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tokiro07 · 1 month ago

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Toki Reads Shonen Jump 2025, Issue #15: Cuck Week

One Piece: The God's Knights use some kind of nightmare power to kidnap the children of Elbaph; Loki slams Ragnir, his hammer, into the World Tree, summoning lightning to strike the trunk and start a fire. Got some neat powers this week, though I'm curious if this means that Killingham ISN'T a Kirin Zoan and is actually some kind of dragon-man with a dream Devil Fruit OR if the dream power is a demonic ability like what the Elders seem to use

Roboco: A royal friend of Motsuo's visits from overseas, and despite Motsuo's failures to protect him from harm, he manages to have a great time and gifts Motsuo his old house back. I don't know how property tax works in Japan, but having a mansion definitely doesn't make him rich again, so I don't know the point to that bit

Sakamoto: The team escapes from the prison, only to be confronted by The Order, who reveal that they've allied themselves with Slur and have left JAA chairman Asaki undefended for Uzuki to kill; Uzuki publicly declares that he's establishing a new JAA. I'm so unclear on whether or not the general populace has even heard of the JAA, but I assume that either way this is going to have dramatic ramifications for the setting

EluSam: Morofuyu sees how far Tokiyuki's abilities have improved and asks what sort of training he did; Tokiyuki cannot bring himself to admit that he's been getting raucously slammed by three baddies for the last couple years and needed to bulk up just to survive, and tells him he's been training with animals instead. Matsui couldn't get permission to serialize F-Ken, so he had to find a way to incorporate fetishism into his power system SOMEHOW

Witch Watch: Wolf asks Nemu to bear his children, as he's afraid he'll one day fade away when Keigo no longer needs him, and wants to leave something tangible behind; Nemu admits that she loves both Wolf and Keigo, but refuses his confession because she doesn't want to be unfaithful to either of them; using a magic mirror, Keigo confronts Wolf, who challenges him to be more active with Nemu lest he take her first; Keigo resolves to confess to Nemu himself, though it seems he still doesn't quite have the courage just yet. Boo! BOO!!! You better just be cooking, Shinohara, cus if you're seriously going to say polyamory is unfaithful after Tozuka and Matsui went out of their way to make it a major positive plotpoint, I'm never going to forgive you! However, Wolf's motivations are extremely compelling; this is basically The Victor Problem from Undead Unluck, and being a magical setting, it can easily be solved without killing off Wolf

Blue Box: The ransom note turns out to be a ploy by Nagisa, who just wanted to talk to Taiki in private about Chinatsu, thanking him for being there for her and helping her stay in Japan. Very cute chapter, no notes

Akane: After her three years of training abroad, Akane returns to Issho, who asks what she's learned; when she answers that she's come to understand the value of what she has, Issho calls it a mundane, yet valuable enough lesson to acknowledge Akane as being ready to learn about Shiguma's Art. Again, I'm not sure I had the takeaway Suenaga wanted me to have, but I like that interaction; Issho having such an unusually soft reaction, and allowing Akane to come to her own conclusion rather than having a specific lesson in mind, demonstrates an interesting amount of depth to his character and teaching style that I hope will be greater informed in the coming chapters

Kill Blue: Looking back at her adventures and interactions with Juzo, Noren comes to a shocking discovery - although she'd once dismissed the possibility, she is in fact in love with Juzo. ...Okay, so she's definitely an adult that got Conan'd, right? Like there's no way Fujimaki is going to have these two get together otherwise, right? But if that's the case...who is her dad, really...? Are they actually ex's and he's just playing a role? But then why would he stage this whole thing about her getting engaged...The implications of this series are truly mindboggling...

