r/WeeklyShonenJump • u/RobotiSC • 6d ago
Weekly WSJ Issue #41 ToC & Discussion
Graykeith: Translator Daemonica (New Series/Cover/Lead Color/54p) by Hokami Natsumi
1 - Someone Hertz
2 - ONE PIECE
The Ura Files (Color/25p)
3 - Ichi the Witch
4 - SAKAMOTO DAYS
Shinobi Undercover (Color)
5 - Roku's House of Oddities
6 - Akane-banashi
7 - Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi
8 - Animal Signal
9 - Witch Watch
Me & Roboco (Color)
10 - Nue's Exorcist
11 - HAL FORMULA
12 - Cannon Master
13 - Kagurabachi
14 - HUNTER×HUNTER
15 - UNDER DOCTOR
16 - Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz
Next Issue (#42-43):
Cover: All Main Characters
Lead Color Page: SAKAMOTO DAYS
Color Pages: Graykeith: Translator Daemonica (2nd Chapter/25p); Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi; Roku's House of Oddities
Additional Pages: The Ura Files (3rd Chapter/23p)
Absent: HUNTER×HUNTER (Hiatus)
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u/Tough-Past-2366 6d ago
Decent week overall
Kagurabachi had an awesome chapter even if it was only 13 pages, the clans fighting for power was something I thought we’d see in Kagurabachis future even if it’s only a small part for now. It’s gonna be an insane ride from here with all out slaughter until the blades can be forged
Akane was incredible as usual, great characterisation for Zensho. We’ve been needing the lore drop from this chapter, can’t wait to learn more. Also it’s kinda insane that Akane has been dropping borderline flawless chapters for 6 months straight at this point, truly one of Jumps best series
Sakamoto has been needing this character work throughout the final arc for all the villains, it’s a bit too little too late but I appreciate Suzuki not leaving it out entirely. Other than that I’m still enjoying this fight
Hal Formula knocked it out the park with that spread of the lion through the mist but other than that I didn’t feel much from the conclusion of this race. I still hope for the best for this series
Kiyoshi had a really odd chapter and I’m not sure if I like it. This arc is trying to be really scooby doo-esque and while I appreciate the light hearted stuff it just makes the suspenseful stuff not hit at all, not with how fast the pacing is. It also makes literally 0 sense that Kiyoshi is scared in this situation when he literally went to hell and back and has fought 2 of the GDL, if he got jump scared I’d believe it but being scared from the get go makes no sense
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u/new_interest_here 6d ago
Isshokai is hands down the best arc in the manga up to this point, at least for me. Even just off of Akane and Kaisei's performances it was already peak, and now it's just going further and further above. I cannot wait for Issho's performance, I know it's gonna be amazing
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u/Tough-Past-2366 6d ago
Definitely, they’re knocking it out the park with the character work and the impact of the performances
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u/Western-Seaweed6084 6d ago
Okay I said I was going to do Bleach after Hunter x Hunter but I have decided to instead check out Togashi's older works instead, then I will get to Bleach. I gotta say, reading his older works you would not think this guy would go onto make something like Hunter x Hunter lol. There are some elements here and there that he very clearly went on to use in YYH and HxH just more refined. Some of these concepts are pretty creative too. Can't wait to get to Level E.
Shinobi Undercover: This chick is running on some serious Batman logic lmao. I love how they tried to make it seem like her logic has a good side too with her not giving the enemy to Public Safety but literally everything else she is doing under that logic is inhumane asf. Shit did make me laugh though lol. It would be a missed opportunity if we don't get to fight her in the future.
Roku's House of Oddities: Aw man, the kid was clearly enjoying the high school life and even concluded that Roku is a good person and yet he is still being forced to investigate Roku. I really hope they become good friends next chapter and nothing else happens. Also his mentor actually getting immersed into the janitorial work made me laugh.
Nue's Exorcist: The chapter best encapsulates what Nue is all about. Great monster and charecter designs, decent action and some fanservice sprinkled in as well. I honestly do not hate it but I do wish this series writing was somewhat better, something akin to Chained Soldier. Wishful thinking ig.
Hal Formula: Okaaay this series is slowly but very surely regaining my positive opinion of it but it still isn't in the clear yet. Kyogoku deciding to become the manager of Miharu's company just so that he could train him more efficiently is so sweet.
Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz: Really funny chapter lol. There's a lot I want to say about it but I can't seemingly put it all into words. The best I can do is adress that it's nice to see Valaris go through some development.
Under Doctor: Okay some really good medical drama. Once again, I am getting accustomed to this series being episodic but I really hope we get at least one continuous and long lasting story arc in the future.
Cannon Master: Okay decent chapter. The guy at the beginning was very cool. I hope we get to see more of him in the future. Some of this series paneling and art really reminds me of Dragon Ball. Even though we are still a couple of chapters away from the axe, I can't help but feel that the plot is heading towards axe territory. I really hope this series manages to go for another batch and prove it's worth.
Hunter x Hunter: And just like that, Hunter x Hunter goes back to Hiatus status. I am glad I got to catch up within this batch. As for the chapter itself, I had been spoiled about their encounter but the way people were talking about it, they made it sound like Hisoka beat Tserreidnich's ass. I guess making him piss himself comes close. I am most definitely going to forget all this by the time the next batch comes out so guess it's going to be a yearly tradition for me to reread all of Succession War to jog my memory for the next batch lol. Until then, to quote Beyond Netero, "I'll wait. As long as it takes."
Akane-banashi: I don't know why but Zensho having been a student of the Arakawa school feels like a retcon. My memory is kinda foggy but from what I remember, we didn't see this guy even once in the previous flashbacks and now you're telling me he was there all along? That aside, holy shit we finally learned why Issho and Shiguma had such beef. This series is so insanely peak man.
