#yokai buster murakami

[demifiendrsa]

Official English translated author comments featured in Weekly Shonen Jump 2024 issue #36/37

Sakamoto Days chapter 177 - Yuto Suzuki

My Hero Academia chapter 430 [END] - Kohei Horikoshi

Kagurabachi chapter 44 - Takeru Hokazono

Me & Roboco chapter 196 - Shuhei Miyazaki

One Piece chapter 1122 - Eiichiro Oda

The Elusive Samurai chapter 167 - Yusei Matsui

Akane-banashi chapter 121 - Yuki Suenaga

Blue Box chapter 160 - Kouji Miura

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 265 - Gege Akutami

Hima-Ten! chapter 5 - Genki Ono

Witch Watch chapter 166 - Kenta Shinohara

Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi chapter 7 - Shoichi Usui

Undead Unluck chapter 217 - Yoshifumi Tozuka

Mission: Yozakura Family chapter 237 - Hitsuji Gondaira

Nue’s Exorcist chapter 61 - Kota Kawae

Super Psychic Policeman Chojo chapter 25 - Shun Numa

Astro Royale chapter 16 - Ken Wakui

Kill Blue chapter 64 - Tadatoshi Fujimaki

Psych House chapter 13 - Omusuke Kobayashi

Kyokuto Necromance chapter 15 - Fusai Naba

Yokai Buster Murakami chapter 8 - Daiki Ihara

[raamitsu]

WSJ AUTHORS' COMMENT IN REGARDS OF THE END OF JUJUTSU KAISEN'S SERIALIZATION ⭐

#Thank you, Gege Akutami. Most importantly, thank you again for creating Gojo Satoru.

[tokiro07]

Toki Reads Shonen Jump 2024, Issue #47

One Piece: The Post-Baroque Works Straw Hats learn that the Luffy has been publicly labeled as Vegapunk's killer, and Robin notices a familiar X edited onto Luffy's arm in the accompanying photo; meanwhile, Luffy meets the disgraced prince of Elbaf, Loki. Vivi snuck a message to the Straw Hats past Morgans, and some readers believe Loki's situation to be a parallel to when Luffy met Zoro and take that as a sign he may be recruited to the Straw Hats

HxH: Balsamilco attempts to assassinate Halkenburg, but is struck by Halkenburg's Nen arrow, resulting in his body being possessed. Provided he can evade Benjamin's suspicions, Halkenburg can use Balsamilco's body to assassinate Benjamin instead

Yozakura Family: As Kyoichiro enter's Asa's ship to rescue his father, Momo, he recalls his conversation with Momo about the plan to use Momo's Dreams to break Asa's Conquest over Taiyo's body, and is surprisingly against a plan that would endanger Taiyo; meanwhile, Alpha cries over seeing his father possessed by Asa. In addition to clarifying how Taiyo can be rescued, one could also draw parallels between Kyoichiro and Alpha's desires to save their respective fathers

Undead Unluck: Soul takes the stage to fight Julia; Change fights Gina, disarming her while entering Phase 3, but ends up getting decked in the face for her troubles. Gina's character arc reaches its climax, mirroring her dialogue from her first appearance with a notable change in her opinion on "change" as a concept

Me & Roboco: Ruri and Roboco take the Hunter Exam Serialization Conference's trials to have a serialization approved for Shonen Jump. With her serialization approved, Ruri's manga will likely be a recurring element going forward, possibly getting full faux chapters like Uron Mirage in Witch Watch

Sakamoto Days: Atari foresees her death, which can only be avoided if she meets up with her soulmate; using her precognition, she survives an attack from and ultimately defeats Higuchi, the karma-obsessed killer from Sakamoto's flashback. The viability of Atari's precognition is shown off, but fans start to question her exact wording; while we all assume her "soulmate" is going to be Shin, she has never once directly alluded to him specifically, and might well mean Heisuke instead

Elusive Samurai: now fully human, Shizuku devises a plan to overcome Takauji's divinity and render him vulnerable to human weaponry; a character I don't recognize and can find no information on secretly offers Tokiyuki refuge in Shinano. This will presumably account for some of the missing time in Tokiyuki's historical records

Witch Watch: Nemu tries to come clean about being the stray cat that routinely visits the Otogi Family, but ends up engaging in accidental bestiality with Keigo (and arguably purposeful bestiality with Wolf). Shipteases my personal favorite part of the entire series, making this one of my favorite chapters of the week

