“Shirin” I confess I’m still not especially caught up in the story for this arc, which I’m enjoying mostly for the fanservice and the cat. It’s certainly the weakest in the series dramatically, even if it is allowing Mori-sensei to express her artistic talents in truly breathtaking fashion, and I’d […] Read more
“Hello/Just a Walk/That’s How a Childhood Friend Should Be” While waiting more than three months between releases is obviously less than ideal, in terms purely of consumption it might not be such a bad way to read Adachi Mitsuru. His narrative approach is so deliberate that one chapter per month […] Read more
“The Men’s Bath/Nice to Meet You” Whatever your tastes, I imagine Mori Kaoru supplied some kind of service in these chapters of Otoyomegatari. Manservice, cat service, the usual service (hubba, hubba), food service… The woman sure knows her way around ink and paper. “The Men’s Bath” isn’t really a full […] Read more
In which Suetsugu Yuki displays an unprecedented level of sadism. In my last Chihayafuru post I alluded to the 2009 British Open as a model for what was playing out. For those of you not sports fans, that was the event in which Tom Watson was one hole – one […] Read more
Tom Watson. Turnberry. 2009. There was quite a bit of lingering doubt in my mind going into this chapter about how I’d feel when the moment of truth came – such is the brilliance of Suetsugu-sensei’s humanization of Suou-meijin. But when those final cards were being read, despite all that […] Read more
You gotta love sports! In the midst of the most sports-heavy schedule in recent anime history (certainly at the top of the quality spectrum at least) Chihayafuru weighs in with what I’d call a “straight sports” chapter, a reminder that it can tackle this material with the best of them […] Read more
“Sister-Bride” It seems an odd thing to say about any Mori Kaoru chapter – especially one with so many curves – but as I was reading “Sister-Bride” it struck me that the art wasn’t quite up to Mori-sensei’s usual standard. Or at least that it was different, somehow. Maybe it’s […] Read more
This series has certainly taken a surprising and intriguing turn. Without a doubt, one of the most appealing aspects of Chihayafuru is that it can entertain, enlighten and emotionally engage in so many ways. One might say that is both a great strength and a great weakness, and further that […] Read more
HE IS BACK Update: the official return date is the 6/2 issue of WSJ. The tagline: “What is being aimed for is darkness. What is being hunted is hope. What blocks the way is endless despair.” Hunter X Hunter is returning to Weekly Shounen Jump, starting in June. This time […] Read more