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[Knirisk]

Also, Muv-Love is making me feel like a terrible person. I like cool purplehair girl, but if I eat her lunch I'm being a total jerk to the other childhood friend girl who has made me lunch two days in a row that I've rejected.

I started playing Extra recently and, yeah, totally, haha. I'm glad I finished Kei's route first, even if she was a side character. It meant I could flee the scene whenever lunch time came around. It also meant that I got to see more of Meiya's personality, so I'll be doing her route next, because childhood-friend-girl seems far less interesting.

[Vector]

No.  Fuck it.  Attack on Titan is great and I should feel bad for having ever maligned it.

A break really helped my impressions of it, actually.  I can't wait to read the manga.

[Sirus]

You can criticize something and still think its great, y'know

Like my vague complaints about "telling, not showing" a week or two ago. I still like the anime and would probably read the manga if I had time, but that won't stop me from pointing out things I find odd or illogical.

[Vector]

No man, this manga seriously marks a revitalization of the entire shounen genre.  I am really happy about it.  This is the first time since Dragonball that they've got the arial stuff right, and it's so good.

I actually think I'm going to plan to head up and get copies of what's been published so far in Japanese with my first paycheck.  Maybe pick up some other stuff, too.  Kind of in that sort of mood.

[Neonivek]

this manga seriously marks a revitalization of the entire shounen genre

You need three. The death of a genre doesn't preclude exceptions.

For example the death of "Adventure shows" in the West did not stop both Avatar the last air bender or Adventure time. (Dora doesn't count... that is for really young kids). Yet they didn't revive the genre at all.

For a proper revival I think a better front requires 3 notable examples.

[Vector]

One Piece managed to hold onto Dragonball's momentum.  Bakuman moved its lessons to a different context in a truly brilliant way.  This is the next step forward.

[Neonivek]

But of those only one is really of the highest caliber isn't it?

But of course, its success could just kill the genre faster. All it takes is imitators.

[Vector]

Yes, but on the other hand, in Dragonball's era it stood alone, too.  I mean, Toriyama is considered the Number 2 Manga Artist of All Time or something, and that's only second to Tezuka.  And he made, what, two series.  And that was it.  And yet he entirely recast shounen--completely rebuilt it.

I believe that Attack on Titan is an act of genius, but I don't think that even it stands up to Dragonball.  It's amazing, but it isn't... well, the author isn't strong enough yet, that's all.  He makes some rookie mistakes.  Probably his next manga, if he manages to go full-speed ahead for that one and take a weekly.

The thing is that I don't think shounen is dying at all.  I think it needed a chance to catch its breath after someone like Toriyama rolled through and fucking flattened all the other authors, set the standard, etc.  So it took a break while the world enjoyed its moe-moe harem shows and adventurey sci-fi/fantasy stuff, and now it's starting to actually absorb the demands for interesting female characters and so on (that's what started running Naruto into the ground, popularity-wise--an extremely vocal female fanbase in Japan let Kishimoto know that they felt they had been repeatedly betrayed).  Bakuman was a direct and performative commentary on what New Shounen needs to look like, and now Attack on Titan is taking those lessons fully to heart and running with them.  That's why I'm saying I think Attack on Titan will usher in a new era.  It has great representation, a large cast, no special costumes or transformation sequences, doesn't operate on honor, keeps a hold on its tone, has excellent arc design, and most of all it doesn't over-explain itself--but it is still about the shounen fundamentals of trust, friendship, loyalty, and living well under sincere duress.

And the thing is, I think that this is the manga that will make Dragonball look completely hokey and outdated.  It's just this feeling--all the good manga have been going in this direction recently.  I think this is the watershed.  And I think that, after this, we might just get another piece from this author that will epitomize the pinnacle of this particular direction, and that will be that.

[Neonivek]

The thing is that I don't think shounen is dying at all.

I don't think so either. I think it is more that its quality as dipped quite a bit because of formula.

Also I am happy I found a solution to one of the Liar game puzzles. Admitting one they won't use.

[Kadzar]

adventurey sci-fi/fantasy stuff

What does this refer to (especially the sci-fi)? It seems like the sort of thing I'd be interested in.

[Chaoswizkid]

Shounen's not dead. There's the Big Three with the Little Fourth (Naruto, Bleach, One Piece and Fairy Tail). Then there's the shounens that aren't nearly as widespread in popularity but are still considered great, like FMA.

Then there's the one that none of you are forgetting, one that clearly ushers forth a new glory age for shounen! It stands a top the mountain of pitiful corpses, and the mangaka sits on his throne, cackling with glee, whipping fans and editors alike, for all the power is his! That manga is Mahou Sensei Negima! That mangaka is Ken Akamatsu!

Because we all know the thing shounens have been missing the whole time were harem romance subplots involving 50+ girls! LONG LIVE TROLLMATSU!

But for-realziez, I feel like there's plenty of shounens that are doing just fine and so the genre is doing just fine. It's just about what they are doing with themselves being the issue (See: Naruto has so much backwards, nonsensical, ridiculous character development and anti-development, and lawlerskates!Bleach should have ended in its infancy).

I do want to check out Bakuman now, though. I'm concerned for the state of the art, and after reading through Hideaki Anno's stuff I'd like to see something (or someone) try to take a step in a positive (for the industry) step again.

[Furtuka]

My friend is constantlyy insisting that Toriko is going to usurp one of the Big Three one of these days. I should probably check it out sometime.

[Frumple]

The manga's pretty alright, yeah. Worth a read, I'd say.

[Leafsnail]

Bleach has got to judder to a halt at some point.

[shadenight123]

bleach is in the last arc.
Kishimoto said Naruto will finish sometime next year.
(There will probably be still an Arc after the war, maybe a 'What the Hell happened to Uzushio to be destroyed?' arc)
One Piece...
I look at One Piece and think about the Random Generated History of Dwarf Fortress. That's not going to end.