MSR December 2023

 

MSR November 2023

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoy this monthly blog, I also put out bi-weekly animated film reviews among other content. Check out my Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/kyoukasuigetsu) and Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/kyoukasuigetsu) to support my endeavors. Any contribution is appreciated, even sharing to friends.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Scanlations and official sources both have a place in the community, but buy official manga volumes to support the author. If you can, also subscribe to Crunchyroll and/or Shonen Jump through Viz Media to read chapters nearly simultaneous with Japan. Most, if not all, of the series covered can be found through legal means, so please encourage the industry that gives us what we love

Dr. Stone’s limited series, 4D Science, which started in November, concluded in December, 3 chapters total. An interesting epilogue to the series, though I’d say you could skip it unless you really want more of the bizarre science that skirts the boundary of realism

 

 

 

Black Clover returns in Jump GIGA, though it will be quarterly, so the next time we see it will be March or April

 

Shadow Eliminators by Kento Amemiya. Our lead is Kuromori Aoba, who must fight Threads, otherworldly creatures that intrude on the human world and take the shadows in people’s hearts, manifesting monsters that take them over called Kasane

 

 

 

World Trigger is on break this month

 

Black Clover 369

 

As the battle continues, one of Lucius’ clones is beaten after Luck and Magna combine their efforts and use the hybrid magic they tried against Vett before and destroy Lucius, showing the anti magic properties make them even more powerful than they already were

 

 

 

 

Shadow Eliminators 1-4

 

Aoba Kuromori is responsible for managing the Threads, creatures that target the shadows within people’s hearts and form Kasane, monsters that take over people to cause mayhem. The school morals committee officer, Yayoi Asakaze, is a stickler for rules, inspired by his late grandfather, a police officer. But he realizes he was never focused on justice, but protecting people from injustice, like a teacher that was bullied, affected by Threads as well. Aoba fights the Kasane due to their own past guilt, hiding some kind of secret. The two decide to offer help to others so that this incident doesn’t happen again

 

 

 

Akio Watase, a popular student in the drama club, is the next to have a Kasane emerge, the expectations placed on him by others as a talented performer too much and when he’s rejected by the drama club teacher, he attacks. Kuromori fights him off, Asakaze bringing a tool Kuromori’s grandma (oddly youthful and also involved with the spirits) that creates a barrier where Kuromori defeats the Kasane. Akio is grateful and the pair spread the word about helping students with their problems

 

The students are drawn in by Akio promoting Kuromori and Asakaze’s service, and Kuromori saves Narukawa, a girl we saw making a wish at a shrine. She thinks her friend, Nana, disappeared because of that wish, but we see that guilt was misplaced, since she just wanted Nana to be happy and confess her love. The shrine is the source of a Kasane trying to latch onto those feelings, Kuromori ready to face it

 

Narukawa remembers her friendship with Nana as Kuromori is briefly sucked in by the Kasane, which has many smaller forms that can entrap one in a shell. Meanwhile, we see Asakaze talk with Narukawa about how he trusts Kuromori to do right even in using a Kasane himself. Kuromori’s grandma gives another tool that helps Narukawa find the core, allowing Kuromori to defeat the Kasane and free everyone, the conflict resolved

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nue’s Exorcist 29-32

 

We learn a bit more about Gakuro’s father, who died under mysterious circumstances that may be linked to higher level spirits. Meanwhile, Shitotsu is still stubbornly resistant to syncing up with her brother, but they bond over past recollections of enjoying sushi with their father, preparing it with his tastes in mind. Shitotsu agrees she’ll protect Gakuro, who’s still too self-sacrificing for his own good

 

 

 

The group heads out on the mission to acquire an item for Nue, making a trip of going to the mountain. But after stopping at a small lake near a waterfall, a bunch of high level spirits attack, Shitotsu holding them off while subtly nudging Gakuro to be alone with Kazusa and Shiroha, who are trying to get their swimsuit tops back on (fanservice!?)

