Weekly Manga Recap - 23/09/2012

I'm a little surprised that I'm posting this week's Weekly Manga Recap before the Weekly Shonen Jump Issue Review but I was waiting for a few more scans to appear for the Jump series.

LOTS of series with multiple chapter releases so let's get to it:

Fairy Tail - 300

Congratulations to Fairy Tail for 300 chapters! Now with that over let's look at the chapter.

We're back from the little side stories and it is not revealed to us who the girl in hood is. The fact that we had a two week break before getting back to the main story, and that I was expecting to find out should have left me pissed off but I thought it wasn't bad. This was mainly because the chapter was set out to build up for something; don't know exactly yet but it's building to something big.

Since we saw Sabertooth and Fairy Tail do their own thing, that only confirms my suspicions further. Of course we got to see more with Sabertooth - Sting piercing a hole through his master in particular - and there's also a sense of mystery created by Minerva. I'm definitely questioning if she's got something planned and my suspicions are that she does. I probably should mention that this was a moment where I actually liked Sting as a character but Minerva stole the spotlight by doing relatively little.

As I mentioned Fairy Tail didn't do much, and most notably this was another meeting of the dragon slayers.

It's interesting to see Fairy Tail doing a mystery for once and I can say that it's pretty good. Mashima-sensei hasn't really done anything like this with the series - only occasionally bringing up the Dragon's mystery - so I'm glad to see him do a decent job with this new direction. The split focus of the chapter definitely did it's job of adding to the mystery and at the same time slowly progressing the story, which made the ending good instead of frustrating. Maybe it's because this is new and that Fairy Tail has essentially run it's course but I have inkling that we're witnessing the build-up for the end of the series. We won't see it for quite some time but I'm guessing we're en route.

Pretty damn good for chapter 300!

Kimi no Iru Machi - 199

In the midst of my anger for this series, I may have overlooked the most obvious reason why Haruto and Yuzuki didn't sleep together in the previous chapter: Seo-sensei was waiting for that chapter to be the next and 200th chapter of the series.

Festivals are always an event for romantic development, and in the case of the main couple of this series they hold more significance. As Yuzuki mentioned, all of their major developments took place during festivals and what better memories to rehash as the couple finally work up the courage to get intimate.

In terms of getting closer to sleeping with each other, this chapter was my favourite by far. It was romantic, plausible and showed both of the characters being open and honest with each other. Definitely a step up from the "will they,won't they" chapters we've seen and finally Haruto is being a man!

I'm going to say this has been the best Kimi no Iru Machi chapter in a while and I don't think there will be any more trolling in regards to Haruto and Yuzuki's relationship being taken to the next level. As happy as I am, I find it hard to see how a whole chapter isn't too much after the build up thus far, but then again GE - Good Ending did the same thing earlier on this year.

Gin no Saji (Silver Spoon) - 53

Hachiken is often treated as the doormat of the series so on occasion one tends to forget that he's the protagonist of the series. It's not just because he's a doormat but because so much is going on, the focus isn't on him all that much.

I'm glad to see Hachiken being appreciated by the rather extensive cast that makes up Silver Spoon but at the end of the chapter I was back to thinking this isn't going to go well. Certainly him being appreciated was good but when you consider the untimely appearance of his father, you can only assume that your prediction of what will happen next is probably going to come true, thus continuing down this rather disappointing road.

I'm not going to waste time writing what I think is going to happen, but instead I'll use that time to pray that it doesn't or in the case that it does, pray that it turns out good. Negatives aside, this is an important part of Hachiken's character development when you consider how his poor relationship with his parents was a made a big deal of at times.

I really don't want to see Silver Spoon go down hill and I'm hoping that this isn't a sign of it doing so but instead a precursor to some decent drama developments which we don't actually see that much of in this series.

Yamada-kun to 7-nin Majo - 30, 31

This was lighter than what I was expecting after chapter 29 but as usual it's difficult to see Yamada-kun doing any serious developments with the plot in a planned manner. It just happens with almost no effort, allowing us to enjoy all the humour.

I love how Miyamura ended up having the biggest role out of the cast who weren't involved. His contributions for to comedy, as basic as they were, really made the chapters that little bit better until the end. The focus on comedy was definitely the biggest part of these two chapters, and then of course we had a new addition to the harem (a little obvious) but I do like that Meiko is in love with Shiraishi's version of Yamada since it adds a little more craziness to the harem.

Other than all the happy-go-lucky events and the addition to the harem, the biggest shock came at the end when Meiko told Yamada that someone wasn't affected by her kiss. Now given that Yamada explained everything about the witches to her, it's a little hard to guess who we can expect.

The ending fits with the ongoing light mystery that Yamada-kun has established, but I quite like how the summer arc has yet to come to a close. As a whole it's been a fun arc, nevertheless I would like to see the series transition into something new at some point as to avoid overextending itself with this seasonal setting.

Gamaran - 156, 157

I quite like this fight but because it's going a little longer than expected, I doubt Gama's actually going to face Jinsuke's right hand man.

That's not all bad considering how calm and collected Gama has been throughout this whole fight, further showing us the extent of his growth which at times has been lost in the many different battles centred around the many other fighters in the world of Gamaran.

My one complaint is that the chapters felt almost identical, and this could have been avoided with better pacing and writing by the author. At one point I was actually convinced that the 2 chapters I read were just one chapter I read twice.

