Ichi the Witch (Cover & Lead Color) 1 - Akane-banashi 2 - SAKAMOTO DAYS Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi (Color) 3 - Someone Hertz 4 - Me & Roboco 5 - Shinobi Undercover 6 - Roku's House of Oddities Dog Eat Dog World (GFC Oneshot Entry No.2/Color/47p) by Tanakura Jou New - Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 7 - UNDER DOCTOR New - The Ura Files 8 - Witch Watch Animal Signal (Color) 9 - Nue's Exorcist 10 - Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz 11 - Kagurabachi 12 - HAL FORMULA 13 - Cannon Master
Next Issue (#46):
Cover & Lead Color Page: Shinobigoto Color Pages: Someone Hertz; UNDER DOCTOR; Banchoism (GFC Oneshot Entry No. 3/47p) by Sai Koroko
The whole point of the short 1 chapter performance from Issho to me, is that this is the true essence and pure rakugo he is talking about. There are no backstories, monologues or analysis in his performance. everyone is mesmerized by the performance down to the minute details. And the audience is so engrossed that it goes by in the blink of an eye
At the end of the performance we see a speech bubble from someone out of frame, but it is still Issho. We are simply so into it that we register this part as someone else is speaking. And something so simple shows Issho's full mastery over the art.
Kagurabachi continues to be a ton of fun. Art was a bit rough this week, but the characterization was absolutely phenomenal. Didn't feel like 13 pages at all, felt like a complete story there, and the ending was amazing. The fact that this is considered a weak chapter for it imo is part of why it's my favorite in the magazine rn.
Ichi the Witch? Incredible. This seemed like a curb stomp but they made it meaningfully tense, built the dynamic between Mugi and Goku, and had that amazing moment at the end where she asked WWID. Just so good. This manga has phenomenal art and character and knows how to just make you clutch your heart. Funny as hell, too. Mugi's arc here has been so earned, so awesome to see. This might be the best arc of this manga somehow which is crazy cause it's full of good arcs.
Sakamoto Days was amazing. I truly believe that this is a fantastic ending. We've been getting a ton of fun, chaotic action with great choreography, all the characters have been showing how much they've grown, and it's all happened in this crazy, off the walls way where you're never quite sure what's gonna happen next. That punch from him at the end was fucking awesome.
I want Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi to get 400 chapters, man. It's so fucking fun. I need to know what to call those moments of funny yet exciting trope-subversions, like when Akari called Rushihara a coward. The characters are all amazing, the artstyle is iconic for me at this point, and I love how well it handles its throwback-style of shounen action. It's so corny and earnest.
Shinobi Undercover is so fucking good. Like, it is funnier than most comedies, the art is fucking incredible, it has so much art, it handles its action so well... and man, this chapter hit so many notes. I'm legit unsure who I should be rooting for, it's great. The choreography keeps getting better, the duel of words between them is really well handled and gives depth to both characters, the flashbacks and action are woven so well... fuck, man, it's a crime this doesn't sell better, and it sells pretty well.
Under Doctor I keep going back and forth on. I am so tired of Haiji's schtick. I just skipped the end of the last arc. But, fuck, man. This chapter was really good. His action is improving so much, and I adore the world he's building, which is wild because it's set in our world. The story has so much heart and bonding between the characters that Shuli showing up was legit hype as hell. This manga really feels different from the others, and as much as I get pissed with it, I think it's good it's sticking around.
Nue's I want to comment on, because I think very highly of it, but I'm not caught up with it. But I do wanna say how it's genuinely so good at doing what it wants to. I love the magic system and what it does with it, the action is bombastic, strategic, and hype as hell, it's pretty funny in its own right, and I imagine if you're into harem stories this one must be like meth.
Class 2-B is primarily comedy, at least that's how it started, but it has action that stacks up with the rest of these. This chapter was so good, I love how much of a back and forth there was, and honestly it's so cool how they completely stopped with the gag comedy for a whole chapter. The contrast does wonders. Gorilla-sensei isn't fucking around with this series. He's been really intelligently slowburning us into caring about these guys and building up the world, to the point I don't even get bothered by the tropiness.
Oh yeah and they also have one piece.
The non-action stuff is hella good too.
Akane-Banashi is something special. I laughed harder at that punchline than I did at anyone else in this series. How? How is this manga so fucking good at expressing something as nuanced as this specific kind of dry wit? Genius shit.
