Shonen Jump Recap – 2/8/19

Good intentions go awry in We Never Learn.

February 8, 2019

Warning: Significant plot spoilers ahead!

Welcome to AiPT!’s weekly Shonen Jump recap column! I’ll be sharing my reactions to the latest chapters of all the various Jump comics I’m keeping up with from week to week. From current hits to the latest Jump Start series, I have plenty to talk about. With that said, be warned: there are some major spoilers ahead, so be careful reading further if you have yet to catch up on this week’s new releases.

My Hero Academia Chapter 216
Kohei Horikoshi
Translation by Caleb Cook, lettering by John Hunt

This week’s chapter is basically just a short endcap to the tournament arc between Class 1-A and Class 1-B. The final battle is over, and Shinso’s future is addressed: more than likely, he’ll transfer over to the Hero Course in his second year. I don’t love the character as much as a lot of the fandom does, but I’m sure a lot of fans will be excited by this news. Personally, I’m more interested by the cliffhanger reveal that Monoma has been instructed to go see Eri. Given the chaotic nature of Eri’s powers, it’ll be interesting to see what assistance (if any) Monoma can offer her. Art-wise, this chapter looks a tad more rushed and unpolished than usual, but it’s not bad by any means.

The Promised Neverland Chapter 122
Kaiu Shirai & Posuka Demizu
Tranlation by Satsuki Yamashita, lettering by Mark McMurray

Viz Media

This week’s chapter hits on some notes I’ve been waiting to see addressed directly ever since Norman announced his plan to wipe out all demons. Emma and Ray discuss everyone’s feelings about the plan, including Emma’s opposition to it. Having befriended Mujika, Emma is well aware that not all demons are inherently enemies. Even those who eat humans, she points out, are just doing something humans also do: consuming other beings in order to survive. It’s great to see such philosophical questioning of the series’ main premises, and Emma is a perfect mouthpiece for these concerns. We also get to see a little bit more of how Norman interacts with his new allies as opposed to his old family, which is cool. Demizu delivers great artwork as always here, and the splash page is particularly lovely. This is a great chapter all around.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 9
Tatsuki Fujimoto
Translation by Amanda Haley, lettering by Sabrina Heep

I’m really just hitting the same notes week after week with this one. The artwork is great– there’s a rough texture to all of it that fits the macabre violence perfectly, and the inking is very pleasing to look at. Besides that, though…meh. Not much of note happens here besides the introduction of a new demon with lots of udder-like breasts, continuing the series’ penchant for only delivering T&A: tits and action. One of the main female characters also agrees to let Denji touch her breasts as repayment for saving her cat. Chainsaw Man fails the Bechdel test with…what’s the opposite of flying colors?

We Never Learn Chapter 98
Taishi Tsutsui
Translation by Camelia Nieh, lettering by Snir Aharon

Viz Media

This week’s chapter was simple, lighthearted fun. The events all spin out of the classic gag of the characters finding a suggestive magazine and getting confused over who it belongs it. Yuiga and Takemoto both think it’s the other’s, and they try to avoid letting others see it in order to save their friend from the embarrassment. Of course, their clumsy attempts at being sneaky don’t work out as desired. There’s no real plot progression or character development, but there doesn’t need to be. Sometimes an amusing romp is all you need.

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma Chapter 298
Yuto Tsukuda & Shun Saeki with Yuki Morisaki (recipe contributor)
Translation by Adrienne Beck, lettering by Mara Coman

Meh. This chapter is neither enjoyable nor notably terrible. It’s just boring. From the cooking processes to the judge’s euphoric reactions to tasting dishes, everything here feels like a hollow version of the series’ heyday. The only really good portion of this chapter is a two-page spread of Soma and Takumi’s grabbing opposite handles of Takumi’s mezzaluna. Even that image doesn’t pack the same energy or excitement as it would have, say, a hundred chapters ago, though.

Hell Warden Higuma Chapter 7
Natsuki Hokami
Translation by Nathan A. Collins, lettering by Mark McMurray

Viz Media

I liked this chapter quite a bit. Hokami’s line-work is nice and clean, and the background details are quite well-done. The shading and inking throughout are also strong, especially in moments where bright light illuminates otherwise shadowy areas. The next antagonist, a kitsune demon, makes a promising debut as well. He has more unique vendettas than the series’ previous demons; specifically, he despises the bonds shared by mothers and children. His actions so far are quite gruesome, but his having specific motivations helps prevent the violence from feeling generic or pointless. All in all, I’m still excited to see where this series goes.

Dr. STONE Chapter 93
Riichiro Inagaki & Boichi with Kurare (science consultant)
Translation by Caleb Cook, lettering by Steve Dutro

Another week, another enjoyable chapter of Dr. STONE. This time around Senku and company brought forth a new invention I never expected to see so soon: photography. It makes perfect sense though: by taking photographs of the land around them while exploring by hot air balloon, they’ll be able to keep much more reliable records of the topography than if they just tried to draw up maps by memory. There are some amusing gags throughout and the art looks good as always. The reference to Einstein at the very end is a cute touch as well.

Ne0;lation Chapter 8
Tomohide Hirao & Mizuki Yoda
Translation by Christine Dashiell, lettering by Brandon Bovia

Viz Media

This week’s chapter features the first meeting between Ne0 and Gevaudan, and it’s an entertaining one. The two of them have a brief battle of the wits that shows off both of their competence levels, or at least appears to. By the end its clear that Gevaudan has Ne0 right where he wants him. I’m looking forward to seeing more of this antagonist, even if I’m mostly just interested because of his bizarre design. All in all this was a decent installment.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Chapter 47
Hideyuki Furuhashi & Betten Court
Translation by Caleb Cook, lettering by John Hunt

This was a decent week for Vigilantes. The manga has gone up and down considerably for me personally, but I think it’s been on an upswing ever since Knuckleduster was taken out of the picture. There are a lot of cute cameos from the main series’ various pro heroes here, which is fun. Koichi has some amusing moments as well. With that said, the stuff about Captain Celebrity isn’t all that interesting. He hasn’t been around long enough to leave much of an impression, and what little page-time he’s had has even turned me off a bit. Nonetheless, this was a cute if forgettable chapter.

Best chapter of the week: The Promised Neverland Chapter 122

Viz Media

This chapter impresses from its fantastic splash page onward. The faults in Norman’s plan are addressed, and tension builds as the kids have conflicting feelings about it. The conflicts in this series just grow ever more intricate, making it all the more satisfying of a read.