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ligma

np!

yes

I'm not sure. When the official release of Hokuto no Ken starts next year I can finally read the manga without having to look at bad scanlations. The real problem is that HnK has a great anime adaptation whereas SnK has got a terrible one. The manga for HnK doesn't hit as hard as the anime does in its most pivotal scenes whereas the SnK anime is awful from top to bottom so the manga by comparison seems even better. Also the art is obviously improved in SnK. I would still probably say that HnK is the better one even in the manga because of the writing.

Yeah, i also thought that scene was quite beautiful, and that "We're back, to the place where mommy and daddy first met" was the moment where I was like "Yeah this is a solid 9/10" cause up till that point I was experiencing the ever awful struggle between the strong 8 and light 9. So it was good to have the ending completely solidify that 9.

Oh interesting that your opinions have changed so greatly since you last read it. So far I'm finding myself really enjoying it, and I think a massive part of that so far is Hibiki, who tickles my itch for one of my favourite styles of comedy: "Unbridled Comic Rage". There's something about comedy that trivializes anger that really sticks with and appeals to me. So with that being said, I think Hibiki is easily the best part so far and I look forward to seeing more from him. So far I definately think the bases for Ranma & Akane's relationship is far less interesting than both Ataru/Lum & Godai/Kyoko, but its perfectly servicable. Looking forward to meeting the rest of the cast.

Yeah, I know how that burn out feels, I went through a period like that in the first half of 2018 myself, was a great time to watch a lot of movies id been meaning to watch for basically my whole life, and I ended up with a comfortable top 10 in that medium, so it was all for the best. A similar thing happened about 18 months ago when I started actually listening to more music and actually established with myself a clear taste and sent me on a path to find favourites in that medium. So I think slowing down can help.

That's a very good question and in fact I do

Sorry for the really, really late response. I got consumed by finals last week and some pretty stressful stuff happening simultaneously. I was just so mentally pooped. But now I’m not! I hope.
And yeah I do have a Discord. DM me your user name and I’ll add you.

Yeah, I think one of the most interesting things about Ikkoku's structure is how it starts off very broadly focusing on all the characters and their individual quirks (while still mostly putting the focus on Kyoko & Godai), but as the series wears on there is this gradual shift toward focusing on how the relationship is developing in the perspective of the characters and how each of them relates to that development. It's similar to something else I noticed where the further you get into the series the more of Kyoko's perspective you start to see and feel, so as Godai gets closer to her, as does the reader. I think the themes of MI are very well handled especially with how it presents the ability of people to gradually move on from past relationships and infatuations. So yeah, its a great "time heals all wounds" kinda story. I've definitely started noticing that "romances shouldn't be rushed" part of Takahashi's work and I'm actually going into Ranma now with that in the back of my mind, and I can already see it playing a role again (9 chapters in).
The finale of Maison Ikkoku was absolutely wonderful and I must say those last couple volumes were quite addictive, I sat down to read as much as I normally would and ended up reading triple the amount and finishing it. The finale had me in a pretty good mood and it was nice to see that everyone ended up in a good place.
So yeah I am reading Ranma now, and so far I actually really like it, I think its got some strong character dynamics so far and I think Takahashi's compositions are getting quite nice at this point. My one concern with Ranma after the first volume is that I'm not sure if the central gag and relationship are quite so transformative and dynamic as those in Urusei Yatsura, so I do fear it may get much more samey throughout its run, but we'll see. I'm enjoying it a lot more than i thought I would frankly.


As for what I've been doing in quarantine, not a whole lot has changed. I still get to go to work, so work & home are the only two places I get to be, but because I travel around a bit on the job it doesn't feel like I'm grounded quite as much as other people. The biggest blow I've taken in this whole thing is being unable to hang out with friends, so comparatively I'm not in such a bad spot as the vast majority of other people. As for how I've spent the increased amount of free time, aside from trying to tackle a lot of longers and older anime & manga, Me & one of my friends (an experienced low budget amateur filmmaker) have started work on our second major film script, which so far has been going well (and I've even decided to write a novella version of the movie that is drastically different in tone and approach). So I guess you could say its been productive, which is good. What about yourself?

Yeah, I think that's a great way to put it, struggling with identity and footing. I think that's another issue I have that's harder to explain or even justify, but it doesn't feel like has anything iconic about it that my mind is drawn to as soon as I think about it, something that everything I like tends to have. What I get when I think of reborn is a mash of different images none of which stick out to me. I also think your pretty on the money about it being an example of all of Jump's broader problems in one place. At least conceptually I also ride on the side of, simple story complex characters, as opposed to anything more plot-centric. For something to be plot-centric and keep my attention it generally had to start off character-centric or just make a lot of effort to make me invested in the characters' investment in the plot. The latter of which is a lot harder than the former, so its much rarer. Even then though, it's not that Reborn was plot-centric the whole way through, and technically speaking it did start off as a characterization based comedy. The problem, in this case, is it never endeared me enough to any of the characters (and in a few cases more frustrated me) and it wasn't at all funny, so I didn't find any fun with the series before it got more plot-driven.


