Kenshin: That was a lot of talking and not much else. That could have fit into a weekly-length chapter.
Cross Manage: I agree that the match-up was unfair. I forsee a victory against this team being the end of the manga.
Takama: Now I'm really curious about the big guy's kamiwaza, but it'll probably just be something simple.
One Piece: So Momo ate a defective artificial Devil Fruit? Hope the defect isn't "can never turn back."
Naruto: And end Obito's flashback, which means he's likely not long for the world.
Cross Manage: Cliff hanger! But no, he's not going to go hang with the soccer team as a mascot when the lacrosse team actually needs him.
Toriko: Looks like someone has unrefined tastes.
Bleach: Time for Ichigo to get curbstomped for several chapters until he unlocks more ultimate potential.
Takama-ga-hara: That's actually a pretty good puzzle boss battle, but far too late for this series to pull up. Certainly, they're going to have to rush the next four bosses....
Zexal: I still get annoyed by the "he has strong cards, thus he may be a strong player" thing. I'd like to see a little more use of finesse.
I don't get how they'll manage to end Takama in two issues, but I suppose it's doing so badly because nobody cares anyway.
Looks like the girl from the Cross Manage one-shot has finally made an entrance.
edited 5th Nov '12 2:44:44 PM by burnpsy
I don't think Sakurai has quite figured out that Toyoguchi likes him likes him, to use outdated slang.
edited 6th Nov '12 7:08:41 AM by SKJAM
Bleach: That's right, Ichigo now has advanced Quincy powers. Suck it.
Naruto: Okay, now Obito's flashback is over so to pad out the fight, next should be Kakashi's flashback of what really happened with him and Rin.
One Piece: Monet is a formidable opponent, even if which opponent she has keeps getting switched up. Poor Mocha.
Toriko: I dunno, a food expert named "Pukin" doesn't inspire my confidence.
Cross Manage: So Sakurai blew out his knees by a combination of rapid growth and overwork. Hmm. And we get more personality out of the soccer manager than most people on the lacrosse team.
Takaga-ma-hara: In order to make the female character important to the plot, she had to become a boy. Go figure. I note that she's much curvier than before when she goes back to being physically female.
Raven Wilder
I liked Obito's flashback, but putting it right in the middle of this big battle was definitely a poor pacing decision.
As for Ichigo having Quincy powers, maybe Ishida shot him with an arrow and did the Quincy equivalent of Rukia stabbing Ichigo with a sword.
"It takes an idiot to do cool things, that's why it's cool" - Haruhara Haruko
11/19/12—
Blue Exorcist: Goofy antics, and we finally get to see what the apathetic guy does.
One Piece: Yeah, Zolo's kind of an ass. A little respect earlier on could have saved a lot of nonsense.
Toriko: So they have a "space airport"...how advanced is the Torikoverse space program?
Cross Manage: I'm sure the soccer manager just wants to check Sakurai's legs for healing. Would like to see more development of the team members.
Bleach: "Surprise! Your mom was a Quincy! Also, you have wizarding blood and are the rightful Emperor of Japan."
Takama-ga-hara: Enh. If the yin-yang inversion thing had been introduced earlier, it might have helped. A bit.
And official in-magazine announcement of Nisekoi joining the lineup instead of forcing poor Hungry Joker to take the bullet.
So Nisekoi's getting its literal translation as a subtitle? Seems legit.
11/26/12—
Nisekoi: Good choice of chapters, frenetic funny followed by a slower, sweeter one. And of course the class play is Romeo And Juliet with our main characters as the leads. it's nice to see a well-worn plot done so well.
Naruto: Lots of flashback for Kakashi, but nothing on why he did that to Rin. This is just going to go on and on, isn't it?
Bleach: Rukia is sidelined again and the Earthlings still trapped in Hueco Mundo. Will Uryuu even get a look in on this plotline, or is he just redundant now that Ichigo can do all his stuff but better?
One Piece: Yay Mocha! If you survive this, you're gonna grow up to be even more awesome. Believe it.
Toriko: So it looks like the Tournament Arc will be interrupted by the baddies unleashing their mutants. Probably for the best.
Cross Manage: Called it, though soccer manager girl just seems to have horrible timing altogether. And Toyoguchi may be smarter than she's been acting up until now. Want more focus on the team now, plezkaythanx.
And an official date for when Alpha will catch up to Japan...and more series to be announced!
