Weekly Shounen Sunday #35 (2018)

It's that time again! Except I'm a little late, sorry. Things sorta happened and so we're doing our Sunday celebration on Wednesday this week! I'm going to try a little something different with this week's writeup, as I'd really like to streamline writing (and hopefully reading) the blog. This time around I'll be focusing a little more on impressions of the manga in the issue as opposed to translating things. Of course where necessary I'll fill in the blanks with information, but for the most part I'll be erring on talking about what I thought of each series. If this works out then I think that'll cut down the prep time for the blog and be a smidgen more interesting perhaps. I'm actually considering more big changes for the blog in the future, but more about that at the end of this week's entry.

Not a surprise but with Zero's first volume coming soon he hits the cover up with some gusto. Kiyo from Maiko-san is here, along with Komi and Eishi from Birdmen! Hatsukoi Zombie also has a color page so it's right up on here too! Though overall Arai's artwork really steals the show on this cover and I have mixed feelings as I'd love to see another original work from him, but can't lie and say Zero leading the charge in Conan's absence is great too.

The TOC is the zero attraction here of course.

Detective Conan: Zero's Tea Time: Supervised by Gosho Aoyama/ Art by Takahiro Arai (Cover/Lead Color pages Chapter 11)

Gopun go no Sekai by Hiroshi Fukuda (Chapter 13)

Kimi wa 008 by Syun Matsuena (Chapter 22)

Major 2nd by Takuya Mitsuda (Chapter 147)

Tonkaku Cawaii by Kenjirou Hata (Chapter 24)

Marry Grave by Hidenori Yamaji (Chapter 30)

Hatsukoi Zombie by Ryou Minenami (Center color/Chapter 135)

switch by Atsushi Namikiri (Chapter 15)

Komi-san wa komyusho desu by Tomohito Oda (Chapter 153)

Soukyuu no Ariadne by Norhiro Yagi (Chapter 31)

Maiko-san chi no makanai-san by Aiko Koyama (Center Color/Chapter 77)

Be Blues by Motoyuki Tanaka (Chapter 341)

Amano Megumi wa suki darake! By Nekoguchi (Chapter 132)

Souboutei Kowasubeshi by Kazuhiro Fujita (Chapter 111)

K.O.I King of Idol by Tamaki Wakaki (Chapter 53)

Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu Satsujin Missshitsu: Story by Kyouichi Nanatsuki/Art by Teppei Sugiyama (Chapter 32)

Maoujo de Oyasumi by Kagiji Kumanomata (Chapter 110)

Shinobi no by Rokurou Ogaki (Chapter 50)

Saike matashitemo by Tsubasa Fukuchi (Chapter 121)

Birdmen by Yellow Tanabe (Chapter 62)

Memesis by Takuya Yagyuu (Chapter 21)

Daiku no Hatou by Michiteru Kusaba (Chapter 59)

Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ by Mizuki Kuriyama (Chapter 64)

Youkai Giga by Satsuki Satou (Chapter 61)

Tokaichi Hitoribocchi Nouen by Yuuji Yokoyama (Chapter 32)

Not in this issue:

Detective Conan

Chrono Magia

Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou monogatari

Zettai Karen Children
RYOKO

All things considered this is pretty normal as far as TOC's go. Conan (related things) up high, Daiku and such low --of course Evans being essentially dead last is a surprise, and Marry being rather high is a thing too, but otherwise? Not much to write home about here. I read that Marry volume two...didn't sell well at all however, so it's days might be numbered despite it's great place in the TOC.

Zero's so important that he's getting a release date all to himself. That's right, August 8th is the release of  "Zero's tea-time's first volume and it's an entire week or so off from the rest of the manga on Sunday's August slate. I'm assuming this is so that people aren't lured in by the caress of other Sunday manga. Or perhaps this is a backhanded way of protecting the other manga from Zero's presumably amazing sales. The preorders seem to indicate that Zero will definitely not have Zero return, at least. I could talk about the plotlessness of the series again this week, but no lie I'm mesmerized by this color page and Arai's art in general. I'd really like to see the guy get an art book. Although I hope that he doesn't get so caught up in Aoyama's art style that he forgets how to draw in his own, as when if? Zero ends, I'd like him to return to what he does best --British based Shounen Manga. That being said, I wouldn't mind having this picture without the advertisement text hanging up in a WSS shrine somewhere. 

