One Punch Man 100.2: eh, I think it would have been better to just end this fight with the climax of the last chapter or have the suit coming off as a consequence. Much as I like Child Emperor and good as it was to see him out of his mech again, it was an anticlimactic end to what had become an impressive fight. At least the general fandom likes the kid way more now.

One Piece 929: Mostly an exposition chapter, with a bit more fleshing out of secondary antagonist Orochi. Not that engaged by the guys coming after Sanji and Law.

Dr. Stone 89: I didn’t think I would, but I enjoyed this chapter a lot, mostly because of Chrome. Going from cute and enamoured to jealous and belligerent to being a bro – all in one mini-adventure. The adventure itself was a bit artificial and abrupt but the characters carried the chapter and made it a lot of fun.

The Promised Neverland 118: Of course! I should have seen that coming, but I didn’t. Obviously Norman wasn’t dead, but I didn’t think he’d be coming back to the story in this way. And what a great place he’s managed to construct around him. I’m just hoping he doesn’t end up being a baddy now.

Boruto 30: the art is still very nice every chapter, Boruto himself looking super-cute this time around. Not sure about rocket booster legs in this kind of series, and this sidekick girl definitely doesn’t fill me with excitement for a great fight.

One Piece 928: Luffy got buff, haha. And Lady Komurasaki appears – as expected, Oda can only draw one pretty woman, so here she is again. With a typical hostess story. I think her courtesan is a lot cuter, haha.

Haikyuu! 332: some fun Bokuto moments, and then the focus back to Akaashi. I’m slowly becoming invested in what he manages to do.

Dr. Stone 88: aww, this was a cute chapter. Nice art, nice character moments and a nice breather from the recent pace.

Chainsawman 3: there’s something snappy about this writing I like. I feel as though I’ve seen this set-up dozens of times, but this series does it in a strangely brazen and charming way. And it’s quite fun that the main character has such an odd world-view, at once nihilistic and childish.

The Promised Neverland 117: Hrmm, Faust from Guilty Gear showed up. That’s a bit weird. Obviously the character is their own thing but it feels pretty severely out of place in this manga. I’ll probably get used to Zazie in time.

Haikyuu! 331: heee, that weird owl-man is great. This was partially an Akaashi chapter but of course Bokuto steals the show again, once more rising up to become a favourite character through sheer quirky likeability.

Chainsawman 2: It’s fine that Pochita is alive inside him, but I’d rather there were some way he could be seen in the flesh outside flashbacks. Otherwise this was a standard continuation chapter with a new character introduced and a bit more action. I quite liked the clumsiness of the romance, though.

Dr. Stone 87: Pretty funny chapter. I loved the manly manly loom they made. And even if I’m still not sure about this currency angle, the way it worked in this chapter was pretty funny.

The Promised Neverland 116: Yeah! This is what we need, a bit of nice tense action. Very simple plotline but it works well. I don’t think we’ll have a casualty here, but certainly we might.

One Piece 927: bit of a narrative jump, but the chapter did just enough to set up what happens next, including having a satisfying mini fight against underlings who underestimate the crew (one of Oda’s favourite ways to spice things up) and a funny new character, O-Toko. Will we get a focus on this part of the crew for a while?

 Haikyuu! 330: brilliant as last chapter was, this is still a match I don’t care about all that much. Certainly not to the degree of the last big showdown at the trashheap. I’ve never paid much attention to Aka’ashi, so maybe a bit of a spotlight on him would be good.

The Promised Neverland 115: it’s pretty obvious this Minerva will turn out to be some sort of imposter, but these new characters with the Japanese names (unusual in this world) are fun and a bit of a breath of fresh air after a long serious stretch. This side-mission feels a bit tacked-on but could make for some interesting developments.

Dr. Stone 86: a bit too much crammed into this chapter. Currency and currency manipulation, nobody thinking about what happened to the statues buried after Fuji erupts several times, now making hot air balloons – it just felt a bit too jumpy and everyone was a bit too eager to accept capitalism all of a sudden.

Chainsawman 01: interesting new title in Jump. Bloody, suggestive and very crude overall, this reminded me of seinen from a couple of decades back. Not the most impressive but I quite like the concept. If we don’t see the little chainsaw demon any more, though, that will be a shame. He was a great lil’ mascot.

One Piece 925: Wow Oda, that’s some pretty heavy BDSM imagery for this kids’ manga, haha. A bit of an info dump chapter but it’s interesting to see where some of the chess pieces are. And that a few characters who might have died are alive and kicking – good and bad.

HunterxHunter 390: Finally a bit of action! Woohoo! Even if it’s not characters we care about, at least it’s fun! Aaaaand it’s hiatus time. Worst volume ever. Still, this was the best chapter in a while.

 Haikyuu! 328: Bokuto is so funny. Though half of the time people just treat him like a weirdo when he’s not being THAT odd.

The Promised Neverland 112: high body count, lots of gore, weeping and then rousing speeches. It’s classic borderline shounen-seinen stuff. But I’ve come to expect more from this series. It’s not that it’s bad, not at all. But it’s losing me a tad.

The Promised Neverland 113: A glimpse of Minerva, or someone using his name at least. Feels a bit weird they haven’t done more if they’re this capable. Ah well. A new journey begins.

