Weekly Shounen Sunday #32 (2018)

It's that time again! And as always I'm proud to bring you the second best day of the week! (The first being whenever your payday is.) That's right, it's the other, other Sunday, the one that comes with the wonderful manga that I hope I'm somehow convincing you all to love --Weekly Shounen Sunday!


This week's cover features Hello Project --three ladies who are as cute as their project name. Tonikaku is also getting representation, as well as Evans and Mr. Shounen Sunday. Although models/idols aren't strangers to Sunday, I have to say that this might be the first time that there really isn't anything else going on the front page aside from them and Sunday's monarch himself. 


The TOC is...hm. Weird.

Tonikaku Cawaii by Kenjirou Hata (Lead Color pages/Chapter 20)
Detective Conan by Gosho Aoyama (Chapter 1017)
Gopun Go no Sekai by Hiroshi Fukuda (Chapter 10)
Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san by Aiko Koyama (Chapter 74)
Be Blues by Motoyuki Tanaka (Chapter 338)
Kimi wa 008 by Syun Matsuena (Chapter 19)
Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu no Satsujin Misshitsu: Story by Kyouichi Nanatsuki/ Art by Teppei Sugiyama (Chapter 29)
Maoujo de Oyasumi by Kagiji Kumanomata (Chapter 107)
Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ by Mizuki Kuriyama (Center Color/Chapter 61)
Amano Megumi no suki darake! by Nekoguchi (Chapter 129)
Shinobi no by Rokurou Ogaki (Chapter 47)
Memesis by Takuya Yagyuu (Chapter 18)
Komi-san wa Komyushou desu by Tomohito Oda (Chapter 149)
Sokyuu no Ariadne by Norihiro Yagi (Chapter 28)
switch by Atsushi Namikiri (Chapter 12)
Daiku no Hatou by Michiteru Kusaba (Chapter 56)
Hatsukoi Zombie by Ryou Minenami (Chapter 132)
Saike Matashitemo by Tsubasa Fukuchi (Chapter 118)
Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou monogatari by Hikaru Nikaido (Chapter 95)
Zettai Karen Children by Takashi Shiina (Chapter 509)
Souboutei Kowasubeshi by Kazuhiro Fujita (Chapter 108)
K.O.I  King of Idol by Wakaki Tamaki (Chapter 50)
Marry Grave by Hidenori Yamaji (Chapter 27)
Youkai Giga by Satsuki Satou (Kuro 29)
Tokaichi Hitoribocchi Nouen by Yuuji Yokoyama (Chapter 29)

Not featured this week:

RYOKO
Major 2nd
Chrono Magia
Detective Conan: Zero's Tea Time

So I've said that the TOC has been topsy-turvey before right? Well, this time it seems to be more than just an exaggeration on my part. It starts off pretty unsurprising, but then somewhere in the middle, things get jumbled up and we get this mess. That being said! ...I'm kind of happy with how things are, considering the following: Souboutei is low, but it's pretty much assuredly not going anywhere, Saike is...I'm not sure anymore, but at least it's winding down so it probably won't be cancelled even if it's ending soon, Xeno is super high, almost as if they're priming it to be the next new detective manga in the anthology (more on that later) Evans is doing well with two weeks of color pages in it's future, Ariadne is a smidgen higher, and Memesis is out of it's slump....at the price of leaving Marry Grave in it's wake. If you know me for nothing else, then know my doom and gloom along with my probably unhealthy obsession with this magazine. I don't know if MG has what it takes to recover from this fall unless it's next volume does gang busters when it drops later on this month. The thing with the TOC system is that for every series that does well, something must do badly and it seems MG got the short end of the stick. Moving along from there --Zero is weirdly absent this week, but--oh, I didn't notice that they actually had said it wouldn't be around last week. So I guess that's not weird at all. Chrono Magia has also launched into an impromptu hiatus at this point as it's not in the preview for next week...while I'm not exactly missing the series per se, I am worried about Dousei....



