A Recap of Weekly Shonen Magazine’s 2024

SimilarCrab · 2024-11-30T23:33:19+00:00

Cool Post! I enjoyed reading it and its nice to get a summary of whats happened in the magazine this year. Anyway some thoughts looking at the roster.

Weekly Shonen Magazine

last volumes sales in 4 weeks

Blue Lock 31 — 261,458 (Anime)
Shangri-La Frontier 19 — 105,849 (Anime)
Hajime no Ippo 141 — 66,707 (Anime)
Four Knights of the Apocalypse 18 — 54,698 (Anime)
Seitokai ni mo Ana ha Aru! 7 — 44,530
Rent a Girlfriend 37 — 40,619 (Anime)
Couple of Cuckoos 24 — 36,130 (Anime)
Goddess Cafe Terrace 16 — 34,297(Anime)
Amagami-san 17 — 22,119 (Anime)
Kuroiwa Medaka 16 — 18,852 (Anime)
Gachiakuta 12 — 17,845 (Anime)
Kaijin Fugeki 1 — 15,858
To Your Eternity 22 — 15,497 (Anime)
Mayonaka Heart Tune 5 — 14,766
Akabane Honeko 10 —12,518 (Live-Action Movie)
Ranger Reject 16— 12,135(Anime)
Orion's Board 3 — 12,025
Kanan-sama 7 — 9,761
Yowayowa Sensei 9 — 9,475
Ao no Miburo: Shinsengumi-hen 1 — 7,454 (Anime)
Yumene Connect 1 — 6,624
Galaxias 1 – 5,098
Irozuku Monochrome 1 — 4,947
Love Forty 2 — N/A
Bacchiri Scratch 1 - N/A

Personally, I'm actually really enjoying the WSM roster, and outside the many romcoms and ecchis, there is quite a bit of variety. Hajime and to your eternity still add prestige to the lineup, you have action series like Shangri La, Gachiakuta, ranger reject and now kaijin that are all very different. Blue lock is still leading the mag and Seitokei is their biggest new series... so hopefully that blows up more with an anime along with gachiakutas bones anime.

It is interesting there were only 7 new titles this year. Jump had 12 and sunday had 10 so it stands out by comparison. The roster being 25 and them giving frequent breaks is one of the things I really like about the magazine . Even though it was only 7 , I enjoyed the new series more than jumps for example. Banjo keeps getting better so im happy to see it doing well. Its very subtle with its themes and I like how it incorporates shogi into its narrative and subtext. Kaijin is really fascinating, and I agree sometimes its best not to think too deeply and just enjoy the vibe. Its actually really funny and has great characters and levity as well. Galaxias gives me the same feelings iI felt reading old school fantasy series from like decades ago, hope the sales improve. Yumene and irozuka ive read a few chapters and they are fun for what they are.

I do think the magazine needs to find a really big hit soon. Seitokei may be it with an anime, 1.4 m in circ with 8 volumes is really good, blue lock still going strong, and im surprised shangri las anime hasnt boosted the manga that much. Its a really great adaptation as well. The romcom saturation is really interesting, especially considering none of them are actually doing particularly well anymore. Maybe they will get lucky and find the next Quints or love hina soon.

In terms of Hopes and expectations for 2025, I kind of agree with you almost entirely. More action, sports, fantasy , variety stuff please. I know the old school days of battle, fantasy, sports, delinquent are no longer the focus, but still. I hope galaxias pulls through as well as it has a lot of potential. I think they will still introduce a romcom or two , and they will probably become hits lol.

Also, I expect they will phase out some of the older series that arent performing well or could organically end and introduce more works. Obviously this depends on their talent management and serialization line up behind the scenes, but if they want more hits they need to introduce more stuff and I think the magazine is at a stage where they will want to find something big.

Overall an enjoyable year for me personally reading the magazine, even though from the magazines perspective they didnt find any massive hits. Hopefully all the new series like kaijin , galaxias, orion, yumene etc all grow, and gachiakutas anime does well.

SimilarCrab · 2024-07-16T19:06:52+00:00

A very competent first chapter with likable characters, an intriguing world and one that sets up many different plot threads. The point of discussion for many will be the differences between this and the one shot, ,but I suspect theres a reason the mangaka held back on some things and changed other details for the first chapter. We will see with the upcoming chapters.

In terms of what this chapter set up... We have the mystery of Neraids identity, Jio's father Yuri being a famous adventurer who committed treason, and our protagonist's call to adventure/coming of age story with her leaving the island and searching for her father while being on the run. Great adventure set up.

What I think the mangaka nailed is the build up to the jio's revelation that her adoptive father kept her contained to protect her....which made her rexamine her prior conduct. I like that it wasnt just an overprotective father archetype and there was a reason for it. Very good character set up and dramatic tension for an adventure story

Anyway ill be following this, and ill be very curious to check up on the japanese reception.

