Mag Talk Weekly Shonen Jump (2026) - News and Discussion!

Your Favorite Chapters of Issue #49 of 2026 (5 Choices At Most)

  • One Piece 1197

  • Me & Roboco 303

  • Sakamoto Days 281

  • Witch Watch 268

  • Akane-banashi 228

  • Nue's Exorcist 167

  • Kagurabachi 137

  • Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 114

  • Ichi the Witch 104

  • Shinobi Undercover 103

  • Someone Hertz 55

  • RuriDragon 53

  • Under Doctor 38

  • Roku's House of Oddities 28

  • Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 26

  • Animal Signal 20

  • Hal Formula 19

  • Cannon Master 18

  • The Ura Files 9

  • Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 8


The results of this poll are hidden until it is manually edited by the user or site admin.

Shinuki no Reborn

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Shinuki no Reborn

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Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #50 (2026)
00. Akane-banashi (Cover & Lead Color Pages)
01. Sakamoto Days
02. One Piece
00. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi (Color Page)
03. Someone Hertz
04. Ichi the Witch
05. Roku's House of Oddities
00. Shishikabane (One Shot by Maki Gyujirou, Color Page, Golden Future Cup #7)
06. Shinobi Undercover
07. The Ura Files
08. Witch Watch
09. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica
00. Me & Roboco (Color Page)
10. Nue's Exorcist
11. Under Doctor
12. Animal Signal
13. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz
14. Hal Formula
15. Kagurabachi
16. Cannon Master

Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #51 (2026) - Information!
Jean is in Danger! (New Series by Nakama Ryo, Cover & Lead Color Pages)
Witch Watch (Color Page, End)
Graykeith: Translator Daemonica (Color Page)
Shinobi Undercover (Color Page)
 

cameronney618

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I finally got 5 Weekly Jump manga to read again!
 

Kiaida

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Issue 11:

I was in a good mood with the magazine recently, but this issue was both weak and extremely frustrating. So have this warning of negativity. Starting with the 3 newbies (not votes)

Alien Headbutt: Sadly, didn't like this. Simple reason honestly, story has really weird pacing and frames the narrative in a poor way. Going from his childhood motivation to be a pro westler, to then "off-screen" the whole pro-wrestler thing is weird. I get that he wants the focus to be on the alien fights, but wouldn't it be framed better if we started in the boat, while our main character reminisces about the past with different scenes? Don't like how this was done at all.

The art has many great moments, but there are scenes with weird perspectives and the designs don't seem consistent. He sometimes look "short-ish" instead of the big beast he's supposed to be. Great spreads and action scenes in the first chapter are common, so I'm more worried if he can keep that up. Gave me Dear Anemone vibes.

The concept is cool and all that, but the manga feels overly dependent of it instead of being something that flows well and was fun to read itself. It's telling me we'll get good things later, but I'm not sure if I should trust yet. Hopefully the second chapter is more interesting.

Kinato: Getting a second chapter focused on Kinato himself really confirmed my impressions of the first chapter, but he's so bland it's hard to care about anything he does. Liane and Jian got the best scenes of the chapter, with good comedy bits, and that's an issue. If Kinato is supposed to get some standalone moments like this, he can't be this much unfun compared to his partners.

The "Himmel visited my village" backstory was probably something they knew wouldn't land that well in the first chapter, so instead of scrapping it... we get it in the second one.

It's also silly to see these characters mocking Kinato's power while he does basically whateve he wants. He's both a super strong healer and a strong offensive magician, but I'm supposed to laugh at these jokes about how weak he is. This wasn't it. At least we're done with the exam already, so maybe we can have a fun adventure with the whole crew.

Under Doctor: Another text wall chapter. It's good that we're getting our doctor's motivation now, but the author doesn't know how to abbreviate himself. Every dialogue goes on for far too long and has a ton of unnecessary info considering he needs to give space to the art. The chapter is drowning with bubble speeches, why do you need to add that the "gang is new in the scene"?

And it seems like we're skipping the medical stuff for battle already again. With the fighting not being particularly impressive, it's not exciting.

