One Piece 768-9: out of the flashback and back to the action. And great to have a short recap of where everyone is and who is fighting who. Franky’s moment in particular was a little slice of genius. Law gives it his best but we went a bit too long without seeing Luffy – so he gets a moment of attention where we see that Bellamy is going to be an idiot to the end. 

One Piece 767: sad and dark as expected, Law’s flashback concludes – probably the most grim of any character’s. I was moved and like his character a whole lot more, now – so mission accomplished, really!

One Piece 766: After a sweet nod to Naruto on the title page, One Piece took its flashback to the inevitable tragic part. A coincidence right on the brink of victory spoiled Corazon’s plans, and the final bittersweet gag was pure Oda brilliance. 

One Piece 765: Aw, no chapter next week. I liked how this story-based chapter went, even if not a lot happened and I could have done without the fart joke. But I do want to get back to the main action!

Naruto 697-698: blah blah blah, fisticuffs – at least not with giant blobs any more – and then the two main characters surviving and having a deep moment where they decide to just go back to where they were a few chapters ago, only having a very dramatic mirrored injury. Not moved.  

Naruto 696: talk talk talk make new giant blob monsters. This is the way the most successful manga of the decade ends.

One Piece 764: Awww! I didn’t think anything much good would come from this flashback, but the little odd-couple surrogate father-son road trip with tragic and exaggerated results is pretty awesome in that typically cartoony yet highly emotional Oda way. 

One Piece 763: two different backstories today. And it seems Doflamingo’s is the darkest we’ve had yet – which makes sense if he’s the most twisted of them all. This is class violence taken to an extreme, and it makes sense. Then there’s the reason Law and Doflamingo are estranged – which at some point is presumably going to involve Doflamingo’s brother going up against Doflamingo...and that ending badly for him. The pacing of the arc has stalled, but I’m still interested.

Naruto 695: only five chapters left of Naruto, and I’m glad about that. It’s well outstayed its welcome. And how do these precious final chapters get spent? Stupid giant blob fights to start, schmaltzy flashbacks in the middle – as though we haven’t already pretty clearly got the picture that Naruto and Sasuke have a deep bond – and to end, set-up for an annoying talking chapter. 

Naruto 694 could really have been one page. Sure, Sasuke is a maniac now who wants to wipe the slate clean to begin a better world, like most other insane anime bad guys. Get on with it, will ya? Wonder if he’s rushing for a nice even end at 700 chapters?

One Piece 762: setting up the story of the flashback, this chapter wasn’t too interesting until its dramatic ending. There’s some fun in seeing the younger versions of the current crop of bad guys, though. 

Naruto 693: still ridiculously abrupt, this final showdown gets its stage set...with a cliffhanger that promises lots of talking. Oh boy. How exciting. And it’s pretty bad that I actually laughed a little when I thought Sakura had died. 

One Piece 761: a simple chapter, with an interesting clumsy character introduced in flashback – unless it’s another familiar character in another form! Looks like we’ll have quite a bit of flashback to come...but next week’s a hiatus. 

One Piece 760 was a good one – another of Oda’s chapters where characters simply put their trust in others and bow out of the main story, which while a convenience seems so powerful as a gesture. And of course Doflamingo isn’t so easy to take down. He’s started talking about his past – not a surprising one – so the real battle is going to be paused a little. 

Naruto 692: that ridiculous face/heel turn! Though it was always going to be the climax of the manga, I thought the recent arc meant he was going to sidestep it altogether. Instead, Kishimoto has set up the final fight in the most abrupt and stupid way. Surprise! Even though I had a million opportunities to further this agenda in the last fight I’ll do it now instead! And it didn’t happen until after Kishimoto got in more tsundere-Kyuubi lines, for even more demerits. 

One Piece 759: not a lot happened, and obviously this won’t be enough to beat Doflamingo, but it was deeply satisfying to watch it happen. Poor Bellamy, though.

Naruto 691: Kurama the awesome nine-tailed fox is being all tsundere again. Lame. Then there was some mawkish speech saying goodbye to zombies that didn’t move me in the least.

