Weekly Shounen Sunday #20 (2018)

In terms of Sunday Issues I've covered, this might be one of the biggest, most surprising, and incredible issues I've had the luck of encountering. There's stuff I was expecting, stuff I wasn't and then just the advent of Mr. Shounen Sunday's return....ah, I'm rambling. This isn't the time for talk, it's time to type. Let's rock.

Not surprisingly Conan is on the cover --what with his illustrious return after a hiatus that seemingly ran forever, and the movie opening up soon --oh and Hanzawa-san making a return apperance in the mag....Shogakukan is even advertising this issue as "The most Conan issue in Sunday's history". And they ain't wrong. Not only that we have a new serial from Atsushi Namakiri, and the final chapter of KOTOYAMA's Dagashikashi. *wipes brow* I got my work cut out for me.

Standing before us and a legendary Sunday Issue is the TOC!

Switch by Atsushi Namikiri (New Series/Lead Color)

Detective Conan by Gosho Aoyama (Chapter 1009)

Detective Conan: Hanin no Hanzawa-san by Mayuko Kanba (Special Chapter/Chapter 6?)

Kimi Wa 008 by Syun Matsuena (Chapter 8)

Maoujo de Oyasumi by Kagiji Kumanomata (Center Color/Chapter 96)

Komi-san wa Komyushou desu by Tomohito Oda (Chapter 137)

Hatsukoi Zombie by Ryou Minenami (Chapter 121)

Major 2nd by Takuya Mitsuda (Chapter 135)

Memesis by Takuya Yagyuu (Chapter 7)

Be Blues by Motoyuki Tanaka (Chapter 328)

Marry Grave by Hidenori Yamaji (Center Color/Chapter 16) 

Amano Megumi wa Suki darake! by Nekoguchi (Chapter 118)

Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu no Satsujin Misshitsu Story by Kyouichi Nanatsuki/Art by Teppei Sugiyama (Center Color/ Chapter 18)

Dagashikashi by KOTOYAMA (Chapter 186/Finale.)

Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou monogatari by Hikaru Nikaido (Chapter 85)

Tenshi and Akuto!! By Aya Hirakawa (Chapter 160)

Shinobi no by Rokuro Ogaki (Chapter 37)

Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid by Koharu Inoue (Special chapter)

Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ by Mizuki Kuriyama (Center Color/ Chapter 50)

Souboutei Kowasubeshi by Kazuhiro Fujita (Chapter 97)

Tonikaku Cawaii by Kenjirou Hata (Chapter 10)

Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san by Aiko Koyama (Chapter 63)

Sokyuu no Ariadne by Norihiro Yagi (Chapter 17)

Zettai Karen Children by Takashi Shiina (Chapter 501)

Daiku no Hatou by Michiteru Kusaba (Chapter 46)

Saike Matashitemo by Tsubasa Fukuchi (Chapter 112/ Arc Finale)

Youkai Giga by Satsuki Satou (Kuro 24) 

Tokaichi Hitoribocchi Nouen by Yuuji Yokoyama (Chapter 18)

Not in this issue are the following:

RYOKO

K.O.I -King of Idol.

It's an issue of stuff staying the same and being kinda different with the Conan onslaught, and the color pages kicking everything around into weird places. Luckily for us even with these color pages changing things up the magazine's DNA is pretty indeleble and for the most part things are sorta familiar --in the best and worst ways. I'm almost positive Saike is going, going, going soon even though for now it's just a hiatus, and Ariadne as much as I hate to admit it might be DOA unless it's first volume pulls some incredible numbers. Cawaii is surprisingly low, but no one who knows Sunday thinks this means Hata is in trouble, which is the same for Zettai. But yes, it's business as usual with this issue even with all of the things going on.

Appropriately enough, the editors of Sunday decided to wait until this very Conan filled issue to hit us with the news of another serial on it's way --a Detective Conan spinoff featuring the one, the only, Zero or Amuro! This will be called "Detective Conan: Zero's Tea Time" (Though the kanji reads "daily life") and will be drawn by Takahiro Arai --that's right, the author of "Tenshou  no Quadrable!" I was wondering if Arai would return, but I never would have thought it would be so quickly and like this. It's nice to see Aoyama trusts his work to him, and I do think this will be worth keeping an eye on, though I wonder if it will at all be linked to the Detective Conan canon proper, or just a little side thing meant to expand on the series without impacting it at all? It'd be great if both of these running in tandem had some kind of interaction, but I do recognize how difficult that'd be to do properly....in any case more Conan is on the way, so get hyped! 

Series come and they go in Shounen Sunday --feels like lately it's been with an alarming frequency, but that's one of the things I do love about Sunday --it's always on the move. Especially interesting for me is watching this artist work his way through the ranks with two oneshots of different sports before landing on Basketball for his serial. That's right, Atsushi Namikiri is here and he's hoping to land a slam dunk with "switch", and while I'm going into this expecting not to be wowed --I am seriously not a sports animanga fan, I will give Namikiri credit where credit is due...that is one heck of an awesome color spread for the first chapter. The weight, the angle, and even the position of the SFX are all simple and clean, and it's beautiful. 

