Anime for Mayonaka Heart Tune announced? Gachiakuta anime trailer! A new debut, meet Ikitagari no Werewolf. All this and more in this week full of news in Weekly Shonen Magazine, Japan’s second-largest shonen magazine. Starting with the TOC:
Ikitagari no Werewolf (New Series, Color Pages) Ch. 01
Shangri-La Frontier ~Kusoge Hunter, Kamige ni Idoman to su Ch. 214
Fumetsu no Anata e Ch. 198 – 1
Banjou no Orion (Color Page) Ch. 50
Kakkou no Iinazuke Ch. 242
Hajime no Ippo Ch. 1486
Seitokai ni mo Ana wa Aru! Ch. 125
Irozuku Monochrome (Color Page) Ch. 28
Ao no Miburo: Shinsengumi Hen Ch. 43
Kanojo, Okarishimasu Ch. 368
Blue Lock Ch. 295
Kuroiwa Medaka ni Watashi no Kawaii ga Tsujinai Ch. 170
Suruga Meteor Ch. 09
Yowayowa Sensei Ch. 111
Kaijin Fugeki Ch. 33
Megami no Café Terrace Ch. 188
Sentai Daishikkaku Ch. 172
Kanan-sama wa Akumade Choroi Ch. 132
Gachiakuta Ch. 130
Mokushiroku no Yonkishi Ch. 184
Yumene Connect Ch. 26
Batchiri Scratch! Ch. 35
Absences: Mayonaka Heart Tune Ch. 69, Amagami-san Chi no Enmusubi Ch. 174, Ahiru no Sora Ch. 616 (Hiato)
A regular feature on magazine covers, this week’s cover goes to model Enako and not the new manga, Ikitagari no Werewolf, which at least gets color pages and a 68-page Chapter 1.
Unfortunately, K-Manga didn’t pick up the series for simultaneous publication, so there’s no English release. It would be a great move to pick up all Magazine titles, like Mangaplus does with Jump, but that’s not the case for now. I’ll give a brief summary of Chapter 1 of Ikitagari no Werewolf for you.
The manga is based on the Werewolf game, extremely popular in Japan nowadays. In Brazil, it’s better known as the Mafia game. Basically, several players are assigned roles, and among them is a werewolf, who can secretly kill other players, who must figure out who the culprit is.
And when I say it’s based on the game, I mean it’s blatant. The story starts with a group of teenagers playing Werewolf at school, including the protagonist Hironari—a cool, sociable young boy who recently got a girlfriend, making his friends jealous. Also introduced is the co-protagonist, Kouki, a boy considered weird in class. He has bandages on his hand and constantly talks strangely, as if he’s living in an action manga world, earning him the nickname “Manga-kun.” Hironari and Kouki are opposites but childhood friends.
The script builds Hironari’s character as someone who loves life after the traumatic experience of Kouki’s brother’s death. Now, he just wants to continue his school life and enjoy love, as he’s dating for the first time.
However, the world presented at the beginning is one where werewolves exist. An introductory scene shows one disguising itself as a mother to attack and devour her daughter. These monsters can take the physical form and read the memories of those they devour. In this sense, the werewolf in Ikitagari no Werewolf is more based on the game than the folklore figure.
Back to Hironari, he’s attacked by a werewolf while returning home from a date. His will to live is strong, but it’s not enough to escape the monster, which is physically stronger and faster. Hironari is killed and devoured. However, Kouki soon appears and physically fights the werewolf in a scene more fitting for a battle manga than a mystery one.
The beast is about to be killed until Hironari’s memories activate, allowing him to shout “Manga-kun,” confusing Kouki enough to land a lucky strike. As the werewolf prepares to kill Kouki, it can’t control its body—Hironari’s memories and will to live are strong enough to take over. Thus, both survive the encounter.
