Weekly Shonen Jump Might Be In Trouble According to Latest Sales Report
For decades, Weekly Shonen Jump has been one of the premier spots for checking out the biggest manga series around. Franchises like Dragon Ball, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and too many other heavy hitters to count got their start thanks to the Shueisha publication. Even with the anime industry growing in popularity thanks to streaming, it seems that the manga magazine has run into a major problem. Thanks to a recently released report, Shonen Jump might need to make some adjustments in the near future if it wants to reclaim its former glory.
In a new report from Japan Magazine Publishers Association, Weekly Shonen Jump revealed that it had fewer than one million copies of its publication in circulation from April to June of this year. While 985,000 copies is nothing to sneeze at, this marks quite the decrease for what Shueisha is normally used to. This is also the lowest amount of Shonen Jump copies in circulation since 2008, meaning it’s been decades since the manga publisher had to deal with such a low sales number. Readers shouldn’t be too surprised by this figure, as Shueisha has been decreasing exponentially in recent years, though there are many factors to consider when looking at these numbers.
Explaining Shonen Jump’s Decline
For those who might be fearful about these numbers, the recent figures might relate far more to the decline in physical media than Shonen Jump itself. As of the writing of this article, no magazine, manga or otherwise, has over one million copies in circulation. Thanks to the rise in digital offerings worldwide, it makes sense that Shueisha would also feel the effects of this seismic shift, though this is quite the decline. In 2017, for example, Weekly Shonen Jump had close to two million physical copies in circulation for a similar timeframe. Luckily, Shueisha has transitioned in this digital era, with the publication routinely released online for readers to check out on computers and mobile devices.
Weekly Shonen Jump, in recent years, still has some major ongoing stories to rely on, including the likes of One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, Sakamoto Days, and Kagurabachi. Unfortunately, many newcomers that have angled to follow in the footsteps of Dragon Ball and My Hero Academia have failed to hit the same heights, as various manga stories have been canceled due to a lack of overall popularity. With series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Black Clover ending their long runs, Shonen Jump might need some big replacements to reach its former glory. In 2027, Kagurabachi will finally release its long-awaited anime adaptation, which might be the shot in the arm that the manga publication needs in the face of these declining figures.
