(Spoilers Ahead!)
Farewell, Magu-chan! (Source Viz Media)
With introductions out of the way, it’s time to start this new series proper!
This week’s releases turned out to be a bit tougher to gauge when it came to my first real ranking. A lot of the series focused on transitioning their narratives to future arcs, and while there was solid action from newfound staples Sakamoto Days and Jujutsu Kaisen, there wasn’t that much of an output when it came to the other shonen battle series.
There isn’t anything wrong with that, however, as there were still stories that kept going strong. Series like Mission: Yozakura Family focused on building on character relationships while still feeding small plot nuggets to keep what would otherwise be a comedy chapter connected to the narrative. As for The Elusive Samurai, it did a great job introducing new struggles and new characters to the cast, but it still felt like a brief aside before the next arc really starts.
Unfortunately there were some disappointments this week, particularly in the form of Witch Watch. While Kenta Shinohara’s manga usually has been a great source of comedy and slice of life storytelling, this week's chapter of an in-universe manga has been the focus of a side-story, just didn’t grab me. Protect Me, Shugomaru! is also still struggling to keep my attention, although this was an improvement, mainly because its comedy relies so heavily on humor that requires too much explanation of Japanese pop culture figures or relies too heavily on references to Yu-Gi-Oh! of all things.
With that in mind, there were still some truly great chapters that came out of Jump this week, so to start things off properly, we actually have to begin with an ending…
Magu-Chan’s Final Chapter Packs in the Feels (Magu-chan: God of Destruction Ch. 77 (FINAL))
Story and Art by Kei Kamiki (Source: Viz Media)
This is the chapter that hit me the hardest this week. Magu-chan has been my primary source for laughs week to week since chapter one, and to see it go is a tough pill to swallow. This week’s chapter not only acted as a wrap up for the entire series, but helped reinforce the strongest aspect that defined it.
The relationship between Ruru Miyanagi and Mag Menuek not only was the catalyst to all of the laughs they and the fantastic supporting cast it would bring, but it was also the emotional core for this story. To see this chibi Cthulhu slowly lose his hostile nature and become attached to this young girl was a heartwarming experience that made the series more than just a simple gag manga. Within this final chapter, we see the rest of their relationship unfold, as we reach the final stages of Ruru’s life, and how Magu handles the loss of his beloved disciple. It’s a real tearjerker of a chapter that made for a perfect ending for such a great series.
For as many times I see online that people will gauge the quality of a series by the length of their run, this is the kind of series I try to highlight to show them that isn’t the case. Through it’s 77 chapter run in Jump, Magu-chan helped me get through bad days with it’s simple story, fun characters, and hilarious situations. It became a series I looked forward to reading every week and Kei Kamiki gave it their all every week to bring this series to life. This includes a chapter that proved to be an ending that this series deserves. While I do give a separate highlight for final chapters, the remaining series have to fight for second place this week.
Blue Box Brings Laughs and Whole Lotta Romance (Blue Box Ch. 39)
Story and art by Kentaro Miura (Source: Viz Media)
Now it's time to take a deep breath and tackle a different kind of emotional story. Kouji Miura’s Blue Box has proven to be great at being a high quality palette cleanser within the pages of Jump, and this week was no different. Taiki is presented with a chance to talk to Chinatsu over the phone, amongst all the tension that has been building after the fireworks festival and his unintentional date with Hina. After that fizzles out, Taiki joins Haryu’s girlfriend Karen in watching him compete in the national badminton tournament and learning how the pair started dating.
Amongst all of the building action or continuous comedy in the magazine, this series is actually the only romance heavy manga in Jump at the moment. While I do love those big action set pieces, I'm a sucker for romantic tension and the complicated relationships that characters go through as they process their feelings in series like this. This chapter delivers on that big time, and also introduces Taiki into additional issues that come with his idea of confessing to Chinatsu.
Despite actively living with each other, they still don’t know much about one another on a personal level. They’ve definitely had conversations and moments that put Taiki and the fanbase into a tizzy, but the series is actively acknowledging that he doesn’t know enough about her to engage in an actual relationship.
