Another good batch though there were some more duds than usual. Overall the issue was helped immensely by an amazing One Piece chapter, just in time for the cover next week.
Great:
1. ( = ) One Piece - Incredible, incredible stuff. So packed with lore and information and awesome fights that it's hard to choose a highlight. The connection to Zoro's past and how he connects with Wano is just amazing, I hope he gets a second flashback at some point similar to Sanji did. Speaking of, Sanji got another hint to his power source, even though I don't care for his character that's still cool. Marco dropping some Marijoa details is a major bonus, Carrot showed up again which always makes a great chapter, and all the action was on point, and then we end with that Momo scene! Cannot wait to see Oden 2.0 now. Oda has been on fire the past few months.
2. (+4) My Hero Academia - Uraraka being the absolute best - loved the build up with her speech and those full page shots of Deku, powerful stuff even if a tad bit melodramatic, but who cares really when it's this good.
3. (+2) Blue Box - When this series started I feared a development like this, but the way it's happened so naturally and even with this chapter in particular I'm not mad at all. In fact I like Hina way more now than I did three or four chapters ago, so yet again another win for Blue Box which continues to do everything right.
4. (-2) The Hunters Guild: Red Hood - The meta comments in the first pages, while funny, did not work for me. Totally took me out of the experience. Thankfully the rest of the chapter was excellent and is gearing us up for this exam portion well, I'd say better than how Neru handled it overall, so far. The new character introduced last week is pretty damn cool, love how she and Grim are being featured so far. Things are only getting better for Red Hood, hope its good TOC placements last.
5. (+8) Me & Roboco - Love a meta M&R chapter and this one had delivered the goods. Nice way to shoutout the rest of the magazine and hype them all up; plenty of laughs even if there's a few there that I wouldn't put in my top three on any given week.
Good:
6. (+4) Sakamoto Days - This is more like the Sakamoto Days I enjoy. Cool action after things changed pace and focus for a bit, and looks like it all wrapped up neatly. Wasn't keen on this villain at first but he's not so bad now.
7. (-3) Neru: Way of the Martial Artist - This is the first chapter that didn't do everything right for me. In fact, there's a lot of red flags that this is possibly a result of the author trying to speed things up or make adjustments based on early reception. While I really enjoy the clarification on their classes and breakdown on the school, I'm not sure if the 'goal' established here is a strong enough one to keep the series afloat long-term, and I wasn't a fan of how quickly it wrapped up the exam at the beginning after spending a while on it. While I was curious to see how this new girl would be featured after being introduced, I kind of hated that final page. Felt out of character for Neru up until now and was such a weird moment to end the chapter on, like the author is trying to get the readers hooked in a way they haven't tried so far. It's a bummer for a new series I've loved so far but I'll admit when something I like underperforms (and vice versa).
8. (+3) The Elusive Samurai - This was another really good chapter, funny faces, good gory action, and I can't wait for more. That colour spread was also stunning.
9. (-6) Jujutsu Kaisen - This didn't work for me. Not a bad chapter at all, but the whole thing felt like a convoluted and not very fun or engaging way to get through this battle. Lots of needless explanations that Gege set-up that didn't need to be the case at all. It doesn't feel like an accomplishment that it was figured out, just a chore. Anyway, onto greater things now.
10. (-2) High School Family: Kokosei Kazoku - I always like the little sister chapters and this was no different. The second year shogi player was fun, ad the back and forth with the game even better. Cute.
11. (-2) Undead Unluck - Not the best fight (like I thought after last week's set-up) so far based on the characters involved, but still nicely paced and things are moving along.
Fine:
12. (-5) Black Clover - I was ready to praise this chapter for having some real repercussions for this fight... only to have them immediately repaired within matter of pages of them being introduced. Oh well, onto the final fight of the arc hopefully.
13. (+1) Mashle - It was a nice enough start to this fight, but I feel like my investment in the series has faded now and how Mash serves to further the story just doesn't make me laugh or care that much anymore. Sad times.
14. (+3) WITCH WATCH - I really liked that backstory at the start, wish it was longer. Rest of the chapter shifted focus to the better battle going on, but not as much in terms of memorable content this week.
15. (-3) Mission: Yozakura Family - I'll be honest, I don't like the eldest brother at all. I've never clicked with his character and that hasn't changed here. A downgrade from the past two parts of the exam, which is a shame.
16. ( - ) One Piece: Naoshi Komi Covers Vivi's Adventure - This wasn't as successful as I hoped. I would much rather a side story where we explore what happened in between chapters or get a new scenario like we get with Shokugeki no Sanji, but this was just a recreation of some key scenes that were much more successful by Oda himself the first time around.
Bad:
17. (-2) Dr. Stone - Lots of words + boring maths + an abundance of cluttered panels = plot point #156 achieved.
18. (-2) Ayakashi Triangle - I was curious to see how this villain would be explored, but this week the main thing we get from her is groping...
19. (-1) Candy Flurry - Things are certainly happening at a rate they were not intended to when initially conceived.
20. (-1) Magu-chan: God of Destruction - Another speed read for me. My least favourite character was the main focus and the whole set-up felt pretty pointless by the end.
