Shonen Sunday Briefs

Selected Brief Updates
1996 Issue 34
Update by Eri Izawa

Selected news from this issue

This week's front color pages feature the release of the TETSUWAN BIRDY (Birdy the Mighty) OVA set. The SF action story, by Yuuki Masami, originally ran ten years ago in Shonen Sunday. The main characters are Birdy (a female galactic police agent) and Chigawa Tsutomu (a normal male junior high school student), who wind up sharing the same body.
And in other news, IKE!! NANKOKU ICE HOCKEY BU, the long-running gag series filled with bad puns, sexual innuendos, and gross humor, has just ended in this issue with a splashy full-color exit.

Selected Overview:
Meitantei Conan
Aoyama Goshou

This highly popular series has recently spawned off its own TV show, and has reached eleven volumes in length. It centers around a young boy detective named "Edogawa Conan," who is actually high school student Kudo Shinichi. Shinichi/Conan had been shrunk down to his current age and size by a mysterious criminal organization. Now, as a supposed grade school boy, he finds himself accidentally involved in murder case after murder case (a la the American TV show "Murder, She Wrote"). Conan's sidekick is Shinichi's girlfriend Ran, and occasionally her bumbling detective father. Using a few gadgets lent to him by a professor friend, Conan usually manages to expose the murderer by making it appear that Ran's father has figured it out. Unfortunately or fortunately, Ran and her father have both failed to notice what is actually going on, and so Ran's father manages to walk away with all the credit. And, somewhat to Conan's relief, Ran herself has failed to realize that he is Shinichi. Despite all the formulaic content and the pieces that stretch the suspension of disbelief, the series manages to remain solidly entertaining.

Selected Brief Updates:
Me Gumi no Daigo
Soda Masahito

Daigo, wanting to prove himself to the orange-clad elite Rescue Team at the multi-company practice fire, recovers from his initial hose handling error. With another hose, he helps the Rescue Team enter the burning building and look for the mock "victims" of the fire. As the practice wraps up, Daigo senses someone in desperate need of rescue --- except, to his great embarrassment, the "someone" turns out to be a mother cat and two kittens. Kanda, the ace of the Rescue Team, realizes that Daigo seems to have the ability to sense lives in danger, and wants to see him in action at a real emergency.

Love
Ishiwata Osamu

Love has succeeded in beating Sazanami despite menstrual cramps. After being congratulated by Yuuko, who wants to face her someday on the women's court, she goes to the bathroom and then passes out on the floor. Midoriko worries about how Love will fare in her match the next day against the powerful "Rappa."

Grooming Up!
Yuki Masami

Shunpei comes under the mistaken impression from Satoru that Hibiki spent the night in his room, especially after seeing Hibiki in a new outfit that Satoru had bought for her. Hibiki explains to her mother, however, that she had wound up staying at her aunt's house, and that the outfit had been bought at her aunt's insistence. Ume observes that Shunpei must be in love with Hibiki.

Ghost Sweeper Mikami
Shiina Takashi

(Mikami is watching O-kinu at a high-school psychic battle competition.) O-kinu uses her necromancy abilities to turn her opponents' servant spirits against them. The opponents quickly send in a different combatant instead. Luckily for O-kinu, her friend Ichimonji arrives in time to trade places with her. With her street smarts and power, Ichimonji defeats the last opponent. But O-kinu still faces the formidable task of reconciling her quarreling teammates for the next battle.

Ushio to Tora
Fujita Kazuhiro

The Beast Spear has been regenerated from Tora's mouth. Ushio feeds the unconscious Tora some of his blood, and then flies up to meet the Hakumen. Without hatred and rage blocking his mind, he now remembers the spiritual keys to fighting. Mayuko and Ushio's mother sense that now is the time to move against the Hakumen....

Major
Mitsuda Takuya

Goro's team has won the right to play the top-ranked Yokohama Little League team in the Yokohama Stadium. Unfortunately, their coach injures his back and can't make it to the game. The team drafts Goro's adoptive mother as their new coach, despite her inexperience. The team begins warm-ups as their opponents (who include the female pitcher Goro was in love with, once upon a time) comment snidely about how easy the game is going to be. Their coach, however, warns them to celebrate after they've won.