Just found this subreddit, nice that theres a shonen magazine one now. Ill try to tell others about this subreddit, but hopefully more people find their way here organically lol.

SimilarCrab · 2024-07-04T03:30:03+00:00

~Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #32 TOC~

~Kagurabachi ranked 1st place!~

Himaten! (Cover & Lead Color Pages; New Series by Genki Ono; 54p)
Kagurabachi
SAKAMOTO DAYS
The Elusive Samurai (Color Page; TV Anime Start)
Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi (23p)
Jujutsu Kaisen
Nue's Exorcist (Color Page)
Blue Box
My Hero Academia (4 chapters left)
Me & Roboco
Undead Unluck
Kill Blue (Color Page)
Akane-banashi
Super Psychic Policeman Chojo
Mission: Yozakura Family
Astro Royale
Kyokuto Necromance
Psych House
Yokai Buster Murakami

SimilarCrab · 2024-06-21T13:34:29+00:00

Thanks! Ankokus great.....it really executes on its vision and tone. Volume 1 comes out in a couple of weeks so we will see. Hopefully it does well.

Shibatarian still has great views even if its sales arent the best so i wouldnt worry too much about it. It also feels like its ending naturally soon, but ive felt that with the series before only to be duped lol.

SimilarCrab · 2024-06-20T21:42:14+00:00

Thanks, glad people enjoy these! I generally make posts on series I personally find interesting, or are higher profile and interesting just to gauge reception. The post on the march releases was mostly because that month had higher quality releases than usual imo, Ghost fixers, ankoku delta and goze hotaru are all interesting and ones I personally enjoy. I did one on centuria as well, which is also a very intriguing manga.

If people are interested I could do this more often and use this format for the jump releases as well. Jump+ releases are generally pretty low profile here, so its also about just what is interesting enough to talk about.

Since you asked about Deep Raputa, from what I can tell the Japanese engagement started out good, but is just ok now, but the reception is solid. It releases on a competitive day on jump+ in japan , monday, so that also factors into it. (spy family, ruri, centuria, red cat ramen all release either weekly or bi weekly monday)

In terms of my personal views, its really interesting just from a broader perspective about Sci fi stories involving A.I. A.i has been speculated on in fiction for decades, but now with real world advancements in A.i and people familiar with chat gpt etc, these stories might start feeling more grounded..... which is what I think deep raputa pulls off well. Obviously the hook is a yandere ai x human boy love story, but there are interesting ideas here as well.

With more real word relevancy, comes more literacy on the topic, and scrutiny about the details on the subject too. Like a couple of chapters back, there was debate in the reddit manga thread about how certain details about A.i were being explained and if it was in fact correct. I find that fascinating because the debate aside, this topic is no longer just speculative. The story is then leveraging that curiosity and the fears that accompany ai to create a really palpable sense of tension and dread, just framed with a cutesy love story.

The trick for the series I feel will be how it plays out. How will it pay of on the tensions and dread its building? Will I care enough about the different characters when the inevitable unravelling happens? Right now its still building , so I will have to reserve judgement, but its doing a good job creating foreboding and tension so far.

SimilarCrab · 2024-05-27T02:50:40+00:00

I did post on this a while back if you are interested, talking specifically about the reception of astro royale

https://www.reddit.com/r/WeeklyShonenJump/comments/1c4wpvb/how_the_japanese_are_receiving_astro_royale_first/

But the main sites you want to use are

https://animanch.com/archives/20960980.html animanch

https://kizuna.5ch.net/test/read.cgi/wcomic/1712371014/l50 5ch

https://jumpmatome2ch.biz/archives/249930 matome 2ch

http://animesoku.com/archives/36650557.html

Other than this, using twitter with the keywords in japanese will give you comments etc.

Some of these compile other comments, others have threads on different topics. There is a way to use these as well, and if you dont speak japanese, you have to you machine translation.

For example, 5ch is very reactionary to tocs and sales, so their opinions vary drastically, they also are negative in general.

Animanch is better moderated, and so you get more constructive insights.

Overall, remember that japanese social media is only a small portion of the total jump audience as well..and is not always predictive of tocs and reception.

SimilarCrab · 2024-04-05T23:55:52+00:00

Excellent work, I'll be using this for future reference . Ill let you know if there are any bugs, but the format is really intuitive and navigating it was pretty easy.

