Issue 44 votes:
Tier 1 (Great):
1: Akanebanashi #223 – Nah man, the art and panelling and visual storytelling of this series is legit some of the best I’ve ever seen in WSJ. Maybe just manga in general. Like, it’s SO good, it’s absolutely mogging the rest of the mag right now lmao. Bro hasn’t even really started telling the story yet and he already has this much aura, it’s crazy man. This series is SO good and I’m so sad it’s not more popular, because it deserves to be a megahit imo. And using the Colour Page for the LAST page of a chapter rather than the first page AND incorporating it into the chapter itself instead of just having the Colour Page be it’s own separate thing? Yes you can argue it’s not really a “Colour Page”, but still, it looks cool as fuck even with no colour, a real minimalist approach. Can’t remember the last time a WSJ series did even one of those things, let alone both. I continue to glaze this series till my passing.
2: One Piece #1194 – Sommers is still very entertaining as a villain lol. We finally see some of Zoro’s training with Mihawk…it has literally been a decade plus since we last saw any of it, I think lol. It’s interesting that one of the reasons, if not THE main reason, for Zoro not realising he has Conqueror’s is because he assumed it was only for captains and such, which shows how loyal he is to Luffy however it is perhaps to his own detriment. Loyalty to Luffy is great of course, but you also need to realise that you yourself also possess those qualities. This actually goes back to the Zoro vs King fight in Wano as well, where the moment he started using Conqueror’s against King was when he reaffirmed his own dream rather than Luffy’s in contrast to King who lived ONLY for Kaido and didn’t have any dreams of his own. It’s subtle, but it’s a very good character arc that Zoro has gone through semi recently imo, Zoro despite his stoic appearance DOES self doubt about his abilities and setbacks DO knock him down. Anyway, hopefully this means Zoro has finally learnt how to do it at will, how exciting! Can’t wait to see what Oda cooks with Sanji as well!
3: Witch Watch #263 – Hella trippy beginning. I know I said earlier that Akanebanashi had the best panelling and art but this week’s chapter of WW was pretty good in that department as well! Squishing something far away in between your fingers is cool, we all tried to do something like that as a kid lol. I’m unsure of the vision everyone saw at the start though, was it a vision of a potential future? Or a vision of the past? Or maybe kinda both mixed in one? Hmm. Also it’s kinda funny Roswitha summoned clothes onto herself when she resurrected lol.
4: Roku #23 – Oh shit we’re taking Gevaudan to the vet lmao, and he is NOT happy. I also thought that maybe a curse getting a vaccine isn’t important or needed? But better safe than sorry, I guess? Oh right, Gevaudan is basically a celebrity, since you know….he’s a really big dog. I think my favourite member of the Dognitaries is Tama the cat, because I prefer cats and they sound like they have a cool story arc, as said by Roku, butttttt just counting the dogs, I think Einstein is my favourite, that’s a smart looking dog! Holy shit, this Shun Kawano guy is nuts. No dog shall escape him! But Gevaudan is too strong for him…or uhh, too fluffy? Gevaudan willingly getting vaccinated after hearing Kawano’s story is nice, an understanding that transcends species! Lmao they forgot to do one of them in all the kerfuffle. Fun chapter that I’m sure all pet owners can related to in one way or another!
5: Graykeith #3 – Araku’s design is crazy. Despite him claiming he’s a translator and only a translator, Greykeith is indeed a wizard as well lol. We also finally get the name of Greykeith’s assistant for the first time, I think? Morisu! And he’s actually an Deamon Owl who takes on a more human appearance (and I’m not gonna lie, I thought Morisu was a woman this whole time lol). Araku is such a cool idea! A faceless human like being who can transform into his true form, that being a giant spider? I love it! The concept of “using” books to curse people (Deamons?) is really fun too. The worldbuilding is SO interesting! Yeah, this series is very very good imo. Very strong start.
Tier 2 (Good):
Ichi the Witch #99 – Looks like a flare gun lmao, but it’ll probably be strong as hell right? Looks can be deceiving and all that…hopefully. Mayoi must die for killing the doggo. God, they looks so smug! Oh damn, he pulled out the modern Yugioh rulebook! Kumugi’s desk job coming in clutch! Would have been nice if we, the reader, could know the rules as well…Togashi would have gone into excruciating depth lol. But also they made it clear that the game itself isn’t really the objective nor is it important, it’s just to stall for time, soooo I guess I can let it slide just this once. And yep the little gun was actually OP as hell, makes sense! It also looks like it only fired from one barrel, which I don’t know if that was intentional or not lol…maybe the bottom barrel fires something else?
Kagurabachi #132 – Officer Sugimoto got aura. Annndd it’s gone. Kinda. He’d have done his cool shit if there wasn’t Sorcery involved! Speaking of aura – Misaka Ibuki! Now THAT’S how you make an entrance! Cool as shit. Seems like he’s a vigilante type with a good heart. We know in the future how he turns out though, so that’s not looking good…will be a very depressing character arc for him, I’m sure.