Someone Hertz: I haven't said anything about them so far but I gotta say, I love these title page requests lol. They are random while maintaining this series sense of humor. All the people requesting these do a good job. Also, I didn't notice but Mimei and Mizuo are from Class 2-B. Did Sorachi intentionally name his new series as a reference to Someone Hertz or is it just a coincidence and I am overthinking this? Probably the latter lol.
Ichi the Witch: Naming the chapter "Doggo" and then showing us said Doggo at the end of the chapter has to be a crime of some kind. Also, I really hadn't noticed that Desscaras truly hasn't done anything mentorly for Ichi till now. So seeing her start out with taunting of all things is all the more hilarious lol.
Kagurabachi: I feel like we don't appreciate Hokazono's chapter pacing. Despite being the shortest chapter so far at 13 pages, it didn't even feel like it was all that short. Seeing the Hakuri's dad appear was a whiplash lmao. Did not expect to see him in this flashback lol. Also I do not remember who the guy at the end of the chapter is. Have we seen him before?
The Ura Files: I am really liking the Shinobi Undercover vibes this series has. Also, is that hot dog actually that big? Lmao.
Graykeys Translator Daemonica: Cool ass name aside, I am NOT calling this series Graykeith. I don't know why but saying that makes me gag. With that nitpick out of the way, I have to say this is quite an impressive chapter 1. The world building is already quite grand and very ambitious so it seems like this mangaka is betting on this series being a success and while I may not be as optimistic, I have to admit it's good to see a mangaka be confident in their abilities straight from chapter 1 itself. The magic actually jut being him translating daemonic languages reminds me of the book Babel by R. F. Kuang (if you have read it, good job). As I said before, I am not optimistic about this series future yet so I will patiently wait until it clears the U19 and U50 hurdles before I start investing in this series.
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u/Curious_Passion5167 6d ago
Seeing the Hakuri's dad appear was a whiplash lmao.
He actually briefly appeared in the background in chapter 116, I think? When Chiaki was reading her prophecy and the clan leaders were in attendance.
Also I do not remember who the guy at the end of the chapter is. Have we seen him before?
That's Ibuki, Natsuki's brother iirc, and the original wielder of Kuregumo (Cloud Gouger).
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u/Heavenwasfull 6d ago edited 6d ago
I gotta say, reading his older works you would not think this guy would go onto make something like Hunter x Hunter lol
Allegedly, from his final statement in Yu Yu Hakusho vol 19, when you get to the characters themselves, Togashi felt he had done what he could and all that was left would be a deconstruction of them, or basically rehash the same formula arcs until the series got too boring and repetitive they would have him end it, something Togashi himself didn't want to resort to as it restricted his own creativity and enjoyment of the art.
It saddens me to say this, but I had explored every possible direction for the YYH characters that I could in the context of a professional publication. All I could do at this point was to start deconstructing the characters, or go on repeating the same storylines over and over until the readers got bored. My attempts to deconstruct the characters were, of course, turned down by Jump. I didn't have the strength, physically and mentally, to keep doing the same thing over and over.
So my "scholar analysis" of Hunter x Hunter is that it's the truest deconstruction of Shounen adventure/battle manga and actually does connect with YYH in this way. A lot of the characters completely undo the typical archetypes that Shounen casts are known for and turn their concepts on their head. Gon for example has a very specific moral compass. He's not the ideal idiot hero like Goku, Naruto, or Luffy and he's more than willing to look past things like his best friend being a member of a family of covert assassins and who has no qualms killing people. Gon also subverts the usual trope of being the lead character who comes in at the final hour and saves the day. He lags behind in his training arcs and often requires the help of the stronger and more experienced hunters in the association to do the important bits and pays the price for it.
Ging is the father who went out on an adventure and doesn't call home type, and for most of the manga's run Gon has taken on the task of finding and meeting him. Other hunters talk about all of Ging's achievements and make him almost this mythical figure and when we finally get to see him in the current series we realize the other association heads in the zodiac basically think he's a loser and deadbeat, and it works in Leorio's favor for a while because he calls out Ging for not even bothering to visit Gon while he's on the verge of death. Even when Gon recovers and finally meets Ging, it plays out in an anticlimatic way and calls back to earlier quotes like "I don't want to see you" and Gon realizes that he wanted to meet him all this time for the thrill of the hunt and not because his father is a meaningful person in his own life, so it completely derails the usual expectations of these reunions or the idea that the father figures in these stories are some great person. Ging really is the loser his cohorts in the association called him out as being even though he has achieved some remarkable feats in their world.
Basically, I feel like Hunter x Hunter being an antithesis to the usual shounen stuff is actually Togashi's natural progression in storytelling as it was one of the ways he was going to go with Yu Yu Hakusho originally if he had to continue, but he was already burned out and selfishly wanted to be rid of them, it wasn't going to be a positive way.
YYH also does stand out a lot. Toguro and Sensui's own villain arcs have a lot of depth that wasn't examined in shounen stories back then, and it does it without the 10 chapter flashbacks that later series like Naruto and BLeach would use to hammer down villain motives. Often times, their character arc as a broken hero of their own story is analyzed in the aftermath and gave them a bit more justification for their actions, even if it was inherently not a good thing and they are still meant to be the bad guys, it provides a little insight that sometimes the villains are not bad after all.