On the Maison Ikkoku side of things. Yeah its been brilliant, I think I like it just a little bit more than Urusei Yatsura on the whole (probably just cause its more consistent, though that being said it is shorter). I really like how natural and uncontrived the progression of Kyoko & Yusaku's relationship it, and despite the "will they won't they" kinda structure it feels less like indecisiveness for the sake of elongating the story, it's more like they both recognize the need for time to pass and growth to occur before they can really commit to each other. It's also funny cause I think I may have stated this before but normally I'm not a big fan of love triangles, but I feel really satisfied with the way romantic rivals are handled in this series. I think the series sort of acknowledges that it will clearly end with the main romance blooming, so It doesn't waste too much of your time making you think the rivals will win out, which is why the tension of Mitaka possibly winning comes and goes quite quickly and almost always is defused comically. In the case of Mitaka vs. Yusaku, in particular, it definitely feels like the more the series has gone on and the further Yusaku improves himself and his circumstances, the less and less Mitaka feels like he offers a serious threat because he more and more ends up the fool of any given scenario. It does a really good job of balancing real pathos & comedic subversion too.

That’s good to hear. And it’s nice that she’s not only still making manga but that Sunday will still give her space to publish.
Honestly if Kishimoto took Samurai 8 to Sunday, and it sold more or less the same number of volumes, the series would easily be allowed to run 40 volumes; like bare-minimum. And like Jump’s method certainly works, hence why they keep producing hits, but it’s still nice to see someone like Takahashi not be pushed to the side.

Hey! Yeah safe and well, and that's the way I wanna keep it lol. How about you?

Yeah, It's actually pretty clearcut why I didn't mash with it at all. I think the first and perhaps least bothersome aspect is something we discussed before and that was the fact that while I like the themes and what its trying to go for, It just does it in completely unremarkable and unmemorable/standardized ways that it's hard to care about its attempts at pathos. I think the biggest culprit of my negative opinion (despite the fact that it was on the upswing by the end) was the artwork, composition & paneling. I found the fights, in particular, to be mostly incomprehensible and hard to read, and I think that if I have to squint to understand what's happening in a fight scene in a battle manga then that's a pretty significant problem, and because of the fact that most of the battle arcs were very much the Bleach style of introducing conflict, then watch a series of fights play out in order (something Bleach does great because the art and composition are so strong) the problem was only exacerbated when I had to endure that problem for fight after fight. I think the other major art issue I had was how Amano used black & gray shading, and how lot of the time it felt like there it was far too densely applied like there was just black blobs on the pages. It's story and characters sorta aired on the more serviceable side, but there were a couple of really baffling characters or really poor ones (Hibari and basically the entire female cast being the major culprits). Actually late edition (something I only just realized): I feel like another reason I didn't connect to it was I felt like there was a major clash of aesthetics, where its mostly pretty grounded, with all the mafia stuff (black suits and guns and all that) but then you have all these really detailed weapons technologies, the rings felt like they were drawn too detailed and looked like they had too much weight, the box animals felt like they were from another series, yeah stuff like that.

As for the final two arcs. Overall I thought inheritance was the best arc and Enma was easily the best villain, and I was really rooting for the idea that it was a good arc, and then everyone started fighting, and while the Enma Vs Tsuna fight did feel significant, it felt so weird and left a bad taste in my mouth to then lean the arc in a different direction with Chrome, Mukuro & Demon Spade. So it's still my favorite cause Enma was pretty good, and its where the art did start getting better.

The final arc was about as good as an inheritance but with every positive, I felt like there was an *. I think the ending is the perfect example of this. Like, I actually kinda like the idea that the ending presents a very real perspective on self-improvement, saying that people don't completely change very easily but it helps to have good friends and family to motivate you. But the big * is that it doesn't feel satisfying or significant for it to end that way. It just kinda felt the ending didn't wanna commit to anything, "Oh Tsuna didn't change, but he kinda did" "Oh we aren't gonna conclude the romance even though we just implied we were about to", stuff like that. As for the arc itself, I liked Tsuna & Reborns emotional conflict in the latter half, but the whole team all-out fight felt kinda insignificant when it just shifted focus pretty quickly to the Vindice and the truth of the Arcobaleno (which I thought was the better part of it). The art and compositon was also a lot better in this arc, but nothing too stand out in my opinon

But I think the thing I'm most conflicted on, is Tsuna himself because I don't think he's bad for the same reasons a lot people seem to think he is. The ending aside, I feel like his problem is nestled in its initiation, the fact that Tsuna sucks so much worked a lot better when it was purely a comedy manga, cause that feels suitable, but in transitioning that idea into a more serious mode kinda calls the scale of it into question. I feel like the thing I was waiting for was to get a retroactively applied justification for why Tsuna is like this because I feel like "he inherently sucks" just doesn't cut it when I feel like I'm supposed to take him seriously.

In awesome news on the other hand: Really been enjoying Maison Ikkoku, especially in these last several volumes

I really hope she gets back on track after Rin-Ne. It’s good to hear she’s building to something, hopefully something that bring out the dramatic storytelling she excels at. And speaking of, what sort of manga even is it? Is it a battle manga like Inuyasha? Or is it more focused on the occult like say Holic or something?

