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.