By Dustin Cabeal

Oh boy… not a lot to review this week, but if you’re reading Weekly Shonen Jump regularly, then you’re in for a treat as this issue features One Piece, My Hero Academia, Dr. Stone, The Promised Neverland, Hungry Marie, Food Wars!, Black Clover and One-Punch Man. Most of those are series I’m reading and enjoying, but I will only be covering The Promised Neverland and the final two Jump Start series (Maybe there’s still more for next time?) Hungry Marie and Dr. Stone.

The Promised Neverland – Score 4/5

I’m switching it up and going for the best first. What keeps this chapter from being perfect is the fact that it overlaps part of the last chapter. We saw Norman stroll off with Mom and it was a great ending. This chapter, we see the moments just before they leave and while it’s great, it kills the chapter’s ending.

Emma makes a last-ditch effort to get Norman free, but he blocks her attempt. He is at peace with his decision to die, but it’s great drama to see his friends struggling with it. He doesn’t leave without a few verbal punches towards Mom which left her surprised. The story does feel like it’s dragging its feet a little as the creator decides what to do next, but I hope that it moves on from Norman and lights a fire under his friend’s asses. The artwork continues to be great, and in particular, I enjoyed how Emma and Norman’s struggle was illustrated.

Dr. Stone – Score: 3/5

I can’t blame this chapter for being light on content. Two teen boys woke up 3,700 years after the inhabitants of earth were turned to stone… they need some time to get shit going, and that’s what the story shows us. The science-minded teen, who I assume is Dr. Stone, figures out how to un-stone a living creature, but it takes them a lot of time.

It’s enjoyable how true to the scientific process the story remains. It's these little details that keep this world from feeling mundane. They could lighten up on belittling the other dude’s intelligence. He seems like an average guy, but he’s constantly knocking his own intelligence and being called an Oaf. It doesn’t work for the story because he’s too important to it. The art is still incredible. I don’t know if this one will make it, but I at least hope to see more from the artist.

Hungry Marie – 1/5

If you listened to this week’s podcast, then you already know how I feel about this series. This final chapter of Hungry Marie’s Jump Start debut ends as poorly as U-19’s. It’s a body switch comedy, but Marie only comes out when she’s hungry. They make up a bullshit history that she escaped to Japan and died in the church she’s been haunting… it sucks, it’s boring, and the jokes have been used so many times that it’s painful to read. Hungry Marie is low hanging fruit, from its humor, plot and even the artwork. Everything about this screams generic, and frankly, if it does return, it will end up in my “not reading pile” of this review, be it for different reasons than most other titles in that pile.

Well, that’s it. Not a great week, but now that I know how close I am to catching up on One-Punch Man I might just go back and find the previous issues so I can keep up with the series. Eventually, I’ll get there with Black Clover as well. Until next week, enjoy your manga… or something.

Weekly Shonen Jump no. 15
Viz Media