Shounen Toriko by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro

[Muddy]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

I only read Chapter 19 now... but this series is seriously getting better by the chapter! The world is, in fact, expanding, more characters (especially higher-ups) are getting introduced... Mansam is awesome, haha ('did you just call me HANDsome?!' 'uhhh, no I didn't' :P ). And I love that we now know a bit more about the other two Heavenly Kings. I'm especially intrigued by Zebra (he's in prison?!).

Awesome, awesome manga. Really loving it. Very cool to hear about the double tank-release too.

 

[Sexy Randal 105]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

I hope Shima-sensei thinks up some cool ideas for the cover. I assume that the first will have Toriko and Komatsu on it. The second will probably have Coco.

 

[Muddy]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Chapter 20's another good one. I love the design of the research facility, especially that first two-page spread after they enter. The coliseum looks awesome, too; can't wait to see what happens next chapter.

 

[Sexy Randal 105]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Pretty cool. I wonder where this will lead.

 

[Muddy]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Another cool chapter. Sweet fight between Troll Kong and Galala Crocodile, and the free-for-all coming up next chapter is looking intense... Battle Wolf seems pretty badass.

 

[Maxy Barnard]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

I still feel the plots getting a bit disjointed after the awesome previous arc (in which we didn't get ANY closure ¬_¬) so I'm hoping it picks up for me again.

 

[Muddy]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Well, it's only been, what... three chapters? And this looks like the start of the next arc (i.e. meeting the Robot dude in the 1st Biotope jungle) so it's simply having fun with exposition and all that. It may feel to you like the plot is getting disjointed because it's been a month and not much has been revealed - but that's just one of the things you have to deal with when you're reading a series weekly. If you were reading these same chapters in a tankoubon I can't imagine they'd have any feeling of disjointedness.

I mean, saying Toriko's plot is disjointed right now is like saying Urasawa Naoki's plots are disjointed ... just about all the time, because he constantly introduces and drops plot-points only to re-introduce them in a more important situation later, etc. And he's the greatest master of plot craftmanship in the manga world today IMO.

But excuse me, rant over. I didn't mean any harm, it just always irks me to hear people call a defect in the manga what is merely a side-effect of reading a series one chapter a week. And I know you meant well Noodles; just needed to get that out of my system :P

 

[Maxy Barnard]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

it's not a matter of a one a week thing muddy, and i'm well aware of the machinations of weeklies :P (gantz is a prime example of something that holds up poorly on a weekly basis.... or fortnightly i forget)

the issue for me is that not dealing with the food corp bloke versus mchairy(Tm) yet is crippling to these last few chapters, sapping any joy out of the need for that plotline to be sated for me. but then i'm a stickler for perfectionism, so i'm sure the gap in that isn't too bad for others

EDIT: oh and we got to learn more about him, which was a slight nicety through all this

 

[Muddy]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Alright then, that makes sense. I thought it was fitting that they skipped the fight, since it just shows ... what was it you called 'im, McHairy? ... is insanely powerful. All it'd have been is just another few frames of domination. It was an interesting move on Shimabukuro's part to end the chapter with their encounter, making it seem like a set-up for a cool fight, but no harm done in its not being so. The arc essentially ended with the puffer-whale capture as far as I'm concerned; McHairy was showing up was the beginning of the next arc bleeding into the then-current one.

 

[Maxy Barnard]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

well admittedly one thign does come to mind here. they can either show the strength of the corps, or the corps losing, or even better, have the two plots collide somehow once this one starts reaching climax.

there's still a lot of potential for toriko to make everything it does work.

 

[kewl0210]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

The thing about this manga is it starts out with the main character on top. There aren't too many mangas where the beginning isn't about the main character being a loser or something in the beginning.
In order for this plot to work the first main arc has to be about establishing the world and giving the protagonist limits. I feel like that robot, it had a name but I forget it, will be like part of an "enemy group" that may appear at some point.

 

[Muddy]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Kewl makes a good point, and now that I think about it, it's probably one of the reasons I liked it right away. Usually you have to wait awfully long for the main character to become competent, let alone diesel like Toriko; series have been getting better at it (i.e. Mago not taking too long before

Spoiler

letting Rikuo be badass all the time

, hopefully Asklepios too?) but it's still a factor. Whereas with this one, the main character is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and both just a cool likable fellow and the biggest badass around. It's a very welcome change of pace that makes for a very different reading experience.

Really, the only other Jump manga I can think of that starts off with a super-powered main character and only steadily builds up challenges for him is Neuro, which has done a fantastic job of it. I have no doubt that Toriko will as well - as McHairy (and kewl, above) is already suggesting.

 

[Maxy Barnard]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

you're wrong kewl there are a lot of manga like that. they're all from the 70s and 80s :P it's a trait that got abandoned as time went on, and it's doing well out of it's clever satire of those elements (one that started a bit mixed, but now its a good action comedy sending up those elements of old to me

as for manga that have done that in recent years... ral grad pretty much had a spin on it (wherein he was powerful but it was all revealed slow and there was still a final power to reach), steel ball run has that to a large extent (till stands come in of course)... and that's about it... though characters being competent early..... well thats a lot of recent manga, just never to the degree of toriko.

 

[Shurou]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Battle Wolf~~

I wonder if Toriko will get a chance to tame it like he did Terry in the one-shot?

 

[Maxy Barnard]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

ya know i'm curious, was the one shot ever scanlated? it's the sorta thing that i overlooked at the time as just another one shot...

 

[predsfan]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Well, I finally caught up with this manga, and I have to say I'm glad I did. When I read the first chapter I wasn't too impressed (I mean seriously a manga about gourmet foods, wtf), but it definitely got a lot better. I just love characters like Toriko (humorous and strong).

Oh well, I really can't wait to see what the Battle Wolf can do. At the very least it looks awesome. But seriously, it should pwn the other animals in the arena easily right? I mean a capture level of unmeasurable means pwnage right?

 

[kewl0210]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Spoiler

The spoiler for the next chapter indicates that Toriko will be fighting the Battle Wolf.

 

[Muddy]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

Spoiler

The spoiler for the next chapter indicates that Toriko will be fighting the Battle Wolf.

Spoiler

Haha, no way! That's awesome! Can't wait to pick up my Jump tomorrow, then...

 

[Succubus]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

dam I love this manga.. cuz main char is awesome 2 days ago I started reading it..

I am excited about batte wolf vs toriko now xD

btw new girl is pretty cute <3

 

[Sexy Randal 105]

Re: Toriko by Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi

New girl?