Jump Review [2025: Issue 41] and the Tale of Taiyo Park Visited During Obon

I went to Sakuya Konohana Kan. I heard there was an exhibition of carnivorous plants, but the permanent exhibition itself was interesting, and the carnivorous plants were added to it in a nice way. There was also an opening event for carnivorous plants, but I felt bad that two old guys barged into an event clearly made for children (all the other customers were adults, and the instructor lady seemed awkward). I'll write my Jump review now.

Table of Contents: Jujutsu Kaisen, Modulo, One Piece, Witch, Akane, Bachi, Nige Waka, HimaTen, Nue, Ping Pong, Othel, Nice Prison, Afterword

Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo

Wow, what a pleasant surprise! When I saw the cover, the words "Jujutsu Kaisen" were so big that I thought, "Even if the previous work sold well, it's not okay to write it bigger than the title of the new series!" But it really was Jujutsu Kaisen. Even though the world of Jujutsu Kaisen is the foundation, the amount of information in the first episode was packed in, which was great. The Jujutsu elements are almost entirely on the enemy's side, and the Okkotsu siblings are hardcore martial artists, which is a refreshing change. The Cursed Tools seem like normal physical gifts in terms of depiction (I feel like the Toji type wouldn't be caught by transfer techniques that select targets based on cursed energy. They can't recognize domains either). I don't think they can see curses, so are they covering it with ring power or contacts? Normal physical gifts felt like a bad draw in the main story, but maybe they're just the right performance in a world where Gojo is gone? Also, I felt some Akutami-sensei-like touches in the way the Cursed Tools were written. Also, you can use Shin Kage-style sword drawing without cursed energy; it's just swordsmanship, right? Yuuka was lively throughout and I liked her a lot. I feel refreshed reading about a straightforward character like this. I ended up talking about the Cursed Tools for a long time due to the setting, but I enjoyed reading it because Yuuka is cute. Also, I saw a post saying that Okkotsu gave Rika's ring to his grandchild, and Rika was teary-eyed, and I thought, "That's true." But the ring was the bond between Rika in the afterlife and Okkotsu, so I decided to forgive him because it became unnecessary for Okkotsu, who can now go to the afterlife and meet Rika directly. Maybe Maki died first because she wanted to prevent her husband from flirting with his ex in the afterlife. Also, am I the only one who thinks that Okkotsu and Maki's artwork looks like Akutami's? The way the silhouettes are drawn, the way the fingers are drawn, there's a lot of information, so I can't write all my impressions, but overall it was great. It's good that it feels like you can't accept such a wild setting without the original creator behind it. The artwork was also cool, and it seems like they've had a losing streak for about half a year, but I'm looking forward to it.

Ichi

Desukaras is too capable. I'm happy that Jixiro-ne seems to be getting fleshed out.

One Piece

Rocks's goal at God Valley is too much like that of a parent. Davy Back Fight is often treated as an unnecessary episode, but thanks to that, I remember the name Davy Jones, and I've come to think it's important. I wonder what the Davy family is up to. It's definitely related to the Void Century, and the fact that Im-sama told Rocks about the Davy family means that they're a family that's inconvenient for the government. But characters from about three generations ago are all involved in this time.

Witch

Kamase is really pitiful because he's being made a stepping stone in a fixed race rather than because he lacks ability. Personally, I might have wanted to see his character get twisted because he wasn't invited by Jekyll.

Akane

The explanation for raising Karashi's artistry was beautiful. The flow of deduction due to large additive factors was convincing, and it was a good review round where you could also see that Karashi's beliefs haven't wavered. Next week is finally Akane! The idea of winning without making people laugh is such an impossible challenge that I'm too excited to see what kind of reasoning she'll use to fight.

Bachi

The author takes a bath every time his manuscript gets bad. Even though this is such a peaceful episode, why are his eyes so bloodshot in every panel? I've also recently come to think that life is more enjoyable if you go out and enjoy everything to the fullest without being cynical, but I don't think you have to be this serious. Also, as for today's old woman, there's no need to introduce her using a whole panel.

Nige Waka

I'm happy that virgins and otaku (and their families) are appearing. I'm very sympathetic to Unno-dono for personal reasons, so it's okay if he's happy even if he loses his virginity and military power. The flow of stone towers breaking off due to differences in interpretation was also good for otaku's daily life. Also, I didn't know that Uesugi Kenshin and this Uesugi were from the same family. It's interesting when it connects to people you know.

HimaTen

Kanna, what happened to you? Aren't you a little too strong? I might become a regular fan. I thought Kanna was a step below Himari and Ponoka, but I've really come to like her a lot in the last two weeks. Love comedies are fun to read when all the heroines are strong.

Nue

As expected, it was interesting. The fact that Isshu is opposed to Suzaku wasn't that noticeable in the chaotic beginning, but when it came time to kill him, I naturally wanted some kind of excuse, and they came up with a really good reason. Is this finally the end? Isshu has been a consistently cute series during the Suzaku arc.

Ping Pong

I was so moved when Tsuji started destroying his side of the table. When this match started, I thought, "Other than the fact that the opponent is muscular, it's normal table tennis, or rather, it's normal for Ping Pong, but that's refreshing in a way," and I'm really sorry. You can do this much, right? It's funny that his testosterone is increasing so much that he's growing a beard. Of course, the way he messes around is good, but the way he shows Hira's coolness is also good. It's cool that he opens up and defeats his opponent, and it's also cool that he's standing firm in the front.

Othel

Next week's color page is a surprise! Can they do it? Somehow, a rival who's an extremely strong flame swordsman called Shinken appeared this week, but it was also normally interesting this week. Battle manga should be about each person using their abilities to fight. The flow of problem occurrence, feinting to use abilities, and activation was consistently well-paced and good.

Nice Prison

It's over. Well, yeah, that's how it is. I feel like the jokes were clearly weak. I feel like there were a lot of surreal gags, so it would have been helpful to be told how to laugh at the jokes with commentary, but I got the impression that it often ended with a simple explanation of the situation. To be honest, I almost couldn't laugh at all. Gags and jokes alike are funnier when there's something unexpected, so the fact that there was nothing like that was tough.

Afterword

Obon Memories Series: Today, I'm going to talk about my visit to Taiyo Park. It's a mysterious park with a castle area that recreates Neuschwanstein Castle, which is said to be the model for Cinderella Castle, and a stone area that recreates statues such as terracotta warriors and Moai. It was in Himeji. As for the castle, the inside is almost entirely a trick art exhibition, which is too mysterious, even if the exterior is similar. I thought they should give the interior more atmosphere, but I enjoyed the trick art quite a bit. It might be good to go with the assumption that it's that kind of place. The exterior, especially the area outside from the second floor, had a good atmosphere, so the stone area was really good. The countries and eras are all different, but there were a lot of statues of gods and other things from unknown countries, which made me excited. It's fun to experience different cultures even with imitations. Personally, I like the Olmec people the most because they're the most incomprehensible.

There's nothing around it, and the stone area is surprisingly hilly, so it's hard to see everything, so I recommend going prepared. I wanted to go to a cafe in the middle because it was hot, but all the cafes in the park were closed (but there were some in the castle area). That's how this week ends. Actually, I went to a Western art exhibition this week, and it was good, but I don't have the knowledge to output something that I can show to people. If you're bored, I recommend going to the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art. See you again!