It’s nice to see Miura consider these actual factors in relationships and not just focus solely on the usual romance manga moments as a foundation to a relationship. It’s also nice to see that, while he might not realize it, Taiki does notice the smaller aspects of Chinatsu's personality that he likes. Throw in some more great badminton action to show you why this doubles as a sports manga and you’ve got another great chapter in this burgeoning series.
My Hero Academia Prepares with Love and For War
(My Hero Academia ch. 342)
Story and Art by Kohei Horikoshi (Source: Viz Media)
Romance is surprisingly on the docket today, and this time it's accompanied by the groundwork for the final showdown everyone is waiting to see. To say that the final arc of My Hero Academia has been a bit of a roller coaster would be an understatement. With Midorya’s descent into despair, insane fights, and some fantastic moments and reveals, reading this on a weekly basis has been a blast for me. While things have slowed down in the last couple chapters, with bringing all of the pieces together, the time has come for the penultimate clash of heroes and villains.
Like all great war arcs before it, the calm before the storm proves to be engaging. We’re introduced to a group of insurgents inside of U.A. working for All For One, the heroes make their move to a new headquarters, and we see snippets of the different key players in the incoming conflict one last time. After all of that, however, comes a quiet moment between Midoriya and Ochaco as they discuss the need to fight despite their empathy for both Himiko Toga and Shigaraki.
To many this might sound like textbook shonen storytelling, and I would be lying if that wasn’t the case. Many people have been waiting for this finale to come for a while now, and these recent chapters can come off as a little frustrating, as they affect the story’s pacing. I feel that they are important, however, because this is really the last chance to get these smaller characters moments in before the action ramps up to a fever-pitch finale. Also, as a big fan of Ochaco, it's nice that she has been given so much time within these most recent chapters, and to see her and Midoriya’s connection here was a personal highlight. Now that the heroes’ operation is going to begin next week, and with war on the horizon, I am more pumped than ever to see what Kohei Horikoshi has in store for his readers.
Dr. STONE’s Reveal Genuinely Surprises (Dr. STONE Ch. 228)
Story by Riichiro Inagaki, Art By Boichi (Source: Viz Media)
Now we go from the setup for a final act to a reveal with an insane amount of build-up. The identity of Why-Man has been the biggest mystery that Dr. STONE has presented to readers since their reveal. For over 130 chapters, every action that Senku and his Kingdom of Science tackled, and all of the progress they made in building the world back to modern technology was to confront this shadowy figure residing on the moon.
The build up was to an insane degree, and the reveal was honestly so shocking that I didn’t really know how to feel about it. Finally, we see that Why-Man is not a singular being, but is in fact the Medusa devices that turn humankind to stone themselves.
On the one hand, while the series is not afraid to break away with more science fiction heavy elements, it usually tackles even its most outlandish plot points with a sense of realism. Even with how absurd as all life suddenly turning to stone is, the series still tackled problems with logic and understanding of real world applications of science. It’s what made the series stand-out in the first place when it debuted.
This ending seemingly takes that sense of logic and understanding and throws it out the window. It seems to be the most outlandish concept that the series has introduced, more so than even it’s core premise, and will likely leave part of its’ fan base confused and probably disappointed. I felt the same way, but then I started thinking about it. Everything the series was building up after Why-Man’s reveal, all of the different battles and journeys that the team went on, and all of the seemingly smaller elements of the story that now rushed to my mind as I was presented with the final result.
I realized that not only was this the most logical approach that Riichiro Inagaki could go with this story, but that it was almost perfect. It doesn’t have as much emotional impact as many other surprise reveals in manga would have, but the thought put into it is spectacular and should be commended. Combine that with the always stellar artwork that Boichi brings to this series, particularly with these glorious shots of outer space, and this proved to be a stronger chapter than I initially thought. With next week being where Senku and all of humankind finally learn why they were petrified, I can’t wait to see this series through to the end.
Brothers Clash Continues in MASHLE (MASHLE: Magic & Muscles Ch. 95)
Story and Art by Hajime Komoto (Source: Viz Media)
After all the hype the last two series brought, you think we would be able to take a breath, but then MASHLE says hold my cream puff. Hajime Komoto’s series, one that I initially wrote off as a One Punch Man rip off, has proven to be one of the staples for some of the best action the magazine presents on a weekly basis. In this chapter, we find ourselves in the middle of the ongoing clash between Mash and his brother Dominia, and how he has to contend with his incredibly powerful water magic.
