Mag Talk Weekly Shounen Jump [2009] - Discussion & TOC Talk

[DeidaraGrimmjow]

Bleach, certainly, is pretty generic. (Not MAR-levels of generic, but it's certainly not that unique) I don't think that many people who are truly well-versed in shounen action would dispute that claim.

But that again comes to my point, Is that really such a bad thing? Many "generic" series have died before ever getting off the ground. Bleach is one of the most popular series around, and it does not make any excuses. It's a hardcore fight shonen and it does not want to be anything else. If that's the case, can't it be judged on that merit? Bleach does what it does brilliantly and can you really ask for more than that? Every series should be judged in its own right. Bleach is not One Piece, Naruto is not Reborn and so on.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

But that again comes to my point, Is that really such a bad thing? Many "generic" series have died before ever getting off the ground. Bleach is one of the most popular series around, and it does not make any excuses. It's a hardcore fight shonen and it does not want to be anything else. If that's the case, can't it be judged on that merit? Bleach does what it does brilliantly and can you really ask for more than that? Every series should be judged in its own right. Bleach is not One Piece, Naruto is not Reborn and so on.

Oh, I'm not saying "Bleach is crap."

For what it's worth, I think Bleach has the potential to be great fun. Through the Soul Society and Arrancar arcs, Bleach might have been generic and lacking in plot, but it made up for it with a colorful cast of characters and kickass fights.

For the past couple of years, however, the series has not been quite as fun as it once was. And when Bleach lost that spark of fun, it came tumbling apart.

On the flipside, when a series like Naruto goes through a down period, it might suffer somewhat, but there's still plot and character development holding it together.

 

[Sexy Randal 105]

I think what makes or breaks a Shounen series is how fleshed out the characters are. Plot is really very important as well. These two factors can really make a great shounen or a really bad one. This is partly why Rurouni Kenshin will always be one of the best shounen series around. Kenshin offers a likable cast of characters who all have elaborate back stories and also develop over time. This is also something Naruto does very well. What sets these two series apart though is the fact that Kenshin has a very compelling plot when Naruto's plot is far more weak. This is why people are drawn to Naruto. Kishimoto, while he is very skilled at creating likable characters, he really needs someone to be writing for him, because the series plot is a cluttered mess. It really doesn't get a set goal until 40 volumes in and it still isn't all that clear. Just rescue Sasuke. On the flip side, Psyren is an example of a series with a completely excellent plot but the characters are all very cookie cutter and have not really been given much backstory, beyond a little for Kabuto. Psyren's characters are really just devices in which the story can develop through. Well, that's my take on it anyway. Then there are just crap series like the ones that get canceled and fail to do both. Kinda like Kosen!

 

[Hayashida]

omg onehundredeight stars suikoden in manga format-and in JUMP?!-i must be dreaming
viktor better be in it....unless it continues from the demon century anime, that'd be cool

anyone know of other works that mangaka has done?

 

[Maxy Barnard]

over time, a quaint little baseball series about 'angels in the outfield'

also this whole page is tl;dr

 

[fxu]

also this whole page is tl;dr

Indeed. I prefer [snappy] one-liners.

Like so ^

 

[Mr. Prince]

Full ToC was posted by Himajin in the ToLove thread at 2ch (link) but somehow...it features ES21 for this week.
Nevertheless, it's definitely by Himajin and therefore the real deal. Maybe he made a mistake since he also spelled Akira Akatsuki's name wrong...well, we'll see.

#22/23 - Cover is a gathering of all Jump titles' main characters
One Piece (CP)
Bleach
Naruto
Kuroko no Basuke
Toriko
Inumaru dashi
Bakuman
BLUST! （OS by Murata-sensei - CP)
Reborn!
Beelzebub (CP)
Sket Dance
Kochikame
Eyeshield 21
Gintama (CP)
Psyren
Mago
D.Gray-man
ToLove-ru
Hoopmen
Bokke-san (End)
PTF! Jaguar

Preview for #24:
Medaka Box (Akatsuki and Ishin), CP for Bleach and Kuroko

 

[Sexy Randal 105]

Well, I guess either Kuroko is a hit or Jump is pimping it to take Eyeshield's place.

 

[◆ T.D.A ◆]

How come Bleach suddenly got so high @ 2nd place, after recent weeks? It is probably editors' doing this one,

 

[The Adamant Dragon]

No chance bleach will ever come to surpass OP or Naruto with its current story-telling/line, that said, I don't think its a ranking list, just showing who are featured in the cover and gets color pages. At least I hope so...

 

[◆ T.D.A ◆]

Hmm it might be a fake Himajin or the real Himajin made some big mistakes.

 

[StrangerAtaru]

Considering a lot of the insanity that had happened in Bleach around then, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the correct TOC. Maybe we should be wary but it does have a right to be there. Personally, the "Kuroko is higher than Toriko" and "ES21 is in it after all" parts are more suspicious than that.

 

[DeidaraGrimmjow]

Come on Psyren...I thought we were past this...

 

[Maxy Barnard]

eyeshield being there and kuroko beating toriko......... i'm usually wrong but i'm calling fake

 

[Finestela]

Just look back 8 weeks and see what Bleach had at that time... (the start of "The Lust" chapters?)

I hate to admit it, but having Ichigo and Ulq stripping it out = popularity boost (rofl)

And w00t for ToLoveRu for getting out of the bottom

 

[DeidaraGrimmjow]

Eyeshield is suspicious...but I hope the Kuroko beating Toriko is true.

 

[andrewsungchehau]

I think for Bleach to be at 2nd place is due to

Spoiler

the 3rd espada release+vs hitsugaya.

Hitman Reborn suddenly dropped down at 9,kind of strange, probably because I'm new to this thing. D Gray Man at bottom 5,makes me sad.

 

[Mr. Prince]

Suikoden's full titel is "AKABOSHI - Ibun Suikoden" (AKABOSHI -異聞水滸伝-). Here's the preview from JUMP that announces Medaka Box and AKABOSHI's start.

 

[Maxy Barnard]

is it me or have medaka's already barely feasible breasts grown further?

 

[[Cross]]

hm...no, they seem the right size.