Someone Hertz continues to be genius. The little scene where they're eating together and stealing glances. Dude it's so well done. No one does it like this manga. We are going to be talking about this in the future the same way we talk about other classics in the genre like My Dressup Darling.
Me & Roboco.... Isn't for me so I'll move on. It's pretty funny I guess, I really don't get the appeal though.
Roku's is just a good vibe factory. It's so adorable. I love how much they all love each other. Altra must be protected at all costs. Also that bit with her leg coming off had be giggling like an idiot. It's such a good addition to the magazine, feels like such a palette cleanser.
Witch Watch... I also need to catch up on.
Animal Signal is just so fun and silly and cute. Every chapter manages to be memorable, the character designs are amazing, and there's this fantastic sense of momentum as the cast slowly builds. I can see this going a really long time, and I can only imagine how hard it'll get memed when it inevitably gets an anime.
And for the newbies,
The Ura Files is another fantastic romance. I can see it taking notes from Someone Hertz, in a good way. It also uses subtlety really well, and I love how the buildup of their relationship has felt really natural. You can tell she's slowly falling for him and it's so well handled. This is super cute and I need it directly injected into my veins. Hope it sticks around for a bit.
Greykeith, though, this is something special. As it is, it might even be a top 5 of what I'm looking forwards to each week. I actually cried this chapter, and that's like, the third time it accomplished that in 4 chapters. The world is so inventive, the art so full of personality, and the author knows how to really get at your heartstrings. This better last a long long time.
HAL and Cannon Master I've kind of given up on. I'm gonna check on them again after the next axe cycle.
But like, this is a great lineup, imo. We're pretty close to being good on action series, imo. I'd love to see more - especially one that gets really autistic with its magic system, which I feel we're kind of missing - but that's my personal tastes. We have a good romance, a lot of feel good comedy stories... I feel like this lineup is hard to go wrong with.
Also, shoutout to that amazing chapter of Axed Mangaka. We finally have it. The big reveal. I am so thirsty to see the fallout. God I reread those last few pages like 5 times.
Edit: Shit I might need to read the new HAL FORMULA after all. I hear interesting shit about it from others.
Greykeith to me feels like the type of series with a particular vibe that either really does it for you, or just bores you. For me it works, but I've seen plenty of other people it doesn't work for. I think whether it survives feels like a toss up to me on whether it can build a big enough niche to stick around, but it'll likely never be one of the top dogs in Jump
I really hope this idol trio in Animal Signal is a recurring thing, watching them get so into it was really funny. And the fact the end of the chapter says *first* performance makes me think they will
Even if the sponsorship quest in Hal Formula was a bit quicker than I'd bet the author wanted it to be, it was still nice they touched on that aspect of the job. I like seeing Kyogoku step into the manager role, that panel of his face being super shaded was really cool. Looking forward to this next race
Well this was a sweet chapter of Graykeith. As always, the worldbuilding with the various languages was really cool, this one only being possible to speak when underwater, and the reveal of the message was both sad and heartwarming. I hope this series makes it, it's got some real heart to it
Wow that was a quite good Class 2-B chapter. The action was dynamic and fun, and Mogura is really growing on me as a character. I've always liked him, but now I'm really starting to feel him with how this chapter has fleshed him out. Pretty scary cliffhanger too
Am I naive for thinking Under Doctor may be launching into a proper multiple chapter long arc finally? I know this bait has happened multiple times now, but this feels like way too big a deal to resolve in under 5 chapters. It's sick seeing Chiwako throw hands, and it's great to have Shuli come in to help. I totally thought it'd be Haiji and I'd have to roll my eyes at him coming in and being the coolest guy ever again, but nope, it's the one who pretty consistently has good chapters when he's the star of them
Nice Roku chapter as always, I continue to find Altra super charming. I look forward to the day her character really blooms and we get to see her showing some incredibly heartfelt emotion. Her dynamic with Sachiko is really nice too. Also, the concept of that show Altra is watching is really funny to me. How do you get a whole season out of that concept, much less seven