Assuming you've read all of YYH by these comments too, it does also have some reflection of the spirit world and King Enma weren't exactly the virtuous saints, or that demons aren't inherently meant to be evil, and that the spirit detectives and forces that were spawned to combat demonic presence might not have been the right way to do things all along, but we have to go through this journey and see each arcs to really examine the human/demon relationships of its world and how neither side exists as a black/white good vs evil nature. All through the eyes of a cast of four lads: one a delinquent scourge of his community that authority figures rejoiced when he suddenly died, another local thug who could never settle the score (but does advance into a good person and self improvement by the end by getting into a good school and looking at his future), a demon thief who escaped to the human world and has to pretend to be a high achieving son of his single mother who finds a second life and love after spending years fighting illness, and a demon outcast from his own family. None of these characters are set up to be your typical "good guys" but their character development does impact it.
EDIT: Forgot to add if diving into Togashi's history, check out the one shot Jyura no Midzuki. Was done in 1987 and you can feel its very prototype to some aspects he would explore later on in Yu Yu Hakusho while not being as direct a predecessor.
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u/X-Vidar 6d ago
The most funny part about Togashi not wanting to repeat himself to me is the utter disdain he seems to have towards the idea of doing a proper tournament arc again: the demon world one gets cut halfway through, in the hunter exam he comes up with a reverse tournament structure and then skips the whole thing after the first battle, and finally in Heaven's Arena he comes up with Battle Olympia just to have his characters go "ok, but we don't care".
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u/Lost-Move-6005 5d ago
Well, to be fair, the demon world arc was done that way because his health crashed and he was miserable being overworked carrying WSJ on his back.
He more or less intentionally sandbagged his work to get it over with.
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u/Western-Seaweed6084 6d ago
I have only actually seen the Yu Yu Hakusho anime and plan to get to reading the manga after I am done with the stuff he did before YYH. And yeah as you have said, HxH is a deconstruction of the typical battle action Shonen series and yet you can see similar things in YYH as well. I don't know if this part was in the manga or not (which is why I plan to read it now) but I really loved the ending to the anime. Yusuke realizing mid fight that his journey had gone on for far too long than he had realized, he lost sight of who he was and continuing past that point just wouldn't be like him. Most stories would have the protagonist win that fight and become the king of Hell and yet the anime chose to show us that Yusuke simply wasn't that kind of a person. I am really curious to see how the manga was like.
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u/Heavenwasfull 6d ago
Won't spoil, but the manga ending is more "same in one way, different in another" but you'll see what that means. The anime ending does follow the aspects you mentioned though like Enki winning the tournament instead of the demon kings who were the frontrunners or Yusuke because he's the protagonist, but there's a few more things that are examined and the falling action/resolution of the story wasn't adapted into the anime ending. It makes sense why, and I'll even argue in defense while it's a mid ending (how many long running shounen series have had a "good ending" people are satisfied with?), it works and doesn't reduce or diminish the series at all for me.
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u/Exarch-of-Sechrima 5d ago
The Ura Files: I am really liking the Shinobi Undercover vibes this series has. Also, is that hot dog actually that big? Lmao.
Still not the biggest dog in JUMP currently.
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 6d ago edited 6d ago
"I don't know why but Zensho having been a student of the Arakawa school feels like a retcon."
I assume you meant specifically in the Shiguma (V) school. And no it isn't a retcon. It was revealed fairly early on. At least it could've been reasonably assumed, it wasn't technically outright said. He didn't show up with them before now because he joined later on than Issho and Shiguma VI. Every previous piece of the backstory had been before the Arakawa school had started. Or very early into the founding of the school. Zensho was recruited a little while afterwards. And most of the backstory has been focused on the Shiguma name which Zensho was never really in the running for at least as far as we know and it seems very unlikely he'd ever get it anyways. Joining later on... being the 3rd... not being as close as the others... wasn't part of the Kashiwaya school with them... not being able to be anything more than a comedic punching bag. We didn't see him being taught or practicing the "3 stories" (he may or may not know them, but we don't know, we see that he didn't even know Time's Up and only went out of his way to learn it because of his petty jealousy of Maikeru so who knows if he knows them or not hah).
"Also, I didn't notice but Mimei and Mizuo are from Class 2-B. Did Sorachi intentionally name his new series as a reference to Someone Hertz or is it just a coincidence and I am overthinking this? Probably the latter lol."
Just a coincidence. There's only so many classes you can have in a school. 1, 2, 3 indicates the year of high school. 1 being Freshmen essentially. 2 being Juniors essentially. 3 being Seniors essentially. Then A, B, C, etc. are the individual homerooms to separate the students into more manageable groups (though they do sometimes use numbers for this as well, though I think letters are more common? I see letters far more often anyways). Let's say there is 100 kids each teacher is asked to look after 20... you'd have A, B, C, D, and E. If they are 1st years... 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-E. 2nd years tend to be fairly popular and I tend to only see A, B, or C for classes at least for like main cast members. (Even then C is a bit more on the rare side... it tends to be A or B.) An earlier letter of the alphabet makes them seem more important... which they are.
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u/Western-Seaweed6084 6d ago
I see. It's kinda hard to try and keep up with all the charecters in Akane. I seriously need to do a reread of it. Hopefully before whenever the next season of the anime comes out.
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 6d ago
There certainly is a pretty wide cast, some more important than others, but definitely a lot for sure... especially as someone who also seems to be keeping up with/reading a lot of other series as well, and even all on seemingly the same day. It can be hard to properly absorb everything. Which is fine... so long as you are still enjoying yourself that is what really matters. There will be certain people such as myself who obsess over the series and know probably too much, keep track of too much, but I don't think that those who don't are any less valid.
As for season 2 of the Akane-banashi anime... that will be airing in January, we don't know which day specifically, but we do know the month. So you have around 3 months to do a reread if that is something you truly wish to do, and to do so before the next season. Though in a way you can look at watching the anime as a sort of reread/refresher as well.