Dr. Stone 84: A fun chapter. The next act is a sailing arc. Let’s just hope it doesn’t go the way of Berserk and HunterxHunter with boat hiatuses!

Boruto 29: This is very cliché stuff, but it is done pretty well. Kawaki is learning to be a human. But the bad guys are abou to get in the way. Can’t say I’m overwhelmed with excitement. But I’ll keep reading.

One Punch Man 99.2: Another mini chapter with some silly cute little bots and what looks like the decisive blow coming – though maybe there’ll be a little more to emphasise how last-minute this all is. But I loved the imagined little desperate Dotei-kun looking all raggedy and scared. Aww!

Haikyuu! 327: not that engaged by the other short guy but keen for the Bokuto match. Furudate is so good at showing just what a character is like in a few panels without making it super-obvious.

Dr. Stone 83: To the surprise of nobody, the anime is announced! The colouring was super-nice this chapter, though. We finally get it confirmed that the sister wasn’t really hurt, and moved on to the next quest after figuring out a hydroelectric freezer that seems unlikely to be as powerful as depicted. Ultimately, it just feels like the second arc got cut short when it became clear it wasn’t all that interesting. But I’m actually pleased the manga isn’t completely over.

HunterxHunter 389: urgh, this is just not enjoyable. I want to be one of those people lambasting others for lacking the patience to read it all, but it’s just not very fun or interesting and I’m certain it could have all been done way more elegantly, with a much better balance of action and explanation.

One Piece 924: Really interesting shift in mood, even giving the chapter a kind of firm conclusion for an arc, even though it’s in the middle of the set-up. Great to see Luffy put in his place, and it will be interesting to see him operate from a dark frame of mind for a while.

HunterxHunter 388: geez, whole panels filled with text. And not even very interesting text. The plot barely moved on at all. At least Kurapika was drawn nicely.

Haikyuu! 326: Yup, I definitely love Bokuto. And it looks like he might be the opponent for Karasuno in the final. I kinda think he’ll win, too, and we’ll have to see if Hinata and co can win next year. But it’s Hinata against the other little spiker. Kind of detracts from the concept that Hinata is so freakish when there are a bunch of others like him, though.

Dr. Stone 82: Ohh, even though the whole chapter had end-of-a-series vibes, this is continuing in an interesting direction. And yeah, I suppose the one thing hanging over the title that we haven’t had answered is just what happened to the world!

The Promised Neverland 111: Wow, I wonder if anything in Jump has ever been this dark or this visceral. That’s a lot of blood, a lot of pain, a lot of screaming kids and a lot of direct confrontation of death. And the dilemma is whether our main character can become a murderer. It’s still on the cheesy side, especially compared with this series at its best, but it’s still a little shocking…

The Promised Neverland 110: ehhh. It makes sense to have the baddie come back but that really cheapens the sacrifices we were supposed to find so meaningful last time.

One Punch Man 99: thought this was only half a chapter but it looks like that’s all for now. Nice action but not much has happened.

One Piece 923: yup, this is one of the most powerful beings in this universe in action. And it wouldn’t have made sense any other way. Quite nice to see Oda deflate the hype he’s built up over so many years. But where now?

HunterxHunter 387: Even though not much happened, this was at least an intriguing explanation of what Tserriednich can do. Quite the ability. Quite the long explanation. This is shaping up to be a really uninteresting volume of the manga though. Hopefully at least we’ll get some real action before the next hiatus.

Haikyuu!! 325: awwww, a whole chapter for manly tears and sportsmanship. Love it. And now it’s time for Bokuto to steal the show. He’s my favourite character after Hinata, which is kind of weird given he doesn’t have the kind of design I’m usually interested in.

Dr. Stone 81: whaaat? Where has this manga ended up? The heat of exploding gunpowder just gets absorbed by a waved shirt? A man with a punctured lung can fight like an animal? And somehow a primitive battery that’s been in water can turn into a strong taser? How is the current alternating? How is Senkuu grounded? Could Hyoga not have just, y’know, let go of the sphere and backed off? At least this means the fight doesn’t get dragged out. But are we gonna wrap the whole thing up very soon?

Kuroshitsuji 145: it was clumsy, but we’re at least set up for some better chapters now. I’m glad the staff are along for the ride, as Finnie has always been my favourite character in this manga. Wonder where they’ll hole up.

The Promised Neverland 109: ehhh, this didn’t resonate with me. I found it very cheesy and mawkish. It was obvious what was going on and the last page was really overwrought. But to my surprise the fandom seemed to enjoy it.

One Piece 922: that escalated fast! And it’s great to see the arc progress rapidly. I doubt anyone, good or bad, was seriously hurt in this chapter but it’s going to be interesting to see what the fallout is here. I assume Law will get Luffy to safety.

HunterxHunter 386: I’m still not into it. Words, words, words.

Haikyuu! 324: with intentional bathos, the fated match ends. And it was a great one. Hinata not realising the match was over was cute and I found Kageyama thinking about onigiri funnier than I should have done. What’s next for the team?

Dr. Stone 80: a lot of people have been commenting that it might be the case for a while now, but for the first time with this chapter I felt like this title is already about to end. A big team-up against a badly-conceived villain won’t be that fun but maybe the creators just don’t want to be tied to this long-term. But Tsukasa reviving was some bullshit…

The Promised Neverland 108: Ehhh. It wasn’t terrible or anything, but the going out in a blaze of glory and sacrificing yourself to blow up your enemies thing is very overdone. Plus there was meant to be a self-destruct button in this complex. Did that just get forgotten?

