? I mean yes, the series has been building up this legend of an incredible warrior since chapter one, but having his own theme park suggests something far more expansive than simply being really good at killing monsters. I mean heck, this whole carnival thing we're seeing? It's a monthly event. Leon sounds more like a marketing gimmick than a hero, doesn't he?! Kijira and Ash of course want no part to do with this festival and decide to get the heck out of town before they lose their minds.

Raising a Leon statue beckons tragedy when a small child is almost trapped under the edifice when it falls down. Ash and Kijira try to run to the rescue but aren't fast enough! Luckily for them someone else is nearby and has speed to boot. Yagyuu's storyboarding is fairly straightforward here, but what I'd like to draw attention to is the blades of grass that create speed and impact in an entirely different way than anything I've seen in manga before. Speed lines are usually the name of the game in a situation like this, and they'd do well to show that the girl dashed as fast as she could to save the little kid, but no, rather than that, Yagyuu demonstrates speed and impact by drawing the grass frantically flying everywhere by the girl's dash and sudden stop. Not only that, the slight distortion of her clothes also draws the eyes in on her and the impact of her sudden stop. It helps too that she is a real cutie! This for sure is one of my favorite panels this week in the magazine --maybe I should make that a thing going forward? Hm. 

Another thing --expressions. Yagyuu's artwork is among some of the most expressive in the magazine, perhaps because he isn't afraid to bend and warp the characters faces to accompany a mood. The girl is overjoyed that the villagers are thanking her, and she almost looks like a different character than the one in the last panel of the page who's clearly not pleased to see Leon. 

Surprise! Turns out she too has a vendetta against the great warrior because he stole her friends --the two girls from the first chapter! I never figured they'd fit into the plot at all aside from being the salt in the wound in regard to his betrayal of Kijira and Ash, but Yagyuu has turned that on it's head. Once again, Yagyuu's design of the girl changes showing her determination as she vows to kick Leon's ass. Interetingly (though I couldn't include it, sorry!) is that she pretty much goes into a frenzy whenever she sees Leon's face which...doesn't make her too popular for obvious reasons. Still the little girl she saved expresses her thanks and that among other things is the why Kijira and Ash go looking for her. The preview at the bottom  of the page implies we'll find out more about this girl (Huh, we don't even know her name yet.) next week, and I'm crossing my fingers that she'll be sticking around for a while. 

Xeno's taking his mystery show on the road with this week's chapter --and he's got one heck of a stage! This case --the location of the murder door in question is the train "Yatagarasu", which as Ayla says on the page above looks more like a moving hotel than a mode of transportation. If you remember last week's events, he was challenged to board the train, but the letter stating the intent was sent to Kai's adoptive daughter Umi. 

It's not a mystery story without suspects and basically any new character introduced during a case is fair game. The first of the new cast is Kaoru Hanai --a journalist. For a guy who looks this unbelievably shady, his name certainly is really girly. In any case he drops the information that the inside of the train was designed by Kai himself (It's great how even in his death he seems to influence this series so much) and he's at the very least aware of the "seven murder doors".  Xeno shoos him away saying he has nothing to talk to him about, but he doesn't relent, pointing out that Umi is Kai's daughter, and if looks could kill....I can't tell if she's sniffing out lies or is just annoyed with Hanai, but their conversation or lack thereof is interrupted by a little girl running into him and spilling her ice-cream all over. A nearby conductor --Nishimura calms her down and leads Xeno's group to their seats --there's suspect #2. I'm just not a very trusting person am I?

Barely seated, Xeno and the group overhear what looks like military personnel searching the train, except these people aren't just military, they're "Military Police". Their leader Captain Amada notices Xeno and asks if perhaps he finds her job performance lacking in some way --and Xeno points out that this is a train and thus out of their jurisdiction so why are they here? Captain Amada and Xeno look as if they're going to throw down right there --or something like it until the former withdraws for some reason --and the chief of the porters --Sawano thanks Xeno for stepping in. Seems the Military police has been shoving their weight around and bothering the other passengers to find this culprit themselves --Xeno's got yet another rival in authority. 