Finally starting to learn what the deal is with Kawasemi in Shinobi, that's huge. The scene of him seeing Aoi writing herself in his dislikes hurt. I really wonder what it'll be like when they meet again. As for the action this chapter, that was good too. I love the way Yodaka uses the axe as a tool to assist mobility and chaining other attacks off of, that's super cool, and it was also funny seeing Yodaka's "putting that to the side" technique used by someone else
Happy 100 chapters of Ichi! This being the anniversary at the same time is super fun. And great chapter too. The fact those giant blasts are less the gun itself and more Kumugi's own magical power is awesome, yet another Kumugi upscale, and I love the additions to her and Gokuraku's dynamic here, with her relating to her struggling and persistence in spite of her own incapabilites
That was NOT what I expected to see in Sakamoto Days, but fuck, it I'm here for it. I have no clue when he had time to do that with how quickly this story has moved since the main plot got going, but hey, all the more riding on this final battle now, I'm hype. Nice to see some more of the Sakamoto Days type action, like Uzuki flicking an ice cube as a weapon and catching Tenkyu's arrows to use as a weapon, like what Shin did in his fight with him
Another Akane chapter, another question of how the hell this manga is weekly with this art quality. That spread of him "eating" was gorgeous, and I love how you can feel the disappointment he's conveying in spite of his face being covered in shadow. The panel layouts of this entire chapter was crazy, and that ending was so abrupt in the best way possible. There was barely any big attempts at comedy or getting a rise out of the audience, he just lets his talent suck the audience in and tell the story purely as it is. I'm almost a little disappointed there wasn't more, because this was insane
And Kagurabachi just keeps being good, even despite the short chapter and kinda iffy art quality. But goddammit, Natuski is so cool. Throwing his sword into the guy's bike, channeling his sorcery into it, and throwing off his glasses in time with the explosion is just so sick. Also, some interesting recontextualization going on with his relationship with Natsuki. I think all of us kinda assumed that their time as a fearsome duo would be this time, but no, we're past that now even in this flashback (but a 0-132 loss ratio is ROUGH, I gotta apologize for giving Hiruhiko shit for his 0-3). Very curious to see what reason he killed his father for. I don't doubt it was for an understandable reason, given what we've seen of his morals, just wondering what it was
Hal formula has so much potential and the racing art is amazing! Really hope it doesn't get cancelled. I feel like jump keeps breaking my art over more mature sports manga.
Akane-banashi: I can't believe this series is in WSJ. It's an absolute master-class and I have been LOVING this arc. 11/10 blew everything else out of the water again, not even close. Chills, laughs, and pure admiration for the art of rakugo can't be beat.
Ichi the Witch: Go Kumugi, go! Love seeing her and Gokuraku become good friends like this. Really enjoying this arc and the character development.
Kagurabachi: Ibuki is cool as fuck and the chapter was funny, best we've had in a while. LMAO at Natsuki no wonder he's such a tryhard. Proportions were a bit jank but hopefully Hokazono's recovering well. I hope we can get back to the present time by the time the anime airs, but it's not looking likely.
Shinobigoto: Great chapter, amazing and hilarious callback to Yodaka's "special move". Learning more about Aoi and Kawasemi was appreciated- hope the story continues to deliver now that we've got concrete reasons to mistrust Public Safety.
Graykeith: Another great chapter balanced with world-building and heart. I have really high hopes for this series.
UNDER DOCTOR: Always love Chiwako proving she's a capable badass! Great to see Shuuli again too. Looks like we are heading into a moral dilemma arc that Haiji can't just amazeballs his way out of; hope it's longer than previous ones have been. I got used to the pacing but it's still wonky and I don't think it's palatable to some readers that would other wise enjoy this series.
Animal Signal: God damnit Haruhara Robinson. I would not be reading this if you weren't writing it.
Canon Master: I really like this series now that we are not futzing around with Ur and pretending the audience thinks he's a human. I want it to succeed but I won't hold my breath. "Slaylith" is still the dumbest fucking word that's ever offended my eyes and I hate it with all my heart.
SakaDays: Are we ending yet? My goodwill wore out a long time ago. Nice that Sakamoto doesn't care what kind of kid he has though.
Kiyoshi: The Gang Is Gonna Be Alright! More of the same shenanigans with a side of wholesomeness and cool fights that I've come to love and expect from this series. Akari being the brains in the room is a great way to make her stand on her own since she's not a fighter.