D.Grey-Man 230: It’s almost weird at this stage that this title is still going and is still meant to be coherent. It feels all over the place. Just when we were starting to get a rational setup with Allen, Johnny and Kanda on the run together, Allen teleports him and Kanda to England (looked more like Scotland – isn’t that Edinburgh?). I guess we’ll get more flashbacks…

Boruto 28: I never look forward to Boruto but then I often end up enjoying it more than I expected to. This chapter, up until the last couple of pages of bad guys moving in, was all character development, and it was all surprisingly cute. Kawaki is just Sasuke mk 2, but his oh-so-damaged responses to everything have their charm.  

One Piece 921: a really nice classic One Piece chapter. Funny humour, with Brook’s comment on that weird headgear Japanese ghosts wear and Oda’s favourite pervy-old-man jokes, then an impressive fight and a big reveal. And I’m sure he’s having a whole lot of fun with the aesthetic of this arc, especially that Shen Long-style appearance of Kaido.

HunterxHunter 385: hmm, another unsatisfactory chapter. Not a terrible one, as there was a minimum of talking and action was taken, but it still only ended with anti-climax.

Haikyuu! 323: Hurrying to the end of the match is wise, and though this chapter wasn’t a standout the last moments were sweet.

Dr. Stone 79: Hmm, I guess there were red flags all over the U-turn last chapter. And it was very obvious that if there were two bad guys and one decided to reform, this sort of thing would happen. But I’m still not sure where the series goes now.

One Punch Man 139: Great chapter! Just a tad disappointed we didn't get a full battle against G5 but this was a lot of fun and I'm happy Child Emperor gets more than 2 chapters for his fights. It was nice to see Waganma start to grasp the severity of the situation, and Child Emperor using his trump card already. Brave Giant! Can't go wrong with a big mecha, even with a time limit. But yeah, I do feel like he could and should just use this tech to run away with Waganma, but I guess he feels he has to fight.

The Promised Neverland 21: all action! Not how I expected this series would go when we started out in the orphanage. But here we are – gas masks, automatic weapons and clear red flags that all these men are gonna die.

HunterxHunter 384: Dammit, we got the Spiders at last and they just talked. Then we got some interesting quirky art and more talking. There’s a desperate need for real action at this juncture.

Haukyuu!! 322: Haha! I thought this was going to start dragging but this chapter was great – with extra effort put in for the cover feature. The simmering rivalry between Hinata and Kenma came out in a great way, with awesome moments and symbolic panels for them both. Plus Bokuto got one absolutely hilarious panel too.

Dr. Stone 78: lol at Chrome messing up the awesome battle pose. Otherwise, I’m not sure about the storytelling here. Out of nowhere, Tsukasa’s character and motivation is upended and the whole looming threat of the series is nullified by a surprise twist that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. He never thought to ask about this at the beginning? He never went to find the hospital before? And where does this series go now?

The Promised Neverland 106: Okay, that makes sense, they got the information advantage. And noble self-sacrifice always gives the feels.

Haikyuu! 320: This time we switched focus back to Tsukki. He got some nice facial expressions!

Dr. Stone 76: Well, the plan didn’t work, and after all it was pretty slapdash for a genius. I guess we’ll see Senkuu has worked out all this and planned for it. We’ll see. There was a feeling of this series rushing to finish but I expect it will continue long after this.

Boruto 27: yup, Boruto has definitely found his Sasuke. Quite fun to see a new sizzling rivalry that will no doubt turn into a strong bond later on. But this isn’t all that interesting, to be honest, and I don’t really look forward to new Boruto chapters.

One Piece 919: not a ghost story but a time travel story! One Piece is very silly but always brings me back, eager for more. I didn’t expect this, but it makes a lot of sense. And interesting how we get Oda’s take on isolationism and young kids getting fed propaganda. Perhaps the kids reading this will be more critical thinkers in the future, haha. A few of the crew members are back to meet up with Luffy, too – but a few are still missing too.

HunterxHunter 382: I’m still eager to read this one every time, but it’s really just vestigial affection keeping me going at this point – and the possibility that this will kick off in a big way. There was some action and both an assassination and an assassination attempt, but precious little of the characters I care about. Where are the Spiders?

The Promised Neverland 104: not much happening here, just confirming that this will need to be a fight rather than just an escape. Still, it will be interesting to see this become a survival adventure, more like how it started – only with guns. 

One Piece 918: ahhh, classic fun storytelling. Luffy in full Robin Hood mode, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Really fun having straight man Law to yell at them too. I’m looking forward to the fallout from this – and to finding out who the little dragon kid and the rest of them the crew met before really are, if their headstones are waiting on the mountain.  

HunterxHunter 381: hrmm … not the best way to return to serialization. Kids encountering HxH for the first time must be so bewildered. Almost no action this chapter, bar an invisible nen beast eating another invisible nen beast. I understand set-up is important but so is intrigue and actual activity. I only really care about the spiders. Hilarious frontispiece though!