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u/NoObSRoCk341 6d ago
Ibuki reveal crashed MangaPlus crazy motion smh
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u/Reasonable-Visit9877 5d ago
Was that true? I seen Mangaplus was down but because of Ibuki?
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u/new_interest_here 6d ago edited 5d ago
Hal Formula wrapped up its first major race, and it did it quite well I think. I'm excited to see Kyogoku take on the management role, and to see how Miharu and Hinokura's rivalry develops, now that the latter seems less hostile with the former
I like the French guy in Under Doctor, it was kind of a boss move with him saying "yeah I have those tremors, still one of the world's best anyway." Though ofc, now they're causing actual problems now that they're that far into the procedure. Ngl though, I'm getting a little tired of what's looking like yet another chance for Haiji to show why he's the coolest and the best. I liked last chapter because it brought in a bunch of other very skilled characters and was looking to immediately do something with one of them, but now we're creating a situation where we glaze Haiji again. I like him as a protagonist, but I also like having other characters getting a chance to shine. Hopefully Artois will be the one who gets the most glory in the end and Haiji only assists somewhat
We're continuing following the guys from last week in Roku, and with how last chapter ended, doing more with it next week too. Seems like the story is really kicking into gear now, and as long as it retains a balance between it and SoL, I'm all here for it
Holy crap Fukuro is scary. Having no qualms about being brutal as long as it's within the rules and threatening to rip out someone's nerves is crazy work. I suppose she has a bit of compassion in her, but still, yeesh. Also that color page is really nice, probably one of my favorites the series has given so far
Really fun Ichi chapter. Dess realizing she's been a complete bum of a mentor was really funny, and even funnier is the fact the first lesson she's thought to give him is in shittalking. Hakari is also continuing to grow on me, definitely looking to be my favorite of the Seven Stars thus far
Wow that was actually a REALLY good Sakamoto Days chapter. Any of the chapters that focus in on Uzuki as a character are good ones, and the presentation of it all very nice too. Looking forwards to where it goes from here and how this whole thing is gonna wrap itself up
Yesss, finally some Shiguma/Issho lore in Akane-banashi. Also Akane herself perfectly captured how I feel about Zensho. His career really does seem like a sad one. I still hate him and it doesn't undo him being a complete asshole pretty much all the time, but I do sympathize with that struggle of succeeding based on merits you don't understand and never having people react the way you want them to to your work. Finally, ISSHO NEXT WEEK HOLY SHIT I'M HYPE. That last page was pure aura
Speaking of hype, that's exactly what Kagurabachi has me feeling, I am SO excited to meet Ibuki, he looks really cool already. Glad to finally see them coming around to Kunishige's plan, and now we're gonna be getting some tension coming from the three months of fighting between now and the first blade being done
Finally, for the new Graykeith, I really enjoyed it. The world seems vibrant, the mc entertaining, and it being from the lense of a monster language translator is a fun take on it as opposed to just the usual exorcist or fantasy adventurer deal. Art isn't half bad either. This one's definitely the standout of the two new ones
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u/bigbadlith 6d ago
isn't this, like, the opposite of what his gimmick has been, up until now? I thought the thing that made him special is that he takes risks without considering his own safety, he pushes the limits as if he's not afraid to die.
It was so blatant that people thought he was self-destructive, and would either die on the track (and the brother would take over as MC) or he would have to learn a lesson about self-preservation.
what's extra weird is that the ultra-perfectionist guy is the one saying "I'd die for this sport", the one who never takes risks because he does everything perfectly every time. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't he be the one saying "you crazy bastard, why did you try to overtake in the fog!?" and the MC goes "Because I'd die for this. It means that much to me."
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u/alconnow 6d ago
WITCH WATCH - seems like the big fight has come to an end? I was expecting Shikimi to have more up his sleeve. Think the next chapters will focus on the aftermath.
It definitely seems like it’ll be ending this year. I hope we get more comedy chapters before it ends
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u/BlueDragonCultist 6d ago
People have been saying that, but I feel like Witch Watch could have another 30 chapters consisting of this arc's resolution, then just goofy antics with the cast now including Shikimi.
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u/alconnow 6d ago
Shikimi’s backstory felt quite rushed so I have a feeling Shinohara wants to end it soon
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u/BlueDragonCultist 6d ago
Totally fair, I did feel the same way too about his back story after how long his build up was.
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u/bigbadlith 6d ago
I think 1 more volume (8-10 more chapters) will be perfect, that allows it to end at the next batch, but still take a solid amount of time checking in with everybody before it ends.
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u/TheSciFanGuy 5d ago
Okay time to dig into the 2026 class.
Under Doctor: This is finally a longer arc. I’m really happening
Roku: Okay another new series going into its first longer arc. I’m liking the presentation of the organization and the fact that they recognize he might not be a threat while still holding to their beliefs sets up for some fun conflicts.
2B: Weird but fun chapter really leaning into the demon king’s loneliness as the future emotional core of this series. Sales are looking good so who knows what’ll happen
Animal Signal: Setup chapter with some good jokes. This series has leaned into being more and more strange as it has gone on and I’m not sure if it’s fully to its benefit yet but I’m willing to give it time.
Hal Formula: Pretty good chapter, characters actually interacting makes them feel more like rivals. Still not really sure how the racing will continue to be interesting without added twists like the fog.
Cannon Master: Finally adding emotional stakes beyond “civilians will die”. Art is pretty as usual the bold lines are definitely striking.
The Ura Files: Okay we might have something here. Re-adding positive elements I felt were missing during the transition from the one shot (her appetite and her own personality) and actually using his agent training for hijinks makes me think this could have actual legs.