Meet Akari Uemura, Maria Makino and Rei Inoue of Hello Project 3! They're all apparently from different "groups" --Uemura being part of Juice=Juice, Makino hailing from Morning Musume '18, and Inoue coming from Kobushi Factory. Uemura was born December 30th 1998, Inoue July 17th 2001, and Makino February 2nd 2001. Makino is actually going to make her debut as a voice actress as well in Major 2nd, so I guess it makes absolute sense she's here. As for what Hello! Project 3 is, well, from what I can tell it seems to be a merging of these three "projects" into one thing --a Professional Idol gathering. I'm utterly useless in these matters as you may well know, but if Sunday thought them to be worthy of their magazine, then they're welcome on my blog too. 



It's meeting the parents time in Tonikaku Cawaii this week as we get a fetching color page to celebrate the series' popularity. Not surprisingly, out of the new Sunday brood, it did quite well for itself due to Hata's reputation and more fairly, his own hard work. He's probably one of the most connected to his fans manga I've ever seen, being quite open on twitter and even drawing little things for fans. It really shows in the sales for this series, honestly --word of mouth and social media can help a series out when traditional advertising can't quite make the cute. Er, Cut. (That wasn't intentional, or was it?) Admittedly I've only been sort of paying attention to the series in-between blogposts, but it's still chugging along with that sense of enigmatic, fairy-tale like sense of mystery as to whether it'll be a supernatural series or play all of the martial mayhem straight. 


So as I said, Tsukasa has it in her that she'd like to meet Nasa's parents. This chapter features a few of the other characters we've met along the way, but it still does a whole lot with just the main couple. It does so without seeming too slacking or slow. A lot of the humor comes from Nasa's mom knowing about her son's engagement and calling herself a great detective, haha. Never ever underestimate a mother's power, Nasa. So what was supposed to be a surprise is well...not. His mom is pretty much exactly the way I thought she'd be to allow her child to be named after a space program --sorta spacey and forceful herself. She essentially strong arms Nasa into bringing his new wife to meet her and his father much to his chagrin, meaning it's off to Nara Japan! Tsukasa buys a camera because she wants to take pictures of Nasa's everyday life, and the previously awkward trip takes on a whole new meaning as Nasa gets addicted to taking pictures of his fiancee, hah --all of which she deletes except one, ending the chapter. I think that Tonikaku really is the image of "Sunday" --kind of quirky, kind of cute, and just a fun read to lighten the mood. Maybe it's not the most revolutionary material, but Hata's sense of humor and pleasing artwork at least make it a fun way to pass the time. 




You know the rules, I don't talk too much about the resolution of Conan cases because the series gets all sorts of translations both of the official and otherwise variety, and I don't really want to spoil. (It's different from Xeno which is pretty behind and not licensed so I'm not playing favorites, I swear.) I will say on the romantic front, things have developed as Chiba has finally recognized Naeko, and thanks to Conan, the serial killer is caught. I feel like with the buildup it's actually a little bit of a shame this was all resolved in a chapter, but considering Conan's going to be out for a whopping two months after this, I guess it's better this case be resolved now than later. Yup, you read that right, Conan is bowing out from Issue 33 to 40. I'd be surprised, but it's become pretty apparent that the series has gone from a weekly serialization to an irregular one, even if Sunday won't outright admit it. Personally I'm glad for Aoyama since it allows him to take the time he needs to draw the series as he sees fit, even if it is painful for those who want to see the plot develop --and develop it does with the end of this chapter, as it's revealed Zero's identity of Bourbon might be known to a very specific officer who's quite up the chain of command. I think Conan fans can take a glance up at the pictures I've provided and figure out what I mean....but yeah, Conan's taking a break and all we can do is wait for his return, but there's another little caveat below...


Starting with this issue (despite Zero being off.) Zero will run in the issues that Conan doesn't, and be off on issues where Conan appears. I sorta thought this would be the case eventually, but there it is written officially that they essentially want to have some sort of Conan running every issue of WSS. It makes sense from a business standpoint really, and saves up space for new series to run rather than having twice the Conan going. I guess it also makes my job a smidgen easier too since I'm not having to add one more series to the lineup each week, can can just alternate. 



