Jump Review [2025: Issue 31]

Since I had a rare weekend with no plans, I watched about four recommended movies. Here are my quick thoughts on each:

National Treasure... so-so. Scarface... good. Gattaca... so-so. Taxi Driver... pretty good.

That's about it.

Also, I learned that Kiyoshi's Moonrise Kingdom, which was recommended to me, is a movie reference (apparently, there's a movie with that title). Ghost Fixers' From Dusk Till Dawn and stuff like that, there are a lot of movie references like this, aren't there? I just don't know them.

I'll also write my thoughts on Jump.

Table of Contents: Ekiden Bros, Kagura Bachi, One Piece, Ao no Hako (Blue Box), RoboKo, Witch Watch, Ichigo, Harukaze no Snegurochka, Oteru no Majo (Oteru's Witch), Akane Banashi, Nige Waka (Undead Unluck), Nue no Onmyouji (Nue's Onmyoji), Himena to Kenzaki (HimaTen), B no Hoshi Line (Starring B), Afterword

Ekiden Bros

I liked this quite a bit. First of all, I like cohabitation stories in general, not just rom-coms. You get to experience a sense of the extraordinary.

The fact that they're around 20th place in this marathon feels like they're trying to balance their abilities, which is good. Even though they won against someone with track and field experience, it was against a sprinter, so it feels like you can feel the catharsis of being able to do things you couldn't do before... but, judging from the last page, is there a possibility that the second episode will jump to college?

Honestly, if it were up to my preferences, I would have wanted them to become coaches (I'm more interested in them doing sports science stuff seriously), but well, it's a shonen manga, so I guess this is fine.

Kagura Bachi

Thanks to Sojo, the fight choreography is fresh and amazing every time. The basic abilities of the enchanted swords are three, but when it comes to enchanted sword battles, Fuchi Ten can essentially use five other abilities, so it really feels like an enchanted sword specifically for breaking enchanted swords.

Also, in this battle, it's nice that Chihiro's speech bubbles are larger and there are more exclamation marks in his dialogue. Usually, Chihiro has a strong impression of fighting coolly, and his speech bubbles are drawn small as if he's muttering while considering things, but this time it's different. You can feel Chihiro's own passion in the gap between his usual self.

I think "I don't mind getting hurt" was Igura's line when he came to the Slaughter Hotel, but it's great how Chihiro is reclaiming it here. The way the mobs are used is good in Kagura Bachi.

Stories about adults and children are exciting, aren't they? It's simply exciting when you see it as a child, but it's good how the way you see it changes after you become an adult. Also, Chihiro feels quite mature for this kind of story. He's not just whining because things don't go his way, but he's trying to stick to his principles.

One Piece

Harald reformed more quickly than I expected. The circumstances of him joining the World Government are quite legitimate.

Ida had quite a few good scenes just this time. The scene where she was locked in a cage, for example, I initially thought was a typical scene of being put on display, but looking back, I realized that she was deliberately acting like she was being put on display, and I was made to read it while holding Harald's prejudices, which I regret a little.

It's good that they can accept that royalty should be pure-blooded as a culture. If this were a typical story, it would be "Screw tradition!", but I actually think that traditions and culture are important things, so when I think about it in terms of the Japanese Imperial family, putting aside the debate about whether it's right or wrong, it's easier to imagine the feelings of those who oppose it and the significance of protecting the culture.

I'm just happy to see this kind of convincing betrayal.

Ao no Hako (Blue Box)

Kyo's appearance is too much like a hero from a shoujo manga.

This week, it was vaguely revealed that Ayame is dating him because she wants to be someone who can continue with the same person for a long time, and she's looking for reasons to convince herself that "choosing this person is the right thing to do". It's definitely a rather passive reason for dating, so there still seems to be a chance for a reversal.

Maybe she'll talk to Kyo a little, laugh without thinking about it, and realize her feelings? If that's the case, the boyfriend is pitiful, but well, it's okay for him, I guess.

RoboKo

Unexpected Cat's Eye reference. Well, they're doing a City Hunter movie recently, and Cat's Eye also appeared, so maybe it's surprisingly getting through to people.

But it wasn't a joke that you wouldn't understand if you didn't know the original reference, so I enjoyed it normally. RoboKo dancing in the city at night in the last scene was just funny and made me laugh.

Witch Watch

They're starting to move the story. Is it okay for her to confess to Morihito, who is supposedly still in guardian mode?

Is it going to be a pattern where she gets rejected, becomes an adult, feels awkward, and leaves, and then an attack happens while she's away for a month?

Ichigo

It seems like Gokuraku will become an ally.

But honestly, the Bakugami arc was just okay. The developments just before the 1st anniversary of recent battle manga, like the Cursed Womb arc in Jujutsu Kaisen, the vs. Lip arc in Undead Unluck, and the Rakusaichi arc in Kagura Bachi, are series that I can still look back on and think are incredibly interesting. I feel like Ichigo is a little lacking in that regard.

Harukaze no Snegurochka

The Rising Slider has an original special pitch feel to it, which is really good. It's a properly existing breaking ball, but it's so rare that it also has a special move feel to it. In the sense that it bounces up towards you, it reminds me of a twist serve.

