Weekly Shounen Sunday #33 (2018)

I enjoyed Anime Expo, but it means Sunday ended up being late because of it. Ah, don't read that as a complaint, read it as I meant it to be read, a rallying cry for all that is good and Sundaylishous. I've been energized by how many people I've met there would love to see more Sunday in the west, and while I don't have the pull to get it done myself, there's a definite need for what I do, so let's do it!

On the cover this week is Major 2nd and what a cover it is! The sand kicked up by the slide into home, Daigo's expression, and the multiple exclamaiton points letting you know this is a big deal --even I who am not a Major 2nd fan love everything to do with this cover! Komi, Zero, Evans and Maiko-san are also around but the real, no Major star is proudly displayed here!

Before we can step into Sunday we've gotta give the TOC it's due.

Major 2nd by Takuya Mitsuda (Lead color pages/Chapter 145)

Marry Grave by Hidenori Yamaji (Chapter 28)

Daiku no Hatou by Michiteru Kusaba (Chapter 57)

Hatsukoi Zombie by Ryou Minenami (Chapter 133)

Detective Conan: Zero's Tea Time: Supervised by Gosho Aoyama/ Art by Takahiro Arai (Chapter 9)

Amano Megumi Suki Darake! by Nekoguchi (Chapter 130)

Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ by Mizuki Kuriyama (Color page/ Chapter 62)

Gopun go no sekai by Hiroshi Fukuda (Chapter 11)

Tonikaku Cawaii by Kenjirou Hata (Chapter 22)

Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou no monogatari by Hikaru Nikaido (Chapter 96)

Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san by Aiko Koyama (Chapter 75)

switch by Atsushi Namikiri (Chapter 13)

Memesis by Takuya Yagyuu (Chapter 19)

Komi-san wa komyusho desu by Tomohito Oda (Chapters 150/151)

Maoujo de Oyasumi by Kagiji Kumanomata (Chapter 108)

Shinobi no by Rokurou Ogaki (Chapter 48)

Kimi wa 008 by Syun Matsuena (Chapter 20)

Sokyuu no Ariadne by Norihiro Yagi (Chapter 29)

Souboutei Kowasubeshi by Kazuhiro Fujita (Chapter 109)

Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu Satsujin Misshitsu: Story by Kyouichi Nanatsuki/ Art by Teppei Sugiyama (Chapter 30)

Saike Matashitemo by Tsubasa Fukuchi (Chapter 119)

Be Blues by Motoyuki Tanaka (Chapter 339)

K.O.I King of Idol by Tamaki Wakaki (Chapter 51)

Zettai Karen Children by Takashi Shiina (Chapter 510)

Youkai Giga by Satsuki Satou (Chapter 60)

Tokaichi Hitoribocchi Nouen by Yuuji Yokoyama (Chapter 30)

Not in this issue:

RYOKO

Detective Conan

Chrono Magia

I swear they're doing this just to make the TOC more difficult for me to talk about...just when I think I get it, something like this happens. Though on the other hand it does sort of support my theory that rather than just stacking popular manga on top, they try to advertise things that need help while keeping their hits high, but not predicably so. I mean, I love Marry Grave, but has it done anything to deserve it's spot this week other than needing it? Not really. Meanwhile Xeno which has been riding high suddenly is on the bottom. I think the middle of the mag is the real "rock" per se, and even that tends to hop around a bit. I've mentioned it a few times but Chrono Magia disappearing off the face of the earth (despite being mentioned in the TOC as absent, which means it's gone not forgotten) is weird. Is it set to come back at all? I suppose so, but what made them yank it to begin with?

Major 2nd is up first with a color page celebrating a few things! For one, the anime has reached it's second half(?) on NHK, the first series is coming out on Blu Ray Box sets, there's a novel for the series doing really well, and it's reached a decent landmark in sales --six million copies in print! So it's pretty understandable that the folks up at shogakukan wanted to throw it a big celebration --and to my surprise it's a color spread with the female characters which is a relative rareity in sports shounen, even moreso when you consider that these gals actually play alongside the boys. Although I'm not really reading Major 2nd, I have always considered that pretty cool. 

