For the Kindle you just need a .zip archive, which you put in the "pictures" folder in the root of the Kindle's storage. Your current reading position is automatically stored in a .manga_save file.
The Kindle can handle big pictures, but for the best results resize the pages to 800x600 and convert them to grayscale, if they aren't already. Also make sure to add enough padding to the filename (use _001, _002, don't use _1, _2, _3), the Kindle is very peculiar with these.
While reading, fullscreen can be toggled with the f-key.
I'm a huge fan of Planetes. One of my all time favorite manga and definitely recommended to everybody. Now I'm finally getting around to reading the "new" manga from the same author, Makoto Yukimura. I have to put "new" into quotation marks because it started serialization in 2005. The manga is called "Vinland Saga" and is all about Vikings. Only about 150 pages in so far, but it looks really awesome, and with the pedigree of Planetes behind it, it should hold up what it promises.
Still reading Bleach, only to see how bad that series will get. After they finally caught the Big Bad they've been chasing basically since the start of the series and a total length of more than 400 chapters, I thought the series would finally end, but no dice. Well then the author made a timeskip and went back to the school drama stuff the series started out with and I thought "alright, maybe there is something to salvage", but no, just more cryptic and power-creep BS ensues. The cake takes the latest chapter, where the author nonchalantly introduces a power that pretty much any character could get and makes it possible to do whatever the writer deems necessary...
The series might just have jumped over the boundary between hilariously bad to facepalm inducingly retarded.
Still reading Bleach, only to see how bad that series will get. After they finally caught the Big Bad they've been chasing basically since the start of the series and a total length of more than 400 chapters, I thought the series would finally end, but no dice. Well then the author made a timeskip and went back to the school drama stuff the series started out with and I thought "alright, maybe there is something to salvage", but no, just more cryptic and power-creep BS ensues. The cake takes the latest chapter, where the author nonchalantly introduces a power that pretty much any character could get and makes it possible to do whatever the writer deems necessary...
The series might just have jumped over the boundary between hilariously bad to facepalm inducingly retarded.
I too was really hoping he was just going to end it, especially considering how anti-climactic the fight with Aizen was. Especially since it was ridiculously short compared to the other fights in the story arc (which was a good thing.) I think he's just somehow forgotten how to write something good involving Ichigo.
Still reading Bleach, only to see how bad that series will get. After they finally caught the Big Bad they've been chasing basically since the start of the series and a total length of more than 400 chapters, I thought the series would finally end, but no dice. Well then the author made a timeskip and went back to the school drama stuff the series started out with and I thought "alright, maybe there is something to salvage", but no, just more cryptic and power-creep BS ensues. The cake takes the latest chapter, where the author nonchalantly introduces a power that pretty much any character could get and makes it possible to do whatever the writer deems necessary...
The series might just have jumped over the boundary between hilariously bad to facepalm inducingly retarded.
I too was really hoping he was just going to end it, especially considering how anti-climactic the fight with Aizen was. Especially since it was ridiculously short compared to the other fights in the story arc (which was a good thing.) I think he's just somehow forgotten how to write something good involving Ichigo.
I can't believe you people. I mean, Naruto had hilarious ninja school at the beginning to lure you in. One Piece actually continues being good for quite some time for all the parts in-between the fighting. But Bleach was bad from the very beginning. I can't understand it's popularity at all. If you don't even like it, why would you spend so much time on it? In the time it took to read 400+ chapters think of what you could have actually accomplished. Seems like the real big bad was you, and Bleach beat you like a dusty carpet.
Bleach didn't have a strong beginning, but it has interesting characters and an interesting world. Unfortunately most of the really interesting characters get no screen time, and by the end of the Soul Society arc the world stopped being interesting since it was basically all explained.
Bleach didn't have a strong beginning, but it has interesting characters and an interesting world. Unfortunately most of the really interesting characters get no screen time, and by the end of the Soul Society arc the world stopped being interesting since it was basically all explained.
I watched a handful of episodes, and I don't know where these interesting characters are hiding. School with monsters isn't exactly an interesting world, either.
Bleach was actually somewhat interesting at the start. It had a cool new art style and was rather promising, but the art style is also to it's detriment since Kubo just drags it out eternally. The 400 chapters pile up if you read it every week along with the other weekly stuff that is released usually alongside it. Compared with other manga, you can also read a chapter pretty quick since it usually features only 20 or less speechbubbles. Except of course that is a completely terrible thing to have, since the manga goes nowhere because of it.
