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.

Classic Page of the Week #3

Claymore 23: Marked for Death 6

Epic Battles Week #8

Death Note: Light vs. L

While this short fight is not particularly long or visceral, it has style. It also breaks some of tension that has been broiling between Light and L up until this point in the series. I take this exchange to be mostly humorous (excluding Misa, who's just annoying as usual), mainly because both characters have finally released all of their silent scorn for each other in such an ironic fashion: when they have been chained together; thus when one hits the other, both are simultaneously brought down.

Both characters are so distanced intellectually, when paired together at such a short range, it's not surprising that they might feel the physical inclination to beat each other up. Inasmuch, there can be no true winner, as Light and L are ostensible equals (at least physically). In an abstract sense, I think both Light and L's fighting styles correspond respectively to their intellectual methodologies.

Anyways, enjoy. I couldn't find an adequate sub for this, but the English dub is pretty good and not quite as painful as the some of the other Jump series' dubs.

Bleach 354: Heart

Geez...I'm late again this week, and to review an amazing chapter. Ulquiorra gets his final sentimental sendoff. As he came to realize more about the meaning of humanity in "The Ash," here he comes to terms with the human heart; and soon after he dissolves into nothingness, we are given a nice image of the 4th's sealed hollow hole, implying that he finally understands the implications of the term 'heart,' those being friendship and love.

Speaking of heart, Yammy's release was a shocking turn of events to say the least. All of Ichigo's friends looked like they were about to have a heart attack after the fact (and to be honest, they don't stand a chance anymore). Last week (pardon me, week before last) I thought Yammy was going to be getting killed off quickly, but damn was I wrong. It turns out that this moron is the pivot point for all of the Espada numbers. With Yammy unreleased, the Espada number from 1-10, released, they number from 0-9!!! This is interesting, but I'm supposing Yammy will not have much more than brute strength to rely on despite his new top ranking status. Someone unbelievably strong will have to take him out. Unohana may have a fight coming for her yet, and it would be great to see her in action. All-in-all this is an amazing plot twist (it gave me a good laugh and shocked me at the same time). I suppose no character should go underestimated in this series.

So many nice things in this chapter. Finally, a transition back to Kawakura town, and it looks like Hitsugaya is being put in his place by #3 Espada Halibel. She may be a bit overexcited though, as I don't know why she couldn't just kill Hitsu unreleased (it would make logical sense that she could), as she was giving him a royal beating before the two and half months of Ichigo vs Ulquiorra. Nonetheless, I'm pumped to see her release later this week. To be honest, I have no idea what's going to happen. Kubo manages to surprise me on a weekly basis.

Classic Page of the Week #2

One Piece 398: Proclamation of War

Epic Battles Week #7

Elfen Lied: Lucy vs. Nana (1st meeting)

This more macabre, unconventional series has a lot to offer to those willing to wade through it (and that's not to say it doesn't have its fun moments). It's not for everyone though. Those who really enjoy psychologically complex (deeply flawed) characters and a mature plot will enjoy Elfen Lied. This battle, one of the more visceral in the series, is a good example of a fight that relies less on flashiness and power-ups (unlike so many of the Jump battles); instead it gets to the brutal, cruel heart of the matter without any prolonged staginess. I would call this exchange epic because it is both unusual and controversial.

WARNING: This scene is especially graphic, so watch at your own discretion.

Bakuman 33: Yes and No

One Piece and Naruto were both great this week, but in my opinion Bakuman took the cake. It really is incredible how what seems to be a primarily didactic manga is able to relay such tension. Truthfully I would expect nothing less from the authors of Death Note. The question that pervades this chapter is will Ashirogi Muto's Detective Trap get serialized? And even though we don't get an answer, we get a simultaneously humorous, informative and nerve-racking look at the Jump name selection process.

Dreams are held by a loose line in the chapter, as each name's author (or authors) are the potential prey of a wizened Jump staff. Yes and no are the two words that will ultimately determine the rest of these aspiring artists' lives.
Mashiro and Tagaki's nervousness is palpable throughout these 19 pages. Their tense behavior is quite realistic and humorous; I can relate because I have gone though several of these determinative situations in my life; most to a lesser extent (as I'm sure most everyone has at some point). I can recall waiting for the results of several grade determining tests, or silently suffering while an opponent makes a conclusive move in a game of go; and while these experiences of mine certainly don't measure up to the fictional Mashiro and Tagaki's, my internal expression during such times of choice ridden hardship is not dissimilar to the expressions on the above panel: ready to have a heart attack from anticipation.

Soul Eater 60: Operation: Seize Baba Yaga's Castle 15

Arachne is dead (but then again you never know....)! There are a lot of villains dying for the better in a number of chapters this week. Maka and Soul pull out all the stops and their best resonance ability, Demon Hunter is unleashed for the second time. In one fell swoop, they obtain Arachne's soul, but the celebration is brief.