The color page wasn't just a tease. This week does showcase the girls thoughts as they play on the team with the boys, and how they know their limitations but still strive to be full fledged members of the team. For now they're children so (and I admittedly have no idea how this works so shout out to anyone who does) I assume playing on the same team as youths is fine, but eventually that will have to end. That got me thinking about how this series has remained in the "childhood" arc for such a long time unlike say, switch (which is also here this week ironcally) and a few other series. Actually to be fair it seems there are just as many sports manga that age up the characters as there are those who remain in one state of their lives perminently. I guess I was just expecting something different from Major due to it's pedigree? It could be interesting if it just sticks with Daigo and the others like this, and from the pacing lately (seems like either one long game or games one after another) Mitsuya doesn't seem  to be in a hurry to age up his cast, and I think that's actually fine for the time being. You know what they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it. 

Marry Grave has risen from the..uh, yeah I guess that joke was telegraphed. Still, the plucky little series about refusing to die is seemingly doing just that this week by being higher up than it has been...ever, and while I'm positive this is just an effort to try to grab a few readers rather than Marry Grave suddenly catching readers attention, I'm pleased to report that the chapter is, well, Good. Probably one of the best it's been in ages even mostly because the main character finally gets a bit of focus...! Who would have thought! Though sarcasm aside, I did genuinely enjoy this week's chapter of Marry Grave because Yamaji did quite a few things in 18 pages. First, we're getting to see how Rozalie and Sawyer begin to spend time with one another --admittedly it's a lot less exciting when them being together is a foregone conclusion at this point, but it does make the series feel more complete. Dante is also convinently out of the picture on a hunt with the other folks in Cape Side, so he won't be interrupting things. Though even on his end, he's not just out doing errands, but seeing how more powerful magicians work. It's clear Dante has always been a big fish in a little pond, so having this reality check for him is good, if only because it suggests he'll be more than just a distraction, even if his presence in the current story is a foregone conclusion as well. 

So that leaves Sawyer and Rozalie on their own. In an interesting case of role reversal that I quite enjoy, Sawyer is great at menial tasks while Rozalie isn't. I imagine it's because her upbringing as a weapon of magic destruction didn't afford her the time to learn how to cook and clean, but seeing that she has a weakness --even if it's a tiny one in the scheme of things does make her character a bit more endearing. Though man, Sawyer's upbringing had to be pretty terrible if he's able to clean entire halls in the time it takes Rozalie to clean up a section. He even tries to make it seem like she's the one helping him out despite the obvious truth. 

Still Sawyer persists in trying to befriend her, even when she's in a slump and points out he's actually way better without her help. It's then Sawyer reveals he can't read, and thus needs her to help him sort the books in the library. He's always had a strong body but was never too bright (by his own admission.) so together they're invaluable to each other. A bit of humor at the end when Sawyer asks if perhaps they will become great partners in the future, and Rozalie bluntly says she doesn't really even think of him as a friend yet. Still the two of them have started off on a good foot, and to my surprise the priest notices this and doesn't pry....I thought for sure he'd be scheming to use Rozalie's powers, but hes seems like an okay guy for right now. This is a good step forward for MG and I hope more readers notice since it was front and center in the magazine this week. 

When Conan's away, Zero will play --at least that's how the schedule has been set up for now. In all honesty I've come to accept the fact that this manga exists for one thing, and rather than be bewildered by it, marvel at how savvy Shougakukan is. I've gotten questions from people asking if perhaps the magazine relies on Conan a little too much, but if one looks at it another way, Shougakukan simply knows what their audience wants and gives it to them, which can be hard for entities like this to pinpoint sometimes. The preorders for the series are amazing, and the premiere issues of this manga have sold out. Like it or leave it, Zero is a big deal and is most likely here to stay. Looking at it from a different POV, I think having this series where he's mostly responsible for the art over the story has really given Arai the license he needs to really push himself for a palatable portrayal of scenes with minimal "sound". The panel work and choice of setting all work extremely well in this short tale of how Amuro gets a dog --the one that he's been seen with frequently. Yes, not much happens, but dang if it isn't pretty to look at. While on one hand I do wish that Arai could have as much success on series that he's writing, if this schedule/subject matter allows him to push himself artistically without too much strain while also advertising himself, then I can't really complain too much. 