Bleach could have been good, if it was 5 volumes or less. However, it's not like I just sat down and decided "I'm going to spend my free time for the entire next week reading Bleach". I'd probably kill myself if I'd do that. I keep reading Bleach for pretty much the same reason I read FSTDT.com: To remind me how terrible things could be. It provides the contrast to appreciate the things that are actually good in Manga. It's also kind off like watching MST3k or Rifftrax, except you make fun of that particular piece of crappy "art" yourself.
I don't know where these interesting characters are hiding.
Most of them are the captains. They're like Kubo's ace-in-the-hole; when the main cast gets enough shit kicked out of them, these big white robed badasses swoop in with cool shit and save the day in awesome curb-stomp battles.
He's definitely guilty of drawing the series out, but chaosof99 always seems to equate Bleach to the Manos: HoF of manga, and I don't think that is the case. The worst well-known shonen fightan' manga is Naruto. Fuck everything about Naruto, except for the ninja school.
Bleach is pretty bad and it is basically the sum of all terrible cliches about fighting manga that has people disregard it as a crappy genre. Here's an excerpt: * A main character that can't ever possibly lose * Deus Ex Machina everywhere and all the time * "Oh you got that technique, well I can do that too even though this is the first time I'm seeing it" * Official power level ranking, which it then scraps for no particular reason * Every female character in the entire series is absolutely and completely useless and usually only serve to be damsels in distress * Power creep, oh the power creep * Eternally drawn out fights in the freaking manga. Not in only in the anime to keep the anime running without catching up with the manga, in the freaking manga!
The only cliche I can think of that is not present in Bleach is the tournament arc.
Naruto is OK in my opinion, it isn't great, but it is a decent manga in my opinion. It has a plot and moves it along as well as consistent themes that propagates throughout it. However, it has its weak points and some of the most egregious ones are quite apparent in the most recent chapters, like going to war which was basically copied from one Piece, and reviving fucking dead characters. I guess the effect of it gets a little dampened, since war was talked about for the entirety of the manga, and the technique to resurrect the dead was introduced pretty early on. However, all of this could be pretty much avoided if the author just kept Orochimaru dead.
The biggest flaw I see with Naruto is that some of the characters in it are insanely annoying, and the manga could have been a whole lot better by focusing on Rock Lee, the best character in the series. However, that would have probably not been such a hit with the regular Shonen Jump readership as it would have lacked some of the coolness factor.
Naruto has gotten a lot better, especially as it's started to draw towards a close.
I think the best shonen fighting manga though is Fairy Tail. The fights are all fairly short (rarely more then a chapter,) if it does it's usually for character development or it's the big climactic battle, but in either case it only adds an additional chapter or two. The story moves along at a fairly fast speed, but it never feels rushed and never feels like it's lingering too long in one arc. All the characters are interesting, and even if they don't seem that way to start there is usually a point where we spend some time with them and discover they actually are.
I think the best shonen fighting manga though is Fairy Tail.
We know the best is Hokuto no Ken. That's why we're only talking about the worst here.
All other shonen fighting mangas are already dead.
* A main character that can't ever possibly lose * Deus Ex Machina everywhere and all the time * "Oh you got that technique, well I can do that too even though this is the first time I'm seeing it" * Official power level ranking, which it then scraps for no particular reason * Every female character in the entire series is absolutely and completely useless and usually only serve to be damsels in distress * Power creep, oh the power creep * Eternally drawn out fights in the freaking manga. Not in only in the anime to keep the anime running without catching up with the manga, in the freaking manga!
There's a lot of those in every shonen fighting manga. Just about every non-HnK shonen fighting is a giant pastiche of cliches and worn-out tropes.
What about History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi? There is Dues Ex Machina, but he looses, has difficulty in overcoming new techniques, his enemies have trouble with some stuff he has done as well, there doesn't seem to be an official power ranking, some stupidly strong female characters, and most fights are over pretty fast.
There is always power creep, I think that's just the nature of the genre however.
What about History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi? There is Dues Ex Machina, but he looses, has difficulty in overcoming new techniques, his enemies have trouble with some stuff he has done as well, there doesn't seem to be an official power ranking, some stupidly strong female characters, and most fights are over pretty fast.
There is always power creep, I think that's just the nature of the genre however.
Yeah, that's a good one. My only issue with it, much like my only major problem with a lot of good manga, is its often frequently and unnecessarily pervy.
There's a lot of those in every shonen fighting manga. Just about every non-HnK shonen fighting is a giant pastiche of cliches and worn-out tropes.
Actually, not really. Let's go over my list using One Piece.