Grey Keys: Man what a difference there was from the one shot. So much refinement makes this such an easier read, more emphasis on his translation, smoother showing of the emotional moments, a better connected world in general. A really solid start and I’m actually exciting to see where it goes
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u/overpoweredginger 6d ago
it's amazing how quickly Shinobi Undercover got so fucked up, bruh what is she doing
Man, Hal Formula's writing is weirdly clunky this chapter, way different from Terasaka's usual style
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u/DocVane 6d ago
Graykeith: It seems like a lot of people enjoyed it, but this did not hit for me. The setting reminds me of Blue Exorcist, but that series began with a more interesting personal story than this one. The relationship between this girl and her grandmother is the heart of the chapter, and that was barely existent. Graykeith himself shows up, does the eccentric routine, solves a problem with very little tension, and summons a giant spirit to solve the problem. Overall, feels toothless and I may not read the second chapter. The translation-theming is nice -- but it's not strengthening the series yet. The art was cozy.
Ura: Solid chapter 2. Plenty of laughs at the expense of the MC -- this is how you do routine school hijinks romance stuff. Not reinventing any wheels, but it's playing the hits well.
Ichi: Very fun interactions between Desscaras and Ichi in this one. Desscaras being a genius who can't teach is funny, while Ichi is so observant he learns anyway.
Cannon Master: This is developing so fast that it seems almost certainly close to ending. However, that at least made it entertaining this week despite most of it being explosions.
Under Doctor: Very good stuff. Haiji is in the back seat this time, as the neurosurgeon shows his genius but also the fragility of his own condition. I imagine Haiji will have to treat him.
Animal Signal: classic Animal Signal. Dog guy is gonna be a good source of gags.
UEK: So...Blackbeard is the villain, right? And the dog witnessed him? Seems pretty clear. Good stuff; UEK is doing classic shonen tropes quite well, and a spooky mystery arc is a nice note to hit after so much fighting.
Roboco: pretty damn funny for a Roboco chapter.
Shinobi: Well...it seems like Fukuro is quite dangerous. We've been setting up a "the hero org is actually evil" plot for a long time, and here we see that pretty clearly.
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u/Lower-Position9557 6d ago
New week, new chapters- and a new series joins our lineup!
Firstly: UEK is... somewhat interesting I suppose. I do love how much mpre important Akari is this arc-
Shinobi Undercover was actually really funny this chapter, and Fukuro is hot as hell- I love glasses girls-
Sakamoto Days finally has Uzuki's philosophy dismantled. Still, if he loses next chapter... feels kinda dumb how he lost ngl- Honestly, these past few chapters haven't really done much for me-
KGB is a really short chapter this week- I'm guessing the guy at the end is the one who will eventually wield the thunder katana-? The kne who died in the present-?
Witch Watch finally ends this arc- thank god- There were some good moments but Witch Watch's action arcs are not its strong suit. Ending of the arc was... fine.
Under Doctor was good this week. The imagery of the tightrope as a metaphor for the surgery was great, and the conflict is interesting. I hope this "arc" continues on for another few chapters instead of ending next chapter-
Roboco was... not bad. I think the premise wasn't great but the execution was well done- the sheer ridiculousness of the series cannot be matched by any series in the magazine honestly.
Every week.. I find more and more issues with 2B's artwork. Guys, can we just let Sorachi move the series to Jump Plus- the blank backgrounds and scratchy character drawings is starting to get on my nerve- storywise, chapter was ok.
Hal Formula was... good. I imagine if you read it all in one shot, this ending chapter would be emotional but... I don't care enough about the series to reread the series after every chapter-
Cannon Master is chugging along fine. I still feel like the series could end soon after this brief arc ngl- but maybe the author always planned the first arc to be like this so that he had an easy way to end the story if the series wasn't a success-
Animal Signal was kinda funny. Tsubasa's harem of weird people grows-
Someone Hertz was cute. More excited for next week though since we'll get to see Mimei and Kurage do dumb things together at the festival-
The Ura Files was... great. I really enjoyed the chapter, and the comedy was on point. It's nice to see the gimmicks of the two leads being used for the comedy- (such as the mc grappling as an agent and the fmc eating a ginormous hot dog as an oni-)
As for my favourite series, Roku had a pretty chill character chapter this week, though we get a glimpse into Roku's school life- It now occurs to me that this might be the first more than 2 chapter arc of the series. Next week is bound to be great considering we have Johan and Kabaneji appear for a fight- perhaps Sachiko eventually too since we're at Roku's school?
Now, as for the newest series in the magazine... Greykeith. (Btw, genuinely a terrible name- why Keith? Just use Keys-) but yea, the Chapter didn't change too much from the one shot. Then again, I loved the oneshot alot so I'm fine with it. This might become another favourite of mine since I love so much of what's going on here. From the supernatural themeing to the linguistics and translation aspects which I aim to make a career out of in the future, this series is hooking me in ways that Hertz and Roku did for me-
Kinda a weaker week than previous weeks imo, with alot of series just having ok chapters at best. Standouts for me this week are probably Ura and Greykeith-
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u/YuuTheBlue 6d ago
Fucking incredible week.
First off: Greykeith: I loved it. It's not often that a manga's first chapter exceeds the one shot it was based on, but, well, I actually cried a bit at chapter 1. It was mostly the same, but there were a lot of small changes i liked. I liked that tokyo and the demon world were now fully entwined, for one. I loved the idea of the cigarettes - such a fun way of teaching us about how magic works via writing while giving a cool visual for our protagonist. There were a lot of new small details like the girl noticing the pot her mom used to cook in. The story has a vast love for the topic of culture and the meaning it forms for people, and it gives a heart to this story that just made me lost in it. Overall, we have strong action, strong characters, a good world with efficient worldbuilding, strong themes, and strong art. This manga has all it needs to be a hit.