The world seems to move in five minute intervals in manga, and it's only Hiroshi Fukuda who was brave enough to capitalize on this concept and turn it into a series. Though, up until now this manga has leaned a lot harder on the "suspense" aspect of things than the typical "action" that I'd expect from this particular author. Well, Fukuda has finally unleashed the beast and with great bravado! This week is all about showing off those fancy shounen moves and beating up some Buddha! Yamato storms out to use his newfound abilities to get revenge for the fallen Michiru, but that's just plain foolishness! Luckily his little brother has kept a cool head and attacks with...his own abilities? Turns out Yuuto has also decided to take the plunge and has an interestingly white Odd Genius. (I might have said it before, but I'm not sure if that's really what those are called, but judging from the katakana, it's close??) On one hand, this does kind of take away from the mystery since if it's easy enough for both brothers to just get one despite the "risk" then there isn't a whole lot to anticipate, but on the other, it feels like a reward for watching the characters struggle so much so far to finally have a fighting chance. 



But yes, this entire chapter is just kickass to an awesome degree. Rock --or Ooiwa shows off the different applications of these abilities by having his surround his fist rather than being thrown like a ball, or shaped like a blade. I had secretly hoped that these would represent different means of manipulating time in a monomaniac type of power system, but it looks like they're just straightforward hack and slash abilities. Of course this is just my speculation, and not a whole lot has been revealed about these --including why they're so effective in the first place, so take that with a grain of salt. All we know for now is that they are powered by "will" according to Rock, and are strengthened by one's "imagination".  Vague, and pretty standard, but that doesn't take away at all from Yamato, Yuuto and Rock just owning the Buddha and what's probably the most satisfying chapter in the magazine this week. I'm assuming Fukuda can't have these characters win too quickly though, so there is bound to be a little snag in this plan sooner or later, but at least this week, the heroes are making a comback and it's thrilling to see. 


The search is on for Wakasugi as Xeno opens up this week. Although I don't want to take any of Xeno's thunder as I genuinely enjoy the series --as me covering it weekly would suggest, but I have to wonder if the sudden change of fortune isn't perhaps due to Conan basically being an irregular serial? Like Xeno was pretty comfortably in the middle of the magazine until a few weeks ago, where it's been sitting with the "well received" bunch. Or well, it could just be that the series has been very good lately too, so there's that. Gen Wakasugi is the subject of this chapter --his sudden dash from the crime scene reeks of guilt, but is he really the culprit? When he goes to visit Youhei Sonoda, he's willing to help Gen escape, only saying that he's doing this out of friendship --a friendship cultivated since middle school. Youhei starts to say that Gen likes Manami --but gets cut off in the middle of his thought..


By Gen lunging at him! Though Xeno being one step ahead like he usually is advises him to stop as he enters through the window. "It's not like you came here to kill him, right?" Xeno's been staking out the house, so he figured eventually Gen would show up. That's using your head! Though Xeno isn't here to break up fights, no. He knows that this is actually the true murder site of the recently deceased Takuya Sakuma, as the painting that Youhei was drawing actually has a secret --underneath is a picture of Manami? I'm not sure of the significance yet, but apparently Gen knew this and that's why he made his way to the house. Xeno was able to figure this because Sakuma's corpse had a bit of blue paint on it, and this is the only location he could think of that would have the offending item. 


The reason why Gen beat a quick escape is not because he's guilty but upon seeing his name on a paper that came out of the corpse's mouth, he was confused! Still, it's ill advised to run at a time like this, even if no one would believe you...ah, okay maybe you weren't completely in the wrong Gen. He ran away to the place he suspected had more to do with this crime than to escape. He had thought he could believe in his friend, but it looks likely that he was being played up as a patsy instead --all showing in his movements and what lead Xeno to track him rather than have him apprehended. ---except it was Ayla who gave him all of this info, and I adore that she's just as much an active participant in Xeno's deductions as the detective himself is, and their interaction/relationship is one I'm really enjoying. He trusts her enough to act on one of her hunches, and she's absolutely right! Except Gen explains that he wasn't upset that he was being played as the pasty, but that Youhei didn't talk to him before doing something like this. Youhei plays the part of cornered villian and admits his crime, but there's an eensy problem with this --Xeno knows he's covering for someone, as there's no way he actually killed Sakuma due to the position of the rope under his neck differs than his asseration of how the body was found, so someone else did the deed....but who? 