* A main character that can't ever possibly lose Luffy loses repeatedly against stronger opponents, though he does get back up and fight them again later. Crocodile stabs him through the chest with his hook, then drops him into a sandpit. Enel puts a giant ball of gold on his arm and throws him overboard. Aokiji freezes him solid. Rob Lucci stabs him through the chest and flings him almost off the island. Magellan almost kills him by coating him with poison. Luffy usually loses his first encounter with the Big Bad. * Deus Ex Machina everywhere and all the time While there is this to a certain extent to keep the story interesting and woo the reader, it is almost always kept within boundaries and/or foreshadowed. A good example would be one of Luffy's techniques where he blows air into his bones and inflates them. He's rubber, so why not? It is conceivable that he could do that due to already known information, and him figuring out that he could do it and how to do it only later in the story is also not a far reach. * "Oh you got that technique, well I can do that too even though this is the first time I'm seeing it" Not possible due to the genius of Devil Fruits. It bestows talents on the user that can not be replicated as every Devil Fruit is unique, and there are some really outlandish and interesting Devil Fruits presented. There is the swordfighting, but every swordsman introduced so far had a clearly distinct style and no moves have been copied, except for one case where the two fighters were in fact the same person (long story). * Official power level ranking, which it then scraps for no particular reason It was toyed with in one scene, but it was more or less used as a joke to poke fun at that trope. There is the bounty system, which does work halfway like it though it more of a threat level than a power level, and it serves an actual purpose and is in context public knowledge. * Every female character in the entire series is absolutely and completely useless and usually only serve to be damsels in distress Though both female main characters have had Damsel in distress arcs, they have come naturally out of the story and their on volition to put themselves into that situation, not even necessarily wanting the rescue and even acting to prevent it. However, both of them have meaningful and important tasks within the crew and have proven useful in combat. Of course the biggest is Nami's navigational skills which have saved the entire crew multiple times. * Power creep, oh the power creep This one is similar to the one about techniques I mentioned earlier. Unlike mangas a la Dragonball where one character learns to fly and some time latter everybody has learned to Fly, this doesn't really happen. In Bleach this would be "Flash Step" or whatever it is called. However, there is of course characters getting stronger all the time, but that is natural and explained, e.g. encountering stronger opposition from the marines and higher ranking officers as they get more infamous. * Eternally drawn out fights in the freaking manga. Not in only in the anime to keep the anime running without catching up with the manga, in the freaking manga!Your mileage may vary on that one. I know Scott dropped it because he thought the fights dragged on too long, but usually it is multiple fights back to back that makes that happen. However, Oda has learned a big secret of making fights interesting that is often amiss in Shonen Battle Manga and uses it to great effect latter on: Don't have the other characters stand around and watch, have them progress the story instead! Thus the plot moves with segments interspersed with the fight scenes that pleases the kiddie crowd.
Shonen Battle Manga can be interesting and a good read with a great many aspects to keep the readers attention. It does not have to rely on overused, worn out tropes all the time. It all depends on the author and what he does with it.
-------------------
Also, why I originally came into this thread: Vinland Saga is fucking awesome and should be read by everyone immediately. Not only to witness the actions of Thorkell the Tall, Thrower of Logs, Puncher of Horses.
Comments
The Kindle can handle big pictures, but for the best results resize the pages to 800x600 and convert them to grayscale, if they aren't already. Also make sure to add enough padding to the filename (use _001, _002, don't use _1, _2, _3), the Kindle is very peculiar with these.
While reading, fullscreen can be toggled with the f-key.
The series might just have jumped over the boundary between hilariously bad to facepalm inducingly retarded.
Bleach could have been good, if it was 5 volumes or less. However, it's not like I just sat down and decided "I'm going to spend my free time for the entire next week reading Bleach". I'd probably kill myself if I'd do that. I keep reading Bleach for pretty much the same reason I read FSTDT.com: To remind me how terrible things could be. It provides the contrast to appreciate the things that are actually good in Manga. It's also kind off like watching MST3k or Rifftrax, except you make fun of that particular piece of crappy "art" yourself.
He's definitely guilty of drawing the series out, but chaosof99 always seems to equate Bleach to the Manos: HoF of manga, and I don't think that is the case. The worst well-known shonen fightan' manga is Naruto. Fuck everything about Naruto, except for the ninja school.
* A main character that can't ever possibly lose
* Deus Ex Machina everywhere and all the time
* "Oh you got that technique, well I can do that too even though this is the first time I'm seeing it"
* Official power level ranking, which it then scraps for no particular reason
* Every female character in the entire series is absolutely and completely useless and usually only serve to be damsels in distress
* Power creep, oh the power creep
* Eternally drawn out fights in the freaking manga. Not in only in the anime to keep the anime running without catching up with the manga, in the freaking manga!
