May 21, 2023 - #Jump Reading List:
Akane-baneshi
Blue Box
Do Retry
Fabricant 100
Jiangshi X
Mashle
Me & Roboco
Mission: Yozakura Family
My Hero Academia
Nue's Exorcist
One Piece
Sakamoto Days
Tenmaku Cinema
Witch Watch
I always put spoilers behind #CW tags & include each series' name / chapter number in the warning.
Another week giving Tenmaku Cinema another chance . I don't really like it, so...I feel like I'm just being stubborn cause my friends like it & I am trying to figure out why.
@mdmrn I think you should drop Tenmaku Cinema unless you plan on writing a review of the manga. As it's not always productive to dwell on likes and dislikes unless personal preference would have a meaningful impact on others. There are certain stories that simply make our minds come alive or shut off. I feel that this boils down to a simple matter of personal taste. The literary flavor profile simply won't be exciting for you, as it might have been encountered way too often. 🤔
@WanderingInDigitalWorlds Yea, I had been considering dropping it for a while. But, the art is gorgeous and I know a number of friends who like it. So...I've kept with it. I am likely to drop it...next week.
@mdmrn I wonder if the author will make an art book that you could enjoy without the unappealing story...That's often how I enjoy a mangaka's art without the mundane writing. 🤭
@WanderingInDigitalWorlds I mean, it's the same team that also did Food Wars. Gorgeous art, but I never really got into the story. Looks like this is the same way - albeit a little tamer early on than Food Wars :Hehe:
@mdmrn Sounds like a trend as to why you might not like the series...I found Food Wars to be repellent as well, personally. It just wasn't my cup of tea and that's quite alright. There's a lot that can be tamer than Food Wars to be honest. ROFL
@WanderingInDigitalWorlds I know folks who love Food Wars and it gets a lot tamer as the chapters progress, from what I've heard. But still - love the art, story wasn't my thing. So...yea, since I already got this chapter on my phone, I'll read it - but drop it next week :Hehe:
@WanderingInDigitalWorlds Unless the first chapter is truly repugnant to me, I generally try to give new manga a chance to stick with me. This one...I waited too long.
@mdmrn I personally give anime/manga a three-episode/volume chance. If there's no joy sparked after the third entry, that's all the chances I can give. Unless as you said, there's sussy bullshit happening like loli, shota, or super busty harem squad antics. That's an instant drop for me.
@WanderingInDigitalWorlds The last one I dropped after one chapter was Kill Blue. New manga in SJ where an adult assassin was turned into a middle schooler. And is now supposed to protect his boss's daughter who is in middle school.
It wasn't bad, per say, in chapter 1...but that set up didn't set well with me. And there were already middle school girls who seemed to be crushing on this 50 year old man in a middle schooler's body, which also didn't settle well with me.
@mdmrn Honestly, that thematic choice never sits well for me. As there's so much room for it to devolve into grooming young girls for unsavory acts. That seems to be the undercurrent of some works that some are actively searching for. I won't even attempt to read Kill Blue, thanks for the warning. 🤢
@mdmrn I trust my gut in these situations as red flags are a valid warning sign for unsavory later content. I've been proven correct way too often to dismiss a red flag when it rears an ugly head in my gaze.
@WanderingInDigitalWorlds This is one of those, if it gets cancelled & my gut was wrong - I'll go back & read it. Cause I didn't dislike the first chapter, it just had too many red flags for me to keep reading.
Now, Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins was another one I dropped. This time after 4 chapters. Chapter 1 was very good setup for the concept. And it seemed cool. But the next few chapters were just...ugh, made me uncomfortable with a lot of fairy aggressive, school bullying that got violent. Had to drop it.
@WanderingInDigitalWorlds The whole concept seemed cool - entire family lost their memory and were going to work together to get them back...but when they finally get home they find out that they were probably all awful people. Neat idea.
But the implementation...I mean, it was done well...I just couldn't stomach it.
@mdmrn I do like dark themes in stories...Stories like Jujutsu Kaisen for example. The premise you expounded upon sounds cool, but yeah, the school bullying makes it less appealing. I might eventually give it a chance just to figure it out for myself.