Gen is quick to realize who it is, and says their name --Rin. Rin is back at the manor, and the police are quick to try to head back, but when Xeno calls Ayla it seems Rin has got both women cornered....the side text reads that an incident is sure to happen. I've learned from my years wasted reading shounen manga that this text is seldom to be believed but Ayla and Manami are in a tight spot so either something is going to happen to prevent them from being hurt, or it isn't --which is exactly what an incident is. 



I do actually have plans for Maoujo, but I figure it might be better to combine them with a little something I collaborated on with others....what is this exactly? You'll find out soon enough. For now, let's focus on the chapter before us. The Demon King has realized he's one stressed individual. For one thing he's got to worry about his troops, but to add to that there's also the enterprising hero who's bound to come knocking on his door eventually, the princess who causes him no end of agony, and the cleric who can't seem to keep her under control. Though really he can handle dealing with all of that, it's just there's a monster who's fallen in love with the princess and won't shut up about it that's driving him up the wall. No matter how he tries to dissuade his underling of his puppy crush, it just isn't working. Not only that, but this poor monster doesn't even have the guts to talk to her and be rejected up front, so basically he's only coming to his high evilness to whine, hah. So caught between trying to reprimand and help out his fellow monster, what's a demon lord supposed to do? He tries to give him bad advice, but that only makes the other monster more determined. He finally just let him see how creepy/terrible the princess is and this kid's eyes are so blinded by love that he thinks she's adorable. Poor Demon King, your days of being a love adviser are going to continue despite your best efforts. 



Evans is getting love --except it's not the type he probably wants. He's not only getting a color page this week, but next week as well to commemorate....I guess just being popular? Wow the irony in ths runs high. Don't get me wrong, I'm positively tickled that Evans does so well in the rankings and seems to at least not sell horribly, but to think that a series about a Cowboy who wants to be popular and can't would in real life be one of Sunday's more popular series is something I can't help but get a few laughs out of. Amazingly enough the Porno arc continues with this week's chapter, as Evans rushes in with Pheebs to stop the criminal gang she mentioned last week. I'm thinking our sorta heroic cowpoke got caught up in the moment as he still has his porn on him when they rush in and drops it during a brief skirmish, much to his chagrin. Worse than that however is the rush was anticipated, and now the duo are trapped by advancing baddies! 



Probably what makes Evans a hoot is just how well Kuriyama takes the misunderstanding and applies it to the situations so well. Like Evans is determined to get his porn back and due to this comes off seeming way more heroic than usual. He jumps into the fray against the gunslingers when he spots the fallen book and uses the camouflage book he bought as cover to go retrieve it. He also keeps both the enemy and Pheebs at bay not really so much to keep the latter out of danger and the former from advancing, but because he can't bear to have anyone find the book and his reputation to be besmirched, even going as far as getting a Gatling gun and using it with great proficiency. Although the art of the misunderstanding is Evan's bread and butter, this rapid rank up of the situation is prety unique to it I think, and makes this all that much more hilarious. In the end, Evans has no choice to destroy the book with the huge gun to keep others from seeing it, which in turn frightens the bad guys who had no idea of his true target so much that they're able to capture the whole gang with no casualties. The mission completed, Evans offhandedly says he managed to protect what he set out to, and Pheebs assuming it's her plays this off --but the narration hits the bulls eye when it says "He was talking about his reputation". In short, Evans as usual, hah. 


Satou gets buddy-buddy with the future Shinsengumi as Shinobi no opens this week, and everyone is so laid back that they've totally forgotten why Toudou has shown up before them! He's not here to learn by observation, Okita, but to defeat them all like he promised seven years ago as his states on the cover page on the right. A shame not a single person really remembers this, hah. 