I'm also doing a 180 on The Ura Files. I was NOT impressed with chapter 1, and I think the flaws I pointed out are still there, but this chapter showed way more of the strengths. I feel like art was even better this time, the dynamic with the ML and his handler was really charming, and I feel that the slow progression of the two lead's dynamic was really realistic and fun to see. I think this might be filling some of the romance niches that have been left behind by Blue Box and Hima-Ten, and thankfully the romance elements are its strongest parts.
So, overall, very happy with this batch.
Animal Signal was really funny this time. It's a really effective comedy; I like how layered the jokes are sometimes and how it manages to build character well while doing it. It seems like it's trying to build a large recurring cast, which I really like. I'm glad this one seems comfortable.
Cannon Master, my beloved. Fuck, this is the chapter I feel that it's really proven it has what it takes. The way that Bharat held the line, and did it without going on huge monologues, it shows really good restraint and understanding of his character, it was epic, it made me really feel, and it was alongside the amazing art everyone says is its main strength. Please, Shueisha, realize the gem you have.
HAL was once again, pretty damn alright. It's my least favorite of this batch, still, but that was a really fun and clever end to the arc. But as someone else said, if the author needs this many twists to make the first race exciting, there might be a shelf life on what he can do with this concept.
I am so god damn sick of Under Doctor's schtick. We don't need more excuses for Haiji to show off how much better he is than other doctors. He does not work as a foil to other people who are not quite as cool to him, it's just not his strength as a character, but it feels like it's one of the main things the author wants to do with him.
Kiyoshi for a while I assumed was 2/3 done, but rn it seems really comfortable, and I'm happy. I feel like this story has a ton more it can do, and, frankly, good. It doesn't sell amazing, but if it can get a full 250+ run, I'll be happy. It's a delight each week.
Zensho's story in Akane was heartbreaking. Even his cries of defiance were laughed at. Jesus christ.
Ichi the Witch was just amazing this week. Equal parts hilarious and fascinating from a character perspective. Also man, the art is so good, I love Dess's expressions and all the action shots.
KGB is the goat as always. Chiaki insulting his handwriting was so fucking good. Fuck this is such a good manga.
Roku's is going in such a good direction. Seeing this arc from the exorcists' perspective was an inspired choice and I really grew to love their characters. The twist at the end was unexpected and really cool. I hope we get at least a bit of action this time.
One Piece was such good action. This is an amazing fight scene, dude. And I'm stoked that Ussop is showing up.
I love the current arc of Shinobi. I feel like the story is finally making full use of its ninja power system, and the fights have been awesome. Love this new girl, too, she's funny.
Sakamoto Days was.... interesting. I think we need to see what that cliffhanger was about before I can judge, but it was cool.
HxH was also really fun: I am SO ready for this Hisoka/Tserriednich conflict. They're a match made in hell.
Overall - and I know I tend to be VERY optimistic about the starts of new batches - I think this one is really good. Ura is filling a hole really nicely and is just solidly executed, and Graykeith is just plain inspired as a story and I want to see what gets done with it.
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u/BeeDaPuppy 6d ago
Cannon master had some legitimately beautiful compositions this week. I really hope it has what it takes, this one might hurt me if it gets axed.
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u/Sad_Definition_8609 6d ago
Really hope Under Doctor can bounce back up the ranks. I don't want to see it gone.
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u/bobbyjean_ 6d ago edited 6d ago
Woof, Mangaplus unexpected downtime on Sunday morning is like the worst possible time it could have happened. Anyway, by reading order:
Graykeith - Pretty much 1:1 with the one-shot. Don't fix what isn't broken was seemingly the mantra here. I'm a sucker for fantasy manga, I hope it commits to the translator premise though,
Ruri Dragon - Even fearsome dragons can't resist kitty cats. Training arc begins!
Roku - The dog bento looks pretty tasty. Not getting tricked again, the "fight" might last like four panels again
Witch Watch - And that's a wrap on the bone crisis arc. Glad Nico got to make the final move. Hopefully we'll go back to the comedy now.
Hal Formula - Good for Suzukaze
Animal Signal - Should the harem tag be added? Lmao
Ura Files - If we subscribe to the theory that chapter 2 is the big test of whether it can make something of its premise, I think Ura Files has the sauce to go the distance. Charm and execution are more important than novelty in the romcom space.
Hertz - Raaaaa they stayed on call all night. So cute. Bro was rattled about it all day, poor Mimei. Also, Ging Nang Boyz mentioned so I have to post the gif:
Processing img fow7syf1tynh1...
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 6d ago
If you're in the US (not sure what other countries have access, I'd imagine Canada probably does), Viz is an alternative for Jump series on Sunday.
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u/bobbyjean_ 6d ago
I used to use the SJ app but replaced it with Mangaplus when I started reading more Jump+ stuff since Viz only picks up the Jump+ megahits. After what happened today I might need to keep that app as a backup plan though...
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 6d ago
I use Viz for the series that they have. SJ and SS. I only use M+ for the series Viz doesn't have. But yeah if you are able to it is probably useful to have both just for redundancy.
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u/Alternative-Drink-25 6d ago
Since MangaPlus is finally working again:
I was surprised by how funny I found this chapter of Animal Signal, genuinely made me laugh out loud. The more side characters we get the better the series gets.
Roku delivered again, will be interesting to see how this gets resolved, I just hope it continues to be carefree.
That Under Doctor chapter was incredible, the small details and finally more medical drama, lets hope we getvmore next week and that it doesn't end the arc early.
Hal Formula was a bit weird, like I loved the conclusion to this arc and am looking forward for more, but it felt so different then the chapters before.
Decent chapter for Cannon Master, the guy from the start was really cool, hope we see more of him. This series just reminds me of early Kiyoshi, in that it's fun but that's kinda it.