Genshiken 103: oh, Sasahara’s little sister. You femme fatale, you. This was really never going to have ended any other way – it’s oddly opposite from the West’s usual depiction of female purity...indeed, of most manga’s...but one of the main things prized in a book about otaku for otaku is male purity. How being a virgin is both an embarrassment yet a mark of pride. It’ll be interesting how the title’s singular take on transsexuality will develop next time. 

Yotsubato! 86: Bless Yotsuba trying to be a good girl! And all for the sake of getting a gift. But she was adorable, as ever. Each chapter – being so few and far between – feels like a precious gem just now.

One Piece 758: such an awesome chapter! If I was disappointed before that Usopp became such a success by accident, this undid any misgivings I had in that regard. And the cliffhanger? Badass.

Naruto 690: well, that was easily wrapped up. What an anticlimax! If this really is the end of the arc – and it may not be – I hope the end of the entire series will come soon. I suspect we’ll see more of Orochimaru yet, though. 

Naruto 689: did...did Sakura just do something useful? Sure, it boiled down to hitting someone in the head, and was done purely to facilitate the actions of the two boys, but still, that’s ultra-progressive by Kishimoto’s usual standards.

One Piece 757 was really a set-up chapter...but I enjoyed it very much. Bartholomeo continues to be utterly brilliant, Cabbage was sweet, Robin looked cool and Law is finally able to do more than flop about. Excellent!

One Piece 756 was a bit of a dry chapter, though I don’t think there are many titles I could say that about even though they include a scene of a giant nutcracker doll biting a horse’s head. The confrontation at the end was interesting, but Robin arriving right where Luffy was seemed a bit contrived and Usopp’s scene needed a bit more than him just yelling.

HunterxHunter 349: Wowww is Oda just trying to see what he can get away with putting in Jump this week? HunterxHunter's gotten away with a lot in the past, but I certainly didn't expect the giant boob and vagina monster. Otherwise, another slow chapter – I realise now that the prince introduced here is Kurapika’s target, and that the bodyguards are also tied into the larger plot of the voyage, but I don’t feel the arc has quite come together yet.

Naruto 688: Another ass-pull, as the Americans call it. So Kakashi has the full sharingan now, and can summon Susano’o. I find that mostly stupid. 

Saint Young Man 26. So the holy beings are Bond fans, eh? The otter was a surreal touch, but I chuckled at how Jesus worries about fanfares beginning films, because his angels get overexcited. And bless God not being able to text very well!

Genshiken Nidaime 101-102: I have to say, I’ve started really not enjoying this Madarame harem. It’s gone a bit far to really be believable, and has reached the awkward stage, especially with Madarame leaning towards Haato. I like Haato a lot and want him to be happy, but I think neither he nor Madarame see the other as a real person. So perhaps this change of direction with the cabaret club and Sasahara’s sister will head in a good direction. We’ll see.

1/2 Prince 60-61: Looks like translation is in full flow now! There are actually 8 more chapters already translated. This will do for now, though: there’s been a pretty major turn in the plot and what seemed like a double-chapter, so it felt like a natural place to stop. After looking more like Link than ever before, Prince confronted the Dictator for Life, and found he was being controlled. After the most homoerotic scene yet. Conveniently – given it really gained him nothing – the true bad guy revealed himself, but the main characters were sent out of the game again. We had the fun of seeing lots of minor characters’ real-life faces, which would have been better still if, y’know, I could remember who half of them were. 

One Piece 755: The Franky fight was both horrifying and hilarious. Can two people with more bizarre ideas about romance and manliness ever come together? The Tontatta are proving tough little nuts, too, though their gullibility remains a very funny thing!

Naruto 687 was just awful. A horrible attempt to make the audience sad at a character’s death, when it’s been coming for weeks and he lost all our sympathy long ago. The schmaltzy afterlife scene was just embarrassing. And the worst part? People considering the past make me remember how the title used to be good. 

One Piece 754 was hugely fun. Zoro being awesome, the stupid badly-drawn ‘escape sparrow’, Luffy being dumb and Bartolomeo being hilarious. More than any other arc, I think I’m gonna miss these characters if they stop being part of the story. Even Cabbage!

Naruto 686: Noble sacrifice #6243469. Eh. This whole battle is just too bizarre to be interesting. Why is her gravity limited to just this? Why can’t it just kill them all instantly? Apart from, of course, that not making a good story.

