Issue 36 Rankings:
Tier 1 (Great):
1: Roku – Dayum, they took him down fast lmao. I think this should alleviate any worries for anyone worried about this series going full battle, at least for now. If it were going full battle, that would have been longer. I’m sure we’ll get some stronger spirits eventually that can put up a fight though. Anyway, even though there’s some comedic bits here and there, the overall chapter is quite dark in nature and subject matter. Them carrying Tenkai’s body with the child’s spirit in it out was hilarious but also touching at the same time. For me, if a manga can successfully balance these things out, it has a very good chance of becoming successful in the long run. It takes skill to do that. Very emotional ending with the kid saying goodbye to his parents and the parents seeing him in a dream, and Roku now has a more concrete idea of what his goal is! Great chapter! This whole series so far has been a surprise hit for me.
2: Akanebanashi – Hahah, I knew Akane would be annoyed at Issho for this. I really like the sibling-esque rivalry that Akane and Kaisei have. Damn I wanted to hear what Kaisei told Akane, but guess we have to wait. Also, did NOT expect this big of a build up for Zensho ngl, even though he’s one of the top 5 lol. Let’s see what he’s got (hope he gets smoked)!
3: Ichi the Witch – Showing my age here, maybe, but Boxster/Boxie reminds me of that OLLDDDD Youtube meme video “Hi, my name is Boxy”…..iykyk lol. The bike looks crazy over the top lol, and of course Gokuraku knows all about how it was made and such, it’s a machine much like half of him after all lol. Kumugi has gained Amadoro’s respect, nice! Lmao at the “infiltration”, sure man. Wonder who the witch getting pierced in the image is, hmm, intriguing.
4: Someone Hertz – On this week’s chapter of Roku…what do you mean this isn’t Roku? Lol, the occult writer was supposed to be creepy but because of the art style, she just comes across as cute haha. Who knew Mimei was such a scaredy cat for supernatural stuff? Mimei’s eyes as they ran away from the radio were hilarious lol. And of course the chapter ends with a “and maybe it was actually real??” moment, classic. Good chapter, I enjoyed it, I’ve always like these kinda “hunting for seven wonders” thing ever since I played Kingdom Hearts 2 as a kid and you had to search for the Seven Wonders of Twilight Town lol.
5: Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi – “I can be your angle or yuor devil” is what the first page reminded me of lmao. Aww the goodbye between Misogi and the gang was quite nice. But she didn’t give Kiyoshi the Relic, looks like she’s keeping it herself to fight and end Rushihara personally. Given that you’re not the MC and are a mentor figure….that’s gonna go very poorly for you, Misogi lol. And oooh, a whodunnit. And Kiyoshi’s first mission as a Cross Paladin. And a chance to see the Exorcist Academy in more depth. I like it all. My immediate suspect is the one really big Cross Paladin.
Tier 2 (Good):
Witch Watch – Oh we’re done with the flashback? Thought we’d see more of Shikimi’s own journey after what happened in the village. Maybe we’ll still see it, but later. Anyway, the mothers are too positive, which means something bad is gonna happen lol. Shikimi’s motives are something I understand, he went through a pretty traumatic day lol, but it does seem like he’s slowly running out of time and places to go, despite going to a place with a lot of nature. Not long left for this fight at all. Also big up Yamashita Park, I am very familiar with the place (I haven’t been there, I just play a lot of Yakuza/Like a Dragon lmaooo).
Under Doctor – Sick colour page to start of with, even Ishiguro has aura. The way this Samejima’s eyes pops out reminds me of how Bug Eyes from Vinland Saga was drawn lol. Despite being stubborn, he seems competent. I can’t exactly blame him for not believing that Haiji has “magic eyes” all of a sudden on the spot. Really good chapter actually, it’s the most it’s been focussed on the medical side for a while now and I liked Samejima as a character and him coming round to Haiji. Still, seems like this was only a two parter at the end of the day, so my criticism of it needing longer arcs still remains. But still, good chapter, best one for a while for me.
Shinobi Undercover – Nice colour page, it’s finally something different lol. Well, thankfully the normal people hit by the Primal Kekkai black out, so Yodaka can do his ninja shit without being exposed lol. The new enemy looks kinda cool tbh. So Kawasemi was Bato’s ex apprentice huh? That kinda makes him and Yodaka “siblings” in a “same master” type of way. Time for Yodaka to go back to being dumb since it’s what works best here lmao, fair enough. Good set up, I’ll assume more enemies than just two are here, so should be an action filled arc!
