dr. b

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck JJK #42

Wild action in this week’s Sakamoto (#144)! Awesome stuff. 
 

I also really liked Elusive Samurai (#134)

I blitzed through the hockey manga (Dogsred) last night. It is a hit in my books! It's honestly been a long time since I considered myself a hockey fan, but I still have a soft spot for it at times. This is perfect. Outside of the hockey stuff, you can kind of sum it up as a fish-out-of-water story (at least to begin with). The main character is a talented figure skater who, for {reasons} finds himself up in Hokkaido, estranged from figure skating (but still loves skating) and then all the sudden he gets roped into playing a game of hockey. It really takes off quick. I didn't want to put it down. And the "edutainment" portion of it about hockey and skating in general seems pretty on point so far. I like it  

I also finished off JJBA Part 5: Golden Wind yesterday. It had a very strong finish and might have jumped up to #2 in my rankings of the JJBA I've read so far (with Diamond is Unbreakable as the clear #1). The final showdown with the bad guy gets confusing at times because of the crazy stand abilities involved, but the author takes care to remind pretty frequently exactly what's what. My one complaint about Golden Wind is probably the awkward stand names in the version of the manga serialized in Jump, but I'm assuming that's like a copyright/legal problem and not a bad localization. Most of the stands are named after bands and they were probably going to have issues with those bands (or their management, record companies, etc). But when you know what the name is supposed to be (e.g. Sex Pistols) and then they keep calling it something else (in this case, Six Bullets) it just hits a bit different. A few of the "other" names work well though (e.g. King Crimson was a great name choice, but Emperor Crimson is a pretty cool alternative).

Part 6: Stone Ocean is still being serialized in Jump... looks like they're about 2/3 of the way through. So I will start reading that soon and eventually get current on it. I am looking forward to the change of scenery away from Italy in Stone Ocean, and to the return of Jotaro in some capacity.

Dr. Stone S3 #17 (JOKER)

Chainsaw Man is starting to lose me just a little bit. I'm sure I'll figure out what's going on again soon enough though!

I really really enjoyed this week's chapter of Beat & Motion (#20)

The latest Wild Strawberry (#11) was pretty good stuff too. Did you give it a try yet?

In other news, I am about 25 chapters off from finishing JJBA Part 5: Golden Wind. It was a bit of a tough slog at first because I didn't immediately take to the new cast of characters. And the new JoJo's (err, GioGio) stand, Golden Wind, takes a bit of getting used to before you realized how interesting it can be... but eventually it won me over and really hit a good stride around the halfway point. It doesn't match up to Diamond is Unbreakable (my favourite part thus far) or Stardust Crusaders, but Golden Wind is still pretty solid.

On 11/15/2023 at 5:07 PM, Psycho666Soldier said:

I think the main thing that bothered me, from what I remember, is that he supported Ymir's ambition by carrying out the king's will, whom she loved, despite the fact that the king was a manipulative, abusive piece of shit, and it comes off like abuse apologism.  I think there was something about how doing this somehow set her free from that, but it didn't seem like enabling her desire to carry out the king's will was the right way to do that.  What makes that particularly bad is the manga painted it as it was somehow noble and it just made me feel all kinds of ick.  I might have read a fan translation so maybe something was lost/misconstrued there, but it made it a little harder for me to accept the ending as a good one.

 

Anyway, I'll probably catch up on all the last bit of AoT anime I skipped so far and see if that is the case or if they framed it better.  Still overall love the series.  And am happy with an "Eren did bad things" ending, just didn't really like the framing of it from my read.

Yeah, the way I interpreted it is that Eren was somehow trying to free Ymir from her senseless devotion to King Fritz, who was obviously an irredeemably bad dude. It didn't necessarily come off to me as abuse apologism, but when you describe it that way, I can certainly see how you got there. It's a fair criticism. I think these are all symptoms of this being a poorly thought-out and/or poorly executed part of the story. It all gets rather gross at times and it's open to interpretation enough that it's hard to know what Isayama was really trying to convey. I dunno, part of me wonders if everybody is over-thinking it, and the whole point is that Eren does things merely because he wants to. He's a dumbass after all. Maybe it's not deeper than that  At least earlier on in the story you could feel better about cheering for him, but in the end it leaves a bad taste. I found most of my enjoyment from the finale of the anime came from focusing on the other characters and how their storylines were resolved. 