The only cliche I can think of that is not present in Bleach is the tournament arc.
Naruto is OK in my opinion, it isn't great, but it is a decent manga in my opinion. It has a plot and moves it along as well as consistent themes that propagates throughout it. However, it has its weak points and some of the most egregious ones are quite apparent in the most recent chapters, like going to war which was basically copied from one Piece, and reviving fucking dead characters. I guess the effect of it gets a little dampened, since war was talked about for the entirety of the manga, and the technique to resurrect the dead was introduced pretty early on. However, all of this could be pretty much avoided if the author just kept Orochimaru dead.
The biggest flaw I see with Naruto is that some of the characters in it are insanely annoying, and the manga could have been a whole lot better by focusing on Rock Lee, the best character in the series. However, that would have probably not been such a hit with the regular Shonen Jump readership as it would have lacked some of the coolness factor.
I think the best shonen fighting manga though is Fairy Tail. The fights are all fairly short (rarely more then a chapter,) if it does it's usually for character development or it's the big climactic battle, but in either case it only adds an additional chapter or two. The story moves along at a fairly fast speed, but it never feels rushed and never feels like it's lingering too long in one arc. All the characters are interesting, and even if they don't seem that way to start there is usually a point where we spend some time with them and discover they actually are.
Otherwise, they'd all look like this x)
There is always power creep, I think that's just the nature of the genre however.
* A main character that can't ever possibly lose Luffy loses repeatedly against stronger opponents, though he does get back up and fight them again later. Crocodile stabs him through the chest with his hook, then drops him into a sandpit. Enel puts a giant ball of gold on his arm and throws him overboard. Aokiji freezes him solid. Rob Lucci stabs him through the chest and flings him almost off the island. Magellan almost kills him by coating him with poison. Luffy usually loses his first encounter with the Big Bad.
* Deus Ex Machina everywhere and all the time While there is this to a certain extent to keep the story interesting and woo the reader, it is almost always kept within boundaries and/or foreshadowed. A good example would be one of Luffy's techniques where he blows air into his bones and inflates them. He's rubber, so why not? It is conceivable that he could do that due to already known information, and him figuring out that he could do it and how to do it only later in the story is also not a far reach.
* "Oh you got that technique, well I can do that too even though this is the first time I'm seeing it" Not possible due to the genius of Devil Fruits. It bestows talents on the user that can not be replicated as every Devil Fruit is unique, and there are some really outlandish and interesting Devil Fruits presented. There is the swordfighting, but every swordsman introduced so far had a clearly distinct style and no moves have been copied, except for one case where the two fighters were in fact the same person (long story).
* Official power level ranking, which it then scraps for no particular reason It was toyed with in one scene, but it was more or less used as a joke to poke fun at that trope. There is the bounty system, which does work halfway like it though it more of a threat level than a power level, and it serves an actual purpose and is in context public knowledge.
* Every female character in the entire series is absolutely and completely useless and usually only serve to be damsels in distress Though both female main characters have had Damsel in distress arcs, they have come naturally out of the story and their on volition to put themselves into that situation, not even necessarily wanting the rescue and even acting to prevent it. However, both of them have meaningful and important tasks within the crew and have proven useful in combat. Of course the biggest is Nami's navigational skills which have saved the entire crew multiple times.
* Power creep, oh the power creep This one is similar to the one about techniques I mentioned earlier. Unlike mangas a la Dragonball where one character learns to fly and some time latter everybody has learned to Fly, this doesn't really happen. In Bleach this would be "Flash Step" or whatever it is called. However, there is of course characters getting stronger all the time, but that is natural and explained, e.g. encountering stronger opposition from the marines and higher ranking officers as they get more infamous.
* Eternally drawn out fights in the freaking manga. Not in only in the anime to keep the anime running without catching up with the manga, in the freaking manga!Your mileage may vary on that one. I know Scott dropped it because he thought the fights dragged on too long, but usually it is multiple fights back to back that makes that happen. However, Oda has learned a big secret of making fights interesting that is often amiss in Shonen Battle Manga and uses it to great effect latter on: Don't have the other characters stand around and watch, have them progress the story instead! Thus the plot moves with segments interspersed with the fight scenes that pleases the kiddie crowd.
Shonen Battle Manga can be interesting and a good read with a great many aspects to keep the readers attention. It does not have to rely on overused, worn out tropes all the time. It all depends on the author and what he does with it.
-------------------
Also, why I originally came into this thread: Vinland Saga is fucking awesome and should be read by everyone immediately. Not only to witness the actions of Thorkell the Tall, Thrower of Logs, Puncher of Horses.