The chapter ends with the story’s premise: Hironari is now in control of a werewolf but must fight its instincts to keep living. Meanwhile, Kouki wants to find out which of his classmates (the only ones who would know his nickname) is the werewolf to kill it for good. A game begins.
My initial impression is that the script is interesting, but the story could be better structured. The art is also very inconsistent, standing out from the magazine’s artistic standard. I also wondered if the story will take a Death Note-like route or go full battle, as a werewolf hunter organization is introduced, and Chapter 1 already had a fight.
Japanese readers’ reactions were quite similar to mine. The series had a stronger reception than many debuts like Suruga Meteor, but nothing huge. Most said they liked Chapter 1 for its interesting story but hope for improved art and that Chapters 2 and 3 will better define the plot’s direction.
For now, at least the series survived Chapter 1. It sparked some interest and now has the mission to deliver more chapters that capture attention.
Shangri-La Frontier takes second place, with one of those in-between-arcs chapters, just exploring the world and interacting with characters. These are some of my favorites. Otherwise, business as usual for this Magazine hit. The anime still has two weeks left. Have I told you to read and watch Shangri-La Frontier? Read and watch Shangri-La Frontier!
Fumetsu no Anata e closes the podium, a rare appearance in the magazine’s higher ranks. The reason should be clear for those following the series. The story is at its climax and could end in a few weeks or months. Counting pages per volume, we still have half a volume left, and I assume the manga will end at 200 chapters.
200 chapters don’t mean Fumetsu ends in two weeks, as the magazine’s publication is inconsistent in page count. But the manga will likely make room for newcomers.
A color page for Banjou no Orion, in fourth place, promoting its volume. The chapter was another in a sequence of great ones, plus it’s the big 50th chapter. The color page is well-deserved.
With the Mayonaka Heart Tune anime announcement at under 70 chapters, the possibility of Orion also getting an adaptation announcement in 2025 becomes real, as it sells similar numbers and is by a veteran author with a big hit like Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso.
Fifth place goes to Kakkou no Iinazuke, with another chapter focused on Sachi’s arc. The big recent news for the franchise is that the anime’s official account has woken up from hibernation, with several posts daily. This implies news about the anime’s second season isn’t far off.
Hajime no Ippo, in sixth, delivers a chapter that pleases fans. Ricardo and Miyata sparring? Morikawa-sensei is giving the people what they want after the controversial end of the last arc.
Seventh in the TOC is Seitokai ni mo Ana wa Aru! Many might be thinking: “How did Mayonaka Heart Tune get an anime before Seitokai?” The answer lies in the manga and anime industries; it’s much easier to sell a work by a renowned author early. Mayonaka Heart Tune will be its author’s third anime, while Seitokai is muchimaro’s first hit.
Regarding anime, it could also be a matter of studio or staff availability. But the announcement surely won’t take long. Seitokai continues to collaborate with big brands like Gamers, and besides great physical sales, it ranks well in digital sales and Magazine Pocket reads.
Eighth place with a color page goes to Irozuku Monochrome. In Jump, this would signal safety, but it’s common in Magazine to give color pages promoting volumes, even for less popular manga.
Still, being optimistic, at least the color page isn’t in the second half of the magazine. And the story shows no signs of editorial changes or rushing. It’s not time to give up on Irozuku Monochrome.
Ao no Miburo is in ninth. Its big Ikedaya arc continues, lasting longer than expected. This gives the impression that the manga’s second half will focus more on battles, especially if it follows real history—the Shinsengumi, the group Ao no Miburo covers, was deeply involved in conflicts during this era.
Tenth place goes to Kanojo, Okarishimasu. Another simple chapter, but one that pleases its core fans. On the news front, the author Miyajima’s other work (Shiunji-ke) recently got another trailer, and the quality seems high. Always good to remember he’s a big name in the industry.
Eleventh, Blue Lock stays in its typical mid-magazine zone, basically making its readers flip through several series before reaching it. The chapter itself shows the results of the recently concluded arc, pleasing its readers.