Speaking of Manga doing well in Sunday --Evans is up next and with him a second color page in so many weeks! In all fairness it's hard to say Evans is doing "well" since it's numbers are actually pretty run of the mill for Sunday and bad for everyone else, but it not being an abject failure with the rocky nature of this magazine is still something to celebrate even if I don't make it sound that way, hah. Gotta say about Kuriyama --they sure can make even the most pedestrian seeming premise hilarious without it being too outlandish. For example, this week's chapter has Evans chasing down a female culprit, and while she is on the wrong side of the law and thus subject to this pursuit, he's doggedly pursuing her for another reason --her skirt is short and he wants a quick look underneath! I've said it before, but Evans' character slipping between being decent to being...not, is an interesting display. I could definetly see some people being turned off by this behavior, but I think Kuriyama has enough handle on him that it never crosses the line to being outright skeevy. Or at least, not too outright skeevy. It sorta reminds me of the dichotomy that is Amano Megumi's series --if it went a little further in one direction it would be a way different series --way worse perhaps, but as it is the series entertains while seeming natural. 

I think a lot of it comes from Evans not being as....malicious as some would be in his position and with his desire? I won't excuse him of course, but the reality is he could be much more malevolent and that'd really hurt the work, but Kuriyama knows just when to pull back and show that he is actually as deserving of his title as many think he is, even though we know secretly he's not nearly as cool as he portrays himself. Not only that but for the most part the women in the series are capable --maybe even moreso than he is so it never feels tipped unfairly in his favor. He tries to get a look up this baddie's skirt but the sun blocks him off. (He even curses the sun, hah.) Even though Pheebs ends up getting stuck, Evans doesn't spend time ogling her or anything, he puts the job first. Not only that but she's able to back him up and bring an end to the chase which shows that her wardrobe doesn't denote her actual skill. It's a sense of balance that makes Evans more than just a raunchy comedy.

Kurt also chimes in saying that popular men don't gaze at women with a lecherous eyes. I...kind of find that advice dubious due to it's source, but to be fair we didn't actually see Kurt do anything sketchy during his short appearance, and the moral of his lesson seems to have gotten through to his son as seen above, so I guess it's all good? In any case Evans really does have the one shot comedy chapter format down to a science as it gallops into it's second year. (I'm a little late but yes the series has passed a year of serialization!) I'm already at a point where I can't imagine Sunday without it --a really good sign if I do say so myself. 

To my surprise it only took five minutes to deal with the Buddha and there doesn't seem to be any negative recompense to the team's powerups other than a brief bit of fatigue. I'm a little wary to this, as Ariadne did the same thing some time ago and is only now beginning to recover, but the information and characterization we got form the chapter kept me intrigued so I'll count this one as a win. The characters from before introduce themselves and Jiro explains a bit more about the Buddha who apparently are sorted into classes denoting their destructive potential. Not only that but some of the military personnel who bore witness to the battle are still alive and I feel like that could be an important element for later. Also the woman and strange looking boy (pictured on the right above)  are siblings which I would have never guessed. 

The most interesting part to me however was this conversation between Yamato and Kakeru in regard to their siblings. Kakeru admits she's always been much fonder of the older Yamato compared to his younger brother Yuuto because they share the same inferiority complex towards their siblings. Michiru was much fondly looked upon than her younger sister, and there's a bit of a grudge boiling underneath the surface as she says he's always been trying his best to keep up with him, despite it doing absolutely no good. Like the soldiers above, I have a feeling this is going to be an element in the story that will be important later. Though in this case, I'm a bit more excited...hm, maybe that's the wrong word because this does seem to spell disaster more than anything else, but I guess you could say I'm anticipating to see where this will take their relationship as I'm pretty sure Yuuto isn't aware of how his brother feels, and Fukuda's inclusion of this conversation in the chapter trips off a flag or two for me.  

Ultmately this is a bridge chapter from one event to the next and it does it's job. We even get a name for the giant buddha who killed Michiru --The Aizen Miyouou, and not surprisingly it's an "A" class threat. I do like the metaphor of this chapter being the severing knife from the characters running scared as victims to turning around and becoming fighters, though it does feel like the series is now going to become something more of a typical shounen, not that this is a bad thing! There's still plenty Fukuda can do within the constructs he's created to make a unique narrative, and if I'm to be honest, I do think straightforward shounen suits his artwork and storytelling sensibilities a bit more, and I'd like to see him use those skills to create a gripping tale. 