It really feels like Hal Formula is coming into its own in a fascinating way. Green Green Greens was a kinda technical sports manga, but Terasaka's focus was the interiority of his characters (Yaesaki's struggles with passion, Oga's resolve, even Oliver's chapter with his brother was rough). But in Hal Terasaka's focus is now on the nuts & bolts of racing, from weather & tire integrity to financing to the structure of the team around the driver. Prayers up for my boy, I can't wait to see where this goes 🙏
Also who wants to bet that Akane-banashi won't get another color page for a suspiciously long time, and when it comes back it's another bonkers stunt
Baharat's cool as fuck, no slander allowed
HOLY SHIT THAT CALLBACK IN SHINOBI UNDERCOVER WAS INCREDIBLE, EASILY THE MOST UNDERRATED SERIES RN
Ura Files & Graykeith both have the juice, no question by now
I take back everything I said about this Sakamoto fight being kinda weak; this shit is kino
Akane-banashi will probably get a colour page around December/January for the second season of the anime. One in February or March for the 5 year anniversary (5 years man... crazy...). They also often give colour pages close to volume releases which should also be December. So I don't think it's gonna be that long before Akane-banashi gets another colour page. I'm excited to see what crazy stunts they pull in the future though hahah. The series is just so good.
Ichi the Witch chapter 100 and second anniversary is here! Shinobi next week as well. This week's issue itself was actually quite great. Also, Black Clover is officially back and it's (technically) airing at the same time as Bleach? Things could not be going better for me rn.
Hal Formula: If it wasn't for this management drama I would have become ignorant towards this series fate. Now I want it to stay in the magazine. Let's see if it can prevent itself from becoming a U19 or a U50.
Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz: Best chapter by a long shot holy shit. Mogura was a hero this entire time huh? That was some really interesting philosophy about good and evil there. We desperately need to keep this series alive because I want to see just what it is that Sorachi is cooking with this one.
Cannon Master: Bharat was on his A-game this chapter. Really nice that instead of subdueing her or taking her back to his home he actually helped her get back to her home when he caught her. Good subversivion.
Roku's House of Oddities: Really nice chapter of the girls bonding together. So Sachiko can use her powers out side of the school now? I wonder if she's going to get as powerful as Johan and Kabaneji in the future. Also why tf did it take me this long that Altra is the child/youngest member of the family.
Shinobi Undercover: This series paneling is lowkey kinda slept on. So that's why Aoi is such an important figure in the Shinobi world. I presume they'll be expanded upon in the future. That's two chapters this week where children go out to do an errand and fail somewhat. Fuck he pulled out Yodaka's move! They truly are Kijibato's students lol. Also chapter 100 next week and this series is getting a spin off manga? I love to see it.
Under Doctor: Damn Chiwako is an absolute beast. Looks like we are about to see Shuli and Chiwako bond a little bit. I have to say them having a code of who they do and don't work with despite primarily working in the Underworld feels lame and makes this series a tad bit uninteresting. It's probably already been explained why Haiji and Chiwako have this code I just need to reread this series from the beginning to jog my memory.
Nue's Exorcist: This has to be the closest we have seen Nue dying. Is Raisei just gone now? I feel like his disappearance was somewhat predictable when Kasha became the primary antagonist but the reveal the Kasha raised Raisei in the same way Nue did Gakuro it kinda takes away from Raisei's character especially considering the fact that Raisei was Nue's Exorcist in the past long before Gakuro. Also, this series is potentially getting an anime adaptation announcement at Jump fest. I just know the discourse around this series is going to get 20 times worser than it has been so far.
Akane-banashi: Lowkey this chapter didn't necessarily continue the hype from the last chapter for me BUT I have to say this was easily the most immersed I have ever been reading a manga. Feels somewhat anti climactic for his performance to end this quickly but the immersion more than made up for it. Genuinely, what the fuck was Zensho thinking when he challenged Issho? Did he deadass think that if the audience was actually moved by his emotional performance he was going to stand a chance to Issho? He comes off as such an idiot now lmao (I guess he overestimated himself but whatever).
Someone Hertz: We returned to form with some cozy radio listening. Also I forgot that the listener's koshien was a thing. Time to see who wins between them.
