I’ve only read the first few pages but essentially it looks like the cliffhanger at the end of the last volume basically represented the magic world’s version of writer’s block．
Anybody else find that there’s something a bit off about this volume? I can’t quite put my finger on it but the pacing and the way the characters interact feels a bit uncanny, as if the writer changed. Even just the way some effects are drawn like the wormie hiragana font on p33 feel a bit or of place to me.
You also add the koma on page 5 last week with Agathe in front of a bunch of ‘？’. Just feels out of place in this manga.
Do you mean just this volume, so the first two chapters we’ve been reading so far? If you include the last ~2 volumes I would agree that the story feels maybe a bit unfocused right now, probably because it tries to juggle a lot of threads simultaneously. Previously it was usually just the atelier crew doing their thing of the week and maybe the brim hats scheming in the shadows and occasionally crossing their paths but now we have multiple factions and sub-plots moving at the same time giving it a bit of a “rushed” feeling because more plot happens per page.
I have no idea how the manga is produced, i.e. if there is a writer besides the author or if she has assistants, but IIRC the announcement for the anime adaption falls somewhere in the time frame of the release of the chapters that are contained in volume 10. Maybe involvement with that takes focus away from the manga.
I already finished the volume and didn’t find it „off“, but it did feel very bloaty. I actually considered recommending doubling the pace again, because this volume has low substance per page, and some parts of it feel unnecessarily drawn out and repetitive. I wonder if the author was really suffering from writer’s block and bringing it up repeatedly through the characters was her way of dealing with it. Also, there’s a major cliff hanger at the end of the volume and in retrospect, it seems kind of clear that she was treading water and trying to fill x amount of chapters to lead up to it.
The problem I find with that is that even if there’s a lot to read on each page, if the story is moving forward I can read loads. It’s the slower parts that I’m then prone to fall behind on.
I think the consensus was also that, no matter if the story is boring or exciting, we would like to keep it at one chapter per week, otherwise we will catch up too fast with the last volume and have a too long waiting time between volumes. So, not considering to change the pace, unless I hear different opinions!
Thanks again @footnote for posting the poll for me!! One more time for next chapter, and then I’ll be able to take over again!
Unfocused and bloated are both good words to describe the later volumes of this series. Last I read was volume 12 back in January 2024 and I haven’t touched it since, in large part due to lack of progress on what I consider the “main” plot points. I do plan to join you all once you reach volume 13 though.
I generally keep reading the manga for the artwork. But personally I would have preferred a more streamlined story. Also Koko should have joined the dark side several volumes ago. I don’t remember which volume had this, but when I saw the huge character art of Koko in the brimmed hat I was like “yes, I need this!”.