Nue: As Squad 6 attempts to escape from Gashadokuro, Nue helps Gakuro to unlock one more upgrade - his Soul Armor; Gashadokuro is so impressed with Gakuro's growth that he becomes jealous that Nue got him first. WOW that's the dumbest crossguard I've ever seen on a fantasy weapon! It's unique, but it's so impractical!!! You can even see how awkwardly Gakuro's wrist has to bend to hold that stupid thing!!! Anyway, wasn't the current goal to get Gakuro to force a contract with Gashadokuro? It seems like he'd be pretty down for it, why not take advantage of the fact that he's asking for Gakuro to join him?

Kagurabachi: As her memories return, Iori flashes back to her former relationship with her father, and the death of her mother; at the point where they started to get along, the Hishaku appeared with a proposal for Samura. Hakazono's really good at establishing compelling dynamics within one chapter, and Samura's contact with the Hishaku being part of his motivation for erasing Iori's memories adds an interesting layer to his decision to form a contract with them

Chojo: Finally back from overseas, Inukai is confronted with a shocking rumor - that Keinain is dating Ippongi! Traumatized by losing Chojo to her, Inukai panics and accidentally gets himself Me-Too'd; Inukai's fears of losing Keinain are assuaged when he hears Keinain defending him from petty coworkers. It somehow only just sunk in how many ships there are in this series, I wonder if there are any plans to make good on any of them?

Astro Royale: Terasu's next opponent tries to assassinate him behind the scenes, but Shikaba interferes and knocks them both out of the tournament, making Hibaru the winner by default and allowing him to jump straight to fighting Shikaba. Man, it's almost like there was no point to Terasu being in the tournament in the first place

Kiyoshi: After Bakku's defeat, Jack Joe pleads to spare him as his old friend; as Bakku bids goodbye through tears of joy, he is suddenly killed, seemingly by another Demon Lord; meanwhile, Hydrako lures out Kiyoshi with seemingly yandere intentions. BAKKUUU!!! Wait, is his name Bakku Yoraku or Yoraku Bakku? Weird to suddenly change it like that, I wonder which way was the error...I am legit upset about this development, but I'm also unclear on what it takes to kill a demon considering what Yamada survived in chapter 1

Hima-Ten: The group goes to a beach house, and the girls all fish for compliments on their swimsuits, though only Himari doesn't get one; while she tries to get over her jealousy, Himari gets hit by a wave and loses her contact lenses, only to be saved by Tenichi. I truly don't understand why Tenichi would need to quit working for Himari if he starts dating, that's dumb

Ichi: Gokuraku sees through Uroro's empty promise and flies off the handle, reminded of his nemesis - the local deified Magik, Bakugami, a Human Hater disguised as a benevolent god, plotting to sacrifice his followers as a tribute to the World Hater. ...I guess that makes more sense than Gokuraku fighting Ichi, huh? I wonder if defeating Bakugami will allow Gokuraku to become a Witch, or if he'll accept that he can't become one once his goal is fulfilled?

Shinobi: Kawasemi overpowers Yodaka and reveals that Public Safety are the ones responsible for the death of Aoi's parents; he offers to ensure Aoi's safety if Yodaka joins the Fugitive Ninja, but Yodaka refuses to give her to someone who will make her life miserable. It seems that's the theme of the arc, as Yodaka also refused to give Aoi to Suzume because of her view on relationships

Syd Craft: Misery returns and tricks Syd and co. into entering a haunted house...which, due to safety concerns, has been modified into a fun thriller attraction rather than the death trap it was meant to be. A+. 10 outta 10. Perfect chapter. Misery should be the main character and all the girls should be lusting after her

Embers: Takami manages to receive the ball from Haitani, but cracks under the pressures put on him by everyone's expectations of him to be an ace scorer, especially from his father; one failed goal nearly breaks Takami's spirit, but Haitani's refusal to allow a single failure to define someone resonates with him and gives him the motivation to try again and successfully score a goal. Haitani's entire dynamic with soccer is a string of failures that slowly stacked into success, so he's the ideal person to refute Takami's perfectionism; the theme of second chances is really resonating with me, I wonder how it will be applied to someone like Inanaki who seems so irredeemably nasty

