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[Kreed]

Toriko:

I just keep hearing about how Toriko will be popular but haven't noticed any of you making specific comments as to how good you personally think it is. The descprition sounds retarded, a guy runs out and hunts wild creatures for food dishes? Is the series actually good? Just one of those silly premises to start off but takes a turn later?

That's because no one actually thinks it's as good as One Piece right now story wise. It's just a "fun" manga to read IMO because the action is so over the top and the story is light hearted.

Berserk:

You do know that when Berserk goes on break it is not actually Miura going on break, but Young Animal putting the series on hiatus right? The only actual break he has taken was the one where the Idolmaster comments came from and that was years ago.

What happens is Young Animal waits until he has drawn about 3 episodes then they release those in a batch. Then they put the series on hold for 3-4 months while Miura draws another 3 or so and release those in a batch again and so forth.

Really, the problem is that Berserk is a monthly series published in a biweekly magazine.

My comments were more in reference to Erigu and his responses to my original post where I made an comment about Miura playing Idolmaster. I know Miura and Togashi aren't taking these breaks/hiatuses just to play video games.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Beelzebub is fully cleaned and translated but the proofreader isn't here because the translator got on earlier than expected. Regardless, we're not too far from release. Assuming a typesetter gets online within a reasonable time frame.

 

[Belfast]

I just keep hearing about how Toriko will be popular but haven't noticed any of you making specific comments as to how good you personally think it is. The descprition sounds retarded, a guy runs out and hunts wild creatures for food dishes? Is the series actually good? Just one of those silly premises to start off but takes a turn later?

It does have a silly premise, but I like it because it seems to be taking more cues from classic shonen mangas than its contemporaries. Someone mentioned the lack of drama, but that's because it's one of those "manly" stories. The art style also reminds me of older shonen series. So far, it has remained fun to read and the main characters don't get all bogged down feeling sorry for themselves (like certain *other* currently popular mangas). It pretty much follows Shonen Jumps core philosophy of "Friendship, Struggle, Victory" to a tee.

 

[Articalys]

I think that this is because of the reasons I stated really. Those three are the only ones that get consistent filler and anime episodes despite not having any manga content to animate (UGH). Along with not taking any seasonal breaks...along with Naruto and Bleach having long running, and currently on-going English dubs in America.

No new manga next week though

Ah, so identifiying them as the "big 3" is a combination of all three being "always on", as it were, Naruto/Bleach success in USA and One Piece success in Japan. Got it.

 

[Squall ASF]

Capture level and monster design is a high point for me at 4 volumes in. Design of dishes that are served and the skill of the chef, Komatsu are, interesting, kind of endearing. I will admit though, it seemed to take the series to 20 or so chapters to finally establish an antagonistic entity, which I thought was kind of slow. But it has high climax over the top action, so it kept me hooked.

The description should be updated, Hunter(s) go out to protect or capture myriad beasts for gourmet organization in the face of an counter organization working to capture them too.

Fun series.

So are there good battles against the rival hunters? or are all the battles against monsters and they just try to capture the strongest monsters before the other? Just wouldn't want to read a series about fighting mindless monsters. Although this is manga, so perhaps the monsters can think and talk and are more similar to oni?

 

[Erigu]

Why exactly are you "ranting" at me specifically?

It isn't my intention to single you out.
But I don't understand your insistence regarding the Idolmaster thingy... "Just Google it, and you'll see!" That's how you can tell it's not just a silly running joke, really? The guy says he bought a game, and that's it: that's why he takes months-long breaks? I mean, c'mon...

Plenty of mangaka take breaks regularly to "gather research" or to take care of their kids with no complaints from manga fans other than "where's the next issue of x?".

Togashi and Miura get a lot of flack... Personally, I'd trade a dozen of passable authors who never skip an issue for just one of those guys, breaks or not.

that doesn't mean people don't have the right to complain or have negative discussion about mangakas that take multiple multi month/year long breaks between 20-30 page issues of chicken scratches and stories that barely move an inch since the last issues. Hell most mangakas would be fired for pulling stunts like this, especially since manga magazines are competitive and other mangas are canceled in order to make room for these stories because of their popularity.