Switch is about twin brothers Riku and Raimu. The first page sets the tone as little brother (Raimu) is upset his older brother got to play with their birthday present --a basketball before he did despite them having the same birthday and DNA. He's got a bit of a cold going on, so it's understandable, but character establishment is important. On that note, Riku establishes he's very good at Basketball even at a younger age --being able to rival the older kids at a basketball court with little issue. 

It's through this that Raimu realizes --or comes to the conclusion that he's no good for Basketball and gives up on it. Mainly because the other kids comment that Riku has more talent and it's preferable for one to be left handed when playing Basketball. In another story --another genre this would be the end of things, but here it's only the beginning. Flash forward to sixth grade where the differences between the two have grown even greater with Raimu sporting a pair of specs and Riku's basketball prowess growing even greater. The other kids comment on how the older bro should play too, and it's a waste he doesn't but he steadfastly refuses, claiming he has no interest in the sport. 

Appearances can be deceiving, however, as the young lad still loves the game enough to play it in secret. 

Namikiri's uncanny facial valley hits me hard with the page on the left, but at least this time I believe it's on purpose, as it's here a girl points out Raimu has a video game in class when he shouldn't, (and this is again at the behest of a girl who says it's a waste he doesn't play basketball), and the teacher shows up like jaws on the scent of blood in the water to find out who it is, so looking a little creepy is appropriate. Though the teacher takes it an extra mile by pointing out the differences in the brothers --one is really popular with everyone while one is gloomy and plays video games all of the time. Though hey, with a gulf like that, maybe it's better he just remain unnoticed, huh? Even though he's a a jerk, Raimu doesn't at all seem bothered by this, and the day goes on as normal until a little later when Raimu is told to go home without his brother because the teacher has asked to see him along with their parents. 

The reason for this is the aforementioned teacher --Katou implied that Riku sucked up all of the talent from his brother in the womb, leaving him with nothing. Riku took this in stride at first, but then attacked him leading to the impromptu parent/teacher conference. Riku says that while it's true he starts off better than his brother in almost everything, his brother has a demonic work eithic and does everything in his power to improve at a scary rate. In fact, Riku knows all about how his brother practices basketball in secret because he severely hates to lose. 

A bit later, Raimu shows Riku his skills and for the first time in their lives asks for a straight up one-on-one match. The end of chapter text indicates that what we're bearing witness to is the beginning of a story about twins, and while  yes, I know that the end of chapter text isn't written by the artist themselves and is meant more to hype than to be factual, I do think it could be intriguing if this really does spin out to be a story about twins --I was totally under the impression that Raimu would be singular focus, but there's still time for that to change, in all fairness. So far the characters are solid and the premise while not new is executed well enough, but the test --for me moreso than others of course is whether I'll be at all interested in watching them play basketball, and if it can get me there in the next two chapters. We'll have to see. 

Mr. Shounen Sunday has seen fit to grace us with his presence, and it's quite an interesting case he returns on --with a new locale in a bar where the ladies are dressed like bunnies. Sadly if you came into this hoping for Aoyama to pick up where he left off with the whole "Karasuma" thing, that ain't happening. I'm not surprised really, Conan's always been about that bait and hook (I mean that in a good way, promise) where the bait is more information about the Black Organization, and that hooks one into staying involved with the cases that aren't related to them. Aoyama's good at what he does or else Conan wouldn't be 20 years old and more than one thousand chapters long. That being said, this dog does know a few new tricks, as the chapter opens up with Akai and Amuro in what would appear to be the end of a stand off, and then goes to the case at hand --something I haven't seen Aoyama do before, as well as the aforementioned different locale for this case.  

But yes to the chapter itself, a rich mogul has received a threat saying if he comes to the cafe, he'll be killed, and in all of his infinite wisdom, he does just that but hires Kogoro to find out who his would be murderer is. Amuro tags along after Conan invites him, the latter realizing that with Shinichi Kudo's name floating around that the former has to investigate for his own good. Things proceed smoothly enough at first until one of the bunny girls touches a glass and keels over --it's not known if she's dead yet, but the chapter text on the side says that the investigation is afoot next issue. Conan's going to Conan and all is right in the world. 

Hanzawa is no stranger to the weekly shounen magazine despite running in the monthly sister magazine, but what might be a bit shocking is just how popular the shadowy figure is there. The sales for the comedy spin off of Detective Conan have been great, and it might be by and far the most popular manga in Sunday Super. Granted, it has quite the pedigree going for it, but that's still pretty impressive. Though it's not all fun and celebration for Hanzawa who keeps having a reoccurring dream about being accused of being a criminal. What makes this premise work --of course aside from Hanzawa actually being a crminial (of sorts) in their own canon, is this idea that they very well could commit a crime if it weren't for gross incompetence and overthinking. Why, even in the page above, Hanzawa decides that to be rid of their dreams they'd need to kill that man....(implied to maybe be Conan?) 

