Welcome to the latest installment of SJ Weekly Roundup, a weekly post where I discuss Shonen Jump Magazine's latest and greatest chapters of manga! Well... the chapters I have read at least. I am currently playing catch-up with a few new series so my apologies if the next few weekly roundups are a little sparse.
Check out the list below to see what I'm reading/almost caught up on, those series will be added to the roundup rotation soon; I will mainly be sticking to my personal tastes for now, but I would like to expand future posts to include as many currently running series as possible. Please understand that I do not possess superhuman manga-reading abilities, and I am not caught up on every series in Jump. If time allows, I will try to catch up on everything that I can, so I can provide a more thorough roundup for the readers here on my blog (you guys!)
CURRENTLY READING:
Witch Watch (Ch. 5/60)
Blue Box (Ch. 13/51)
Me & Roboco (Ch. 7/87)
Ayashimon (Ch. 3/23)
PPPPPP (Ch. 0/32)
Sakamoto Days (Ch. 5/69)
Undead Unluck (Ch. 9/109)
One Piece (Ch. 24/1048)
As always, Shonen Jump offers the oldest and newest 3 chapters of each series on their website completely free of charge, If you would like to read along with me. Without further ado, let's get in to this week's chapters!
Super Smartphone (NEW SERIES!)
Story by Hiroki Tomisawa
Art by Kentaro Hidano
Chapter 2
Synopsis: Q is starting to get the hang of using Kimi, the Super Smartphone, solving more cases and slowly building up points. Kimi reveals to him a rule of ownership: If the smartphone’s secrets are revealed to anyone besides the owner, the phone will be destroyed. While solving these cases is a quick and simple task thanks to Kimi, what Q doesn’t see is the ripple effect his actions are having, namely with the Tokyo Metro Police. Q’s anonymous tips have sent officer Nagi Seomizu on a wild goose chase to track him down. Q’s progress building up points also unlocks some new info: Upon reaching the limit of 1,296 points, he will gain permanent possession of the smartphone. However, if he doesn’t fulfill a quota each week, the smartphone will be destroyed. A thought hits Q like a lightning bolt… there must be other Super Smartphone holders out there, and they’re all competing with each other to reach that point limit!
My Thoughts: This 2nd chapter surprised me! The ideas presented in the first chapter surrounding Kimi have been fleshed out further in this chapter, with the added wrinkle of there being a competitive element to its use. The author clearly has a greater narrative in mind with constantly raising stakes, and I feel like the points system will start to put the squeeze on the other smartphone users in a way that forces them to learn more about each other in order to get ahead. A new smartphone user reveal is certainly imminent considering the way this chapter ended, with a riot being organized via an anonymous message. Also, I’m curious what Nagi’s role in all of this will be, and what will happen if she finds Q… will he be arrested? Will he be forced to reveal Kimi’s secrets? Whatever the case may be, I am pleasantly surprised by this series so far and I hope it sticks around.
Akane-Banashi
Story by Yuki Suenaga
Art by Takamasa Moue
Chapter 13
Synopsis: Issho Arakawa is an esteemed and fearsome Shin’nuchi, the top rank a rakugoka can achieve. He is also the man who unceremoniously kicked Akane’s father out of the Arakawa school. The impact this had on Akane’s life was immense, and has only made her passion toward the art of rakugo burn brighter. Akane is given an opportunity to speak with Issho, but only if she can win the Karaku Cup, an amateur rakugo event that has recently expanded to include high-schoolers. This could be Akane’s big chance, as long as she gets permission from Master Shiguma. He accepts, under one condition: Akane must win the event with “Jugemu”, a notoriously tough story to perform due to its widespread appeal, making it difficult to garner laughs from the crowd through the story alone. Can Akane bring her own unique flavor to Jugemu and win the Karaku Cup?
My Thoughts: Akane-Banashi has officially hit its stride! Everything so far has built up to this confrontation with Issho, and with that goal nearly in her grasp, Akane is surely more determined than ever to prove her mastery of rakugo. I can’t help but wonder if Issho has heard about Akane’s performances through word of mouth and is setting the stakes of this event on purpose to lure her in. Maybe he has something he wants to ask her as well? The next chapter will focus on Koguma, a fellow student of the Arakawa school, and I’m curious to see what he brings to the table, as a master of old literary teachings. I’m sure next week’s chapter will have plenty of panels in which Akane (and the readers) learn more about the history of rakugo, which I am totally down for. It reminds me of the moments in Bakuman where they would get into the fine details of how manga is made.
Earthchild
Story & Art by Hideo Shinkai
Chapter 12
Synopsis: After realizing that Mamoru won’t recognize his mother, Kareri, while she’s encased in a space rock, Reisuke decides it would be best to go back to Earth and spend some time with Kareri’s parents. The goal is to show Mamoru how loved she was by people near and dear to her, and showing those same feelings to the space rock, with the hopes that Mamoru will understand that the rock is his mom. As if this wasn’t already difficult enough, there is an extra layer: Kareri’s parents chose to have their memories regarding Earthchildren erased, meaning they have no recollection of her mission to save the planet that ultimately turned her into stone. They believe she died in a plane crash. Reisuke has been asked by Kareri not to go into her old room under any circumstances, although he eventually gets permission… what does he find in there?
My Thoughts: Earthchild has been an absolute whirlwind of a manga series so far, to say the least. I’m sure that synopsis was the most confusing shit ever to someone new to this series, and that is mostly due to the breakneck pacing of the story so far. Things are moving along incredibly quickly, on a trajectory that reminds me of the cancelled-way-too-soon series Time Paradox Ghostwriter, which only got a measly 14 chapters to tell its story. Will the series continue after the rescuing of Kareri? I’d honestly be happy if it capped things off there, as my thoughts when reading the first chapter is that this should have been a one-shot. It’s tough to really articulate just one emotion I am experiencing when reading this series as it’s usually many at once, and I can’t bring myself to look away from this series. Above all else, it is definitely not a boring or trope-y manga story, and I want to give it the props it deserves for trying to bring something different to the magazine. Also, this chapter ended on the cliffhangeriest cliffhanger.
If any of the series mentioned in this post caught your interest, Shonen Jump offers the first and last 3 chapters of each series on their website, completely free of charge.
Stay tuned here at the Jo's Tomorrow blog for future manga roundups and all things Shonen Jump; Happy Reading!
(DISCLAIMER: This roundup only includes series that I am caught up on, meaning some weekly chapters from the magazine may be omitted. My weekly chapter roundups do not currently include monthly or bi-monthly releases. I will not be covering every currently running series, but I will do my best to keep you up to date with my personal favorites at the very least!)
