Naruto 459: Sakura's Decision

Kishimoto has always been good at keeping his readers guessing. This five Kages summit arc is turning out to be quite tense and twisty. This chapter begs the question, who is Danzo? This is a question I have been asking myself. I hypothesized he was Madara Uchiha a while back, but as usual, I was proven wrong.

The Hyuga moderator (Ao) possesses Byakugan, and finds that Danzo has the internal chakra readout of Uchiha Shisui...so apparently Danzo's limb and eye transplant came from the dead Shisui. Interesting development.


The end is the best part, setup for next chapter. Zetsu attack! And hopefully a battle with him soon to come (Gaara please)! Apparently Sasuke is in the room somewhere; it's hard to tell whether or not Sasuke and his crew will start doing their own thing independently from the remnants of Akatsuki. One will have to see what the future brings. I can't help but feel that the Naruto series will be drawing to a close in the next year or two.

Bleach 369: Spit On Your Own God

The deciding battles commence! And one might say that it's about time. As excited as I was when the Vizards appeared a few chapters ago, that excitement has since worn off and I'm dying for some much needed plot. Nonetheless this is a good chapter indeed with Soifon/Hachigen combo at the forefront vs Espada #2(?) Barragan. Apparently the number 2 can make Kido and missiles age (why am I not surprised).


Hachi has some very nice defensive Kido abilities, which are (and was) to be expected. For much of this chapter this former vice-captain of the Kido corps is building his defensive barrier around Barragan. And why? So Soifon can fire a nuke right into the barrier of course. The chapter answers the question how does one defeat death? Well...conquer age of course!


Naturally, Soifon wants something for her troubles. She has no reason to Bankai just for Hachi, so a deal is made. Urahara must be imprisoned by Hachi for a month post-battle. Interesting. The deal is made, and a sweet explosion ensues. Explosions are always a plus in my book. And so ends a nice, taut 19 pages of tepid mayhem. Looking forward to the Harribel/Lisa fight. It could be next in line, but I'm not banking on it. Lisa's my personal favorite Vizard, next to Shinji and Mashiro.

Return/Renovation

Well...it's been awhile but I'm back and I've decided to do some blog renovation. I've changed the layout so that it may be a bit less cluttered and more aesthetically pleasing. In the future weeks to come I will only be reviewing three series, and those series are Shonen Jump's big three: Naruto, One Piece and Bleach. Those are the three I'm also currently most familiar with. For now I've also decided against the implementation of multimedia. Since I've posted my video links from youtube in the past, if I continued to do so now and into the future there is no guarantee that those links may never be broken (and broken links are tacky!). This blog's only real purpose is to review new, hot manga, and that's what it will continue to do. My plan is to review OP, Naruto and Bleach every Friday (by the end of the day); this week it will be on Saturday. I still welcome comments and thoughts! I know my theories are not the best ones out there! xD!!!

Short Break

As I have been really busy lately, I'm going to be taking a short break from my weekly blog posts. This break shouldn't last too long, and I expect that I'll be posting again on a weekly basis by mid-June. Anyway, I hope everyone who reads/visits this blog is well and having a great Spring!!

One Piece 540: LV6 Infinite Hell

Well, since there are no WSJ chapter's out this week, I thought I'd save one of last week's to review now. Oda's color spread is quite nice this time around, and typically nostalgic (it's been awhile since I've seen the Luffy's crew together in any respect). I'm going to make a bold claim and say that I think he consistently produces the most nuanced color spreads out of all the current Mangaka who write/draw for WSJ (and that's not to say that he is necessarily the best, but definitely the most detailed). One Piece has always been great for its variety.

This OP chapter rounds out a really excellent set of last week's chapters (makes sense to give the readers something really good before Golden Week). Ace's execution is fast approaching. Luffy and his 'new crew' arrive at his cell, but alas, Ace has been (or should I say, is being) transferred to Marine Headquarters. It seems this arc (Impel Down) is approaching its end, and Level 6 appears to be Luffy's last pit stop. After escaping the Infinite Hell trap (during which we get to see Inazuma's Choki Choki ability), Luffy picks up two more 'criminals' for his rebel gang.

Crocodile is really one of those characters that I love to hate. I truly loathe him, but the guy is a quote machine, and he is more often than not, memorable. All in all it's good to see him again, this time on the right side (or at least on a more neutral side). Jimbei (the last introduced 'Warload of the Sea'), will undoubtedly make a nice addition to the crew as well. I must say that I'm really really psyched for the next arc, and the huge battle at Marine HQ. Hopefully Luffy's original crew will be arriving as well; although, as to how they will be, one still has yet to see. I can't help but think that something of CP9 caliber is soon coming; and Oda never fails to disappoint.

Bleach 355: Azul-Blood Splash

Lots going on in Bleach this week. It seems as if all the captains (or at least the three currently in battle) are at a major disadvantage, and the purpose of this chapter is to point that out. The only fight that doesn't seem to be going too badly is one between Shunsui and Stark, and even then, the former is the first one to bleed. It seems that Soifon and Omaeda don't stand a chance against the initally weaponless Barragan. Somehow he managed to exhaust both of them just sitting in his throne.

A cool addition to this chapter: Barragan's throne collapses into his weapon; appropriately, a massive axe. The bottom line now is, if Soifon doesn't perform Bankai, or no one comes to her rescue (which is fairly likely), she is toast.

Halibel's release! And a sweet one it is. Simple but effective, as everyone who reads the chapter comes to find out, she now bears the semblance of a shark, and she has finally lost that ugly face mask. I don't know if it's just me, but her right arm looks a lot like Nightmare's Soul Edge from Soul Caliber. Anyway, the repercussions of her resurreccion have a much greater impact than those of a purely aesthetic, external transformation.

I don't know why I'm so pumped to see Hitsugaya cleaved in two; it's nice to see him get put in his place. In the course of one frame he is taken out of the battle, and this is a testamest to just how powerful Halibel really is (as one would expect from the 3rd Espada). However she did halve Hitsu, I have no idea, but whoever is up to fight her next is in for one hell of a ride. All in all, this was another amazing chapter in a recent series of amazing chapters. I look forward to the next in a couple of weeks; I'm hoping Soifon releases her Bankai; it's been a absolute eternity since Ikkaku first showed off his. Vizards should be showing up soon to provide some much needed backup.

Bakuman 35: Happiness and Sadness

Yet another excellent chapter in the Bakuman canon. As expected, Ashirogi Muto as made their (his) way into serialization, but unfortunately as we find here, at the expense of their manager Hattori. Happiness and sadness, the ever present dichotomy this time around has a particular relevance as Tagaki and Mashiro are forced to deal with the changes (good and bad) that come with finding success within the manga industry.

Changes abound. It's a bit unfortunate to have to see Hattori go, but it proves for the better. Miura, while initially overbearing and excessively extroverted, proves to calm Ashirogis' fears about the next step. Inasmuch, Miura appears to know a lot about the business side of the manga industry. Apparently the output that comes with serialization (the tankobon) is the most important thing. High initial expenses for the mangaka come in the form of assistants.

I suppose one the common stereotypes of manga assistants is that they tend to be idiosyncratic. And while everyone has their own special idiosyncraticies (apparently that is a word), assistants have them in excess. I'm sure many well-received, published mangaka can attest to this fact (I know D.Gray-man's Katsura Hoshino can). Anyway, it will be interesting to see over the next few chapters, the various quirks and weird behavior that will be displayed by Mutos' three new assistant artists. All in all, there's a lot to look forward to. As with everything I love about Bakuman; it's all about the process and embracing the changes that come with it.