1. Hima-ten: Himari openly spelling it: "we're now equals". Tenichi is extremely professional, so she's now opening the door for him to fall in love with her casually. Interactions were natura and cute, which is what she's aiming for and the reader can feel it just like intended. A strong romcom writer can lead like that, so you can understand why these characters feel how they feel and as simple as this chapter was, it was a great execution of that concept.

2. JK Hero: Another set of funny characters introduced that I wish were introduced earlier! Other heroes having very unique designs give a good idea of where this could go if it survived and Asuka finding herself in this stupidly cringe situation, especially with the Demon Lord's nonchalant face, gave me Gintama vibes. The comedy keeps improving.

3. Nue's Exorcist: What we got was good, but I couldn't helpt but feel very frustrated by the whole arc being basically asked to wrap up AGAIN. Fujino Estate, Suzaku and now Soranaki's Island all having to drop parts of the narrative because of likely editorial interference. Loved the water slide challenge and was excited to get another 4 battles like this, maybe featuring the rest of the cast. But no, for some reason Nue is not allowed to do this -- meanwhile you don't see the same with less popular series like Shinobi Undercover and Kiyoshi.

And I doubt this is Kawae's planning. He wouldn't introduce the concept of the facilities or have Nue mentioning how "it was skipped" if he was always planning to do this. The new volume even has explanations and some art to wrap up Suzaku's arc better and it's hard to not think how that was supposed to be in a proper chapter. Buy it if you want to know more.

4. Modulo: Love all the individual parts of this, but just like the chapter above it, it's rushed. This could be divided in two chapters so we could breath and take so many major developments with the care they deserve.

5. Someone Hertz: It's not doing anything new for itself, but it's still cute. Really liked the outfits this time.
 
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NyanPower

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I’m actually having a blast with both Kinato and Alien.

Kinato is a light hearted fun adventure shonen that hits all the right spots. It just feels like a beginning to a very big story like Fairy Tail and Black Clover had. Alien on the other hand knows how to engage its viewers with a fast-paced and action-focused first chapter. There’s certainly some influences from other manga, like One Punch Man and the quirky protagonist from Chainsaw Man.

I’m pretty sure both are gonna have a good reception and we will see them running for years to come.
 

cameronney618

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Alien Heabutt was alright. I think the worldbuilding and the tease to what's to come is more intriguing than what's going on in the ch. I can see cool stuff happening in a few more ch.
 

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Alien Headbutt was cool, but I'm concerned it might go all action too quickly before it's gotten people into the characters enough to care about the fighting.

Hopefully we see more regular character intros in the next couple chapters and it doesn't just show a bunch of fights and nothing else.
 

Nuesmoker

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I refuse to believe this was Kota's plan for the challenges all along.

There is no fucking shot he would set up 5 different challenges after how well paced this arc has been just to... Skip them.

I love this chapter for what it is but god am I tired of this shit.

LOOK AT THESE, MULTIPLE, SPECIFIC SYMBOLS! HE HAD PLANS!!!!



READ WHAT NUE HERSELF SAYS, THIS IS JUST KOTA HIMSELF SPEAKING I AM SURE OF IT


And I already know there will be mfs saying I am coping somehow, and I won't pretend to know about EVERYTHING that goes on behind the scenes, but again, there is NO shot that this is how Kota planned to tackle these challenges. We even got extras in volume 13 that put in insanely important details left out of the arc that MADE IT END BETTER. I want the anime to be really successful so that he can get the most creative liberty possible, if even that will help.
 
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Phantom RPG

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The official pv of Alien Butthead:

 

FantasticFootno

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I'm seeing a good point that Alien Headbutt may very well be Kamen Rider inspired? He fights the grasshopper alien in this chapter, and then on the color page it looks like he has a tail, so maybe he gets some abilities from this fight.
 

pennycryman

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I can't be the only one who thinks this Kiyoshi arc is insanely boring, no? It had a couple of solid chapters where it vibed around a little, but now it's back to just being about a bunch of blah fights with characters that aren't particularly interesting. The pacing is really off as well, it feels like all the backstories are super condensed, it's impossible to care about anything in this series. The fights are all the same structure, demon will be beating up the good guy, good guy has a backstory that completely fails in getting me invested in the character because it's like 3 pages and the good guy wins. It's just a worse version of the Black Parade arc, and that already was pretty meh outside of the final fight.

