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! The coming weeks will bring two new series to the magazine, starting with the incredibly stylish sci-fi thriller Aliens Area! I was intrigued by this manga’s art style as soon as I saw it in last week’s Jump preview, and now that we have a debut chapter to read, I’ll be including it in the roundup and keeping you up to date as the story unravels each week!
My goal with these posts is to cover as many currently running series as possible. However, please understand that I do not possess superhuman manga-reading abilities, and I am not caught up on every series in Jump. Check out the list below to see my current progress with series I am reading, which will be added to the roundup upon completion.
CURRENTLY READING:
Witch Watch (Ch. 5/63)
Blue Box (Ch. 18/54)
Me & Roboco (Ch. 8/90)
PPPPPP (Ch. 8/34)
Sakamoto Days (Ch. 11/72)
Undead Unluck (Ch. 10/112)
One Piece (Ch. 24/1050)
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!
Aliens Area (NEW SERIES!)
Story & Art by Fusai Naba
Chapter 1
Synopsis: Tatsumi Tatsunami is a resilient high school junior who juggles odd jobs to take care of his siblings after a house fire tragically took his parents 6 years ago. Ever since the fire, his body has been able to heal at an incredible pace, although lately his right hand has been feeling strange. After a check-up at the hospital, Tatsumi bumps into a guy named Hajime Sharaku who claims to be with the police, who requests that Tatsumi voluntarily come with him. He refuses and makes his way home, only to find a strange humanoid alien figure with long fingers and beady black eyes waiting outside his door… and another inside his apartment! The alien figures reveal that Tatsumi’s right hand has been imbued with a powerful substance from outer space, giving it an overwhelming strength that these figures are willing to kill to extract from him. Tatsumi’s siblings arrive home from school and are held hostage by the aliens, spurring him into action and causing his hand to stretch forward like Luffy’s Gum Gum Pistol, blasting one of the aliens back and freeing the siblings. The other alien goes to attack Tatsumi but is quickly subdued with a giant rubber band by Hajime, that police guy! Hajime works in public security with a government task force called Foreign Affairs 5, whose specialty is dealing with aliens. Tatsumi is given an ultimatum: have this incident erased from his memory and go back to his life of uncertain odd jobs, or work under the protection of Foreign Affairs 5 to preserve coexistence between aliens and humans!
My Thoughts: That color spread goes SO extremely hard! I dig this mangaka’s style in general, and I have been anxiously awaiting this series, hoping that the story would pull its weight alongside the art. Thankfully they make for a pretty engaging combo in this debut chapter! Whispers from around the Shonen Jump community are comparing this series to Men In Black, which I can definitely see and I think that’s a fascinating piece of media to pull inspiration from for a manga. I’m a huge sucker for characters like Tatsumi who are holding down the fort for their family by working a bunch of shitty jobs, and while Hajime has given him a new lease on life by offering this government job, I am sensing a layer of ulterior motives that lie beneath, as there will surely be strings attached to this offer. Hajime’s giant rubber band weapon is surprisingly effective alongside his cane, and such a unique combo that will surely make for some very dynamic battle scenes in future chapters. I don’t think this manga’s premise is the most groundbreaking thing in the world but it’s certainly a very expressive and fun read so far that shows a lot of potential to grow into something truly outstanding among other sci-fi stories in Jump.
Super Smartphone
Story by Hiroki Tomisawa
Art by Kentaro Hidano
Chapter 5
Synopsis: Zenichiro Kangan is the charismatic young chairman of a company called Zen Inc., a strange company (totally not a cult) where everyone treats him like royalty. This isn’t enough for Zenichiro, as he now has a Superphone in his possession and dreams of truly shaping the world to his liking. Meanwhile, Q has unlocked a new feature on his own Superphone: a security barrier that protects his info from other Superphone owners. There is also another feature included: Extended Protection - a feature that protects the info of any thing or person (in up to 3 cases). While these new security features are helpful, Q still needs to be proactive in earning points so he can reach max points before the other mysterious Superphone users (namely, Zenichiro). The stakes are quite serious, and falling behind will most likely mean death. Q decides that he cannot defeat Zenichiro alone, and searches for an ally… someone who’s familiar with the high-rise case… maybe one of the cops? It’s gotta be someone capable who holds some influence, but also someone who can keep a secret. His searching turns up a result: the one and only Nagi Seomizu!