Blue Box: Chinatsu realizes that something is up when Taiki doesn't come to meet her, and manages to find him locked up in a shed by a boy who claims to have liked her for some time. Chinatsu's faith in Taiki and righteous indignation towards the other boy are a refreshingly straightforward take on the usual misunderstandings and subterfuge you find in these types of rom-coms

Akane-Banashi: Akane tries to refuse Issho's forceful recruitment, but Urara appears to save her from throwing her career away in a moment of passion; Akane asks Urara to explain Issho and Shiguma's past. Whatever Akane learns here will influence her decision to study under Issho, and will definitely be of extreme importance to how she refines Shiguma's Art

Kill Blue: Juzo finally wins the cavalry battle, then invites Hijiri out for ramen at Noren's uncle's restaurant; Shin almost manages to get a lap pillow from Noren, but is interrupted by Jinta, who now considers him a blood brother. Juzo's refusal to accept one person's suffering for the Greater Good will likely be a recurring theme for this arc

Nue's Exorcist: Tsujita resolves to confess to Gakuro and picks a fight with Kazusa, resulting in both of them getting accidentally groped; Rido seems to be betraying the Exorcists to heal Mizuki's illness; Gashadokuro is resurrected. If we're not going the poly route, then Tsujita's proactiveness is set to earn her the dishonor of being the first losing heroine; either way, Gashadokuro is definitely going to interupt her date with Gakuro

Kagurabachi: Hiruhiko exposits about the Hishaku's organization and somehow comes to the conclusion that it's not just his similarities with Chihiro that would make them good friends, but their differences; the Hishaku close in Samura. If the Hishaku successfully kill Samura or Uruha, Hiruhiko will be given possession of one or both of their Enchanted Blades

Super Psychic Policeman Chojo: Ippongi brings her grandfather to meet Chojo, who in turn comes to believe that Chojo is a dangerous womanizer who's trying to seduce Ippongi. With the number of girls surrounding Chojo, it's starting to seem like the author is trying to set this series up as a harem

Astro Royale: Realizing that the cops are so dangerous because of their synergy, Hibaru realizes the best strategy is to divide and conquer. A nice bit of strategy on Hibaru's part that justifies the one-on-one matchups quite gracefully; I do hope we'll see combo attacks later, though

Yokai Buster Murakami: Kuin and Murakami meet Shutendoji, who doesn't want to be the leader of a yokai gang and instead wants to relax and drink; Murakami recruits her to the Kuin Corps by letting her do just that. Kuin now effectively has both the exorcist and yokai worlds under his command; could a peaceful and unified world be around the corner?

Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi: After beating up an old man, Kiyoshi is granted the title of Grand Cross, giving him the right to go on expeditions to the Demon Realm; a bounty has been put on Kiyoshi's head in the Demon Realm. Presumably, Kiyoshi will begin an expedition to the Demon Realm in the following arc

Hima-Ten: Kanna transfers to Tenichi's school, definitely for work and NOT to get closer to Tenichi; Kanna IMMEDIATELY notices that Tenichi likes Honoka, but doesn't seem discouraged. If this doesn't end up poly, I'm rioting

Ichi the Witch: Kumugi gets to know Ichi, and the two seem to hit it off pretty well, though seeing him in action unsettles her a little bit. Magic-based discrimination seems to go beyond gender and applies to aptitude, setting up the hapless Kumugi as a foil to the one-in-a-million Ichi

Shinobi Undercover: Miyake calls out Hibari for being fake as hell and even taunts her for trying to save a civilian; though Hibari fails to deal damage, she manages to send a message to Yodaka. Hibari's refusal to abandon a classmate and decision to call Yodaka for help reinforces the growing themes of Frienship

Hakutaku: Hikuma's team gives a skewed impression of how quickly game development works, and Kitahara reinvents Among Us. As this is the first major conflict, the main team is likely going to win, but the thematic implications may not be clear for a while

Ruri Dragon: Despite her fear of thunder, Ruri uses the knowledge that her classmates aren't scared of her as motivation to use her powers to stop the storm. Ruri's fears of being an outcast are effectively assuaged, and she's beginning to be able to accept herself

As I wrote this, near the end tumblr informed me that I exceeded some kind of text limit about halfway through Hakutaku, so perhaps I'll need to shave these down going forward?

If anyone has any suggestions for how I can better refine this recap series or make it more engaging, please let me know! As it stands, the only benefit I'm getting is an excuse to try to remember the series I don't care as much about, but I don't think that will carry over to other readers, so I'm open to any feedback y'all are willing to give!

