Rozen Maiden 79 AHHHH OMFG NEW ROZEN MAIDEN and suchlike noise. With lots of lovely Boku Boku Boku (aka Souseiseki) interacting with Suigintou and the strange new boy getting interested in the dolls. I really love this manga and would really be happy seeing these scenes animated – but until that happens I’m quite happy just reading these chapters.

I should really make the effort to find and read the newer chapters in Japanese…

HunterXHunter 336: odd chapter clearing up a little how Killua managed his brother’s powers and split personality. Started rather dull with Illumi’s deductions, but the final part was interesting. Where will HxH go now?

One Piece 657 explained the weirdness of the last chapter and gave us a glimpse of a new baddie, but was a bit dull.

Naruto 574 brings with it the return of Sasuke and co to centre-stage. They are not welcome at all. And Zetsu sucks.

Bakuman 166 gives a creepy vibe, based as it is on the really unhealthy obsessions Japanese fanboys get on seiyuu, but at least it’s providing some really good, solid plot action, which this series has been needing for quite a while.

Deadman Wonderland 50-51: I’m slightly sad to say this, but I’m getting bored of DW now. After the last big fight – which wasn’t very interesting – the characters are now recovering, and Ganta has had a big exposition injection directly into his brain. The human interactions were limited to Ganta and Crow flattering each other…and it’s just hard to care any more.

Eureka 7 Astral Ocean 01: a manga chapter ahead of the release of this sequel to the classic anime, it tells the story of a kid who looks remarkably like the offspring of Renton and Eureka, and is as generic as they come. Poor orphan child accidentally comes across an artefact that allows for a giant mecha to be used. Still, I’ll definitely watch the new series.

HunterXHunter 334, though in many ways anticlimactic, put a big smile on my face. It was great – the masterful way Pariston manipulated events based on only a few nuggets of information, the way Leorio reacted, the suspension of our understanding of what happened with Killua, and of course the cliffhanger centred on a plot strand that’s lasted over a decade – what will happen when Gon finally meets his father. I want more!

One Piece 655 was great too, and it looks like the new arc will not be about Mama yet, but a side quest on a strange island with a burning hot side and a freezing cold side. It seems the theme will be Japanese, but with dragons. Intriguing!

Oh, and Luffy was frickin’ hilarious with his terrible detective skills and insight.

Bakuman 164 had its characters in paroxysms of happiness – and I didn’t care. I’m not empathising with them any more, and that’s a big problem for this sort of title. It also seemed to me that Niizuma’s reaction was obvious, and the Jump staff should have known he’d react that way and aimed for it.

Naruto 572 featured a chibi kyuubi crying, more goofy tailed beasts and the groundwork for an incredibly lame powerup. It’s about time to get to the final confrontation with Sasuke and end this series.