The world of Zero is based on things not appearing as they seem. Zero himself has three identities, and all things considered he's pretty good at keeping all of them separate. Even in this week's chapter where he's taking his partner out for drinks, the mere mention of alcohols earns him some dirty looks, and then out of no where he attacks him! Turns out, it was more to cover Kazami from a nearby bar brawl that turned ugly. It wouldn't do for Amuro to simply tell the guy to duck, I guess, heh. The reference to Kazami ordering Bourbon is heavy handed but I appreciated it nonetheless. Zero's really not in a hurry to introduce any sort of plot, which the title more or less confirms, so it's a question of how invested one can be with just seeing Zero do his thing in everyday life. I wonder though if it wouldn't at all be possible for this spinoff to have it's own story, maybe? It's still not clear as to where this stands with Conan's canon, so I can understand Aoyama's hesitation in introducing anything that might clash with his story, but that doesn't mean that Zero can't embark on something a little more ambitious even if it's not harmonious with Conan. On that note, it would be fun if both series did do something in concert, rather than being two trains in the night destined to never meet. I'd imagine it'd be tough to gather in bound volumes, but I feel like most Conan fans are buying both of these so it at least wouldn't be too off-putting. 

I sadly had to leave out Gopun last week due to there being so much else to cover, but the series hasn't been slacking at all, so no worries about that. Fukuda has left the shounen action part of the series behind and embraced it's suspense/horror roots this week with the characters heading underground and finding what is basically a nest of Buddha waiting for them. Me doing impressions only this week actually helps with this series since there isn't a whole lot going on this week other than the characters realizing they're waaay over their heads. Something I did predict a few weeks ago, actually! Fukuda's really a master of several styles though --I knew he was a guy who knows how to depict stylish action, but he's also convincingly able to give horror a run for it's money if the right page is any indication. 

That's not to say this is purely a chapter of creeping horror --no. Fukuda is still first and foremost a bombastic kind of guy. Even when the creeps come a knockin' they don't do it quietly, they do so with a sledgehammer. Not only that, but the soldier who had haplessly followed the super powered heroes makes the mistake of raising his flag, his death flag by saying he wishes he could fight the buddha like they do. Don't you know how horror works, buddy? Not that he'll have a chance to learn as he's messily killed by the Buddha hoard who are hanging out on the ceiling. As I've said before, I'm really surprised that so far the series titular ability hasn't come into use even once so far, and Michiru has at least so far remained deceased. At the very least, the series is keeping me on my toes, and the artwork --the reason why I'm here and a Fukuda fan in the first place, is still as fresh as ever. It's weird the first volume doesn't have a release date as of yet. I hope it'll be dropped soon, as I want to support this so-far great fusion between action and horror. 

All the love for Marry Grave this week! It's high up in the TOC again, the story is moving along briskly, and a new volume is out! Oh and in the series, it seems Rozalie might have a fan? Well, he's not the sort of fan I'd really want to be quite honest. Meet Sergei --a part of the church that Rozalie spurned in order to live her life freely. Sergei is a handsome guy no lie, but behind that pretty face lies a pretty twisted soul. 