HAL Formula – Just realised if this ever gets an anime, the cars will be CGI. Which could look good or look horrible. Maybe one day we’ll see lol. Either way, Hinokura’s style is “boring” but that’s ok, sometimes boring is what wins you things! Seen it so many times in other sports, efficiency is key! Have to say I really liked how Terasaka depicted his turn on Turn 11. And he took first place with it! I’m not super knowledgeable on racing, but I’ve often heard about how cars play a huge role in how good racers do, the racers themselves are not AS important as some people might think. Or maybe I’ve gotten that wrong. Anyway, the positions are now set, let’s see how the race proper goes! I quite like the rivalry we’re developing so far, it feels like a proper rivalry already! Good chapter.
Cannon Master – The Demon design looks kinda cool. Not too big a fan of Bharat and Ur doing the important job while everyone else is just kinda sidelined and is kinda making me wonder what the point of a whole party was lol. The minister continues to look VERY VERY sus, or I’m just being very judgmental lmao. The fight was cool. After being told about it, it’s cool to actually see a Demon using the Regilith as basically a mech, not only is this series fulfilling my desire of high fantasy adventure series, but ALSO sci-fi series…it simply MUST survive, I will not allow it to die! A little bit of intrigue on Bharat’s past from when he was in the war, it figures he’d have a tragic past where he lost someone, that’s common. Solid chapter.
Kagurabachi – Damn I mean I get they don’t want Kunishige to do what he’s doing but calling him trash because of his background is a bit much lol, no need to get so personal! I honestly can’t recall if we see the Masumi in modern day, so I’m gonna assume they’re jobbers (like a lot of the KGB cast tbh). Anyway, time to see what Subaru can do in a fight. He can copy himself, but can he cop objects like the blade he’s using? Hmm.
Hunter x Hunter – Dayum, those poor attendants lmao, Benjamin wasted them without a second thought lol. Seems like Benjamin has also taken an interest in Kurapika and his ability to teach Nen at an astounding rate. Anyway, Benjamin vs Tserri finally begins! I also find It hilarious that Benjamin is basically just stacking curses on top of each other. Probably the quickest to read chapter of the series in a few good years. Maybe ever lol.
Sakamoto Days – You know what? Uzuki DOES look cool in the Sakamoto persona tbf lol. Uzuki literally using the rides as weapons against Nagumo is kinda sick. The Order all gather up vs “Sakazuki” a lot of them will probs die, but hey….as long as Shishiba ends up ok, I’m fine with whatever, he’s the best character in the series imo. What is it with series just saying “fuck it” and sending in all good guys who are still alive vs the final bad guy? Lol. I can’t remember the last time a final boss of a battle manga was taken down in just a pure 1v1.
Tier 3 (Ok):
Me and Roboco – I’ll never get over how this manga constantly portrays WSJ as a prison to “work” for lmao. Anyway, I’m not really a breakfast person, so I cannot relate.
Nue’s Exorcist – Shitotsu done those three women like Ichigo did the three VCs in Soul Society lol. Anyway, an ok chapter, thought we’d get a bit more on exactly what this new form of Shitotsu’s is, but no dice so far.
Drawn to the Fire – The idea of a guy being so scared that he pulls off good fadeaway shots is kinda good, fairs. Hey, Mizuhara’s plan was nice, he fooled him. I feel like this match is picking up momentum. Also Uba’s tears of joy when he scored the three was funny.
Class 2-B – Of course some sort of hierarchy would form, especially among teenagers lol. The two new characters having such low self esteem they refer to themselves as “one off characters” was kinda funny, though now I’ll feel bad if they really are one off characters lol. Although at least “four eyes A” might appear more since he seems to have an inventor’s spirit, could be helpful. What a weird chapter structure this series has had though, went from fighting a party of heroes, to a random gag chapter, to fighting for toilet cleaning duties with (kinda) some heart behind it.
Kinato’s Magic – I still can’t tell if this has been axed or if the author is just bad at pacing things. Two chapters ago I thought it was axed, then last week I thought maybe it was fine, and now I’m back to thinking it’s axed again lol. Especially with the shoddy and rushed Order backstory. I will say, I liked Linae being so greedy that she can’t fall under Dua’s spell at all lol, it’s rare that greed is presented as a positive in media, so hey.
Animal Signal – The chapter opens up with Kokone saying “it’s gotten pretty dark” but the sky kinda still looks like daytime sky….I mean, it’s in black and white, but I can still kinda tell, you know? Anyway, I know a certain subset of fans are gonna uhhh…have fun with this chapter lol. I guess we have rivals now…kinda? What a chapter lol.