Something I had been wondering for a while is if Toudou is supposed to be a future member of the Shinsengumi, then what is he doing with Pops, and will he eventually decide to join the samurai group, or will Ogaki rewrite history? Toudou has been saying it all along that he wants to be the greatest samurai even as he's trained with Pops so I suppose that elephant in the room would be addressed eventually, and eventually is now.  Kondo has a late night one-on-one session with Toudou and is surprised to find that the once defenseless-ish child is now a force to be reckoned with. He even goes as far as revealing to Toudou that he too wants to be the greatest Samurai in Japan, and invites him to come train again with him. It's not outright said, (though I believe Toudou implied it in a previous chapter) but this is what he really wants --and I think this is the segue into historical events that Ogaki has been heavily implying toward. 


I'm so glad that Ogaki is able to revel in the quiet moments of dawn unlike many of his shounen contemporaries. Perhaps it's because of the demographic's audience that there isn't time to really have quiet moments of reflection, but I appreciate them more than constant action if I'm to be quite frank --especially when they look as beautiful as the page on the left. Meanwhile Toudou returns to find Pops collapsed and in his worry goes to him just to find it's just training and Pops is messing with him. 



I would have described Shinobi no as a lot of things before, but I think this is the first time I can say it feels "human". Pops feats of superhuman daring and the ultra-violence of the narrative (and setting) are all what the series has survived on up until this point, but now we get to see these characters acting as more than vehicles of the plot, as Pops tells Toudou that he's only in the way for this new assignment from Katsu, and he'll be working alone, giving nothing but his "mercy" by not killing Toudou outright which is typically how those who are expelled are dealt with. I'm pretty sure Pops is doing this because he wants to create some distance between them just in case this mission goes south, but Toudou not surprisingly isn't thrilled about this and after giving Pops a piece of his mind (and fist) he angrily leaves, but not before saying "I never thought of you as a teacher from the start". Ouch, painful words to hear and probably say....and the end of the chapter suggests that Pops has his own issues to worry about as he starts to cough up blood. No doubt this is also why he's suddenly cutting ties with Toudou as the wheels of history and fate turn. Reality ensues in the manga (apparently) and real life as Shinobi no isn't selling too well, and this really does feel like the series starting to slowly wrap things up. My sense of these things has usually been on the money, but I would like nothing more to be wrong and for our time with Pops to be extended just a bit longer. 



Memesis has risen from the depths this week and with it has brought back Debitch the succubus and her wildly hilarious expressions. Though she's not wrong to be very dismayed by the reappearance of Ash and Kijira considering what happened the last time they crossed paths! It's great however, that they probably don't even know she exists due to how that first meeting went, hah. Fortunately for her, they're in the middle of a desert that's somehow within the castle, and will (hopefully) expire before they can even be a nuisance to her again. The joke of this chapter is that Ash and Kijira are so crazily prepared that the desert means almost nothing to them. Memesis itself is great because it just leans so hard into this identity of Kijira and Ash being hopelessly obsessed with revenge against Leon despite being actually quite competent in their own right. I suppose the series would be a lot less interesting if they were just two fighters journeying across a land stricken by the Demon King, but you have to wonder if they'd be much happier that way. In fact, really from their interactions in this installment, they really do seem like rather well adjusted individuals as long as no one mentions Leon. But yes, the chapter itself is just one long agonizing manzai act for Debitch as she watches Ash, Kjira and Shogi turn a desert trap into a fun camping trip due to their positive attitudes and obliviousness. Debitch tries to interfere by appearing as Kijira before Ash and suggesting they leave Shogi behind, but the latter doesn't buy it. and the monster she used to try and fool everyone --an illusion Scorpion is soon nothing but scrap. 


The chapter ends with the boss Devilrunrun showing up and taking interest in the trio before heading out on his own to deal with them personally. I'd actually like to see the duo (or trio, with Shogi along for the ride) have a bit of trouble against an enemy since so far they've been able to oneshot anything that comes their way, which has been hilarious but hasn't really given a proper scale of what kind of threat the heroes are up against. It is a bit of a gamble however, as if Yagyuu wants to keep this a comedy series, having the heroes trounced would make that difficult, so he has to consider his options and act accordingly. I can't be any help since I like both halves of Memesis and don't know how Yagyuu could have enemies pose a threat and still keep things "light" per se, but I'm interested in seeing what he'll work out in the end. 


