Weekly Shounen Sunday #6 (2019) Editorial section.

They really do like each other! Is what you could probably read from Chihiro standing up for Yuugami here, but it's still hard to tell where her feelings lie in regard to her anti-social classmate. She's really growing on me --not to say that I didn't like her before. It is her refuting the other class talking smack about Yuugami that gathers the forces in her favor. Not that Yuugami would ever notice, and I have trouble thinking he'd care all that much. Hah. Though that is what makes his character unique. In fact he's watching Rakugo while everyone is defending or detracting against him. In fact he's watching rakugo instead of actually being at the culture fest which should really say a lot about him, haha. 

Though really the whole chapter is about how friendships are a thing that don't necessarily have a singular form. Relationships are weird like that, really, and I like that Yuugami explores that between different characters here. What comes off as antagonistic to some seems normal to others, and people you'd think have absolutely nothing in common end up becoming fast friends. Even the relationship that Chihiro, heck, everyone has with Yuugami wouldn't feel like that of a normal friendship and yet it just sorta just....works. Like Yuugami has a tough time calling Chihiro by her first name because they're just....that's just not how they operate, but I don't think there's any denying that they're really close to each other. 

But I think the most important thing in this chapter and relationships in general (both of the friendship and otherwise variety) is taking interest in each other. Chihiro gets to know Yuugami better by coming to a Rakugo show as do several other students in the class. Although admittedly I don't see Yuugami quite doing the same, I wouldn't quite call this one-sided, as he is intrinsically involved in school life even if it's only incidentally. Yes, a friendship has many forms, but often the same origin --taking interest in and caring about others. 

So now we get to the root of all things...kind of! This week in Evans the revelation is on the table and not surprisingly someone ordered these things to be made, though the group that they've captured really don't know anything about who made the request or why --just how to identify the fakes from the real ones. What's the best thing about the whole development is Pheebs now thinks of herself as an Evans bounty collector (as in bounty posters, not actually his bounty.) I said it before but man, seeing this obsessive side of Pheebs is a little cute despite it's implications of her someday becoming a true-blue Evans stalker. 

Though that's not the end of things there's a final set of bounties out for Evans and this one has a curious little addition to it --they claim Pheebs is his wife! Seems the contractor got some intel that the two are married and Evans rather than addressing this mistake decides to use it as...leverage? It's amazing how he has so much self awareness and so little. So the reasoning behind this is if Pheebs hears this mistake from enough people, maybe just maybe she'll want to date him and clear things up? Astounding. I think there's a "good" frustration that can come from series like this where you wanna yell at the characters to get a clue, but only because you like them so much and want the best for 'em. This is certainly one of those times. 

But when he "nobly" offers to throw out the posters, Pheebs (and keep in mind Evans doesn't know that she's collecting them) Pheebs says she wants to throw them out herself which implies to him that maybe she's not too down for the idea of them dating. It really is just a long road between the two of them, isn't it. Next week seems to be about saving a hostage, so it's hard to tell we'll get more of this arc but I'm down for it either way. Kuriyama really is a talent that seems to get better with age, and even though Evans premise isn't anything deep, it's able to work itself into different forms with ease. 

Lines are drawn and allegiances are made clear with this week's Soubouei. Though in reality it's all but outright said that Sakamaki is working with the alien invaders, and from Shino's actions (and reactions) their relationship as master and servant. Now it's all laid bare as they come to his beck and call and Kurenai even though she's surrounded is ready to fight. Though both sides are ready for a conflict, Sakamaki shatters this by saying he intends to have Kurenai model for him...again. 

And this two page spread is him flat out denying any objections his crew might have to this arrangement. Ahh I will never tire of Sakamaki's ability to emote without emoting very much at all. I don't think any of the other characters have seen this yet --except for Kurenai who's shocked to see that their enemies so easily bend to his will. Though it also makes her realize how precarious her situation really is. All she can do is stave her weapons, strike a pose and buy time until she can find an opening of which to strike him down. 

The chapter then goes to a stream of consciousness where Kurenai recalls her past training in being able to become one with her weapon and move without making a sound. It wouldn't be Fujita without illustrating this training with some of the best art in the magazine. Though having an opening and creating one are two different things. It's here that Kurenai gets Sakamaki's attention the one way she knows how --by bringing up his sister. She understands what she meant that faithful day, and that's enough to get Sakamaki to stop painting. It's probably not a surprise that he's still very much dedicated to her memory, but is Kurenai bluffing or...? 

Marry Grave marches into it's penultimate installment swinging. I love this penchant that artists in this magazine have for putting their best foot forward even in their last moments. it is a little bit of a shame that things are pretty straightforward so there's not much for me to comment on here. If you've been reading my reviews (and lets be real, the scanslations) you know by now what's going on. Snake King is on the attack, Rise and Sawyer are on the attack and Dante is stoned.....