Dr. Stone 75: this is how you do it! Look at all that action, just when the series had gotten slow. Great character moments, especially Taiju just coming back into the series and stealing the show – even if his sound bomb was a bit unlikely, haha. The low-tech tank was great, the little exchange with magma was great, and the new allies did their part too. Not sure we needed the new boobie girl but eh, didn’t hurt.

Haikyuu! 319: I see, this set is gonna be highlights of different positions. Makes sense to keep things fun. This time it was Nishinoya and the libero position. I wasn’t at all sure about Furudate’s art style at first but it’s so dynamic and interesting.  

One Punch Man 96: Just a continuation of Flash’s fight. I was hoping to hurry on to Child Emperor’s. Should be next time, though! This was another masterclass in dynamic art, but not all that interesting plot-wise. Would’ve been nice to have some humour or to check in, however briefly, on Saitama or King.

Heroes of Fury 1: I decided to read these One/Murata one-shot comics. This is a very One piece of humour. Not very clever and just a little offensive but taken to very entertaining lengths. The last twist was the funniest, and of course the art was gorgeous. I’d enjoy seeing more One stories in this kind of fairytale setting.

Gokiburi Blaster 1: A very silly, somewhat Pythonesque one-shot about a group of cockroach hunters. They go way overboard and blame their own incompetence on the power of their nemesis. Another pretty obvious gag but well executed!

The Promised Neverland 103: Very interesting once again! Things are moving fast, both with hints that the demons are actually corrupted humans and with a new invasion of antagonist humans. Enjoying this series a lot.

Haikyuu! 318: It’s nice to give the antagonists some screentime and make them likeable, but this kind of flashback isn’t really needed in Haikyuu! because one thing it always does well is to identify strong, interesting character types just through the everyday conversations we see. So while this was by no means bad or uninteresting, it feels superfluous.

One Piece 917: haha, looks like pliers really triggered Luffy. Well, torturing a kid did, so his counterattack was very satisfying. This chapter progressed things very slowly but the action at the end, and the possibility of Law vs Hawkins, made for a pretty satisfying update. I wonder how long it will take for Kaido to be on the scene. The idea of a horse-person randomly inheriting the ability to see like a herbivore despite a human face is so Oda, haha. I remember it was obvious Jack didn’t die when he was last mentioned so it’s no surprise to see him back, but I’ll have to look up the details of who he was…

Dr. Stone 74: I feel like an editorial hand instructed the mangaka to hurry this story up. If so, it was a good idea! It’s all coming to a head now, and the whole plant-a-telephone strategy, as well as the idea that communications devices would give a huge advantage in organizing an army, ended up reduced to converting two key players to the good guys’ side. That’s not really what the set-up was meant to lead to, but it’s probably a fair bit more interesting.

The Promised Neverland 102: Interesting! Just when the title started to feel a bit stale, everything was switched up. We had a time skip, a new and interesting development for the cliffhanger, and a fun opening – which interestingly further humanises the monstrous ‘demons’. Plus that popularity poll, haha – who would vote for goddamn Phil?! Lol

One Punch Man 136: Aww, we didn’t get to Child Emperor vs Phoenix Man. But we’re now into the big fights of the best arc of the webcomic. Of course, everything is going to be fleshed out a significant amount – Flash’s fight that we started in this chapter, for example, was just a throwaway handful of panels originally. So I don’t know how long this arc is going to take – potentially several years. But I think I will enjoy it all the way.

Haikyuu! 317: good, it wasn’t dragged out too far! And it’s nice that this was won not by another big spike but good positioning and effective defence. But what’s left for the last set?

Dr. Stone 73: awww, the twist in this tail doesn’t really affect the overall narrative, but it’s a fantastic character moment and a very nice little detail. Looks like the way this war will be won will be by winning over the hearts of basically everyone else on the other side. That’s very manga.

Kuroshitsuji 143: eh, I get why the revived Ciel wants to frame the Ciel we know and love, but it’s all so rushed and unsatisfying. I don’t know that after using her long-prepared trump card, Toboso hasn’t wasted her single best twist on a really lacklustre new arc.

The Promised Neverland 101: hmm, everything went a bit abstract, with visions, esoteric contradictory statements and abstractions abound. Not sure I’m on board but it really depends where it leads.

Haikyuu! 316: more flying Hinata is always fun but Karasuno should just win this set already. There’s no doubt they will.

Dr. Stone 72: Yay, Chrome. That tank stuff from before feels a bit clumsy and pointless now, but this escape was a lot of fun, especially with a little bit of extra cleverness at the end.

One Piece 916: noo, not another hiatus! Still, some fun here – that burger on the cover looks amazing, I loved Luffy’s ‘unbeaten record’ and it was funny to see why Law didn’t intervene!

The Promised Neverland 100: cute having a little sequence with the littluns, complete with a cliffhanger. Getting the main crew to this distant place they’re checking on a whim in a handful of pages was odd, though. The pacing recently has seemed pretty bizarre.

One Piece 915: Nice to see a woman stand up for herself in One Piece. I’m getting on board with this arc!

Haikyuu! 315: ehh, not sure about this one. It felt like they wanted Hinata’s big moment to be both cliffhanger from last time AND conclusion to this chapter so sort of had a fumble and a re-do. It felt clumsy to me.

Dr. Stone 71: Oh, this was more entertaining and clever than I expected. Though having a battery in there was a bit of a cheat. I liked Chrome swallowing his pride and pretending to be primitive. And the cover reminded me that behind all the comedy facial expressions these characters are designed to look pretty cute.

