Weekly Shounen Sunday #41 (2018) Editorial section.

And now that you've had some facts, it's time for some opinions! ....That sounded way better in my head.

First off is Xeno. The case really does seem to have started anew (along with the reset of chapter numbers) as this chapter was basically exploration with little to no new information that'd be pertinent to the case at hand. (Though there was a bit more on the Christian influences that drive the Kuga clan) Manami has started to really be driven by how much she wants find the truth hidden by her family thus making her a bit more compelling as a character. I'm actually really happy for this as it shows strength in the writing for her to go from spoiled mistress to seeker of justice. Though she did have to go through quite a bit of loss to get this far, admittedly. I actually would like to see her become a character in the series in her own right even after this arc is done! In fact she is the one to discover something in the floor of the storehouse before the lights go out and a fire threatens the group. 

Whatever this discovery is, it's enough for someone disguised in a suit of armor to attack her. Or is it she was their target regardless of what she saw? I mean to get into that outfit means there had to be some premeditation, I think. This Xeno chapter was a quick read, but was no less exciting because of it. 

Y'know I had been wondering for a while when the enemy would figure out that Takoha is bad news for them despite his overwhelming normalness. Turns out that's this week as Shino returns and recounts the events that have lead them to this critical juncture. She's seen many people fall to the evil that is the Souboutei, but then there's Takoha who each and every time has been able to bring people back from the brink despite having no real abilities of his own. She mentions Rokuro of a matter of course too, but even he would have been Souboutei feed if it weren't for Takoha. It was that bravery that even allowed him to resist being possessed by Shino! Just what the heck is going on here? 

I like that the conclusion that Shino --an otherworldly being in human form comes to is that "Bravery" is a contagion and Takoha/Rokuro are patient zero. It really does make sense when you think about her(it's?) struggle up until now and how everything has been falling apart ever since these two entered the picture. And as seen above to the right in a small panel, it's the one thing that Shino can't understand about human beings, and I even think there's a small implication that she may be just a little jealous of these folk and their ability to summon something as immaterial as bravery to stand up to the very real threats that the souboutei posesses. I can't say I know where Fujita is going with this, but I can speculate --perhaps we might see Shino do an about face in the future? 

For now at least, she's reacting the way that our body would to a contagion --kill it, and kill it fast. I didn't realize one of the sisters was still possessed by the Souboutei (so much is going on so I might have just forgotten.) But she, along with all of the zombies are teaming up to kill this disease called "bravery" before it spreads any further! Luckily Zanka, Seiichi and Kaerikuro are there in the gap between bravery and ability to assist Takoha and Rokurou, but it's going to be a heck of a battle. Oh and I couldn't do a review of this without mentioning Fujita's artwork at least once --he really is just a master of over the top expressions and imposing panels like the one above. 

To my surprise, Dante just...leaves this week in Marry Grave. I sort of thought the death flags were fluttering for the guy, but no, he just up and walks out. His reasoning is pretty solid though --and I'll get into that in just a minute. Dante's always been the odd man out in this story since he hasn't been mentioned in the present, despite his importance in this flash back. After all Sawyer would have died if he hadn't begrudgingly asked him to come along. Though interestingly enough when he talks to Rozalie in regards to her telling him --Sawyer about her actual magical abilities, he tells her there isn't a need. It's not as if it'd do anything to improve things between them after all. Though he also throws in that she's free to do whatever she wants as if he's not going to be around to talk to here after this. 

Ultimately Dante leaves Capeside because his convictions have been shaken after watching Rozalie and Sawyer fight for what they believe in despite the consequences. Not only that he too has something he needs to do and thus has to leave now. It occurs to me that we really don't know too much about Dante and while that was obviously by design, it's interesting to think of it from a POV of him not knowing much about himself either. Though yes, it's after watching the two lovebirds confront their problems head on that really got him wondering about what it is he should be doing and how he should approach it, promising to meet them again as a stronger, better person. 

So this isn't farewell in the sense of never again, but a "See you later". Rozalie wants to go after Dante, but Sawyer despite his tears as seen above says there's no need as he believes Dante will come back. Of course one has to wonder about that since the current series takes place quite some time after this flashback, and even Rozalie was already an old woman when Sawyer was brought back. I admit I didn't have much to say about Dante when he was around but now that he's gone, his importance to the events of the story have become clear. Now we're at a crossroads with the plot as it seems like this flashback is winding down --or is it? Yamaji has several routes he can take in the upcoming weeks and I look forward to seeing what he'll ultimately decide to do. 

It really is Leon! Though I guess there was little to no doubt that he'd be around since he more or less said it himself a few weeks back. I'm down for this because we've only really seen the "Legend of Leon" in flashbacks told from the point of view of a very spiteful Ash and Kijira, or others who have hyped up his legend (even if it is deserved.) So now the man, the myth, the legend is among us and Yagyuu spared no expense in giving him one heck of an entrance! Not only that but he manages to save the group who got decapitated from becoming Demons themselves and the princess Linda in a few pages. I'm personally torn on this as it resets everything that's occurred in this arc to zero without any effort at all, but at the same time this is what Leon has been all about --and I like the idea that he really is as strong as his reputation details rather than being all rep and no bite. It's also great that even Ash and Kijira question how he was able to so easily revive their friends. 

