When it comes to the chapters in this week's Jump, I have been blown away by the efforts that each mangaka brought to the magazine, especially in the top 5. I think I had to reread some of these chapters multiple times just to come up with the selection to highlight, but that isn’t to knock the efforts that each series brought to the table.
My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen didn’t make the top 5, and yet they had work that was even stronger then their previous chapters. The stage has been set for the various fights in MHA, with great double page spreads and a nice twist that should add for some great character moments in an emotional clash between Deku and Ochcaco versus Himiko Toga.
As for Jujutsu Kaisen, just when I thought Akutani couldn’t bring the heat anymore than he already has, he sets up a three way dance between Okkotsu and two of the most powerful fighters in the culling game with some spectacular action and panel work. They were so great that any other week they probably would make the main list of highlights.
Even the weaker chapters this week still presented great setups for what is to come. Series like Undead Unluck, Doron Dororon and The Elusive Samurai all presented solid efforts, but they were mainly just chapters building to the greater events of their stories. Compared to other chapters this week, some of which had either spectacular fights or more emotional weight in their narratives.
This week, however, was the week of the newer series that have taken over the magazine. Among my top 5, only one series has broken past the 100 chapter mark, and three of them haven’t even broken past 25 chapters. With how these series are shaping up to be, my excitement is starting to ramp up even more.
To start up that hype train, we begin with a series that has finally presented the performance I was hoping for…
5. Akane-banashi Makes Me See Its Potential (Akane-banashi Ch. 3)
As I mentioned when I highlighted its first chapter, Akane-banashi seemed to me like it was a series with an identity crisis. While I was reading I felt that the lack of focus on Akane in that chapter left me wanting for more of her development. She was shown to have a feverish passion for the craft, but otherwise she was just a bystander in the downfall of her father’s career.
This week presented us with what I feel like was her true origin. Rather than spending a chapter on buildup, or setting the stage with some of the supporting characters, this chapter finally shows us and the rakugo audience just what she brings to the table.
I had praised Takamasa Moue before for his use of brush like character designs that brought the rakugo performance alive in the first chapter, but in this chapter he pulls out all the stops to bring out Akane’s performance. The way that Akane’s changes to match each character is distinct and identifiable and he also creates incredible hand gesture work that fully expresses what she is trying to convey. Seeing her hand in one panel raising up like a snake, and seeing her finger grow into sharp jagged points to imitate fangs help the audience (and the reader) visualize the story she is trying to tell.
This is also accompanied by spectacular panel composition that helps the page flow smoothly. Seeing panels that progressively increase and decrease in size or acted and zig-zagging lines really help with guiding the reading experience in an eye-catching way, which helps given the fact that a lot of the panels are filled with dialogue boxes.
That is understandable considering the medium of rakugo, but character perspectives on Akane’s performance are also filling the panels with lots of text. While I personally didn’t feel overwhelmed because of the composition of the chapter, I can acknowledge it does make the pages feel a little overloaded with text. Still, that is really the only issue I had with the chapter, one that ended up being exactly what I was hoping for from this series. I can only hope that as Akane’s rakugo career starts that we are soon presented with more great stories both on and off stage.
4. PPPPPP Starts Off Lucky’s Symphony of Sadness (PPPPPP Ch. 22)
We found ourselves again in the world of dreamlike melodies of PPPPPP again this week, and I have to say that this might be the biggest buildup I’ve seen so far from Mapollo 3’s series. With international figures of music and the media coming to the performance, alongside an emotionally drained Furusu, as Lucky decides to play Scriabin's “Pathetique” and gives the world insight into his tragic childhood.
I think what I love the most about this chapter is the framing of these events. Amongst all the different pieces coming together, Lucky is presented as isolated and alone, with none of his panels seemingly taking place in any distinguishable setting aside a brief flashback to his music analysis training. He’s presented in these black boxes that shows his introspection and his desire to not want to make people experience sadness, which directly clashes with the music he is to perform.
I love that when he finds his resolve, he finally enters a white panel, leading him into finally appearing on stage. The contrast to the bustling auditorium and everyone else's commentary really helps establish his attempt to get into such a mindset, and prepare to finally lay bare his trauma, exposing his father in the process. It’s a powerful build up that shows off Lucky’s burgeoning strength of trying to create a personal and emotional resonance to his audience, which has been the best part of these two most recent arcs within the series.
While I will admit that their were series with more dynamic action and arguably greater stakes this week, PPPPPP is showing off what it can bring to the table through its imagery and its desire to tell a more heartfelt narrative that relies on the power music can bring when it comes to building connections. Lucky’s arc so far isn’t to defeat his siblings, but to confront his former tormentor and rekindle his relationship with his siblings, and it has been incredibly effective in recent weeks for me. I can’t wait to see the remainder of Lucky’s performance next week, and the backlash it could bring to his father and his music empire.
3. Dr. STONE’s Dynamic Climax Shows The Beautifully Flawed Side of Humanity (Dr. STONE Ch. 231)
We now find ourselves where we left off with #1 last week, with Senku’s negotiations with Why-Man coming to an emphatic close. While we don't know what he said directly to the mysterious hive-mind just yet, the chapter still has him counter the arguments against humanity's worth by highlighting the journey that he and the Kingdom of Science have been able to achieve.