Two sports series in one issue? I'm here breaking all of my own rules! Though I didn't specifically say I wouldn't cover two sports series, heh. Basically switch made it in this week because the art was superb, and to gloss over it because I'm not into the subject matter isn't the Sakaki way. That and Namikiri is building a secondary cast and you all know how much I like that. I've only said it a bajillion times, hah I mean just gaze at that frontispiece and revel in it's edgy coolness. This new character is the gatekeeper in Raimu's quest to the top in his brother's stead and I'm already anticipating that he'll eventually go from very intent rival to either begrudging or fully accepting ally. Plus he just has a pretty cool design/contrast from Raimu with his color scheme and depiction. Not only that he brings out a cooler side in Raimu, keeping with that shounen spirit of adversarial confrontation being what develops characters. 

Did Raimu always have this swagger? I dunno, but calling out this dude as the reason why the best four has come to an end was a cocky move that came with a violent reaction. Though perhaps that was the reason why he did it? One thing I have enjoyed about his characterization is that he is the smarts toting genius, and with his brother's passing he's inherited his passion as well. I'm thinking he's trying to build his team one member at a time, and what's the best way to get a team moving than to light a fire under them? Good luck Raimu, both in and out of the series since Sunday is a tough place to survive...

Well this chapter was a shakeup from normal....! Ash and Kijira are still transversing the castle of the Devil Rurnrun, where they encounter another fellow hero in need of help and give him their "warp stones" which serve as a method to return to the castle should the heroes be too injured to continue. This guy lost his and he's overcome with gratittde to the two for allowing him to return using their only way back --to the point that he's ready to sing their praises to anyone who'll listen...except many have already done that! See, remember Bail from the Hedoro Bros. arc? Turns out he's got quite a bit of sway and has been telling everyone of the trio (Including the noticeably absent Rose)'s kindness and bravery. Word of mouth goes a long way in this universe and soon Ash and Kijira's exploits are on the level of Leon himself! 

Speaking of that, well...Leon hears about his former partners newfound popularity, and with some shockingly breathtaking art decides he's going to go give them a visit. We haven't' been treated to Yagyuu's spellbinding work with light and darkness, so this was a real treat, even if the chapter itself was light on content. Well no, even with that the potential of this development is incredible. I thought Leon wouldn't interact with the guys until the end or further along, but it seems then is now, and I can't even predict what kind of sparks will fly once Leon arrives on the scene. I feel like it could be a turning point for the series and if Yagyuu is pulling this card now then he must have something interesting in mind. 

Komi's split into two this week and the first part is fairly short and innocuous --the guys are rating the girls in their summer outfits using rather weird and ridiculous methods. So much so that it's hard to really get upset because it's just so out there, and even the determination of the winner (Komi) is a headscratcher but she's been the winner for two years going (with a landslide in the points category somehow), so it's just boys being weird, hah. The fact that the guy running the contest looks like a Buddha which I wonder, is this almost in bad taste considering it runs in the same magazine as 5 minutes?  Only adds to the hilarity. I also like that Komi's just as confused about this as me, but what really takes the cake is Tadano's also completely confused. Of course I haven't read Komi from chapter one. The shame...But I'm kind of wondering how he seems to be just as new to his classmate's antics as Komi who I assume transferred in. While I know some of this is due to him being the "straight man" to this classmate's humor it is a bit strange he's not used to this already. I guess I really should read it from the start at some point --I did so for Souboutei so perhaps Komi's turn is next. 

Summer is in this week, in regard to Komi, and Ase (who's name is the same as the word for "sweat" or "agitation", but with a different kanji) above is having a bit of a perspiration problem. The simplicity of this plot doesn't belie just how funny it is since Ase just wants to keep cool and keep others from knowing about how hot under the collar she is despite running into Komi and Rumiko in the bathroom. She's got a spray to keep her sweaty smell from being noticeable but it turns out it's borrowed from Najimi who she can't bring herself to smell like, hah. In the end she has to accept Rumiko and Komi's help, 

But immediately takes advantage of it by using up the entire can. Beggars can be choosers, it's just not polite to be as Rumiko's expression shows. 