@WanderingInDigitalWorlds By all means. I couldn't deal with it - it triggered & brought up emotions I didn't realize it was going to as I read it. But, it may be fine for you (and others).
@mdmrn The waters of our emotional core. Unexpected reactions can emerge from the depths, as the hadal zone of our inner worlds can be hard to access. We can submerge all manner of things within that space, for years for it to unexpectedly surface due to a response to a story. This is a fact of our human existence; we can never be truly ready for anything. However, I will keep your words in mind when I do decide to engage with the said manga. As it might not make me feel the same way...
@mdmrn I've never heard of this manga...Thus I will have to trust your summary of the unsavory content as that would get me to drop it. Unless the story had a resolution for the bullying, shaping the protagonist to learn to push back against said bullying. Especially if it were in a way that isn't violent but still shakes said bullies to their core.
Akane-Banashi - The next stage of our competitive #rakugo tournament begins. The first competitor is fierce, but you learn through the chapter how things are scored.
There's weighting taken into account from streamers, people in person, and the judges. It's a wild system set up by Master Ikken, but it...actually sounds fair. It's just really hard to know how to tailor your performance to the scoring system with so many factors in play.
But, this will be interesting. Second performer is up next week and they should be great.
Blue Box - We see how Chinatsu spends her New Years with her grandparents.
After being asked by her Grandfather if she has a special someone in her life, her mind goes to Taiki and we get a bunch of flashbacks from the series so far.
Then the chapter ends with her Grandma telling her that her Grandpa confessed his love by saying that she was the person he wanted to see first thing when she got up. Which is...how Taiki & Chinatsu see each other now.
Do Retry - Solid chapter. Our hero gets his card to be allowed to participate while giving us a well done boxing match. His tenacity is unrivaled and willingness to just get...pummeled until he psyches out his opponent.
But, we also get a clear reminder that this is underground, organized crime. And dangerous.
Fabricant 100 - Okay, wow. This one got...a lot more violent and graphically so at times than I was expecting. 100 gets beaten up a bit by 91 who had been enhanced by Fabricant 1. This led to Fabricant 100 having a flashback to the day they were created / born.
And the scene is horrifying with a flaming, but alive, body of 100.
Again, a lot more graphically violent than the series had been to date in the past few chapters during this current arc.
Jiangshi X - The stakes are raised in Jiangshi X. They found their way to a safe house, but we learn more about the Princess. She is the reincarnated form of previous ones and only she holds the key to releasing the most powerful, evil Jiangshi from history.
So, she says if it looks like she'll get captured, she'll kill herself before allowing them to use her to free the monsters. That will then send her spirit onto the next, new person who becomes the key.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles - Mash is trying to get in close to Innocent Zero. But each attempt gets thwarted. Mash goes back and forth trying. He's okay and has been able to take the brunt of the attack to protect everyone else, but he just can't get in close enough.
Suddenly - a collection of former rivals / enemies arrive on the scene at the end of the chapter to help. They're going to try to distract Innocent Zero so Mash can get in close.
In some cases, the whole "enemies now come to help you out" trope falls flat, but for me - it works here.
A core part of Mash's character is that him working without magic & keeping up with everyone; protecting even his enemies; displaying love / compassion - these keep impacting everyone around him. It has been central to both his character and the entire story to date.
So, his enemies coming to help him save the world is a natural progression that I'm here for.
Me and Roboco - It's raining and a friend comes over with cookies. So, they end up playing a game of Old Maid to determine who gets to eat the cookies. Loser has to go out in the rain to get more cookies.
The stakes have never been higher!
Except...it's low stakes and just really silly. Cause it's Roboco. And it's always silly.
Mission: Yozakura Family - They meet their oldest aunt, who still looks like a child. Hifumi wants to fight her...like a lot in order to get their stamp & because she feels like Alpha likes their aunt more than her.
One Piece - This chapter is wild. More of the story we're hearing from Sabo about what happened to him at the Reverie. But we also get to see King Cobra approaching the leaders and asking some questions.
Cobra asks about Nefertari Lily, who chose to return home instead of becoming a Celestial Dragon and her lack of inclusion in histories. He asks about who was "D."
And then someone sits on the empty throne. And while Cobra is surprised, the others don't seem to be.
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