How would every rank all the new series, now that we're halfway through the year? Based purely on their first 3 jump start chapters (2 for Alice I guess)
1) Act-age
2) Jujutsu Kaisen (intro felt very early Bleach, quite nostalgic)
3) Invade You (I thought it was a cute and silly romcom intro, could probably do well in another magazine)
4) Alice & Taiyou (feels more Magazine maybe than Jump but I like that the drama isn't too draggy and doesn't bring down the fun stuff)
5) Momiji (it was decent enough, the girl is cute, but shogi is a bit lost on me)
6) Noah's Notes (I like the premise but felt like it was trying a bit too hard to be quirky, and the leads just came off as rather annoying as a result)
7) Tanaka Seiji (I feel like this series hits everything it's going for pretty well but I don't know, it just kinda bores me for some reason)
8) Boze Beats (first ch did have some good impact to it but it was way too info-dump heavy, there was so much dialogue that just filled space)
9) Ziga (first chapter spent too long on scenes of nothing then some quick action that was just a bunch of shock value and ch 2 and 3 didn't add anything)
I feel like the new series have been better on average so far than last years rather than any being stand-out or amazing, which is probably why there's such weirdness with the rankings. Most of them are just decent enough to maybe become a mid-ranker for a bit but none have that 'big hit' quality.
For me, I'd say it goes like this (including the 2 newest series even though they only have a couple chapters out):
1.
Act-Age: It's just so good. I love the characters, their design, and the overall plot. It got even better during the Death Island arc when it introduced all those supporting characters around Yonagi's age. I can't wait to see what's in store for this next arc.
2.
Alice to Taiyou: Although it's very early, the chapters have thus far checked off many of the boxes of things that I enjoy; romance, artistic-based plots, achieving dreams, slightly ecchi, girls randomly becoming feline lol. It reminds me somewhat of Runway de Waratte
3.
Invade You: What can I say, I have trash taste lol. Silly, simple, ecchi, decently funny; that's enough to keep me interested. I'd be absolutely shocked if this survives for long though, and totally floored if it even manages to sell well and doesn't just get the Spring Weapon treatment.
4.
Noah's Notes: Oh how the mighty have fallen. This has so much promise, and it threw most of it away by becoming a serious battle manga instead of a comedic adventure series. I'll always remember you gyaru-chan. I hope you get to be the best bride you could possibly be!
5.
Sougou Jikan Jigyou Kaisha Daihyou Torijimariyaku Kaichou Senzoku Hisho Tanaka Seiji: The gags are kind of funny, but I feel like we need a couple more characters thrown into the mix to keep things from getting stale too quickly.
6.
Momiji no Kisetsu: This one feels like drinking water for me. It's super bland; nothing I hate but nothing I like either.
7.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Not a fan of the art, genre or premise. However, the character designs are unique, so I'll give it that. Out of the bottom 3 that are all in the violent battle genre that I basically never read, this one I mind the least sticking around if one must.
8.
Bozebeats: Super boring and a pretty lame ending.
9.
Ziga: Absolutely hated this. So much senseless violence