[lightratart]

Yokai Buster Murakami my beloved… Happy Lunar New Year!

[booty-uprooter]

not jump premiering two new manga in a row about monster hunters afraid of the monsters they're supposed to be hunting. now I have to read both of them to see which gets canceled first

[wickedsick]

have you read either of the new exorcist series in jump?

Yes, unfortunately.

I'll say this: Ulltimate Exorcist Kiyoshi feels like a fundamentally better series to me, just because it actually seems to like itself.

Murakami isn't just tropey, it isn't just marvel-quippy, it's insincere. It doesn't respect itself, it's characters, or the myths it's based on. It's reused gags even it doesn't find particularly funny.

A good gag series has to actually have some core of heart, which Kiyoshi seems to manage, in a similar fashion to, say, Mashle.

Mashle and Kiyoshi both spend their first chapters establishing the heart at the center of the gag. Mashle does it in a heart-gag-gag-heart fashion, while Kiyoshi goes gag-heart-gag-heart. Murakami has no heart. It doesn't even have a good gag.

[lrandconkdors]

The manga I liked died and got replaced with a series that I wasn’t impressed by. it’s so over

[sakamoto-days]

YOKAI BUSTER MURAKAMI - Volume 1 Cover!

[oopsallpasta]

Here's my 2024 Shonen Jump year in review!

I'm also reading Blue Exorcist, Hakutaku, Shinobi Undercover and Bug Ego.

[ljaesch]

The Yokai Buster Murakami Manga Ends

This year’s 50th issue of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine has published the final chapter of Daiki Ihara’s Yokai Buster Murakami manga. The manga is described as: Terrifying yokai from hundreds of years ago have been released into the present day. Kuin the exorcist stands tall to protect the peace of this world. But in this war of Yokai vs. Exorcist, regular high schooler Murakami has…

[oratokyosaigunda]

Weekly Shonen Jump cover 2024年29号 issue

[demifiendrsa]

Weekly Shonen Jump 2024 issue #36/37 cover

[hestzhyen]

WSJ 2024 Musings

Please pardon the self-indulgence, kind void. It's the end of the year and I give almost everything that the magazine runs a chance, so I wanna reflect on the 2024 Weekly Shounen Jump "experience". Behold the kind of hobby data I track in spreadsheets (yes I'm a lonely person, please no bully).

Format

Title (start month/year, # of chapters) - thoughts & impressions. Each category sorted from oldest title -> newest

Axed (U19 or Close Enough)

Martial Master Asumi (06/23, 32 chapters) - I liked this and I genuinely don't understand why it didn't succeed. Nito and Nao were a great duo, the sport was lovingly depicted, and the story was unfolding at a great clip while being easy to follow despite me not knowing a damn thing about MMA. Nito was kind of annoying with how hesitant he was, but he was getting a lot better right before the series was cancelled. Chalking this up to Japan's shit taste I guess.

MamaYuyu (09/23, 29 chapters) - REEEEE I LOVED THIS except for the uninspired magic system and harem elements (Minerva best girl by the way). Also had a distinct lack of Mama Yuyu despite her being in the title. The horror aspects of this were amazing though and I hope the author does a spooky series. He really has a talent for depicting the unnerving.

Two on Ice (09/23, 28 chapters) - sports series have to be super gay or super good in premise to get me to read them and this didn't qualify on either point. Not sure what I missed but guess it wasn't much.

Green Green Greens (11/23, 26 chapters) - same as above and lol golf, good luck in a magazine mostly aimed at a school-age demographic (not even the Kuroko no Basuke guy could make it work).

Shadow Eliminators (12/23, 19 chapters) - a really rough start and bad pacing combined with a generic premise killed this from the get-go, I think. It's unfortunate because the author was really cooking by putting a guy in the heroine role (listen, I have my priorities and I won't apologise for them). MC-kun's story was actually interesting too and I would have liked to see it play out longer. At least he and the heroine guy went to the cultural festival together at the end, which is easily construed as romantic when it's just two people. Oh and the ninja girl who talked through a paper bag hand puppet was super cute.

Dear Anemone (02/24, 17 chapters) - fuck you, I liked it. I love dark body horror and this was really interesting despite some jumbled storytelling once the secondary characters were introduced. Probably would have seen more success in a different magazine... or I'm just coping hard. MC-kun was also totally in love with the Best Friend Guy that he admired so much and no one can convince me otherwise.