Unable to sleep, Hanzawa figures a little alcohol will do the trick. Unfortunately the convenience store is closed. Seems Hanzawa was thinking Beika was a city that never sleeps, but has found reality is quite different. Also, are those guys walking out of that car armed? Are they making vague threats that people walking around Beika at this time of night are just asking to be killed? Ah, they totally are. You might just have a problem on your hands Hanzawa. 

Hanzawa tries to beat a quick path home, but is totally lost, and dives into the first place they can find, which happens to be an arms dealer's shop, hah. Yes, they are just out there and open at any time of the day. The lampshade this just throws over the Conan canon is incredible --bad guys can just get weapons any time of the day out in the open and kill in creative ways, just because Beika is implied to be a "kill before you're killed" type of city. Even when Hanzawa asks if it's really okay to walk around in broad daylight with a knife, the seller replies "If you wanna keep your life, it sure is." Unfortunately the art of the kill ain't cheap and Hanzawa doesn't have nearly enough to afford means to protect themselves. 

Eventually Hanzawa haggles down to a manageable price, but criminals aren't just those brandishing weapons, young Hanzawa! The lady behind the counter figures she can string the hapless shadow person for all the money they've got, and introduces him to a "fine liquor place", that also charges exorbitantly high fees, so much so that rather than being a place to get hammered, it's essentially a loan shark outfit. Unfortunately for Hanzawa, they don't take installment plans and are very pushy about unloading their product --worst yet the old lady arms dealer took their wallet while they weren't looking, leaving the pushy "alcohol" guy to take the money out of their bag --the one their mom graciously lent them for living in the city! That's it buddy, you've crossed the line and now you've gotta die. 

....that is until Ran shows up and kiai's her way into the joint taking out everyone. Seems Kogoro also got taken for a ride, and doesn't have the money to pay up. Luckily his daughter has DBZ like aura that flattens everyone in the pub, and she's able to take on several gun toting hoodlums with little to no effort. She's able to take out everyone in the place easily and take her Dad with her --even advising to Hanzawa that they give up a life of "trying" to do crime, not because it's the right thing to do, not because it'd weigh on their conscious, no, because Ran is sick of crime --she says while bending their knife with her bare hands. 

After a night like that, Hanzawa just wants to head home and forget everything they saw, except the old lady got their wallet and their bank account emptying it to zero. Although this series isn't glorifying killing, Hanzawa's "I should have killed her when I had the chance" rings kind of true, here, hah. In the end, the poor criminal shadow has no choice but to find a job as their current life savings are "zero". A great Tie in to the movie "Zero's enforcer out in theaters April 13th! As usual Hanzawa is great because it mercilessly pokes fun at everything that makes Conan, Conan and manages to capture the art style of the series quite well while doing it. I think I need to get my hands on both volumes out because I have thoroughly enjoyed talking about it's appearances in the magazine. Here's to hoping your life in the city takes a turn for the better Hanzawa! 

Sleepy Princess is looking gorgeous in this color page celebrating a new volume, though it doesn't mention at all that the series is heading toward it's second year, which implies that there might be something more grand in the works for that auspicious occasion. Either way, it's business as usual in the demon king's castle as a circular is going around for demons to register their names on so that there's a consensus of who's walking the halls of the castle. There's a little caviat to this though --as one might know in most media, using the real name of a demon is big trouble, so there are a lot of aliases going on the list including the advisory himself (who has a clear distinction of not wanting his name known) opposed to just being worried about it being used against him in the traditional "demon slaying" sense. He especially doesn't want the princess to know --and the reason becomes clear, see, he looks like the mild mannered sort, but he's actually a guy who loves to party with demon ladies and uses his real name to get into the clubs --a fact that'd be really bad if it got out in the open, especially with the princess who's incapable of keeping secrets. Guess who's sent to collect the registration? Yup. Worst yet, the Princess is totally about business this time around and won't leave until she gets what she came for. Also it's worth noting that while I never refer to her by name (it's Suyaris, btw) the princess has no problem dropping her real name --Suya. Or well in full "Aurora Suya Liz Caimin". Wonder if that'll tie into a future plot, hmm....in any case, the adviser (Leonard) is simultaneously screwed and saved by a drunk friend coming in and *nearly* revealing his name, but being too plastered to get it all out, thus leading the princess to believe his name is "Leotard". A joke that actually works really well in Japanese, hah. As usual Maoujo does a lot in it's short page count and thus is hilarious without overstaying it's welcome. Looking forward to celebrating two years with this manga in the next few weeks! 