The Promised Neverland 99: hmm, a bit too much is kept mysterious in this chapter, so it’s not very interesting when the characters are off on an expedition to coordinates written in a book without much indication of what will happen there.

Boruto 26: Ah, I see, they’re bringing in Boruto’s version of Sasuke. But while I don’t dislike Kawaki, so far he’s not very interesting.

One Piece 914: Ahh, worth the wait. Some great humour, especially with Tsuru losing her temper, and then the action at the end, the sheer joy of Luffy and Zoro heading into trouble, and Law showing up just for an outraged reaction were all great. This depiction of a Japanese world but with severe deprivation and a pretty ridiculous honour system where everybody keeps refusing to eat others’ food is also more nuanced than I expected.

Haikyuu! 314: Woo! Hinata has his little giant moment. After a lot of build-up, and even without the real pay-off, this was a really nice way to give an emotional climax to the match. Beautiful art too!

 Dr. Stone 70: Hmm, this is getting confused with the telegraphing of Chrome having his own agency to escape. And the idea of a painted layer of carbon being enough to withstand a trained soldier’s spear thrust is a bit dumb.

One Punch Man 94: This mammoth chapter shows that even without Saitama (not counting his little background cameo on the frontispiece), and even without any direct appearance from King, this manga can be incredibly fun. Lots of the S-class got a chance to show what they can really do, and it was well worth trawling through the chapter slowly in Japanese before the translations got out (though as usual the fans have been lightning-quick). This was a filler chapter with lots of new characters showing their stuff, but it was a huge amount of fun. Now the executives are moving, so we’ll be into the best part of the arc very soon. And this chapter also had some great Child Emperor moments, even if he didn’t exactly fight. Not only the frontispiece with that somewhat inscrutable expression, but his adorable doubts about how King sees him too!

One Piece 913: Very funny start to the chapter with Luffy’s idea of how to use a sword. I hope Zoro gets his hands on it soon. And Oda continues to throw everything Japanese-y at this arc, with a sumo wrestler, a teahouse and even a woman who looks like an Utamaro painting. But Hawkins revealing some of his power was the most interesting part of this chapter – even if it seems like he would have trouble getting underlings! Too bad Jump’s on a break next week…

Dr. Stone 69: the pace picked up massively all of a sudden. They’ve not only relocated with their steam traction engine, now they’re planning on using it to attack. Should be an interesting chapter next time.

Haikyuu! 313: I sense next chapter will be Kageyama’s time to shine. There’s no way Karasuno is losing this, so I don’t see it as all that dramatic, and this chapter hinging on slipping in sweat wasn’t all that exciting. But the spikes were very dynamically-drawn!

Kuroshitsuji 142: Not too keen on this whole angle. After that sickening unnecessary flashback, we have lame comedy, lots of standing around doing nothing, and now these superpowered beings stopping their business just because Victorian Scotland Yard pop up with 19^th-century riot shields? And now Lizzie of all people is the one to amp up the tension? Lame. I did laugh one reader’s comment that Ciel’s real name is Armin Tanzarian, though. There’s a similar feeling of betrayal, haha.

The Promised Neverland 98: A bit of intrigue to set up this new arc. Not so engaging, but a nice set-up for another arc, this time up against humans.

Haikyuu! 312: Ramping up that artificial tension! I like how these points played out, but there weren’t any real developments this chapter.

Dr. Stone 68: As expected, not a car but a steam traction engine. Still pretty cool, and Chrome had a nice chapter showing his resolve.

The Promised Neverland 97: Interesting transition chapter. Emma is as optimistic and grandiose as ever in her goals. We also got a glimpse of Norman, presumably in the present time, and a new human bad guy.

One Piece 912: Luffy bonds with another kid, in an unusual way this time. It’s gonna be interesting to see if he fights alongside Zoro with a sword. I like how Zoro tries so hard to sound like he’s in a jidai-geki but is so bad at it, haha.

Haikyuu! 311: Poor Hinata-kun! But I’m pretty sure the set will be won by him overcoming the frustration of being shut out and simply pushing through with something new. I’m glad this series has moved past crazy techniques and is getting bogged down in strategy and stamina. It’s much more believable.

Dr. Stone 67: I’m sure this ‘automobile’ will be as much a car as a two-way radio is a cellphone, but it’s nice to move towards action again.

D.Gray-Man 229: Oh. It’s been months and months of finding and retrieving Allen – and now he’s just gone into the arc with Kanda? That feels a bit anticlimactic. And poor Timcampy.

The Promised Neverland 96: whaaaat? Yuugo? You can’t have that name, that’s the cute Eliatrope’s name. Oh well. Nice to see things work out for the kids – predictable as it was – and now we can move on to rescuing the lil’ kids. 

One Piece 911: This is shaping up to be a good arc with a classic One Piece opening. Luffy finds a cute and kind-hearted kid with a big problem. And there’s even a coincidental link to him. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops.

Haikyuu! 310: Sneaky Kenma! Nice to see real strategy coming into play in a sports manga. Seems like there should be plenty of workarounds, though. Well, this set is obviously going to Karasuno, so it’s not going to work as well as all that.

The Promised Neverland 95: It was nice to see this manga for sale prominently in UK comic shops today. And it remains strong, even with this arc ending on a slightly cheesy and cliché note.

