TOC Weekly Shounen Jump #44 (30/09/2024):
Ao no Hako c166 (Cover, Lead Color Page e Anime Starts)
01 – Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi c174
02 – SAKAMOTO DAYS c184
03 – Akane Banashi c128
04 – Kagurabachi c51
05 – Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen c244
Jujutsu Kaisen c271 (Color Page, END)
Shinobigoto c03 (23 Pages)
06 – Negai no Astro c23
HAKUTAKU c02 (Color Page)
07 – Himaten! c12
Madan no Ichi c04
Nue no Onmyouji c68 (Color Page)
08 – Choujun! Choujou-senpai c32
09 – Undead Unluck c224
10 – Boku to Roboco c203
11 – Kill Ao c71
12 – Exorcist no Kiyoshi-kun c14
13 – WITCH WATCH c173
Youkai Buster Murakami c15
Ausentes: ONE PIECE c1127
Prévia da Weekly Shonen Jump #45 (07/10/2024):
Cover and Lead Color Page: ONE PIECE c1128
Color Page: Himaten! c13; HUNTER×HUNTER c401; Razotsu Youkai-gari (One-Shot by Yoshida B6, Golden Future Cup 1/5)
Extra Pages: HAKUTAKU c03 (23 páginas)
Here we are at Weekly Shonen Jump #44, where we witness the conclusion of Jujutsu Kaisen and the celebration of the anime debut of Ao no Hako (Blue Box). This issue is quite symbolic, as we say farewell to a pillar (leaving only One Piece as the magazine’s remaining pillar), while Ao no Hako attempts to show the editors it has the potential to become a new pillar, despite being a romance manga, which isn’t so common. A prime example is Touch, which managed to become a pillar of Weekly Shonen Sunday in the 1980s. Will Ao no Hako be able to follow that path?
Well, both Weekly Shonen Jump and TMS are betting heavily that the series will succeed.
As for Jujutsu Kaisen’s farewell, it’s always sad to see such a major manga come to an end, especially with such a controversial finale. I hope this final chapter leaves the readers more satisfied since we won’t be seeing a Jujutsu Kaisen 2. The editors used this issue to announce that the series has reached 100 million copies in circulation, and they also revealed that the last two volumes will be released on December 25th. A nice Christmas present for the fans!
On Monday, I’ll be releasing a video discussing the Japanese reception to Jujutsu Kaisen‘s ending. Now, let’s get to the TOC:
In first place in the TOC, we have Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi (The Elusive Samurai), which claimed the top spot for the third time. A huge win for the manga, which is also the most well-received anime of the July season. The anime boosted the series’ sales to around 60-70k copies during the 10-week arc, which is truly impressive. However, don’t get too used to seeing the series in these high positions. Even though it’s selling well, it’s still far from achieving sales worthy of a magazine pillar. Once Jump recovers, these sales will be equivalent to mid-tier manga. Nonetheless, it was a great week for Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi.
In second place, we had Sakamoto Days, which remains stable, eagerly awaiting its anime debut in January. Following in third place is Akane Banashi, which I believe will get a cover announcing its anime in either November or December. This is just my guess, based on the fact that editors usually announce anime adaptations before Jump Festa. Since Jump Festa happens on December 21-22, I think we’ll see Akane Banashi getting a cover between November and December, revealing the adaptation.
In fourth place, we had Kagurabachi, which continues to be one of the magazine’s top manga. I think it will get another cover later this year, possibly promoting the release of volume 5 in December, but until then, it will keep getting color pages. Speaking of volumes, October will see the release of its fourth volume, which has a good chance of outselling the volume of Sakamoto Days, becoming the third best-selling series in the magazine, behind only One Piece and Ao no Hako (which should see a nice sales boost thanks to the anime).