Alien Headbutt was kind of cool, but the pacing was definitely off. Kinato's also kind of boring tbh, not really getting the praise for it, sure it's competent but that's it really, it has gags, but only one or two have landed for me and the character designs are really meh. I don't really feel excited about this world and I only like the girl. Kinato's an extremely boring character, and this chapter in particular felt like a bad isekai in the sense that it was just "you're power is worthless" and then it turns out to actually be super useful.

There's a world where Under Doctor is good, but not this one. There's no reason for it to be a medical series, the pressure points supplant any interesting aspects of one, leading to a typical hitman/underworld series with bad fights. It's also wordy. Not good.

I'm not really sure if it's just editorial being weird or just the writing, but I don't think a single Nue arc since the one around chapter 70 has had a well paced ending.

Sakamoto Days had a cool chapter, hopefully the series can continue this high until the ending.
 

cameronney618

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I'm in a bind. I dunno whether i want shirokiba to have an alien form or not. It seems to be hinting at it.
 

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Does anybody have the advertisement pages from this WSJ issue?
 

Xanji06

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Issue #11
1. Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo #21
2. Kagurabachi #111
3. Kinato's Magic #2
4. Shinobi Undercover #68 (Suzume continues being the best character)
5. Under Doctor #3

i struggled so hard to chose between 1 & 2
 

Discomusic

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1. Ichi the Witch: Good chapter as always. Chrono had to leave the fate of his lover to another person, it means that she is so important for him. The awakening was a good scene, and the bastard got what he deserves.
2. Kinato's Magic: The second chapter continues with the good impression provided by the first. The mandatory exam arc is already covered, and with the strange twist that it could be avoided but the cimcurstances made it happen anyway. I wonder if behind that mascot was a higher force that wanted to observe Kinato, and if it will eventually reappear. But enough with the formalities, let's go adventuring!
3. The Elusive Samurai: Well, the chapter title leaves no room for speculation. Nice epilogue that sums up all that happened post-Tokiyuki and that Matsui would have liked to cover with a full arc if it didn't go too off-topic. I was expecting for the final chapter to be about the characters reincarnated in present day, but today's last page hints at something different.
4. Under Doctor: First chapter good, second chapter meh, third chapter good again. Not perfect though, in particular all the first part where the characters discussed things that they both know very well at this point, just to provide us the exposition. Then they move into the next mission and it becomes good again, with the moral dilemmas and whatnot. I can appreciate if the series is not about fighting all the time.
5. Kagurabachi: It's a chapter that I didn't particularly like, but a chapter that I can't ignore. We all expected for this to happen, but it shocked the Kagurabachi world anyway, it closed an huge arc, and it will have great consequences. With a very common battle manga trope, the torch is passed to the new generation.
6. One Piece: This was a great chapter...for Brook. Not what anyone expected from this arc, huh? But it works anyway, and the Strawhats are starting their counterattack divided but united.
7. Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo: There is a lot of Jujutsu Kaisen in this Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo chapter. Even Sumerians are adapting to JJK concepts and jargon, and speak as if they were characters from the original series. A lot of things happened this week, with a fast pace proper for a short series that is keeping the interest as high as it can.
8. Me and Roboco: I don't know why, but when Gorilla exploded in the beginning I laughed like never in years for a manga. It was so stupid and unexpected... the chapter overall was above the Roboco standard, with even an ounce of plot progression.
9. Witch Watch: So many chapters in and they still haven't been discovered, such dedication! There were also a number of funny bits that made for a good chapter.
10. Shinobi Undercover: Is it just me, ot the Squad 7 member with their eyes closed dind't do anything when their teammates were overwhelmed? Talk about teamwork. Meanwhile, Yodaka shows why Op is among the best characters of the series, even when he's only imagined by the protagnist. Arc about the operators when?
11. Akane-banashi: I finally had the Rokuro show that I wanted (I actually wanted his God of Time but I won't complain). Akane is learning from this and...in the end the scheme is always the same. The fact that the narration is so good that it took me 190+ chapters to realize it is a great compliment for the authors.
12. Blue Box: There has been way too much TaikiXChinatsu in my KyoXAyame chapter. They better make up for it next week now that they split up. As a side note, apparently they let you keep your high school uniform when you move into college.
13. Nue's Exorcist: I'd rank the chapter lower as always in normal circumstances, but I can't deny the genius of finding the tickets to skip the entire event, it was brilliant and hilarious at the same time. On a "negative" note, fighting a contract binding battle without both parties knowing about it is very unfair.
14. Someone Hertz: Always happy to have new characters and new situations on this series, even if it turned out to be just an excuse for another date-not-date between the protagonists. I liked when, at the beginning, she is cracking jokes to Mimei even when he is just imagining her. "Please present a present that you want to present to Melody Tanuki" "Probably a massage oil or something that can help her relax between a concert and another".
15. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi: Bad news for Tosaka, I entered the chapter thinking to read the sequel of powercopy vs. four-eyes and I forgot we were into his revenge battle now. That's on me, the Usopp vibes are actually quite good and the enemy has great aestethics.
16. Alien Headbutt: As you may know since I put many hints in my reviews, I am a pro-wrestling fan, so I was hyped at first for this. The first chapter is a disappointment, because I was hoping for something more realistic, then when the aliens were announced I hoped at least for an Intergalactic Wrestling Federation or something. Instead it is MAD (which is quite good mind you) with wrestling, in an infested island that didn't even make the news so nobody knows. Or for a more bold comparison, it's Ping Pong Peril with violence. The weakest entry of the three, that remains a pretty good batch anyway.
17. Hero Girl and Demon Lord call it quits: The cast expands and it's always good for every young series... it would be a shame to open all these new possibilities and axe the series soon after. The end was a bit abrupt, it seemed all an introduction that eventualy led to nothing.
18. The Mage Next Door: Yabuko had her own first fight and did well, her opponent didn't have an interesting ability though. It looks to me that this series has already reached its ceiling: it does its job well but this is all it can do. Hard to survive against stronger competition like this.
19. Sakamoto Days: In the end this fight has been disappointing, given the gravity of the people involved. Didn't Nakumo have that technique of rolling the dice and choosing the weapon accordingly? It would have been nice to see it here, oh well he won anyway.
20. Hima-Ten!: The previous chapters of preparation have been interesting, then the date itself has been boring. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Himari is the less quoted girl for the final victory. Actually, at this point why not going all the way with this and have her lose?
21. Gonron Egg: "My sister is held captive!" "Nah, here's a plot excuse why you can spend 3 years in training anyway". And that's enough to give the bottom rank to this chapter. How funny would it be if the information turns out wrong, they reach the evil castle and she was killed 3 years ago?
 