Dr. Stone 66: Hrmmm, this one felt a little too far-fetched, especially since the first thing it did was show the big plan not working. But it actually brought a smile to my face, so I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. 

One Piece 910: cute reactions to the familiar faces in the papers, and more very very obvious references to Japanese art. Hokusai waves are what you expect to see in foreign attempts to have a Japanese feel, not Japanese ones! Still, the octopus appearing was funny and I’m interested to see where this goes.

Haikyuu! 309: Oh Hinata! You messed up. I bet this will mean he loses his cool for a while but they’ll obviously win the set. Just probably by a whisker.

The Promised Neverland 94: this chapter felt a little sloppy. A lot of space given to reiterating what happened last chapter, then a skipped-over significant reunion, and then a rushed set-up on the last page.

Boruto 25: Boruto did a good job of surprising me by being better than expected, but the last arc disappointed. Will this one be better? The set-up is dull but the art was at least very nice to look at. I wish I cared about the characters more, though. It’s a bit of a chore to read, cute as Boruto himself is.

Dr. Stone 65: old players back in the story and the plan well in motion. Interesting to see if it works. But I doubt it, because we need a more action-packed solution!

Black Butler 141: Hmm, zombie Ciel strikes me as pretty lame after the seriousness of that flashback. And it seems a bit bizarre the rest of the staff are just taking this all in without question. Now it seems like it’ll all get taken care of by people outside the main circle anyway…and that just leads me to question why the shinigami authorities didn’t make their move earlier.

The Promised Neverland 92: Ohhh, a good cliffhanger this time, though of course we’re not just gonna lose our main character. Nice that the sudden very comic book addition of a hulk didn’t just swing the battle entirely.  

Haikyuu! 307: Some great facial expressions this chapter, but the angle doesn’t ring true. A strategy of wearing down the opponent by constantly just saving their hyper-aggressive attacks just isn’t realistic in sport. Oh well, mixes things up a bit!

One Punch Man 93: Finally! We’re getting back on track and the awesome part of this awesome arc is kicking in. Some more incredible art this chapter, lots of adorable Child Emperor having to be the adult in the situation and the King-based jokes continuing to be hilarious even if essentially it’s the same joke over and over. And of course, Saitama has already made his move. Can’t wait for more.

Dr. Stone 63: This was a satisfying way to both advance the story and get to the next stage of the story together, which is nice in a title that’s becoming slower-paced lately. Not sure the spy girl had to go and check the aerial super-close up, but hey, it worked as an action set-piece.

The Promised Neverland 91: it all became like a video game, haha. Just keep chipping away at that health bar. Interesting to see what the big Norman-Hulk does.

One Piece 908: More set-up, but we got to finally see Kuma again. I’m grateful he’s still in the series even in this state!

Haikyuu! 306: Not the most exciting chapter, basically building up tension again in these early points. Nice to see Hinata get a little moment to shine, and I am enjoying Bokuto giving the commentary!

Dr. Stone 62: Another interesting adventure with phosphorus. Not sure this chase is gonna be all that interesting, though.

The Promised Neverland 89: he wouldn’t be a big boss if he could be taken down easily. Nice to see how formidable Lewis is and how hard the struggle to deal with him is going to be.

Boruto 24: For a while I was enjoying Boruto but despite nice art, it’s back to feeling like a chore. It’s usually once the arc is rolling that I’m surprised it’s enjoyable, though, so I’ll give it a bit more of a chance yet.

One Piece 906: super fun side-chapter. Or, I suppose, set-up for the new arc. But seeing all these old faces again years after their last appearances…that’s pretty fun! And a tease of some deeper significance of straw hats, eh? Interesting…

Dr. Stone 60: Intriguing chapter. A nice aside with the post-apocalyptic people getting to hear beautiful things from the past, but then there’s a nasty plan unfolding that I’m genuinely curious about. Entertaining stuff!

The Promised Neverland 88: Ohhh, the anime adaptation has been confirmed! That’s good news. Definitely one I’ll watch, though I do hope this series will get better yet. It’s a shame Emma’s plan failed here, I would have liked to see her have a backup still, even if she was saved.

Haikyuu! 303: a nice intense rally. I would totally have gone for the dink, too, haha. This makes me wish I’d been able to play volleyball, even if I’m too short to be anything but a libero. I doubt Karasuno can easily take the set.

One Piece 905: haha Nantoka-nette is a great name (has the feeling of ‘something-or-other-nette’). And it’s strange to see racial stereotypes appearing as the nobles of this world. Not much happened here but the stage is set for a new, interesting arc, with a new admiral on the scene. Wonder if something bad will happen to Garp…

Dr. Stone 59: they’re using piezoelectric speakers, which I’m not convinced would give more than the tiniest buzzing sound attached to a simple cone. It would also require constant current so they’re gonna need a lot more of those batteries. But hey, the story is still working, and fun as ever.

One Punch Man 92: That Murata can churn out chapters with art of this calibre in a week or two is nothing short of prodigious. He’s amazing and Orochi turned out to be very imaginative. But the cliffhanger is what I wanted. This expansion on the original is well and good but I’m hankering for a return to the real story!

The Promised Neverland 87: Hmm, the bullet-catching is a bit cheesy, but this was a nice little pause in the action.  