It was pretty obvious that Medusa had to have some kind of ace in the hole, and now we see that her endgame was to inhabit Arachne's body after her soul's death/release. This was a somewhat interesting turn of events, as I like Medusa's character quite a lot (and it's good to see that she'll be around awhile longer), but it was also pretty predictable; seeing that Medusa has had the propensity to switch bodies whenever doing so could secure her safety or gain her some kind of advantage.

The best part of this chapter was undoubtedly the appearance of Death Scythe Tezca Tlipoca and his technician (a monkey!!!) Enrique. It'll be interesting - in time - to see a non-human technician battle with a humanoid blade. For now, Medusa retreats, and with that this arc will soon be coming to a close (soon being anywhere from a month to half a year). There still are some loose ends to tie up: how will Death the Kid be saved from Noah's book (who will do the saving?), and what will become of Chrona?

Bleach 353: The Ash

Kubo must have been in a really good mood when he drew this. He's been doing some nice spreads of the Bleach ladies lately, but in my opinion this is the best of them. NEEEEE-SAAANNNNNNNNN!!!

The final Ulquiorra chapter arrives! Things here are resolved quite nicely: Ichigo regresses back to his former self; he acknowledges the unfair nature of their battle; and the 4th precipitates into ash. Suffice it to say, these last three months of Ichigo vs Ulquiorra have been quite satisfying in retrospect. Ichigo has evolved again, but it's a evolution that he doesn't take to kindly; and will likely become a great obstacle for him in the future.

The last few panels of this chapter saddened me to an extent. Ulquiorra has grown to be one of my all time favorite characters, and I've always felt like there was some deeply walled-up conflict within him, urging his soul away from his singular-purposed innately logical nature towards the realization of the human heart's global capacity: its capacity to create its own purpose. It seems like, at the moment of his death, he realizes that there is more to his soul's capacity than the fear he lived to instigate (as a weapon created by Aizen); instead he dies pitied and forgiven, and for that reason perhaps, his existence is rejected. But his soul is redeemed in the end. Poetic moments like these are what make Bleach so raw and edgy. Anyway...it's time to move on. Kill off Yammy, move towards fake Kawakura town and get ready for the apocalyptic battles against the final 3 Espada.

Epic Battles Week #6

Soul Eater: Black Star vs. Mifune (1st battle)

This melee was a great way to introduce Black Star as an excellent fighter and as someone who can at least partially back up his massive ego. It's a very 'clean' fight and the animation here is second to none. Soul Eater has a great many things going for it. An excellent sense of humor that is merged together nicely with its more serious and morbid sequences impels me to recommend it highly.

(Classic) Page of the Week #1

So...recently I decided not to do page of the week mainly because I began to feel that it was becoming something of a lost cause (in retrospect, it was a naive effort). I don't read every manga that comes out on a weekly basis, as that would be practically impossible, or at least unreasonably time-consuming (not to mention I would have to be 'up' on every current series out there). For this reason I cannot ever really make a good assessment of what 'the page of the week' is (there are often too many great single pages and double page spreads to make a choice between all of them); and while I do like to have an opinion, an opinion about a 'best page' that covers only 5 - 10 mangas on a weekly basis is a very weak representative sample.

Anyway, I've now decided to implement a 'classic' page of week that will look at great single pages (and/or spreads) from the past. By doing this, I hopefully will be able to justify my opinion on what I consider 'the best' to be, and predicate it less on a whim; more concretely, and out of the realm of highly biased opinionated subjectivity.

Side Note: These pages will often contain big spoilers, so read/look at them with appropriate discretion. Also, I will not comment of these pages, as they should speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Death Note 58: Feelings Within

Naruto 442: The Last Gamble!!

Nice color panel by Kishimoto this week. In a way I think it signifies the coming end of this Naruto vs. Pain fight (although, I initally thought this battle was going to be over a couple of weeks ago). There is definitely some finality insinuated by the phrasing of this introduction. Chapter 442 is a bit shorter than usual (and I think I know the reason why), but is still satisfying and compact nonetheless.

I wonder how much energy it must take to draw so many Naruto's? It's only fitting that at the end of this battle Naruto uses his classic 'Shadow Clone no Jutsu' to pummel Pain. This chapter finds Naruto at his best. He truly has come to be a fighting genius with a flair for the deceptive.

I love this poetic last blow! It's only appropriate that Naruto finishes Pain with the move that Jiraiya taught him. Now, seemingly, Naruto has surpassed his mentor. The nostalgic overtones of this last scene reflect the proud relationship between tutor and student; and in the end it is the student that brings the greatest honor to the mentor: with a learned fury, a high character and an intelligent mind. All in all, an amazing chapter to wrap up an incredible, high-stakes battle.

New Prince of Tennis 3: The True Strength of the High Schoolers

I'm so pumped about this new series! When Prince of Tennis finished up almost a year ago, I was a bit depressed because I knew then that there wasn't going to be any resolution to the Echizen vs. Nanjiro storyline (which was how I thought the series should naturally end). I was pleasantly surprised when, a year later, Takishi Konomi graced us, succeeding the original storyline and ushering his audience into "The Golden Age." Thank you Jump Square for publishing the new Prince (even if it is now only on a monthly basis xD).

