Manga the week of 6/16

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Well, according to Midtown Comics, there is precisely one manga coming out next week. And it’s one that Diamond already released to most shops this week! I guess that makes this the easiest recommendation ever.

The next arc of Higurashi: When They Cry, the ‘Time Killing’ Arc (aka Himatsubushi-hen) gets its first of 2 volumes released. For those like myself who have grown weary of Keiichi failing to stop hideous slaughter as the main character, you’ll be pleased to know this volume, taking place 5 years before the first 3 arcs, features Rika Furude as the lead! Of course, Higurashi *does* have 4 answer arcs still to come, as well as manga-only arcs. So, well, don’t expect a happy ending. But then, if you read Higurashi, you’d know this already.

Midtown is not listing Viz’s Week 3 releases, however, I’m going to assume that Diamond will ship them on the date Viz says they’re coming out, so let me talk about them here as well.

Hayate the Combat Butler is probably the funniest manga currently coming out from Shonen Sunday, and Volume 15 should prove to be no exception. Expect much wacky butler hijinks. It may not last long, however – Volumes 17 and 18 will bring a huge tonal shift to the series. But that’s not for 6-9 more months.

Ikki puts out the third volume of Children of the Sea. I recall when I read Volume 2, I put it off for a while, forgetting how much I’d adored Volume 1. I then started to read it, and literally could not stop. I won’t be waiting as long for this volume, Sure, I expect very little will actually happen, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the point.

And there’s also the first volume of Afterschool Charisma, a very odd title indeed. The plot seems to involve a conspiracy at a school of clones of famous people… but I’m sure it will be far more complicated. I’m still not sure exactly where this title is going, but perhaps reading it in Volume format will help to coalesce my thoughts.

And oh boy, another volume of 20th Century Boys so I can be even further behind! One day I just need to catch up in one long, massive read.

Negima! Magister Negi Magi Volume 26

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By Ken Akamatsu. Released in Japan as “Mahou Sensei Negima!” by Kodansha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Del Rey.

As most fans know by now, Negima got to be the way it is by Ken Akamatsu ‘tricking’ his editors, giving them what was initially a love comedy and then making it gradually the shonen team fighting manga he wanted to do initially. Which is partially true (and partially only a “good story”), but I do always get reminded of it when I see chapters like Chapter 235. A chapter that reminds you that there are still fans who want to see Akamatsu draw naked girls getting their breasts groped.

And he does not disappoint, frankly. At least this sort of thing is confined to very short bursts now, so it’s very easily skippable. And the revelation that the perverted bounty hunter from a couple volumes ago is actually a female perverted bounty hunter is at least refreshingly dumb.

Apart from that, we get a lot of fighting in this volume, with the resolution of Jack Rakan’s flashback arc. As expected, Nagi and company get to be cool and awesome, and save the day. Although, as Chisame points out, clearly the day wasn’t saved in the long run, so what gives? I like the way that Jack compresses and edits his own memories, so reminiscent of similar techniques in manga and anime. And indeed, we quickly learn that our heroes in the present day also don’t quite have the happy ending they thought they did.

I’m trying to be better about spoiling things on this blog (stop laughing), so I’ll just note that we not only find out that Anya is captured by Fate and his minions, but also another character. This is actually a pretty awesome revelation, although fans were suspicious about it for some time. What’s more, the aftermath of her capture shows that a) there’s a mole in Negi & company’s midst; and b) [captured girl]’s mind may soon be changed by the enemy… by force.

The rest of the volume is basically a mini-training arc, as Jack decides to help Negi grow stronger by entering the tournament himself, and saying if he wins, Negi won’t get the money to free Ako and the others. This is a bit worrying, as Jack has proven to be very adept at backing up his boasts by being impossibly strong. Luckily, Negi gets a new more allies, as Jack’s old magic-world companions, now all grown up, decide to help him out with their own special blend of brutal training regimen. As always, it’s fun seeing Akamatsu parodying Ashita no Joe and other similar series by showing Negi and Kotaro doing pushups with 40-ton rocks on their backs and the like.

And what’s more, Negi ends up getting a surprise pactio with Princess Theodora! In fact, it’s definitely a surprise, as it’s the cliffhanger of the volume, so we won’t see what it does till 27 comes out. (Of note, I’m amused that almost every ‘princess’ we’ve met in Negima has proven to be a kickass tomboy of some sort. Akamatsu clearly likes his royal family to be able to kick some asses. Love seeing Theodora riding around on Jack’s back, even in the present day…)

Not quite as stunning as previous Negima volumes, with the exception of THAT revelation. However, it’s still really solid shonen, and the female fanservice is now mostly confined to random chapters. If you like watching kids kick ass with the help of lots of pretty girls, well, chances are you already read Negima.

One Piece Volume 51

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By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz.

There’s a whole pile of stuff going on in this volume. As always, Oda makes things so fun that you don’t realize till later how much you learned bout the world of One Piece. And it’s the start of a new arc, albeit a much shorter one than usual. Why shorter? We shall see…

First, though, we have to deal with the gang attempting to kidnap Camie, along with their leader, the Masked Rider. His name is Duval, and for some reason he hates the Straw Hats. I remember with amusement the days when this chapter first came out in Japan. People on forums were speculating endlessly about who Duval could be. A lot of people suggested Don Krieg, from Sanji’s debut. But no, the truth is far, far… funnier. One of the best visual gags in the series, and it just goes to prove that nothing is throwaway when it comes to Oda.

With that resolved, we’re off to Sabaody, which is a new world filled with all the usual new world delights we’ve come to expect from Oda. Bubble cars! Amusement parks! And Hachi and Camie disguising themselves, for some reason. Yes, we discover one reason why the Fish-Men are so organized in the One Piece world – they’re persecuted in many parts of the world, and Mermaids in particular fetch a high price as slaves. Now, this doesn’t excuse Arlong, but it is a little extra added depth to this backstory. And it makes you root for the destruction of the World Government even more.

If there’s a weakness to this volume, it’s that perhaps too many characters all get introduced at once. And while you’d like to say that you can forget about some of them as they aren’t important, it’s just not true. All 11 Supernovas get big roles to play in this volume and the next, and Rayleigh and Shakky are necessary to remember as well. It can be a lot to take in, but just having everything tossed at you does help contribute to the breakneck chaos that defines this arc.

We also see some new Devil Fruit powers, although not all of them. Jewelry Bonney’s is possibly the most fun, as she can age or youthen anyone at will, including herself. She also stops Zoro from starting a huge fight, and I suspect the two of them will definitely meet again. On the other hand, given her appetite, maybe it’s Sanji she’ll be meeting again.

However, Camie is finally captured, and everyone goes off to the auction house to try to free her. This goes about as well as you’d expect. I must note again that while Oda does a good job of making former villains sympathetic (see Hachi for a good example), he’s equally good at painting scummy losers as such with just a few broad strokes. The Celestial Dragon teenager who waddles around here behaves like such a spoiled baby you long for the days of Helmeppo. His behavior if the last straw for Luffy, who ends the volume by delivering what may be the most satisfying punch in the entire series to date.

There’s more I could talk about, including my surprise at the next ‘redemption’ cover arc dealing with CP9, but I think you get the picture. Even for One Piece, this volume is a breathless roller coaster. Fans should love it. Non-fans… should start with Volume 1, really.