 

Gakuro manages to keep Shiroha and Kazusa calm and they go into the tunnel that leads to the village, Gakuro explaining his nerves briefly, which Shiroha mistook at him being distant from them on purpose. Meanwhile, Shitotsu arrives in the village and it appears a spirit is there, already in control

 

Nue is worried, Kathy, a spirit friend we met awhile ago, saying there shouldn’t be spirits in the area. And as Gakuro’s group reunites with Shitotsu, it seems fine. They find an injured exorcist and Gakuro stays behind to give him first aid, Shitotsu insisting they have to push forward. He discovers Karasu Tengu, a small spirit he agrees to contract with and finds Shitotsu and the others. But they’re told a level 3 spirit is there and the other Exorcist Bureau captains head out, since they’re concerned about a potential group of level 4s, something only hypothetical

 

 

 

 

4 Knights of the Apocalypse 131-133

 

Ironside is chastised by his fellow knights, since Ban is powerful enough that even when weakened by a magic spell cutting strength to 1/10, he was still able to fight back one of the Four Evils, as other Chaos Knights are sent out to find Percival’s allies. We shift to 2 years later, Anne having found the true essence of her power, Interrogator, using it to full effect in defeating a Chaos Knight who is enforcing Camelot’s boundaries to someone attempting escape

 

 

 

Anne discusses how she plans to take down Camelot, intending to save a friend captured in Annwyn, the kingdom’s dungeons. Unfortunately the person who wanted to escape has to leave his sister behind, since she’s a remnant of someone who’s already dead. Sylvan, initially appearing with Anne as a winged majestic steed, is revealed as having transformed with a magic carrot, his original form still short and stubby. Donny assists when the Chaos Knight from before attacks. While they explain that the holes dotted through Camelot are linked, what appears to be one of the Four Evils appears to stop our heroes

 

It is the Green Knight Beltreipe, seemingly killing Anne and Donny with a powerful slash. But it’s actually an illusion, Gowther having infiltrated Camelot, but he’s injured by the Green Knight, the group escaping into one of the holes, but Beltreipe saying they cannot flee forever

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Hero Academia 408-410

 

Yoichi was actually All For One’s twin brother and Kudo is who Bakugou reminded him of, the one who took One For All after his brother surrendered it. In a desperate attempt to reach Shigaraki and take down Bakugou, All For One unleashes an Omni Quirk Factor, propelling him forward with incredible might, Bakugou seemingly thinking this might be the end for him too

 

 

 

Bakugou persists, using his Quirk in a few ways to weaken All For One further and as his own Quirk factors are weakening, the Villain is soundly defeated, Bakugou finishing the work done by many others in the ongoing fight

 

All For One, in the form of a baby, still crawls towards Shigaraki, but Bakugou takes his last ditch attack and the villain reverts to before he was born, finally defeated. Meanwhile, Shigaraki plans to rip out a massive chunk of Japan and manages to almost make contact with Deku, shocking him by stealing Danger Sense, able to utilize All For One’s Quirk in a new way

 

 

 

One Piece 1100-1102

 

Saturn demands Kuma join the Seven Warlords, become a weapon of the World Government and ultimately surrender his mind and freewill. In spite of how this would be a death sentence ultimately, Kuma agrees, even knowing he will most likely never see Bonney again and he cannot contact her, otherwise she becomes enslaved. Time passes, Kuma becoming an infamous part of the Navy’s pirate enforcers and he’s given a new assignment

 

 

 

Kuma Is tracking Luffy, Dragon warning him to not link Luffy to him, keeping his son safe. Bonney waits for Kuma’s letters, but they keep getting destroyed before they get in the mailbox. We learn Kuma will slowly have his human emotions and memories removed, Vegapunk promising he’ll maintain some essence until the last moment (explaining his progressively detached behavior relative to Thriller Bark and Sabaody). Dowager Conney swaps places with Bonney (disguised as an old lady with her Devil Fruit) and as the ship, decorated like a pizza, leaves, the government agent attacks, Bonney fighting back and heading out to find Kuma

 

We see Bonney trying to find Kuma, who continues to evade her, meanwhile Kuma and Dragon’s fates intertwine as Kuma seeks out Luffy, progressively becoming an enemy of the World Government. And then Kuma gives his memories to Vegapunk in the form of the paw aura, turned fully into an automaton for the World Government as he leaves his will behind in others, particularly for Bonney and Luffy, the latter seen as the legendary Nika