Beyond that, Marry Grave has skipped forward three years and it's heartening to see that Sawyer and Rozalie's relationship has progressed quite nicely since then. Because this is a flashback, we know what's going to happen to them later making this admittedly bittersweet. Still to see these two as adolescents slowly falling in love is something even my tired soul can admit to enjoying. Not only that, I'm kind of happy that Sawyer's character is fleshing out a bit past the "poor slave" thing he had going for himself as a child --all thanks to Rozalie teaching him how to read. Just goes to show that not every character development has to come from conflict as per the shounen tradition. I'm not slamming this of course, as I wouldn't be writing about a shounen magazine every week if I didn't care for it, but I like that Marry Grave is a little off the beaten path. It is at it's heart a story about transcending death in different ways, be it love, companionship, or hope. I wish this would translate to it having more sales, though...I mean it's kind of yo-yoing around the polls so it's hard to tell how it's actually doing, but the sales for it are worrisome to say the least. Enough about that, though --that Marry Grave is a fantasy adventure series without necessarily being a battle shounen puts it in a unique place. Like this chapter is really just about Rozalie and Sawyer's deepening bond, and the past catching up with the former in the form of Sergei who's obsessed with finding Rozalie to the point that he's willing to sacrifice his companions to do so. 

He manages to find his way to Cape Side, and without hesitation attacks Rozalie's new home. Even without my translation, I think Rozalie's expression speaks volumes as to how she feels about seeing her past come back to haunt her. I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but it really does feel like this should have been a story about her, even if I like Sawyer too. That being said, now that conflict has reared it's ugly head, I'm interested in seeing how the protagonist fits into all of this. After all, he and Rozalie survived long enough to become adults and get married, so there is a bit of a gap to fill in here. It also gets me wondering just how much of Rozalie's past does Sawyer know --particularly, did he know his wife-to-be was a God-tier mage? My thought is that he does of course, but how he finds out is going to be something I pay close attention to. 

Ahh, how sad it is to see this illustration. Not that it's bad or anything, but it would have made a much better cover for volume 12 then what we got. The shadows of the crowd in the background juxtaposed with the dancing lights and the coquettish look of our heroine are all wonderful. Though on that note, seeing that chapter number up there makes me realize just how long this series has been running on the precipice. It doesn't sell badly, but isn't exactly a hit by even Sunday's modest standards. It's really sad --I'm personally not sure I'd watch an anime since this genre isn't of my interest, but I think with today's trends that this would do well with one, but it's unlikely due to the (understandable) reluctance to gamble on Sunday adaptions. 

Admittedly I only have a glancing familiarity of the events in the story, but from what I've seen from fans of it it feels like it could conclude, while simultaneously seemingly having much more life left in it. Minenami recently put out a call for more assistants on Shougakukan's site, so it's likely that the series will continue for a bit longer rather than ending, however. I'd actually be a little sad to see it go if it came to that since the series is pretty charming to look at from the pages I've posted above. Girls in kimonos are always fetching but Minenami's sense of style really comes out in the ones above. Even without knowing these characters, their personalities really come out in what they're wearing. Though it's the end of the chapter that's probably going to entice most readers of the series --Tarou the protagonist admits there's a girl he likes, and between the two likely candidates who might it be? Even I'm a little curious to find out what his answer will be...

It's a short chapter of Komi-san this week --and this time it's about how Mom and Dad ended up becoming a couple! I think I like that Oda (not that one) is doing this thing where he has one offs for other characters rather than bog down other stories with them. It shows he has confidence in every character he creates, so that they can stand on their own. Besides that it's adorable to watch the normally boisterous Shuuko find it incredibly difficult to confess her feelings towards her future husband Masayoshi. Complicating the issue is of course that his hobbies get more extreme and elegant every time she tries to go talk to him, haha. What starts off with flower arranging ends with with an actual dance off and a flash mob. In the end, despite being the quiet one in the relationship, it's Masayoshi who ends up asking Shuko out. It's cute, it's weird, and exactly what I've come to expect from this series. 

No lie, I really wish I could give this series the attention it deserves more often. The online translations of the series are mostly caught up so I've kind of left it on the back burner in regard to coverage, but I still read it from time to time. As with Hatsukoi zombie, the color page is what landed it here, and I'm really glad to share. I can't tell really what medium Koyama uses for her artwork, since I don't have an eye for these sorts of things, but It certainly looks hand painted, and a throwback to a past era --one as well traveled as the path of the Maiko. I didn't include it above, but I like that the first thing we see after the chapter's color page is a car --that juxtaposition of tastes really does describe the series well, I think. Despite that meshing of different tastes, the series still sticks to what it does best --the culture of raising maiko, the comradire of the girls, and really good food. This week's delicacy is Deluxe Pizza, made up of eel, octopus, ham, and sausage with a bit of corn and pineapple for that sweetness. I know this series is probably too quiet to fit tastes necessary for it to be licensed for official release, but I appreciate that Koyama (who's past series are of the same vein) is here to provide the rest and relaxation (and just a bit of sweetness) we need, and that Shounen Sunday exists as a magazine that can give this series a home. 

