Welcome to This Week in Shonen Jump, in which a rotating duo of Multiversity staffers take a look at two stories contained in each installment of Viz Media’s Weekly Shonen Jump. For the uninitiated, Weekly Shonen Jump is an anthology that delivers more than 200 pages of manga of all varieties. We hope that you’ll join us in exploring the world of Weekly Shonen Jump each week. If you are unfamiliar, you can read sample chapters and subscribe at Viz.com.
This week, Robbie and Ken check in with “Robot X Laserbeam” and “Cross Account.” and If you have any thoughts on these titles, or “One Piece,” “My Hero Academia,” “Dr. Stone,” “The Promised Neverland,” “We Never Learn,” “One Punch Man,” “Hunter X Hunter,” or “Food Wars,” let us know in the comments!
“Cross Account” Chapter 3
Written and illustrated by Tsunehiro Date
Reviewed by Robbie Pleasant
So, “Cross Account” has had a good three chapters in Shonen Jump, and has so far moved at a nice pace as far as setups go. First, we got to know the male protagonist, then the second chapter revealed the obvious twist that his online best friend is his celebrity crush, and we got to see the story from her perspective. This is the chapter where those two paths meet, though only one realizes it.
Fortunately, unlike other attempts at romantic comedy in this magazine, “Cross Account” doesn’t rely on cheap fan service or the oh-so-cliche “characters topple onto each other in awkward ways” gag to an annoying degree. (In fact, while previous chapters did have plenty of panty flashes, they only stood to illustrate how completely harmless the other characters see Daichi as.) Instead, the manga actually lets us get to know the characters via internal monologues and honest emotional reactions. As such, in these three chapters we’ve been given, we’ve gotten to know Daichi and Nanoka to at least a moderate degree.
That said, that doesn’t necessarily make it a great series. While both Daichi and Nanoka do have some relatable qualities, our protagonist has yet to properly grow on me as a character. Sure, we all know people who are very different online than in real life, even to as intense a degree as Daichi is, but he needs at least some endearing qualities in order to really connect with him.
However, this chapter is mostly Nanoka-centric, and she’s a somewhat more compelling character. Her inner turmoil throughout the chapter is illustrated nicely both through her thoughts, her nervous behavior, and of course, the illustrations themselves. It builds up her anticipation throughout the chapter, drawing the reader in and making us wonder how she’s going to react when they finally meet.
As far as the artwork goes, it’s passable for any manga series. Tsunehiro Date does a good job with various character designs; Daichi looks just as unremarkable as he’s designed to be, while still being recognizable as the protagonist, and Nanoka does look sufficiently cute. The array of character designs gets properly shown off during the handshake event, where a wide array of types goes through the line, from the stereotypical creepy otaku to a freakishly tall fan in an ill-fitting t-shirt.
Where the art’s real strength lies, though, is in the characters’ expressions. There are pages where the internal monologues are accompanied by varying looks on Nanoka’s face, from frightened to a shoujo-style blush to a look of nervous determination. The expressions alone add a level of emotion to each scene, allowing us to better connect to Nanoka. Thus, the moment where they finally meet is not about Daichi, the presumed protagonist, meeting the actress he has a crush on, but rather, a nervous girl finally meeting her first true friend face-to-face. That switch makes this chapter of “Cross Account” work nicely and brings the first few chapters to a fine meeting point.
This could be the last chapter of “Cross Account” to show up in the pages of Shonen Jump, like many a Jump Start Run before it. If you liked it, fill out the survey to try to keep it; if not, well, on to the next one. Overall, though, it’s a decent romantic comedy series, which has potential to develop the plot and characters into something pretty good.
Continued belowFinal Verdict: 6.7 – While not a spectacular series overall, this chapter does a good job at getting us into Nanoka’s head, paces itself nicely, and provides some good character moments and expressions. It’s nothing to write home about yet, but it has its moments.
Robot x Laserbeam Chapter 15
Written & Illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki
Review by Ken Godberson III
As we know, golf is a fake, rubbish sport played by the most insipid of yuppie bastards. Now, that’s sarcasm. Golf is a sport like any other, requiring its own set of skills and body conditioning. It’s just I’d rather see a golf club used in a no holds barred street fight if you get my drift. But hey, part of this column is about us leaving our comfort zones and trying things we didn’t expect and Yuri on Ice got me to care about figure skating last year, so maybe “Robot x Laserbeam” can do that now?
After reading this chapter: Unfortunately not the case. The golf aspects didn’t impact me, I was hoping the strength of character would be enough to garner interest and that wasn’t the case either. This is a very brisk chapter, involving a practice game for the club where we see Robato and Tomoya tee off against “The Emperor” Kyousuke Suzaku, a kind of golfing prodigy. This chapter starts the game and has the first stroke from each of the two and display their skills and personality. Suzaku is all confidence and aggression (not in a malicious way) as he gets off his first swing and Tomoya is pissed out of his mind with nervousness. As for Robato… look, I get that his seriousness and reserved nature is part of it and him opening up seems to be part of this series. I get that… but it still doesn’t change that he’s kind of dull. I feel bad saying that, because this manga is still in early days, but even with his internal monologue, he still felt that way.
Fujimaki’s artwork is solid and when he gets to show off the boys’ golfing skills, he makes the shots very dynamic. From Tomoya to Suzaku to Robato, the shots drawn become more and more grand. I enjoy that he provides an overview layout of the first hole to provide visual context when they talk about positioning on the field. He also does a good job of visual personality, with Suzaku rarely not having a smile on, from confident to downright smarmy at the end. It does send signals that this guy is good and, more importantly, knows that he’s good.
As my first dip in this manga, “Robot x Laserbeam” Chapter 15 didn’t endear itself to me but it wasn’t really the fault of the manga. This chapter was a decent, if very brisk, one. There is potential in this series, even if it isn’t one for me, and hoping to see it grow and gain an audience that’ll appreciate it.
Final Verdict: 6.3- Solid artwork doesn’t fully make up for a rapid pace and some thin character work.
