Naruto – Ch. 483

Leon: Hmm. Isn’t that something? Sasuke was actually aiming to kill Sakura. If that wasn’t enough to further confirm that his mind is long gone then that uncharacteristic psycho-laugh should do some further convincing. Well at least Karin is safe now. I’m really hoping that Kakashi beats some sense into him because, logically speaking, Sasuke shouldn’t have a chance after all the chakra he’s spent on spamming Amaterasu and Susanoo all in one day. I doubt Kishi is going to let his favorite character lose though. That’s where Naruto’s interruption comes in!

Youko: One of the better Naruto chapters in a long while, I have to say. Sasuke intent on killing Sakura was striking, but it’s not all that surprising. I’m just facepalming because Sakura is so much fail right here and almost got herself killed if it wasn’t for Kakashi. My speculation’s almost accurate now with the original team 7 meet-up. All that’s left is for Naruto to get there, which I hope doesn’t take as long as the time he spent chasing after him in the Sasuke Retrieval arc. This should be a great fight because it’s Kakashi. I highly doubt Kakashi would get killed now after he CAME BACK from the dead.

One Piece – Ch. 575

Leon: This chapter was brutal, yo. BRUTAL. Luffy is in a perpetual state of shock. Everyone is raging and crying now that Ace is dead. Akainu tried to continue being a douche but was kindly owned by Whitebeard. He tried to fight back but not even punching off half of Whitebeard’s face stopped him from getting owned. Whitebeard is still a beast with just HALF A FACE! Goodness gracious things are getting bloody. He just may end up being the second person to die in present-day One Piece after this arc. Oh and Blackbeard and his goons have arrived on the scene. Not good news at all.

Hunter x Hunter – Ch. 297

Gene: It’s like I’m really watching Dragon Ball Z again! Despite his best efforts and his ultimate attack, Netero can’t just keep up with Cell. I mean the King. But fuck, I can’t say that I wasn’t impressed. The way he sealed up his leg like that was fucking hardcore. And he still managed to spout some badass lines despite the King taking on everything he’s thrown. I have to say though I wasn’t really amazed at his last attack. LOL SURPRISE ATTACK FROM BEHIND + EVEN MORE ARMS? Come on. But I couldn’t help but like how he gave the finger whether that was intentional or part of the pose. And it’s funny when I look back at how serious his face is during that scene. It’s like he’s really doing it as hard as he can.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! – Ch. 278

Leon: So, skipping all of that crazy explanation, Primo basically gave Tsuna (Decimo) an uber power upgrade. No need to make things so complicated! Well at least this means that Byakuran’s gloating will stop now that Tsuna is more than a match for him. I really enjoyed seeing him get pummeled though and I could only laugh when he got his wings ripped off and Tsuna’s foot planted in his head. Awesome stuff. If this is any indication then we are now seeing the final phase of the ‘final’ battle. Gotta say though that Byakuran still doesn’t feel like any kind of “final villain” though.

PSYREN – Ch. 107

Leon: This was a rather interesting chapter. Everything seemed to be surreal as Ageha, Amamiya, and Matsuri attempted to take out Miroku using the execution code after Ageha supposedly “killed” Yusaka. The loser was actually still alive and managed to get in one last attack which totally destroyed the facility and any hope of using the self-destruct chip system. Oh well, should have known it wouldn’t have been that easy to take out Miroku. Speaking of him, it seems like he’s out to recruit more people for his cause and two shadows have appeared. I’m guessing they’re new characters rather than one’s we’ve already seen though.

Bakuman – Ch. 74

Youko: I didn’t feel there was much progress made since last chapter, but still interesting. Ashirogi’s new assistant looks like the eccentric type and so far he seems like a chill guy so I hope he does something useful. This chapter was mostly continuing the high scale that Eiji is sitting on while the mangaka are trying to outdo him. With the explosion in popularity of +Natural, I’d say it’s a bit too late to beat it now. In fact, I’ll laugh if +Natural gets an anime before Ashirogi gets anything into an anime. I wonder just where Tanto stands in the results and this will be the deciding moment. Next time I’m hoping to see more angles on Ashirogi, like Takagi focusing on making good jokes, or more of the other mangaka as well. I have a certain feeling that this competing with +Natural story will be a while.

Leon: Man that guy is dark. That face he made when that editor called him a recluse was terrifying and hilarious all at the same time. Something tells me he may cause an upset in the future. +Natural is doing as well as I expected it to do though still having Jump completely sold out is nuts. Ashirogi definitely have to work hard to beat Eiji (and Iwase) now that he has two series in the top five but for some reason it doesn’t feel like Tanto will be able to make the grade. Perhaps that’s just because Shujin is having trouble currently? Or perhaps Hattori’s concerns are legitimate? I guess we’ll have to take a wait and see attitude but meanwhile this new angle involving him is very intriguing. Could he really have masterminded the increase in raised standards among the young authors?

Beelzebub – Ch. 49

Leon: Oh man. Oga and Aoi are so awesome. They completely destroyed those goons. We even got to meet two new characters that look like they’ll be joining the main cast. I’m wondering where Beelzebub will go from here though. I’m guessing Athrun is going to appear on earth soon and cause some trouble because it’s doubtful there is any human that can give Oga or anyone else in the crew real problems. I’ll just have to wait and see but until then I’ll just soak up all the great humor.

Medaka Box – Ch. 38

Leon: So, Akune was a ‘hired’ punk in junior high. Hard to imagine? Not really. But I am surprised that he actually got in all those hits on Medaka without Zenkichi killing him. It was pretty hilarious though that she treated her injuries as if they were nothing. Don’t think I’ll ever understand why she struck Zenkichi instead of him though. He was just trying to protect his friend, who is also likely his love interest, from a goon. Oh well, the past is the past I guess. As for the present it looks as if Akune is in for one hell of a fight. He’s currently sealed off from the others and is facing two abnormals that have a bunch of animals as ‘helpers’. I don’t see any possible way he can win with judo here. Well, normal judo anyway.