The first three chapters of this series appear to a refresher/crash course on the main characters/players from the original series, with an emphasis on their special abilities. In this chapter we get a cursory look at the new players that have been brought into the fold: the high schoolers, who undoubtedly are a higher caliber set of prodigies than anyone Echizen or his Seigaku brethren have yet faced.

It appears that the MO of this (high school representative) selection camp is to divide the many players up in a less than usual manner: matching through a seemingly random shuffle. The objective of the chosen players is to beat their opponent and "get them demoted" so that the winner may make their way to the top of the above pictured pyramid, where, presumably, they face their toughest opponent. In all likelihood, many of these familiar (post as well as non-post) middle-school players are going to get routed out by their older opponents; this will affect their chances of being accepted into the U-17 camp. All in all, whoever doesn't win will end up reinforcing that classic Echizen motto: "Mada Mada Dane."


So, next month it looks like there's going to be a Momoshiro match to look forward to (*crosses fingers* hopefully the fourth chapter will be less introductory than the last three). I for one am looking forward to seeing who plays the new 1st court opponent Tokugawa Kazuya, who looks thoroughly intimidating. And if the sadistic Kirihara is scared stiff by him, whoever is unlucky enough to be shuffled onto his court is in for a royal beating.

Bleach 352: The Lust 6

Double Bleach review for the week as promised. Luckily the enhanced Ichigo/doubly released Ulquiorra battle is not over (we all know that ending would have been extremely weak). After the cero blast last chapter, our cuarto Espada has been reduced to head, torso and right arm. Ichigo prepares to finish him off, but Ishida intervenes, trying to serve as a surrogate moral conscience, telling him/it not to kill Ulquiorra in a savage, merciless manner. This turns out to be a bad mistake (and in my opinion betters the chapter).

Commence the stabbings! Ishida gets a sword in the chest for his intervention. It becomes evident that Ichigo now has one purpose: to kill the fourth and save Orihime (as one can ostensibly interpret his insane mumbling in such a way); consequently everyone and everything else is an obstacle in his way until (maybe) he finishes his objective. Anyway - in my morbid opinion - it's good to see that not everything turns out, or will turn out well (as Ishida himself had foreseen a few chapters ago) in the short and/or long term. Letting the heroes suffer builds their character. It would make me so pleased to see Orihime reach her breaking point and go berserk. Honestly, every time Orihime's appeared for the last years worth of chapters or so, she's continually looked to be on the verge of crapping her pants (or, pardon me, robes).

Yammy's back, and he's....bigger!? Maybe this is his release; and if so, an anticlimactic release it is....but I hope not. Anyway, he'll likely be dead soon. I personally hope Chad gives him a good reaming in the next few chapters. A good battle of strength would be a fitting swan song for the moronic, annoying décimo.

Nice ending! Ulquiorra still has some fight left in him, and he's regenerating himself. But by the look of the last panel, I'd say this fight is more or less over. I think this last move by the fourth in all likelihood was sacrificial and meant to catch Ichigo off-guard. Guesses for the next chapter: The Lust 7 (final), wrap up this battle and maybe Yammy's; provide some resolution to the Ichigo issue (but not too much); get ready to head back to fake Karakura Town.

Bleach 351: The Lust 5

Glad to get some dialogue in this chapter (or at least more than has been offered over the last month or two). The cuarto Espada is coming to the stark realization that his defeat is perhaps imminent, and by the last panel it is (or is it??). Time to use that special ability.

So we get a bit of exposition on how Ulquiorra's ability is most prominently defensive (which is obvious, as his regenerative abilities were made clear much earlier), and so he lacks a bit offensively. His ability 'Lanza del Relampago' (literally, 'Lance of Lightning') is nothing too special, but it is strong. And, as Ishida points out, Ulquiorra can make make multiple lances (is it just me, or does this lance thing seem a bit 'Nelish'?). Predictably though, the new - Vasto Lorde? - Ichigo easily overcomes Ulquiorra and, in the end, pins him down, preparing to devastate him with a full frontal cero.

I'm not complaining or anything, but Ichigo seems a bit too powerful here. It's not like I want Ulquiorra to win or anything, but something's just a bit unfair about what happened. All I have to say is that Ichigo better come to suffer severe (long term) mental consequences for his now substantially increased fighting ability. Ulquiorra's slightly depressed, resigned nature at the end here is a bit humorous. After two releases he still can't win, if I was him at this moment I think we would be in collective agreement: "you know what, screw it!!"

Epic Battles Week #5

Claymore: Teresa of the Faint Smile (No. 1) vs. Priscilla (No. 2), Irene (No. 3), Noel (No. 5) and Sophia (No. 4)

Back from break and kicking off the first week of April in an epic fashion. I've just recently delved into Claymore and it's quickly turned out to be one of my favorites. This battle in particular is one of the most important, epochal sequences in the entire series. During the course of this fight the stakes are continually raised and the entire future of the series comes to be predicated on its tragic final moments.