Though that leaves Runlun and her demonic gears which Leon promptly mocks. Yagyuu has some impressive comedic pacing since the chapter went from despair to hilarity in only a few panels, and there's no sense of whiplash. He even goes on to mock her name and with that the battle between them begins. Ash and Kijira can't have Leon taking all of their cred however, and charge right in! Honestly? I'm kind of anticipating seeing the three of them fight together in the present story since before this all we got was a bit of background filled in by the two. Not only that, despite Leon abandoning them, he doesn't seem at all opposed to fighting alongside his former comrades which leads me back into wondering just what his deal is? It seems like he's actually more helpful than harmful, and as I pointed out in past chapters, he astutely pointed out their weaknesses (in an admittedly jerk-ish way) and they've improved accordingly. I don't get the idea that Memesis is going anywhere so Leon's appearance doesn't set off any "early cancellation" alarms, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see him return this early into the story and it does get me wondering what will happen after the dust settles? 

This week's Evans sees the return of Matthew the outlaw and a case of popularity boosting drinks. You know Evans is going to be all in for something like that despite it possibly being a scam, so when Matthew brings it to his attention, he goes along under the pretense of shutting this scam down. To Evans' credit he really does  seem suspicious of this salesman's wiles even pointing out that there isn't a discernible way of telling if the drink really will boost popularity. Of course this is Evans so misunderstandings are part of the game. Evans steps on stage to try some of the stuff himself but the sales-guy seeing that he's a sheriff assumes he's here to shut him down. Though in reality Evans is just living up to a lesson his pa taught him--

Which is to be a man who accepts any challenges. I guess Kurt believes it's better to do and regret than to don't and and regret. Though in this case it's a little of both as even after Evans tries the tincture and Matthew asks a woman who she'd date between the two of them --she still chooses Matthew. At least it proves that the drink is a fake and they're able to bring the guy in, but yikes that has to be a big shot to Evans' pride. Don't worry though --you weren't the only one fooled as Pheebs proves at the end of the chapter with a pretty hilarious punch line (take note of the bottle she has.) Next week promises a new arc of Evans and considering how those have been pretty good, I'm excited.

It's basically confirmed at the end of this chapter of Shinobi no that the ending is upon us soon, and even if the editorial staff didn't spell it out, the fact that events in the manga have more or less eschewed historical context for straightforward fighting pretty much settles it. It's a real shame --not even scanslators have touched Shinobi no, and now it's pretty unlikely they ever will since there's rarely a reason to work on cancelled series unless it's at a translator's whim. I'll at least give Ogaki credit that he's going out with a literal bang, and seeing Toudou and Pops looking so similar to each other and taking down their opponents with flair was really cool to see, even if it feels like Saitou and Hattori went down far too easily for opponents that have been depicted as tall walls for the heroes to overcome for some time now. 

Still one can't deny how awesome this looks. The end of chapter text says that next week will feature the confrontation between Pops and Sakamoto, and in all honesty I can't help but feel an anticipatory sense of disappointment since with only about four or five chapters left there probably isn't going to be much of a confrontation at all, but those are the breaks in the manga world. I can only hope that whatever conclusion Ogaki is able to weave out of this is at least fitting even if it's not the most optimal.  

Johann was the star of this week's chapter and I enjoyed seeing his development go from misguided villain to man filled with new purpose. Fukuchi has gotten pretty good at metaphors as his manga career has marched on and I feel like Saike is the sum of this --especially with the nature of his ability --spinning things at top speed to deadly result. Johann equates this to "always spinning in the same place" in regard to how he was before his confrontation with Saike in the last volume, the stunting of his growth due to his hatred towards those without abilities. That being said, even with a rearrangement of fighters, Sieg's ability is still a tough one --and as you can see above Johann is still struggling against him. I'd really like to see more of Sieg's past like we did Pedro, honestly. I feel like it's pretty likely as Fukuchi has heavily implied there's a reason why he's here working for the likes of Will, unlike their last opponent who just seemed to be in it for the evilulz. 

Though at least for this week Johann's finding a new sense of purpose was the focus, and while I'm not sure at all how he managed to reform from being a dismembered pile of body parts, it's great that he's more than a vehicle for revenge, and hasn't forgotten about his love Sumire and his promise to her. Like Xeno which opened up this editorial piece, this was a transitional chapter, but a necessary one. 

This week's Youkai Giga features the "aka shita" or "red tongue" who are primarily known as harbingers of bad luck and evil who act as executors of punishment in water disputes. In the manga proper, this week is a tale of a young aka shita and it's master who looks more human than Youkai. The little one wants to go out scaring humans, but the master is tired from a day out and just wants to chill. The little one is pretty insistent that this is their way of life, and eventually the master gives in and follows it to the night's scare victim --a young girl. The little one is about to get to it when the master stops it and points out that the village is in disrepair and she's probably been working herself all day long so it'd be cruel to shake her out of sleep when she's tired. The girl wakes up and seems to recognize the master asking why he's here at night as well, but he cajoles her back to sleep and the two leave. 

....Wait, master what exactly are you out during the day doing? He doesn't say, but he does glibly comment that there are different ways to interact with humans after all. Heh, quite the implication there Satou. Though hey, he's not wrong, and that's all in what Youkai Giga has been up until this point --the different ways humans and youkai interact with each other. Sometimes friendly, sometimes really friendly wink, wink, nudge, nudge and sometimes not so friendly.

And that's it for the editoral section of issue #41! If you're looking for the preview, color pages, and other features of the magazine, then head back to the "features" section. I'm definetly finding this way of writing the blog to be much easier to do, but what's most important is how much you like reading it, so please by all means let me know! Until next week take care.