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lol Congrats it turns out you were right, Inui Akira is Shutarou! I just want to know what kind of training this guy went to change and evolve his art in such a drastic way :grin

Minsel, I tip my hat to you for making that incredible deduction. I admit, i thought you might have been wrong, but man, you have a good eye, dude.

Much better than mine, to be honest.
I'm happy he found his way to jump serialization. I'll be looking forward to what he can do. Also its been like 5 years, i'm not surprised his art style changed a bit, but his tastes have not
 

Phantom RPG

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I'm happy he found his way to jump serialization. I'll be looking forward to what he can do
Now, if only we can find a way to see if Yu Odoriba could finally make his official debut, that would be hella great than it will be even more perfect.
 

Minsel

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Now, if only we can find a way to see if Yu Odoriba could finally make his official debut, that would be hella great than it will be even more perfect.
Yeah, I just hope he has a good plan for longer term serialization
 

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Thoughts on the newbies (without looking in the thread and being swayed):

Under Doctor: I think this is probably the best chapter the series has had yet, in my opinion of course. I enjoyed that there is more emotional stake which felt there but a little underwhelming on Ch. 2. We also have our first chapter carryover where the conflict isn't just ended in one chapter! I also enjoyed that we got a TINGE of the overlying motivations of Kaiji. A friend that is sick of incurable diseases, so he's working underground for money. Makes sense, makes sense.

I'm still feeling a bit lackluster on Chiwa and I HOPE that next chapter she shines a bit more. She had more personality this chapter (wanting money that is) but for the most part, her only job seems to be finding patients for Kaiji and she did a pretty bad job this go around lmao. Not a lot of action either (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) but one thing I have definitely disparaged on this series is its lack of stellar action so not convinced yet. It also is still pretty text heavy but I also didn't find a lot of it to be superfluous so just having to explain a lot I suppose. EDIT: Also, someone mentioned that wouldn't a child's heart be too small to transplant into an adult male anyway?

