This Week's Issue 02/08/16

Thrill-seeking Ninja Storm chaser and SJ Editor Urian Brown takes a look at this week's issue. 

By Urian Brown February 08, 2016

Cover SmallCover
art by Yamato Yamamoto

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign is not usually known for its upbeat covers. In fact, the covers are often dark and very serious-looking. Even grim sometimes. That might be because in the story, the world is overrun with vampires and human are their cattle. It's understandable that many of the covers have a darker tone. That's what makes this cover so special. It looks so optimistic! To me it says, no matter how dark things get, there's one thing you can count on—the power of friendship! 

Seraph of the End: Vampire End
story by Takaya Kagami, art by Yamato Yamamoto, storyboards by Daisuke Furuya

The battle with the vampire nobles had some very unexpected consequences. Nearly everything that could go wrong did. And now that the smoke has cleared, it's time for both sides to take stock and figure out their next move. The battle may be over, the war continues! 

Seraph

One Piece
by Eiichiro Oda

Luffy, being the hardheaded captain he is, does not want to give up on one of his oldest crew mates, Sanji. But as more details come out about Sanji's family and his disappearance, the situation grows more and more complicated. It's time for some serious thinking and planning. Not exactly Luffy's foray. Can he do it?! 

Bleach
by Tite Kubo

It has been many chapter since Ichigo and Uryu have been at odds. But now that Ichigo has finally got a chance to demand an explanation, the situation has changed. What will Uryu say? Will friendship prevail?! 

Bleach

Toriko
by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro

Get ready for one of the grossest chapters of Toriko yet! And that is really saying something considering there was an entire story arc about monkey balls! Not only is this chapter creepy, it's some serious nightmare fuel! Prepare yourself for some icky imagery!  

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma
story by Yuto Tsukuda, art by Shun Saeki, contributor Yuki Morisaki

The Shokugeki are on! The research societies and seminars about to be disbanded are giving it all they've got, but they're up against some seriously tough cook-ies! The Council of Ten are no laughing matter! And even though judges are not paid off, it's still going to take a culinary miracle to prevail. Who can come up with the right ingredients for success! 

Food Wars

My Hero Academia
by Kohei Horikoshi

Deku has pulled out a stunning victory over his oversized opponent. But his body is in shambles! And there are still plenty of villains and heroes left on the battlefield. Deku's fight may be over, but the rest are just getting started! 

Black Clover
by Yûki Tabata

Being a fan of martial arts movies and manga, I've seen a lot of different kinds of training. The methods are all over the place, but for the most part, training is usually done off the battlefield in a safe place. Not in Black Clover! Asta's getting trained right in the middle of a battle against a malicious mage with incredible powers! It's the ultimate swim or sink lesson! 

Black Clovers

Nisekoi
by Naoshi Komi

The return of the great Paula McCoy! If you're like me, which you probably aren't, you've been wondering what happened to the cold-blooded assassin, Paula. Although she's only had a minor part in the story, she's become one of my all-time favorite characters. There's something charming about her awkwardness that makes her stand out. And she has her hands full in this chapter, helping Tsugumi figure out her feelings about that dashing young man everyone seems to love--Raku. 

World Trigger
by Daisuke Ashihara

Nasu Squad is on the move! When they were first introduced in the Rank Wars, I was really hoping to see more of them in the manga. Well, Ashihara Sensei must have heard my wish, because they're in the battle against a very tough Neighbor! And in my opinion, it's one of the coolest fights in the manga so far! 

World Trigger

Blue Exorcist
by Kazue Kato

Shura's shocking secret is revealed! And it's a very tragic story. One that could prove fatal. Luckily, she's got two great friends who are going to do everything they can to help her. Rin and Yukio are both incredibly powerful exorcists, but what they're up against is anything but an average spirit. 

Hikaru no Go
story by Yumi Hotta, art by Takeshi Obata, supervised by Yukari Umezawa

Hikaru no Go is one of those manga that proves any subject can be interesting, if the story's told right. I personally find chess and go totally boring. I don't have the patience, nor the calculating mind it takes to succeed in these games. But I do have enough perception to tell when a manga is special, and this is a special manga indeed. This is the story of a aimless kid who frees a trapped spirit from a go board and embarks on a most unusual journey. The spirit Sai and the boy Hikaru form a bond through the joy of playing go. As the series progresses, Hikaru learns about life and the joy of competition and mastery. The manga has great characters, cool rivals, and even though I'd never watch a go match in real life, riveting go matches. Oh, and the art is fantastic! Obata Sensei can even make putting down go pieces look cool! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Hikaruno Go

Extras: Hikaru no Go Bundles , Author Comments, Nihongo Lesson, Real Escape feature. 

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by Urian Brown