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So this week Bakuman ended its run in the American digital magazine Shonen Jump Alpha. Since its abrupt announcement a few weeks back in Japan that it would be ending soon, speculators over here have been speculating on what the new replacement title would be. After all, our Shonen Jump does have less titles than the Japanese version. Also, this is the first time a series in Shonen Jump Alpha was completed, so how would they handle the quick switch over to picking up a new title? Well all questions have been answered, and that manga is the Rurouni Kenshin reboot manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki, which began running in Japan under the title Rurouni Kenshin-Cinema-Ban in last week’s new issue of Shonen Jump spin-off magazine Jump Square. This new title based on the manga ties into the new Rurouni Kenshin live action movie which reboots the story from scratch, and opens in Japan on August 25th this year.
A few things to take note on here. The first is that this is a smart move for Viz Media. Rurouni Kenshin has had a following here for years, and will do well with the fans reading the digital magazine currently, and attract new comers to it, as well. The only other manga that holds a years-old fan base for us like that and is running in the family of Jump magazines, would be the Dragon Ball spin-offs they did recently over there (also in Jump Square). The next is key, and that’s for Shonen Jump Alpha, Viz isn’t just going to pull from the weekly Shonen Jump. This proves they will pull from all of its spin-off magazines, too, to make the best possible product for the American audience.
The new Rurouni Kenshin begins its run here with the 05-21-2012 issue of Shonen Jump Alpha.
Drew McCabe
drew@comicattack.net