Hunter x Hunter 348 revealed yet more characters in this arc that’s already so complicated in the exposition phase. I am loving the anime so much right now that I’m prepared to let Togashi go where he likes with this, but I really hope he doesn’t end up unable to finish this. The tension with the zodiacs at the end was great, though. Needs more Leorio! 

HunterxHunter 346: Though not a whole lot happened, the cliffhanger promises interesting action. It will be fun to see what happens with Gin and Pariston, especially if they cooperate in some way. I also enjoy how Leorio and Kurapika have taken the boar and rat places on the Zodiac. I’m not that invested in Beyond or on the trip to the New World, but I’ll definitely stick around for the interesting characters.

Naruto 684: This had a vague hint of the old ‘clever plans and tricks’ Naruto, but none of the effect because frankly it was a bait-and-switch: they tell us Naruto can only cross dimensions if his main body goes, but then his main body didn’t go. 

One Piece 752: boo! Another hiatus! The attacking DoFlamingo turning out to just be a thread clone felt like a bit of a cop-out, but after all the arc would have been cut short otherwise. Just seems like it didn’t need to have been included at all. Still, that was more than made up for by the rest of the chapter – Luffy making a ‘shortcut’, Robin and co getting involved, and most of all a flashback of Trafalgar Law as a kid. Aww!

Naruto 68 remains at a scale bereft of human emotion. I was remembering how Naruto’s strengths used to be ninja with limited powers coming up with ingenious ways to beat one another. Now it’s god-women stepping in and out of space-time portals and sending the whole world to attack Naruto. And I mean the fabric of the planet. What a shame. As for whether Sakura will become useful? Wlell, she’s a chakra tank to facilitate others. Does that count?  

One Piece 751: Wouldn’t mind a bit more Sabo action, though he looked pretty badass here. I like how fast the plot has been escalated, but I’m curious as to where it’s going now. I don’t want the arc to crash to a sudden end!

Naruto 682: Apparently the chapter has caused much rage, and it’s no surprise. I imagine that when people talk about how bad Naruto has got in future, they’ll point to this – Naruto using a sexy no jutsu on the ultimate threat to the survival of all mankind. Not funny, not daring...just cringe-inducing.

HunterxHunter 345: I loved the small scenes with Gon – there were consequences to his actions, to an acceptable degree for a shounen protagonist. I also like Gin’s machinations. But I’m not happy about another (short) HiatusxHiatus.

One Piece 750: Not a whole lot happened after Oda’s break and – hopefully – successful operation, but various chess pieces have been moved where they need to be, and the chapter ended with Sabo looking awesome, at least.

Naruto 681: Unsurprisingly, Zetsu had more to do with this new plot twist than expected. Perhaps more surprisingly, he is more of a major figure in it, and this chapter was him just explaining that at length. So he has manipulated all modern human history in the Naruto world and turned clans against clans in an incredibly unlikely and roundabout plot to get a huge amount of chakra, which he presumably could have done centuries ago but we’ll look past that. Still all kinda lame.

HunterxHunter 344: finally, the arc is starting to get somewhere, even if this was still people sitting about and talking. Kurapika’s involvement and mention of his abilities not being that useful makes me think we’re going to get some Ryodan members popping up, we got a little tiny glimpse of Gon himself (aura-less) and we got the little twist in the tale: Gin is looking for his father/grandfather/otherwise long-lived ancestor Don. I’m hooked again, especially as the last episode of the anime reminded me that there are only a very few series out there that can keep me glued to the screen and wanting more for an entire episode in which only one scene unfolds and some of the characters simply talk to one another.  

Naruto 680 actually introduced an interesting concept – that Naruto might have to consider sacrificing others – but it only goes as far as ‘my body moves on its own’, and the rest was lame energy blobs fighting one another.

HunterxHunter 343 was a step in the right direction, with familiar characters back in focus, though still bogged down by exposition. A whole lot better, though, and it’s great that the focus is going back to Leorio and Kurapika, absent last arc.

Genshiken 95-100 was compulsive reading, and I love the shotacon little sister, but attempting to make Madarame reflect on how his situation is nothing like manga harems, especially when phasing in a harem for Haato, only highlights how unrealistic the manga has got. On the other hand, it’s great to see so much fujoshi territory thoroughly explored. 