I can understand other, less privileged mangaka being annoyed at what Miura and Togashi get away with, but that's about it. I think this is all very silly, spoiled readers with an odd sense of entitlement, absurd serialization norms and criterias...

the reason we have these negative criticisms isn't because of a sense of entitlement, it's just comparing mangaka A's work ethic to mangaka B's. If you see 50 mangakas releasing a steady stream of issues every month/week and one that only releases a issue once every 9 months, you're going to ask what's going on with the one who has slower releases.

I might not immediately assume it's a problem of "work ethic" though.
Work ethic is all about the pace of the serialization? A slow serialization necessarily implies bad work ethic? Really, now?

And stop acting like mangaka like Miura and Togashi have to draw these mangas by themselves.

I don't remember doing that (on the other hand, you seem to be forgetting about the plot).

mangaka like Togashi refuse to hire assistants/insist on working alone.

Merely internet lore, I believe.

 

[Lain]

It isn't my intention to single you out.
But I don't understand your insistence regarding the Idolmaster thingy... "Just Google it, and you'll see!" That's how you can tell it's not just a silly running joke, really? The guy says he bought a game, and that's it: that's why he takes months-long breaks? I mean, c'mon...

I believe you're taking it way too seriously. It's just that Miura went on hiatus and mentioned idolmaster, and went on hiatus again as the second game came out. Poking fun at him and giving him flack seems pretty understandable to me, real or not.
Just as it is completely understandable to give flack to Suzue Miuchi, because after more than 30 years (35 years, to be exact) a series should be complete and not be ongoing still. People died and never found out who will inherit the rights to The Crimson Goddess play!

 

[Angry Grimace]

Naruto comes in first all of the time in America, is that what you're saying?

...When did I say it didn't? Or are you talking about Japan?

In the actual readers polls in Japan. The volumes don't sell as much as One Piece but that hardly means it's not a super mega hit in Japan. That statement has no context at all.

Ah, so identifiying them as the "big 3" is a combination of all three being "always on", as it were, Naruto/Bleach success in USA and One Piece success in Japan. Got it.

It's not accurate either. Those are the most popular series in Japan too (well Bleach is kind of trailing, last I looked). Making it sound like Naruto's popularity is roughly equivalent to everything else in the market is just wrong. It's considerably more popular than 99.5% of series. One Piece just happens to sell three times as much as it.

 

[Erigu]

I believe you're taking it way too seriously.

I'm actually surprised that so many people take what's (obviously?) just a joke so literally...

Just as it is completely understandable to give flack to Suzue Miuchi, because after more than 30 years (35 years, to be exact) a series should be complete and not be ongoing still.

I heard something about her ending up in a sect, at some point? ^__^;
I wouldn't give her flack though: I think it's hilarious.

 

[Crash Station]

Crime and Punishment

Took a break from battle stuff to check this out. Never read the book, so it's all new to me and pretty awesome. Just got to the part where the dude finally kills the bitch.

 

[Lain]

I heard something about her ending up in a sect, at some point? ^__^;
I wouldn't give her flack though: I think it's hilarious.

Well, at least she swore she's gonna end it "soon"! XD

 

[Stat Flow]

In the actual readers polls in Japan. It doesn't sell as much as One Piece but that hardly means it's not a super mega hit in Japan. That statement has no context at all.

What statement? I don't understand what I said that you were getting at. I said that One Piece is a ridiculous blockbuster in terms of sales. Naruto lags behind it (but is obviously still popular)...and Bleach lags far behind it.

Naruto lagging behind one piece doesn't mean it's a slouch in sales. One Piece is just that ridiculous. I never said Naruto wasn't high up there - I've acknowledged that it is pretty much second only to One Piece in terms of popularity in Japan.