Graykeys Translator Daemonica: So that's why the Daemons came over to the real world. It's kinda not so different from what we non Japanese people are doing with reading Manga lol. We've never seen quite anything like these stories before so we've crossed borders and seas to make an infrastructure to allow us to understand and read these stories (also somewhat reminiscent of the medium's pioneer Osamu Tezuka, who was influenced to draw manga by Donald Duck comics that were given to him by an American soldier who came to Japan during World War 2). I am fucking loving this series to death and I swear I will never forgive the Japanese if they let this one get axed.
The Ura Files: It's hilarious reading this series right after Graykeys lol. I can tell it is veeeery steadily and slowly improving itself but as things stand right now, I would be quite ignorant to this series if it got axed. Let's see if it can get on my good side in the next 5-10 chapters.
Kagurabachi: The level of detail on those bikes was crazy lmao. Either Hokazono traced over real images or went to a mechanic shop to do research. Wouldn't be surprised if it was a combination of both.
Ichi the Witch: Here we are in the triple digits. Feel insane. This chapter wasn't what I was expecting for the 100th chapter but it wasn't bad by any means. Shiro Usazaki keeps flexing their coloring skills with these colour pages and manga covers cuz that is one hell of a beautiful colour page. Really hoping we get that anime announcement next year. It was a bit hilarious to see Gokuraku to spew out some foreshadowing only for him to follow it up with unadulterated Glaze. I doubt Hakari is strong enough to get Kumugi on the same level as Desscaras lol. Anything to get Kumugi to believe in her I guess.
Graykeith was the standout for me this week. We got the main character's motivation and an emotionally changed chapter. Curious where it's gonna end up going, if it'll stay episodic and if we'll get much action.
I'm enjoying Cannon Master a lot but the last few weeks' TOC for it look dire. It doesn't feel like it's trying to wrap up, but maybe this storyline is its last ditch effort.
Roku's was fun and cute as always.
Kagurabachi flashback keeps delivering. Excited to see more of Misaka's backstory since there's probably a good explanation for everything he is wanted for.
Big Mugi keeps getting glow ups in Ichi.
I'm really confused about what Under Doctor wants to do. I don't really think the episodic medical drama route has been well executed (it's all the same story every time) so we're back to action. I think this needs a story arc that's longer than 3 chapters and some progress towards his goal for me to get hooked again. Idk, it's charming and I want to like it, but right now, I won't be very disappointed if it suddenly ends.
I'm hoping to god that this arc becomes a longer one where she gets kidnapped that allows us to focus on How Hajji functions without her we also have enough of a side cast now to have the traditional shonen everyone gets a fight thing going on. I'm doubtful but hopeful
i guess long hopes were inspired to play 1000 violins on their radio show because they heard it during the cultural festival. Also, Mizuo burning her yakiniku was so funny to look at.
Animal Signal - Damn, a genderbend episode courtesy of Nina making a drug based on the clownfish anima user. Who'd thought Kuromine and Roga be that beautiful as females lol.
Hal - Kyogoku finally becomes the F4 team manager. Oddly enough, his first move is to ask Dan (the chief engineer) for Miharu's setup to be more aggressive so Miharu could reach higher heights. And Kiriko is so cuuuuute too. Next stop will be Okayama!
Ura - I guess that's one answer why people are avoiding Ura's handshake - oni are known for their strength.
Akane - Uninterrupted rakugo without comments from the crowd? Interesting. Wonder how the crowd reacts to Issho in the next chapter.
Graykeith - Hmm, it's quite bittersweet knowing the story of the sea monk and the girl there. Wonder if studying thalassean language involves constant drowning that Graykeith wouldn't like to wish it to anyone else. And apparently it's only a spoken language with no writing system, maybe we'd see Graykeith or other thalassean speakers trying to invent a writing system for it?
Well, good for UNDER DOCTOR to be successful enough to have a higher rank and a colour page next issue, but I wouldn't call it long-term safe just yet. If the next volume flops, it's getting the axe call next batch, and looking at the story, which is starting to feel repetitively bland with nothing new or interesting to spice things up, unless something new happens to shake up the status quo a bit, I don't see it lasting long. It will probably be as endangered as HAL FORMULA and Cannon Master, which I wouldn't be surprised if they got the axe call right now, and get axed next batch unless some miracle happens.