Kyokuto Necromance (04/24, 18 chapters) - I feel bad for this author. I liked Aliens Area too, and it breaks my heart that he sounded so defeated in his final author's comments when this got cancelled. I hope he tries again because he has good ideas and characters- they just need more time to get off the ground than WSJ typically allows.

Psych House (05/24, 17 chapters) - it was cute and I read it to the end, but it was deservedly cut short for being boring as hell most of the time. I hated the little scientist girl with every fibre of my being too which didn't help since she was a recurring character. I think there were only one or two chapters I actually enjoyed and I kept reading mostly because Nemuru (bucket kid) was a really well-done portrayal of autism. Just read the chapters where MC-chan's friends stalk her and Bucket-kun around town and the one where they go out shopping for pajamas for Bucket-kun. They're the best and only really worthwhile parts of this series (not even MC-chan's drama with her mom was compelling despite the very solid premise).

Yokai Buster Murakami (06/24, 21 chapters) - knew this wasn't for me right away, and seems like a lot of Japanese readers agreed. The jokes in the first three chapters weren't particularly funny or unique so I dropped it pretty fast. Everyone who thought it was "safe" because it was in the last slot as a comedy series probably shouldn't make bets or predictions in 2025.

Finished Series

Boku no Hero Academia (07/14, 430 chapters) - I think this is the last manga of it's kind in WSJ. The end of this series means an end to the mindset of extending a popular series until it runs out of steam (One Piece is a completely different beast in it's own league). All the big hit series in recent times like JJK and KnY were allowed to tell faster, shorter stories and Kagurabachi -the next mega-hit in waiting- is poised to challenge it's predecessor's speed run statistics. But I don't think BnHA overstayed it's welcome despite dropping it a few times due to lack of interest over the years. I have issues with the execution on main themes, how certain powers were handled, and the ending felt too rushed but it really wasn't a bad series at the end of the day. It deserved the popularity and I'll be interested if the author starts up something new. Shout out to Deku and Ochako for not being a horrible couple too- they had some genuine chemistry between them, which is unusual for a WSJ series.

Jujutsu Kaisen (03/18, 271 chapters) - I'm freeeeeee. Only slightly jesting. I feel bad for the author since he was in poor health by the end and clearly just wanted to end it, but I don't miss waiting to see how a fight turned out. JJK did that thing I dislike where characters biff and bam around a battlefield for eons without significant character development, so I read it in bursts instead of weekly until the last arc. The explanations of powers was clunky, some significant plot points weren't sufficiently followed up on for my tastes (mostly around Yuuji and his "brothers")... it was a bit of a mess of a manga but the ideas the author was trying to express were very good. I love how Yuuji got through to Megumi in the end, and what Megumi wished for, how Gojo saw himself, the blatant SatoSugu stuff, the idiot twins dynamic between Yuuji and Nobara- there was a lot of excellence in this series that got hampered by the sub-par battles. I hope Gege can rest and come back if he's still interested in doing so.

Cipher Academy (11/22, 58 chapters) - this ran a little too long to say it was "axed" but it was definitely cut shorter than the author intended. I like Nisioisin for more than his Monogatari Series stuff and I was hoping this would would stay longer, but alas. Iroha was great and I loved the unsexualized, un-haremized(?) female cast that surrounded him. I was too stupid to follow most of the codes and puzzles but that didn't stop me from checking in every week to see what went down. I also have the deepest respect for the various people who translated this series every week because it was absolute hell for them to do it even with some extra time afforded. Doing a good Nisioisin series translation without a book's worth of TL notes is already a feat, never mind trying to translate one involving tons of Japanese-language specific cryptograms and puzzles.

Limbo Series

Mission: Yozakura Family (08/19, 256+ chapters) - I'll admit I've never read this. All I know is that the jokes of it being so middling that it gets forgotten in every type of list are true because I also almost forgot to put it here. Apparently it's ending soon, so I hope the fans of it get a satisfying conclusion.

Undead Unluck (01/20, 236+ chapters) - I read this for a bit, dropped it, and don't remember why so I guess it wasn't worth following after all. Not to say it's bad, just not my speed I guess. Another series that's ending soon so I hope it goes out on a high note for the people who like it.

Kill Blue (04/23, 83+ chapters) - I tried to like this one, I really did. But I think the author would do better to stick to gay sports series that aren't golf. The premise was iffy for me but I was willing to roll with it until everything got bogged down in the haunted house arc and I dropped it out of boredom. The only notable thing this series has done done is daughterzone the middle school girl to the mid-40's(?) MC, which shouldn't be a relief but, y'know. It's not selling too hot so we'll see how long the author can coast off of the mega success of his Magical Gay Basketball series and the general lack of strong competition for spots in WSJ right now.