Kuroshitsuji 140: No surprises who was behind this resurrection, but after the harrowing flashback this extremely insipid situation makes the whole ordeal seem so unimpressive and unimportant. So weird to unveil this huge event that’s been at the heart of the manga for so long in a way that completely undercuts it. Oh well. At least we move on now and see what’s next.

The Promised Neverland 86: The best reinforcement is here! Though still nameless. Nice tension at the end, too. This isn’t the smartest part of this manga but it’s still a very fun part.

One Piece 904: fun new characters were introduced. And I wasn’t the only one to comment that it seems like Oda played some League before designing these ones. One is a whole lot like Swain, especially pre-rework. One is like an amalgam of Ziggs and Heimerdinger (or Tinker from DOTA). One is a generic female character with something of a Miss Fortune air. And one is that odd gay stereotype from anime in a body that looks not unlike Gragas (this one’s the most tenuous).

Haikyuu! 301: I think we all saw this one coming for Kenma. Still, some nice fluid action for another few points in this first set. I have a feeling Nekoma will take it to ramp up the drama.

Yotsubato! 97-101 : Ahhh I missed a bunch of chapters, and only remembered because I saw the new tankobon collection. Yotsuba had a lot of fun in Tokyo, and met her aunt. The last encounter with the ‘aliens’ was great. Her wonderment at a buffet was also super-cute.

Dr. Stone 57: not sure on the science of this, but at least they addressed the issue of needing to heat the tungsten to use it. Not convinced their method would work, or that they were right about the use of glass in melting down metals, but it works just fine for the story.

Boruto 23: This series has generally surprised me by being better than I expected, but this time that wasn’t really the case. The arc ended with a whimper. ‘I’ll let you go this time, mwahaha!’ That’s rarely going to be convincing.

The Promised Neverland 85: Nice! Just when things look darkest, the cavalry appears.

Haikyuu! 300: Nothing that special for this big round number, but another nice Kageyama moment and a few more points in this exciting match.

Dr. Stone 56: still nothing about how to melt it, but they’ve acquired their tungsten in a pretty satisfying chapter. I’m sure some right-on SJWs would object to the homophobia of two guys being utterly, comically sickened by the idea of holding one another, but it seems perfectly in-keeping for how they think of one another.

One Piece 903: Fun aftermath chapter, with the big reveal of the new bounty – always a fun moment in One Piece. I enjoy these little checking-in-with-minor-characters chapters and it was fun to see some of them come together for the first time. On to the Wano Kingdom!

One Punch Man 91: Was waiting for this chapter eagerly, but I don’t have that much fun unless the hero cast is in it, and here there was just a quick check in with Saitama. Nonetheless, the art here was absolutely phenomenal. Murata really knows how to make a still image come to life and suggest such dynamic movement.

Kuroshitsuji 139: I guess there was a little bit more unpleasantness to be dragged through before we return to the main story. I still don’t enjoy that this twist was so well-hidden for so long, yet discernable if you looked carefully enough, and then just got blurted out in such a weak arc leading into a very unpleasant flashback.

The Promised Neverland 84: Looks like the plan will continue just fine. I don’t know that I care about backstory flashbacks for any villains but the current primary antagonist.

Kuroshitsuji 138: I’m relieved we’re past the weird quasi-erotic torture of little boys, though being able to have comic relief asides with a loved one’s dead body mere feet away made this chapter much more hollow. The strategic negotiations were a strong point, and it’s good to go back to the main story, so the chapter was positive overall even if nothing much happened and the cliffhanger was something we’ve known since the start. Also a bit weird nobody misses these shadow elites when they all vanish at once.

D. Gray-Man 228: I get the feeling this was supposed to be like the farewell to Merry in One Piece, but it didn’t really have any emotional impact and was mostly just plain confusing.

One Piece 902: cute ending to the chapter, but it’s interesting how much had to be sacrificed to let the crew escape. Wonder how that will affect them going forward. It could be a very significant and very mature plot element.

Haikyuu! 299: Almost 300 chapters! Nice shift in focus back to Kageyama, after showing that Nekoma are a force to be reckoned with. It’s remarkable how the same sport over and over again can still be very compelling.

Dr. Stone 55: Not sure that’s how fluid dynamics should work. I guess Magma could have been kicking his legs so hard that he wouldn’t be displaced, and if this weren’t a science-based manga I wouldn’t be bothered, but it’s meant to be careful about this kind of thing. At least they hinted at the heat problem.  

The Promised Neverland 83: I feel like Bayon should have seen that coming. Still, the main event is and always has been Louis, so I’ll wait to see what happens with him. 

One Piece 901: glad we didn’t just see a fantasy sequence last time, though it was a decent bait-and-switch. With that, it looks like the Straw Hats are off to their next adventure. Nice gesture from their allies, too. Luffy got some nice serious moments, too. I’m sure there will be far-reaching implications to this rescue operation, but perhaps there will be some palate refresher next time. Big Mom is still on her way, though, and the big showdown may be in this arc after all.

Haikyuu! 298: Nice block! And some choice final words from Tsukki, who’s slowly become more and more likeable.

Dr. Stone 54: Fun chapter, but I’m not sure about the science this time. How on earth do they plan to melt tungsten down? They don’t have anything nearly hot enough. I think they’ll just brush that part under the carpet, to be honest. 

