Shounen Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

[Doraku]

Hungry Joker
By: Tabata Yuuki
Genre: Action, Comedy, Shounen and Supernatural
Serialized In: Weekly Shounen Jump (Shuiesha)

Summary of the One Shot


In the near future, a mysterious new virus has brought humankind to the brink of extinction...the last resort, Science. A boy named Haijaru appears in a town and meets a girl named Alice, can he save everyone? Let alone saving himself from his deadly disease? From Baka-Updates: In the 2100s, a new virus has arisen that has dramatically evolved the wildlife into deadly monsters. Humans have been left behind by the virus's explosive evolution, and they are facing extinction. The only protection humanity has is the government's battle scientist organization, known as the White Jokers. Alice and her little sister Mona live in an isolated island city, where they have no hope of either running away or being rescued by the far-off government's White Jokers. Alice is determined to protect her little sister, but she and her handguns may stand no chance against a major attack. One day, a strange boy in a white lab coat, with a mysterious timer floating over his head, appears. Is he a White Joker, and will he be able to protect their little city?

Winner of the Golden Cup 2011

 

[Maxy Barnard]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

That summary's only valid for the one-shot, which is almost 100% different to the serialisation, by the way (not that it matters, really)

The first chapter of Hungry Joker wasn't anything special, a bit by the numbers with only an interesting power and a minor science angle in its favour, but it's such a step up from the painfully generic one-shot that I can't help but be excited for more

[tmod=Doraku] Forget about that, thanks, I'll change the info. [/tmod]

 

[Divinenega]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

I have to say that this was one of the best first chapters for a JUMP series I've seen since Enigma. I like that there's a bit of a mystery setup right out of the gate and that the series seems like it may skew for a dark storyline which is pretty cool. Overall I think this actually has a really good shot at being successful if they build up from the momentum of the first chapter, and it helps that Haji comes across as a very JUMP like protagonist being pretty eccentric and all.

On a slightly different note I have a theory as to what the Eureka's are specifically:

Spoiler

I think their beings who have powers based off of different scientific theories which is why the first couple of pages put such a big emphasis on science. If so whoever has powers based off kinetic energy will probably be incredibly broken on the power level meter

Also does anyone know if it's been scanlated yet? Read the raws next to the translation from here, but haven't seen any actual english scans for it anywhere.

 

[Doraku]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

I agree with Maxy's comment, the first chapter is not something extraordinary, but it is adequate enough to awake my curiosity about what's going to happen in the next chapter. I also like the scientific touch added to this manga, and hopefully such plot device is going to be explored more in the future. The relationship between Haiji and Chitose is become less cliche as well, so I guess that's a plus for this manga.

Also does anyone know if it's been scanlated yet? Read the raws next to the translation from here, but haven't seen any actual english scans for it anywhere.

If someone makes a thread here that means it's already scanlated, even though in Hungry Joker case it seems there is no group yet which is going to pick up this series regularly.

 

[Raijatsu]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

what I like:

1. shift from virus to science, not saying the virus might not return in some from but science makes choreographing powers and battles a lot easier.
2. art style, it's simple but effective an it could improve to be one of the visually better SJ series (the loss of reborn makes the magazine so much uglier)
3. characters: again simple but lovable, first villien is enigmatic enough to go for a long run but not too "special" to make his loss hurt the story

what I dislike

1. overpowered main char, it's the same problem we had with Magico, gravity powers seem incredibly strong but sooner or later his powers need to evolve....but how? We can't expect him getting a sword or gun or anything out of the blue
2. narrow story, the black apple and glowing corpses look nice but I can't imagine how this should go longer than a year or twi befor getting boring...I call this the Enigma problem
3. maybe to complicated? the science theme s nice for adults but for the SJ demographic and awfull lot of explaining needs to be done...this could scare away the readers

 

[cearon]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

way better than the original one-shot and must have to say had more of a oomph than either sensei no bulge or takamagahara had. mangaka really changed things a lot for a more coherent story. and year 2011 must have been a very bad year if that one-shot won the future golden cup.

these being said; i still liked the gunslinger girl from the original one-shot i hope she returns with the guns but with "eureka". the genereic fan-service idiot isnt a very likeable char for me.the chemistry with chitose and haiji doesnt seem so great either. other problem i am not so sure about is the science aspect of this manga was it necessary? since they gave it a supernatural aspect of it in a very vague or should i say faulty way.

still this manga do seem to have a chance if the eureka does get explained in a satisfactory way in the next couple (i will say inside 10)chapters. not the whole concept but at least a tangible and logical explanation is needed. otherwise it will be a forced mystery.

in any way i enjoyed this chapter and will w8 till the 5th chapter to make the real diagnosis.

 

[Galactic Tomahawk]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

I kinda hated the one-shot so this seems like a turn for the better.

Decent first chapter, definitely interested in where things are going.