My Thoughts: This chapter gives us a closer look at high-rise instigator and fellow Superphone user Zenichiro Kangan and, to the surprise of nobody, he’s a total ass-hat! I wasn’t expecting the cult leader boss angle to his character. The palpable tension in that room full of employees illuminates the iron grip of fear he has on those around him, revealing the very twisted and calculated person who was behind the high-rise invasion. He’s definitely a pretty effective villain, if leaning a bit on the generic side. That said, there is certainly more to learn about him, and I doubt he is the big bad of the entire series as there are definitely more Superphone users out there. Also I’m thrilled to finally see Nagi’s role in the story coming into play! You are probably starting to notice my clear bias for Nagi. From her very brief appearances so far, she is seemingly a little gremlin of a person who possesses just as sharp a mind as Q, and I am extremely partial to that character archetype. Tangentially related, it seems that Zenichiro is a few steps ahead of Q as he has already attempted to contact Nagi! It is shocking to me how this is only Chapter 5, as this already feels like a mainstay in the magazine. I’ll chalk that up to the very deliberate, tense pacing and thought provoking scenarios that ask you to step in Q’s shoes and think outside the box. What would you do with a Super Smartphone? Anyone can imagine their own use cases for such a device, and that accessibility is what I believe has made Super Smartphone stick out as such a broadly appealing series in the Jump lineup.
Akane-Banashi
Story by Yuki Suenaga
Art by Takamasa Moue
Chapter 16
Synopsis: The day of the Karaku Cup has arrived, and the air is abuzz with excitement. A rag-tag team of reporters are there to give us the scoop on some of the competitors: Karachi Nerimiya, a genius rakugo student who was won the previous two Karaku Cups thanks to his freestyle creative narration, and Hikaru Koragi, a star voice actor who is hoping that Master Issho’s stamp of approval will give her her big break. These two are are a few among many, as we also get another glimpse at the illustrious star pupil to Issho, Kaisei Arakawa, who is the host for this year’s Karaku Cup. The event kicks off and the first rakugoka takes the stage: none other than Akane, who has has prepared rigorously and is finally ready to perform Jugemu!
My Thoughts: This was such a lively chapter that gave us so much new stuff to unpack! Who are these other rakugo competitors and what kinds of styles will they bring to the stage? How will their performances differ from one another? Won’t Akane be at a disadvantage by being the first rakugoka to perform? Will she get her conversation with Issho, despite the overwhelming odds? Also, what is the relationship between Kaisei and Hikaru that was hinted at? This chapter set up the Karaku Cup arc perfectly while also giving us branching paths to follow beyond Akane’s personal journey, and while Akane-Banashi has already seen soaring success since in Japan its debut in Jump, I get the feeling this arc will take it into the stratosphere with the international audience. Speaking of the stratosphere… isn’t there something going on in outer space with a certain family?
Earthchild
Story & Art by Hideo Shinkai
Chapter 15
Synopsis: Phase one of Operation Peek-A-Boo is a success so far, with Kareri’s trajectory being altered and her speed reduced after a few telekinetic blasts from Mamoru! Reisuke telepathically asks Kareri where she wants to go on a date to first once they’re back home, bringing back a memory of a date where they shared their first kiss on a Ferris wheel. With one last telekinetic blast to go, hopes are high! Reisuke takes out his phone to commemorate the moment, snaps a photo, and then… his phone is shattered. A hole the size of a pin has been burrowed directly through it… The meteor shower has struck early, and Operation Peek-A-Boo must be abandoned, pronto!!
My Thoughts: I audibly yelled “Oh, COME ON!!” at the end of this chapter. Of course something had to go wrong… sigh. I should have expected it, but it’s still painful to see. It really feels like the world… no, the universe, is out to rain on poor Reisuke’s parade quite literally with a hail of meteors, regardless of how much of his heart and soul he puts into raising Mamoru and rescuing Kareri. Can’t this sweet family just get their happy ending? It’s gonna be a long wait until next week’s chapter… that’s what I would say if this roundup wasn’t going up at the eleventh hour, only a day before the next chapter drops. Oops!
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!
