Weekly Shonen Hop #1

Welcome to the first edition of Weekly Shonen Hop, a weekly review focused on shonen series, manga and otherwise. Series will come and go depending on how strongly I feel about each one and what’s currently happening within the story. The occasional monthly might make an appearance as they get released. My criteria for rating will be how enjoyable the chapter was and how it compares to the other series of the week as well as previous chapters in the current arc.

Black Clover 188: 6/10

 I feel like Black Clover is the spiritual successor of Bleach, Naruto, and Fairy Tail all at once; showing very strong shonen themes and tropes but not really doing them that well. The art is nice to look at and magic is always cool so I guess I have to keep reading it for the next 5 years. For this chapter, we see our ragtag bunch of Blackbulls trying to save their precious comrade from elf body stealing. Henry gets a nice moment in the spotlight and I can really relate to being bedridden, useless, and draining the energy of the ones around me.

Haikyuu!! 333: 8/10

Typically I get bored with tournament arcs in shonen series because they’re a very safe and proven way to extend a storyline and still provide readers with content that they will like, but Haikyuu has really kept me interested in each of the matches between these national contenders.  I was happy to see more sides to Akaashi’s character with his frustration and closeness with his team; thank you Furudate for giving all of your boys a chance to shine and grow. I believe in Fukurodani and their second round comeback, Akaashi you can do it!

My Hero Academia 212: 7/10 

Tournament arc after tournament arc, My Hero Academia is currently giving me big “Chuunin Exam” arc vibes; children battling it out to prove that they’ve got what it takes to be a chuunin real hero. Shinso is quickly moving his way up the list of my favorite characters from this series while Uraraka and Deku fall deeper into typical shonen protagonist plus his girlfriend storylines. The comparisons between Bakugo and Deku foreshadowed a sweep for Deku’s team but All for One’s short-circuiting as a twist was a little too obvious. The ending panels set us up for another “Deku, you need to grow” moment so let’s see what next week brings us.

One Piece 929: 6.5/10

One Piece is easily one of my most favorite series but this Wano arc has left me wanting more; it makes me question if Oda has lost his touch or the One Piece formula just isn’t what I want anymore. The Franky Map Search gag felt like it was put in for panels and the snippets of what’s happening behind the scenes here and there are not giving me much to work with. We have several face-reveals this week with Orochi (ugly as hell) and the return of X Drake, who we haven’t seen in what feels like years. I’m looking forward to the reuniting of the Worst Generation as each one slowly returns to the story.

Seven Deadly Sins 294: 5/10

Seven Deadly Sins has become a series that I read because I’ve read it since the beginning and I need to see the end. This Holy War arc feels like the sign of the end times with dragging battles and low-impact moments. The reunion of the Sins as a tide turning event has become boring at this point. Last week’s chapter with Ban and Elaine’s reunion was a great moment and showed a lot of growth for our greedy Fox’s sin, so it makes sense that this week feels lackluster in comparison. (Side note: Derieri and Oslo receiving salvation is really great and I’m so happy for them)

Solo Leveling 51: 7/10

Solo Leveling is the power fantasy with great art and an edgy story that we’ve all wanted in our lives. The story moves quickly as we watch our MC, Sung Jin-woo, go from zero to above hero; slowly losing his emotions along the way. It’s not too deep story-wise but the action is great and it’s a wild read every week. This week’s chapter we’ve got Jin-woo adding a giant bear boss to his shadow army and we learn that Igris is actually best boy.