It's funny how perfectly timed those Nisekoi chapters were - the chapters from 2 weeks ago and 3 weeks ago, and they give you a good idea of what's going on.
edited 26th Nov '12 4:03:29 PM by burnpsy
12/3/12:
Bleach: Looks like Ichigo is going to have to use actual strategy, or rely on his new ultimate power if his sword is never going to be tops again. And more new characters, at least one of whom will get Worfed.
Naruto: Incomplete ten tails should take another four-five months to beat, especially if we cut away to Sasuke again.
Nisekoi: I like that this chapter was largely given over to Chitoge's introspection. Too often we have to guess at what the tsundere is thinking. And of course there's something to keep the pendant subplot from being resolved.
Toriko: Artist just showing off his face designs. So their space program is advanced enough to include an Alien Lunch cuisine?
Cross Manage: A decent chapter as we're back to seeing the team a bit. Some rules explanation and Those Two Guys get some personality. Let's hope this can pull up enough to actually make it to the Spring Tournament.
We're closing in on a full year of Alpha; I hope we can get some folks to sign up for the now faster service.
eta: Also, there's a "starter pack" which has the first chapter of either the manga or the most recent storyline. In the case of Nisekoi, it's the manga's first chapter, which wasn't in the regular Alpha issues.
edited 3rd Dec '12 7:11:37 PM by SKJAM
12/10/12
Naruto: Some exciting battle action, and a nice reaction from Naruto when he learns just how powerful his opponent is.
One Piece: Poor Brownbeard gets it explained to him just how badly he was snookered, and Luffy demonstrates his absolute lack of concern for the odds of fighting the most powerful people in the world.
Nisekoi: The moment they mentioned "Measurement Day" I knew the whole plotline of this chapter, right down to the stinger. Doesn't mean it failed to be funny.
Bleach: New guys casually arrogant, even when they mean to be nice, check. Ichigo getting special treatment, check. Surprise person for cliffhanger, check.
Cross Manage: A bit more concentration on the team itself, and I hope more exploration of the personalities next chapter.
Zexal: Bad guy totally dominates the field until our hero draws just the right card. Minor bad guy gets cruelly discarded by leader. Generic but not in a good way.
Ooh, Hunter X Hunter special next two weeks! Likely to confuse the folks who never read the main series.
Raven Wilder
Re: Naruto: This battle against Tobi, Madara, and now the Juubi seems so, so final battle-ish . . . yet as long as Sasuke's absent, I know that this can't actually be the final fight. Which has me wondering if we're gonna get a s-CRY-ed style ending, where the main villain is defeated first, then the two main rivals have their ultimate showdown.
P.S. Love that the Big Bad is delaying his ultimate victory just so he can play with his new toy. 
edited 11th Dec '12 10:19:17 PM by RavenWilder
"It takes an idiot to do cool things, that's why it's cool" - Haruhara Haruko
...So I'm the one one commenting this week?
Cross Manage: For some reason, the panel where they run into Misora after practice looks like it's drawn in a different art style than usual.
...Aside from Kenshin, which I only have a passing interest in, that's all I read from this week's issue. I'll probably be reading most of the magazine when releases become simultaneous, but yeah...
Do we want to keep going with this thread or move all discussion to the more frequented To C thread?
Anyhow, catching up, Hunter x Hunter side story was frustrating, because we know it's all going to end in tears, the only question being just how much the author can make us care.
It was fitting that the last issue of Alpha got to have the last chapter of Nura. I didn't actually care about the characters, but the art was nice.
I'm hoping that Cross Manage can somehow scrape itself off the bottom of the rankings, because I see signs that this could be a pretty good ensemble piece.
One Punch Man: The villain has a backstory, motivation and at least a 2-D characterization. The hero, not so much. Which is apparently the point.
I don't think this thread even serves much of a purpose now that we're simultenous, aside from having to avoid info on the latest chapter.
Untrustworthy
Well, I feel like it's worth noting that the scanlations are still a week ahead, so it's not like this thread can just absorbed into the main ones.
"Canada Day is over, and now begins the endless dark of the Canada Night."
My guess on Kakashi killing Rin is that she had some super-secret kekkai genkai that those other ninja were after, and when escape looked impossible, she asked Kakashi to kill her to keep the enemy from capturing her and examining her power.
"It takes an idiot to do cool things, that's why it's cool" - Haruhara Haruko