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Mikl posted:In case anyone's interested, Ayakashi Triangle is still a thinly veiled excuse for Yabuki to draw some T&A. I'm still reading it weekly because Go right ahead. I'm still reading AT for the same reason you are, but it's not particularly good, and the premise doesn't mean much other than for T&A purposes
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Jun 15, 2021 10:47
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and it had some interesting ideas at first, but I seriously wonder how long it will last (I've checked the WSJ rankings and it's regularly hovering around 10-11-12 or thereabouts, not at the bottom but always below the middle).
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| # ? May 10, 2024 13:50 |
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Mikl posted:In case anyone's interested, Ayakashi Triangle is still a thinly veiled excuse for Yabuki to draw some T&A. I'm still reading it weekly because I stopped reading Ayakashi after it became clear it really doesn't want to be anything other than an excuse.  the effort post, I love those and honestly it feels like at first the gender change is done pretty well. The lead just takes it in stride and didn't really change much from before and after until I stopped reading. Which I actually liked. Then of course there was a chapter where he has to wear panties...as training. I think I read a heads up about that here and I was so intrigued I read it and it's such a ...thing. The stupid thing is, the whole justification it to me made just enough sense that I felt like I shouldn't be reading this any more for my own sanity.  I'd at least say the gender bender is done better than Agravity girls.
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Jun 15, 2021 10:47
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Don't forget about the chapter were we're introduced to his mom and she starts fingering him after licking her fingers
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Jun 15, 2021 11:17
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Darth TNT posted:The lead just takes it in stride and didn't really change much from before and after until I stopped reading. Which I actually liked. This is in fact the crux of the whole bizarre thing. For those not in the know, the plot of the manga is thus: Matsuri is a high school student and exorcist, and Suzu (his childhood friend) has a very high spiritual energy, which makes her very tasty for Ayakashi (basically spirits), so Matsuri spends a lot of time protecting her. Enter Shirogane, a really powerful Ayakashi, who attacks Suzu to eat her; Matsuri isn't quite strong enough to defeat Shirogane but performs a forbidden sealing spell on him, but as he shrinks down to cat-sized Shirogane gets mad that Matsuri and Suzu are all lovey-dovey, and curses Matsuri by turning him into a girl. So now the ongoing objective is for Matsuri and all his allies to find a way to undo the seal on Shirogane so he can un-curse Matsuri, while at the same time having some leverage to ensure that 1. Shirogane actually un-curses Matsuri (because Shirogane doesn't really want to), and 2. Shirogane doesn't immediately eat Suzu as soon as the seal is undone. (As I said the plot is a thin excuse to show T&A, hell the three latest chapters as of this writing have been "the Heat Ayakashi is running amok so you have to find it and capture it and also it's really hot so everyone is wearing swimsuits." So, you know.) But the point is... Matsuri seems to take being a girl completely in stride. He doesn't mind at all that he's been turned into a girl, and even has some moments where he goes, "Hey, this is actually nice" (like when he makes friends with Suzu's classmates, he really enjoys the friendship and bonding). Also, Matsuri and Suzu are clearly still super into each other, even now that Matsuri's been turned into a girl; perhaps even more so than before. However, for most of the series, the only reason anyone mentions Matsuri should turn back into a boy (Matsuri especially, but also his grandfather, Suzu, and most people who know what happened to him), is "To be with Suzu," "Because girls can't love other girls," and so on. (Summing up and summarising a lot here, but it's the gist of it.) And I read all this and I'm like: Matsuri. Bro. Pal. Friend. Dude. Girls can love other girls. It is, in fact, a Thing that Happens. If you're comfortable with being a girl, and Suzu is comfortable being with you, you do not have to change back. It's such a weird hang-up. Like I said, everyone seems to think this. It's literally "To be in a relationship with Suzu, Matsuri has to be a boy." Which... No? Like I said, Matsuri doesn't have any issue being a girl, he's still very much into Suzu, and Suzu is still very much into Matsuri as a girl. It almost borders into  .The only person who doesn't seem to have this hang-up is Matsuri's mom, who was recently introduced (like five chapters ago), because she tries to push Matsuri towards staying a girl (by pointing out, correctly, "What exactly is stopping Shirogane from killing the lot of you if you undo the seal? It would be better to just not undo the seal"), and she tries to push another character (a girl) into pursuing Matsuri (because she doesn't like Suzu and doesn't think Suzu is a good fit for Matsuri). (Of course Matsuri's mom is the same person who pushes Matsuri into wearing panties instead of his usual fundoshi because "It will help you learn to focus your spirit energy better" (and apparently it works???) and is widely regarded as a weirdo by everyone who knows her, so.) This is basically the gist of it. What can I say, I dont' like gender essentialism.