Enjoyed Fantastic Four 587 – even if there isn’t a single panel where any comic reader can possibly have been convinced Johnny Storm was genuinely gone and not coming back, the fallout of his apparent death is beautifully done. Val’s quiet wrath, the Hulk letting Ben use him as a punchbag, and especially Spiderman’s time with Franklin – drawn well for once – all made for an issue of a very, very hectic run that actually took some time to breathe in the best way. True, I’m only reading the arc because of Alex Power joining the Future Foundation, but this was an issue worth reading.  

HunterxHunter 341: Yaaay, HxH is back at last! And I hope for a long time. This chapter was all exposition, with a bit of a surprise at the end, so a bit dry, but I’m interested by where this expedition into the new world will take us.

One Piece 749: nooo, no One Piece for the next two weeks, while Oda has his tonsils removed. At such an exciting point too! Loved this chapter, with all the powerful moves and the silly fanboyism for Usopp.

Naruto 678: Though there wasn’t much happening here and the new bad guy feels like a cop-out from a situation the goodies can’t win in, I liked this. The wish-fulfilment scenes were cute, especially Gaara’s. 

One Piece 748 did it again – a simple joke, that everyone wants to ally with Luffy and be the one to kill Doflamingo, was taken to absurd and brilliant lengths and culminates in the assembly of an amazing, weird, squabbling army.

Naruto 677: while this wasn’t as dramatic as I had hoped, I am pleasantly surprised that the devious plan came to fruition at all – though of course with key players protected so that they can fight back. 

One Piece 746 was an awesome chapter. Even though nothing much really happened, it had that mix of frantic pacing, high emotions and humour that Oda does so well. The parts with Usopp were hilarious, and the different factions now established are interesting.

Naruto 675 had a silly ‘mwahaha, all along I was behind everything’ moment, but it was still quite interesting overall. Odd pacing with the sudden flashbacks and a feeling of stalling overall, but nothing to make me cringe this time. 

One Piece 747, while not moving things on very much, had a joke so simple and so effective it was a marvel. It’s so ordinary, something as simple as a voice really, really not matching an appearance, but it’s so very funny.

Naruto 676: while most of this chapter was just rocks flying about and big stupid monsters made of inner energy, at least the bad guy has actually attained his goal – which might mean things actually get interesting now. 

One Piece 745: for the first time, really, since the time skip, we get the sense that the opponents the Straw Hats now face are absurdly powerful. The arc has nicely condensed now - so the pace ought to pick up hugely. 

Naruto 674: Well, I'm glad that the bad guy is finally seeming formidable and actually able to exploit weak allies. The battles are still a bit flat in Naruto these days, but this was a decent combat chapter for the first time in a long while.

One Piece 744: I may not have liked how Usopp's little coup went, but the fallout from it is utterly brilliant. He's become a messianic figure now! There was also the big reveal of who the second Lucy is - but it's been pretty obvious for a while, now. 

Naruto 672-673: eh, Gai got to look cool, with some Mortal Kombat x-ray effects included, but ultimately his little aside served no purpose, and now Naruto can use his Jesus-no-Jutsu to stop his suicide attack being a suicide attack anyway. Not excited for this final showdown. 

One Piece 743: Still a bit disappointed it was all accidental, but the fallout of Usopp's action is definitely rewarding. I doubt this is the end of DoFlamingo, though. 

Naruto 671: So the series that started out being about how hard work trumps natural talent ends up falling back on not only power-ups you're born with, but an ages-old destiny. Lame.

One Piece 742: Well...if it turns out that Usopp's moment of triumph was actually unintentional, his face being so scary that it made Sugar faint, rather than it being planned all along, I'll be a bit disappointed, but I'll take it. The flashback was nice, too - but balanced with some of the main story, which is what's important (take note, Kishimoto). 

Naruto 670 was tedious - Kishimoto is trying to justify his telling the same story over and over and over again, I think, through going back to yet another retelling of that story, this time the first time it happened. Wasting half a chapter on the lame joke of talking funny...that was a mistake, too. 