Ariadne has been really great lately which really does support my thought that it's a much better adventure series than an action one, and Yagi should double down on this aspect more than he has in the past. Admittedly I am kind of biased since I love world building more than fights, and this chapter gave us quite a bit to chew on --for example, Leana had an older sister and brother who died around the same time, which left the princess alone except for two close to her age --Reve and Deva who were like siblings to her but not quite. There's a connection to these characters as Leana cries upon hearing past stories of them, but wisely Yagi decides to keep some secrets close to the chest. 


Leana is looking for leads for a place --the place she's looking to find, but the monk she speaks to (who is confined by chains to the room they speak in...) says he has absolutely nothing to say --not because he finds joy in being secretive but because he just doesn't know anything. Leana has come from Ariadne and has been on the earth's surface for five years, but hasn't found much of anything herself, hmm...we're then treated to legend of the "Light of Origin" which can give the one who finds it the power to concur the world --as it is the light of the beginning that creates all. Thus giving Ariadne (the series) a goal of sorts. I'm not sure what to make of this since originally the series seemed to lean towards discovering the unknown rather than having a singular focus, but it seems to be doing well enough that this isn't a sign of cancellation I don't think. Rather it feels more like Yagi is trying to give a focus to the series so it's easier to consider it's scope which isn't a bad idea, and to be fair to him he's been rather scant with details in regard to the character motivations so this isn't too off the mark. 


Rashil and Rulu are still fighting in town when Rulu mentions she's in rare form today for reasons even she doesn't understand --I wonder if this will be important later? Though she still doesn't know why she gets flustered whenever Rashil touches her, hah. Though something I hadn't noticed before is Rulu's use of forest spirits in her fighting style which is kinda cool, actually. I guess you can take her out the forest, but you cant take the forest out of her. Leana is watching this nearby (including Rashil revealing that the two of them --he and Rulu used to bathe together so he's not sure why she's so prickly toward his touch all of a sudden) and tells the monk that she has chosen Rashil as her "Blue Sky knight", something that he takes great interest in. The chapter itself ends with the question "If you (Leane) could save the Earth and the Flying city, which would you choose?" Leana barely needs a moment to consider her answer --"both". This was a bridge chapter, but it provided some much needed background to this universe, and now I'm ready to head back out for adventure. 


Saike's 118th installment takes us to Egusu Island, a place where the celebs flaunt their stuff, and is apparently where Will hides out. I find that kind of audaciousness kind of refreshing really. Villains hiding in secret caves from the rest of society aren't nearly as interesting as monsters who walk among us, to be quite honest. Ana plays up her Tsundere-for-Hizu side up here as she complains about the looming time limit they have to save Hizu. She's the emotional "core" to the group going to save him, but I like that she's less "sympathetic" and more "empathetic", as she bucks the trend of the girl being the quiet voice of reason among the group and thus makes her stand out a bit. Silva is looking for Hizu as hard as he can, and manages to come up clutch just when it seemed hopeless. Fukuchi's gathered an interesting group here, and I get why not everyone came along on one level since it's clear Will is expecting them. On the other hand, I do feel like "strength in numbers" would have been rather helpful, even if this is clearly for plot reasons. 


That being said, I'm glad that Johann hasn't been forgotten and is even getting a chance to redeem himself after being resident villain for so long. I am pretty pleased with how his arc played out, but it would have been too easy for him to just about face and walk into the sunset without doing anything to "earn" forgiveness. Plus I feel like his character hasn't had much development outside of his initial introduction and the subsquent interactions he's had with Saike which have been good but somewhat one-note. Now we get to see him as someone with their own ambition and I'm interested in seeing how that'll go. 