What I was saying that if we were talking about Japan sales only, One Piece would be, as far as popularity, in a class of its own. Thanks to the massive popularity that Naruto (and to a lesser extent, Bleach) has in America, it can compete in overall popularity of One Piece in the manga world.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Last time I had checked, actually, Fairy Tail was outselling Bleach by a considerable margin. For the record, I have no clue why I'm arguing this point; I don't fucking care about sales numbers at all.

I guess my point is that I just don't see the need to try to extrapolate how much the average person gives a shit about X series in some other country. The reality is, the US manga sales market was mostly built on shitty shojos, which is why the market for manga in the US is mostly collapsing.

 

[Stat Flow]

You're trying to infer that Naruto is on par with every other series in Jump, when it really isn't.

No, I'm not. I never even talked about Jump or all of the series in Jump. I prefaced my post with the big 3 (and why Bleach is considered apart of it even though it isn't as popular as Naruto in Japan and not even close to One Piece). That's all I was ever talking about. In the case of the big 3, i was simply comparing the three. One Piece is first. Naruto is behind OP, and Bleach is far behind OP.

Edit: And no, it probably doesn't matter who reads what where and how much they care. But neither do half of the things we discuss in threads, right

 

[Erigu]

Well, at least she swore she's gonna end it "soon"! XD

Hahaha!
"Soon, don't worry! And for the time being, I think I'll retcon 6 volumes' worth of content out of existence and rewrite the whole thing! How long could it possibly take?"
In 2024, readers will wonder about the timeline: "first a cell phone, and now, they're going to the Moon Station Theatre?"

 

[Stat Flow]

Beelzebub is fully cleaned and translated but the proofreader isn't here because the translator got on earlier than expected. Regardless, we're not too far from release. Assuming a typesetter gets online within a reasonable time frame.

Oh, I missed this. First new chapter to read since I got caught up. Looking forward to seeing what Oga has done.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Erigu is the guy that trolls the lost thread, isn't he?

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Oh, I missed this. First new chapter to read since I got caught up. Looking forward to seeing what Oga has done.

We are stalled right now at the typesetting phase because our typesetters all live in the eastern hemisphere and they need to wake up. Once one of them does, it'll be maybe half an hour to release. Just a stone's throw away from completion.

 

[Kreed]

Toriko:

So are there good battles against the rival hunters? or are all the battles against monsters and they just try to capture the strongest monsters before the other? Just wouldn't want to read a series about fighting mindless monsters. Although this is manga, so perhaps the monsters can think and talk and are more similar to oni?

The monsters aren't all mindless (they don't talk but they can think), and yes, not only does Toriko fight against rival hunters, but there is an "evil organization" of hunters as well that Toriko has to deal with. Also Toriko teams up with a different ally a lot of the time so you usually don't just see Toriko fighting.

But don't expect "realistic/well thought out" battles. Like I mentioned before, the manga is over the top, so characters get crazy wounds/damage and walk around like nothing happened a lot.

Berserk:

It isn't my intention to single you out.
But I don't understand your insistence regarding the Idolmaster thingy... "Just Google it, and you'll see!" That's how you can tell it's not just a silly running joke, really? The guy says he bought a game, and that's it: that's why he takes months-long breaks? I mean, c'mon...

Honestly the reason I said google it was was because I didn't want to link the actual news links where this "silly running joke" originated. Most of the English sites I found had NSFW/questionable material on them, and I'm assuming you don't read Japanese so I'd rather you had googled for the news articles vs me linking them in this thread.

Togashi and Miura get a lot of flack... Personally, I'd trade a dozen of passable authors who never skip an issue for just one of those guys, breaks or not.

As much as we complain about their breaks, we still read new issues when they come out even when the drawings are scribbles, so that says a lot about how good their mangas are, so I can't disagree with you there. And at least they didn't both give up completely like the author of Vagabond. That being said, mangas like Full Metal Alchemist and Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer show you can have steady releases and quality stories.

