Small Thoughts on Recent New Series

'Mamori Kyoudai no Sahanji' was the first series to start, and I was upbeat about its chance for success going by its popularity in Champion Cross. My thoughts on the series continue to be mostly positive, it is a light comedy series with a range of characters that give it some diversity. The characters and their interaction are not enough hold my attention which is why I stopped reading. It is not a bad series but it does not seem to be as popular as I previously expected and I reckon this will eventually leave the magazine and continue on Champion Cross.  

The second 'Davre no Oukan' series has already ended but it was not a bad series in my eyes. Artwise it was probably the most polished of the round, but it was likely the blandest. The series itself was a comedy action series. Its main problem ended up being how it failed to leave any impression. This was a result for me largely because it was too much of a mixture of comedy and action and it did not fully commit to either side. There have been comedy action series but they have prioritised one genre over the other. Perhaps with a more interesting setting and a clearer idea of what to focus on this mangaka can find success be it in Champion or elsewhere.  

The third series was 'Kimi wa Yotsuba no Clover by Koushi' and the most successful recent series. It has received a TV recommendation and it has received lead colour pages to promote volumer releases. The success of the series stems from its interesting setting even if not innovative. It has a twist that whilst not necessarily unpredictable adds a sense of mystery to the series and builds up the main female character intentions. The level of popularity of this series might motivate editors to look for series with intriguing setting like it, which might inspire the magazine to a new direction.  

The last series is Mogaku by Gumi and Maru was the one I favoured the most. The reason for my favour was that it resembled a nostalgic type of sports manga that had protagonist that were not talented but worked really hard to compete with others. The story likes to use emotional beats especially backstories to not only acts as extra motivation for their career in racing but builds up their character. It blends these emotional moments with sketchy art racing sequences that are feel intense. However, the series has not found a significant level of popularity. Perhaps, the series needs to balance those moments with the character interaction that break up the intense pace. More interaction between characters, especially since many have their own motivation for racing can engage readers into the actual story outside of the intense racing.