I really like HSF. It's way funnier than I expected and the dad, cat, and little sis are great. Easily my favorite from the batch and is already up there with Magu in terms of comedy and enjoyment. The art looks bad, but the artist actually has a pretty good sense of panelling, lighting, form, etc. I think it suits the series and makes it stand out more. It was my least anticipated when batch was announced, so I'm quite surprised it ended up being this good. Looking forward to this each week.
Didn't really enjoy any of the chapters for Phantom, but I don't dislike it completely. None of the characters resonate with me and the aesthetic/setting is not interesting(I've already seen this in other manga like Mieruko, etc.). Just feels like Mob + Jujutsu + Chainsaw combined, but way worse. I actually like exorcist series, but this one is super meh/average. It feels like it'll end up cancelled. Matsuura deserves better.
The Vampire manga is even worse than Phantom. I didn't mind it at the start, but when they did a random jump that confused me, I already knew the pacing would be crap. I know it sounds harsh, but so many other titles that I thought I wouldn't like managed to make everything flow so well that I actually liked it in the end, but this manga failed. The editor should've caught that and make it better. I'm talking about the part when the little brother spills blood on the character they were helping. Randomly cut to the house after they were in the park. I thought he went to wash his shirt, but guess not. Most anticipated, but ended up being bad. GoTW all over again.
I was gonna read BTW after all 4 chapters came out, but the announcement of Part 2 makes me want to wait. I'm not in a rush to read it atm, so I don't mind. Rather not go in and then forget everything and have to read it again. It'll be like HxH where I reread the whole arc every time 10 new chapters come out.
2020 series order for me after this batch:
Undead > Magu > HSF > Roboco > Ayakashi > Mashle > Cop > Phantom > Vamp
Rest I either don't care, don't read, dropped, or already got canned.
For other series:
Chainsaw: I like the developments and revelations, but feel like this power escalation for Chainsaw Devil is too much. Overall, I like the direction and hope the climax doesn't disappoint. Previous arc started really good, but ended up meh. The Reze arc was the last time an arc went all the way through being great. Recent stuff just starts high and ends medium or low.
Jujutsu: Feels like it's dragging. Too many battles and side events. Feels like a One Piece arc. Hopefully, this doesn't reach Part 60. I did enjoy the stuff from the recent few chapters, but right before that, there were quite a few boring chapters. I'm now more interested in the aftermath than whatever else will occur in the remaining chapters of this arc. Short and concise suits Jujutsu more. It'll feel more in line with new gen Jump titles like MHA or Kimetsu.
Undead: Most interesting title in Jump atm. Never felt bored, except for a small part of the start of the Hunters arc, but that was due to me being unsure(heh) of the direction it would take. It ended up being a great arc. Huge revelations in latest chapter with big stakes. Can't wait to see what'll happen next. Would like it to slow down just a bit, but I'll just let Tozuka do his thing. Really pleased that it's getting Issue 44 cover. Nice number too, since 4 and death are homophones in Japanese.
Mashle: Don't like this battle nonsense at all. Used to be my fave of 2020, but this isn't why I liked it. Go back to the OPM/HP parody or some semblance of that. That was funny and enjoyable. The current battles are bland and poorly executed. If this is meant to be taken seriously at all, it's not working. Leave those types of fights to stuff like MHA, Jujutsu, or Chainsaw. If he wants to have serious fights, get a good battle choreographer. Also, there isn't much build up for the fights to begin with. It pains me to say this because I really liked the concept of Mashle, but this direction is just no good for me.
Magu: Still funny and enjoyable. Might feel a bit repetitive, but the occasional new character or element definitely keeps it fresh and interesting.
Roboco: Fun breather series. Gachigorilla is a beast. His presence makes the series even better.
Ayakashi: Continues to maintain interest. As long as it continues to keep the story progressing, even if slowly, I won't feel the need to dislike it like I did at the start. Shark face and the two other girls saved the series for me and keeps it interesting.
Cop: Chapters 7-10 that I read in one go were a lot better than the first 6. Still uncertain about this series, but my opinion of it has improved. Maybe I should just binge 3 or 4 chapters at a time instead of reading weekly.
Also finally read Kaiju 8 last week and caught up. Definitely a good series. Some might say it's generic, but I really enjoy it and will be looking forward to new chapters when they release. It has good mystery and intrigue, solid comedy, cool characters and designs as well. Perfect fit for me. If this was in the main Jump lineup, it would be between Undead and Magu for me.