Kuroiwa Medaka is twelfth in the TOC. The manga is steady, but the anime hasn’t recovered from its initial negative reception like Amagami did. A shame.
Thirteenth place goes to Suruga Meteor, which sees Ikitagari no Werewolf pulling ahead in the survival race in Magazine. The editors haven’t given up on the series yet, recently promoting it on a TV show, as they really want to keep this baseball audience in the magazine.
Narratively, Suruga Meteor made the right move by jumping straight into a game, but it’s already on Chapter 9, and this first game is still ongoing. A bit long to keep readers’ initial attention, especially since the idea of a perfect pitcher carrying a 0-0 game isn’t rare in baseball manga.
Still no news about the announced anime for our fourteenth-place series, Yowayowa Sensei. However, the manga has been receiving more collaborations and merch. For now, the focus will remain on the works with anime presence at AnimeJapan, such as Gachiakuta and Mayonaka Heart Tune.
Kaijin Fugeki is in fifteenth place, starting a new arc. For now, it’s leaning more into comedy and character interactions, the calm of a well-received and secure series.
In sixteenth place in the TOC, Megami no Café Terrace continues with its focus on the protagonist’s final romantic decision. It seems increasingly certain that the story is heading toward a conclusion, unless the author is trolling for weeks—something that’s not impossible for those familiar with Seo Kouji.
Speaking of endings, Sentai Daishikkaku, our seventeenth-place series, has also been heading in that direction for a few weeks. But this chapter made me take a slight step back by focusing too much on Green Keeper. If the arc focuses too heavily on him, I can imagine there being more to come, as we still have other Keepers to include in a final battle.
Kanan-sama is eighteenth this week, and once again, I’m impressed by how long the arcs are for a romcom. It doesn’t bother me personally, but the arcs in Kanan last as long as or even longer than those in battle shonen. I’m glad the author has this freedom, and it doesn’t seem to affect sales, so all is well.
In nineteenth place, we have the great Gachiakuta, which had its anime trailer and several details revealed, including the voice actors for its main cast!
Some might ask: “Wait, weren’t they saving this for AnimeJapan?” Well, if you look, a large portion of the works with exposure there have already revealed trailers or visuals. The reason is to attract attention from those planning to attend the event early. Those who liked the Gachiakuta trailer will go to the panel to hear from the voice actors and get more exclusive anime info.
The quality looks good for those worried about an animation controversy similar to Sakamoto Days. Other details include that the anime will air starting in July, and international streaming rights are exclusive to Crunchyroll, which is well aware of Gachiakuta’s international popularity and will likely promote it as one of its major anime of the season in July.
If you think it deserved a better TOC position, at least rest assured that Gachiakuta will get a color page next week to focus on this anime news.
Second to last, Mokushiroku no Yonkishi is only this low due to rotation. Perhaps also because it’s a self-contained chapter with a simple fight. Don’t get me wrong, simple fights with spectacular paneling are some of the best things in battle shonen, and this chapter delivered that perfectly.
Sometimes I feel like certain chapters of Yumene Connect go so far over the line that the editors feel obligated to place the manga lower. This is one of them, landing in second to last, but there’s no need to panic.
And the manga closing the issue is Batchiri Scratch, which I don’t want to pinpoint exactly when it’ll end, but the story is wrapping up and could finish at any moment.
And since it’s absent, I didn’t talk about Mayonaka Heart Tune! It was possible, but I’m still impressed by how quickly Magazine’s multimedia team announced the anime so early, even though it won’t air until 2026. There’s even a trailer! I think it’s the right decision, keeping the hype up and allowing them to promote the work for a long time with the promise of animation. It’s the kind of info that stands out in bookstores.
It’s something to celebrate and sets Magazine apart from its biggest rival, Jump, which takes longer and longer to announce and release its anime. I’ll talk more about this in the next article. Until then!