Nue's Exorcist (05/23, 80+ chapters) - never read this because I'm not into ecchi harem battle manga, but hope it's satisfying the people who do like it. Also not doing stellar in sales but it's not in a lot of danger either.

New Additions Still Running

Super Psychic Policeman Chojo (02/24, 44+ chapters) - I was a fan of Samon the Summoner so I gave this a chance, but it's too skewed towards referential comedy for my tastes. I do love this author's scumbag MCs though. It's not doing great or terrible in sales (for a comedy series) so far, so it's anyone's guess how long it'll last. It won't be overtaking Roboco any time soon though. Hope the Kochikame collab next issue gives it a boost to close the gap a little just because I like the author.

Astro Royale (04/24, 35+ chapters) - I was intrigued and willingly following along with this until chapter 8, at which point I dropped it like a shit-covered brick. The really unfunny transphobic "jokes" about a femme bad guy and dated gender role BS for the sister that was introduced have blacklisted this author for me forever. I don't care how much I liked the rest of the supporting cast, I don't care if the author writes a series that sells a billion copies with a single volume- I'm never going to give him a chance again unless he makes an effort to improve on how he treats women and trans people in his works (as if he'd care, I know). It's another series that isn't doing great in sales but probably isn't going to be axed imminently because it's still selling better than other stuff.

Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi (06/24, 26+ chapters) - please read this, it's got so much heart and soul! It's definitely not a perfect series -the action's nothing to write home about and the story isn't original- but the characters are top-tier and this author knows how to play with reader expectations. It feels like an earnest love letter to the essence of shounen manga that's just about found it's footing with the most recent chapters. Kiyoshi's in the same boat as Astro in terms of sales- not great, but it's being given room to see if it grows or treads water. I hope it grows because this is a joy to read almost every week.

Hima-Ten! (07/24, 24+ chapters) - the best way I can describe this after dropping it at chapter 2 is "ToraDora for people who don't want to read ToraDora in [current year]". Unfortunately I don't want to see ecchi of high school girls, so the panty shot in the second chapter made it clear this series isn't for me. It goes in the bin of "hope it does well for the target audience" titles. It's seeing some modest success, but it's got a long way to go if it wants to reach the same tier as Nisekoi and BokuBen (We Never Learn).

Ichi the Witch (09/24, 16+ chapters) - I trust the Iruma author with my life, and the artist also being a woman helped me believe that this wouldn't be a male power fantasy series despite the premise. So far it's delivered with phenomenal art and characters and a story that's just interesting enough to keep it in my mind. I do appreciate the author and artist's intentional additions of diversity through Desscaras (best girl no contest) and what could be some trans femme and/or gender non-conforming folks in a position of power. Will be looking to see how volume 1 sales fare when it comes out early next year. WSJ wants this to be a hit with the billing it gets already, though, so I hope it meets expectations!

Shinobi Undercover (09/24, 15+ chapters) - I'm honestly not sure how to feel about this series. The MC is fun to follow, and I like the main girl well enough, but it feels like this series isn't sure how to strike a balance between action and romcom plot beats. I think if it doesn't hit it's stride soon it could be in trouble. Happy to be wrong even if I end up dropping it though!

Hakutaku (09/24, 14+ chapters) - this is dead in the water and it kind of deserves to be. It's cute but there's not much else to say about it since it glosses over the interesting bits of game development and goes for emotional and cool moments that it doesn't build up enough to earn. I think the author has a passion for indie game dev but it's just not coming across that well with all the yapfests and skimming the technical bits. Then again, I'm a tech person that gets annoyed when my hobby/career/interest is simplified for non-tech people in ways I don't like, so... maybe I'm just elitist? Either way, I don't see this making it out of the U19 club with how poorly it's been doing in surveys and rankings. RIP hope the author isn't discouraged and I'll see this one out to the end.

Syd Craft: Love is a Mystery (11/24, 6+ chapters) - Bit too early to say how this one's faring, but it seems like a competent romcom. It's not a genre I like most of the time so I won't be reading further than chapter 4 but surely the BokuBen author will have another banger with this. Surely. I do like the MC at least. But it doesn't seem like it will satisfy anyone who wants actual mysteries to solve- it's a series that's firmly planted in the romcom territory while using Sherlock Holmes aesthetics for comedy.