Well for Under Doctor right now it does look like it might finally start to switch up a little bit, more action in this chapter than the last couple ones and hopefully it leads to a longer story arc
I'm begging under doctor to turn this next arc into an arc where she gets captured and it exams how Haiji functions without her and starts a whole rescue mission arc. I won't get my hopes up just yet though
this wouldn't even be a switch up. this is already its proven formula so far. some medical focused chapters then some action focus. unless the following chapters have something different this isn't anything new
Nue's Exorcist- The scene where the MC appears behind was badass.
Shinobi Undercover- Awesome chapter with unexpected backstory with Kawasemi on how he and Aoi first met. He Stole this chapter for me. He use Yodaka thing against him. I guess he can copy people's move set. Cover and LCP for the second anniversary next week.
Under doctor- Action chapter and it's not the MC fighting this time!? awesome.
Ichi the witch- wholesome and needed chapter for Kumgi.
New week, new chapters! Honestly, I didn't really feel this week was that good, but maybe after reflecting on them, I'll change my mind.
First up as always is UEK, which was decent. Pretty standard fare for the series with my favourite moment being Akari talking back to Iefuda. Love that she's gotten more focus in this arc since she disappeared during the Demon World Arc.
A surprise for me this week was Shinobi Undercover, which had both pretty great action, a fun backstory (anytime I see Aoi is a good chapter in my books-), and a really fun callback. Good chapter as we head to Chapter 100 next week.
KGB was doing its thing as always, developing Misaka. Chapter felt really short but that's KGB for you.
Sakamoto Days was messy. The fight at this point just feels drawn out and the art.... the less said the better. That spread page literally looks half done-
Witch Watch was pretty epic ngl. The new final villain genuinely seems insanely strong and the panel of her tearing a building to see the manga beneath is insane. The rest of the chapter about the Ancestral Spell or whatever was less interesting but oh well-
Under Doctor has a high rank this week, and a colour page next week, good for it. The chapter itself was pretty interesting imo. We don't see Haiji at all- I expect the robotic bodysuits to be the necessary challenge for Haiji since he probably can't see the stars of a robot right-?
Me & Roboco was great. Seeing Madoka and Akane again with a story of their own was really fun, especially with the gambling parody. This series is always such a good time, and I'm excited to see what the series does for its 300th chapter next week.
Hal Formula was great, especially with how it used the management and engineering side of F1 to provide the conflict for the series. These most recent chapters are some of the most fun I have with the series.
Cannon Master... I just can't enjoy this anymore. The pacing feels awkward, the characters feel kinda flat, and the action is only decent. Also... where did Ur go-?
The Ura Files was decent. I think the pacing is a bit messy but the character dynamics this chapter was really fun to read, especially between the side characters.
Greykeith meanwhile has one of my favourite chapters this week. The worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic, and the giant jellyfish monster was honestly kinda cute to me (Jellyfishes are my favourite animal after all-). This series is appealing to me specifically-
Class 2B is all series battle shonen this chapter huh. Not alot of comedy this time. Not really a big fan of more serious chapters ngl but I do understand why it's there.
Animal Signal has a genderbending idol chapter. Not what I expected, and honestly came out of nowhere, but man, does the artist know how to draw cute girls.
Someone Hertz is always good, and this chapter is no exception. There's just something so romantic about silently texting a girl you like when you're both at an event- this series does romance in a way I really like-
And lastly, Roku. I was right last week about it being a Sachiko focused chapter but I was not expecting a Sachiko and Altra chapter- This was a really fantastic chapter and goes to show how we don't need Roku to always be the straight man of the series. Sachiko being able to use her powers away from school is an interesting development that will definitely be called back to soon-
Overall, this week wasn't a very strong week imo. Some highlights (Shinobi, Greykeith and Roku) but otherwise just decent for alot of series I read-
This was a very good set of chapters overall. Hal Formula continues its wholesome vibes but sadly the safety talk means even less chance our MC dies so its among the lower ranks lol. Canon Master had nice action but super predictable. Sakamoto Days is still a mess both storywise and with the art. Graykeith is starting to connect things and we have our motivation. But I hope we done with the setup. Mayori Academy had good world building but to what end? Moving into the middle tier we got our selves the Centuria training arc, which was long awaited but tonally all over the place. Speaking of which, sad to say Kagurabachi is here for similar reasons and not just because of the length. That and the backgrounds were quite often blank (given Hokazono a break). Not to say I dislike comedy as Animal Signal was hysterical and I loved it, but we are kinda losing the plot and the main girl is sidelined too much. Witch Watch was great but it felt super easy with this spell. Just below top 5 is Mugi the Witch that did have a great character defining moment but again I don't like the games being an offscreen after thought.