It’s amazing to think that this series has been able to tell this young man’s journey from working with stone tools and scrounging for minerals with it leading to this final clash on the moon taking only ten years of the actual story. Some might consider that a long time, but looking at it through the lens of how Inagaki and Boichi were chronicling that progres with the hindsight of the entirety of human history, it really highlights just how incredible Senku really is.
Then, as the team makes their return to earth with a singular sentient Medusa device, they are asked why humanity would be willing to give up this chance at immortality. This leads to a great line from Senku that reverberates the best aspects of this series. Dr. STONE has been able to utilize the shonen formula’s desire for adventure and create a parallel with humankind’s passion for uncovering the mysteries of life and existence. Even without immortality, and knowing our existences will end, we still pursue that curiosity with great passion because uncovering the answers is exciting and immensely fulfilling.
This is accompanied by spectacular imagery of the Medusa devices forming a giant skull, and dispersing in anger, following up the spectacular artwork brought last week. They intend to give everything there all as the series comes to a close, and with there apparently being even more color pages next week, I know I will be heading into a fantastic finale.
2. Earthchild Continues Building On It’s Amazing Momentum (Earthchild Ch.2)
It’s amazing to me when a new series can immediately grab my attention, but when that series can keep that same level of intensity and passion, I have to highlight those efforts.
Following last week's tragic end, Earthchild follows up on Reisuke's mourning his wife Kareri and the revelation of their child having the same telekinetic abilities she did. He’s confronted by the organization in charge of Earthchildren, WastE, as they try to take his son Mamoru away.
Shinkai again brings the most of Reisuke as a protagonist, showing the man’s despair and desperation in trying to prevent the shadowy group from erasing the life he was building with his wife and son. His desperate dive towards his son before being pinned down and arguing how he can still raise his son properly is heartbreaking.
Going into this chapter, while I loved last week’s efforts, I was unsure how Shinkai was going to present this followup. I wasn’t expecting to see this emotional struggle of a father trying to protect his son. Following it up by showing just how dangerous it could be to separate them by revealing Mamoru’s incredible powers nearly killing the WastE agents was the kind of graphic intensity the scene needed. It built up the tension even further and I was breathing a sigh of relief as Reisuke was able to remember his son and save him and the agents.
While last week's chapter showed off Reisuke and Kareri’s incredible chemistry, I think this chapter presented a relationship that has an even greater opportunity to grow.
It has been a while since a series has had this kind of dynamic, where two characters absolutely need each other on an emotional level, in a way that is more significant than in a romantic perspective. The parent and child dynamic that these two can share, with literally the safety of the entire world in the balance, could make for an incredible series.
1. Sakamoto Days Deadly Director Brings the Best Action the Series Has Seen Yet (Sakamoto Days Ch. 60)
We cap off this week with the beautiful in-flight cocktail of adrenaline and dopamine that is Yuto Suzki’s Sakamoto Days. The battle on the assassin-filled airplane reaches its climax as Shin and Sakamoto make their way to the front of the plane, only to be stopped by the film director Kanaguri, who is doubling as a test administrator for the exam.
This character instantly became the highlight of the chapter, from his film reel scarf and matching fade in his hair, to his incredible assassin skills and movie based tools of murder. He takes a commanding presence in his brief scuffle with the likes of Shin and newcomer Mafuyu, and is even able to somehow counter Shin’s ability to predict enemy’s moves. His eccentricity combined with his cold-blooded pursuit of making the perfect scenes of action and violence have already made him a standout of the arc.
That isn’t even mentioning the climax, as all of our key players enter first class and Kanaguri kills the pilot and sends the plane into a free-fall, all the while taking interest in Sakamoto’s newfound ally Akira. This alone has me excited to see what role this timid would-be killer will play in the future, not only for this arc, but the rest of the series. This chaos is all presented with the immense level of intensity that Suzuki continues to bring with every fight within the series, elevating this unique setting to its fullest and most dangerous potential.
For all of the incredible storytelling on display from previous chapters this week, and even the incredible action presented in the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen, this chapter still found a way to bring the most hype and sheer enjoyment that I had reading a chapter this week. From the art to the absurdity of the scenario and an incredible new obstacle to overcome, as Kanaguri literally blew a massive hole in the side of the plane, I am already wishing for the next chapter to pop up in my feed.
That brings us to a close on what ended up being a great run of chapters within Weekly Shonen Jump, and I don’t say that lightly. I was so relieved that I could really focus on making a list of the 5 best series this week, and then it ended up being the most difficult top 5 I’ve made so far. I guess that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it gave me a lot of great reads, but it definitely gave me a good challenge in establishing the rankings below.
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Thank you again for reading and I will see you guys next week!
| 6. My Hero Academia (Ch. 345) | 11. MASHLE: Magic and Muscles (Ch. 98) |
2. Earthchild (Ch. 2) | 7. Jujutsu Kaisen (Ch. 176) | 12. Blue Box (Ch. 42) |
3. Dr. STONE (Ch. 231) | 8. Ayashimon (Ch. 13) | 13. Doron Dororon (Ch. 12) |
4. PPPPPP (Ch. 22) | 9. Witch Watch (Ch. 51) | 14. Undead Unluck (Ch. 100) |
5. Akane-banashi (Ch.3) | 10. Mission: Yozakura Family (Ch. 119) | 15. The Elusive Samurai (Ch. 52) |
Unranked: Protect Me, Shugomaru (Ch. 13)