 

[Nasser]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

It looks promising! I enjoyed the first chapter more than the one-shot.

 

[Maxy Barnard]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

The second chapter continued to be what it is, which is average but captivating. More than anything I'm totally into the depiction of Haiji's powers, and I'm digging how the second colour page continues to prove how much Yuuki's learnt after the one-shots horrible, horrible colour page.

 

[Mr. Prince]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

I feel like I might be drawn into something here... despite what I said first, I did a script for the second chapter. (I thought there would already be a group covering the project by now! ) - Should be up in the next few hours once I found the time to beta read it!

Second chapter was fun. Agreeing with Maxy Barnard here, it's nothing too out of the ordinary but certainly knows how to entertain. (Plus, I'm digging its relatively dark tone.) And yeah, Tabata is interesting when it comes to color pages. Still can't say I like his colored work but he made quite some progress in a relatively short time frame, so that's cool.

---------- Post added November 19, 2012 at 02:03 AM ---------- Previous post was November 18, 2012 at 07:39 PM ----------

Yeah, upped it just now. Enjoy! - And maybe we'll get a proper release this time around...

 

[MangaPage]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

Indeed it could become a quite good series. While I agree it’s nothing exceptional, it’s pretty interesting and as a battle manga I think it’s better than Takamagahara and Barrage too (though it might be a bit early to tell), but it can also have some aspects different from just battle manga. I like that it has a darker tone/possibility of having a darker tone (right now it’s not really very dark, but you can sort of feel it’s got this kind of atmosphere), Jump has been lacking something like this. Some people have mentioned Enigma in this thread, and indeed I could see this turn out similar to it in some ways. The main character is quite appealing too.

other problem i am not so sure about is the science aspect of this manga was it necessary?

I think this manga wouldn’t be much without it’s science element. True, it hasn’t played a hugely important part in the first chapter except in its very first pages, but for now at least it's like the outline/frame of the series, and will probably be a bit more present in the future. If it was just plain battle I would find the series lacking. Though I understand your point that in the middle of this science thing supernatural powers coming out of the blue might be a bit vague and all, so far there is no real relation between that and science, and I don’t know if there will be, but anyway this matter will probably be more explored in the future. I agree it's a flaw for the manga but even if not totally explained, as far as popularity goes, usually kids don't tend to worry too much about that kind of thing. I would prefer it more explained too, though, but I just think taking out the science aspect would make the manga lose its charm.

Also, about the scientific explanations possibly being too complicated which Raijatsu mentioned, I think exceedingly elaborate explanations won’t really be needed, as the supernatural side can fill in the space of too complicated realistic explanations with science. I don’t see the manga going that much into science, it will probably have some simple and logical science parts, that kind of thing part usually can pass well among kids if not too complicated. I think the science theme fused with the supernatural is not too much even for small kids.

So let's see how this will grow, it has potential but it could also disappoint depending on which direction it takes.

 

[HalcyonDigest]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

It's been awhile since I've actually enjoyed a new action series in Jump. I didn't dislike the oneshot as much as most people but I definitely agree vast improvements have been made.
One of the things in particular that I like is the grotesqueness of the enemies (in particular the nurse/bird thing in chapter 2), it reminds of something Yoshiyuki Nishi would have drawn for Muhyo and Roji or Bokke-san. I did notice the characters now look significantly younger and tinier, that's a change I wasn't too fond of.
Story-wise I think it's a little early to say much, the concept is decent I guess, it all really depends on how it's developed and how many (if any) shonen cliches end up being packed in.
That being said I'm actually rooting for this one in the rankings, and so far I'm 3 for 3 in the series I've rooted for this year.

 

[Zeltrax]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

I really liked the 2 chapters I've read, I think this manga is more than just superpowers and fighting, I feel like I'm going to be looking at an magnificent piece of chess game in the future.

I'm probably going to go all out and trust my instincts and say that Hungry Joker will be a very successful manga.

1. overpowered main char, it's the same problem we had with Magico, gravity powers seem incredibly strong but sooner or later his powers need to evolve....but how? We can't expect him getting a sword or gun or anything out of the blue

That is if you are seeing this as a typical battle shounen manga, I don't think, at least from the 2 chapters i've read, HJ is going to take that direction.

2. narrow story, the black apple and glowing corpses look nice but I can't imagine how this should go longer than a year or twi befor getting boring...I call this the Enigma problem

On the other hand, I thought it was an interesting concept. Why bother introducing so many plot points if you can't promise to deliver it well right? The concept of science powers in fruits have so much potential and so much things that can be done with it.
It's not how many toys the author has, it's how the author have fun with his limited toys.

3. maybe to complicated? the science theme s nice for adults but for the SJ demographic and awfull lot of explaining needs to be done...this could scare away the readers

I thought death note was complicated and too dark for SJ, but see how it went?
Of course, I'm not saying HJ had the same promise as death note atm.