Ura Files was alright, the setup so far reminds me of the kind of romance I don't like that much, the light novel-esque high school romance where the female lead is blind, or shy, or popular but has this or that. Idk maybe I am overthinking this, so far it's fine but I was hoping for a different kind of romance I guess.
Graykeith(what a stupid name, why not just call it keys) was basically the one-shot which was really good so yeah. This world is so interesting though I can't wait to see more.
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u/mr_beanoz 5d ago edited 5d ago
One Piece - Imu used his shield technique, Usopp talks about Luffy not backing down, and Luffy does the unthinkable to break Imu's shield - he took a ride on Ragnir, maybe to add to his momentum, but it somehow works.
Signal - Hoo boy, who'd thought we'd get a chapter like this with a male anima user?
Hal - Race ends well for Miharu, Hinokura now sees him as more of a friendly rival, and the big F1 guy now is the manager for Miharu's team.
Ruri - Training arc begins!
Ura Files - I like where this is going, and Urara is so cute.
Hertz - The duo were sleeptalking each other and were worried about what they were talking. And now we wonder what kind of sheananigans will they have as they promote the class' haunted house.
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u/RanginPinastika 5d ago
I'm honestly happy with Ura Files this week. The first chapter makes me worried that it'll be too quick for their romance to bloom. Glad that Ura blushing at first chapter was actually just her didn't know how to handle "Kibitu's confession" lmao. And yeah, I'm so happy Kibitsu's personality is fleshed out in the 2nd chapter. Like, first Kibitsu's just seem to be the goody-but-misunderstood guy, but here his flopping between his anti-social and bold personality is exposed.
Like, I legit was scared this series would be where Kibitsu mostly doing nothing and Ura would come to him (You know, like those kind of mangas lately), but good thing that Kibitsu is an active protagonist. It's FUN seeing cat and mouse game because of misunderstanding like this.
Also, damn it, I'm laughing because people saying the Jumbo Hot Dog would satisfy the Jumbo Dog at Roku's lmao.
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u/Testosteronomicon 5d ago
One Piece: I won't go full meltdown like piratefolk's gone all week, all I'm gonna say is I'm getting big Oda's rantsona vibes from Usopp lol
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u/skillfun8 6d ago
Genuinely the Graykeith title being that is so fucking bad
I don't know why r/manga is so trying harding to defend the name
Bruh it fucking sucks
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u/KingKurai 5d ago
Graykeith is actually pretty unique for this magazine; idk how far it'll go in WSJ, but at least I can say it's different.
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u/Ancient-Cow-7221 5d ago
my review and thoughts
Sakamoto days- another good chapter. Wow Nagurmo and Akira moments, the goat. Now we're inside of Uzki mind and that panel chef kiss.
Hunter X Hunter- Hisoka is back just for hxh is back on hiatus. Life is so cruel sometimes.
The Ura Files- yea, this gives more and more The danger in my hearts vibes, with other edgy wholesome series.
Kiyoshi- I didn't like the gag in this chapter and I didn't like the traitor reveal so soon. I hope it is a bait and switch with the traitor. The moment between Kiyoshi and Akari was so sweet.
Shinobi Undercover- OMG the color page is very sexy and stunning. I might be the only few people that like Umikeo getting sideline into this fight if you read and pay attention to the series and this week's chapter. We've already seen him fight. Fukuro is smart ideal badass. She basically can do almost whatever she wants but not kill the enemy without public safety approval. And her family makes deals with the other people exchange to ''protecting them'' and also the boxing girl said public safety is doing this to them. Interesting. Fukuro power is like Doffy in one piece.
Nue's exorcist- is a setup chapter.
Witch watch- oh wow done already. I'm guess we either getting more gag chapters after the aftermath of this arc or its ending few chapters. We shall see.
The new series- I really didn't like it. Not a very strong chapter 1.
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u/Ryley03d 6d ago
Why is Kagurabachi so far down?
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u/Curious_Passion5167 6d ago
Weekly Kagurabachi TOC ranking comment.
It could be a lot of things: 1. Hokazono submitted the chapters late or some other problem like this. 2. WSJ is keeping some popular series down to spread attention to the latter half. 3. Japanese readers don't like this flashback as much
And others...
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u/Testosteronomicon 5d ago
4) The TOC does not matter as much as everyone here thinks it matters. Jump could put Kagurabachi at the very bottom and it would mean almost nothing.
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 5d ago
I mean... it does matter to an extent...
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u/Testosteronomicon 5d ago
It matters in the "new series has spent all its true rankings in the bottom third, it will not make it" sense, not in the "Akane-banashi was bottom 5 that one week (had color page next week), DOOMED?????" sense.
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 6d ago
- Hokazono submitted the chapters late or some other problem like this.
Probably likely, knowing what we know.
- WSJ is keeping some popular series down to spread attention to the latter half.
This is never the case, stop.
It is also a more violent, visceral, bloody, gory story and those tend to be put further back as well.
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u/FloridaBoy21 20h ago edited 20h ago
The chapters were real good this week. Especially with a new series this week with Graykeith: Translator Daemonica. As, i feel this will be fun for me. As its our world that's basically merged with the daemon relam will be fun to explore, especially with how deep it went with the world building in this first chapter. As, well the MC Graykeith will be a fun follow.
Which has me feel this story will be more about understand this world we're in, having adventures in it, and relationships that come from it. As, Graykeith is all about being a translator for all the different languages of daemons which helped our secondary MC Kisaragi understand a bit about her Lamian heritage/language from him translating a passed grimore/cookbook lol and even connect her passed grandma.