Overall, a solid 7.5/10. Same as Ch.2, a lot of my initial issues are being brought up. Forgive me if I'm rude but I still find it a bit boring lol. But it doesn't feel like its doing too much wrong which for a newbie, is pretty serviceable as we figure out maybe what the first big arc is.

Kinato's Magic: Unlike Under Doctor, I felt like this carried the same level of quality that the first chapter had. I see a lot of people saying this chapter was better than #1 and maybe, but for me, they're about the same. Good things it did...For one, it's nice to see a similar Izuku vibe from Kinato. He's not simply defeated by the prospect of being bad. It's like Izuku/Asta where they know they have a long road but they're not dismayed by that. Very Shonen protag-esque. As well, VERY happy we got out of the village. Love a good magic city with organizations and such. Rush me to the guild and give me our first arc! Its also really cool how we keep finding new ways of taking the basis of Seitei magic and how it can be applied to actual situations. It's not just him getting strong or just basically changing his magic. As of right now, it makes sense how he's adapting it to new situations. Also Linae is still very much a vibe and I hope her narration continues for however long this series has.

Things I didn't like include how fast it was. Trust me, I get it, it's to get us past the early stages and if it survives, I'm fine with it. But reading just the one chapter it felt like so much happened yet again. Secondly, while I love Jien, I have no idea why he has so much faith in Kinato lol. Bro's basically sidequesting this new guy. Maybe his guild needs members? Also, I found the test evaluator to be annoying. I'm sure many found it funny but I never actually enjoyed him this chapter. This also leads to the first "colorless" rank which just feels really rude to MC. I never enjoy the early stages of a manga like this where everybody is constantly shitting on the MC. Also, while Linae is still hilarious, please give her a role soon! She's just there to be the female character/love interest rn.

Overall, I would give it 8/10. It probably deserves a 7 or 7.5 but I love a fantasy series so it hits me a little bit nicer lol. I like the progress, the characters are fun, the art is the best out of this batch. It still needs to develop its characters more and hopefully get to the meat of the story soon but this chapter fleshed out the world a lot more, gave us some motivations, and explained the world a bit which is exactly what a Ch.2 of a series like this should do

Alien Headbutt: I won't lie, of the three I wanted to survive the most, this one I wanted the least. With that said, which one had the best first chapter? LOL. Same with Kinato last week, I'm hesitant on where this series can really go long-term. But first some positives. For one, I wasn't really analyzing it but I didn't think the art quality dropped at all. In fact, I would argue the art is better than Under Doctor (sorry). As well, the MC is actually VERY likeable. Giving an MC a big, supportive family to protect obviously helps but even without them, he's just a fun dork lmao. From a pure emotional standpoint, the first chapter really made you root for the guy that even if he had no family, you'd still be wishing him to win!

At the same time, outside of the mom and younger brother, we were given a lot of siblings that we really had no attachment to yet? And I doubt he'll save them right away so I have to presume we just won't know anything about his sisters (or goat). As well, we really didn't get much into why he wanted to become a wrestler. Something with his dad but he also never even appeared in a panel so that felt glossed over. Finally, (and this isn't a criticism...yet) but I can't help but wonder how nobody in the world knows about these aliens nor why they haven't tried to leave the island. Depending on the answer to those questions really shapes if this series has the legs to run long-term but if this was a "one-shot" it would be pretty damn exciting.

Overall, I'm gonna give it an 8/10. There were ways I would've structured the chapter better, but all the key elements for a good chapter 1 were there. I have no idea where this series can go and the lack of direction turns me away a bit but for now, its just fun. And isn't that really the whole point of a series about punching aliens lol.
 

Kaizoku_82

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Talking about the newbies:

Alien Headbutt is good, but not great, the first chapter clearly focuses on selling the action and the MC and leaves most of the details of the plot misterious for a minute, a good move, makes the chapter feel less bloated. Yet, setting up the motivation of the MC took wayyy too much time, i agree with others that the pacing needs some work, especially in the first half. But i do think it managed to sell waht it wanted most, the art and the action seem really good. As much as i wanted a more "sportslike" approach to the wrestling exactly like Discomusic said, i guess a typical action series will do.

