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It's been an interesting year for me as a Weekly Shonen Jump manga fanatic, enjoying Shueisha's stories since the old days of Viz Media's short-lived Shnen Jump magazine. Gone are my days as a shaggy-haired pre-teen cracking open the latest localized chapters of Naruto, One Piece, and Hikaru no Go as I turn toward the future with heavy hitters like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia bowing out. Thus begins a predictable panic, wondering what will carry the publication, but the truth is Weekly Shnen Jump is not in danger, thanks to factors including anime and years of precedents.

A major factor that typically helps new shnen manga succeed is a popular anime adaptation, with recent adaptations of Weekly Shnen Jump's The Elusive Samurai and Shnen Jump+'s Dan Da Dan serving as strong examples. For viewers in the West, much of that is derived from hype over...

Hikaru no Go is my favorite anime of all time, and due to its niche appeal, it naturally sits as my top pick for the most underrated anime of the 2000s. The series is a brilliant coming-of-age, which, despite its silly premise of a ghost trapped in a Go board taking on a child as his next host, is immaculately written and a realistic depiction of growing up and embracing one's passions. However, by the end of the Hikaru no Go anime, I found myself wrestling with its painful depictions of loss, loneliness, and despondent depression.

This series was a revelation for me, a subscriber to Shnen Jump magazine, who saw the first chapters in January 2004 and became hooked on the premise of a game-focused, non-action shonen manga without the silliness of Yu-Gi-Oh! I was enamored with Takeshi Obata of Death Note fame, whose artwork was introduced to me with Hikaru no Go,...

Shojo and josei anime explore universal themes like relationships and identity beyond gender-targeted audiences. Josei offers deep storytelling experiences akin to seinen, focusing on complex themes with a mature perspective. Shojo anime has evolved, becoming increasingly essential to the anime industry, blurring genre lines and offering diverse narratives.

I have been reading manga and watching anime from childhood to my adult life, yet with such a broad entertainment medium, there are always still surprises to be had. As an adult man in my thirties, I have continuously enjoyed shonen and increasingly more seinen stories in my daily reading and viewing. Still, perhaps subconsciously, I have always limited myself from other great storytelling that was not specifically targeted at my gender.

Even though it has taken me into my thirties to embrace it, in the past year, I have continued to dive headlong into shojo and josei anime, and I am enriched for it.

Under the title "Utaemaki 'Hikaru no Go' Jyo no Itte," a stage play adaptation of Hikaru no Go , a manga series written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, is set to perform at the Sunshine Theater in Tokyo from July 5 to 14, 2024. The title literally means "Picture Scroll of Songs 'Hikaru no Go' The First Move," so the play may include some musical elements. The manga ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from 1998 to 2003, releasing 23 tankobon volumes. Its English edition 's publisher, Viz Media describes the series: After stumbling across a haunted go board, Hikaru Shindo discovers that the spirit of a master player named Fujiwara-no-Sai has taken up residence in his consciousness. Sai awakens in Hikaru an untapped genius for the game, and soon the schoolboy is chasing his own dream—defeating the famed go prodigy Akira Toya! Nobuhiro Mouri , known for his directorial works for...

The president of Naruto's Studio Pierrot, Michiyuki Honma, credits the massively popular Demon Slayer as a major turning point in the anime industry.

Honma spoke to Comic Natalie, where he revealed that Demon Slayer not only motivated Bleach and Kingdom's switch to shorter seasonal adaptations, but whose effect was also felt across the entire industry. "I think Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was a major turning point for the anime industry," he said. "It was a high-quality work that took a lot of time and a generous budget to make, and it was a big hit when it aired, attracting people from a wide range of age groups. I watched it. Before and after Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was announced, I really felt that we had to change the way we create things. Furthermore, other studios were releasing high-quality works on a similar scale, and Japan has an...

The Naruto anime series' iconic director, Hayato Date, almost ended up directing a completely different show.

One Piece animation director Mamoru Yokota recently hosted a gathering at Shinjuku's Loft Plus One building, which saw Date in attendance with other industry figures. Via an attendee, Date opened up about the time when he was directing Saiyuki (April 2000-March 2001) and originally intended to direct Hikaru no Go afterward. However, due to Saiyuki's unforeseen popularity, he suddenly found himself directing four seasons of the series. This didn't leave enough time for him to then helm Hikaru no Go, which premiered in October of the same year (until March 2003). Due to this, he instead decided to work on Naruto, which premiered in October 2002. Notably, all three series were animated by Studio Pierrot.

Related One Piece and Dragon Ball Directors Call Out Anime Child Labor Allegations Controversy surrounding possible child labor catches the attention of several anime figures,...

Warning: Contains spoilers for Tenmaku Cinema chapter 1.Shonen Jump launched a brand-new manga called Tenmaku Cinema, and going by the first chapter, it puts a dark twist on Hikaru no Go. Tenmaku Cinema follows Hajime Shinichi, a young film buff who becomes haunted by the ghost of a screenwriter named Takihiko Tenmaku, and Tenmaku has Hajime help him produce his final film so he’ll be able to pass on. The series has a lot of overlap with Hikaru no Go, a classic Shonen Jump manga about a boy who becomes haunted by a Go player from Heian-era Japan who wants to create a wholly original play called a divine move.

There are definite similarities between Tenmaku Cinema and Hikaru no Go, but the former has a twist that makes it darker than the latter. While Sai only ever provided guidance for Hikaru, Tenmaku forces Hajime to help him by possessing his body,...

Ah, Valentine’s Day. We’ve officially entered the season of love, romance, and overpriced chocolate. Here to help you get in the mood, your five rotating Siipping News columnists Hannah, Yvonne, Catherine, Adri and Aja have each assembled their top five most romantic (intentionally or not) slashy moments from many different fandoms. Included in this eclectic list is everything from movies to manga, so you’re sure to find a new fandom flame or rekindle an old love. Enjoy!

Hannah’s Top 5

Picking only five romantic moments was a big challenge for me considering how many TV shows, movies, comics and books I am forever in love with. But I’ve narrowed it down to these few heart-wrenching finalists.

5. Harvey/Mike (Suits 2.12): “Who did this to you?”

I’ll be the first to say that Suits doesn’t fit my typical TV taste – no sci-fi, no fantasy, no...

Cartoon Network is partnering with graphic publishing company VIZ Media to bring the epic battles and adventures of such anime characters as Samurai Jack and Naruto to the broadband realm. Dubbed Toonami Jetstream, the broadband service, scheduled to launch July 17, will offer on-demand full-length streaming episodes from a suite of Cartoon Network programming including the acclaimed series Naruto and the Emmy-winning Samurai Jack, created by Genndy Tartakovsky. Entire episodes from other anime shows Hikaru No Go, MAR and The Prince of Tennis, not available on U.S. broadcast or basic cable television, also will be available.