Will is kind of hamming it up with the Villainous tropes, but a little bit of adherence to old standbys isn't anything too bad. Calim suggests that Saike showing up this close to the goal could be problematic, but the evil literal manchild says that it wouldn't be much fun if Saike didn't put up at least a little bit of a fight, and he actually anticipates having a bit of fun with him. Fukuchi is also hammering it into us that this is the final stretch --but of the series or this conflict? My thought is both, honestly. Saike suggests they split up and look for Hizu, and Ana points out he can't use his ability here so that's madness. Still he insists on fighting the best he can without it, and with that the group splits up and one of my favorite tropes in shounen manga comes to play --the introduction of new characters! Fukuchi's fond of using foreigners in his manga, so forgive me if I spell names wrong here, but each of Saike's group runs into someone on Will's side --save Silva who is supposedly going to be Calim's to deal with. Ana squares off against Luca Valentino, Johann against Pedro Balcelada, and Saike against Zieg Yunfa --the last of which is not brainwashed as revealed by Calim, and announces himself at the end of the chapter that he has an ability that is of the same type of Saike's?! This is the sixth chapter of this particular arc, and I think it's safe to bet that perhaps this will go on two volumes like the Nepal did back for volume 7 and 8, which means it is likely that we'll see the end of the arc before the next hiatus --if this isn't the end completely. 



Ah how absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I didn't realize I missed Kurenai until she was away for a while. She's been interesting in the scheme of things within the world/narrative of Souboutei itself. She's not quite a main character, but not a side character either? Takoha/Seiichi/Rokurou are all filling in spots as protagonists, but where does that leave Kurenai who's role is important as well? I also wouldn't go as far as saying she's overshadowed by the other characters either, just more...hm, she's not a priority, or hasn't been until now? I know, I know, I'm rambling and saying the same thing with more letters, but I guess that does describe my feelings in regard to Souboutei and what it's setting out to do as a story overall. So now what is Kurenai doing in the literal pit of things as audience to the main villain himself? Well --getting painted at first until she realizes who he is and charges in. On the right Fujita frames the page through Sakamaki's eyes as even with Kurenai rushing to end him, he's still trying to paint her, and even manages a compliment in how her movements are great. Yet even after he's stabbed he just continues on as if she's done nothing to him. He has the hands of the house hold her down and says with that enigmatic expression of his that "models don't move". 


This chapter is interesting overall because it's all Kurenai and Sakamaki --two characters who haven't interacted at all until now, and seemingly had no reason to because of just how difficult it is to place Kurenai's importance in the story. Yet now she's been catapulted into a position of significance and struggles rather than act as the damsel in distress. To his credit Sakamaki does try to explain what it is he wants --a design and color like no other, but well, at this point we're clearly not supposed to understand what he's about....or well, if one does understand him, he's clearly not supposed to be sympathetic, but Sakamaki sure understands us. In this case Kurenai is sort of an audience stand in as he seeps into her thoughts with a few well placed words about a past mistake --a fire where she wasn't able to protect her younger brother Rokuro has left her feeling like her need to be there is intrinsically linked to her self worth. Is there anything more chilling than someone who can call us out on our deepest insecurities? Though to Sakamaki it's that feeling of despair that most inspires him to want to draw her...


Or could it be that even a beast like him still retains some humanity? His sister remains in his mind and he says that Kurenai resembles her. It's a reason as old as stories themselves, but I think Fujita can give us a unique spin on it, plus he hasn't explained just how Kurenai resembles the long dead girl. Kurenai asks this question --but Sakamaki coyly replies that he'll only answer if she models for him --naked. I guess that's not unheard of in artwork....though it gets me wondering just what kind of thoughts he had in regard to his sister to make such a request. I might be thinking a little too deeply there, cause while Sakamaki has said she --Kurenai reminds him of his sister, it may be nothing more than a passing similarity a likeness that is skin deep. On the last page, Kurenai's feelings waver --she's definetly not pleased with the idea of undressing for Sakamaki, but she does find herself genuinely interested in hearing more about his mad inclinations despite her objective being to destroy the Souboutei, and if being his model is the way to do it then she's choosing to be a willing party. I feel like this being a choice rather than an order will be of great importance as this story between these two and their unlikely interaction continues. 