Ah I love when a manga sets up a thing and more than delivers on it. Yagyuu had implied last week with the existence of "guilds" in the world of Memesis that there would be a bit more worldbuilding coming our way and he most definitely delivered. On a side note, Rose is so animated that it would really be a shame if Memesis didn't get an anime of it's own just to show her off. Also she's a good contrast to Kijira and Ash as she really just doesn't know anything about, well...anything. She thought Guilds were things one could eat, and it's Ash who explains just what they're used for --hiring heroes to slay monsters for cash. Interestingly enough the guild member they encounter here --an elf named Lamika refers to Kijira and Ash as "warriors" and Rose as a "child". They look to be the same age, but with this kinda thing maybe Kijira and Ash are older than they look? Lamika is familiar with how guilds work, and is secretly a huge Ash and Kijira fangirl, though she keeps her poker face while speaking to them. We also get an idea of what the heroes are up against --there are 2 "generals" of the demon king's army, and 12 "officers" that the guys will have to get through if they wanna go toe to toe with the nasty king himself. Not only that but each of these officers are guarding treasures that have miraculous powers to them, with the one known as "Clairvoyance" being the most powerful of them all --and the one necessary to find the demon king's castle. 

Lamika tells them all of this thinking they'd get disheartened but the group is instead intensely motivated to succeed. Lamika offers her services to balance out their party, but to my surprise (and hers) the boys say that their party is perfect as is. I'm pleasantly taken by this turn of events --at least for the first chapter when they were confronted with a big bossomed beauty, the guys seemed disappointed she wouldn't join them, but now when they have a girl throwing herself at them, they are resigned and choose to go along with the party they have. Perhaps it's just because Rose shares the same intense loathing of Leon they do that they're more inclined to accept her among their ranks, but along with that intense show of willingness on the right page above, I really like that their camaraderie is rock solid even this early on in the series --endearing us to the heroic traits of Ash and Kijira that we've only seen in doses so far. 

For everything that occurs, Lamika takes this in stride but informs them that Leon has taken down a commanding officer on his own, so they've got a road and a speedbump laid out for them. Meanwhile Leon's doing his thing and has defeated another officer himself --and while he looks bloody there, it's not his blood, but the officer --Gugu who has just departed this world painfully. Not only that, Leon has managed to get the "Clairvoyance" needed to get to the demon king's castle so now he's got a huge leg up over his competition. Interestingly at the end of the chapter his thoughts are on how if his two former partners don't get a move on there will be no treasure left for them....I wonder why he's even thinking of them at all? Come to think of it, a lot of Leon's thoughts have been toward his old partners and how their progress is going, even if it is in a "I'm better than you guys" way, getting me to wonder if this isn't some kind of long play by Leon....anyway I was considering dropping Memesis (gasp!) because scanslations have started and are pretty decent, but I like the series enough to keep writing about it --especially after the world building of this chapter so I'll stick with it a while longer, I think! Though interestingly enough this chapter was again shorter than the standard 18 pages granted to Shounen Sunday manga, clocking in at 14. I'm not complaining as Yagyuu's pacing is solid so each chapter feels like it's getting things accomplished, but it is strange that a non comedy series is getting a shorter page count. 

The second of many color pages this issue goes to Marry Grave, and while it doesn't do anything spectacular with it's concept, it's cute, warm, and inviting enough to be great based on that alone. I mean, look at sawyer and Rozalie! I hope the series lasts long enough for them to rival Shinichi and Ran as Shounen Sunday's "best couple"! Or at least "power couple" looking at the spell above this paragraph that Rozalie does with little to no effort. Ah, Sunday, I will always appreciate your penchant for strong ladies~ 

In the end this arc was basically an avenue to show how badass Rozalie is while progressing Sawyer's journey. It's a wonderful framing device as not only does the plot proceed along without having to stop for an excessive flashback, but Rozalie's own journey and the things she saw along the way are highlighted, as is her agency as a character. She could have just been written in as a means to an end, but she's more than that as we saw in the last arc, and not only that, her actions had consequences that affect the current timeline --thanks to her the Mermaids got their land back, and named their river after her --the Rozalie river. For once Sawyer arriving at a location didn't lead into him solving their problem and leaving, no, because his action damsel wife already took care of things as a much welcomed change to the Marry Grave formula. 

So yes, Sawyer didn't really get to do anything this time around, but that's perfectly fine. We got a look into the world of Marry Grave and Rozalie's dedication to him all without the need for him to lift a finger, but I don't feel slighted in the least since this is all going toward building Rozalie up as more than just a goal, but a character in her own right that lived and contributed to the world they live in, and honestly I'd rather have more characterization like this than Sawyer action-manning his way through the series. Yamaji has a great thing going on his hands with the dual narrative that could only work with the way that Marry Grave's characterization and plot are set up and he's using his own structure to great effect. I truly look forward to the first volume hitting stores in a week, and hope that Sawyer's second lot in life lasts for a while to come. 