Honestly I wasn't going to cover Megumi this week since it's getting a color page next week and I covered it the week before this, but many people who visit the blog have commented on the series indicating it has a following, and I'd be remiss not to have this development down in my blog records. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have achieved handholding, this is not a drill. Granted by the end of the chapter, the two are almost miles away and red with embarrassment, but it's a level up. Megumi does pretty well even compared with everything else in the magazine so I doubt Nekoguchi has any real reason to hurry things along --this is most definitely him throwing his fans a bone. It was accidental at first, but then became reciprocated so there's no doubt that this event is the beginning of something, eventually, but no one should think that our author is in any hurry! Really, it's because Megumi (the series) doesn't pull any of the tropes associated with this genre that this development small as it may be feels so...genuine. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that fans of the romantic comedy genre shouldn't be warded off by the fanservice, as Megumi is simultaneously more and less than that. Maybe not all of the T&A is in good taste, but it's never unbearable, and the series is never mean to it's characters for a quick thrill. Nekoguchi has great fidelity with the writing, and that is worth checking out! Megumi will be back next week so no worries on finding out what'll happen next --I got you. 

Souboutei seems to only know "at full speed" when it comes to pacing, so for this week to slow down a bit and really get into the head of one Sakamaki Deido, is telling to how important his story is. A brief aside but it's great how Fujita's art is so distinct that from a distance I can tell where he is in the magazine. Not to disparage the ability of any other artists in the magazine, but Fujita is his own thing, seriously. He has a style that's both messy and refined, emotive yet structured. Sakamaki's sister Shinobu is several moods above as her work is destroyed by her father and her brother shows his own artwork in an effort to cheer her up. Being treated as a child who doesn't know any better and has been "influenced" by Yomiza Tsukihashi really does a number on her...but it's hard to tell really just how good or bad his influence was. Shinobu reminisces on him fondly, but the narrative suggests that this isn't all their was to the relationship all without actually saying whether it was for the better or worse. 

Souboutei at it's heart is about something probably near and dear to Fujita himself --the pursuit of art and it's meaning to the individual. Shinobu despite losing everything due to her overbearing parents still won't allow her brother to say anything about Tsukihashi, and he is the only thing that brings her any sort of happiness anymore. Meanwhile Sakamaki doesn't understand at all how she could find his "awful art" engaging. My thought is that we'll have a better understanding of this as the story unfolds, and it won't be the person "Yomiza Tsukihashi" that Shinobu cares about --no, it'll be something in his artwork that touched her on a personal level that no one in the story can understand. It's this love of artwork that drives young Sakamaki as well, except his is a twisted, obsessive kind of love that isn't entirely malicious but doesn't come from a good place either. Rather than trying to help his sister for her own health, Sakamaki mostly wants her to get over Yomiza because of his "inferior" artwork. 

In one sense this obsession with Yomiza has pushed Sakamaki to really strive for artwork that will wow his sister, but on the other hand it's caused his judgement to cloud over, and the dark tendencies that he had as a child that Shinobu helped keep at bay have returned --the irony that his sister is both his savior and his demon is palatable and whether Fujita meant it to be this way or not is great. Needless to say when a man who might be Yomiza comes to visit Shinobu, pretty much everything within Sakamaki snaps and he attacks. Despite the Sakamaki in the present being pretty straightforward, this mass of emotions that he is as a youth really does explain what he is now. On a final note, I do remember Zanka's flashback where Sakamaki apparently choked his sister to death...and now I simply must know how that became the conclusion to this. 