Though that again begs the question of why they're --the Military Police are here. If it's simply about finding a culprit the normal police would do. Ayla is wondering this out loud when Hanai pops in again and reveals there are three bigshots riding the train --Isao Shimose the Vice admiral of the Army, Saburou Kamo, who due to political turnover is currently working as a member of the parliament, and last is the Commissioner of the Military Police, Hiroaki Makube. They were all involved in something called the "Accidental Shooting and Fuji incident" that occurred fifteen years ago, where an entire squadron was eliminated "accidentally", and two of the men have the authority to order this to happen while one supervised it. Suddenly Shimose storms away from the table upset that someone would dare have the moxy to call the three of them on the train, and that seems to be end of that, until later that night where Nishimura wakes Xeno up to announce that Shimose has been killed in a locked room, but get this...he drowned. Sounds like the kind of case I've come to expect from this series --and next week the investigation begins in earnest! 

The mystery man attacking Sawyer and collecting the Deadman recipe for mysterious reasons continues his assault in this week's chapter of Marry Grave that picks up right where the last left off --with the discovery that the once thought to be immortal Sawyer actually has a critical weakness --it seems his vitality is connected to that of his dead wife's! Even Sawyer is thrown by this, surprised that he's suddenly bleeding when he hasn't in such a long time. Though even Zel is surprised to see Sawyer is carrying around a corpse when he finally opens up the coffin to have a look. He claims to have heard a particular story about how the one who is brought back to life is connected to the body of the one who cast the spell and it would seem that this is true as every injury he inflicts on Rozalie's body shows up on Sawyer. 

Sawyer --despite the situation looking dire points out that he and Zel may have more in common than the latter may think After all, they're both like children who can't get over the deaths of people important to them, which is why they're on this journey to begin with, no? The mere implication of being similar to Sawyer drives Zel up the wall and he's ready to stab Rozalie's corpse to death, but Sawyer's hand which Zel lobbed off earlier holds him back from behind, giving Sawyer just enough time to...

Cast Salamander's tail on Zel, and for Jean --as tiny as she is to take him and the coffin and book it. Just how strong is Jean, wow! 

Sawyer gets away and Zel remembers his words to him --and although we didn't get the climatic battle of ultimate destiny here --which in my opinion would have been the same Misstep Ariadne made, the tone of Marry grave has been changed now with a rival/antagonist of sorts in the game. As Sawyer rests from his wounds, he expresses some relief that he's not completely immortal, as now he can actually think of himself as "human" and not something else. It's a somber note for Marry Grave to leave off on this week, but very reflective of it's current situation plot wise.

It's guys night in as the boys of Souboutei have what seems to be a happy reunion now that Seiichi is back. I adore the right page with Takoha playfully messing with Seiichi's hair. Such a tiny little matter but it goes a long way for me. Just all of them having a great time with Zanka playing the straightman is a great moment of levity after all the doom and gloom that Souboutei has been in the last few weeks. In any case, the world of the painting begins to fall apart around the group indicating it's time to return. 

Meanwhile it's Girls time with Kaerikuro and Kurenai, the latter of which has grown impatient and worried about Takoha in the ten minutes (wow time slows down a lot in that house huh?) since he and her little brother Rokurou went into the painting. They too have a moment of levity as Kurenai proposes they become friends and Kaerikuro accepts --but Kurenai has one favor to ask --could she not use antiquated/hard to understand words? It's true, Kaerikuro has an interesting way of speaking that is a little tough to understand on first blush --one that's hard for me to explain in the limited time/space I have. All good things have to come to an end --and a mysterious stranger appears in their midst. 

Fujita doin' the Fujita. This hallway is foreboding, scary and downright evil as Sakamaki appears behind the two girls. I love that it seems to go on forever as well thanks to Fujita doing so well with lighting. IT feels like an eon since we last saw Sakamaki and it's great for us --not so much for the girls however that he's still the foreboding and enigmatic force he's always been. 

Kurenai's expression of pure unfiltered fear shows in the right page as Sakamaki easily and painfully deals with Kaerikuro, as he explains to Kurenai that she will be the model for his final panting. As he implies that he got the idea of drawing her from his conversations with Takoha --she is the ultimate "model" for his painting. Kurenai begins to realize who he is (hence the abject fear) and he takes her away to begin his work. What lies in store for Kurenai? Only time (and Sakamaki) know and both are silent as they are deadly. 

