The Shonen Three: Naruto 565, Bleach 475, Hunter x Hunter 327

I love me some Killer Bee, and I even find that when he's paired with Naruto I actually like Naruto a little more as well. Here, Naruto and Killer Bee are right in the thick of it, forced to face Tobi and the other Jinchuuriki head on! For two seconds before running and hiding under some bushes (Must have learned the Saotome Secret Tecnique!). Can you blame them? No, no you can't, and that's kind of what makes this chapter awesome. Naruto has been an overpowered pwn machine since his return to the battlefield, to the point where his shadow clones are worth more than most of the ninja in the Hidden Leaf, but right here and now? There's finally a few opponents that can stand up to him. Unfortunately, by the end of this chapter they've already found the enemies' weak points for massive damage. Kind of wish Bee used Samehada a little more than he had. In addition, the abilities of the other Jinchuuriki are portrayed a lot better in the previous chapter, but these are just little nitpicks. I've been loving this arc. The eight tails has been released! Does this mean the end of the Jinchuuriki or the end of the great Killer Bee? You have to tune in next week if you wanna see, muthafucka!

A lot of people complain about the nature of Bleach. Its greatest strength, its stylistic fighting, is also its greatest weakness. One of the most criticized aspects of the fighting are the random power-ups. It's not that its something other shonen characters aren't guilty of, most characters progress in power in one way or another,but Bleach is among the most spontaneous of these. Case and point: Ichigo's new Bankai. It's not that it doesn't technically make sense-new wardrobe, new sword- but does he really NEED it? It's not as if Kubo couldn't have found a way to make him effectively use his old blade. Ultimately, it's just one of those self-indulgent things Bleach loves that you are either on board with or you aren't.
Here, Ichigo reveals he's smarter than we think he is. It's easy to forget with all of his bullheaded sword swinging that Ichigo was never a dumb person. This reveal goes a long way towards reminding us of that. And then Sensui goes bankai. That's it. Yup. They're going to fight. FOR REALS THIS TIME! I know a lot of people jumped off the Bleach bandwagon after the slightly disappointing end of the Aizen arc, but this one has been getting better and better at breathtaking speeds. I was hooked as soon as they revealed Tsukishima's ability. I've been looking for a reason to be as disappointed and as cynical as my friends, and I have yet to find one.

Nothing. NOTHING. Gets me as excited as a new chapter of Hunter x Hunter, and for good reason. Hunter x Hunter is different from typical shonen fair. It glorifies tactics over power, and character and story over fighting.Say what you want about the art, Togashi's characterization and creativity are almost always on point.In some ways, Hunter x Hunter wouldn't work as well if it wasn't. Togashi has a talent for making you care about the most insignificant of character by making them cooler and more interesting than a throw away character has any right to be. Well, throw away is a poor phrase. You never know who is going to play a significant role in the world of Hunter x Hunter, or when.
The Zoldyck family is having a bit of an internal conflict, and that's as messy as you think it would be for a family of super powered assassins. Killua races to save both Gon and his adorable brother/sister (its complicated) Alluka using the skills he mastered fighting in the Chimera Arc as he is pursued by his older brother, Illumi .Meanwhile, Gotoh the butler faces Hisoka the magician in an effort to stall for time. I love seeing the nen abilities of new and old characters, Gotoh's was appropriately awesome. The fight was over by the end of the chapter, and while we would have loved to see more, that Hunter x Hunter doesn't typically dwell on any one fight for long is one of the things that makes it unique. The quick pacing adds to the sense of speed and emergency that was introduced last chapter. Were this typical shonen fair, the fight would have lasted at least three chapters and the intensity of the situation would have been lost. Things will only get more intense from here, and with Alluka around anything can happen.