Genshiken Nidaime 104-109: catching up with the Genshiken after a while. They’ve gone on a trip to Nikko, and honestly this whole Madarame harem thing is wearing incredibly thin. The real problem is through their dealings with Madarame, I’ve stopped liking just about all of the harem, even Haato. He’s the kind of character I usually love, but he’s been doing too many manipulative things and I find him pretty unpleasant now. Only Sue is still likeable, but she’s just crazy and weird anyway. In a good way! I’m much more interested in the sub-plot of drawing manga, but sadly that doesn’t take centre-stage very much. 

One Piece 779: a fun, if mostly uneventful chapter mostly having Zoro looking cool after his dramatic scene last week. Then a bit more of Luffy and Bellamy, leading up to some deliciously cheesy dialogue for the cliffhanger. 

One Piece 778: oh Zoro, you’ve come a long way! Using tactics and getting help from others! I didn’t think Pica’s powers would make for a very enjoyable clash but focusing entirely on him like this made for a fun chapter. 

One Piece 777: Lucky chapter 777! But not that interesting really. Pica’s powers are kind of excessive, so it seems odd that he hasn’t been doing this stuff all the way through this arc. Oh well, I’m sure Zoro will sort it all out soon.

One Piece 776: Nice art this chapter as Kyros gets to look badass, but it didn’t have the sheer genius of the last few.

One Piece 774: Gooo lil’ Warrior Chief Leo. Not only was his heroic entrance great (and undercut by some typical bathos), but his power was totally ridiculous too. This is the kind of thing that makes One Piece such irresistible fun.

One Piece 775: Oh god, Oda is just a ridiculous genius. This chapter was such brilliance. The ridiculous manly battle including an incredibly absurd suplex, the daft yet still touching sob story, the absolutely absurd yet still incredibly sweet reason this man wears a baby bonnet – it’s like all Oda’s talent for being both hilarious and touching and incredibly silly at the same time distilled into a single chapter. I must confess to being a little jealous of his talents. 

One Piece 773: Worth waiting for. Cavendish’s badass mode was both formidable and funny, with the usual Oda touch to the old chestnut of a man with a split personality wrestling for control. Robin reminded us she’s one of the strongest main characters, and as ever Bartolomeo stole every scene he was in.