I can understand other, less privileged mangaka being annoyed at what Miura and Togashi get away with, but that's about it. I think this is all very silly, spoiled readers with an odd sense of entitlement, absurd serialization norms and criterias...

We can agree to disagree here as I can't argue for the entire manga community who complains about Miura and/or Togashi. But honestly as someone who reads a lot of series, some of which have been canceled/have had rushed endings (smh @ Double Arts), I really don't like the idea of mangaka that always have a publishing spot while they take indefinite breaks vs letting these guys finish out their series in that empty space.

I might not immediately assume it's a problem of "work ethic" though.
Work ethic is all about the pace of the serialization? A slow serialization necessarily implies bad work ethic? Really, now?

Like I said, I give Togashi the benefit of the doubt. He said he was sick and there has been mention of him having chest pains/issues. And honestly, handing in sketches for publication in Jump says to me something is wrong with him, even if it's just exhaustion. But I'm just speaking for myself, as you saw in the thread other people have different opinions.

Miura however gave fans a reason to doubt his work ethic with his hobbies. You may disagree with the fairness of it, but he shouldn't have mentioned his new hobby in the same issue as announcing a hiatus. It's like having a customer come to your store and saying "Hey I just bought a new vacation home 5000 miles away on a tropical island...oh and I'm going to be shutting down the store for a while for unspecified reasons, I'll let you know when we reopen".

I don't remember doing that (on the other hand, you seem to be forgetting about the plot).

I can't speak for Miura and Togashi, but when it comes to "beginning/middle/end" type mangas/comics, these stories usually have a general outline written out ahead of time. I would assume Miura and Togashi have their stories plotted out already considering their mangas don't have the plot holes that some of their rivals have due to "story additions".

Merely internet lore, I believe.

Considering how bad some of the art was in recent chapters of Hunter X Hunter, I would HOPE he didn't have assistants for that.

 

[flawfuls]

Last time I had checked, actually, Fairy Tail was outselling Bleach by a considerable margin. For the record, I have no clue why I'm arguing this point; I don't fucking care about sales numbers at all.

Nah Bleach sells way more than Fairy Tail. I remember the numbers and they were combined volume sales right after the Fairy Tail anime started so new people getting into the series because of the anime skewed the numbers. Fairy Tail usually does about 500K per volume which is pretty good, but there are lots of random manga that do more. Bleach does about 900K a volume which very few manga can match.

Well, at least she swore she's gonna end it "soon"! XD

Didn't she say that a long time ago. I guess soon means within a few years to her.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

KHR 334

Resolution in just one chapter?! Wow. I do not know if Im disappointed or satisfied, though Mukuro made it such an enjoyable chapter and that smile and those battle stances, cold.

 

[Erigu]

Erigu is the guy that trolls the lost thread, isn't he?

Just telling it how it is!

Honestly the reason I said google it was was because I didn't want to link the actual news links where this "silly running joke" originated.

It's not "news", and yes, it is just a silly running joke.
Sankaku Complex, I presume?

I'm assuming you don't read Japanese

I do, actually.

mangas like Full Metal Alchemist and Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer show you can have steady releases and quality stories.

Some mangaka manage that. There are über-freaks. You just can't expect that from them all.

Miura however gave fans a reason to doubt his work ethic with his hobbies. You may disagree with the fairness of it, but he shouldn't have mentioned his new hobby in the same issue as announcing a hiatus.

I really don't see why not, nor why you'd go from "Miura bought an Xbox 360" to "that's why he's taking a break".
Like I said, it really reminds me of how idols have to pretend to be unrealistically "pure" no matter what, or the fans would lose it.

It's like having a customer come to your store and saying "Hey I just bought a new vacation home 5000 miles away on a tropical island...oh and I'm going to be shutting down the store for a while for unspecified reasons, I'll let you know when we reopen".

Replace the vacation home on a tropical island with an Xbox 360 and see how well that works...

I can't speak for Miura and Togashi, but when it comes to "beginning/middle/end" type mangas/comics, these stories usually have a general outline written out ahead of time.