Beethoven: Claude is distressed to learn that Yaso is back to playing piano and trying to transfer into Reiro Academy, as doing so threatens to tarnish the memory of his victory over him two years ago; because the students are set to be the judges for Yaso's audition, Claude preemptively decides that he won't allow Yaso to pass no matter what; with two weeks to practice, Beethoven plans to teach Yaso how to play Apassionata so well that no one can deny his skill no matter how much they want to. Claude's insult game is insane; he's already a great antagonist just from representing the antithesis of Yaso's master's philosophy, but his loony personality and animated movements make him shockingly endearing for someone so downright reprehensible

As if in response to me calling last week's issue Polybait Week, Jump went out of their way to crush my hopes with spite, jealousy and near explicit cuckoldry!

Nemu explicitly denying the possibility of polyamory and Wolf threatening to cuck Keigo, Himari putting herself on the backburner for Tenichi but still acting jealous, Inukai mistaking Ippongi for an outright homewrecker...okay, that last one wasn't based on last week, but still!

I would argue that Nue's Exorcist also played with the idea, as not only was this a Nue-heavy chapter, but Gashadokuro was kinda getting cucked by Gakuro taking away Shiroha AND by Nue having Gakuro as her vessel

At least EluSam keeps leading the pack by continuing to show us the true Power of Love...making...

Top 3 of the Week:

Ichi the Witch for delving into Gokuraku's motivations

Star of Beethoven for our new special little freak boy

Syd Craft for Miseryyy~~~

Embers' dynamic between its leads was super interesting, Shinobi Undercover continues to endear me to Yodaka and Aoi's relationship, and of course Elusive Samurai had one of the funniest gags I've ever seen from Jump, but these three weirdos have all dug themselves into my brain and I need to acknowledge that

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tokiro07 · 5 months ago

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Toki Reads Shonen Jump 2024, Issue #52: Self-Harm Week

HxH: Morena's card game begins, and she exposits that she was conceived in a state-sanctioned non-consensual orgy; Borksen learns that thanks to Nen restrictions, she actually does have actually does have an escape route. The implications of Morena's backstory are certainly staggering, but also lost on me

Yozakura: Taiyo has an "I know you're in there" fight with himself, ending with him expelling Asa by shooting himself in the heart. Taiyo's willingness to damage his own body to make it uninhabitable to Asa doesn't seem ideal, but definitely preferable to being possessed

Undead Unluck: Soul tries to force Andy and Victor's souls back together, but Rip cuts them apart permanently with Unrepair. This is Rip's capstone, where he finally uses Unrepair for someone else's happiness instead of ruining his own with it

Roboco: Roboco writes more shameless ripoff manga, but finally learns that her own original material is a lot better. I have no faith that this lesson will stick

Sakamoto: Atari's luck has literally run out; she reveals to Tenkyu that his friendship w/ Uzuki is irreparable; Shin resolves to kill Tenkyu, even if it means severing ties with Sakamoto. Both Tenkyu and Shin are losing their friends because they're killing in their name against their wishes; Atari's an idiot for using such an obscene amount of luck last chapter just to fire ONE bullet

EluSam: Tokiyuki and realKojiro gush over Kojiro as he fights Nagao; the scene cuts away to Mima getting into architecture and interior design. This seems to have an affect on enemy morale, but I feel like it's not worth ignoring what seems to be Kojiro's most important fight

Witch Watch: The flashback gang discusses the legacy of Familiars and their prejudice towards humanity; Kuon warms up to the team, and Taiga raises more death flags. The idea of magic fading away as a sign of peaceful times is a topic I've been thinking about a lot lately because I've been revisiting Medaka Box; this may inform a future essay

Blue Box: Taiki endears himself to Chinatsu's dad with his earnest, if a bit overbearing, nature. I'm glad we're not drawing out the tension too much, it makes the dad more relatable

