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Another series debuts this month that will be added to the blog lineup (hopefully survives unlike others I’ve covered in the past), Neru: Way of the Martial Artist by Minya Hiraga. A boy raised by his grandfather in martial arts is offered a chance to study at a prestigious secret school for true martial artists
But another series ended, Nine Dragons’ Ball
Parade, at 20 chapters
Jump took a break the last week in July for Obon early due to another state of emergency related to the pandemic, so the official Obon break in August will likely be skipped (unless it isn’t, which is possible, Jump has taken extra breaks sometimes, like in 2020)
World Trigger 209-210
The first challenge asks the squads to speculate and give an answer as to why the original squads were shuffled up for the exercise in the ships that’s ongoing. A few reasons seem especially compelling, like creating tension, a stress test for the long mission or finding out compatibility that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise. Osamu’s laptop dies, revealed to be because he has exceptionally low Trion and can’t power it up further until he rests. He still manages to put in work by seeing the questions on the other screens.
Border’s administrators discuss the various answers, particularly that it’s meant to gather data for improving Border’s effectiveness in training, or a few other responses. But ultimately Suwa’s squad is ranked last, which the others don’t seem to notice as dinner time comes around.
Neru Way of the Martial Artist 1-3
Neruma Isami feels out of place because he’s been trained in martial arts by his grandfather and wants to continue that as his path in life. And a girl, Akebi, spars with him after finding a book that details techniques which were taught to Neruma in his youth. She offers to show him a new world at Amato Academy where martial artists train
At the Amato Academy that teaches the 18 Martial Arts (which vary as to what fall under that, since there are many martial arts, ninjutsu sometimes even covered, which fits with Neruma finding ninja cool established in the previous chapter). A duel between Akebi’s twin brother Jokuro and Neruma begins and we see Neruma’s talent, mimicking a three strike kenjutsu technique he saw only a few minutes before in a match, landing a blow on Jokuro.
The match continues, Jokuro managing to beat Neruma, though we learn our lead is trained in a long outdated martial art that has allowed Neruma to have very precise dexterity with his feet. However, he has to not only get through the exams to enter the academy, but if he wants to fight Jokuro again, Neruma has to get the top score, which involves academics as well as physical capacity
Red Hood 1-4
Velou, an orphan living in a hamlet attacked by a werewolf, learns to be courageous in the face of dangers to protect the people who raised him. Grimm, the hunter hired by the mayor, initially appears to be a young girl, but is actually able to transform to an adult (more mysteries!) and helps stop the werewolf, the mayor’s wife (unknown how werewolves come about, so that will be addressed later, I imagine) and offers Velou the chance to join the Hunter’s Guild, which wants to make every monster extinct, already succeeding with dragons 500 years ago
Grimm and Velou start dealing with a pair of younger werewolves, Dodou and Naraoia, who are trying to claim the territory now that the old werewolf has died. While Naraoia is taken out by Grimm, the bigger werewolf intended as a distraction, Velou finds Dodou, the more cunning werewolf, who’s transformed to human appearance and tried to infiltrate and draw humans away to kill. But Velou knows everyone in the hamlet, so he immediately catches Dodou’s unfamiliar appearance.
Dodou explains about how werewolves can shapeshift and regenerate because of their ability to control muscle fibers, which can also let them get stronger if they tear them and increase the toughness with regeneration. However, he kills Naraoia and has become immensely strong, Grimm trusting Velou to make a plan, since he will stay and protect the hamlet as a hunter
4 Knights of the Apocalypse 22-24
Mortlach, another knight like Ironside, appears, and convinces his ally to leave, since the monsters summoned were powerful enough that whoever defeated them would be a threat in their own right on the level of the Seven Deadly Sins. Percival asks Sin how he beat them and says it was his animal friends. Meanwhile, back in what appears to be Camelot, Arthur tells Ironside that he should pass on a message that King Pendragon will not be so easily defeated
Arthur requests Ironside, having proven his loyalty by enduring pain from the chaos beasts the king summons, to find him a bride rather than focus on the 4 Knights of the Apocalypse. Meanwhile, Anna joins up with Percival’s group, her father approving of the journey so his daughter can follow in her mother’s footsteps as a Holy Knight, who once knew Ironside and served under King Arthur.
After we learn Anne’s father gave them a horse called Sylvan that has short legs and is more a gag character so far, she tells Percival more about the Seven Deadly Sins. Anne also votes to be the group’s leader, though Sin interrupts and directs them to Cant, before they enter the Dalflare Mountains on their journey to Liones. And at a bar in the city, the Chief Holy Knight, Howzer, is there getting sloshed.