This week where everyone and their creator gets a color page brings us the rare one for Xeno which while simple is actually pretty evocative of the series and this case in particular. Volume one will be out April 18th, and in anticipation for that, Xeno goes in deep for this aqueous splash art that is surprisingly decent! Though water, water is everywhere in this case as the struggle for Umi, a fellow hostage and their captor begins in one room while Xeno begins his deduction show in another. Essentially the sewage tanks were rerouted via air ducts into different paths which allowed for water to flow through them without notice. A plot set into action by the culprit the night before, where they placed the tank in such away that the water dribbled in but was blocking off the room keeping it from seeping out. In short by using the tank as a siphon, it suctioned air from one room into another, and the water pressure kept the dearly departed from being able to leave the room even when he noticed he was getting a little wet under the collar. 

Thus as Xeno demonstrates with two bottles, is exactly how he met his untimely end. Juuuust in case people aren't convinced of this, however, he asks if they'd like a practical demonstration of what occurred? They head over to the car where Umi and the others are about to recreate the crime scene against their will and manage to free them before tragedy occurs. However, while we might know the how, the who is still up in the air. Who was the one who perpetrated this crime? 

Xeno zeros in on Nishimura who's thread for one of the buttons on his jacket is different than the rest. The reason for that is the little girl from earlier who had been trying to show Xeno her collection of shiny baubles had picked up this original button, and Xeno presses his case --there's probably fingerprints of the original owner an machine oil on the button. 

But how did Xeno know? Nishimura slipped up earlier and noted that he "saw" a certain book earlier, not "read" it, referring to the embossed tome the angel on the underside of the carriage was holding --an image that apparently seared itself into his memory while he was committing his crime. He said this to throw off Umi's internal lie detector, no? In fact this entire crime was perpetrated with the knowledge of Umi from the start --rather than trying to trick Xeno it was all about tripping up her lie detector tendencies. So then, just who is Satoru Nishimura? 

When he was four years old,  he lost his father to the friendly fire accident discussed in the beginning of this case, and although he wasn't too familiar with his father due to his age, he heard all about how Kamo, Shimose and Akube had remained silent about the accident all of these years. Thus, knowing that these three would be on the train, he invited Xeno on board by provoking Umi who was connected to Kai and the seven murder doors so that Xeno would in turn uncover the truth of the incident and his father's murder. He had miscalculated however --Kamo wasn't supposed to take Umi hostage, as he had no intention of harming her. Unfortunately there's no proof of their crimes so it would seem it was all for naught, but then Umi points out that Kamo has told two lies in his cruel mocking of Nishimura --one being that there's no proof and two that they'd never find it. Which is to say there is proof and it is something that can be located! The military police are one step ahead and find a book in their search --one that provides insight on the spending as detailed by Akube, which will most likely show who was paid off to have the "friendly fire" incident set. 

The crime solved, (and a heck of a nice shot of the group leaving the train as seen above) Xeno asks who gave Nishimura the idea of the crime, and he does seem to talk to Xeno (off panel) about it, later apologizing to Umi who replies that she too had a father....although he wasn't the kind and gentle man Nishimura's father seemed to be. Meanwhile a mysterious boy steps off the train and comments that he was wrong about "him" and perhaps next time will be more interesting. Is this the person behind the murder doors? The editorial staff certainly wants us to think so, and it would seem about right as now we've been through three of these, and with four to go, seeing the mastermind now would be about right to remind us (and Xeno) of the stakes at hand. The set up of this case (and it's pacing) were a little different than the norm, but I think it helped differentiate the case from the others, and Umi being back was great too, but I do hope she'll see more appearances in the future. Here's three, and hopefully four more with due time to cover everything. 

So here we are at Dagashi's final chapter simply called "The End". Gotta respect KOTOYAMA for keeping things nice and simple even as the series comes to a close. Not surprisingly, Koko has decided he won't inherit his Dad's candy store, even when he comically starts crying about it. (I love how it's a callback to the first chapter.) Also that his Dad already has his son's manga and openly comments about it in a professional manner despite claiming "I don't really read shonen manga" and "maybe you could tone down how many big breasted characters you have in this." Koko's shocked and dismayed his dad is like this, but hey you did ask him to read it, right? As for the store itself, well, Hajime ends up taking over, and the story moves forward a year where she's doing fine with things. Poor Saya hasn't been able to say how she feels about him even a year later, which gets awkward when she starts crying when trying to congratulate him on his manga going over well. 

This is really what I enjoy about KOTOYAMA's artwork and story boarding. Even in this final chapter where one's first instinct might be to fill the pages with plot elements and characters that we'd never be able to see again, he instead goes for a relaxed approach, with scenery galore and the audacity to show the characters as they live their lives in the small village --with no accompanying text other than a few children commenting that it's summer vacation. This confidence in his artwork is inspiring to me because it's evidence that KOTOYAMA has full control of the characters --he doesn't need them to wax poetic about things coming to an end, or spin endless yarns about this and that, we know what they're about, and just seeing them one more time, seeing that everyone is living life as they always have during these last (almost) four years we've been reading doesn't feel disappointing at all, but rewarding --they're in a good place and we feel good for them. It's cathartic really. 