On 11/11/2023 at 12:41 PM, Psycho666Soldier said:

Just read the Dr. Stone special, and it looks like we're getting a continuation!

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I know we talked about to when it originally ended, how maybe time travel is pushing the series over the shark.  But honestly...it feels kind of right now.  With time away from the series, it feels like the author spent time trying to make it make sense from a scientific perspective, and the carrot on the stick that is Byakuya sending the message makes a hook that is similar to trying to find out who Why-man is.  It's a question that makes everyone, but characters and readers, ask how while making you intrigued to find out the rest.  Not sure if they'll be doing a full series return or if we're going to get a few big chapters like this, but I'm curious to see what comes next.

 

I do feel a bit like Chrome and Ruri's wedding was rushed/thrown in, but I'm glad it happened all the same.

 

Yeah man, I did not think I needed more Dr. Stone in my life... but this chapter pulled me back in. I am very curious to see what comes next. 

I loved the thing with Chrome and Ruri getting thrown in there  

Also probably the highlight of this chapter for me was actually the nod to Short Circuit (Johnny 7 -- Robots Acquired!!). Man that made me smile.

"Multiply" by Donny Benet

I fucking love this dude. What an incredible video  Legit solid tune.

Yep, it is indeed finally over..! Hard to believe it's been like 2.5 years since the last chapter until the anime finally wrapped.

I actually felt like the ending came across a bit better in the anime compared to the manga, not that that's saying all that much  It still left me with kinda like an, "All that for nothing???" sort of feeling. Nobody wins. Might as well have just wiped out humanity!  Though I did really feel for Mikasa during those final scenes. That was a heartbreaker. Also felt bummed out for Armin, albeit to a lesser extent than Mikasa. But the scene where Armin was berating his own lifeless body before he realized he was stuck in the paths was legit impactful. "Move you piece of garbage! Piece of shit." etc. I think anybody that has a tendency to get negative about themselves can easily identify with that. I was hyped to see the action parts animated with all the past titans... that ended up being a bit of a let down. It was more exciting in the manga. The pay off of finally seeing Levi decapitate Zeke was worth it though. 

MMA #21

Spy x Family #90 was a very sweet chapter. I hope they old folks become recurring characters. Kinda made me miss my grandparents  

Elusive Samurai #133 was also a very sweet and touching chapter. Shizuku and Ayako are tied for being the best  

Sakamoto Days #143

Wow the chairman is a colossal d-bag. Making it very easy to root for the bad guys

 

Akane-banashi #86

Karurabachi #9

I honestly don't remember all the details from the first few chapters, but I am still enjoying the premise. Action has been good and this concept of enchanted swords is rad. I am enjoying it.

I didn't get to reading the new Dr. Stone thing yet, but it's on my list.

There is also a new title on the Jump app, Dogsred, about hockey. As a good ol' Canadian boy, I feel it is my duty to read it. If it's sort of an "edutainment" manga then I kind of have to fact-check it a bit. I love a good sports manga/anime, so hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

Totally. Of course I'll be thrilled if the boys win out in the end, but after all of that "You can never win if you're the opener" stuff, I am 100% on board with Broken Glass Slipper doing what nobody else has done before and winning despite going first!

Ooooohhhh sheeeeit. A new part of the Attack on Titan finale has appeared on Crunchyroll. Is it finally over??? Guess I've gotta watch tonight and see if I feel any differently about the ending now compared to when I read the manga...

I found myself cheering so hard for Broken Glass Slipper to win this competition  

Yeah, I was honestly relieved to see Ichinose end. A few too many random-feeling twists and turns in this story to keep me interested. There were of course good parts too. That's kind of how I'm feeling about JJK right now too. If next week was the final chapter, I'd be like THANK YOU   

I totally agree on Asumi. I am so into this series. The last couple chapters have been stellar.

Sakamoto Days and Elusive Samurai got some pretty sharp looking colour cover pages this week. 