This week's Xeno is full of surprises! Not only does Hina essentially confess to knowing about the corpse right away, but the chapter itself is essentially an extended flashback. Let me get this out of the way, Hina the sus--er, culprit says she's doing this as judgement against Manami's family the Kuga clan. So a simple case of jealousy this is not! Also worth noting is that this flashback is told from the POV of another character who hadn't appeared up until that point --Kyoshi Fukayama who's Hina's classmate. On one hand it's a bit jarring to hear this story from another character when this case has run longer than anything else Xeno has had before it, but it makes sense as none of the other characters --including Manami would really know much about Hina's motivations. They weren't privy to her as much as Kyoshi was, so it would make sense that he knows things about her that no one else does. Moreover Hina's demure looks hide something way more complex under the surface and Sugiyama's artwork really captures that. 

The two have a strange encounter as their first meeting --Hina would spend all of her time after school writing in a notebook that she then seemingly just tossed away one day. Kyoshi picked it up out of the trash to return to her and she asked him if he read what was inside --Kyoshi admits he could have just said no and avoided a bunch of trouble but something in him told him to answer that he did and thus he was swept into Hina's mad world. She remembers --or specifically knows of a time where their little island was at war, and comments that this "peace" that they live under is created and the island itself has a specialty of "forgetting".  When the two teens explore a "gas mask" factory, the horrors of war that seemed so distant suddenly close in. It's heavily implied (almost straight out said) that this war was probably World War II, and the family that benefited the most from the gas mask creation (and the chemical weapons themselves) were the Kuga family who claimed to have gotten rid of everything after the war, but yet an accident involving a plane crash landing into the island and the fumes that came from this brings this into question and reveals Hina's motive --her mother has been hospitalized for years thanks to this incident. 

So when Hina and Kiyoshi come across the truck dumping the body, it's unsurprising that Hina knowing who the victim is and his relationship to Manami wants to use this as her stand against the Kugas. I like that we're getting exposition as to the sinus that make up this case through an extended flashback rather than a expository dump that this genre sometimes favors. More than Hina's revenge, I'm interested in knowing why Kiyoshi went along with this crazy plan of hers. I'm almost afraid I might be expecting too much from this, in all honesty but so far Xeno has been pretty good --if not sometimes brutal when it comes to character motivations. 

There isn't enough I can say for how much I enjoyed this chapter of Shinobi no, even if I'm a little wary about this direction it's taking. To be fair, reading the series weekly as opposed to over several volumes in a row leads to an air of uncertainty that makes it easy to jump to incorrect conclusions, but it does feel like to me that Ogaki is jerking us around for shock value just a little. Even then however, his artworks is so spellbinding that I can't even be upset at this turn of events, and not only that the pacing is pretty solid too. Pops experiences "death" in the form of spectres from his life that we haven't yet seen until now. I mean, the guy had a wife and sons! That hasn't come up at all in the story! From as far as I can tell, it seems his sons might be alive out there somewhere which has all sorts of interesting implications. To the chapter itself, Pops just counts all the things he's left undone in his life, says his apologies and prepares to rest....except he realizes that he's a fool and hasn't done anything to be satisfied with in his life. The page on the right is pops informing his ancestors that he's not joining them quite yet....

Because "As a Shinobi I'm still lacking."

So rather than looking at this chapter as one that's the "end" it's more like a beginning. In regards to Shinobi no the series --it's still dropping in the sales rankings like a stone, and while it polls well, the fate of the dollar is bound to catch up with it eventually. Still, with an apology to Ii Pops gets back up and despite missing a leg keeps right on going. "Living or Dying it's all work". That's the way Pops, and this whole chapter was a little of both. 