Safe Series

One Piece (07/97, 1134+ chapters) - what is there to say about a legend? It's the face of the magazine and feels like it will be around forever despite Oda saying he wants to end it at some point. I don't have it in me to catch up with it but I respect the hell out of this series for it's popularity and longevity.

Me and Roboco (07/20, 215+ chapters) - I feel like too many jokes are lost in translation to fully appreciate this as someone who really only understands English, sadly. But it has an impressive run for a comedy series and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. If your series gets a Roboco parody, you know you've made it.

Sakamoto Days (11/20, 195+ chapters) - the action never fails to disappoint! Even if the story gets boring at points, there's always some killer art to look forward to. I'm also really digging the current arc so it's good vibes all around for this series right now. Just wish the author could decide on how far he wants to stretch realism when it comes to people's assassin techniques. It's got an anime airing in the 2025 Winter season so I hope that brings in new fans (and has good direction and animation, which is vital to sell those stunning action scenes).

The Elusive Samurai (01/21, 185+ chapters) - I'll admit it, this is a series that I'm not worldly enough to appreciate. Historical fiction is a tough sell to me to begin with and being bombarded with completely unfamiliar names, locations, and events every chapter left me feeling pretty lost. I stuck with it for a while just because I liked AssClass and Neuro so much but I had to admit defeat around chapter 60 or so. Maybe the anime would be easier to digest?

Witch Watch (02/21, 184+ chapters) - dropped it early on since it's a romcom, but it seems cute and is doing well so I hope it stays successful for it's fans. Anime soon!

Blue Box (04/21) - I liked the one-shot and the author deserves all the success from the little I've read of this. Again, not my genre, but glad to see it doing well. Hope the anime is a hit too!

Akane-banashi (02/22, 140+ chapters) - easily would be #1 for me if not for a certain edgy sword manga. The art, the story, the characters- everything comes together perfectly to weave a compelling narrative that is absolutely an odd fit for WSJ, but enriches the magazine for being present. Everyone needs to read this series! It's crazy how consistently amazing it is! You don't have to know a thing about rakugou to get invested and fall in love. The current arc in particular has been 10/10 chapters for months now and I can't recommend it enough!

*Ruri Dragon (06/22, 26+ chapters) - another "not my thing" series- I tried it before it went on hiatus and it's alright, apparently very good for people who like Slice of Life and cozy coming-of-age stories. Glad the author's feeling better and is able to keep going.

Kagurabachi (09/23, 63+ chapters) - ...do I need to say anything? I don't write hundreds of thousands of words for any series but this one. It took over my brain and I've been completely enthralled for months now- it quite literally occupies almost every waking thought. Much like Akane-banashi, all the core elements come together in an incredibly satisfying way that makes it a must-read for fans of the genre it belongs to. The action is stellar, the characters are phenomenal, the story is blisteringly fast but still being competently told for the most part, and the way sensitive topics are handled should be held up as a model for other authors to follow. If you only read one manga in WSJ, you're missing out. But make it Kagurabachi.

*Digital Exclusive (not printed in the physical magazine)

Hiatus x Hiatus

Hunter x Hunter (03/98, 410+ chapters) - I love this series, I really do. Togashi's the only author who can get me to read his novel when I signed up for a manga. I always look forward to it's return and I hope the author's health holds up long enough for him to end it in a way he's happy with. Re-reading the current arc in full when it's finished will be a fun few week's worth of political gamesmanship!

Overall Thoughts

The magazine's in an interesting period of transition right now. Many of the new series launched this year aren't generating a lot of buzz, big and middling series have ended or are ending soon, and the near-future age demographics in Japan pose some serious questions about what WSJ will do to adapt and keep selling.

The magazine is nowhere close to being in dire straits, to be clear. WSJ is more of a publication for all ages that has a lot of appeal to 12-17 year old boys at it's core. But that demographic is shrinking while the aging population grows. I think this is why the magazine is experimenting with more mature series like Kagurabachi and Chainsaw Man from a few years back- they know they can't keep the same raw sales numbers up if they rely on the core demographic as much as they used to.

The dearth of mainstay mega-hits compared to years past is also why some series like Kiyoshi and Astro are being given more grace than if they had ran a few years earlier. Neither series is doing great in terms of volume sales, but they're not obviously unpopular enough to be easy axes for something with more potential. They have breathing room for as long as there needs to be more action/battle manga in the lineup and nothing more promising comes along. They're safer than ever with Undead Unluck and Yokozora ending soon too.