Akane: Despite Miroku's refusal to let them perform, Shiguma and Issho learn enough rakugo for Kiroku to give them a slot; Miroku offers to grant Kiroku his name and rank if he will use it to expel the pair. This is clearly the event that led to the founding of the Arakawa School, but even with a foregone conclusion, it's a nailbiter

Kill Blue: Juzo and Shin use assassin techniques to advertise the bakery; Yoichiro wagers his staff's bonuses to whichever club can beat their challenges. Clearly he's plotting something, but I can't quite see yet how this furthers his plans

Nue: Rido spontaneously achieves his Bankai Spirit Armor and promptly passes out. It looks cool, but I'm already so unclear on this power system's rules that such an upgrade only serves to confuse me further

Kagurabachi: In a side story, we revisit everyone's favorite guy, Sojo, trying desperately to enjoy a bath despite his routine being ruined at every turn. Looking back, I'm sad that Sojo died; I hope he continues to haunt the narrative

Chojo: Keinain's new assistant, Makami, finds everything about the Chinjuku station to be lewd; this is not because she's a prude, but an extremely repressed pervert. Would

Astro Royale: Himuro reveals he became a cop to stop the Yotsurugi family from interfering with his dad's business, but only found out later that they were supporting him through hard times; the damage he caused this business relationship resulted in his father's suicide; he eats the Daybreak Ore and becomes a mutated mass. Himuro's motivations now reflect Kinpa's, but just like he hurt his dad by targeting the Yotsurugi's, his rage is misdirected and self-destructive

Kiyoshi: Asuta's time runs out and he gets away, cementing the sacrifices made to summon him; as he leaves, he calls Kiyoshi his soulmate in a perverse twist on Kiyoshi's own desire for friendship. Axe-deniers when the lead fails and lets 100 innocent people die - 🎉🍾🥳🎊🥂; throw the yaoi girlies in there too since there's about to be a huge boost in sales

Hima-Ten: Tenichi takes up the rear on the class hike; Himari fakes an injury to keep him company. Very cute, but how the hell does this moron not realize she's in love???

Ichi: Just before the contest begins, Ichi sees a mysterious figure; the Kindake Magik vows to kill everyone who doesn't worship his mushrooms, then escapes into his mushroom forest. So much for not being a human-hater; Togeice's poor sense of direction will certainly make this challenge much harder on her

Shinobi: Yodaka sabotages Hachikuma's strings and turns them against him. Though heavy-handed, Yodaka straightening and braiding Hachikuma's discarded, tangled strings as a symbol of the value of putting effort into maintaining relationships is sweet

Hakutaku: The mechanics of the AR game are explained, but Hikuma sleeps through people actually enjoying it. Maybe it's cus I don't like mobile games, but I do not see the appeal of this game, which is probably the most damning indictment of a game design manga

Syd Craft: Elio is revealed to be Levie Olyn, Syd's favorite romance author, who became his assistant after he cleared her name in a case; she writes her books to vent her DEFINITELY NOT ROMANTIC feelings for Syd. That's a great dynamic, I love girls who pine, I'm super endeared to this idiot

My top 3 manga for the week are:

Undead Unluck, unsurprisingly, for its fantastic color page, multiple great spreads, and at least two of what will undoubtedly become the most iconic moments in the entire series; congrats on netting the final cover of the year!

Syd Craft for continuing to expand upon its concept in a way that really appeals to me; let it be known I never said Tsutsui was a bad author, I just said he was a coward

Kiyoshi for dodging the axe, establishing an interesting dynamic between Kiyoshi and Asuta, and the bravery to leave it on such a bleak cliffhanger

Runners up include Astro Royale and Shinobi Undercover, both for giving me some interesting symbolism to chew on, as well as Hima-Ten and Chojo for women in denial that fall short of Elio

Edit: I want to correct something I said last week - it does not seem like Bug Ego is joining Weekly Jump after all, I think someone I follow on twitter either got a bad tip or I misunderstood what they said. Bug Ego was added to the Shonen Jump app, not Shonen Jump itself. Apologies for any confusion!

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