UQ Holder

That's a pretty good description of Hayate. Akamatsu hasn't titled a chapter "This is the kind of manga you are reading" yet at least. I really can't tell weather he is mailing it in or UQ is a type of "second system" effect.

The TWGOK ending was pretty bad. It felt like there should have been another arc between the ending and the previous one since a whole lot stuff came out of nowhere. Either that or the mangaka decided to torch it. Not sure which.

edited 30th Aug '14 9:12:35 PM by kiukiuclk

^^ That's how you could hate it, not me! Though honestly I usually don't really like it when a manga keeps padding itself out. And I suppose it's gone on so long that I could hardly call myself invested anymore. Still, it's never made me feel like I should expect progress so I don't feel betrayed, impatient or insulted when nothing much ever happens.

^ He was basically torching it. Fans wrote begging him to continue when there were only a few chapters left and his response amounted to "Flattered, but no. No way." Incidentally, Wakaki sounds really neurotic.

edited 30th Aug '14 9:25:32 PM by Arha

Most mangaka either always were with a few screws loose, or they end that way after a while.

I'm gonna support rikalous's statement on shilling Fullmetal and Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer.

I'd say it's not cheating. All parts have very coherent beginning and ending points, even if the pacing can be a bit difficult at times.

Perhaps you guys should give it a try, it's... quite something. Even if it's influential enough to have inspired a lot of other shonen out there, its style and tone keeps it fresh enough that you'll find it different from the usual fare.

minimal cryptic untranslated mess.

so i usually don't read spoilers, but "minimal cryptic untranslated mess" caught my eye, so I did.

long story short, "cryptic" my ass. I'm thoroughly disappointed. I expected riddles! I DEMAND A REFUND!

"Fun Memories"

Santa's having a nightmare about being bullied by a group of people and having a wet towel shoved down his throat. Then he wakes up with Touta's ankle in his mouth.

Touta hits it off with Santa playing an online game, then suggests that the two, along with Kuroumaru, skip school and head into town. However, Touta's a country bumpkin; Kuroumaru has zero friends <tl/n: ;_;>; and Santa, who was dragged along, is totally useless. They're just begging to be made fun of.

Nevertheless, the three head around town, only to be chased down by the disciplinary committee <or whatever CR called it>. They shake them somehow, but Santa remembers the nightmare and splits off from the other two. Then, a female student calls out to Kuroumaru from a side alley. That child doesn't realize it herself, but... she's already dead.

Next time: a bonus page and a color page.

<For the record, I have no idea who the last line is referring to. My gut instinct was that it was referring to the female student, but then someone else suggested that that line was actually a quote from the random female student. It's not marked as a quote in any way, but the writing style is subtly different from the rest of the spoilers, so they might be right. At any rate, there's no explicit gender in the original, though the word choice slightly implies they're talking about a girl. </equivocating> >

vroom...

edited 30th Aug '14 10:36:56 PM by dowolf

As a self-proclaimed #1 Fanboy of Fullmetal Alchemist, I would totally have mentioned Fullmetal Alchemist, but yes, like NDC said, it ended almost 5 years ago, so not quite "recent", I'd say.

Also, if the quality is the same...still shitty, eh.

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

YMMV on whether or not repeating the same basic structure for the past three arcs actually makes it worse, but yeah, still shitty. Karin losing her novelty and Kuro being a lost cause doesn't help.

How can Karin lose novelty if she spends most of the time conveniently in the background, lest she risks doing something better than Touta?

Between that and her only bit of characterization is being a devout Not!Eva worshiper almost 50 chapters in, I just stopped caring.

Man, this reminds me of Mahouka so much.

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

Well, she had some characterization in Slums arc, but that got shoved to the background to make room for more Touta specialness and new immortals who get promptly forgotten after the arc that introduced them (the same will happen to Santa no doubt).

Really, compared to other numbers Karin is doing good for herself. Kuromaru gets more screen-time but only because his utter incompetence makes Touta look better.

Dude, Kirie being absent is a blessing. I'll take what little solace I can in hoping that she's an irregular in this series. We also kept Ikkuu, which is something. Personality of a wooden board, sure, but you can't seem to ask for more then that here.

That series was actually brought up not to long ago. At least Akamatsu hasn't gone all nationalist on us yet.

edited 31st Aug '14 2:57:35 PM by SkormSnow-Strider

Give him a time...

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

We're getting there. We left Gaijin Protagonist behind and are now stuck with JAPANESE SPIRIT Nippon protagonist. And the main bad guy is a foreigner.

Now all we need is have Touta spouting out objectivist bullshit.

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

Wait really?

I feel old.

I need a new sig.

Anyone can chime in on how Nisekoi is currently holding up? It just started releasing in my country and I've been buying it, but there are only three volumes out right now and I know it's much further in in Japan. I like it, although the setup in so unashamedly a Love Hina clone that it's almost endearing.

I think it sells very well (otherwise, the highly competitive Shonen Jump would have booted it out long ago), but it has long stagnated into a Status Quo Is God lull that goes to ridiculous lenghts to keep itself that way.

I see... Dang, how hard can it be to try those keys on that locket? By volume 3 the girls already know what the deal with it is...

It's broken. Keys can't be turned in it.

edited 1st Sep '14 10:28:44 AM by Arha

The way Nisekoi is going I'm expecting it to end with this once they actually use a key to open the damn thing!

IIRC, they actually did. It resulted in one of the keys being broken.

My general thoughts on Nisekoi is that its cute. I'd give it a whirl, but it does perpetuate the status-quo is god thing.

edited 1st Sep '14 12:42:27 PM by SkormSnow-Strider

chapter's out.

Oh look, Kuromaru succeeded at a fight-like activity.

Well, technically Fate has no nationality, but…

Anyway, new chapter… I'm surprised nobody even considered that option actually. But… if he's really a ghost, then that's not reassuring regarding his future development, considering Sayo's precedent (i.e. reduced to a piece of furniture the second her introduction chapter ended).

A decent chapter, although the story has found yet another way to wank on Tōta outside of his specialness and super-fast learning. And remember kids, skipping class is totally fine as long as you have fun!

Flippé de participer à ce grand souper, je veux juste m'occuper de taper mon propre tempo.