Review – TOC Weekly Shonen Jump #49 (2024).

In first place in the TOC, we had Akane Banashi, currently the manga that has achieved the most top rankings since the start of the Saito era. It’s been 5 times in 17 issues. But why are the editors promoting this series so much? It’s important to remember, first of all, that Akane Banashi is in a shocking moment with several plot twists. These twists seem to be pleasing its readers greatly, which could also be leading to an increase in votes. This boost in votes can indeed encourage Editor-in-Chief Saito to constantly rank the series among the top placements.

Yes, the treatment Akane Banashi receives isn’t very different from the treatment we saw during the Nakano era, but it’s undeniable that Saito is prioritizing Akane Banashi in the TOC rankings compared to other manga in the magazine. During the same period, The Elusive Samurai has achieved the gold medal twice, One Piece once, Sakamoto Days once, Ao no Hako twice, and Kagurabachi three times. Next week, Akane Banashi will be on the magazine’s cover, and so many people are starting to ask: Could we be getting an anime announcement? Well, we’ll find out soon enough.

In second place in the TOC, we had Sakamoto Days, which just released its 19th volume in Japan. This is the last one before the anime premiere in January. In third place, we had Madan no Ichi, receiving significant attention due to its great reception. Some people asked me if there’s a chance that, in the coming weeks, Madan no Ichi could be on the magazine cover. And the answer isn’t so simple: Yes, but it’s a low chance. Back in the 2010s, it was much more common for series to get covers within their first 20 chapters, often around the release of Volume 1.

However, recently, especially in the Nakano era, the strategy has changed. Many series, even popular ones, only get their second cover on their one-year anniversary. We have exceptions, the most recent being Kill Ao in Chapter 18. I believe that if the reception for Madan no Ichi is indeed very strong (and its positions aren’t just a promotional strategy), it’s possible we’ll see the series receive a second cover before Chapter 20—maybe a few weeks before or after the release of its first volume. I say weeks before or after because since the volume launches in January, it’s likely we’ll get a group cover during that period.

In fourth place, we had Undead Unluck, which has been receiving solid TOC rankings, but even so, for many, its story feels “rushed,” sparking a debate about when the series will actually end. Before this final arc, it was common to see Undead Unluck readers arguing and predicting that the series would end in the second half of 2026, but I believe that date is impossible. It’s highly likely that Undead Unluck will end next year, and during this final arc, it’s expected to have solid rankings mixed with lower ones.

The lack of a color page, seen by many as a slight against the series, though sad, is quite normal in Weekly Shonen Jump. As we can see with series like Toriko, Bleach, and more recently, Shokugeki no Souma: Manga that have already received an anime adaptation and aren’t expecting a new season experience a drastic reduction in color pages within the year, a few months after the season ends. For newer readers, this may be surprising: Since 2020, we haven’t seen a manga in the magazine without a second season planned, but now that we have one, we can see that certain practices remain. It’s not a bias against Undead Unluck; it’s simply a method to give more prominence to newer series.

In fifth place, we had Ao no Hako, which is no longer in the TOP 10 most-watched shows of the season on Netflix (unlike Dandadan, which remains consistently at the top), and its boost is cooling off, likely settling between 60,000 and 90,000 per week over the next two months at least. This isn’t a bad result—quite the opposite, it’s a strong boost that will secure the series among the top twenty best-selling manga per volume currently in the market. The Ao no Hako anime is a success and is likely to receive more seasons, so readers should celebrate.

In sixth place, we had Himaten, which, although receiving more attention than Exorcist no Kiyoshi-Kun, is expected to sell a bit less. It’s complicated to predict how much the series will sell, as the numbers vary significantly between sites—the series is ranked higher than Choujun on Rakuten’s sales chart but much lower than Kill Ao. On Amazon, it’s below both Choujun and Kiyoshi-Kun. Meanwhile, some people report being unable to find Himaten in some stores, indicating it may be sold out. Regardless, tomorrow we’ll see its first-day sales, and we’ll have an answer, which I’ll post on Twitter.

In seventh place, we had Negai no Astro, which, despite a good ranking this week, I would say isn’t very secure for 2025. It doesn’t seem to be a target for the next cancellation Batch, as other manga are at higher risk, like Kill Ao, but don’t be fooled by a seventh-place ranking. TOC isn’t about evaluating a single position but rather consistency, and generally, Negai no Astro tends to be in the magazine’s lower half, indicating that neither the editors nor the public are completely satisfied with the series.

In eighth place, we had Boku to Roboco, which tends to have slightly lower sales but can still perform well in the magazine. The series is now four years old and is moving toward its fifth year. In ninth place, we had Hunter x Hunter, which will likely continue in the magazine until Chapter 406 at least—we don’t know when it will go on another break, perhaps after 406, maybe after 410, but it could happen at any time.

Hunter x Hunter, as a series, isn’t particularly useful for attracting teenage and pre-teen readers, as it’s quite inaccessible due to its many volumes, but it serves to boost magazine sales temporarily, as it can bring back some older readers who, while not the magazine’s primary audience, help stabilize sales, especially now that Jujutsu Kaisen and Boku no Hero Academia have ended.

In tenth place, we had Yozakura-San no Chi no Daisakusen, which, as I mentioned in the past two weeks, showed no signs of ending in issues 49-50, and it’s likely the series will get one more volume, ending with 29 volumes (this issue completed Volume 28). If it ends at Volume 29, as expected if the author doesn’t add any elements to extend this final arc, we may see Yozakura-San ending in issue #08 or #09 next year, so in January.

In eleventh place, we had Exorcist no Kiyoshi-Kun, which, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, is expected to sell more than anticipated due to its spectacular performance. We recently discovered that rumors of the author being an assistant to Oda (rumors based on the similar style and paneling) were true, and the author directly asked Oda to recommend the series. The One Piece creator agreed to the request from his former assistant and endorsed the series.

It’s still uncertain how much this endorsement will affect the first volume’s sales, which is doing well on Rakuten (ranking above series like Witch Watch) but poorly on Amazon (ranking below series like Choujun). More people than with Himaten are reporting that Volume 1 is sold out in some stores, but both series are still available on Amazon, so we aren’t seeing a situation like Kagurabachi. When I was in Osaka, I saw some stores sell out of Choujun!, but even so, the manga was far from a major commercial success.

If Exorcist no Kiyoshi-Kun manages to sell as much as Choujun, it will secure its survival through the January-February Batch, making a strong commercial performance crucial for this first volume. Next week, the editors will give the series a color page to promote this very first volume.

In twelfth place, we had Nue no Onmyouji, which is stagnant in sales and has a poor average TOC ranking, but even so, I believe it’s in a better situation than Choujun! Chojo-Senpai, which is in thirteenth place, and Kill Ao, which is in fourteenth. Both manga are also stagnant in sales, at lower levels, and don’t seem to be doing well in voting. Choujun! Chojo-Senpai at least seems to be performing well on Amazon Digital (compared to physical copies), but Kill Ao is becoming a very concerning case.

Although its Axe isn’t 100% guaranteed, its TOC trajectory increasingly resembles Robot x Laserbeam, and its presence in the lower rankings is becoming more frequent. The series hasn’t entirely lost editorial support, which is why it’s getting a color page to promote Volume 7 next week, but it’s quite clear that its performance is gradually declining. To survive through 2025, the series would need the magazine to face several flops, or for pre-existing series to end naturally, but even if this happens, Kill Ao will face a tough fight for survival.

But, my friends, as you know, hope is the last to die… Or rather, Murakami’s hope has died. The series will be Axed soon.