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.