Fairy Tail #245

Alright, a second manga chapter that makes me want to shout "FUCK YEAH!"? Yeah, it's from another series, but that's just one too many! This is supposed to be a limited reaction! Well, then again, I always feel like saying that when I'm reading Fairy Tail. It's chock full of moments that make you want to cheer and shout as the protagonists put the hurt on some villains that need a good punchin. Laxus does just that against his fight against Hades (as you can see), dealing some of the first real damage against the villain. Makes me sad that everyone else, who had amazing teamwork, couldn't even make a dent. That's OK though! Makarov was the most badass mage ever, and Hades practically curbstomped him. I totally expect him to be overwhelmingly powerful, and to give the heroes a great deal of trouble.

I did expect Laxus to last a bit longer though. He landed those amazing hits, and still ended up being defeated too. Though, instead of fighting until his strength his drained, he went for a completely different strategy after he recognizing Hades's strength. Believing the old bastard needed to be properly punished by a member of Fairy Tail, he bequeathed all his magic to Natsu via lightning. BAM, Natsu eats it and combines it with his fire for some C-C-C-COMBO MAGIC (no, that's not the real name). So here comes round 2, and hopefully Natsu will get to fulfill his desire to avenge his guildmaster and nakama. Also, FUCK YEAH.

One Piece #633

FUCK YEAH.

...

 Oh, I guess I should say something more? Well, this chapter basically confirms how much of a dousche Hody is, and that Shirahoshi is a stronger character than I gave her credit for. I mean, sure, she's a big crybaby, but to fulfill your mother's wishes of not hating the guy who KILLED her? That's sure something heavy for a little girl to go through, and bear with it until adulthood. Hody sees that as being stupid though (which it is a little), and immediately starts brutalizing the poor girl's family as a means to prove that point. Sucks for him, because that just made her plead for Luffy's interference. OF COURSE Luffy's going to answer that cry! Not to mention that the rest of the fishmen started begging for Luffy to appear and destroy their island, just so that Hody could be stopped. How do you not answer that kind of desperation? You don't when your shounen hero! Via Megalo's (the shark's) mouth, Luffy comes jumping out and gives Hody one helluva satisfying punch. Then, simultaneously, we find out the rest of the Strawhats were busy grabbing the keys to release the royal family, getting their pirate ship there, and grabbing the piece of paper the queen had risked her life to get. Then, they epicly pose together for the first time in forever. So... FUCK YEAH.

Bleach #458

So, Ginjou didn't end up getting bookmarked after all! He just turned back to his, apparently, original self. WHO WAS EVIL. Oooo boy! I gotta admit, I didn't see THAT one coming. Sure, I had my suspicions about him, but after the fight with Tsukishima got under way, they were mostly gone. As it turns out, this was all one of those elaborate "Wtf-just-happened" mastermind plots that Kubo's so fond of making. I suppose that makes Tuskishima in on the whole ordeal, though I wonder if the rest of his cohorts know about it too. That would explain the nonsensical beat down Ginjou got. Speaking of nonsensical, where the hell did Chad and Inoue disappear off to again? Hopefully they saw this whole scene going down, and realize they were being stupid. Thankfully, Ishida wasn't a part of the madness, and is now Ichigo's only REAL ally in this poo storm. Unfortunately, current events played out perfectly enough for Ichigo to not know whether or not to trust him. It's too bad he didn't, since that ended up getting them both cut down. Once again, Bleach ends on the cliff hanger of absolute hopelessness. I can only guess either something drastic will happen to Ichigo, Ishida will manage to get them both out somehow, or yet another outside force jumps in to the fray.

Usagi Drop #1-56 [END] (Final Impressions)

One of my favorite series ended recently (well, the scanlations for it anyway), and it just didn't feel right not saying anything about it in my blog. Now, for those of who don't know, Usagi Drop is a heartwarming story about Daikichi Kawachi and Rin Kaga. Rin is the illegitimate daughter of Daikichi's grandfather, Souichi Kaga (and is thus, technically, Daikichi's aunt). When he passes away due to old age, a young Rin is left orphaned and alone. Unfortunately, due to circumstances of her birth and it having been kept secret from the rest of the family, no one wants to take her in. Daikichi, angry at this relatives' seemingly callous regard for the child, decides to take it upon himself to care for her. Thus begins the adorable tale of how Daikichi, suddenly an unprepared parent, takes care of and raises Rin. It's a slice-of-life story, so if you're not into that sort of thing, then this manga probably isn't for you. However, if you enjoy the genre or don't particularly mind it, Usagi Drop is an absolutely fantastic read. Rin is incredibly cute (and diabetically sweet), and it's always amusing and/or entertaining to watch Daikichi deal with raising her. It ends up being far harder than he ever expected, and he wonders whether he's really up for the task or not, but he never once thinks about taking back his decision based upon the hardship he ends up bringing to himself. Rin, although still a child, also never complains about her situation, and is wondrously mature for her age. Almost anyone would want a kid as well-behaved and yet still childish as Rin, or a father figure as earnest and hard-working as Daikichi. It's almost impossible to not want to continually root for them as they tackle lifes' issues one at a time.

Around the half point in the series, a time-skip then occurs, and the manga begins to shift its focus to Rin's life in high school. It sort of becomes a typical romance story from there, as she deals with her developing feelings for Kouki Nitani, who she had grown up with and was also a major supporting character in the first half. I didn't enjoy the second half as much as the first half, but it still kept my interest as it was still a fun read. Although the characters I had come to love were still there. They had just grown up, or grown old! After having followed Rin's life for so long, it almost felt like a crime to stop too. Still, I can't say I liked the ending much either. I enjoyed the father-daughter dynamic between Daikichi and Rin more than what ended up developing at the series' end. It sort of came out of left base. Nonetheless, I didn't hate it, and it was satisfactory enough for me. There's still an Extra volume coming out for the series and a live action movie, both of which I can't wait to read/see.