If we're talking mega-hits in the making -JJK and BnHA replacements- then the only clear option right now is Kagurabachi. This isn't to put my favourite series up on a pedestal! It's just that, historically, the WSJ series that get the most attention and recognition are action series. When people think of WSJ "pillars" they think of the battle series even if a romcom is outselling everything but One Piece (happened this month with Blue Box coming in #2 for volume sales of WSJ titles).

I think Ichi the Witch can find success but it's the only one out of everything that's been released this year that I have any significant faith in, to be honest. I want Kiyoshi to do well and keep going, but it's not exactly "hit" material right now and the volume sales reflect that. Everything else is too early to say or already not doing so hot for WSJ standards.

I think this could be an opportunity for experimentation. WSJ has had a pretty consistent lineup of an ecchi series, a romcom, some comedy, a drama/mystery here and there, and a lot of action. Adding pure Slice of Life series like Ruri Dragon and Psych House shows a desire to branch out in my opinion. The success of a pure drama series with a female protagonist in Akane-banashi is also encouraging. I would definitely like to see more genres! Maybe even a proper horror series...?! I'll be looking at the new 2025 serials with a keen eye for any new trends. Maybe in a few years we'll have the "pillars" be something other than only action manga!

Alrighty, that's a wrap. Thank you if you read this and I hope 2025 is good to you. May we all find a new manga series to fall in love with! And may it survive the axe!

[tokiro07]

Toki Reads Shonen Jump 2024, Issue #49: Pervert Week

HxH: Hisoka claims that because he's not into bestiality, his tastes are normal - this is patently false; the Phantom Troupe inches towards conflict with the Heil-Ly. With any luck, we'll get a Nen battle, haven't seen one of those in a while

Yozakura Family: It turns out that the Yozakura's already planned for the possibility of the twins defying orders, and help them to reach Asa's ship; Hifumi's Infinity manages to stave off Asa's attacks, proving that she's capable of defending herself and Alpha. I'm glad to know that the family has faith in the kids, and that they aren't just going to take a backseat for the rest of the finale

Undead Undead: Billy mansplains the concept of war crimes to War; Julia womansplains the concept of souls to Soul and stabs Andy in the head to bring back Victor. The narrow-mindedness of the Rules contrasts the freedom of the Negators; while I'm sad that we cut away from Feng, it's very exciting to see Julia bringing back Victor while mirroring Fuuko's actions from 210 chapters ago wait...210...LIKE HOW LONG SHE WENT WITHOUT SEEING ANDY???)

Roboco: Roboco makes a movie that subtly implicates her and the rest of her town as accomplices in some kind of criminal activity. Honestly, I'm more interested in what crime she apparently committed than the film itself

Sakamoto: Sakamoto inadvertently teaches Torres how amazing everyday life is; Shin convinces Tenkyu that he's the fortune teller, but immediately abandons the plan to manipulate him when he learns that Tenkyu wants to kidnap Sakamoto's family. The bit with Torres was very fun and cute, and I'm interested to see how the bit with Tenkyu turns out, though I'm wondering why it was necessary to trick him if it was going to be overturned so quickly?

Elusive Samurai: Mima sends her dad letters explaining the deviant sexual acts that Tokiyuki totally makes her do; after a couple year timeskip, Sadamune and Tokiyuki meet for their final battle. Matsui keeps teasing that Tokiyuki is going to marry Mima and have Shizuku and Ayako as concubines, but no one seems to be even a little onboard with this plan, and Tokiyuki doesn't even seem to be aware of it!; speaking of being unaware, apparently Tokiyuki views Sadamune as a father-figure? I may need to reread to catch that nuance

Blue Box: Taiki cheers up a heartbroken Kyo with some food. A heartwarming display of friendship; gives a small analysis on risk-taking - if Kyo had been proactive with Moriya, he would have had a chance, but it's against his nature to do so, so he would have been misrepresenting himself

Akane-Banashi: Issho's backstory is further revealed, being a rich boy who left his family to pursue his own fortune; when a well-respected rakugo-ka saves him from a yakuza, Issho's lifelong journey finally begins. The discussion about passion, that Issho tried to become a soba chef out of gratitude and obligation rather than love for the art, resonates as advice to actively seek happiness in life

Kill Blue: Juzo gets, like, crazy into PreCure and reenacts the diner scene from Pulp Fiction by quoting it instead of the Bible. I am left to wonder if this is just a gag or foreshadowing that his mind is being more heavily affected by the de-aging