Saike's been also one with interesting pacing lately. Despite this seeming like the final arc, Fukuchi seems content to take his time going through it, yet Ana and Johann being defeated in one chapter seems to indicate that there is an air of definite and deliberate briskness to be had. Now there is the little factoid that Saike's power might render these two losses null and void, and while I'm not usually a blood thirsty beast, it does rob the series of a sense of urgency when deaths can be just undone, as well as making things just a tiny bit predictable. There are a few wild cards in play though --Calim most certainly has a second ability in the wings after being bitten by Hi, and he's been mulling over Hizu's words to him in the previous arc. While it's likely this will end with him coming to the gang's rescue, the "how" is at question here. Oh and of course, Saike himself is still in the middle of his battle with Sieg, and by virtue of being the protagonist his fight doesn't go down nearly as quickly as his friends. Last but not least, Silva is still around...somewhere, and while I don't imagine him being the guy to save the day, his participation will ultimately have to lead to something...right? 

Saike is still fighting despite having no means to use his ability. Will finds this all amusing as evil villains tend to, but I can't help but think he has more than just henchmen in his pocket to throw at Saike for his confidence to be this unshakable. Saike however is proving to be quite resilient, and it's not surprising as to why --he's actually kept his experiences and the loops he's been through each time close to heart. He's no martial artist, but fighting the likes of Sakagami has taught him a few things that he's more than happy to put into use against his current opponent. However, Sieg is more than just a tough customer, he's been said to have the same type of oracle as Saike! I had wondered how this would manifest, and it does so in a surprising way. Whatever he touches rots away, so he's seemingly able to speed up time! I feel like there's more to Sieg than this but he's wisely keeping the extent of his abilities secret. Still that's more than enough to take a bite out of Saike and furthermore he doesn't need any outside conditions to activate his abilities! 

This is admittedly hammy, but I can't help but enjoy that shounen bravado. Sieg says that things that cannot be rewound/returned to a previous state are beautiful, which is why his ability that destroys and cannot be undone is perfect for him --but Saike proclaims that even with his ability he will never be able to rot away his heart. Sieg takes this as a challenge and their battle continues next week --along with something "shocking" if the magazine's flavor text is to be believed. 

Birdmen has several different characters in it's roaster at the moment and that keeps things fresh. It also makes it a bit difficult to really tell where things will end up, and the monthly release schedule in a weekly magazine makes it a little more difficult to recall information than most, but the feeling that things are reaching a head is palatable. I don't think Birdmen is ready to end by any means, but it does feel like a climatic part of the story is coming up what with each side involved in the conflicts gathering their forces. 

At this point it really is about who can get the best players for their teams first. Weirdly enough, because of this we're getting a whole host of new characters this far into the story, all with their own motivations and backstories --so many that I wonder if Tanabe will have time to convincingly tell the stories the audience will need to be able to invest in these characters? One thing that is a shame is when an author miscalculates their estimate in regard to time needed to properly unfurl their story especially in this case where the side characters are interesting enough to be main characters in their own right. I like that we've gotten back to the American group after some time away as their interactions and reason to be has been the most intriguing out of them all so far. They're all so broken and filled with righteous fury....I sort of look forward to when they meet the Japanese Birdmen.

Speaking of meetings, the end of this chapter has Eishi reunite with his father in Brazil --a father who has been mentioned in the story but not seen all that frequently. Not only that, considering Eishi's strained relationship with his mother (he's basically a runaway), I'm sure their discussion will take unexpected turns and I look forward to it. 

Yagyuu sure is taking Memesis to interesting places, I'll say that much. While before I probably commented that the series is "isekai" like in past entries, this week essentially takes that term and runs right off into the distance with it. Kayoko really is just a normal Japanese girl who was transported from her native land to the land of magic and monsters by a magic mirror. I think what just makes this amazing is due to her interest in light novels, voice actors and pop culture that she's --well not okay with this but is a little more accepting than most people would be if they were in their Grandfather's room cleaning one second and in a fantasy land the second. Not only that but no one has the foggiest idea of what she's talking about, hah. This inadvertently creates a whole new class of worldbuilding in Memesis --there are other dimensions similar to ours in this universe. I kind of don't think Yagyuu is going to explore this too deeply however since this comes off as a joke explanation as to why a girl in a school uniform is here with a blaster cannon, so I'm keeping my expectations low. If Yagyuu does feel like getting into this however...

