A Jaunt Instead of a Saunter

Hi, folks! So normally I’d do a Saunter through Weekly Shonen Jump today. However, last week WSJ was on hiatus and this week there aren’t any Jump Starts. So instead let’s take a jaunt through some items I’ve been wanting to share with you but which hardly merited posts in their own right. To wit:

• Karandi tagged me a couple of weeks ago to do “My Reasons Why”. I had already done so previously, but would like to acknowledge the tag and thank her. So, thanks, Karandi!
• We Never Learn made a splash today in Weekly Shonen Jump, or rather two splashes. First, the story actually introduced some long-term tension and potential conflict and character development. One of the girls whom Nariyuki is tutoring does so well in both sports (swimming) and academics that she gets offered a scholarship abroad. However, to go she has to become proficient in conversational English. So she dives in (see what I did there?) and gives it her all to learn English from Nariyuki, knowing full well that the better she gets the closer she comes to being separated from him. (Because she has a crush on him, like all the girls do. And one of the teachers. Harem rom-com, doncha know.) It’s been a long time coming, but I’m glad to see the story moving from a more episodic form to setting up some bigger risks and payoffs.
• Second, We Never Learn is getting an anime!!!!
• Dr. Stone takes an exciting twist this week in WSJ by placing the imprisoned Chrome at the center of the action instead of Senku. Senku, recall, is the science genius, and Chrome has been following his lead in developing technological advantages to stave off the enemy’s power. But now he’s trapped in a cage behind enemy lines, and so we see Chrome employing his own creativity and the lessons he remembers from Senku in a bid for freedom… Once again, the series manages to maintain its sense of tension and urgency while still being light-hearted, and it continues to balance Senku’s “OP” scientific proficiency (genius?) against limitations that it can’t or can’t easily overcome.
• And Promised Neverland ratcheted up the bar for amazing quality again! I know there’s more important things to pray about, but man am I ever praying that the anime for this can do the manga justice and then some!
• My kids directed and choreographed their own live-action adaptation of Snow White with the Red Hair episode 1—complete with the opening music! MiniPrimes is turning into quite the amateur cosplayer, devising detailed costumes for herself and her siblings. Then they did a repeat, but this time with their three-year-old brother in various roles, and it was hilarious! His sense of comedic timing was perfect! Also, he didn’t always stick to the script, which forced the others to improv…!
• Although I haven’t posted much in the last few days, I’ve been hard at work on two other projects. First, Moya is back and she and I are reviewing Toradora! again! Yay! (Cue the latest opening to Black Clover, “Guess Who is Back”!) Second, I’ve been involved with (and was unwittingly the catalyst for) a project over at Beneath the Tangles that shall be revealed shortly. Stay tuned!

Thank you as always for reading, and I look forward to encountering you all again soon!