Naruto 669: I'd love for Guy's actions to be decisive, but in story terms it's so unlikely as to be absurd, so this is mostly just a very artificial way of giving a supporting character a moment to shine...while also rather uncomfortably glorifying suicide in combat. Though I guess only for superpowered magical heroes. 

One Piece 741: On the good side, Usopp did the right thing...and even did so telling the truth all the way. On the downside, this wasn't the time for a Kyros flashback. Interesting, but just not the right time for the pacing of the story, leaving the whole thing a bit anticlimactic. 

Naruto 668: I would probably have enjoyed this chapter very much in 2006. But now? Angsty Gai flashback before a ridiculously easy save-the-day kamikaze attack that story rules dictate will certainly not bring the arc to its actual conclusion? Feels so hollow. 

One Piece 740 - Oh Usopp! Everyone needs you! I have every faith he will actually save the day. But it will be interesting to see just how. I hope Luffy gets some more action soon, too, and wonder what will happen when the toy soldier turns back into the huge gladiator...

Naruto 667 - I thought I'd been spoiled to elements of this, but luckily I was wrong. Gai shows some admirable resolve, though since in story terms he has no hope of doing anything but stalling it seems a shame, and it turns out that Itachi's ultimate jutsu is actually self-reflection-and-redemption-no-jutsu, which I suppose suits the series these days. Meh. 

One Piece 739 has Usopp's operation go badly awry. Will he and Robin be able to salvage it? We also get more information about the toy solider...but this was still only an average sort of a chapter. 

Naruto 666 - much as I like Gai showing up - and it happened in two totally different timeframes here - I'm still too annoyed by the idea of Obito's daft switcheroo to enjoy this part. 

One Piece 738 wasn't a very exciting chapter. Robin's part was simplistic but worked well, but the part around Sugar was just not very interesting. Would have preferred some brief check-ins with the other characters, too. 

Naruto 665 was horrible. Another stupid reversal based on Naruto's platitudes. If this actually contributes to the arc's conclusion I'm going to be extremely unsatisfied. 

One Piece 737 wasn’t exciting like the last chapter, but Luffy’s childhood friend is pretty badass in the arena. I don’t find this silly toy-power girl very interesting, so I look forward to that part being dealt with.

Naruto 663 had the plainly unpleasant image of Sakura sticking her hand into Naruto’s ribcage to manually pump his heart – as though regular CPR wouldn’t do it just fine. Predictably, we’re moving towards fixing the whole issue of the main characters dying, but at least the bad guys get another chance to look good, and Orochimaru is finally contributing. 

One Piece 736 was highly enjoyable. There may not be any characters we truly care about in the coliseum any more, but the build-up was extremely fun. DoFlamingo’s realisation that it is not Luffy fighting was very satisfying. The new foe on the last page has more than a little Attack on Titan to his design, which is great. And then there’s the sheer pleasure of seeing Luffy’s ridiculous huge fist coming out of a fish, the ultimate payoff for this silly sneaking-about-in-animal-disguises business.

One Piece 735: More satisfying this week - a lot happened. Luffy and co are making progress, Franky got some action, DoFlamingo and the blind marine started sizing each other up and best of all, Sabo from the flashback stepped forward. Will be interesting to watch where it goes. 

Naruto 662 spun out the possibilities for what the previous chapter promised, without making them even remotely more likely. This is supposed to be the nadir of the heroes' effort, but it's so anticlimactic and unlikely that there really is no chance at all things will stay this way. So it's devoid of all tension. 

One Piece 734 was a but disappointing overall - the Cavendish idea was silly without being hilarious and the story moved a bit too slowly for a chapter after a break - but the last couple of pages still left me keen for more. 

Naruto 661, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise. The ridiculous giant-blob fighting was swiftly brought to an end in the first pages, and then the cliffhanger, though I don't for a moment imagine that it will stick, was unexpected and interesting. Here's hoping for some decent chapters before the end. 

One Piece 733: Felt like this chapter was kinda stalling the action a bit, but it will be interesting to see what happened in the Coliseum. I think Oda’s got all he can out of the gag of Usopp’s cowardice in this setting, though.

Naruto 660: the focus switches to Gaara, but I can’t say it stirred any sentimental feelings from me.