The last page again harkens back to the first chapter as Koko is left to watch the shop in place of Hajime who has an errand to run. Just that this time when Hotaru shows up, Koko is waiting for her with a greeting and smile of his own. The series ends on an ambiguous note between the two which admittedly might be disappointing considering the bomb that was dropped last week, but I think it's appropriate on a level since Dagashikashi the series was never really about their relationship as it was the sweets that brought them --all of the characters together. Admittedly when the series began I wasn't interested in it at all, and I only really watched the anime to support Sunday as a magazine rather than actually being interested in it, but I'm glad I did as I enjoyed it enough to read the manga and be rewarded with one of the best character driven comedies I've had the pleasure of reading. Not only that, the unique premise is actually somewhat informative as I'm sure lots of people both in and outside of Japan may not have been familiar with the wealth of snacks just out there to be enjoyed, so Dagashikashi works on two very different yet harmonious levels that make it's overall appeal much greater than one would think on first glance, though on the other hand it is a tough sell for folks who aren't used to specific premises that aren't seen much like this. Still, even if candy isn't your thing, I'd recommend Dagashikashi for it's portrayal of a cast of characters that are immediately likeable and a story that is way more than the sum of it's parts. Luckily for us, the editorial department says that KOTOYAMA is going to be working on something else, which implies greatly he'll be back in Sunday sooner or later --good news and extremely understandable as they were the ones to find and cultivate him as an artist, and I could really see him being a pillar of Sunday in the vein of Takahashi and Adachi with enough time. It was a pleasure covering Dagashikashi in my little blog, and I hope after you've rested and figured out your next move that you'll be back, KOTOYAMA-sensei! 

Last time, the famous doctor SiBoldy asked Pops to help him with a matter left undisclosed. Pops is sure that he's talking to a merchant of death, but Siebold denies this flat out and says he is no more than a German practitioner of medicine. Of course his story is pretty hard to believe, but Siebold says he has proof --a picture of the time he started living in Japan and the fact that he's German but able to speak the language proficiently, all in five years. Kaede then drops the 411 on Siebold, that he was-is a doctor of some renown around these parts, that is until he was discovered to have a forbidden map of Japan in his possession and as punishment exiled. Which is to say...he shouldn't even be in Japan if he's the person he says he is. Siebold tries a different approach and shows them a vaccine he developed for cholera, and explains that he has the means of battling and winning against the disease.

With the french "syringe" and the american "antibody", Siebold states that there is no way that people will fall to Cholera ever again. So in short, Siebold isn't here to doom Japan, no, quite the opposite, he'd like to save the country. He has family here after all --his wife Taki, and daughter Ine (who would go on to be the first female Japanese doctor herself in real life.) Siebold pledges to deal with his sins the best way he knows how --with his scalpel! Unbeknownst to the group however, Kaede was followed by a man named Iyama and his group who have come to eliminate the "grim reaper." 

Pops puts on his feeble act to get close to the group, and easily subdues one of them before setting Heisuke on the group (with the warning not to kill of them.), and a page later they're all down for the count. Siebold asks about the change of attitude toward him, and Pops shrugs it off. He was told to kill a grim reaper, not an idotic father who dotes over his family. The downside is they have to make the journey from where they are to Nagasaki, a journey pops estimates to take about ten to twenty days. Luckily they have horses that Iyama left for them to "borrow" much to Kaede's chagrin --those belong to the government! 

They don't get far on their illgotten horses however, as a small someone stands in their way,  muttering that "they came just as Ryouma said they would". Though their accent is kind of weird --but I'm ill equipped to tell just what it is. In any case, there's little time for words as they just chop a whole horse in half without any hesitation --and with a tree branch no less!? 

Say hello to Izou Okada, who upon second brush has a somewhat Tosa-ish accent, I think, making the connection between him and Sakamoto all that more apparent. Another monster has appeared in their midst and they haven't even truly set off on their journey to Nagasaki yet! 

Shinigami Bocchan and Black Maid is an interesting thing in the magazine, especially with Dagashikashi coming to an end in this very same issue. I do feel like the editorial department is priming this series to take it's place, even if I feel like "series exchange" as a concept is kind of flawed. Yes there can be series in similar genre in the same magazine, but I like to think that each one of these works is doing it's own thing more than simply filing along in a line and filling in gaps when the time comes for it. That being said, it does feel like if Sunday were looking for something to fill in Dagashi's admittedly huge shoes, that this would be a pretty good candidate, as it does hit some of the same beats, and it's pretty clear that there's a big push for it's recognition. For the chapter itself, Iris the maid (after messing with her employer a bit --) shows him a means of having fun in the spring that doesn't deal with the flowers that give him allergies --finger painting in the garden. For those who don't know the basic premise, the young lord has been cursed to kill anything he touches and thus lives alone in a manor with only his maid to keep him company. Iris is into him, and flirtatiously messes with him despite knowing all it takes is one touch for her to lose her life. Still, her feelings are returned in this chapter at least when the young master points out the picture of him is incomplete because she's not in it at his side. It's cute fluff, but extremely well executed cute fluff with a charming art style. Seems that this extra chapter of 8 pages is a supplement to the other supplementary one page chapters that Sunday has been running in the last few weeks and will return next week, all of which are advertising volume two which hits stores April 12th, and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if we saw an announcement for the series hitting the main mag in the future. 