Fairy Tail #244

So Revolver Ocelot Hades continues his assault, gun motifs and chains abound. And, of course, Wendy ends up being perfectly fine. Ha! Just like I thought! Although the reason for her being so is completely random, as Horologium pops in for another surprise save. Apparently, he's on-call for any danger Lucy AND her allies may be in. When Lucy points out she's been in frequent danger the entire arc, he merely asserts that threat of this encounter far exceeded those other moments. Doesn't make much sense since Lucy's life was in danger regardless of the severity of the situation, but then again, Horologium popping up every time she was on the ropes would've gotten stale fast. Deus ex machina aside, I've always liked this Stellar Spirit. He was never particularly special in comparison to Lucy's other spirits, and yet has frequently force-opened his gate to save her. Hell, he's probably been even more useful than Loke at this point.

Following a brief gag about Wendy being naked before quickly being clothed again, Horologium disappears, and everyone starts to get their ass kicked again. Through their beating, Fairy Tail learns the unfortunate truth that Hades was the last leader of their guild, Purehito, and had entrusted his will to Makarov. However, he states that Makarov had changed the guild, making it become something he didn't agree with. This immediately draws into question what the guild was like before, but I can't really imagine it being anything like Grimoire Heart. He also states that he inherited the first master's will too, but I don't see that either, considering Mavis was protrayed as a benevolent force who even granted Cana power to aid the guild. Although this shakes everyone up, they continue fighting, and unfortunately, continue to get beaten (Natsu in particular). However, before the killing blow can be dealt, Laxus makes his entry onto the battlefield. Hell yes!

I don't remember how many chapters ago they slapped us in the face with his eventual return, but I'm glad it wasn't just some tease that'd never happen.

Bleach #457

Things intensify as the fight between Tsukishima and Ichigo progresses, and Ichigo once against demonstrates his lack of battle vocabulary. When in combat, there's no better way to express anger and/or hate for opponent then just repeatedly yelling their name. Well, aside from "HULK SMASH!" of course. Unfortunately, in spite of Ichigo superior experience, anger channeling, and possibly power, Tsukishima continually maintains the upper hand by hiding behind Orihime and Chad. Although they haven't been outright aggressive towards Ichigo just yet, I'm starting to find it odd that they haven't considered the possible reasons for their friend's behavior, especially after Tsukishima has attempted some killing blows. Sure, ole strawberry is out for blood, but if Tsukishima's the "friend" they remember, they should find it odd he's trying to FATALLY retaliate (for all they know). I can't just accept that fact that they're THAT stupid. Alas, so far, they apparently are.

Those two pale in comparison to Ginjou's friends/allies though. They're not even hesitating trying to kick the crap out of him. Hell, Tsukishima's lackey (I don't remember his name) is trying to outright KILL him, and was quite vocal in his attempt to do so. What does his "friends" do? Think its hunky dory and assist. WAH. My previous intrigue with this arc has died, and now I'm continuing with my opinion that it's all remarkably stupid. Hopefully, Ishida can makes things more interesting, or at least we can see some development with that mysterious shinigami. With Ginjou "bookmarked" now, Ichigo is fresh out of immediate allies. 

Code Breaker #131

D'awwww!! Look at them cute widdle kids! Normally I try not to be too spoilerish with these pictures, since while you can opt out of reading text, you can't really NOT see a picture that's in your face. Alas, I just couldn't help myself, not with a picture this amusing. Anyway, on to my spoileriffic thoughts! So, finally, we learn about the connection Ogami and Sakura had in the past (although not much about the event that led to Sakura ripping off his freakin arm). How ironic that it was Ogami himself who taught Sakura the importance of life, as well as her deadliest attack, the glomp. Though, I wonder why she reverted back to her ignorant, child self, when confronted with her memories. I mean, if this flashback is any indication, Sakura learned the importance of life at a very early age. It's not like she learned it AFTER the possible trauma-induced amnesia. Then again, it may have simply been a defense mechanism. Plus, we wouldn't have seen this adorable flashback, or the overwhelming display of power a "rare kind" can truly pull off. I mean, holy hell, not only can they negate powers via mere proximity, but also negate LIFE? Insane.

Anyway, Sakura makes quick work of her friends by simply standing there, reverting nearly everyone to their "lost" forms instantaneously. Ogami is barely spared, as the emperor blocks most of the "attack." The Emperor then warns him not to approach her, but, being the shonen hero he is, MANS up and charges straight in. Awesomely, his allies urge him to go forward instead of telling him to play it safe, knowing that if Sakura were to badly hurt or kill any of them, she'd be the one who would hurt most. That's nakama for you! Toki even steps in at the middle of it all, and buys Ogami enough time to get close. Then, he musters up all his strength to unleash a powerful attack: A HUG! This snaps Sakura out of it, who almost immediately begins to despair over her sudden cruelty. Luckily, her friends are quick to comfort her, initially stating that she is, indeed, frightening and monstrous at full strength, but regardless of that, they'd stand beside her like she did for them. It was a great moment, and I enjoyed seeing that her friends were indeed grateful to her for reaching out to them in spite of their powers. Unfortunately, Toki doesn't get in on friendship time, as he immediately challenges Ogami after the crisis. Dun dun dun!