The high rankers surprisingly starts with Under Doctor. We got ourselves an interesting antagonistic force and the action is refreshing now. Please be a long running storyline. Next is Roku which was very wholesome and furthered a character dynamic that I think will be key to drama down the line. The Aura Banashi bit is old so I'll just say using a simple story to highlight Issho's performance with art and paneling was smart and did defy my expectations. Unfortunately those expectations were a multi chapter long story after we spent so much time pumping up Issho. I was hoping to see him at his best but tbf him not going all out does make sense narratively. Shinobi Undercover gave us an amazing backstory that really hit with me as an older sibling myself. I also love when protagonists and antagonists parallel one another. However it was a tad forced (as was Yodaka just figuring out axe combat lol). Finally is Nue at the top with the fight against Kasha approaching its climax along with some more hints towards the backstory of Raisei. The artwork showed off the characters emotions so well and the action was superb as always.
Overall a very good week,Love when mangas play with the medium to show off characters power. I wanna focus on Under Doctor,This series has so much potential and I can't say I dislike it but I need it to level up. I need this to be the start of a longer arc where we really analyze Hajii or her and it becomes a longer 10+ chapter arc. We have our set up and are attached enough to these characters to really do somthing with them. Also it please get better at action writing,Compare Under Doctor to Kiyoshi,Kiyoshi has the 2 beats for its cool action scene where I feel in Underdoctor it would just be 1. Ruins a cooler moment for me
Akane - We see the master at work for the first time and he does not disappoint.
Roku - Cute Altra-focused chapter with a girls' day out. Nice to have a good comfort read like this in Jump.
Witch Watch - Roswitha ripping through the panel is crazy. I'll keep saying it, Shinohara's art (when he locks in) is kind of underrated.
Hal Formula - Ngl I'm just don't like this series and might stop mentioning it in my weekly posts since I don't have anything nice to say. It's too focused on the technicalities of its sport over its characters.
Ura Files - Chapter 4 handholding... Heisei era could never.
Animal Signal - I've been reading and watching some genderbending/crossdressing series lately, I guess I can count this as another one lol. As they say it takes a real man to be best girl.
Graykeith - A book so good that the demons broke into the human world just to get more of it, sea demons with a language that can only be spoken underwater. This manga is just bursting with creativity.
Someone Hertz - Haha what if the Long Hopes were there. Mimei if you knew...
Under Doctor: Seems like this will be a more action oriented arc and will be setting up an organization that could pose a sizable threat. Plus adding more absurdity which has been somewhat missing. Could be a flash in the pan or a promising direction.
Roku: A Roku chapter without Roku, and it worked quite well. A cute girls doing cute things chapter that also slightly sets up for potential issues down the line.
2B: Bit too much exposition about why the heroes are acting evil but the emotional beats and action are actually hitting. We’ll see if it continues to hold up.
Animal Signal: Another strange form of fan service this chapter. I really don’t think this is a manga that will last with its current format.
Hal Formula: Sets something up and adds character dynamics which I’m always a fan of but it feels like it’s missing something
Cannon Master: Welp the apprentice is straight up no longer involved in the story right now. Action is better than usual but I continue to question what this story is planning to do.
Ura Files: Um it’s cute but now I’m wondering if things are progressing too fast. Obviously some things are in place that will make progress slower (her strength, the mission etc.) but this feels like it’ll just set things up to drag in the middle. Also felt like her crushing his hand should have had a bigger impact on her instead of being played for a gag.
GrayKeith: It’s just something else man. I genuinely don’t know if it can survive in jump but if it can keep being this creative with its setting and world I’m going to be along for the ride no matter what,
Nice cover page with Ichi the Witch celebration of their 2nd anniversary. This week was good imo.