The chapter itself really is a love letter to video games since Kayoko is very much into them --making references to Final Fantasy and the Yakuza series (apparently Ash and Kijira look like the protagonists from those works, according to her.) The poor girl wants to get an autograph from them but can't since her arm is a blaster, and I find that hilarious for some reason. This week's chapter was definitely one for the art books however, as Yagyuu's distinct attention to detail comes through in even the smallest panels like the hallway immediately above this paragraph and Ash/Kijira's clothes int he page above this one. I'm also intrigued by Yagyuu's seeming dislike of men, heh. As now we have Mei who like Rose says that men are monsters and low down. I'm not particularly for or against this, mind you, but it's just interesting he's doubling down on this over two characters. Granted Rose is a little less prickly towards the other gender, I suppose. On that note, the chapter ends with the boys finding her and their elven fan but they've become quite a bit more...rotund since they last saw each other. I've not made any attempt to hide how much I'm fond of Rose, so I'm overjoyed she's back, but I do feel like Yagyuu really has been under utilizing her....but to be fair Memesis has been in a gag bent lately so maybe she'll have more to do once it's ready to go back to being an action manga. 

Returning faces in unfamilar places is the name of the game in this week's Evans. Admittedly I barely remember Matthew the (former) vigilante, but Evans sure does and he doesn't much care for the pretty boy, especially when he has a pretty girl who's dedicated to him tagging along. Even worse that she seems to take some pleasure in dissing Evans by saying she has no idea of who he is despite his reputation. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think jealous Evans is actually funnier than inept Evans. There's just something about watching him silently seethe at Matthew's luck with this woman --Emily that's hilarious and...maybe a smidgen relatable. It's probably  because while Evans usually plays the fool in the series, this week he's the one playing things straight as Emily and Matthew play around doing things like skipping stones. Keep that in mind as it'll play in nicely with the punchline of the chapter.

But yes, as much as Matthew and Emily claim they're not here to play around, it really does come off as if they're trying to make Evans upset which just dials into the humor even more, oddly making Evans seem even more competent than usual? I guess jealousy is a super good motivator, huh? Like he goes out of his way to be really awesome, out gunning and out manning Mathew all throughout. Petty is the name of the game, and it shows on both sides, hah. Despite all of his efforts, Emily is convinced that Evans doesn't want to skip stones with she and Matthew because while he's awesome at being a sheriff, he sucks at something so simple! The Dad speech this week is about letting dumb couples have their fun and walking it off, but Evans in the end can't do it. 

He just takes hold of that pettiness, and lets it fly! This chapter worked for me on several levels, from petty, jealous Evans to the pacing to this wonderful punch line/ending. Kuriyama, can we have more upset Evans please? I honestly think that's when he's at his best! 

This week's Youkai Giga features the "Hohonade" or "Face brusher/cheek brusher) A Youkai that as the name suggests brushes the face of people in the dark. It's kind of akin to one feeling a clammy sensation on their face sometimes but otherwise this particular youkai isn't particularly harmful. In the chapter proper, a Hohonade figures if humans are going to come into her forest to do tests of courage, that she'd might as well give them a cold and clammy hand. She's fine with her lot in life, but something hiding even further into the forest that causes humans to run in fear has her curious. Though she's also aware of her self proclaimed need to remain in her spot and tries to convince herself not to move to check out this other threat --but her convincing herself becomes talking herself into fearing whatever is there instead. She talks a big game and says that if whatever is hiding out there really wants to be scared it can give her a shout out. Except when it really does at the end, she realizes she's really in too deep, hah. I'm not entirely sure what youkai that is or if it is a youkai, but it is pretty terrifying, no lie. 

And that's it for an experimental blog entry! Did you like hearing my impressions more than simply having summaries? Please hit up the comments and let me know. I know for some series I ended up lapsing into bad habits but it was a necessary evil. On that note, I'm having a bit of a rundown of options for future blog entries here so if you could give it a vote I'd really appreciate it! Next week features a lead color page for switch --indicating that Shogakukan really has faith in it, I think. As well as a center color page for both Megumi and Saike! I hope you had a good time hanging out this week and have a great week until the next Sunday(s)!