Kinato kept up with the good fun feeling the first chapter left, focusing on the details of how his magic works and how he can help others and fight for himself, i enjoyed it, his powers are somewhat creative and i can imagine they can make for good fights, and the "test" trope was very well executed, only taking one chapter as it should. Probably my favorite of the batch. I don't think Kinato is super boring right now, i see him as just simple tbh, which is great because it leaves a lot of room for growth, Nue had the exact same issue with Gakuro, and he changed and grew a lot with time, i dont read Nue anymore so i can't say to what extent, but i saw it happen for the first few volumes i read, and in my opinion it definitely can happen in Kinato as well. What i would like more for this series now is a goal, there's a lot of talk about "aventuring" but it feels vague for now, i wanna get into it more, maybe with newer characters or locations we can get a better feel for what that truly means in this manga, some villains would also be nice to introduce in the next few chapters, either way i'm excited to see them going to the guild!

And then finally Under Doctor, i liked this chapter way more than the second, we're in a much more interesting scenario with this specific patient, and it's nice to learn more not only about Haiji himself and his day-to-day, but also about how he deals with the dillema of which jobs to take, something i had on my mind for a while now, and wished the series would tackle, so good premise. My issues come again, with the action part of the series, it's not bad, but feels bland and really undermines the medical aspect of the series, which is where i wish it would focus, seeing Haiji have to deal with complicated sirurgical situations and finding ways to heal patients on the spot would be a much more entertaining direction then this regular assassin/spy manga with just a medical theme coating it. I can appreciate it for what it is, but that doesn't mean i'm super excited about it. Also i wanna say that the chapter being wordy didn't bother me at all, in fact, the beginning was my favorite part of the chapter, everything said felt nice to learn and enjoyable, i didn't feel the context was exaggerated or that it was too much text, but i am naturally someone more open to reading, and i understand that's not what everyone looks for in a manga. Still, i've seen many, many worst cases.
 

Phantom RPG

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Thoughts on the newbies (without looking in the thread and being swayed):

Under Doctor: I think this is probably the best chapter the series has had yet, in my opinion of course. I enjoyed that there is more emotional stake which felt there but a little underwhelming on Ch. 2. We also have our first chapter carryover where the conflict isn't just ended in one chapter! I also enjoyed that we got a TINGE of the overlying motivations of Kaiji. A friend that is sick of incurable diseases, so he's working underground for money. Makes sense, makes sense.

I'm still feeling a bit lackluster on Chiwa and I HOPE that next chapter she shines a bit more. She had more personality this chapter (wanting money that is) but for the most part, her only job seems to be finding patients for Kaiji and she did a pretty bad job this go around lmao. Not a lot of action either (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) but one thing I have definitely disparaged on this series is its lack of stellar action so not convinced yet. It also is still pretty text heavy but I also didn't find a lot of it to be superfluous so just having to explain a lot I suppose. EDIT: Also, someone mentioned that wouldn't a child's heart be too small to transplant into an adult male anyway?

Overall, a solid 7.5/10. Same as Ch.2, a lot of my initial issues are being brought up. Forgive me if I'm rude but I still find it a bit boring lol. But it doesn't feel like its doing too much wrong which for a newbie, is pretty serviceable as we figure out maybe what the first big arc is.

Kinato's Magic: Unlike Under Doctor, I felt like this carried the same level of quality that the first chapter had. I see a lot of people saying this chapter was better than #1 and maybe, but for me, they're about the same. Good things it did...For one, it's nice to see a similar Izuku vibe from Kinato. He's not simply defeated by the prospect of being bad. It's like Izuku/Asta where they know they have a long road but they're not dismayed by that. Very Shonen protag-esque. As well, VERY happy we got out of the village. Love a good magic city with organizations and such. Rush me to the guild and give me our first arc! Its also really cool how we keep finding new ways of taking the basis of Seitei magic and how it can be applied to actual situations. It's not just him getting strong or just basically changing his magic. As of right now, it makes sense how he's adapting it to new situations. Also Linae is still very much a vibe and I hope her narration continues for however long this series has.

