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 return to talk about both a classic and a Jump Start story. If you have any thoughts on the two titles discussed this week, or thoughts on “One Piece,” “Dr. Stone,” “One Punch Man” “The Promised Neverland,” “Food Wars,” “Black Clover,” let us know in the comments!
My Hero Academia Ch. 129
Written & Illustrated Kohei Horikoshi
Reviewed by Ken Godberson III
Well. One chapter was all it took to get me to hate Chisaki.
I’ll be honest, “My Hero Academia” is a book I’ve always been in and out with keeping an eye on and it’s been quite a bit. And I’ll have to give Horikoshi some credit, if he wanted me to hate Chisaki a.k.a. Overhaul, leader of the Shie Hassaikai, he managed to do it in record time. This chapter has a madly uncomfortable scene of implied child abuse that deals with Chisaki and his maybe-daughter, Eri. Eri is positively terrified to go back with Chisaki, as she grips Midoriya’s arm. And credit to Midoriya as well, he is quick to realize what is going on in this situation and even when Eri ends up going with Chisaki, it angers Midoriya because -in his words- “no true hero would abandon a child in fear”. If you are someone jumping into this here, it is a great character moment to get us to side with Midoriya.
Credit has to go to Horiokoshi’s artwork here for really selling such a terrifying moment. The one page where we see Eri’s face as she clutches desperately to Midoriya is as fearful as it is heartbreaking. Those eyes. Those eyes. Horiokoshi also does a great job depicting subtle flashes of anger and malice from Chisaki to produces a character that you just despise with only a small handful of interactions. Not just the interactions with Eri, Chisaki shows little regard for his subordinates as well, as he punches one so hard into a wall the subordinate essentially becomes paste. And while nowhere near as visually grim as some other things I’ve seen in manga, it’s still unsettling.
If it seems like I’m over-analyzing specific character moments it’s because this chapter is really decompressed. The interactions between Midoriya, Mirio, Eri and Chisaki takes up at least three-fourths of the chapter and while the beginning has a nice character moment for Mirio, it is overtaken by the really disturbing part of this issue. It’s not like certain American superhero writers I’ve derided for their decompression; this chapter is decompressed but in the good way. Having moments that are actually impactful and memorable. It has been a while for me with “My Hero”, but it has certainly got me on board.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – An intentionally uncomfortable chapter that makes me want to see what’s coming next.
Hungry Marie Chapter 3
Written and illustrated by Ryuhei Tamura
Reviewed by Robbie Pleasant
Thus far, “Hungry Marie” has been a series that enjoys spending a lot of time on comedic exposition, a bit of action, and stopping right when we get a new twist. However, after three chapters, it seems like we’re finally getting the plot fully set up. Sort of.
As readers may have guessed by the way the last chapter ended, Taiga and Marie now share the same body, which switches physically (including clothes, for some reason) depending on whether or not they’re hungry. The catch? Taiga’s in control when it’s Marie’s body, and vice-versa. So you’d think it would have some of the stylings of classic gender-bending series like “Ranma 1/2,” or perhaps a touch of body sharing mishaps.
Continued belowYet the manga falls victim to its own pacing, as it lets plot points drop just for the humor of it. A mysterious organization they’re ominously referencing? Nope, just cancelled, isn’t that a hoot? While I’m sure we’ll get more on that later, it just seems like it’s being brought up then brushed aside as the manga tries to hurry from one point to the next.
That said, when it takes a minute to slow down, we do get some good moments. Marie-Therese’s tale is an interesting one, and there’s something endearing about the moments when she’s enjoying snack foods. Anna Sagimiya is getting a bit of character development set up, and I’m sure we’ll get some decent romantic comedy out of her growing feelings while Taiga and Marie keep swapping bodies and minds back and forth.
Ryuhei Tamura definitely has a plan for this series; it’s setting up plenty of plot points to pick up and develop on. It just feels like it’ll take a while before it can touch on any of those.
However, credit must be given for the artwork, because the manga looks very nice. The character designs alone are very solid, and I’m sure if the series catches on we’ll be seeing some wonderful Marie cosplayers. There’s some great shading effects during the scenes where Taiga/Marie enjoys a meal, and the scene where Anna explains Marie-Therese’s history to Taiga is very well drawn.
Additionally, the comedy is enhanced by the artwork, which helps keep the pacing fast and the moments expressive. Whenever Taiga and Anna’s father shout at each other, their faces fill the panel, with wide, shouting mouths and angry lines across their faces. The juxtaposition of Marie’s well-dressed form and Taiga’s angry expression adds well to it, giving the character a strong voice and presence.
Last but not least, it seems like the manga wants to be an action series at times, and it does that quite well. We’ve seen Taiga pull some nice martial arts moves, and now we get to see his grandma swing around a sword. The action is fluid, powerful, and full of impact, although it only lasts a few pages. (I also love the grandmother’s character design, and the look on her face when she sees the “disgusting Sagimiya ghost.”)
Final Verdict: 5.8 – While it’s got some great artwork, it’s still trying to find its footing, and sacrifices story development for brief bits of comedy. It has potential to grow, but has yet to really have a “wow” moment to keep readers engaged and coming back.
