Review: THE PROMISED NEVERLAND

Despite choosing to focus on Weekly Shonen Jump manga this month, I actually don't read a lot of the long-running series that run in it.  It's not something I actively avoid, it's just that many of them don't appeal to me.  Thus, you can imagine my surprise when one of the magazine's biggest hits currently managed not only to capture my interest with its original look and premise, but retain it.

THE PROMISED NEVERLAND (Yakusoku no Neverland), written by Kaiu Shirai & art by Posuka Demizu.  First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Emma loves her home, Grace Field House.  She loves all the other orphans who live there with her.  She loves her "Mom" Isabella, who cares for all the children with tender sweetness.  Aside from the daily academic tests, things couldn't be more lovely for her.  Then Emma and her friend Norman discover the bloody truth behind their idyllic world, and their world view is shattered.  At that point, they resolve to save all the children of Grace Field House while avoiding the ever-watchful eyes of Isabella, a feat far harder than they could possibly have realized.

Review: BOMBER GIRL

Of course, not every series that runs in Jump can be a success.  Sometimes series fail, and fail quickly.  This is one of the few examples of such to see print in English.

BOMBER GIRL (Bonba Garu), by Makoto Niwano.  First published in 1994 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

In a future Tokyo overrun with crime, bounty hunters compete to bring down the worst criminals with the biggest bounties.  The most notorious of them all is Rashomon Emi, a 19-year-old bombshell known for her custom tonfa sticks and her vicious, no-hold-barred attacks.  Time and time again she and her hapless neighbor/fellow bounty hunter Guy find themselves facing down the outrageous agents of Megalith, a band of terrorists determined to take over Tokyo and remold it in their own image.

Review: KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD

Of course, Weekly Shonen Jump has always had more than gag series and straightforward adventures.  It's been home to more than a few romance stories over the years.  It's just debatable how well they have aged (or even if they were any good to begin with).

KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD (Kimagure Orenji Rodo), by Izumi Matsumoto.  First published in 1984 and first published in North America in 2014.

PLOT:

Kyosuke was just wandering around the park in his new hometown when he met with Madoka.  He was instantly smitten with her, but has a hard time believing that the same sweet girl he met in the park could be a standoffish deliquent at school.  That doesn't stop him from crushing hard on her, something that only becomes more complicated when he ends up stumbling into a relationship with Madoka's spunky best friend Hikaru.  Can Kyosuke sort out his relationship problems and keep his family's psychic powers a secret?

Review: GIN TAMA

If there's one Japanese manga magazine that's made more of an impression on American readers, it's Weekly Shonen Jump.  For decades they've been pumping out hit manga, and it's time to take a look at some of those stories here at the Manga Test Drive.  

That being said, not every Jump title released here is a hit on the level of Dragon Ball Z.  Sometimes they never rise above 'cult classic,' and sometimes it's obvious why that happened.

GIN TAMA, by Hideaki Sorachi.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2007.

PLOT:

In an alternate world where Meiji-era Japan has modern technology and aliens landed instead of Matthew Perry, Shinpachi is simply trying to get by.  He's an ex-samurai with a failing family dojo who spends most of his days getting pushed around by others.  Then a white-haired samurai named Gin charges into his restaurant, picks a fight, and drags Shinpachi along with him.  Together with an alien girl with a penchant for violence, the three of them are ready to take on anyone and anything, be they permed Yakuza thugs, alien moneylenders, a rampaging octopus monster, or figures from Gin's past.