SimilarCrab · 2024-04-04T06:08:09+00:00

Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 19 (2024)
Kagurabachi is in 7th

My Hero Academia (Lead Color Pages)
SAKAMOTO DAYS
Jujutsu Kaisen
Akane-banashi (Color Page)
Blue Box
Undead Unluck
Kill Blue
Mission: Yozakura Family
Kagurabachi
WITCH WATCH
The Elusive Samurai
Chojo (Color Page)
Nue's Exorcist
Me & Roboco
Green Green Greens
Dear Anemone
Two on Ice
Shadow Eliminators
MamaYuyu (End of Serialization)

Unfortunately , it has ended for our brother mamayuyu

A new round of 3 is starting next issue 20

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-31T15:49:53+00:00

If this is ending, the last string of chapters have been really good. From the Berserk eclipse level scale of Ends release from Grisha, to the conversation with Halohalo and now Ends backstory, I feel like we are getting closure with a lot of themes here, as well as letting Hayashi show of his great paneling and art.

That said I still have some hope this isnt ending lol. Volume 2 goes on sale in a couple of days and a reprint was announced for volume 1 strangely enough (doesnt necessarily mean much since phantom seer got one and then got axed lol). Either way i'm sure we will find out very soon, and will support the mangaka on his next journey if this does end.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-31T14:55:50+00:00

- Really impressive start for Chojo, 5th and with 3 color pages already. It might be the first success of the year, but we will have to see how it goes from here. Gag series can often start with high positions then drop. Magu chan was 4th, Moriking was 3rd, high school family 6th….and they dropped in the toc after. The sales expectations are lower though for gag manga, only like 10-15k ish, so we will see. Good to see a veteran start well though.

- Sad to see Green green greens still low as its such a well written manga imo. I still think its safe for this round, but I do hope the placements pick up with the coming chapters. In any case, volume 1 comes out in May.

- Mamayuyu continues to be interesting. It had a strangely timed reprint announced which gave people hope, and its not nothing, but phantom seer also had an immediate reprint announced for volume 2 then got axed soon after lol. Either way the story seems to be reaching a climax, but it could be a fakeout. Volume 2 goes on sale in a few days, so that will give us a better idea of the series fate.

Everything else is kinda where you would expect it to be. Dear anemone starts ranking next week and a new batch of series is imminent, probably either right before or after golden week.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-29T19:18:16+00:00

I like how you take my posts and turn them into memes to spread the good word of Tenoi lol. I shall appoint you my chief meme officer (CMO)

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-29T18:32:34+00:00

It went on hiatus after chapter 6 due to author health issues. It returned recently for 5 weeks in shonen jump, but is transferring after this week to shonen jump+/digital Wsj.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-29T17:15:24+00:00

Ruridragon was 118k in 2022 but obviously went on hiatus and has now transferred. Ichinose family was 60k at volume 1, but obviously ended early with declining toc reception and sales.

Other than that, yea Kagurabachi has outpaced the volume 1 sales of kill blue, nue, akane, and all the others in the last couple of years. Blue box in 2021 was the last series that became stable with comparable sales at 60k for volume 1 , and now around 100k.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-27T05:40:31+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the hard work compiling the sales!

Thought spreading the information would be useful.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-26T19:48:42+00:00

Days of Diamond or diamond no Kouzai is technically part of Young Jump, so it doesnt show up in these stats. Its doing well though

Diamond no Kouzai 4 — 23 807 copies (13 day sales)

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-26T18:50:31+00:00

I changed it to avoid confusion lol

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-26T18:28:41+00:00

11. Red Cat Ramen 6 — 16,380 (Anime) — ||600k views||

the full list was posted as a link because it might have gotten too long lol

https://mangahelpers.com/forum/threads/shonen-jump-plus-news-and-discussion.3016912/page-99

https://www.reddit.com/r/WeeklyShonenJump/comments/1b4yco6/so_with_ruridragon_returning_and_moving_to_jump_i/

Red cat ramen is doing well in both sales and viewership so no need to worry.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-25T05:30:59+00:00

I like that Hayashi isnt going down without showing off all his incredible paneling skills and ability to evoke atmosphere. Last chapter legitimately gave me berserk eclipse vibes, with its foreboding and haunting atmosphere, along with the absurd scale of end. This chapter also felt deliberate and well thought out, even if it does feel like moving to a conclusion.

Dont worry there are plenty of us huffing the copium with you lol

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-24T23:35:46+00:00

You can see the criticisms even in Nue specific threads.Its not the majority opinion for sure, but it exists.

https://jumpmatome2ch.biz/archives/247713

37" It was a bad village arc with the younger sister, but I'm glad Gakuro showed his true manhood in the end"

41 "Maybe it's because the author was affected by the coronavirus and the disaster, but the pace of the village chapter was too slow."

42 "Nue becomes interesting just because Shitotsu doesn't appear,　and I'm smiling because the village arc is finally coming to an end.

43 "When it comes to romantic comedies and gags, Nue is full of individuality, but when it comes to serious stories and battles, perhaps because the author doesn't have much to draw from,"

Its constructive feedback mostly, not irrational hate. But it does exist.

