Remember guys, no Weekly Shonen Jump this week. So no One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Psyren, Bakuman, and Beelzebub. Also, football preseason started this week. And now I miss Eyeshield 21 again. Something noteworthy though: This weekend marks the start of Nisei Week in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. It’s an annual festival to promote Japanese and Japanese-American culture. Come check it out! Find out more information here: http://www.niseiweek.org/
HAJIME NO IPPO (chapter 863) – Reckless Fight
Fujii and Iimura head to Ippo and Woli’s weigh-in, but Fujii seems pretty bored about Ippo’s upcoming fight. Things get very strange though when they arrive at the weigh-in. They find Woli hugging a surprised Ippo, and Woli’s coach Miguel hugs a surprised Coach Kamogawa as well! Because Ippo can’t understand what Woli says, he asks Iimura to help translate. Woli is acting very friendly, even offering Ippo some bananas to eat since the weigh-in is done. The light-hearted mood though does come to an end, with both fighters eagerly anticipating their upcoming match. Though only words were said, Ippo could tell that Woli is strong, comparing him to both Vorg and Sendo. Back at the ring, Woli and Miguel give it a quick feel through, but Kamogawa is also staying behind to verify something. He realized that Miguel was the second to Ralph Anderson, his and Dankichi’s American rival from their flashback. Miguel remembered it as well, but only after Bryan Hawk fought Takamura. Now, he’s come back with Woli…his “last son.” As a note, there is no Ippo next week.
Ippo always does a great job of using its supporting cast. I never put two and two together for Miguel appearing in the flashback. I’m sure some of the more hardcore Ippo fans are going to rub that in my face, so go ahead and bring it. Of course they wouldn’t show Woli’s special corner tactic right now. Though nothing special really happened this match, just the anticipation of the upcoming fight is more than enough. There was great tension build-up, along with some more character insight to both Miguel and Woli. And I thought it was kind of funny that Iimura’s reappearance had her translating for both Ippo and Kamogawa. Good chapter.
FAIRY TAIL (chapter 147) – Guild of Hope
As Gerard falls, Erza rushes to his side. She yells and scolds him, saying that he must remember, live, and struggle with what he’s done. During this time, Brain appears, and realizes that the self-destruction magic Gerard used is one that he actually taught him. With the magic disable, and Gerard no longer necessary, Brain activates Nirvana. The earth shakes, and structures form for Nirvana, turning it into a seven-legged, walking fortress. Erza manages to hold on to a ledge of the fortress after it formed along with Gerard; she tells him to cancel the self-destruction magic on himself. Gerard despairs that he couldn’t stop Nirvana, that it’s all over. However, Erza points out to Gerard that it’s not. As Natsu, Gray, and Lucy climb up one of the legs, with Hoteye and Jura climbing another, along with Wendy and Charle flying to their location, Erza tells Gerard that there’s still hope as long as they’re willing to live and fight for it.
Yeah, so I’ve been calling him Brain while other translations call him Blaine. Same difference. Now the getting is good. Nirvana is up and active. Midnight’s been on the rampage for the past few chapters. Cobra and Brain are around Nirvana. And our heroes are gathering for the inevitable clash. Looking forward to the upcoming battles. Since Gray and Lucy already had some key moments, they’ll probably just serve as either support or fodder. I am looking forward to seeing Hoteye and Jura do something, along with Hoteye’s possibly inevitable betrayal. Oh, and I was completely wrong that it would be one of the last chapters we see Gerard in. Decent chapter.
HISTORY’S STRONGEST DISCIPLE KENICHI (chapter 348) – Korui Nuki
Kenichi decides to use his new technique, Korui Nuki. Kenichi reminisces about how to use the techniques. During the training with Elder, he tells Kenichi him what “Korui” is and reveals that they’ve been focusing a lot on Kenichi’s foundation: his body’s lower half. As Kenichi sees Ethan’s Korui, he sacrifices his other arm to block Ethan’s kick. Doing so, he sends a knee of his own that connects with Ethan’s guard arm. In one continuous motion, Kenichi is able to kick Ethan after breaking his guard with his knee. He used all his power in that one kick. With that one blow, Ethan is defeated. Chikage is about to announce that Kenichi is the winner, but Kenichi tells her it isn’t over yet…not until they can rescue Rachel. They have to wait for Ethan to regain consciousness, but Chikage says he’ll never reveal the location. However, she is willing to. As Kenichi notifies Ma Kensei, he reveals that he, along with Sakaki, Shigure, and a police force are already gathering for a surprise attack on one of Yami’s bases. Supposedly the one where Rachel is being held.
The battle is over, and indeed it was a good match. Much shorter than I thought, but that’s because Ethan’s been around for quite sometime, though it was only recently where he’s been doing something relevant. I don’t know how much use Kenichi will be since both of his arms are out of action at the moment. There’ll probably be some sort of shonen hax where he’ll be decently functional by the time he and the others arrive. At least, next week we get to see some more Ryouzanpaku Master action! Looking forward to it. Good chapter.