???
That takes time anyway. I can't imagine the current arc of Hunter x Hunter being easy to plot out.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

I do, actually.

Want a job?

 

[Urban Scholar]

Crime and Punishment

Took a break from battle stuff to check this out. Never read the book, so it's all new to me and pretty awesome. Just got to the part where the dude finally kills the bitch.

Damn that s@#$ got to me something fierce. I want to read the original now.

 

[Bel Marduk]

Reborn

lol Mukuro wrecked him. I'm happy Mukuro didn't lose to the generic and overplayed "lol if I look like your comrades you're screwed."

 

[Lain]

Didn't she say that a long time ago. I guess soon means within a few years to her.

Yep, but with volume 46 things are getting a bit closer. Another 10 years and maybe it'll be done!

 

[Wiseblade]

Hunter x Hunter

Am I the only one who thinks that the Ant arc is a sharp decrease in quality from Greed Island? All the dcharacters are great and the early parts were really interesting, but it feel like things fell off the rails ever since the group invaded the palace.

 

[Erigu]

Want a job?

I'd like money.
Do you have money?

 

[smurfx]

KHR 334

Resolution in just one chapter?! Wow. I do not know if Im disappointed or satisfied, though Mukuro made it such an enjoyable chapter and that smile and those battle stances, cold.

there is no way the fight is over. i'll bet mokuro is being trolled right now.

Hunter x Hunter

Am I the only one who thinks that the Ant arc is a sharp decrease in quality from Greed Island? All the dcharacters are great and the early parts were really interesting, but it feel like things fell off the rails ever since the group invaded the palace.

i thought the same thing when i read through it the first time but when i read through it a second time i liked it. not as much as the other arcs but its not as bad as i once thought.

 

[brotkasten]

What happened with the remaining Tetsuwan Girl chapters at Manga Fox?

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

I'd like money.
Do you have money?

No we don't have money, but we do have manga. Do you like manga?

 

[flintstryker]

Hunter x Hunter

Am I the only one who thinks that the Ant arc is a sharp decrease in quality from Greed Island? All the dcharacters are great and the early parts were really interesting, but it feel like things fell off the rails ever since the group invaded the palace.

I actually like it better than greed island.

 

[Kreed]

Berserk:

It's not "news", and yes, it is just a silly running joke.
Sankaku Complex, I presume?

Call it what you want, we both agree it's an assumption made by fans because that's all fans can say unless Miura flat out says "Yes I took a break for Idol Master."

There were two sites I found in English with "questionable" stuff on them, I think that was one.

Some mangaka manage that. There are über-freaks. You just can't expect that from them all.

I'm just mentioning the ones that most of the manga community considers high quality that ran at a "consistent" pace. Most mangakas whether the quality is average or above average run at a better pace than Miura and Hunter X Hunter whether weekly, biweekly, or monthly.

And when I say better pace, I don't mean never taking a break/working like robots. The authors of mangas like Full Metal Alchemist took breaks/hiatuses for weeks/months. But the difference is they didn't take multiple breaks that stretch 4 months to a year(s) at a time in succession.

And this is the point you're missing/purposely ignoring here when it comes to the fans annoyance. When other mangakas come back from their breaks, they have consistent release schedules again before taking another break. This is something you expect from any employee that cared about his job.

Miura and Togashi however will come back from multiple month breaks, release 3-5 issues, and then disappear on another long break. And it doesn't help that the current arcs we're in with Hunter X Hunter and Berserk have been going on for years with very little progress. I'm actually wondering if you read either of these mangas or actually care about their stories, because it's hard not to be frustrated by these stories not going anywhere because of these breaks, let alone question why other fans would be frustrated.

I really don't see why not, nor why you'd go from "Miura bought an Xbox 360" to "that's why he's taking a break".
Like I said, it really reminds me of how idols have to pretend to be unrealistically "pure" no matter what, or the fans would lose it.