After the restaurant snafu of last week, you'd think Evans would do better to actually try new foods or at least new places to dine, but nope, man is a creature of habit and he's no different. All that happened is he ended up become the regular customer to a new place, though I totally get it Evans. It's hard trying new things, isn't it? I think probably what makes Evans a fun series is that it's main character works so hard to not be awkward in social situations that it back fires on him and that in turn is something everyone has experienced once and can understand even if they aren't the best sheriff in the west. Heck, I'd even go as far as saying that Evans being so competent at hsi job but a basic klutz in other parts of his life makes his character that much more believable. 

Evans really isn't satisfied with what he's been eating despite being a regular here which is what shows on his face as Pheebs arrives --she's been staking out the place for reasons as well, and thinks Evans is on the up-and-up regarding this. She says she's looking for a certain "dust" and Evans thinks she means an ulterior menu, but she's really referring to a drug dealer who happens to frequent this establishment. "Pucks the dealer". Pucks had the misfortune of swindling one of Pheebs' dear friends out of an engagement and she's taking this job very personally. Evans on the other hand is completly ignorant of the situation and really thinks she's trying to convince the cook to use the good stuff in his cooking, not realizing the "good stuff" is actually a drug. The cook recognizes Pheebs and plays it cool, but she reminds him she can use force to get what she wants out of him. 

Evans of course is like "whoa, extra much"? Thinking she's just trying to force her way into more delicious food, and the cook says he's not hiding (or admitting to) anything. Pheebs decides to check out the Kitchen, where they find Pucks who despite everything asks them to leave the owner alone --it's not his fault he's been roped into this mess --he just wants to quit the drug trade and make a break for it, but Pheebs isn't about that mess. 

She basically commands Evans to let her have this one because his interference has kept her from getting a good meal. Evans still confused lets this go and walks away --as Pheebs arrests the perp but not before asking why the owner would even allow this to happen if Pucks wasn't armed --ironically the owner says that he saw Pucks collapsed on the street in starvation and just couldn't leave him there hungry --unlike poor Evans who did as Pheebs ordered at the cost of his lunch, hah. 

Yuugami does a little bit of double dipping this week with two stories about two different characters kinda merging into one. I kind of like how the opening page of the chapter has text that expresses surprise at how this is Sunday's only baseball manga. Actually...yeah, wow, Yuugami isn't really a baseball manga, but it is the only one in Sunday where baseball is kind of important. I wonder what Adachi must think about this? Kuzumi the team manager is dead set on going to Koushien, and Yuugami being the one to take her there --makes sense since he is team Captain, no? Though he's the type of team Captain who doesn't care one lick about team morale. Meanwhile Kaori has found herself in a teen magazine as a model! Apparently she caught the attention of a camera guy on the staff and she actually made the cut! 

I mostly included the right page due to the panel of that underpass --it's quite the unique perspective shot, and Sakura makes it work amazingly. On the left, Kaori is all aflutter because she has a chance to be like a model she admires, Lily. Chihiro thinks about how everyone is changing, and wonders if  Yuugami would ever change...meanwhile Yuugami who was scolded by Kuzumi in regard to his lackadaisical nature in regard to being a captain, seems to have taken this to heart and is thinking of ways to get his team into the zone. Meanwhile Kaori is experiencing the highs of popularity when her fellow female students ask to go shopping with her, and the guys start paying attention to her. 

Thus the next step in securing her fame is to give makeovers to the girls in the school and...well, she does actually have a knack for it! Chihiro doesn't look all that different but a little makeup does bring out some her best features as seen on the right page above. Wish I could see this in color, but alas, no anime and manga doesn't work that way. Yuugami sees her and comments that she looks different, but says it in an entirely deadpan way with a smirk so she's not sure whether he's messing with her or complimenting her, hah. Not only that, Yuugami is listening to "rakugo" rather than practicing with his team, but apparently there's a method to his madness? 

