One Piece Party 002: wait, was that a joke about Chopper not understanding a sexual predator coming onto him? Creepy gag. I liked Kaku playing with Chopper, but otherwise this was another lame and redundant gag manga that gets cheap laughs out of a series that’s already genuinely funny – so what’s the point, really?

D.Gray-Man 219: wow, DGM is back at last. It had gotten extremely confusing. And haha, I thought this chapter was going to conveniently start with a recap or some clarification of recent events. Instead it jumped right into incredibly bizarre new territory. The Earl and Allen have both completely changed, though the Earl’s true identity is much older and stranger, and in general the Mana/Nea storyline is in a whole new territory of what-the-fuck?

One Piece 794: hiatus next week? Boo! And this chapter, focused on Sabo, had nice parts but was a bit long-winded. 

One Piece 793: Nice focus on the Marines and some snatches of the other supernovas. A good aside chapter, answering some questions I wanted answering, but it left me hungry for more. 

One Piece 792: Some fun moments in this chapter with Sabo and unexpectedly fun gestures from Admiral Fujitora and King Elizabello II. Ahaha, Elizabello II. What a wonderful name!

Naruto 700+10: pretty weak. Aborted its only interesting element for a more pat ending, ie Sarada’s parentage. Hope no kids with stepmothers were personally invested. Also was a huge anticlimax. The only part I liked was Kabuto. 

One Piece 791: ah, the payoff chapter! Lots of yelling and fist-pumping and crying. Plus falling over. Feels good!

Naruto 700+9: after slow-moving chapters, suddenly one jumping to the thick of the action. Oh well. While it wasn’t anything special, and action chapter with some action from Sarada isn’t at all bad. Sakura failed to really do anything, though, which is a shame. 

Naruto 700+7, mostly a dull chapter with far too much sententious cod-philosophising, it had two interesting parts, the reappearance of Orochimaru, young as ever, and the very simple solution to the mystery of parentage with its interesting aftermath. It felt like treading water so that this highlight could be the cliffhanger, but I’m interested in the next chapter now. 

One Piece 789: a countdown chapter, with a gesture of self-sacrifice, which I suppose neatly led to a cliffhanger. Would have preferred more to have happened, though, especially with no chapter next week.

Naruto 700+6: Sakura finally did something useful! A generation later. And even ended up in the most interesting position at the end of the chapter. Not even as a damsel in distress!