Finally Some Real Evolution

April 19, 2009

Shonen Jump v77 May 09I was reading the latest issue of Shonen Jump (May 2009), and though I may despise it, I do read Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo.  Don’t ask me why, it’s there, so I just do.  So, I’m coming to the end of the chapter, and at the bottom is says next issue will be Bobobo’s final chapter in the magazine.  Hurray!

Finally Bobobo is leaving!  There is really nothing funny about this manga.  It’s the embodiment of “Stupid is as stupid does.”  But then real question here is, what’s going to replace it?  There hasn’t been any announcements (that I’m aware of) of any new titles going in.  Tegami Bachi was just added, and nowhere in the issue is there any indication of what will be replacing it.  Will they try to squeeze in another manga that will get only one chapter a month (like Yu-Gi-Oh! GX), or will this space just be filled with more Naruto?

In order to keep pace with the Japanese releases of the manga, Viz will have to up the chapter count in Shonen Jump, or take Naruto out of the magazine and so they don’t have to wait.  I don’t see the latter happening though.  Naruto is one of SJ‘s anchor titles.  To take it out of SJ could mean the loss of many, many subscriptions, something I’m sure Viz doesn’t want.

Well, at least it won’t be too long a wait to find out.  Sometimes falling behind on issues isn’t too bad a thing.  I really hope this does turn into an Evolution for SJ.  More Naruto isn’t necessarily bad, and if it means no more mass volume releases, then I’m all for it!

UPDATE: Deb Aoki of About Manga helped solve this little mystery for me via twitter.  Apparently at NYCC, it was announced that Ultimo would be joining Shonen Jump in the July 2009 issue.  Scroll down past the Takahashi news.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I seemed to have thought about this, but at 3am, I wasn’t going to push it.  Next time I’ll just tweet the question.  (Thanks Deb!)

I have to say I’m a little ambivelent about this.  I didn’t care too much for the preview of the first chapter.  It just felt…bleh to me.  Maybe it was too much superhero, and not enough manga.  But I’ll give it a chance.  I’m gonna read it anyway as long as it’s in SJ (see above).  I think I would have preferred more Naruto though.  Those chapters can be so addicting!

8 Comments

  • Heather Ward April 19, 2009 at 10:39 pm

    Yeah!!! I don’t read Bobobo-bo. I love the original Dragonball and Dr. Slump, but I could never read more than 4 or 5 pages of this comedy. It was just too painful. I am very happy to hear about this title being pulled.

    Ultimo did seem very superheroish. I did not hate the preview, but I am not excited about it either. I am just hoping SJ may be working to get One Piece or Bleach caught up to the current chapters. I could see them doing it for Bleach, but OP has not been so popular. I do hope the current Naruto chapters make SJ even more successful. I remember how they hoped to one day go weekly, when SJ first started.

  • Brian Henderson April 20, 2009 at 1:12 pm

    That’s the problem, it’s not comedy, it rarely rises above the level of immature fart jokes and I think that says a lot about the people who read and claim to enjoy Bobobobobobobo ad nauseum. It’s just stupid, pure and simple.

    As for bringing Bleach up to current, it’s going to face the same problems that Naruto did. Publishing a whole ton of manga volumes in the same month in the middle of a recession is just asking for trouble. Besides, anyone who cares about Bleach or OP is already probably reading the scanalations so it’s questionable how well a ton of stuff nobody can afford would do in the market.

  • Nicholas C. April 21, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    I happen to love Bobobo. It’s stupid as stupid gets, but it’s so random and goofy that I can’t help but laugh. But, it’s all a matter of opinion I suppose. Too bad they skipped the first HALF of the series. Just another retarded move by the one and only Viz Media.

    The real issue here is One Piece. The second best selling manga series in the world, and it’s just second-rate crap in SJ that Viz doesn’t care about. It stared long before Naruto, yet it only has 20 volumes out compared to Naruto’s 42 or so. Just drop it out of SJ, and start releasing the volumes on a 2 or 1 month schedule. Then you can all have more of the Naruto you love so much, and One Piece fans will finally get a break. Maybe they’d even lighten up on the no-swearing policy that ruins so many great scenes. I’ve actually heard rumors that Viz is dropping it once Arabasta ends, so here’s hoping.

    • Lori Henderson April 21, 2009 at 5:08 pm

      It’s not really Viz’s fault that Naruto took off but One Piece didn’t. You can blame that one on 4kids entertainment and their raping of the anime. If the Funi dub that just came out a year and a half ago had come out with the manga. We would be raving about Naruto AND One Piece.

      Quite frankly, I don’t want EITHER manga to leave the magazine. I’m not the one looking for fast releases of Naruto, Viz is. I want One Piece and Naruto, and Shaman King and Hikaru no Go, for that matter, to STAY in Shonen Jump! I get Shonen Jump so I DON’T have to by the graphic novels. I can’t afford the books or space. I can afford $30 subscription and twelve issues a year. I can’t keep up with SK or HnG as it is, and I’ve lost 11 volumes worth of story for Naruto. I’d rather see Yu-Gi-Oh GX dropped than One Piece. Or better yet, take Bleach back out. It did find in stand alone sales. Just leave my SJ line up alone!

  • Brian Henderson April 23, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    You have to remember, they don’t want people to follow manga through Shonen Jump or Shojo Beat, the whole reason they put either of those magazines out is to get you hooked so you HAVE to buy the individual volumes. They make all of their money that way, SJ and SB are virtual loss leaders, they’re intro drugs to get you hooked, then they start charging you a ton to support your habit.

  • Heather Ward April 24, 2009 at 2:29 am

    LOL….oh, yes. They are a nice drug and I am addicted, but there is plenty of manga out there and 9 times out of 10 if a publisher removes title from the mag, I stop reading it. The only series I have continued are Baby & Me and Kaze Hikaru. Thou I have slowed down on each of them now, as more new series have begun. Currently OP is the only other title I would pick up if taken out of SJ or SB. (I don’t think Bleach or Naruto will leave SJ anytime soon)

    I was sadden this month when I read Bamboo Blade was leaving Yen Plus. I enjoy it. Unfortunately I do not think YP has the readership to let titles leave this magazine yet, like VIZ. It all depends on this economic crisis. For an average $12 per month I get over 1200 pages of manga magazines, covering 22 series. I hope there are more people addicted and with money to pick up those removed titles, to help guarantee their completition. I am still wary of Yen Press not completing many of their series cause of their ambitious collection of licenses.

  • John April 25, 2009 at 12:58 am

    Actually, One Piece looked like it was going to be released bi-monthly when they started printing 4-5 chapters per issue. Apparently they’re not though since Vol. 22 doesn’t get released until October. So now they’ve fallen behind themselves because next month’s issue contains the rest of Vol. 22.

  • NME Enterprises May 13, 2009 at 6:21 pm

    I can understand not liking Bobobo, despite enjoying it, but lol at enjoying Naruto.

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