The beginning of a new week can only mean one thing: time for new Weekly Shonen Jump! This is where Jacob investigates the latest and greatest in the magazine, telling you what’s worth your time and what’s not. You can find coverage of other series under the tag Jump Time. Here’s Phantom Seer chapter 29.
There’s a rumor going around that, come next week, Phantom Seer is coming to an end. I don’t buy that for a couple of reasons: First, the series is selling well. It actually recently got reprints, following a pretty successful initial print run. Second, the wording of the editor’s note only says that the series is entering into a ‘climax’; that could easily refer to just the end of this arc. With all that in mind, Phantom Seer chapter 29 is probably not the end.
That’s a good thing, because what’s in Phantom Seer chapter 29 only makes me want to see more. The clash with the Puppet Master is reaching its zenith, and Iori is forced to draw on the power of Ongyoki despite the consequences: the demon that’s tethered to him is so powerful that he could easily harm the other shamans, who are being held hostage. To overcome this, Iori chooses to make use of a new technique: ‘wearing’ Ongyoki and covering himself in his power.
This is the same technique that many of the other shamans were using throughout this arc, making it clear that this was merely set-up for the big power reveal. I don’t mean to slight Tougo Goto’s writing when I say that, by the way, because this step-up ultimately feels earned and grounded in the series’ fictional universe thanks to this earlier foreshadowing. Kento Matsuura’s artwork is also on fire here, as always.
Where this chapter really shines is when it draws together the threads of Iori’s character development and his relationship with Aibetsu. As we learned in the previous chapter, Iori was put in a very similar situation in the past with his previous Beckoning Hand, Yukizuki, but expanded too much power and overwhelmed her absorption ability. This has given him a fair bit of trauma, but he realizes in Phantom Seer chapter 29 that things are different: he has Aibetsu, who can use her disintegration ability to dispel some of Ongyoki’s power before it overwhelms him. Their relationship is therefore validated and taken to the next level.
If Phantom Seer were to end after chapter 29, then that would be very disappointing. Not just because the series is so good, but because I want to see more of these characters and where they might go in the future: that’s a far cry from my initial impressions, and I’m more than happy to admit it.
You can read Phantom Seer chapter 29 for free via VIZ Media.