Posted 01 February 2012 - 10:02 AM
Wow... I just picked up on this manga last week and have been slowly catching up. Along with what you mentioned earlier harry4e, I really feel like the mangaka is in a love/hate relationship with this series right now, especially with the last few chapters showing signs of animosity towards their own creation/selected genres. They've made numerous comments through various characters about their hate of certain troupes and repeated themes in certain genres of manga while still falling prey to them. It's kind of messing with me a little, and it almost feels like Anshin'in is the mangaka's actual voice which makes me worried that eventually the ending of MB will just be a giant middle finger to readers and jump comics.
If I go the more optimistic route, believing those are just character traits to be used and that the mangaka doesn't actually feel that way and won't let their frustration with weekly print interfere with the story, it's been rough seeing Zenkichi go through what he does with Medaka, from chapter 1 til now, and though she may show signs of caring for him, she's someone who is married to her job... so while I'd like to see Zenkichi succeed and beat her, I don't believe it'd have the desired effect. I also don't think Zenkichi will beat Medaka, if for nothing other than the mangaka not wanting to follow normal shounen logic in "training/hard work will allow you to win." If Zenkichi does win, it'd be because Medaka let him which probably won't sit well for Zen and would upset me. It also feels like as of late Medaka might have been better off remaining Medaka II, the way she's acting now and her enjoyment of being alone without Zenkichi or anyone else for a few panels. Is that Anshin'in's plan, isolating Medaka and secretly evolving her to become the perfect human? I'm betting she gave Zenkichi another ability when she kissed him, even though it might have just read as that's how she sent him to the empty school room.
I'm intrigued by this manga, but I'm also worried about the author's state of mind towards it. Depending on how the next few chapters go... I may just drop it for a few months.