I’ll admit it is difficult to tackle a fight as it is still ongoing, but MASHLE deserves the feature for its incredible artwork alone. Having an opponent that can literally turn into water against a purely physical fighter like Mash leads to a lot of awesome visuals and intriguing challenge. When combined with the insane designs of Dominia’s trident, his water magic and the looming presence of Poseidon himself, it ramps up the tension to a great degree and is honestly the most exciting fight in Jump this week.
It might seem like I don’t have much to talk about, but there is so much amazing action packed into this one chapter that it's astonishing that there is still more to this fight coming next week. Earlier I said that Sakamoto Days and Jujutsu Kaisen became newfound staples in Jump when it comes to action, but MASHLE is definitely amongst them in the magazine. It’s the kind of manga that practically begs for a high budget anime adaptation to have the kind of sakuga to bring these fights to legendary status. Even without animation to lend to it, Komoto’s panel composition and page layouts make him already come off as a master of his craft. The fact that next week we will see a new level of strength from Mash only has me even more hyped up, and now I can’t wait to see what comes forth.
Ayashimon Gives Me Hope For Jump’s Future (Ayashimon Ch. 11)
Story and Art by Yuji Kaku (Source Viz Media)
Aside from Magu-chan, this had to be my favorite chapter this week. Even more than the reveal of Why-Man in Dr. STONE, or even the incredible fight within MASHLE, I found that this chapter won me over in a big way. Following last week's reveal of Urara’s true power and Maruo’s defeat leading to the pair’s escape from the Enma Syndicate, we are left with a moment of reflection, loss, and newfound resolve.
It’s a turning point that’s common in manga, but it is handled here with beautiful artwork and utilizes all the different character traits here perfectly. The series already stands out with its merging of yokai with the world of the yakuza, but having a manga loving meathead and this diminutive demon try to take over Japan’s biggest crime family has already proven to be a great read. With Urara, originally seen as the spoiled heir to the Enma clan seeking only vengeance, it was great to see her finally acknowledge her frustrations with her life before the events of the story and try to build connection with her new subordinate.
Meanwhile, Maruo comes to terms with his first real loss in the series, and uses his love of manga to both comfort Urara and bounce back from his defeat with a newfound resolve. Yuji Kaku uses his own love and understanding of the medium to convey a character who held onto that childhood dream of being a manga character to help cope with the worst aspects of life. It’s Maruo’s love of manga and how he relates it to his life that makes him such a fun character, and his excitement and optimism even in underground street fights is as infectious as it would be in something like Dragon Ball.
While I haven’t read Yuji Kaku’s previous series, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku, I can tell he used the experience writing it to make this series special. Ayashimon is still in its early stages, only at 11 chapters, and I already look forward to it more than most series I read every week. It’s an easy and fun to read series, and with so few chapters out I would say read through and get caught up while you can. You won’t be disappointed.
While admittedly a challenge, I had a blast writing this week’s Weekly JUMP-IN!
The only thing I might have to say is that my goal of reading, writing, and posting the same day chapters release might be a little harder than I expected. I was able to make it today given that I had the day off, but with also tackling my other job(s) and the fact that chapters don’t always come out on Sunday’s, it might be a little harder to stick to that deadline. That said, I have loved tackling this task and I’m not giving up anytime soon. I just might have to try tweaking things as I go, but I hope you stick with me for the crazy ride!
With that, we wrap for this week with the rankings! So until then, hope you have a great week!
| 6. Blue Box (Ch. 39) | 11. Jujutsu Kaisen (Ch. 174) |
2. Ayashimon (Ch. 11) | 7. The Elusive Samurai (Ch. 49) | 12. Doron Dororon (Ch. 9) |
3. MASHLE: Magic & Muscles (Ch. 95) | 8. Undead Unluck (Ch. 97) | 13. PPPPPP (Ch. 19) |
4. Dr. STONE (Ch. 228) | 9. Mission: Yozakura Family (Ch. 116) | 14. Protect Me, Shugomaru! (Ch. 10) |
5. My Hero Academia (Ch. 342) | 10. Sakamoto Days (Ch. 57) | 15. Witch Watch (Ch. 48) |
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