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?