 

[Mr. Prince]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

Hungry Joker is getting quite a bit of negative feedback on the Japanese 2ch forums so far. A number of people say it recycles too many old ideas or rather it's a rip-off of other series. (Though some criticism seems just too harsh in my opinion or simply stems from a lack of knowledge, as some users say stuff like, "Oh, they talk about 'Eureka'. Totally Eureka Seven rip-off!" or even better "There's 'Eureka the Forbidden Land' in Final Fantasy III"... yeah, right, who's that Archimedes dude again? Anime and games define our culture. )

But since 2ch has hardly ever been a good indicator to evaluate a series' standing I won't be paying too much attention to that stuff and rather get back to the actual series.

So the third chapter was pretty much telling the short story of Haiji's and Kildo's fight, mixing in a crapload of difficult vocabulary (for which the translator expresses his gratitude... ), and building the bridge for the next episode. ("Arc" seems slightly exaggerated for these introductory chapters.)
It has been quite illuminating in some aspects, e.g. we learn more about the afore mentioned concept of the "Eureka".

Spoiler

Which are basically the Akuma no mi/Devil Fruits of Hungry Joker.......

I think we might see a number of cool new characters introduced in the next chapter (or the one after that). I'm pretty sure Tabata will switch over to that "Dinner Party" Rosalie mentioned in chapter 3.

--

Lazy Ass Scans' release should be ready soon. All those who don't want to wait can also just check out my script in the usual place. *points to sig*

 

[Galactic Tomahawk]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

To be totally fair, it wouldn't be as familiar a word to a Japanese audience as it is to us.

I'm somewhat worried that it isn't gonna do that well, but only time can tell really.

 

[Maxy Barnard]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

Hungry Joker is getting quite a bit of negative feedback on the Japanese 2ch forums so far. A number of people say it recycles too many old ideas or rather it's a rip-off of other series. (Though some criticism seems just too harsh in my opinion or simply stems from a lack of knowledge, as some users say stuff like, "Oh, they talk about 'Eureka'. Totally Eureka Seven rip-off!" or even better "There's 'Eureka the Forbidden Land' in Final Fantasy III"... yeah, right, who's that Archimedes dude again? Anime and games define our culture. )

But since 2ch has hardly ever been a good indicator to evaluate a series' standing I won't be paying too much attention to that stuff and rather get back to the actual series.

2ch, like anywhere on the internet, is usually wrong/stupid in how they assess Jump manga, from all I've seen of it, a statement I'm sure'll bite me in the ass sooner or later.

(edit: IT DID! Immediately after I posted this and realised they've had nice things to say about Kiruko, which I adore. God, I can't talk down to anything on the internet without it turning out it's slightly agreeable. Guh)

Liked but didn't love the third chapter. Which is how I've felt about the series for the other two chapters so... I dunno. This feeling of just being like "yeah this was all right" is frustrating. Reminds me of some past series in jump, where I couldn't bring myself to feel bad if it died or to cheer it on if it did well. Hope that changes, but middling opinions are the pits, y'all

 

[HalcyonDigest]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

Wasn't too hot on the third chapter, mostly because if some dialogue points. I hate that the girl does the whole "human lives are not to be played with thing", like we get it he's a villain, what she says is kind of a given. The villain's line about "human are just toys to me" line is also irritating, am I supposed to feel really intimated by this guy now? It seems like the author tried to hard to set up a sort of macabre villain but in the end ended up falling to cliches. It is a shonen series so I suppose the whole good vs. evil needs to be verbally stated at some point.

I still have interest in this, I've been craving an action series from Jump for a while, but I've hated all the ones they've serialized recently. Not gonna lie, despite all its faults if I lived in Japan I'd probably vote for it for the sake of not seeing it get cancelled.

 

[cearon]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

this manga is (for now) digging a hole for itself with every new chapter that i am very interested to see the first toc rating. the attempt at using science as the basis of eureka may have been interesting but the man is pushing it way too much. most of the dialogues r so cliché i dont even know if it even merited to be written in the first place. overall it is a little better than takamagahara at this stage. i will still w8 for the 5 chapters but this manga isnt giving any good signs. maybe if some1 has schrödinger's cat i might change my opinion

 

[leokiko]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

Agreed with some that this manga is not quite good nor bad. Almost nothing stands out.

 

[obamamania]

Re: [New] Hungry Joker by Tabata Yuuki

I feel like the mangaka was too interested in jumping right into the action, and did NO buildup around the main characters or premise of what their world/lives are really like. I actually have trouble following this manga because too much just happens or is discovered without any explanation, and suddenly we've got them on a supernatural journey by chapter 3 with two characters who are supposed to be all about science yet are suddenly ok with all of this. I just don't like how they come to conclusions based on little information or none, and have delved themselves into a world that they seem too comfortable with.