Jump Manga

HunterXHunter 322: a very Togashi idea! We finally learn the reason the last of Killua’s brothers has been hidden away out of sight so long. It’s all a bit contrived, but very much in keeping with HunterXHunter. It’s all a bit convenient, but I wonder what will come of this little story arc. I assume it will end up with Gon back to normal, but at what cost?

One Piece 644 was a stirring speech chapter. I’m just glad it wasn’t the start of an extended flashback into the bad guy’s past. Not bad, with a nice moment of posing for the Straw Hat crew at the end, but I want the arc to end.

Naruto 561 didn’t get the adrenaline going, despite the extremely powerful new foe and Naruto getting extra power. There’s an old person to sacrifice himself in what is getting to be a tired Naruto conceit and the stakes still seem low (clone Naruto vs resurrected dead guy controlled remotely, albeit one with lots of secrets).

Bakuman 152-153: two chapters today, as I hadn’t caught up with last week’s. I was quite pleased about that, as they went well together. Bakuman was playing to its strengths again – new, strong story ideas, drama with them going up against one another and the underlying rivalry of Ashirogi vs Niizuma, but … the manga is just getting pretty repetitive now. It needs to go somewhere major now, or end soon. But with the anime’s second season just starting, I know that’s not happening any time soon.