Marry Grave is really in the grave in regard to the TOC, but is the story also knocking on death's door? let's find out. Starting off, the magical system of the series gets a bit of an introduction, and I like that it was done this way as it explains why Sawyer in the present hasn't had any need to suddenly explain it --it's intrinsic to the world itself, so having people slow down and explain it to the audience wouldn't feel organic even if it means we're lost for a bit. In any case, in Marry Grave, humans can't actually use magic naturally, and thus rely on something called a "Channeling Board" to attract the ability to use magic --hence the use of raw materials by characters in the series so far. 


The art of magical attraction is using these objects to bring magic to humans sort of like magnets are attracted to each other. The "Channeling Board" acts as a measuring device to gauge one's affinity for magic, since that too is important --as even if one has the right materials, if they don't have the proper affinity then they won't get far. That would explain why not everyone in this series uses magic as frequently as the leads, hm. Sawyer gives the device a whirl and apparently has quite the affinity with magic? Or well, as explained to him, he's got a pretty terrible affinity overall...while not surprisingly Dante is pretty magically stacked to the point that everyone watching the test is in awe (and a little bit of fear) of what he could be with a little more training. 


It's soon Rozalie's turn to bat, and she gets a rather...odd reaction from the device. Though what's more interesting than that is the priest doesn't seem to want her to undergo the same test as the boys, but she's forced to. The reaction isn't one anyone has seen before and no one is quite sure what to make of it.A flashback shows that the conversation that took place at the end of the chapter is one of Rozalie's origins as the daughter of the Grave church's lead priest, and their ambitions to gain endless "life".  (Notice it's not "eternal" but endless. In English this sounds the same, but in Japanese the wording is noticeably different.) Rozalie ran away because to them --her father she was no more than a tool, a weapon to be used. She begs to be allowed to stay in Capeside, and it's only upon hearing this that the lead priest realizes what he's gotten his hands on and you can almost see the very moment where his mind becomes corrupt with the power Rozalie possesses. 


It's not over till it's over, but it just feels like to me that the artists who are up on the chopping block don't shirk down but amp up their artistic prowess. If you've noticed above, magical ability is shown through a flame coming out of the Channeling Board. Dante and Sawyers were ordinary (or pitiful in the case of the latter), enough that they didn't trip any alarms, but Rozalie's affinity is so high that it lights up the entire surrounding and peaks at the top of the upper echelons of the Cape as seen on this gorgeous two page spread! Rozalie is crazy powerful but because her test didn't show any immediately noticeable effects, she is able to pass this off as having no magical ability at all --as the priest coached her by convincing the lass that this is convenient for everyone, especially her. It's a real shame that this chapter is the lowest thing in the TOC this week as it was probably one of the best chapters of Marry Grave by far. I hope next week sees a turn of fortune for the series, though from what is said on the last page, this is only the beginning of life on the cape, so this flashback will be around a bit longer yet. 




Youkai Giga this week was surprisingly a retrospective between Kuro and it's master, but it was rather necessary in the scheme of things I think! We know that the young master cannot see Kuro anymore for some reason (I thought it was because he's an adult and adults lose that ability, but Makoto --his wife can still see the little youkai so perhaps there's something more to it.) I like that this chapter is about Seiji trying to reconnect to his youkai friend with varying results. He's trying really hard but he still can't really see Kuro, but hey, the thought counts! A memory takes them as far back as school when Seiji would distract human classmates while Kuro would swipe their stuff without them being the wiser --something they employ here to get some caramel from another soldier. Stealing's not good, but they at least share their ill gotten gains both in the past and present, so I can't even be upset with the two. A bridge chapter, but one so charming that I don't mind the story being put on hold for a week while we get just a bit more character development. 



And that's it for Issue #32! Next week Major 2nd returns from a week off with a cover and color page, and Evans gets a second one in a row! As always I'd like to thank everyone for spending another summer day with me here, and hope you'll return to stay out of the sun with a little sun-day next week! Sorry not sorry.

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