Welcome to This Week in Shonen Jump, our weekly check in on Viz’s various Shonen Jump series. Viz has recently changed their release format, but our format will mostly remain the same. We will still review the newest chapters of one title a week, now with even more options at our disposal. The big change for our readers is that, even without a Shonen Jump subscription, you can read these most recent chapters for free at Viz.com or using their app.
This week, Robbie checks in with “Earthchild.” If you have thoughts on this or any other current Shonen Jump titles, please let us know in the comments!
Earthchild Disclosure #25: Unvarnished
Written and illustrated by Hideo Shinkai
Reviewed by Robbie Pleasant
“Earthchild” is a series that often seems uncertain of what it wants to be. It starts off as a “boy meets super-powered girl” story, then turns into the story of a father and his child trying to reunite with his wife while reshaping a secret government agency from the inside. Now it’s a story about a loving super-team of a family fighting against destiny and the planet itself.
All that within barely two dozen chapters. Which brings us to now. The schoolgirl-looking avatar of the Earth is threatening the main characters. So this gives us what is actually a pretty tense action scene, with Mamoru and Kareri doing their best to defend against every natural disaster getting thrown their way.
But any tense, dangerous moment in “Earthchild” is all about protecting one thing: family (and you can insert your own Fast and Furious joke here, because there’s plenty to be made). First it was Kareri protecting Reisuke, then it was Reisuke and Mamoru trying to save Kareri, now it’s Mamoru protecting his family. Even between the action scenes, we get no shortage of them just being a loving family, enjoying time with each other.
And honestly? I kind of like it. There’s no tsunderes, kuuderes, or any other kind of archetypical -dere. There’s no awkward misunderstandings, and Mamoru isn’t even going through a rebellious stage – it’s pretty refreshing to have characters that just genuinely care about each other and truly enjoy the time they get together.
That level of connection also makes the tense scenes all the more meaningful, because we as readers are caught up in their strong feelings through their internal dialogues. We understand how much they mean to each other, so we feel the same sense of fear that they do.
And Hideo Shinkai’s artwork certainly doesn’t hurt. It has a kind of clean, bold style about it that makes it easy on the eyes, while still giving us some excellent imagery. The use of dramatic shading and the way characters are framed at key dramatic moments adds to the impact and atmosphere, and we get some nicely dynamic and intense moments throughout the chapter.
Plus, we get some really nice details within the character designs, particularly when you get a look at the different characters’ eyes. So the artwork is a big plus.
Now, while the art and overarching theme are good, this chapter is not without its flaws. “Earthchild” does have a habit of using a lot of flashbacks and narration that interrupts the flow of the scene, and this chapter is no exception. When the flashbacks add something new, that’s one thing, but this chapter takes several pages to reinforce what we already know. Even the new information it introduces doesn’t really add much to the scene, nor is it particularly relevant at the moment.
In fact, it kind of feels like the flashbacks just add extra padding so that the chapter could end on the exact moment it does. But it doesn’t do much else for the story.
So while this chapter works quite well on its own, it does stumble here and there in the larger context of the manga. Still, the artwork is good, the characters are likable, and the overall theme works nicely. And sometimes that’s enough.
Final Verdict: 6.5 – A solid chapter that reinforces what makes “Earthchild” stand out, but also falls victim to its own flashbacks.
