Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [Week 25]
Another week in the books. Let's chat about manga in the general discussion thread! Feel free to use this thread for questions, comments, recommendations, etc.
Like normal, please be careful with spoilers. I wrote a guide about spoilers in case you need a refresher on how to handle them (also linked in the sidebar).
I have managed to mostly clear out my backlog this past week (mostly...). There has also been some sad news this past week with the announcement of the coming end of Nagatoro as well as Atsumare! Fushigi Kenkyu-bu, two series that I enjoy a lot. There are a couple series I wanted to highlight this week:
I'm seldom disappointed by a good series ending these days. There's so much to read that it's not like I'll run out, and too often series go into a kind of limbo when they run too long, where it feels like they just narratively tread water.
Nagatoro got to that point for me, so I stopped keeping up with it, but now that I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel, I'm actually more interested in picking it back up.
This was my last week of vacation and I used this weekend to catch up on a lot of series I put on hold for a while.
Spy X Family - It is currently in the middle of an arc exploring the backstory of the school's headmaster. I was a bit bored with where it was going, but then the recent war (the same one which Twilight was a child soldier in) hit the lives of the headmaster and those around him like a train. The arc hasn't concluded, but the latest chapter broke my heart. It's very good.
Reincarnated as a Sword - Had a few meh arcs, but the one going currently is good. Fran is still cute AF, and her psychotic side has made more frequent appearances lately, which I like.
One Piece - Egghead is shaping up to be one of my favourite arcs. If not the the favorite.
My Hero Academia - Really good art. Really good characters. But basically reading out of habit now, the sequel bait that it ends on made me groan.
Vinland Saga - Shit is happening in Vinland, the Nords relationship with the Natives is looking like it's going downhill fast. And now some other native tribes are getting involved.
Sousou no Frieren - OOH! More Ubel and Megane-san. But damn, hiatus right as it's getting interesting. The time travel arc was atrocious, but this current one is shaping up well.
Mato Seihei no Slave - I always come back to this one, and every time I regret not waiting longer to let more chapters build up, because I'm always left frustrated I can't keep reading. Happened this time too. The Shangri-La arc has concluded, and Yuuki's spiritual residents increase in numbers yet again. And apparently the gods suddenly want to negotiate for peace?
Reincarnated as a Sword
I am a couple chapters behind (last thing I remember is the cooking competition starting), but I am a huge fan of Fran and the father-like bond she has with the main character. I also had a hard time with some of the past arcs, but I remember reading that just about the whole trip on the ship and the island adventures were manga-original stories. I almost dropped the series during those arcs, so I am glad it seems to be back in form after picking up the source material story.
Uzaki-chan
Agreed on your criticisms. These characters are adults and self-control and respect of boundaries should be expected. I am hoping that it won't continue to be a story point going forward.
Mato Seihei no Slave
I read the first couple chapters, but haven't really dove into this one yet. I do plan on getting going with it, but there is a lot of content to catch up on and have had trouble finding a block of time to get into it.
I'm so disappointed with Uzaki specifically because I really enjoyed Sakurai exploring what he wants and is worried about when it comes to sex. The talk with his dad and his internal personification of lust were both fresh takes on the matter you don't always see in fiction.
I can't help but get kinda furious that the actual event didn't come full circle on that. It's clear the mangaka gets it, so how the fuck did they drop the ball at the last step?!
By actually experiencing that the second she says no, respecting her wishes is the easiest thing ever, regardless of how turned on he is, Sakurai could have come to realise that all his worries were unfounded. That his having a huge libido that he normally has a lid on, isn't actually a problem that means he needs to worry about hurting his partner, because no matter how powerful, lust doesn't work in a way that makes you forget about the wellbeing of someone you care about.
That's a bullshit excuse used by crappy people to do what they want in bed, while maintaining the facade of a caring relationship.
Instead that's exactly what happens! What the hell!
It perpetuates exactly the fears that I was delighted to see Sakurai and this manga tackle, and then fail to actually address. Worse, it enables the kind of people who get into relationships for sex and then use this crap to hide the fact they don't actually care about their partner enough to respect them in bed.
Translation of the Break Blade's final chapter is finally here and it's a bit of a bittersweet moment.
For those unaware BB was a fantasy mecha series, which ran between 2006 and 2022. While it wasn't perfect, it had some pretty interesting writing and ideas - especially early on. There was mystery, intrigue, some political shenanigans and a lot of action. Things did slip a bit in the later parts of the story (I'm not sure if it had to do with author's health, creativity issues or just lack of compatibility with serialized schedule) but overall it was a pretty fun ride - even if not a complete one (story concluded but there were some set ups for new arcs).
It also had some great feeling battles, with chunks of armor and parts getting dented, shot up and broken in a very satisfying manner. You could really feel the strength and weight of each hit.
It wasn't a best thing ever bot boy was it a fun ride. I'm going to miss this series.