If you can't see how fans could come to that conclusion, then you're VERY trusting of Miura and/or you're bad at looking at other people's perspectives other than your own. But again, you're still ignoring/missing the point here. It's not about why these mangakas take breaks/these mangakas not having lives, at least not IMO. Hell I'm still waiting for new issues of Liar Game to come out, but I'm not making fun of the author for taking a break. But Miura and Togashi are taking large amounts of breaks/hiatuses in succession to the point where fans don't know if either of these men will finish these mangas in our life times. If every mangaka took breaks like Miura and Togashi the manga industry couldn't even work the way it does now. Either manga series runs would have to be much shorter or these series would never have endings because the authors would die first.

Replace the vacation home on a tropical island with an Xbox 360 and see how well that works...

Yeah but I bought a 360 to play games, not "because I was lonely".

???
That takes time anyway. I can't imagine the current arc of Hunter x Hunter being easy to plot out.

I said AHEAD of time, as in before the series was even started/at the very beginning of the series! For example, Oda from One Piece claims he has had a outline of One Piece since the very beginning, which he has "expanded" on as years have gone by. I'm assuming Miura and Togashi have these types of outlines for their series as well that they may add onto/change as the series goes on.

 

[smurfx]

who do you guys think is currently the hardest working mangaka? i give that title to the fairy tail author. that guy is a machine.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Hunter x Hunter

Am I the only one who thinks that the Ant arc is a sharp decrease in quality from Greed Island? All the dcharacters are great and the early parts were really interesting, but it feel like things fell off the rails ever since the group invaded the palace.

I actually think it's the best arc (even though I miss Leorio a lot). Togashi has really done an amazing job at subverting many of the typical elements of the genre, and there have been so many memorable moments. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the arc wraps up.

 

[Drkirby]

No we don't have money, but we do have manga. Do you like manga?

Do you actually "pay" people with Manga? I assumed you just volunteered your time.

 

[Erigu]

we both agree it's an assumption made by fans because that's all fans can say unless Miura flat out says "Yes I took a break for Idol Master."

Do they really need to be told about other possibilities before they can even consider them?

Most mangakas whether the quality is average or above average run at a better pace than Miura and Hunter X Hunter whether weekly, biweekly, or monthly.

Relatively few mangaka are as good as Miura and Togashi though...

When other mangakas come back from their breaks, they have consistent release schedules again before taking another break. This is something you expect from any employee that cared about his job.

Many writers, directors, etc don't have release schedules at all. I don't see why things absolutely should be different for manga. Seems to me manga readers are simply used to that luxury.

I'm actually wondering if you read either of these mangas or actually care about their stories

I do, and I do, for more than 10 years, now.
What do you think? I'd like those series' final volumes to be due for release on yesterday. But if the writers are struggling (which seems quite possible and understandable), I'd rather they take whatever time is necessary to get it right.

If you can't see how fans could come to that conclusion, then you're VERY trusting of Miura

'Cause video games are a drug that ruin lives?
I don't think it takes a lot of trust to think that maybe the guy could simply buy an Xbox 360 and not become a zombie as a result.

Miura and Togashi are taking large amounts of breaks/hiatuses in succession to the point where fans don't know if either of these men will finish these mangas in our life times.

I'm thinking there's a good chance Miura and Togashi are more worried about that than you or I will ever be...

Yeah but I bought a 360 to play games, not "because I was lonely".

That was a bad translation anyway:

大好きだった某NovelsM@sterがついに最終回！？
さびしーので買っちまったよアイマス、Xboxごと、フヒ。

He was sad that the NovelsM@ster series was coming to an end, so he went ahead and bought an Xbox 360 and the original game. Nothing to do with loneliness.

I said AHEAD of time, as in before the series was even started/at the very beginning of the series!

For Berserk and Hunter x Hunter? There's no way in hell. Or it would be so loose it wouldn't help much.

who do you guys think is currently the hardest working mangaka?

Not sure, but Oda impresses me.