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Jun 15, 2021 11:34
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I think that the only reason that the series has stuck with the whole "only boys can be with girls" thing because there's otherwise no reason for Matsuri to change back (and thus no overarching goal for the series). Shirogane's the closest thing the series has to a big bad but is powerless, Matsuri's fine being a girl, all the people he knew before the transformation are fine with him being a girl, he's made more friends since becoming a girl, and he's closer with Suzu than ever before. He's literally in a better place than before it happened, and there's no other reason for him to have the goal to change back than some backwards thinking
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Jun 15, 2021 12:51
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Mikl posted:(I've checked the WSJ rankings and it's regularly hovering around 10-11-12 or thereabouts, not at the bottom but always below the middle). Remember people will generally not admit they are interested in series like that. The volume sales matter far more.
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Jun 15, 2021 13:59
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Ayakashi Triangle is doing fine. It regularly gets color pages. It's in no danger of getting the axe.
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Jun 15, 2021 15:11
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Mulderman posted:Don't forget about the chapter were we're introduced to his mom and she starts fingering him after licking her fingers I thankfully never read that. Now I'm wondering if I'm curious enough to look it up. Mikl posted:This is in fact the crux of the whole bizarre thing. So the fact that Matsuri doesn't really react to becoming a girl may be more of a case of a weakness in the series accidentally becoming a strength? It doesn't want to make a point about genders or anything but in doing so actually makes a strong point.
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Jun 15, 2021 15:40
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Okay I'm kind of interested in Ayakashi Triangle now, although that gender essentialism thing sounds pretty homophobic to me too. (they don't have to outright say it, and it may not be the point of the work, but it's there) But I should probably read it first.
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Jun 17, 2021 08:28
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I'm pretty sure Suzu would be fine with Matsuri being a girl except she wants to fully intends to bang Matsuri at some point and she's still straight at the end of the day. She wants the D very, very much.
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Jun 18, 2021 08:49
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Lily Catts posted:Okay I'm kind of interested in Ayakashi Triangle now, although that gender essentialism thing sounds pretty homophobic to me too. (they don't have to outright say it, and it may not be the point of the work, but it's there) But I should probably read it first. Ayakashi Triangle has that effect on people. Every time you hear about it, you feel like you should look at it. And in my case, afterwards I've reaffirmed why I dropped it. I started Soloist in a Cage. drat those first two chapters, that's some bleak poo poo. I need to find more time to read the rest. The artwork is really nice.
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Jun 18, 2021 09:13
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Yeah don't read Ayakashi Triangle. The gender stuff comes off as purely accidental - the story is very heteronormative, bordering on homophobic imo. The sex change spell seems to be only done as an excuse to have a main character that can provide T&A without being obvious about it from the get-go.
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Jun 18, 2021 16:31
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That feeling when you put more thought into a story than the author seems to have
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Jun 18, 2021 16:43
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seems more like a difference in priorities
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Jun 18, 2021 16:50
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https://twitter.com/wsj_manga/status/1405839817703886852?s=21
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Jun 18, 2021 18:57
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Ryuhei has the potential for another big hit in him but I dunno what the formula is. Beezebub was good but became kinda unfocused, and Hungry Marie was baffling. Cop & Dolphin wasn't a bad idea I don't think but weird execution again because he can't decide if he wants to do a gag or a battle manga.
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Jun 18, 2021 19:00
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Dolphin Cop should just have been a fun battle manga about people with fish powers. Tonally it was all over the place. Between cute slice of life chapters we have stuff like people cutting off their limbs and join and underwater sea cult. It's also really creepy at times. Like the time the rest of the village was only willing to help female cop save her father from falling to his death, if she allowed them to grope her tits. Or when they aged up the small child so they could show off her buttcrack.
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Jun 18, 2021 19:17
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was beelzebub a big hit? I thought that got cancelled too
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Jun 18, 2021 19:48
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I bounced off Dolphin Cop after the first chapter more or less had the moral "cops should be able to shoot people more freely" which was pretty yikes
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Jun 18, 2021 19:57
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Manatee Cannon posted:was beelzebub a big hit? I thought that got cancelled too cancelled or no, it ran for almost 30 volumes and got a yearlong+ anime, so i'd definitely consider it a notable success.