Shinobi no has both Kaede and I worried in regard to the series and the series protagonist's immediate futures. Pops sales dwindle with every passing volume, and while he does well enough in the TOC, if the numbers don't bear out then eventually he'll have to slip off in the night unnoticed as all good shinobi do. Even with unofficial releases the series hasn't gotten any attention which baffles me really --good art, a historical setting and likable characters...it has the trifecta! Yet even scanslations avoid touching this and I truly can't understand why even if I would prefer an official release. In Kaede's case, she's heard that Pops let Toudou go and has come to find out why. 

This doesn't bode well for Pops or the series as historically speaking Toudou doesn't become a ninja, and if Pops is well....dying then we're down one protagonist with no replacement. The speed of which this is occurring out of the time skip also seems to imply that the series is trying to hastily get to a certain point, and with the characters lining up into their perspective roles, that "point" is likely the conclusion. Here, pops reveals that Shinobi deal with different poisons as an occupational hazard, so they're exposed to them from a young age little by little. It's implied by Pops that they do this knowing full well they won't live long and happy lives, and living this long with that means Pops is blessed with suck --his number is coming up and it doesn't matter one bit whether he's good at his job or not. 

In the end however he asks Kaede not to tell Toudou of what's happening to him. He wants him to grow stronger in his own way and think about his own path, which is why he chased him out. For the two of them, it's better that they don't see each other in this situation because Toudou is developing at a fine pace, and to be slowed down by an old Shinobi who's going to die soon anyway wouldn't do either of them any good. On the right Pops knows this is his fate as a shinobi, as sad as it is. 

I wouldn't have imagined we'd get human drama from Shinobi no, since the series has fancied itself on being a historical piece/action manga first and foremost. Introducing Toudou as Pops' student suggested there'd be a bit of this later, but for it to be hitting all at once is both stirring and very much suggesting the series is pacing itself for an exit. Still, the show must go on and as Kaede returns despondent with her inablity to do anything, Pops goes on with the mission and runs into a familiar face --Hattori Hanzou who immediately sees through his doddering old man act, meaning a fight is basically unavoidable now. As Pops time is limited, will it be Hattori who ends him first? 

It's makeover time in Ariadne as Leana, Ruru and Rashil get more "adventure ready" clothing. Leana has done what she needed in the town and is ready to go, much to Rashil's chagrin --all he did was run around in circles!  I gotta say, Yagi's really good at drawing clothing. Not only does it look good on the characters, but I can tell how fluffy/soft they are just by looking. Especially Leana's outfit above --heck, even with the sales ladies clothes --the contours of the folds and the lines used to indicate the lighting does these clothes wonders. 

Though yes, the reason why a clothing upgrade was needed was to slip past the guards, and to their next destination. Though I do like how the group is mistaken as royalty from some country --if only they knew how almost right they were. What's interesting about Ariadne as a series is that the "plot" while there is still in it's early stages, so the fallback we have is essentially "Leana and Rashil's big road trip", so we have moments like this where the characters are trying to figure out where to go next based on --simply put where they feel like going rather than what's plot relevant. On one hand it makes the scope of the story somewhat harder to grasp when the rules are up to the characters to decide, but on the other it does make for a much less predictable story. I mean I certainly wouldn't have thought we'd have a party made up of two girls and a guy in a shounen manga. I think at least for now Yagi is keeping the lack of "focus" in check with the interesting characters, but he'll need to tread carefully. In any case, the trio decide on the closest target --the Luther(Lusa?) clan. Where the grave of the Luther King is. After a bit of deliberation, the destination is decided, and they're off! Well, not before Rulu who'd been putting up with her frilly dress gets tired of it and rips it off. 

Of course it wouldn't be much of a journey if there wasn't something foreboding on the horizon. Something is looking for the origin of light --the first light in a forest, and it looks terrifying as it commands it's rabbit like troops to find that light in this forest. Once again Yagi's amazing artwork is on display in the middle panel --even though he's not drawing for a monthly magazine anymore and he'd be forgiven for skimping out on some details, he doesn't and the forest looks so lush even though it's simply a drawing on a page. I've been really upping my coverage of this manga in the last few weeks, and if that isn't a testament to how good it's been I don't know what would be. 