So Yuugami has a sort of "performance routine" he follows before going up to bat, and trying to change it is what has been causing him a little bit of batting trouble. Relatable, as we all have our rituals we do that really don't affect very much but make us feel better. He's been trying to change in order to perhaps do something about his team's morale, but he's finding change is a difficult thing to adopt. So now he's taken to listening and reciting Rakugo before his turn at bat --in particular "Jugem" --a story of a couple who couldn't think of a suitable name for their newborn child, and thus ask a priest. The priest gives them a few options starting with Jugem, and the couple give the child all of the names --that being the joke. Read more about it here. The problem with this is it makes Yuugami's game way better! And the rest of the team feel unnecessary lowering morale even more. Kuzumi uses Yuugami's muttering rakugo to himself to her advantage and makes it sound as if he's about to crack under undue amounts of pressure and only his team can come to his rescue, and volia, it works! 

Meanwhile Kaori's favorite model Lily has uploaded video of Yuugami playing and says offhandedly she'd like to cheer him on, making Yuugami the darling of the school and inadvertently usurping Kaori's spot. She can't go back to being a plebeian, and begs Chihiro to set her up with Yuugami --on an actual date! This escalated quickly, huh? Next time Yuugami comes back will be issue #21 and with a color page. Chihiro looks pretty....I'm not sure really, shocked? Dismayed? Both? We'll go with both. Her relationship with Yuugami is...challenging, to say the least but is she ready to give him up? 

This arc of Saike is called "Last action hero" --something I didn't bring up last week maybe to deny the truth of the matter, which is that the time traveling hero has probably come up against a foe he couldn't outsmart --poor sales and TOC position. Fukuchi --and by extension Saike are still fighting till the very end, so we have to keep up the faith as well, even though it is looking likely that this arc didn't earn that name for cool points. Koutarou has saved Mikan and manages to escape with her thus unshackling Saike to an extent. I'm glad to see the brothers back before the end of this arc (and maybe the series?) Since it did feel like their arc was kind of throwaway in the scheme of things until now. Still, it would suck if Saike's partners in crime --Hizu and Ana didn't show up at all before this is all said and done. 

Johann puts everything together quickly, realizing that if Saike knows about Sumire and had a contingency plan ready that he's already been through this day once before, and implies that he knows that it was Silva who lent him a hand. Still he gracefully steps out of the copter to talk to Saike directly, noting that Saike has grown a bit since the last time they met. This really is the first time they've been this close to each other since the Nepal arc, and while it's great to see them together again, it also lends to this air of finality around these events. These two are really the center of what's going on beyond being very similar to each other. 

Fukuchi's a lot less apt to use dual page spreads as his Sunday brethren, so it's really awesome when he does --and this is no exception. The distortion in Saike's fists as he lands a blow on Johann, and his face warping slightly as he takes the hit completely surprised. Not that I blame him, since up until now Johann has been able to rely on his mysterious oracle that doesn't even have a name..!

Except Saike has figured it out --Johann's oracle is to make things spin at high speeds. He notes that he went back to investigate where they fought back in Nepal, and found pieces of metal at the scene, and that's what lead him to realize just what it is Johann is doing. By spinning those pieces of metal around very quickly, he has what is in essence a mini chain saw in the palm of his hands. It's also how he was able to escape in Nepal --he used his ability as a propeller to launch himself out of the jaws of defeat. When Johann asks how many times Saike's repeated today to arrive at these answers, Saike says that he hasn't kept track because there isn't a need --he's not leaving here tonight until this is over. With not much time till this part is over, I assume dawn and possibly the end of Saike will arrive soon. The question is --what awaits after that? 

Kuro's back and it's got childcare duty as Seiji and Makoto's child Minoru is under it's care --except Minoru is completely different from Seiji as a child --the latter was active and loved to play outside, but Minoru seems contented just lazing around in the house and by comparison is very docile which worries the little youkai, since it's never quite sure what Minoru is thinking. The youkai which Kuro consults with informs it that all children are different to varying degrees so there's no point in worrying about it too much. In the end it turns out Minoru was only acting strangely because he looks up to Kuro, and it's not till his mom gives him a sheet that allows him to look like his hero that things fall into place. Fairly cute and straightforward chapter of Kuro this week, and an interesting way of looking at people and their individual characters overall. I guess to a Youkai we probably all do seem alike, huh. 

And that's it for issue #17! Next week we get a color page for 008 (guess it's back sooner than I thought, hah.) another for Marry Grave (again much sooner than I thought.) and Hikaru Takahashi will be on the cover. There's always a lot to do when Sunday is involved, but I'll do my best to be here next week with the goods. Until then, take care.