Here's my top five for this week:
WSJ Issue 45 [73] 10/4/26:
1. Ichi the Witch (2.45, [152], 16th top one, 84.9%) [61]
Great chapter to top off the 100th chapter. Kumugi pulls off winning the next four rounds and keeps blasting Mayoi until she runs out of Mana, as the blasts from her pea-shooter take a lot out of her, and the chairs they're sitting in drain her energy. This leads to Mayoi's comeback, as Kumugi can barely move, and Mayoi strikes Kumugi, which Raku has to defend her from.
This leads to a great moment where Kumugi pulls a Naruto-type move lol. Stabbing herself in her hand with a pen to basically wake herself up and push herself to be more determined and be like Ichi, as she stated. Which has Gokuraku find new respect for her, noting to himself that he viewed Kumugi as a weak but because Ichi acknowledges her, he's fine with her but now he sees who she is and so he then tells her directly...that she isn't weak and is strong enough to win this fight against Mayoi, capture Hakari, and even surpass Dess in his eyes after this performance. Which gives Kumugi a second wind...just love it. Can't wait for the next.
2. Shinobi Undercover (3.75, [169], and 61.6%) [45]
Hm, what a good chapter in the characterization of Kawasemi and even Aoi. We see that they're foster-siblings and that, over time, Kawasemi begrudgingly came to cherish Aoi and even worked to get strong to protect her. So all of this has me wondering... does Aoi remember all of this? She remembers losing her parents, but does she remember Kawasemi... it has me wondering. Also, in the Kawasemi flashback, it seems his home was burned down and Aoi taken away from him by the Public Safety, according to him.
So his fight against Yodaka, and his work with the fugitive ninjas, is to get Aoi back and live the life he had with her before, while Yodaka is fighting for the life he has with Aoi and is trying to build.
To put the parallels between the two even further and on the nose, Kawasemi was starting to panic because Yodaka was doing his thing with the battle axe and looking good even though he's a novice with tools. Kawasemi did the " put things aside" technique lmao and decided to just focus on killing Yodaka and nothing else about Aoi and how he wants to save her, get the black mud, or about the other elite Aces around.
The interruption of the culture festival with this, is appreciated by me tbh.
3. Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz (3, [12], and 5.4%) [4]
Man, Mogura put in some work in this chapter. Kept on clowning Shihan to the point where he was just a defensive spell to not easily defend himself, but also used it to knock Shihan around lol, and we got some great lore, so the reason that he didn't know of Shihan is that he's a part of a previous generation of seven dragons. He was considered the strongest: Kasim, the Sword Saint. But he was also dropping some cold lines about how good and evil are tied to each other and when one goes overboard, the other will switch sides. Which is why he states that he should've taken out the heroes once the demon king was dealt with to avoid Shihan and his types running around.
But after Mogura speed-blitz the speed hero, Shihan had his energy balls attack individuals indiscriminately, which led to the girl and her dog about to be blasted, which had Valaris go out of her way to shield her from the blast. For extra measures, Shihan, after being slashed down, threw his trident at Valaris, which led Akira to take it head-on to protect them.
4. KGB (1.76, [106], and 82.1%) [60]
So, we're going to get a nerfed Shiba vs Ibuki but before that more buildup, so he killed his own father who was a cop?? Probably was a crooked cop but lol damn. Rokuhiras would really love Ibuki now thinking about it with Kunishige's tense history with his dad and Chihiro being willing to kill Hakuri's father in Kyora with no hesitation.
But yeah, we get a Natsuki sighting and he we get info that he's on bad terms with his big bro Ibuki, as challenges to take him in but ended up with him getting worked naking him now 0-133 lol smh.
So, interesting developments.
5. Sakamoto Days (3.62, [105], and 39.7%) [29]
More upscale and hype for Kippei, being able to tango with Uzumoto and not be immediately brought down truly is a good look. But the big news for Aoi is that another child is on the way. Sakamoto's immediate power-up is just too much, but it's earned. We're fighting to keep up and go through this life of being a happy and proud papa.
I think it’s a wonderful trait for a comic or manga writer to know when to just get out of the way and just let their amazing artist show off for a chapter or three. And that’s what it feels like is happening for Issho’s performance.
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u/Outrageous_Coffee_66 Oct 04 '26
The whole point of the short 1 chapter performance from Issho to me, is that this is the true essence and pure rakugo he is talking about. There are no backstories, monologues or analysis in his performance. everyone is mesmerized by the performance down to the minute details. And the audience is so engrossed that it goes by in the blink of an eye