 

[smurfx]

Not sure, but Oda impresses me.

oda used to be a machine too but has slowed down as he became a family man.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Beelzebub 105 is out.

Do you actually "pay" people with Manga? I assumed you just volunteered your time.

Tell me this is not a real question.

 

[Gvaz]

So it looks like the first vitim of the Tokyo manga bill has appeared

2 Aki Sora Manga Books to No Longer Be Printed After July

To be honest I have no problem with them banning Aki Sora specifically. I read the first volume it's a hentai manga about incest that pretends it's not hentai so it can sell better. The fact that didn't even ban all of the volume of Aki Sora actually make me less worried about the bill.

I'm still worried that manga with very rough content for artistic reasons like Ushijima and Shugurui will get banned though.

That's disappointing. Banning a fantasy on the fact that it's disruptive to social order except that (incest) rarely ever happens in any country.

 

[smurfx]

Beelzebub 105 is out.

lol nice oga entrance.

 

[ZoddGutts]

oda used to be a machine too but has slowed down as he became a family man.

To be fair he did marry Nami.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

oda used to be a machine too but has slowed down as he became a family man.

Now way in hell , he still give us a chapter every week .
Oda is crazy during movie 10 he was doing the Manga , Movie and his kid was just born.
Think guy went home 1 time that year , he really need do more stuff other than just write OP.
I remember a guy made joke saying that's why OP has more fan service Oda don't get bang his wife much lol.

Beelzebub 105 is out.

Awesome.

 

[flawfuls]

who do you guys think is currently the hardest working mangaka? i give that title to the fairy tail author. that guy is a machine.

If I had to guess I would say Mitsuru Adachi. He kind of slowed down after Cross Game ended, but he is starting up a new weekly soon and when he does he will be doing that plus a monthly at the same time. It's especially impressive when you consider the fact that he is already rich as fuck and the fact that is in his 60's and has mostly kept up that insane pace all his life. I've read at least 150 volumes of the guy's work myself.

 

[Articalys]

Beelzebub 105 is out.

"I've come to beat you to a pulp."
With what?

So good.

What was going on in the first page though?

Also, I think I found a slight bug with the online reader. Nothing that impacts normal usage though.
Hitting the right arrow key at the end of a chapter goes to the next one, but not so for the left arrow key at the start. I think it's still subtracting from the page count, but since there are no pages below 1 it does nothing; when you push the right arrow immediately afterwards, though, you have to "undo" all the imaginary page backs to start moving forward again.
If that made sense.

 

[Kreed]

Berserk:

Do they really need to be told about other possibilities before they can even consider them?

Most people would have considered these other possibilities had nothing else had been said in that specific issue of Young Animal. When mangakas say they are going on hiatus for an unspecified amount of time, fans obviously have questions and want to know what's going on and it creates gossip/rumors (are they sick, did they get hurt, etc...). This would happen regardless of the medium, which is why it's usually better if the mangaka at least say SOMETHING, even if it's just "taking time off to gather more materials, x manga will be back at such and such date". At least it gives fans something to work with and keeps rumors from going out of control. But in Miura's case, he just happened to mention having a new hobby in the same issue as the hiatus announcement. Had he not mentioned that hobby in the same issue, fans wouldn't have necessarily made the assumption that the two were related.

Relatively few mangaka are as good as Miura and Togashi though...

As talented as they are, that doesn't mean they are exempt from criticism/skepticism about their work habits.

Many writers, directors, etc don't have release schedules at all. I don't see why things absolutely should be different for manga. Seems to me manga readers are simply used to that luxury.

It has more to do with the actual medium and how it's created. With books/movies you write/record enough material so that when the audience buys it they are satisfied enough so that it can hold them over until the next release. The first problem with Berserk and Hunter X Hunter is that the stories are written for a monthly/weekly/bi-weekly format. So the stories for each chapter are only meant to hold fans over for that length of time. Movies and books give fans enough material to hold them over for months/years.