Since you’re almost 30 chapters into Mao, and since that’s a decent bit of chapters, what are your thoughts on it?

So how does Karakuri Circus compare to Ushio and Tora?

The prevailing thing to keep in mind with the Astro Boy manga, is that’s inconsistent. Not only is it inconsistent, it’s wildly so. The 23 volumes of the English release cover a period of almost three decades of stories featuring Astro (Atom) serialized in different pockets of productivity. That, coupled with the fact that it’s almost completely episodic, means it’s varies to almost extreme degrees in terms of what you’re actually getting.

The bulk of the stories come from the 50s and 60s. The paneling and storytelling is at its least refined in the 50s and can often be a chore to read, a by-product of how manga was viewed and made. The 60s generally had some of the best stories, with Tezuka’s paneling and storytelling ability taking a noticeable increase in this decade. There are some from the 70s, that veer a little too far into a sort cynicism that doesn’t quite mesh with the stuff that came before. And the 80s is almost forgettable stories that feature the best Atom looked.

As a whole the manga is not lacking in terms of creativity. In terms of sheer imagination, this series is pretty hard to beat. Some of the plots and scenarios Tezuka created over the almost three decades really show a range of his talents and ingenuity. Even the most banal stories tend to have at least something creative about them, maybe even just a cool robot design. They’re not really stories with much cohesion, as everything resets to the status quo (usually) as with most episodic manga.

A big problem I had with this series is that In spite of creative it is, a lot of the stories blend together. I read everything except for two volumes (which I couldn’t find), and yet I only truly remember a select handful of stories, or at least an element or two. In spite of a lot of high concept stuff going on, the actual plotting can be pretty repetitive.

The characters are a real mixed-bag too. Almost every recurring character is uninteresting. Astro is likable enough. Depending on the decade, he might be a little more feisty: but as a whole he’s a generally nice robot. I like him well enough, I certainly wouldn’t consider him a personal favorite character: but he was nice, none the less. My favorite character was Professor. Ochanomizu, who can be pretty funny at times. Others like Uran, Tenma, Mustachio and Inspector Tawashi are a few of the other stand outs, in a sea of mostly forgettable side-characters.

The villains are also mostly forgettable. Only two really leave much of a lasting impact on the reader, Pluto and Blue Knight, though they’re each only in one story. There’s also Satan, a robot with laser nipple who also makes an impact, though simply for that aspect. Really, the only recurring antagonist Astro faces is Skunk, his arch-nemesis who appears every now and then. He isn’t a particularly engaging villain or anything, he’s only really notable for recurring.

With all of that being said, there are good points. There a few stories in the series where Tezuka makes use of what he created to actually tell an engaging tale. The ones that managed to standout in a sea of sameness, and are the ones that are typically present in whatever adaption of Astro is made. I would also recommend reading these, to get a grasp of this series, at least partially. In no particular order:
1. The Birth of Astro
2. The Greatest Robot on Earth (probably the most well-known story, If you’re going to read any Astro, this should be it. It’s a part of the omnibus you own)
3. Once Upon a Time (the only really multi-volume story in the manga)
4. Blue Knight (and the chapter or two that follow)
5. Either Ambassador Atom, Atlas,the End of Astro Boy or the Silver Tower

As a whole, and as I’ve said: this is a very uneven manga. I’ve never read any other series that both varies so much and yet still manages to feel so samey. It feels at times so original and so trail blazingly creative, which it was, while feeling stilted. Obviously it’s creation one of the most important things to have ever happened to the medium. It’s influence is massive, and themes that are heavily embedded into it’s backdrop can still rival much of what would follow. there are times when it manages to be very good, when Tezuka fires on all cylinders and creates something that would be considered an absolute classic. Other times, he doesn’t. It’s an absolute mixed bag, unlike anything I’ve read before.

Would I recommend reading through all of it? Unless you’re devoted, curious or both, then I would probably say: no. I don’t regret reading through all of it, but I don’t find find doing so necessary. I also don’t think it’s that type of series, it certainly isn’t written like that. Would I recommend you try out at least a few of the stories: without a doubt. This manga and the anime it spawned are amongst some of the most impactful works to ever grace this medium. You should at least have some familiarity with the series, especially since you’re such a fan of shonen manga.

Astro Boy is gold mine for a lot of things. And it’s raw imagination is almost unmatched. But I don’t know if that would be enough for someone to commit to reading the whole thing.

I had pretty much the same answer. The five-man band (as Tv Troops calls it) really is that ideal number for me. Could be four, like YYH, but generally speaking Five just seems right. It’s a decent sized core cast that feel like too much. It helps keep characters developed and relevant if new ones don’t keep being introduced in droves with every new arc. And actually I think one of the reasons I enjoyed OP so much pre-Skypeia is because of the size of the crew. I like Robin, Franky and Brook: but they just don’t “mesh” the same way the East Blue Five and Chopper do; at least for me.