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Jun 18, 2021 20:32
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Mulderman posted:Dolphin Cop should just have been a fun battle manga about people with fish powers. I bounced off for no real reason. The first chapter didn't click on any level so I didn't even give it my usual 3 strikes treatment. But all that makes me want to check some of the more insane parts out, just so I can have an informed opinion.
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Jun 18, 2021 20:37
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Ya I read the first chapter and decided not to read anymore after the comic implied that Cops should shoot more people and people who film cops are in the wrong.
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Jun 18, 2021 21:01
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I loved Beelzebub. It sucks that it got rushed to an ending and he hasn't gotten a good hit since.
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Jun 18, 2021 23:16
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Is it predictable that in Monster #8 eventually Kafka broke out and managed to stop himself from fighting the Chief?? Yeah. But it was still incredibly cool. And in fairness, based on how the story has been going so far, I'm not 100% sure what is going to happen from here, which is exciting.
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Jun 19, 2021 09:09
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Monster#8 has been hitting its predicted points, buts its doing them well enough and the kaiju design is really good too. Its also a pretty brisk read, chapters feel pretty short and punchy despite being the full 18-20 pages. Its nothing super special, and I feel that it hasnt delivered its best hooks yet, if its keeping them in store.
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Jun 19, 2021 10:22
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now that the secret is out the no holds barred monster fights can begin.
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Jun 19, 2021 10:32
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I'm not a big fan of childhood friend promise getting him to snap out of it. When "I don't want to murder this girls father in front of her eyes" was already a thing this chapter.
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Jun 19, 2021 11:14
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Mulderman posted:I'm not a big fan of childhood friend promise getting him to snap out of it. When "I don't want to murder this girls father in front of her eyes" was already a thing this chapter. Yeah it's a bit weak, especially considering he's i his 30s. Him being so hung up on a childhood promise feels very teenagery
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Jun 19, 2021 11:22
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I’m fine with the promise stuff. It’s kind of just a regular promise since it came up last time they were together and he had pretty much let it go at the beginning of the manga so it’s basically just him rediscovering what he wants to do in life and committing to it.
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Jun 19, 2021 12:19
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Kafka has been hung up on that promise to the point he took a gig that was Kaiju related, so it kinda makes sense that his disappointment in never achieving it comes up over and over since he miraculously was given the power to do so with a lot of strings attached.
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Jun 20, 2021 04:22
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What more 30ish years old than being mired in regret
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Jun 20, 2021 08:57
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I don't expect an in depth character study in some shonen manga but it'd be nice if they did more with something as rare in jump as a 30 y/o protagonist. aside from his age, there's little to differentiate kafka from his contemporaries monster #8 is still fun and I like it but the mc is really just a vehicle for a cool monster design
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Jun 20, 2021 09:19
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Rigged Death Trap posted:What more 30ish years old than being mired in regret Yeah, Kafka in Monster 8 kind of reminds me of Space Brothers where its an adult, who has had an adult life for a while looking back at dreams he once had and abandoned, which is a completely believable motivation to me. And it's kind of unique in shounen so I dig it.
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Jun 20, 2021 11:30
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I don't think it's bad that his childhood regrets and promise are what allowed him to tip the scales back to his control. But I definitely agree that the whole "I don't want to make this girl an orphan to her face" could have also been a strong enough motivator had the writers wanted it.
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Jun 20, 2021 11:48
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The progression was pretty obvious. Kafka deep down believed he was a failure, and the acknowledgement from his childhood friend that he was indeed not was the last push he needed. Frankly I find that poignant if anything, but I also never bought the idea that Kafka is unbelievable as a 30 year old because he's a bit of an immature failson. That seems extremely accurate to a lot of 30 year old guys to me.
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Jun 20, 2021 13:12
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Fair Bear Maiden posted:The progression was pretty obvious. Kafka deep down believed he was a failure, and the acknowledgement from his childhood friend that he was indeed not was the last push he needed. Frankly I find that poignant if anything, but I also never bought the idea that Kafka is unbelievable as a 30 year old because he's a bit of an immature failson. That seems extremely accurate to a lot of 30 year old guys to me. Don't doxx me
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Jun 20, 2021 13:59
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Here I was all excited for a new week of releases and forgot that literally everything I care to read is on break until next week. 
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Jun 20, 2021 17:09
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lmao, literally just forming the Sket-Dan
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Jun 20, 2021 17:18
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Witch Watch wasn't supposed to make me cry.
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Jun 20, 2021 17:49
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Man am I glad I was wrong. Thank you Mashle for being there for me this dark day  Just choke a mofo out
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Jun 20, 2021 17:54
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