Haikyuu!! 369: Ooookay, well, I’m still disappointed by how that progressed and still unmoved by the same blobby tears we saw at the end of Hikaru no Go, but this new development was quite unexpected. We all wanted to see what happened next year – but apparently we’re skipping forward a few years to a probably much less cute Hinata in Rio de Janeiro. Hrmm!

Kuroshitsuji 156: Urgh I don’t care about this and I’m disappointed Mei-Lin was obviously overcome. The art and action looked cool but this is super generic, and now we have to go through a flashback. We’d better get this for Finnie next! But I don’t want it for Bard, lol.

Dr. Stone 125: I enjoyed the manly tension of this preparation chapter, and Kinrou got to look very cool and stoic. Actually excited for what will happen next!

The Promised Neverland 154: hrmm, this feels like an editor stepped in and advised the mangakas to walk things back a bit so that Norman remains sympathetic. But it doesn’t ring very true to me. And the cliffhanger doesn’t make me fear for his life. Then again, I’ve been wrong about this title before.

Chainsawman 42: Poor Denji, I’m pretty sure everyone he gets close to is going to get brutally murdered. But this was another nice free-spirited chapter with formative experiences like skinny dipping and totally failing to resist temptation. It has a very genuine teenage spirit and that’s something genuinely remarkable.

Samurai 8 21-22: Oh, I, uh…I guess I forgot to read this last week. Ann’s flashback might have been the most heartfelt and moving thing in the manga so far, and substantially more interesting than this little tournament that’s getting skipped through at breakneck speed. And it’s kind of good to see some consequences in this world where people can chop their heads off and be fine later.

Boruto 38: Everybody disliked this. No, I’m not trying to speak for others, it’s just a meme. But seriously, this route of just making what Naruto established as ultimate power moves totally useless doesn’t make the new bad guy look incredibly strong, it just makes the writing seem lacklustre. Especially since the main characters no longer think like they used to or use the countermeasures that were firmly established. Not very impressive.

Shingeki no Kyojin 122: I don’t think we necessarily needed Ymir’s story actually related so directly. I think it would have been more elegant in snatches or glimpses, because it’s a bit basic and simplistic anyway. But now our weird abstract diversion is over and it’s time for Eren’s real empowerment. I’m looking forward to next month!