But not for long! I like that he immediately recognizes Sawyer and we're able to stay right in the thick of things. Admittedly the beams of light (or in this case magic) have kind of worn out their welcome. Essentially it's been three weeks of back and forth, and while Yamaji has been bringing his A+ game to the artwork, the story has been straightforward to a fault. I can appreciate that the story is being truncated before it's time, I do know that authors are given quite a bit of a heads up before the curtain is closed. (At least they are in Shounen Jump....maybe Sunday is different? Though even if they are, I can't imagine it being that much so.) I guess I'm just a little bit sad that the finale is more or less "I hit harder than you, so I win" when Marry Grave has been up until this point more heartfelt than your average shounen. Though I love seeing the trio reunited in a sense to do one more great feat of magic, even if the craziness of time has really made the dynamic different. I mean you have Rosalie's (descendant) a grown up Sawyer, and Dante who hasn't really aged a day since then. Wow, saying like this makes me really want to read a manga about their journey. 

Sadly it just wasn't meant to be. At the very least the Snake King is out of the picture this week so the finale can go back to doing what Yamaji does best --tugging at our heart strings. Though your guess is as good as mine in regard to what we can expect from the final chapter. I still want to vainly hope that we'll get some kind of notice of Marry Grave continuing somewhere else, but it's really unlikely. The other thing I want to see is Yamaji sticking with Shougakukan --that much worries me more than the conclusion of the series. Yamaji is a talent and it would really be a shame to see him take his business elsewhere even if it might be for the best. Next week is going to be nerve wracking, and really sad since Marry Grave is only the third series I've covered from beginning to end on the blog. Who else will fall after that? 

The investigation part of the current Xeno case makes it clear that this is only a temporary stop for our favorite amnesiac detective. By the end he's already figured out who dunnit, so what the real interest here is in the stakes. Baron has made it very clear that once he finds out who it was who betrayed him that he'll pay them back in death, and Xeno just can't have that. Though we're getting ahead of ourselves --the investigation is pretty simple, three people bore witness to what happened. Though they all have something in common --they're Baron's lovers??

I guess you can't be a Criminal "informant" without having connections. Ayla's humorous reaction aside, these three ladies all say they saw the same thing but from a different point of view. These testimonials not only are identical, but implicate the other two women in the love triangle. (Would it be a triangle with Baron in the middle? Yes right?) He's of the mind that this was an effort in concert, after all they all stand to inherit a lot if they are to betray him right? 

But Xeno says he knows who did it and there's only one culprit. He's ready to name names and get his deduction underway, but Ayla rightly concerned tries to stop him However in that very well drawn final panel, Xeno says that no one is going to die here tonight. Again, it's less the mystery itself but the stakes that keep this one interesting. What's Xeno to do? If he doesn't tell Baron what he wants to know, then the key to his memories is lost. If he does talk then Baron will kill someone right before his eyes. Can Xeno have his cake and eat it too? Next week is the solution chapter of the arc, and all the questions (and answers) will be laid bare there. 

While last week I was only kind of sure that Memesis might be leaving us, this week leaves me both more convinced and less. Like things are still mostly moving at a snail's pace (Though I suppose that's a by-product of the lower page count), but with Leon still being around, and Demon King officers popping out of the works it does feel like this is the series's swan song. Sadly it does feel like Yagyuu is back to relying on an old standby --the boob joke even in these supposedly final moments. I guess I can't blame him if the series is really wrapping up for him to go with what is clearly his favorite thing, but man...while there probably isn't a way for Yagyuu to directly know this unless readers tell him (and maybe they do?) it's also kind of like does he not realize that maybe, just maybe these kind of jokes are why the series is so low in the TOC and under-performing? Though let me not mislead folks into thinking this is the singular reason --there may be several more at work, but it certainly doesn't help. 

And it's really a shame. Seeing Leon, Ash and Kijira working together (even if they are still at odds) is so much fun, even if it is another sign of the end. Though yeah, it's just as I said, not a whole lot actually happens this week other than boob humor which I don't really have anything against until it's used in place of actual story development or actually funny jokes. Still we'll see whether Memesis is singing it's swan song or has more to go in the following weeks. 

This week's Youkai Giga features the Kanbari Nyudo. A ghostly youkai that hangs outside of bathrooms on New Years Eve. It looks very similar to a priest with robes and a haircut to match. Most things about this Youkai from it's origin to it's name's origin are a mystery since it only appears once at the end of the year. In Satou's take, a little Tanuki and a Kanbari Nyudo watch over a young couple about to take their relationship more seriously. They seem to know the couple well enough and the Tanuki asks the priest-like youkai if they'll last very long. The boy is a nice guy and very gentle, but has a tough time telling the girl he likes how he feels, so he thinks it's unlikely they'll last very long. The priest-like youkai disagrees and it's just then that the boy confesses and the girl agrees to go out with him. Kanbari Nyudo says it's similar to a bathroom where people are at their most unguarded. As he spies on people in the bathroom he says he knows what their true characters are, and from there he knows how genuine the booy is in his feelings. ....It's kind of deep and a little cool until you remember of course that he was peeping on people in the bathroom, hahah.

And that's it for this week's editorial section! Ah I can't even deny it, I just didn't feel like writing this as quickly as I did the Features. Though next week is the second year anniversary of the blog so I hope I can motivate myself to get that writeup out on time! Thanks for being patient and look forward to it! See you then!!