The second problem with Berserk and Hunter X Hunter is that right now these series barely move after each break. With Berserk we have been waiting for the main characters to get to Fairy Island for YEARS. Hunter X Hunter, we have been waiting for the end of the Ant Arc for a similar amount of time. If we were talking about writer/movie schedules and Berserk and Hunter X Hunter were novels/films, these arcs would have been the entire book/movie and they would be done BEFORE the authors/film makers took a break. It's like going to see a 120 minute movie and only getting the first 30 minutes of the film and then after 5 months you get the next 30 minutes.

I do, and I do, for more than 10 years, now.
What do you think? I'd like those series' final volumes to be due for release on yesterday. But if the writers are struggling (which seems quite possible and understandable), I'd rather they take whatever time is necessary to get it right.

If Miura and Togashi are sick/ill (I am inclined to believe this for Togashi), then I can understand the breaks. But in Miura's case, his breaks are "clock work" and I have a hard time believing he's sick when he can come back and leave every 3-4 issues (Griffith mentioned earlier that the current hiatus has more to do with Young Animal's schedule anyway).

'Cause video games are a drug that ruin lives?
I don't think it takes a lot of trust to think that maybe the guy could simply buy an Xbox 360 and not become a zombie as a result.

Sure but it's like you can't even grasp someone else thinking anything different given the circumstances. For most people, Idolmaster isn't the "typical" 360 game the average gamer would buy in regards to content, and it's a "simulation/life game/time sink" on top of that. Announcing you just bought a 360 for a game like that along side a hiatus announcement is going to raise questions (along with his other hobbies he's mentioned before). It would probably be different if he announced he had bought a Wii and a copy of Wii Sports in the same issue.

For Berserk and Hunter x Hunter? There's no way in hell. Or it would be so loose it wouldn't help much.

I doubt Berserk and Hunter X Hunter would be as good as they are if they didn't have the plot already written out in some fashion, even if it is just a lengthy summary. You can tell the series where the author has a general plan for where the story is going vs the ones that are just writing as the story goes on. Toriyama's Dragon Ball is a good example of a manga that got worse as the story went on because the mangaka hadn't planned for the series to go on as long as it did, to where the author created more and more plot holes/issues in the stories history in the final two major arcs. Berserk and Hunter X Hunter would have these same issues if they were just writing as they went along, no matter how talented Togashi and Miura are.

 

[Rewrite]

I actually think it's the best arc (even though I miss Leorio a lot). Togashi has really done an amazing job at subverting many of the typical elements of the genre, and there have been so many memorable moments. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the arc wraps up.

I don't think it's the best, but I've really enjoyed the arc. I know it gets a lot of hate in here, but the fights have all been interesting along with some of the revelation and Gon's massive breakdown. The fight Killua had with that ant in the forest, where he's being 'targeted' from hundreds of miles away still kinda blows me away because I felt Togashi drew that exact moment just right that it sucked me in.

 

[Elfforkusu]

I doubt Berserk and Hunter X Hunter would be as good as they are if they didn't have the plot already written out in some fashion, even if it is just a lengthy summary. You can tell the series where the author has a general plan for where the story is going vs the ones that are just writing as the story goes on. Toriyama's Dragon Ball is a good example of a manga that got worse as the story went on because the mangaka hadn't planned for the series to go on as long as it did, to where the author created more and more plot holes/issues in the stories history in the final two major arcs. Berserk and Hunter X Hunter would have these same issues if they were just writing as they went along, no matter how talented Togashi and Miura are.

Bleach is the more jarring recent example.

I'll deal with the delays, as long as Berserk gets a proper ending at some point. Better that than decaying into a crappy parody of itself.

 

[flawfuls]

Gin ni Naru

Well that was no Kiss and Never Cry, but it was decent. It's a pretty typical shoujo about skating. The only really noteworthy thing was that the artwork was pretty nice and more inspired than most shoujo manga. Those winter flashback scenes especially had a really interesting look.

 

[Big One]

Berserk

http://i.imgur.com/S9t6V.jpg

Miura still got it.