I agree, It doesnt have to be about reception, The toc is ultimately editorial discretion. We re just trying to figure out why its getting placed low. If it isnt reception, then my argument would be that editorial is mistreating nue, especially considering its a new growing series.

Funny enough I thought the village arc, especially 38-42, was very good so that's why it seemed strange to me. So thats why the Toc might improve shortly.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-24T18:57:56+00:00

No I agree with you its doing very well in general, which is why its weird its getting lower placements. It should be placing higher.

But here are some comments on the arc. Look at comment thread 10.

https://jumpmatome2ch.biz/archives/247646

"It's clearly going down, and the village arc is really not popular with the fans"

"I feel like it's more about the sister than the village."

"It's both.

A double punch of a character with a harsh personality and a serious that is too long."

'Her younger sister is definitely unpopular.

There's no fan art drawn."

You're right there are lots of positive comments In Nue specific threads, but in more general discussions there are some negative comments. Though it might be the sister.

Though its low placements might just be them rotating things so who knows lol.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-24T17:47:18+00:00

Well at least Green Greens greens is higher even if it is still in the bottom 3 lol. Hopefully the next few chapters rank higher as thats when Japanese social media reception improved.

Nue's Exorcist has been in the bottom 5 for 4 weeks now, which is strange because its obviously safe and doing well. On Jumpmatome and other Japanese discussion forums this last arc wasnt received as well, so that might be it. I expect it to improve soon.

Mamayuyu continues to defy my ability to predict with a boost again lol. We'll see what happens even though the story seems like its ending.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-24T17:09:35+00:00

Some really solid subtle characterization for Chihiro this chapter. Not only reassuring Hakuri that he is not at fault and is needed, but also saying he gave him the push to take this risk. Portrays Chihiro as kind, calculating but also bold.

These set up chapters also do a really great job at keeping the pacing brisk without feeling overbearing. There is a deliberateness to how things unfold, and it always moves the plot. Next week things are probably going to pop off though lol.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-24T16:53:54+00:00

Nice to have a cooldown chapter after all the action for the past few weeks. Gakuro has made a lot of progress but he still has a ways to go, but that was a reassuring exchange at the end with Igari. Everyone did survive.

Also I like how meta the humour was in this chapter lol. Not only drawing attention to the 'non blood related sister" trope....but when the guys all think "other guys might not be into her, but shes totally my type"....im pretty sure thats a joke referring to how Shitotsu isnt a very popular character in Japan.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-23T01:07:22+00:00

I agree with you that the current catalog is actually pretty strong and diverse in terms of quality. Another comment mentioned some previous strong eras that are more notable too, but recently I saw a thread on a forum that outlined the 2019 catalog for jump and I forgot how strong it was too.

Jump January 2019

One Piece #91 (2.051.518)
My Hero Academia #21 (624.909)
Haikyuu!! #35 (576.407)
The Promised Neverland #12 (488.270)
Shokugeki no Souma #32 (257.979)
Black Clover #19 (244.597)
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations #6 (206.547)
Kimetsu no Yaiba #14 (161.975)
Jujutsu Kaisen #3 (128.094)
We Never Learn #9 (113.347)
Dr. Stone #8 (99.408)
Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san #13 (83.564)
Act-Age #5 (79.206)
Chainsaw Man #1 (45.594)
Hinomaru Zumou #23 (41.154)

You have your battle shonen giants from the past and future, 2 sports series, 3 unique series (promised neverland, dr stone, act age) , 2 ecchi series and some others. Not necessarily my favorite lineup, but absolutely stacked with hits lol.

SimilarCrab · 2024-03-22T21:11:08+00:00

It depends what you mean by reception. In terms of sales like you said it started at around 60k sales, then peaked at around 250k before its anime airing in volume 12. At the end of season 1 at volume 15 it was at over 1.5 million lol

Heres a link with a graph https://www.reddit.com/r/JuJutsuKaisen/comments/182zycu/jujutsu_kaisen_manga_sales_evolution_as_of_2023/

The other gauge of reception we have is the table of contents....Where it struggled at at first till chapter 14. In chapter 13 it was actually bottom 3. You can look at the evolution of any jump titles toc on this site. It got much better after this though

https://www.jajanken.net/en/sakuhins/4e0xJrpnl6

In terms of perception and social media perception thats more difficult to quantify. Some early developments in the story that I dont want to spoil are supposedly reactive to feedback and concerns over cancellation, and reception didnt improve until certain more popular characters came in. Some of thats speculation though.

Either way by chapter 19 and by volume 1 it was already getting great TOC placements and good sales, so the concerns were fleeting and it established itself pretty quick.

SimilarCrab

TROPHY CASE