Gamaran isn't speeding up the progression of the plot, which puts it into a bit of a tough situation but also gives opportunity for resolving every single fight properly. I'd like to see Iori back in action and in fact I think he'd make an appropriate opponent against the current spectator (i.e. Jinsuke's right-hand man), but that's also because he has been absent for quite some time now.

From here on out Gamaran has tread carefully otherwise it's going to lose the readers. Maybe more obvious than the other series, the end is in sight and whilst it may take time to get there it's not a farcry to start estimating how much longer the series is going to last. My biggest wish is that the series doesn't spend a lot of time on pointless fights and focuses more on the crucial ones in order to end the series without feeling dull, repetitive or just plain boring.

GE ~ Good Ending - 141, 142, 143

Three chapters all released in the same week does add to my reviewing schedule but I was pleased with what these chapters did, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

A little disappointing that Shou and Seiji are still together, something that doesn't make sense until you read chapter 143. After I did read chapter 143, I understood the author's reason for not breaking them up and even came to respect it a little, but more on that towards the end of the review.

Finally we get to see some Eri x Kouno chapters! They were always a couple that didn't really show up much and whose romantic development didn't get any focus, so these chapters were one of their better ones.

No surprise that a baseball match setting was most appropriate and as sad as it was, Kouno's loss was a nice way to bring him and Eri closer together and give them an
I still think they could have more appearances but at this point in the story, it doesn't seem all that necessary. If they do appear again later on, I don't foresee them getting any more dedicated chapters though that isn't really a big issue for me.opportunity to get closer as a couple. This wouldn't be that big a deal if it wasn't pointed out straight away that they are not a conventional

couple.

Now to talk about why the ending of chapter 143 made sense. For one, I liked that Yuki was decisive and not forgiving towards someone who caused her so much pain in the past and then we had the final panel with the phone constantly ringing.

Even if you can guess what will happen next - I know I'm sure of my guess - it's actually a pretty good way to unite Seiji and Yuki once more. The reason I don't have a problem with it is because it's darker and more reminiscent of the drama from GTO but I can see how some might be annoyed with how things are going.

Predictability thy name is GE ~Good Ending but I don't mind. I'm willing to bet that if the series won't mess about and doesn't overstay it's welcome like Kimi no Iru Machi, the series could be coming to an end in a little bit.

Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows) - 202

Keima's problems are just too hilarious. Now on top of solving the mystery in the past he's stuck in, he has to deal with another imouto.

What particularly made the chapter stand out in terms of comedy was how effortless it was to include Elsie in the comedy. She hasn't really done anything since she was standing in for Kanon way back in the goddess arc and her involvement since then has been minimal. I am with the people who have missed Elsie and this chapter was definitely one to bring her back into our lives!

The last Elsie got jealous was when Keima teamed up with Haqua, but back then it was less comedy and actual jealousy from Elsei and this time it was all comedy. Her reaction was pure gold and what's more, those facial expressions of hers were a great balance of cute and laugh out loud funny.

Good to be reminded of how well KamiNomi can do comedy, even at it's serious times.

Area D 19, 20

Honestly, I don't have all that much to say about these two chapters of Area D. They were fine but they didn't really do anything new.

We've know for a while that Jin is a man with a sordid past warranting his status as 'S-Rank Prisoner' but we've also been exposed to his kindness, and because of this chapter 20 didn't do much for me. It would have been a different story if this type of chapter occurred later on in the series, after enough trust had been built up between all the characters and Jin but that particular chapter felt out of place in relation to the entire series.

Chapter 19 however wasn't so bad. It was good that Jin's past wasn't completely revealed; presumably it will be once he's close to or actually reunited with his brother but for now the mystery surrounding his past is a subplot that has remained interesting.

His unwillingness to deny his involvement in the Lotus Flower incident were neither here nor there. He's always come across as a character who would own up to his wrongs, being one of the more principled characters of this series, but what I got from it wasn't so much another display of good morality as it was one of vulnerability. The only side of Jin which we haven't seen is his vulnerable one, and as much as it hasn't felt necessary it was certainly appreciated.

Unfortunately the end to chapter 20 was yawn-worthy. They are separated once more! Wonder how that will turn out......I guess it could be interesting but I honestly have little faith in that, which is a shame considering the series could be better.

Nisekoi - 41, 42

Ok really quickly because this recap has been too long, I'm gonna quickly sum up chapter 41 in bullet points then give a quick paragraph at the end to sum up chapter 42. Here's what 41 was like:

• Funny because Chitoge was hated by the dog.
• Otherwise boring.
• Standard Nisekoi 'random' chapter that doesn't accomplish jack.
• Highlight was Tsugumi's facial expression when she saw the dog.

Chapter 41 was nothing special. It was boring but it not bad enough to make me hate the series; that's just how Nisekoi is! However, chapter 42 was great!

I've admitted to belonging to the Onodera fraction for quite some time now. She actually acts like a heroine in romantic comedy and Chitoge just doesn't. For me Chitoge is just the tsundere girl that's there to add comedy to situations and at times is unlikeable. The perfect example in this chapter was her smug expression that made me laugh but also made me like her less as a possible 'final girl' of the series.

Can you guess what my favourite moment this chapter was It was the entire page dedicated to Raku and Onodera and they looked adorable. Chitoge had her moments, sure I'll admit that but she was completely overshadowed by the one page that had Onodera in it.

Almost forgot about Marika! I loved her yandere-ness in this chapter and seeing her angry made me laugh on the few occasions she showed up.

Best and Worst of the Weekly Manga Recap

Best - The World God Only Knows

Worst - Area D (#20)

If you want to know why, then leave a comment. This post took forever to complete!