Things I didn't like include how fast it was. Trust me, I get it, it's to get us past the early stages and if it survives, I'm fine with it. But reading just the one chapter it felt like so much happened yet again. Secondly, while I love Jien, I have no idea why he has so much faith in Kinato lol. Bro's basically sidequesting this new guy. Maybe his guild needs members? Also, I found the test evaluator to be annoying. I'm sure many found it funny but I never actually enjoyed him this chapter. This also leads to the first "colorless" rank which just feels really rude to MC. I never enjoy the early stages of a manga like this where everybody is constantly shitting on the MC. Also, while Linae is still hilarious, please give her a role soon! She's just there to be the female character/love interest rn.

Overall, I would give it 8/10. It probably deserves a 7 or 7.5 but I love a fantasy series so it hits me a little bit nicer lol. I like the progress, the characters are fun, the art is the best out of this batch. It still needs to develop its characters more and hopefully get to the meat of the story soon but this chapter fleshed out the world a lot more, gave us some motivations, and explained the world a bit which is exactly what a Ch.2 of a series like this should do

Alien Headbutt: I won't lie, of the three I wanted to survive the most, this one I wanted the least. With that said, which one had the best first chapter? LOL. Same with Kinato last week, I'm hesitant on where this series can really go long-term. But first some positives. For one, I wasn't really analyzing it but I didn't think the art quality dropped at all. In fact, I would argue the art is better than Under Doctor (sorry). As well, the MC is actually VERY likeable. Giving an MC a big, supportive family to protect obviously helps but even without them, he's just a fun dork lmao. From a pure emotional standpoint, the first chapter really made you root for the guy that even if he had no family, you'd still be wishing him to win!

At the same time, outside of the mom and younger brother, we were given a lot of siblings that we really had no attachment to yet? And I doubt he'll save them right away so I have to presume we just won't know anything about his sisters (or goat). As well, we really didn't get much into why he wanted to become a wrestler. Something with his dad but he also never even appeared in a panel so that felt glossed over. Finally, (and this isn't a criticism...yet) but I can't help but wonder how nobody in the world knows about these aliens nor why they haven't tried to leave the island. Depending on the answer to those questions really shapes if this series has the legs to run long-term but if this was a "one-shot" it would be pretty damn exciting.

Overall, I'm gonna give it an 8/10. There were ways I would've structured the chapter better, but all the key elements for a good chapter 1 were there. I have no idea where this series can go and the lack of direction turns me away a bit but for now, its just fun. And isn't that really the whole point of a series about punching aliens lol.
Solid review, Dippy, you have the makings of a good reviewer down the line if you ever go down that route.

While I disagree with your take on Kinato's Magic chapter 2, I thought it did things to avoid an instant cancellation, like staying too long to get the badge and all (I have seen many series bundlers on this aspect). Overall, you gave some good insights.

For me personally, I would go ahead and honestly say that for the strongest first chapter, it's quite hard to choose. This was an overall much better batch than I have seen in a while now.

For Under Doctor, I would say that he has quite a bit of confidence in his craft, which I respect. However i am noticing a bit of a flaw here. If it's supposedly about medicine and all that, then why does it feel like it has to go straight into a battle instantly? Like, I know it's a medical battle series, but it should actually try and show more of the medical side of things, not just go straight to good old fisticuffs. That is by far the biggest complaint I have with the series so far.

On Kinato's Magic, gotta say it made me miss Early Fairy Tail, and this is doing quite well as a second attempt for Kento Amemiya, and I give massive props for that alone. However, I do agree that Kinato himself truly needs to be his own character and less meek. I hope he develops more as a character in the next few chapters, because you cannot go on as a full series without making the main lead as bland as he is right now, while the rest of the characters are carrying the weight of the series. This is what makes this series different from Fairy Tail, as Natsu is truly unique while Kinato isn't, and that is not a good thing to have for a long series. So I do hope this changes.

Lastly, Alien Headbutt, I admit I found the series to be hella awesome. I think the art managed to be quite unique for what it tries to deliver, also the protagonist is quite unique, and I can already see many liking this character a lot. Also i like the premise itself, but as some have stated, its needs to really deliver itself in terms of actual story instead of just fights, which is what am truly hoping it does happen, which i think it just might with how the chapter ended.

Right now, i think all three are great, flawed, but great in their own way.
 
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