There are many instances in which the manga in Weekly Shonen Jump fail to garner the attention required to make them heavy hitters in the anime world. Shueisha routinely tracks the many manga they publish, asking fans to give the publisher input on which stories they’re reading. Luckily, there are some manga that are allowed to flourish, arriving at their natural conclusion. A major Shonen Jump sports manga recently ended in Japan, but thanks to a major controversy surrounding the recent publication, said series isn’t getting the due it might be deserved.
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Ironically enough, the drama surrounding the latest Weekly Shonen Jump issue has nothing to do with Blue Box’s series finale. Thanks to this year’s thirty-third issue of the manga publication, including a special card from The One Piece Trading Card Game, the volume has become a highly sought-after item for scalpers. With the Shonen Jump issue becoming almost impossible to find, Blue Box creator Miura Kouji released a statement to fans who are unable to read the final chapter thanks to the Straw Hat controversy. Ending with its two-hundred and fiftieth chapter, Kouji apologized to the fans while also stating that she is both sad for readers and angry at the scalpers who bought large quantities of the issue for the cards.
Blue Box’s Troubled Swan Song
Miura Kouji’s official statement reads as such, “Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33 will be available through made-to-order sales! I apologize for the inconvenience, but please check the official announcement that will be released later and place your order according to those instructions. By the way, I’m not feeling the kind of shock people might imagine, like ‘I can’t believe it’s the final chapter.’ It’s more that when you’re sad, I’m sad too. So I’m simply hoping that the readers’ feelings can settle down, even just a little. On the other hand, I’m angry at the people who are buying up large numbers of magazines only to throw them away afterward, and I want to strongly condemn that behavior.”
Blue Box might be one of several sports anime franchises introduced in recent years, but it combines quite a few different elements that make it different from other series like Haikyuand Hajime no Ippo. Specifically, the Kouji Miura-created story sees badminton player Taiki and basketball player Chinatsu finding understanding and strength with one another, even though their sports are quite different. This October, the Netflix-exclusive anime adaptation will return for its second season. With the premiere outing covering around eighty chapters of the source material, season two is, most likely, not going to be Chinatsu and Taiki’s final season.
What do you think of this response following the Shonen Jump controversy? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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