Nue's Exorcist: Fujino is distraught that Gakuro has come to save her because it gives her hope that he loves her like she loves him, even though she knows that he would go out of his way to save anyone regardless. "Of course [she's worth it]! Obviously" is a pretty romantic line, so I'll be surprised if she's not endgame; however, if she IS endgame, then it's weird that she's going second and preceding Kazusa; if Kawae gives us canon polyamory and commits to it, I swear right now I'll reread the whole series and actively try to love it

Kagurabachi: Everyone shows the resolve to sacrifice themselves for Samura, and Hakuri is able to summon his Enchanted Blade, Tobimune, for him. Self-sacrifice seems to be the theme of this arc, I expect that will play into how one of the Enchanted Blades gets transferred to the Hishaku

Chojo: Omega Inukai spreads a Chojo-loving zombie virus through all of Chinjuku; everything is returned to normal with a tea party. This did not turn out to be the sudden climactic finale that some folks thought it would be

Astro Royale: Sou exposits on her past with Himuro, framing obvious and horrific police brutality as heroic and beautiful in the context of her flashback; Terasu wins the fight by waiting out Sou self-destructing. Terasu was perfectly useless here, I'd really have preferred he actually fight; I really hope that Himuro's police brutality isn't actually meant to be endearing, cus that framing really makes it look like it's supposed to be

Murakami: Murakami calls out Sanmoto Gorozaemon for his vague goal-setting in generically "conquering the world" and his shallow definition of good and evil. Considering that this is supposedly the strongest Yokai, I'm very unclear of where this story can go from here

Kiyoshi: Sakaki gets a middling roll on Sting, forcing him to fight Yuda with an umbrella to surprisingly competent effect; the chuunibyou from last week accidentally summons the Great Demon Lord. This could easily just be the introduction of the main antagonist, but it's always scary when such a big enemy shows up before the 20-chapter mark

Hima-Ten: While helping Kanna move into her new apartment, Tenichi discovers her dark secret - she has a fetish for butlers; the implications of this are completely lost on Tenichi. Honestly, Kanna is the most compelling of the love interests so far, particularly because she's both clearly an active character AND conflicted about whether she should chase her usual instincts and pursue Tenichi when he's already interested in someone else

Ichi the Witch: When Desscaras and Kumugi fail to match Hisame's fashion sense, Ichi comes to the logical conclusion that the only answer is vore. While I'm sad that Kumugi isn't the star of this arc as I predicted, Ichi's out-of-the-box thinking is exactly what I was hoping for from this series, so I'm excited to see what he comes up with

Shinobi Undercover: Miyake, codename Tsubame, is revealed to be the underling to an even tougher fugitive ninja, Hachikuma; it's also revealed that Aoi's family was killed by a ninja. Yodaka's fear that Aoi will hate him if she finds out he's a ninja is an interesting wrinkle, but I do have to wonder if she actually KNOWS anything about ninjas in the first place

Hakutaku: When Zenji refuses to join the dev team, Noto very openly stalks him home; Hikuma, lacking in athletic ability, wanders in their general direction until he happens upon Zenji's sister, Mizuki; Zenji's sad backstory about his dead brother is revealed; a bitter woman bans children in a PUBLIC PARK from playing games that involve balls, so Hikuma resolves to make a game that she can't object to. I feel like I'd be more compelled by this if I understood why this woman has any say or power here, but at least we should get a clearer idea of Hikuma's design sense with this ball-less dodgeball game

Ruri Dragon: Ruri has a heart-to-heart with Kamata, the girl who bullied her, and Kamata cites her lack understanding of Ruri as a major point in her behavior; in particular, the idea that she's the child of bestiality strongly unsettles her. A nice, if unrealistic, little bit of catharsis for resolving tension with a bully; the student council wearing horns was adorable

If I had a nickel for every time they said the word "bestiality" in this week's Jump...technically I'd only have one nickel, since Ruri Dragon runs in Jump+

That actually brings up a question: do y'all think I should keep including Ruri in these reviews? It's from Jump originally, but it moved to + due to the author's health; is it too far removed to include, or too closely related to exclude?

[lightratart]

Yokai Buster Murakami. This is not even my headcanon that I ship but … I gotta draw the two main boys yaoi-ing y’know? Ily Yokai Buster Murakami. Congrats on a great run.

[booty-uprooter]

i see theyre trying to save this series from cancellation by playing to the bl crowd