I thought it was a pretty decent series. Not the most memorable, but enjoyable. I miss baseball

Texas/Arizona in the World Series would be a pretty low combined win total for two WS teams. Very strong Wild Card vibes. Maybe not great markets for big TV numbers either. I guess tonight’s game will be rigged for Philly

Mario Wonder looks like fun, but I think I might be more interested in Princess Peach: Showtime Gotta wait until next year for that one though. 

I have hardly played anything but Diablo 2: Resurrected since it released… September 2021 iirc..? I have put a sickening number of hours into D2R over the last two years. It’s shameful  But I honestly don’t get tired of it. I love D2[R].

Man, I did not see Texas coming back after blowing all three home games. Weird series. Props to the Rangers for being resilient. 
 

I expect Philly to win tonight… But if Arizona does then that will be interesting. 

“The video is not available”

Must be region locked it something… what’s the song and artist?

Yeah, I don't get why the M's love trading their closers so much

I guess the Rangers don't have much choice but to use Scherzer if it comes down to Game 7... But I don't think they'll feel super good about it. He'll probably have a pretty short leash. His fastball was alright in his first start back, but the slider wasn't working. Maybe he can make some mechanical changes before the next start to be more effective. But if the slider isn't working then that makes it too easy for the Astros' hitters.

On 10/19/2023 at 10:10 AM, Psycho666Soldier said:

Chainsaw Man 143-146

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I didn't mind the slower pace as much as you, bomb. Like we haven't got into full action, but the tension has been rising and I like the snippets of action we've been getting.  Also didn't expect to see the Katana Devil again! Definitely seems like we're gearing up for some heavy level action, so hopefully we get some balls out chapters for a few weeks.

 

Yeah, they've still been good chapters, I'm probably being a bit too critical in my comments about the recent chapters... but I still do want more action and crazy shit to start happening  

re: Elusive Samurai: I think it's been easier to keep track of who's who by staying current with new chapters every week. If I let it simmer for a few weeks and then tried to catch up, I'd probably feel a bit lost too. There is a lot going on. But I think a good chunk of these newly introduced characters (sometimes killed off shortly thereafter!) aren't super duper important anyhow  

I also agree re: Ichinose Family. It's getting back into a better groove again IMO.

I finished my re-read of YuYu Hakusho yesterday. Those last few chapters are bittersweet. Togashi really seemed to struggle with finding a good way to end it. The final arc is a bit of a mess, and the last 2-3 chapters are quite the hodge podge. But I still loved it. I kind of want to go back to chapter #1 and re-read it all over again  This one is on my personal Mt. Rushmore of manga. Truly one of my favs.

I was pretty confident the Rangers would advance after going up 2-0, but at the same time I knew Houston had it in them to come back. They are a very tough and experienced team. I felt like Game 4 was must-win for Texas. Once they let Houston even it up to 2-2, it was over in my mind. Going back to Houston for Games 6 and maybe 7 really swings things in the Astros' favour. It will take a miracle now for Texas to turn it around. This is a bit reminiscent of their World Series against St. Louis where they just couldn't quite finish the job.

I'm happy to see the DBacks even up their series with the Phillies, though I am still quite confident in Philly. An upset would be cool too though. I just can't help but think about that damn trade the Jays did sending Moreno and Lourdes for Varsho...   

On 10/19/2023 at 2:49 PM, Anelle said:

 

yeah I lost steam quickly lmao. SHOULDN'T BOAST BEFORE I FINISH

It's an important life lesson   

On 10/18/2023 at 3:52 PM, Tassifox said:

A couple of my friends who I talk series with asked me if I was watching Frieren since they've been liking it. They said it does pick up from the slowness I couldn't get through so I will probably give it more of a watch later down the line.

I looked up Frieren on Crunchyroll last night and saw there were already seven episodes available..! I thought this only started airing like three weeks ago  Anyways, I was feeling a bit sleepy so I didn't start watching it... but I will sometime this week. If I enjoy it, it will be nice to binge watch several episodes.

It feels like the Phils could be any and every team right now. Like they find a different gear in October.