It's definetly not a slight to Evans when I say I'm quite surprised to see the lawman mosey on along to his first year anniversary without incident. It's hard pressed to call the series a "success" as much as it isn't a "failure" though, as it just manages to sell more than series that are selling less which is pretty much the state of Sunday right now --nothing doing "well" but a lot of middling glories. Still, some accolades to Kuriyama for taking a premise that doesn't seem to have much utility (and to their own admission, one they hadn't thought too much about when serialization was confirmed) and managing to keep it fresh and fun for entire year, right up until now where we've apparently got a new character? Apparently this very cool headed lass has a mission, and that is to approach Evans without he or anyone else knowing what she's up to. Of course all Evans sees when she enters his favorite bar is a hottie who's got the bravado to sit next to him. Of course it's never that simple with Evans, no. This is Abby Earp, (Probably based on or related to Wyatt Earp) who works for the union as a sheriff's assistant. She was tasked with finding and contacting Evans ---but he's a little gunshy around women after his last encounter (check out the last blogpost for details!) So while he'd love to think she's into him, he's also understandably wary. 

Evans creates distance between them due to this, and as with most characters in this series, Abby overthinks it, wondering if she smells or did something wrong that he's trying to get away. Pheebs notices the two and can't have them becoming pally-pally on her watch, so while she's not sure what Abby wants, she interjects herself as she's suspicious of her intentions. Evans takes this chance to leave his perch and poor Abby wonders if her steely gaze is the problem, as she has heard from others she exudes "pressure" from just looking at others despite it not being her intention. Despite this the two exchange glances for a bit, as Evans is curious and Abby has her mission --so she tries her best to look more accommodating, but she's terrible at smiling and thus looks even more upset, haha. 

Now I will give Abby credit for one thing --unlike many in this work, heck, this genre she decides to take the direct approach and ask Evans why he's been trying to get away from her. Evans tries to cooly play this off by saying he's a man who has few friends and many enemies, so he's always on constant lookout and tries to be alone whenever possible, but this oddly endears Abby to him as she feels the same way due to her work, so they make an agreement to meet somewhere else with less prying eyes. When they do meet again later, Abby explains exactly who she is and what she does --once again in deference to this genre, and poor Evans once again is left trying to play things off as he thought she was hitting on him. Abby's exact reason why she was told to find Evans isn't explained yet, but this does seem to be a mini arc, so I'm sure that'll be revealed soon enough. I will say this, I do like her for her straightforwardness in this work where everyone is dodgey about their intentions for comedic effect. It's a breath of fresh air that at least for now Abby defies this and thus is at odds with everyone else. That and the possibility of something plot related happening is pretty high so I anticipate the next chapter. 

We remain outside of the killer house in this week's edition of Souboutei, and frankly I'm finding myself more into what's going on with this set of characters more than I am the Takoha group. Last week we found out that the two sisters who were among the survivors taken out of the house have mostly lied about everyone else's involvement in things leaving them caught in the lurch and unable to make any moves of their own. The others have seemingly settled into their immobile situation in regards to everything, but Yadogi pictured above isn't about to take this sitting down. Dr. Auguste is in the same boat, wanting to do something about the Souboutei, but even though Yadogi is a part of the military team assigned to the Souboutei, in this state of affairs she can't do a thing despite his protests. In short she's well aware of what she needs to do but due to varying circumstances cannot lift a finger. 

She too is about to resign to her situation when who should appear literally out of nowhere but Takoha? Their exchange here is great as Yadogi doesn't freak out like you'd think someone in her situation would, rather she questions what Takoha is right now rather than why he's here. He says he's not a monster, so is he dead? Takoha's expressions on the side as he slowly loses his patience with her are also great too --it doesn't matter how he got here, it matters why so listen up!!

On one hand I won't complain that a lot of these pages are recap of events we've seen over the last few weeks because it means there are far fewer pages for me to translate,  but on the other hand it does seem like a bit of a waste --it is important for Yadogi to know this information, but we already do, so it would have been good if Fujita could have found a way to condense the information to fewer pages. Still it's only a temporary detour, so there's not too much lost. Once again the properties of time inside of the house are brought up as Takoha thinks he's only been away for five hours but Yadogi revealed it's been about three days, which means the time he thought he had is even less than he thought! Unfortunately his spiritual party line is severed and he has to go in a hurry --he asks Yadogi if he can bring the whole crew to the souboutei and help them fight which she seems hesitant to do, but then Takoha (after her asking) says he's only going this far to fight against the house because he just doesn't want to lose to it --something that could warp people's sadness into it's plaything. I feel like this is Fujita at his best, he's good at creating these simple characters that are larger than life but simple in concept, and it's so good to see these characters beliefs as simplistic as they are get others to move. 