Someone Hertz #50 – Happy 1 year anniversary! NOOO it’s too dark for him to see that it’s his heroes helping him, nooooo!!! I didn’t think about this outcome, shit. I’m surprised he doesn’t recognise them from their voice though, in fact, that WOULD be how he would recognise them no? Seems like an oversight. Unless he’s so worried about Mizuo, it just doesn’t register. Damn he turned on the radio/loudspeaker by accident haha, but he kinda nicely saved it? Just about.
Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi #109 – Yeah Prof Yagi makes the most sense here. But I didn’t see him literally being Iefuda, that’s crazy. Or, from what Kiyoshi said, he’s just impersonating Yagi, which begs the question of where the real Yagi is. Hilarious how powerful Kiyoshi is now, I mean he always was, but now it feels like he can actually “fill the boots” of his power, so to speak. Ah, so he killed the real Yagi, that’s a shame I bet he was a good professor. All the souls for Rushihara, we’re getting right into the direct link to him as the next big bad!
Shinobi Undercover #98 – Yodaka from seven years ago looks basically the same as current Yodaka lol. Kuro kinda reminds me of the Venom symbiote lol. LMAO at the “everyone goes through the phase in their life where they’re attracted to toxic people” too true, right guys? Guys? Anyway, I did not expect this level of melodrama over the black mud slime thing lol. But hey, Yodaka got a power up out of it! He may not have a Kekkai (and hopefully never will) but this can basically be his version of it or at least a way to combat others who use their Kekkai. Nice.
Hal Formula #14 – Turns out finding a sponsor for something as low as WF4 is hard lol. Also I appreciate Washizaki’s motivation, it’s kinda like speed running, even getting a 0.1 better time is considered a big improvement. LMAO the old granny just accepting her fate is hilarious. This actually was a pretty nice chapter, I’ve come to like Haga’s character a lot in these part two chapters that have arguably focused on her more than Miharu or the racing, it’s good writing imo. I also like that Miharu didn’t ask the street for help, I mean maybe he should have but I get why he didn’t, and they instead basically offered their help after finding out the trouble he’s in. Wholesome.
Under Doctor #33 – Holy glaze, but yeah probably justified lmao. Ahh so Artois is retiring, yep, that’s for the best. Being a surgeon seems like it should be something you should retire from immediately if you notice you can’t do it anymore to the best of your ability lol. Jack also is going back to square one to re-learn the basics. Also, Artois is now gonna work on creating a robot that can help with surgeries so he can still do stuff even after he’s retired. Nice chapter, but I fear the repetitive mini arcs of "doctor has a problem > Haiji saves the day > everyone glazes Haiji" is starting to grate on me a bit.
Tier 3 (Ok):
Me and Roboco #298 – Roboco is a very picky date…and also didn’t help him at all!
Sakamoto Days #276 – I legit completely forgot about the twins, Seba and Tenkyu, I’m not gonna lie lol. I kinda like the “next gen” fighting basically Sakamoto, but at the same time it’s really just padding till Sakamoto himself is back in action and it doesn’t feel like it’s *not* padding, if that makes sense lol. Hey finally we see Aoi again, no idea when the last time we saw her was but it feels like it’s been forever lol.
Nue’s Exorcist #162 – Still hilarious that the titular character didn’t crack the top 10 lol. “Boy, are you dumb?” lmffaaoo. Honestly? Fair enough final gambit for Nue, but it’s obviously not gonna work. We might finally see her and Raisei’s backstory through this though, so hey.
Animal Signal #15 – Riko’s character design is pretty poppy, I like it! Lmao at all the failures. Despite their…uhh predicaments, they actually managed to save someone, nice.
Class 2-B #21 – Somehow the bar was initially spared the Shihan’s massacre lol. Speaking of Shihan, not only is he crazy but he’s also pretty strong too, as expected. And then Mogura is apparently stronger! Or at least, he caught Shihan off guard. Although isn’t Mogura also one of the Seven Dragons? I thought Shihan would recognise him but doesn’t seem to be the case so far, maybe Mogura’s appearance is different to that of a few years ago? Hmm.
Cannon Master #13 – Oh I like Fehl’s design, she’s very lizard like lol. The new Demon that is blackmailing (?) her has a cool design too. Honestly, a lot of the characters in this series are very well designed, that’s one thing I will definitely take as a major plus to this series. Unfortunately it seems ready for the chopping block, nothing too big happened in this chapter but you can tell it’s still probably rushing through the plotlines since it probably got the axe notice. Sigh. Such a shame.
The Ura Files #4 – Ah so we’re finally learning a bit about Ura’s friend group, nice. Or at least, one of them for now – Takada. I have to admire his…uhhh…bravery? Can it be called that? Lol. Might be a rogue shout, but Takada reminds me of Keigo from Bleach lol.