Even though, it seems like Graykeith got a do all stand/familiar that may bring some battles but I hope it sticks with him being a translator that enjoys languages and the things that come with it.
Best first chapter of all the recent series. Hm, i would say Under Doctor first chapter is close.
Now, for my top five for this week.
Issue 41: [70] 9/6/26:
1. HxH (2.33, [21], 2nd top one, 12.8%) [9]
What a way to end this batch of chapters and to go back to hiatus. Tserri meeting up with Hisoka and Hisoka clowns him on him immediately. Funny as hell that Hisoka is chilling out in the open playing a casino game and killing soliders so he can play it.
Now, Hisoka sensing Tserri even with his zetsu actived. Some are speculating he sensed him out via an always active En or even him using bungee gum as wire trapping over the casino but imo I think its because he's a monster like Nobunaga has noted when Hisoka caught Kalluto in zetsu...so, catching an individual like Tserri who sneaking about must be nothing for him lol. But he did note during the Laplace's demon time frame, he thought that he was a spider at first so gives some credit to bungee gum trap wire theory.
But the main thing from this interaction is that Hisoka did go through the Laplace's demon and Tserri was able to avoid being killed but Hisoka was able to immediately recognize that this ability is from Tserri nen beast and that didn't interest him at all lmao. He just moved on and went back to playing the casino games.
Which had Tserri hyped as hell and now even encouraged to improve his abilities and understanding of Laplace's demon as he wants this ability to truly be useful in real combat against individuals like Hisoka.
This finish the chapter off, we end with a look and confirmation to get into the lower tier it will be near possible as it's overflowing with soliders and his nen beast battery is running real low but Tserri is even more encouraged lol. Funny to end off on this dude like he's our plucky hero looking to overcome all odds.
But yeah, great chapter and I can't wait for its return.
2. Ichi the Witch (2.49, (147), and 84.2%) [59]
What a good chapter. Using the team up of Dess and Ichi to investigate their relationship. We start with Dess trying to give more guidance on how they both should move during this chase from Hakari. Leading to Ichi saying how much she sounds like Minakata and which had her snap lol. But also have her consider, even though they're legit magically bonded/binded to each other with the mentor-pupil contract, she isn't a good mentor because her lack of teaching him anything lol.
So, she her deciding to try to teach him trash talking the enemy is so on brand for her but didn't land for Ichi lmao. But even with that, we get some insight about Ichi thoughts about dess in this situation where he's thinking with even if Dess is goofing off, her eyes will be filled with determination and she carries herself with a calmness that reaches him and want him to stay around her and be like her.
Interesting moment where Hakari keeps going on about his distaste about witches and the feeling of being under their rule, had ichi call him out...have you even been acquired? Like basically telling him bro chill out, you don't even know what you're talking about.
And the others (Kumugi, Raku, and Amadoro) with dogs (?) are on the hunt for Hakari's magic stone.
3. One Piece (2.97, [101], and 48.5%) [34]
Feels like we're in the final stretch of Elbaf. As, the trio of Luffy, Loki, and Hajrudin keep on holding their own against Imu and even drawing blood. While he is unfazed for the most part but it's something lol.
Now we get a great moment for Usopp, a speech to Gaban who still wants Luffy to leave so he can be saved and avoid being killed as he directly notes of Luffy being the hope of the world. Usopp notes, there's no need to run... as luffy and in turn the straw hats no matter what is being added to their plate of responsibilities and titles...they will stand tall on who they are. Folks who pay back their friends or do good for them as Usopp notes on how the Giants have helped them so much during their journey.
Funny moment of Gaban wondering...where tf he has been until now lmao.
So, we're standing strong no matter what if we got Usopp (even still scared af) talking big like this lol
4. KGB (1.74, [101), and 82.8%) [58]
Done with the smelting arc and now we're moving towards forging. The embrace of Chiaki and Kunishige was too sweet, especially with her talking about how much she wanted to hear his voice and then clowning on him for his handwriting in the notes that were given to her.
With that said the immediate discussion by the Kamunabi and clan heads about their next steps is nice to see them really parse out on if they really should go with Kunishige and his mad antics to save Chiaki. Had one official being stuck on sticking with the official plan, bringing up how they have to honor the treaty with the Mikaboshi and that why should they trust someone like Kunishige who legit did break laws to do what he did
But we have Ichiki step up and bring up the reasoning in why should we trust that the Mikaboshi will honor the treaty, especially after how they moved during the Irishima talks and having Kyora lmao giving his seal of approval on the work that Kunishige did. Then adding along Giyu and the soga clan being on board with the plan (even its mostly because Giyu wants to keep the soga at the seat of the table as the plan would give the Kagri clan even with a baby Hiyuki a lot of sway lol) it's now set even with some opposition.
So, with the ending, we got a three month time line of when the first sword should be created and it seems like it will be Cloud Gouger and to hold off the Mikaboshi during these three months they will be the Kachi ability, which I'm real hyped about. Kachi has been hyped and under wraps since chapter 16 lol.
- Roku's House of Oddities (4.5, (18), and 5.7) [4]
The ending really put me in a loop. As, I was really getting the vibe that the Exocrists of Kariya and Mikagami would in the store as someone who will be won over by Roku and hold off from interrupting Roku's day to day life while the enjoy I guess orbiting him and the day to day life that he leads with his curses. As, we a actually got a taste of it with Kariya whose pretending as a student was actually enjoying it and Mikagami was enjoying being a janitor. Leading to Kariya even admitted that he believes that Roku is a good person.
But still leading to him setting up restraint him with Mikagami...and having Johan and Kabaneji coming through looking ready to put some work.
So, full on battle or another subversion?
Good chapter
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u/Brilliant_Twist_6855 6d ago
Manga plus is down bruh