And move they shall. Everyone hears Takoha's words, and with a title drop that feels like it could leap off the page, come to the conclusion that the "Souboutei must be destroyed". (Souboutei kowasubeshi!) The troops are ready to cast off their shackles and be on the move! 

It's the final chapter of the 12th Saike arc, and there's a lot to unpack here. Johann who has been the resident villain since volume 5 or so has relinquished his duty and shakes hands in friendship with Saike, something that feels good to see. Although it wasn't until this arc that his backstory was properly expanded upon, I did feel like for a while the two had more in common than otherwise, and I like that Fukuchi settled things between them this way rather than with a climatic battle which in a way would have flown in the face against what Saike is as a series. I'm always constantly amazed that this work came from Fukuchi who's pretty much known for his over the top battle arcs and abilities --yet Saike seems like a series that is openly critiquing them --critiquing him as a writer as it lampshades how these powers and the ones who wield them are usually somewhat unbalanced in their thoughts and actions, even if they are for the greater good. Saike is now much better off that he doesn't equate his self worth with his abilities, and it was because of this that he was able to reach Johann allowing him to see the same, but there's still something else Saike needs to deal with..

He can't conveniently erase Mikan's memories this time without undoing everything that happened here today or losing all of his progress. I hadn't considered that before, but this is a huge drawback to Saike's ability that seems otherwise broken, and Fukuchi has done well to utilize it without rendering Saike incompetent. Yet now here's the one thing he's been trying to avoid the entire series --his best friend learning his secret. Comically Mikan pats him down to ensure he's okay, before speaking her mind on the matter as she realizes why Saike has been so reckless --and just how much he's been putting his life on the line after hearing everything from Koutarou. 

She apologizes for what she said back in volume 9 about being afraid of "M", and says since the day he saved her from drowning (Check out volume one for that.) he's always been her hero, and she isn't afraid of who he is. 

On one hand this does seem like the easy way out for Saike --that his friend would just readily accept who he is without any further comment, and in the hands of someone who hasn't spent time really unpacking these characters through conflict resolution (shounen style!) it would seem like a sudden development, however Fukuchi has actually given subtle nods to this throughout the entire series. We've been in Saike's head long enough to believe that he isn't worth much without his abilities, and his bids to try to make more of himself through his heroism, but Mikan has always said it be it directly through her dialog, or her actions that Saike has always been a heroic figure in her eyes even if he couldn't see that part of himself. To her, he's still exactly the same as he's always been, so even upon finding out he has abilities it doesn't change the person he is. Maybe it's now that Saike has accepted that he isn't just a person with abilities --but someone with friends who care about him, and a life that has value even without powers that his anxiety of telling Mikan what he was fades and he gives in to the emotion he had been bottling up so long, apologizing to her for keeping this secret. He really has come full circle and it's so rewarding to see. 

However this isn't the end of the series I was thinking it'd be. Not with Will and Calim still lurking in the shadows. Will shows a dexterous use of his brainwashing ability --it not only can change people into believing things that aren't true, but can keep them from seeing things that are actually there. So while last week Johann and Silva couldn't see anything in the box, there was indeed a thing in it that details the history of "oracles" known as the "Akashic Records". Which in real life is a compendium of human knowledge, events and thoughts, but the shocking events don't end there --Will says he's been looking for this record for the past "100 years"....what?! This kid doesn't even look like he's older than Saike much less more than 100 years old! Saike asks flabbergasted just what Will is, and as he's got what he wants, he's in a good mood and proclaims he'll tell Saike everything....but we'll have to wait a little under two months for Issue 27 (out May 31st) to hear Will's tale. Kuroda and Johann were both seeming antagonists but turned out to be just men with ambitions who went about them the wrong way, but is Will going to follow suit? Or will he be the first actual "villain" Saike has had? Parting is such sweet sorrow, especially on a point like this, but it makes the reunion all that much sweeter. 

Thank goodness we got Kuro again this week, and Minoru is okay after that accident. It turns out wearing that hood of his saved him from serious injury due to it softening the blow of the car hitting him. So in a way, Kuro really did protect the child. Makoto apologizes for not keeping closer watch over their child, but her husband in return says he'd be at fault too for not being at home more often, so she shouldn't feel like this is her fault. The family is brought closer together by this incident, and blesses their lucky stars nothing serious came of it. Meanwhile Kuro declares to itself that it will never allow anyone to be hurt again. A straightforward chapter, but one that works well in tandem with what Kuro has been about thus far --a youkai that has been at the side of it's friend since childhood and now follows him into adulthood and beyond. 

And that's it for issue 20! Next week we'll have a special interview with Masaharu Fukuyama who's singing the theme of this year's Conan movie, the new serial from Fujiko Dousei based on the cell phone game "Chrono Ma:Gia", color pages for Makanai, Hatsukoi, and Yuugami who's coming in for his monthly visit, and the second chapter of Namikiri's new serialization "switch". So a bit less work for your dedicated writer, but still lots to look forward to! Until then, have a good Sunday!