Candy Flurry 11-13
Tsumugi finds she’s passed after Mitsuki saves the odd pig that Tsumugi met in the first chapter. And the pig is actually Irie’s pet. The next day, members of the villainous Candy User group arrive to attack Irie, one of the 5 Stella Entremet (a mix of Latin and French meaning Star Dessert, roughly).
At school, Irie is pushed back by the enemy Sweet Users, especially with one using Confeito to enhance themselves. But Misaki tries to fight, still regarded as stronger than he is, beaten almost instantly while Tsumugi arrives late.
Misaki is pushed by the Gummy user to reveal a secret (which is seemingly that he’s the Lollipop User, because of misunderstanding with the Popcorn user mentioning the name Misaki, which sounds feminine, linked to the news story and Misaki being given credit for Tsumugi’s accomplishments). But Tsumugi attacks the Gummy User from above, keeping herself hidden for now
Dr. Stone 203-205
Since otherwise they’d have to wait a long time, the Suez Canal is considered as a way to get to India where they’ll create Math City. With a tiny rocket and a fluorite lens to make a telescope, the group first checks out the area with a hot air balloon, Chelsea noting that there’s a natural dam blocking it. So Senkuu suggests they blow it up, modifying the rocket to be a missile
After blowing through the Suez Canal, the group arrives in India, planning to move forward with calculations so they can be absolutely certain in terms of space travel. When they arrive and find the person Ryusui was looking for with an exceptional capacity for math, it’s revealed he’s Ryusui’s older brother Sai.
With the talent Sai has, he still wants to focus primarily on coding and when he’s writing down code for Dragon quest, this inspires Senkuu to think they can manage the rocket launch with a simpler computer, on the level of a Nintendo Entertainment System
My Hero Academia 319-320
The rest of Class 1-A is shown in flashback to discuss how they want to help Deku as a fellow classmate in the Hero Course. And at the present, a clash between the embittered and aloof Deku and his friends begins.
Members of Class 1-A start combating Deku with strategies they’ve thought up, all trying to convince Deku to take their help and not soldier on alone, but he keeps rejecting them
Fire Force 273-275
Faerie, in response to Dragon’s death and the Cataclysm waning, uses his powers to increase the Moon’s mass and send it crashing down. Everyone is trying to stop it, but suddenly Shinra appears, along with Sho, and stops the moonfall
After Shinra stops the moon, Sho and Faerie fight, the gravity user able to counter Sho’s time slip ability, but Sho pushes past and impales him. However, the Cataclysm force as a whole kills themselves ritually to summon Doppelgangers, including those of Benimaru and Kurono, among others
The doppelgangers start to be confirmed, Benimaru’s manifesting and Kurono’s confronting Nataku, who was freed from Adolla. Meanwhile, Shinra goes to face Haumea while Sho addresses other threats
One Piece 1018-1019
Jinbei and Who’s Who continue fighting while the Headliners manage to convince
some of their followers to change sides as well. Who’s Who talks about a legend among
prisoners that connects to slave history, a Sun God called Nika, and how he
thinks Jinbe might know something, having captained the Sun Pirates, who had
former slave sin their ranks. But Jinbe says the question isn’t something he
needs to answer, attacking him with a powerful Fishman Karate technique
Franky continues his fight against Sasaki, who reveals some interesting techniques with his Triceratops type Zoan Devil Fruit. And with the technological advances Franky has made, a final blast from his own cyborg body takes out Sasaki as we see Yamato transformed, seemingly having consumed a Zoan that Kaidou intended to eat that’s even more powerful than his own Koi type
Black Clover 298-300
Megicula explains that once Vanica and Lolopechka die, he’ll fully manifest and his powers are already enough to start negating Noelle’s magic. And Gaja is impaled by Lolopechka, while Noelle’s Spirit Dive form comes undone, signaling Megicula’s attempt to finish her off
Gaja, wanting to protect Loropechka, paralyzes her briefly with his lightning magic and then converts his life force into power to unleash the Ultimate Lightning Magic: Apocalypra Astrauza, seemingly vaporizing Megicula. However, his core is still there, Noelle trying to finish it off
Megicula mocks how humans fight in spite of circumstances being against them, not really understanding why they do it even if it can be interesting in a detached manner. Noelle says humans’ strength is in not giving up and Asta comes in as Megicula is about to detonate Loropechka to fully manifest himself, saving the queen and his friends