In fifth place, we had Yozakura-San Chi no Daisakusen, and I need to correct some of my calculations. The series already has 3 chapters ready for volume 28, which seems to be the final volume. This means it will have 9 chapters to close out the volume by issue #49, coinciding with the release of a one-shot from the GFC. Still, it’s possible that the series will have one or two extra chapters in the last volume if the author needs more pages to wrap things up (though, honestly, I can see Yozakura-San ending the current battle in three chapters and having three more for the epilogue). With the series ending in issue #49 or #50 (around November 5th or 11th), we might see two or three new manga debuting by the end of the year.
In sixth place, we had Negai no Astro, which will release its second volume next week. I’m curious to see how it performs, and based on how the editors are ranking it, they seem relatively optimistic that sales will remain steady or even increase. They’re slowly moving Negai no Astro out of the lower TOC rankings. If it gets a bad result, the situation could get tricky, but for now, there’s no risk of cancellation. As I’ve mentioned before, Negai no Astro, Choujun, and Kill Ao will survive into 2025.
In seventh place, we had Himaten, which continues to rank well. Next week, it will receive a color page celebrating its popularity (again), showing that the editors are really happy with its reception. It’s still hard to tell how much Himaten will sell, but all signs point to it surpassing 15k copies for the first volume. Clearly, Himaten is leading its group of new manga.
In eighth place, we had Choujun! Chojo-Senpai, which, in a rare occurrence under Saito’s management, ended up as the highest-ranking comedy, despite only being in eighth place. Clearly, our dear Saito was in a bad mood on ranking day and decided to push all the comedies to the second half of the magazine, stealing laughs from Japanese kids and teens. Saito is clearly moving from a good teacher to becoming the new Torishima.
In ninth place, we had Undead Unluck, and while many are celebrating its “survival from cancellation” due to this position, I repeat the critique I’ve made about those who celebrate or fear cancellations based on just three consecutive low rankings: calm down. It’s amazing how people get carried away by weekly results without understanding that to properly analyze the TOC, you need to look at results over several weeks. Undead Unluck is simple: the series is entering its “final battle,” which could last 9, 18, 27, or however many chapters have been agreed upon between the author and Weekly Shonen Jump.
How long will it last? That’s speculation we can’t answer just yet. Those using the author as a gauge ignore that he’s dependent on what the editors want. Those using Nakano’s management as a gauge ignore that we’re no longer under Nakano’s management. And those focusing only on the TOC forget that the next batch of new manga might only have Murakami and Yozakura-San ending, meaning all the lower positions could be safe. We need to stay calm, unlike many Japanese readers and people on Twitter. Let’s wait patiently to see Undead Unluck’s next rankings and the pacing of this final arc.
In tenth place, we had Boku to Roboco, which dropped in ranking, something that has rarely happened under Saito’s management. Still, I believe the series will return to higher positions in the coming weeks. In eleventh place, we had Kill Ao, which remains in a similar situation as previous weeks, hovering in the lower rankings but not at risk of cancellation in the next batch.
In twelfth place, we had Exorcist Kiyoshi-Kun, with some fans hoping it survives and others hoping for cancellation. Himaten is ranking better and received a third color page before Exorcist Kiyoshi-Kun, which is a clear sign the editors don’t believe as much in the series’ potential. However, the magazine always has a plan. The editors aren’t ranking Exorcist Kiyoshi-Kun last because it’s not yet time to cancel it. The reason? Maybe the polling results don’t justify canceling it yet, or maybe they’ve already selected the two series that will debut in the next batch and can’t expand to three.
Finally, in last place, we had Witch Watch, which is safe. It was ranked last for unknown reasons, but regardless of the reason, it doesn’t matter. The series will soon return to the middle ranks of the magazine, where it will stay when its anime debuts in April. Wrapping up the non-ranked, we have Murakami, which is also likely to be canceled. Reception on the forums is poor, and the series hasn’t received a single color page, even though Kiyoshi-Kun and Himaten have. Even as a filler manga, it should have received color pages to celebrate a good reception, but that’s clearly not happening because the reception is terrible. Murakami will likely be canceled in the next batch.