Haikyuu! 297: Aww Tsukki learning the power of teamwork. And smack-talk of course. Nice close match – and I think Nekoma will take the first game.

Dr. Stone 53: This is more like it, and makes a lot more sense of the crazy goal they set themselves. Now they have a waterwheel they have motive power and can make automatic bellows and a generator, with rather pleasant effects. I know the motivating factor is a big war coming, but this sort of thing is nice all on its own. It’s just fun to see this society develop with one genius scientist from the distant past a guide.

Makai no Ossan 1-370: I decided to read all the way through this, One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100 creator One’s other webcomic. Of the three, this is by far the least popular and least well-known, and that’s not entirely surprising. While it’s probably the most autobiographical and confessional, it’s also the one with the most low-key humour and with the weakest concept. Like the others, it’s about an ordinary person with incredible hidden powers, though this time they’re not the actual focus of the story. This is about a normal family in a very normal demon world. The father is a salaryman, the mother is a homemaker who seems to have given up a great deal, the eldest son wants to make manga even though he’s terrible, the younger son struggles with high school romance, and the daughter, the youngest child, is caring for a very strange pet. There’s a funny set-up towards the end where the humans invade and are surprised to find the demon world such an ordinary Japanese society, but mostly it’s about everyday struggles. I suspect a lot of One’s own insecurities and personal problems were put into the oldest son’s story, but without such a clear and interesting story as his other titles, this one is likely to go largely unnoticed. Still, nice to fill the time before the next OPM chapters!

Boruto 22: An aftermath chapter, and a typical one where the hero shows mercy and does his lil’ speeches, then a bigger bad guy comes to mop up. Nice art, but a very formulaic execution, pardon the pun.

The Promised Neverland 81: Quite cute that Gillian totally undermines all the overthinking that went on in this chapter…but that kind of makes it annoying I had to read through all that overthinking.

HunterxHunter 380: gah, I definitely hoped for more action and combat before we returned to HiatusxHiatus. Oh well, can't be helped, and I enjoyed the Illumi/Karuto scene.

One Piece 900: what an interesting chapter, juxtaposing Big Mom's reaction to the cake with snippets of the Straw Hats in real trouble, with hints back to that flashback scene where Mama may just have kept on eating... No chapter next week but I'm eager to see what's next. I hope it's not all a fantasy sequence...

Haikyuu! 296: haha, let's see if Karasuno can defend against their own tricks. Hoping this is Tsukki's time to shine. Otherwise this was a bit of a repetitive chapter.

Dr. Stone 52: I feel like a water wheel should have been something they made a few chapters ago, but it's nice to see the village back to a reasonable rate of progression. Gin was adorable in the baker's uniform too!

The Promised Neverland 80: the plans have gone awry, which is a positive for the series, upping the ante. This cliffhanger demon is probably the coolest-looking one too.

Gashros 14: Uhh, this was a weird chapter. Quite apart from the ultraviolence, why would a caveman be shouting intentionally cliché attack names from other manga? This hasn’t been a weird meta-humour title before this, so it’s very jarring.

One Punch Man 88: Another wonderful long chapter. I don’t particularly care about the monster organization showcase, nice though the art is, but we got a fun nabe scene with lots of hilarious character (poor King), the super-cute Child Emperor getting all serious, and Genos being an extremely funny tsundere, as well as beautifully-drawn. Great chapter.

One Piece 899: another surprise rescue group, though this one didn’t feel artificial because the peril the crew were saved from was so abruptly introduced anyway. Great momentum, and I really do want to know if we get a cooking anime reaction from Big Mom when she eats the wedding cake.

HunterxHunter 379: no real action again, but at least the Spiders are still looking very cool, and it all feels like it’s going to explode soon enough. And I’m pretty sure we’ll have Hisoka show up for a match with one of the spiders soon.

Haikyuu 295: Hinata’s expressions just made this chapter for me, especially in the last panel. Nice couple of points, too, and good to see Karasuno taken seriously now. They won’t be underdogs much longer.

Dr. Stone 51: Awwww lil’ Senkuu with the candy floss! I’d enjoy this manga more if they were all a few years younger and cuter-looking, I think. Still, this crazy idea is getting developed quite well, absurd as it still seems. The reactions to the candy floss were pretty hilarious, too, though we didn’t really need the sexual poses from the girls.

Gashros 13 – yikes. It was obviously a dumb move to stay in enemy territory planning to run away after rest. But oh well, there were some nice cute moments in this chapter only to be cruelly ripped away. 

The Promised Neverland 79: Nice to see well-executed plans, though it’s a little hilarious that the antagonists’ main weakness is gloating. Glad to go back to the main character again too. 

One Piece 898: The Germa going at it was as satisfying as it promised to be from their big pose last time. But everything going so well is a red flag that we’re in for a tragedy very soon…

HunterxHunter 378: A more interesting chapter than most of the set-up ones. Though there was no real action, I’m very interested in seeing what will happen to Nobunaga, Phinks and Fei-Tang.

Haikyuu!! 294: Very fun to see this clash begin. And a great first point. But now Kenma will get serious, I’m sure. And it was hilarious how the schoolmates coming to watch underestimated him.

Dr. Stone 50: Didn’t expect that weapon, I must say. And its creation seems absurd. We’ll see how they get there.