Souboutei is in a unique place too as of late --Fujita has mentioned the series ending in a finite amount of time, and it kind of shows through current events --what with all of the important characters gathering together to fight the evil house, but he did throw in the caviat as well that there are still a few things to do, and true to his word we're settling in for resident villain Sakamaki Deido's backstory, but it's the way that Fujita decides to go about explaining said backstory that feels much more...cinematic than most shounen manga. Rather than two characters sitting in a room conversing motionlessly, Kurenai and Sakamaki discuss matters as he paints her in the nude. To Kurenai's credit she really doesn't want to do this, but her curiosity as to what would drive a man to become a Sakamaki overcomes her initial dislike with the situation and she becomes a willing participant in his world, as dangerous as that is. On one hand I can see how an audience might react to this with disdain/scorn, but I think I get it from her point of view --here's a man so twisted, so evil, so alien to her that she can't help be curious as to how he ended up this way. Even though it's ill advised and dangerous for her to draw closer to him --into his place of comfort which is the world of art, the need to know what makes Sakamaki tick takes her past her threshold. It helps that Fujita treats this with respect and doesn't' make it a show through his selective use of framing that feels more movie like than fanservice like, right down to Sakamaki commenting on how careful/civil her moments are and Kurenai says it's because her mother was a strict person. This offhanded conversation really does take the edge off of what's happening as skeevy as it might seem. 

Not surprisingly Kurenai's focus isn't just getting into Sakamaki's head, but trying to see if she can find out a weakness to the evil house by conversing with him. A tactic with much more finesse than the audience might expect/desire. Sure she should attack him flat out but where would that land her if it failed? If it succeeded for that matter? We're not left with a lot of time to think about that as Sakamaki starts talking about himself without prompt surprisingly. He continues to do so while giving Kurenai different orders to pose giving this weird dichotomy of sensual businesslike poise. He is giving her what she wants, and she in turn is modeling for him as he requested. There's no joy in this back and forth for either one of them unlike what would be implied if one were to look at this page. Sakamaki reveals that when he was born the doctors said his brain was different than that of other children, and that even before he came out he could see a distorted green light from his mother's belly. The doctor's prognosis of young Sakamaki got out about the town and he was ruthlessly mocked/questioned about it as well as his family. It's at the bottom of that page that we see him really emote for the first time --these are memories that left a mark on him that he carries even now. 

And it's no wonder Sakamaki feels this way --his father sought to put him into holding due to the stigma he had been subjected to around the city, and he would have succeeded if it hadn't been for his sister who Kurenai bears a striking physical likeness to. She begs that he be allowed to grow up normally in hopes that she can give him the "color" he seeks. This was when he was 5 and she was 12. For a while the older Sakamaki really did teach her younger brother many things. 

However it's to be seen that his sister's teachings had any effect on him. Sakamaki displays pretty clear symptoms of psychopathy --as covered in previous chapters, he was willing to sacrifice his friend Zanka in his quest for art, and went as far as creating the Souboutei so he'd have more subjects for his artwork. Oh, I use the word "subjects" but it's more like "victims" of which Kurenai is going to become one. She stared into the darkness, and it leapt at her without remorse. More than that, even when Sakamaki had the ability to create artwork in an art academy he choose to come back and create the Souboutei which has wrought as many horrors upon mankind even until now, all so he could finally return to this place with his sister --he says as he begins to choke Kurenai. 

Souboutei may or may not be reaching it's final stages, but it's certainly not pulling any punches as it continues forward. Sakamaki is still just as enigmatic as ever in this page that takes the series away from the battle manga like structure it had found itself in and brings it right back to the "modern horror spectacle" that it had been advertised as. Fujita's just too good at this as I read this whole chapter and went through a gambit of emotions. Sakamaki comments that as Kurenai bears a resemblance to his sister, she may indeed have a right to know about his past, and decides to directly implant the memories of "that night" in her mind rather than talk about it. What will Kurenai see, and will she ever be the same afterward? 

Xeno takes a turn for the surprising this week when the culprit is revealed and it wasn't either of the suspects that the detective had suspected. In fact, it's clear that they even worked out who it was before he did, as once the answer comes to them they take their chances and head to the scene of a future crime! Rin has got Ayla and and Manami tied up, and has an arrow gun pointed at them to kill them in the most painful way possible, but why would she do something like this? 

Although Manami had considered Rin a friend, it wasn't too apparent that the feeling was mutual. How could she --the heiress to a rich family who could easily stand on her own as the "lead role" in her life, understand the feelings of a girl who would be trapped on the island for the rest of her life? She thought she had hit a dead end, but then Manami's fiancee talked to her during a party, and she thought that perhaps if she could steal something that Manami "owned" that she could find happiness. She wants to hear about how Manami suffered, how she antagonized over this --after all she's the one who killed her fiancee! 