Speaking of manga with a left-handed, underhand pitcher as the protagonist, there's Saikyou! Toritsu Aoizaka Koukou Yakyuubu (Strongest! Metropolitan Aoi-zaka High School Baseball Club), but Kitaro in that manga had a lot of breaking balls that sank to the outside, if I remember correctly (I've only skimmed through it, and almost all I remember is that Suzune was cute and that he was trying to heal injuries with the inner membrane of an egg).

Speaking of Aoizaka, what this manga is missing is a cute heroine. Can I expect one?

Oteru no Majo (Oteru's Witch)

There are iron spirits too.

I can't help but wonder if they ever carry coal while it's burning, but the intrusion itself, taking advantage of the fire resistance, was quite good.

Akane Banashi

Masaki-shisho's standards are easy to understand, which is good. Zenmai was a good stepping stone, like Rinna-chan from Medalist. It's helpful to have a character who creates the standards in the story, who doesn't win championships but gets good scores without any problems.

The real thing starts from here, so I have high expectations for Hikaru's performance.

As an aside, the other day, a friend said, "Most people don't know what's good, so unless there's something ordinary to compare good things to, people who make truly good things won't be appreciated. In that sense, hobbyist doujin activities and production activities by people whose skills and abilities haven't caught up are meaningful, and by broadening the base, it becomes easier for truly good things to appear." I found this way of thinking very convincing and was a little impressed. It's a good perspective that can view things in the world quite positively, and I thought, "This guy is smart!!!"

Nige Waka (Undead Unluck)

Genba was super cool, but he was ruined in the last panel. Actually, I don't really like poop jokes (because sometimes I imagine them and the discomfort wins), but it ended with an extremely uncomfortable image, which made me laugh. With this, even extreme fans won't riot and demand a collaboration, so I'm relieved.

I really didn't know about Genba no Jo. But I'm still amazed by how well they link it to reality. I'm just happy that the story is still appearing even in the age of trains. It's good that I can live in a world connected to characters I've come to like, and the fact that I can still think, "Maybe I can meet them?" makes it more interesting than just satisfying intellectual curiosity.

Nue no Onmyouji (Nue's Onmyoji)

Yoruso Tamago is seriously cute. I really like the design and character. But recently, I've been constantly arguing about who Yoruso Tamago's mother is, but in terms of her origins, Nue is the only mother, isn't she? The awkward scene at the end was also erotic, which was good.

Also, the ability of Tsukusu Utsuwa (Vessel of Devotion) was also cooler than the Hitodama mode from the previous Mankin.

Himena to Kenzaki (HimaTen)

The placement in the magazine is too harsh, please help me.

That being said, this week was really good. I like confident characters in the first place, but it's really good how she's properly feeling down and then pulling confidence from somewhere else and working hard.

There was a school festival date, but it ended up confirming that she's in a disadvantageous position. There's also the problem of not having dates that she mentioned this time (well, for other characters, being alone together at home every day would be too enviable, and it might just be a case of the grass being greener on the other side).

I'm looking forward to the onslaught from next week.

B no Hoshi Line (Starring B)

It's over. Well... it was vague about what it was going to do until the very end. I understand that it's a story about the protagonist's recovery, but it was quite fatal that it didn't present how Beethoven's involvement would make it enjoyable to read, and there were really no clues about the mysteries surrounding Beethoven either.

If you're going to leave a device related to the entire story a mystery, you need to build it up so that even if you release important information little by little, there's still depth to it, otherwise it will end up being vague... It's not fun until the mystery is revealed. The first half of Undead Unluck, for example, was super interesting because it was regularly releasing information that turned the world upside down, so it felt like there was no bottom to it, so that's what I think is ideal.

As a result, I think the impression that the manga left the most was that it had a big-boobed heroine. I didn't dislike Kohai-chan, and I wanted to support the protagonist's growth, so it's a shame, but it feels like it's deserved...

Afterword

I'll reply to comments (I really appreciate that you're commenting at a time when I don't have anything to write).

I have expectations for Kaede Gami. Sexy breasts solve everything.

> I couldn't see any boobs this week because it was almost all owls, but are you still breathing? It seems like there's going to be a development where they look for the body, but will enemies with boobs appear?

I want Sanji to have Conqueror's Haki and stand alongside Zoro.

It seems like it's likely to happen, so I'm looking forward to it.

I'm curious about what they were saying.

> I understand that you want Sanji to be on par with Zoro, but when I reread One Piece from the beginning, Oda-cchi has always differentiated the strength of Zoro's combat ability and Sanji's behind-the-scenes work. Zoro is the only one in the crew who participated in the Kaido battle.

Also, I just noticed that there's a meaningful panel of Sanji regarding Conqueror's Haki. It seems like there's definitely something going on. Personally, I wanted Zoro to master Armament Haki and Sanji to master Observation Haki, so I'd be happy if it was in that direction.

That's all for this week. I don't have any plans to go out for a while, so I'm waiting for your comments. See you next week~