She knew too well that theirs wasn't a love that would last...or well that ever existed in the first place. She knew he would leave some day, but yet...when confronted with the reality of the matter, feelings took over and she killed him before he could break her heart. Even when Youhei came upon the grizzly scene, he offered to help her deal with the body --the one she killed in a daze, but then offhandly muttered that finding this body would be "a problem" for Manami. Upon recalling this, Rin comes to the conclusion that she is nothing more than a part of Manami's universe --a universe she wants no part of and is intent to kill her until...

Youhei and Gen show up in time to save Manami from being skewered --a conclusion Rin seems to be fine with as at last someone "chose" her. That's all she wanted --to be chosen, to be someone's first choice. Sadly as these mystery series go, she jumped onto the wrong path before considering all of the facts. Gen bemoans that if he had only befriended her sooner, this wouldn't have needed to happen! He could have saved her! Xeno points out that perhaps this whole time that he thought he had feelings for Manami, it was in fact Rin he was thinking of. She had been chosen by someone this whole time without knowing it. 

However this case isn't quite closed yet --Xeno asked who's idea it was to move the body, and the trio all admit that they hadn't thought that far ahead, meaning there's someone on the island pulling the strings --a darkness in the Kuga clan that still lurks free in the shadows --and Xeno is ready and raring for round two in what is so far the longest game in the series. 

Saike goes full Jojo/HXH this week with this first of many fights against Will's henchmen. It's not surprising as Fukuchi is an admitted Jojo fan though the reference and tempo of Jojo chapters has never been quite as strong as it was this week. The ability in question? "Five second Rooms". Which is a world type oracle as explained by Kuroda in the arc before this one. it's said this is an ability that will test Johann's "ability to make decisions". 

To explain it briefly, it creates several rooms with Parco in the center. One has five seconds to choose between several doors and advance towards Parco before time is up, as he does the same thing. The thing is they both can't move at the same time. Which is to say once one person enters a room, they cannot make a move for five seconds. Squandering those five seconds for too long means losing your chance to move and thus giving the opponent a chance to catch one unaware. Sound and sight past the doors have been cut off so the only way one can find their opponent is playing the game. 

Johann tests his abilities in the room at first --he can still use his oracle and true enough after the five seconds are up, he can't move his body even though his thoughts are still his own to command, and he can use his ability, despite not being able to move. Not surprisingly Johann is pretty careful, gathering all of the information he can before making any kind of movements which means this chapter is filled with more explanation than action. AT the very least the "rules" seem set in stone....except Johann is unable to move after 3 seconds in one room and Parco is able to step in, comment on Johann's surprise and then...

It's not like Fukuchi to cast aside his rules like this without there being a loophole that hasn't been explained yet. Except in this case the loophole that we don't know about has given the opposition an overwhelming advantage. After explaining this power for most of the chapter, I doubt Fukuchi really would leave us with such an unsatisfying conclusion....but yikes, Johann is looking pretty bad there. The end of chapter text seems to imply we'll be moving along to the other characters, but by now if you've been reading this blog you know that text isn't always to be trusted. 

This week's Youkai giga features the "Kamikiri" which literally translates to "Hair cutter", so I suppose that at least makes it pretty clear what this youkai does, haha. Though one thing about the legend that doesn't come up in this chapter but is interesting in it's own right is that the Kamikiri while indiscriminate about who it targets for the most part seems to go after those who are about to marry youkai in hopes of calling the wedding off since they generally end in disaster. It's true the girl in this chapter is looking for love --or well at least a makeover, but that doesn't come up here at all. Rather, the Kamikiri here is worried about it's ability to give haircuts, but after the girl it knows (or is it's customer) comes to it in her time of need it's able to slice and dice and get the job done. She does look cuter with short hair, admittedly! 

And that's it for issue #34! Next week Xeno gets a lead color page --it's first since it's first chapter! Ariadne gets a color page for it's second volume's release, and Daiku recieves one for it's new volume as well! Not only that but Yuugami returns for his monthly visit! There's a lot to look forward to next week and I hope you'll be there! I'll try my best to be on time this week, I promise.