Mag Talk Weekly Shonen Jump (2026) - News and Discussion!

[Shinuki no Reborn]

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~ Shinuki

I hope everyone reads the rules and use it as a guide to behave well in the thread, thanks!

 

[Shinuki no Reborn]

Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #45 (2026)
00. Ichi the Witch (Cover & Lead Color Pages, 2nd Anniversary)
01. Akane-banashi
02. Sakamoto Days
00. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi (Color Page)
03. Someone Hertz
04. Me & Roboco
05. Shinobi Undercover
06. Roku's House of Oddities
00. Doggie Dog World (One Shot by Tanakura Jou, Color Page, Golden Future Cup 2026 #2)
00. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica (Not Ranked)
07. Under Doctor
00. The Ura Files (Not Ranked)
08. Witch Watch
00. Animal Signal (Color Page)
09. Nue's Exorcist
10. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz
11. Kagurabachi
12. Hal Formula
13. Cannon Master
00. One Piece (Absent)

Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #46 (2026) - Information
Shinobi Undercover (Cover & Lead Color Pages, 2nd Anniversary)
Under Doctor (Color Page)
Someone Hertz (Color Page)
Banchoism (One Shot by Sai Koroko, Color Page, Golden Future Cup 2026 #3)

 

[Hawke]

Good issue! Liked it overall, not much to say outside of people are underrating some of the newer series and the more maligned stuff (Shinobi Undercover rules y'all need to relax and embrace taste) are very fun. Graykeith is rapidly winning me over and seems to have the September blessing for success.

Votes:

1) Akanebanashi
2) Shinobi Undercover
3) Graykeith
4) Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz
5) Animal Signal

 

[Mar214]

Seems This week’s oneshot, Dog Eat Dog World, is going viral over on Twitter? At this point it has over 50K likes
(Translation: Is this the new oneshot in Jump? I dig the character design)
I used Grok for the translation so take it with a grain of salt please

 

[Xanji06]

Hmm this is from the new interview; really sounds like that Ichi The Witch won't end after the Seven Stars are done since after the current arc 4 out of 7 would likely be defeated (or all spots will be filled again soon since we know that they can get replaced). Wonder what comes after.

 

[Shinuki no Reborn]

End of Week 1!

Shoseki Top 500 (October 4)
2. Blue Box #27
3. Ichi the Witch #10
9. The Elusive Samurai #27
10. Someone Hertz #5
13. Kochikame #203
15. Akane-banashi #24
23. Witch Watch #28
54. Me & Roboco #28
69. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi #10
113. Hal Formula #1
203. Animal Signal #1
272. Kinato's Magic #3
273. Kinato's Magic #4

lol What's going on with Animal Signal? Did they print more than 100 copies for it? These drops don't make any sense

--- Double Post Merged, Yesterday at 7:49 AM, Original Post Date: Yesterday at 7:30 AM ---

Okay, i thought Animal Signal was ranking way worse than Syd Craft but is actually ranking virtually the same lol

Animal Signal: #42 > #91 > #203
Syd Craft: #41 > #103 > #209

And Hal Formula is ranking waaay better than GGG:

Hal Formula: #48 > #78 > #113
Green Green Greens: #73 > #204 > #186

Gotta wait to see how the numbers will actually be for both

 

[tirakai]

Iruma's on ch 460 with no end in sight, if any of the newer series can go on for hundreds of chapters it's Ichi the Witch.

The Divine Disasters are an interesting concept in Graykeith, almost Lovecraftian in the sense of not having any animosity towards humanity but being extremely harmful just by existing. If we're seeing these on ch 4, there's a lot it could do later on if it survives.

 

[Shinuki no Reborn]

Thanks for your votes!

Edit: Adding @NeeNeen votes that were posted just 20 minutes after!

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ISSUE #44 (2026) - VOTING RESULTS

1. Roku's House of Oddities 23 (49 J-points)
2. Akane-banashi 223 (44 J-points)
3. Nue's Exorcist 162 (36 J-points)
4. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3 (35 J-points)
5. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109 (26 J-points)
6. Ichi the Witch 99 (25 J-points)
7. One Piece 1194 (21 J-points)
8. Witch Watch 263 (21 J-points)
9. Kagurabachi 132 (20 J-points)
10. Someone Hertz 50 (17 J-points)
11. Under Doctor 33 (17 J-points)
12. The Ura Files 4 (16 J-points)
13. Me & Roboco 298 (13 J-points)
14. Hal Formula 14 (12 J-points)
15. Shinobi Undercover 98 (11 J-points)
16. Cannon Master 13 (11 J-points)
17. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 21 (9 J-points)
18. Sakamoto Days 276 (6 J-points)
19. Animal Signal 15 (4 J-points)

Notes:

-29 Users voted in the poll & 17 in the comments
-Tied placements decided by which series is older

Poll Source:

Spoiler

Comment Source:

Spoiler

Thehoennhippo

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Me & Roboco 298
3. Roku's House of Oddities 23
4. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
5. Someone Hertz 50

Hawke

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Roku's House of Oddities 23
3. Hal Formula 14
4. Under Doctor 33
5. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 21

Kiaida

1. Nue's Exorcist 162
2. The Ura Files 4
3. Someone Hertz 50
4. Me & Roboco 298
5. Hal Formula 14

Discomusic

1. Roku's House of Oddities 23
2. Witch Watch 263
3. One Piece 1194
4. Sakamoto Days 276
5. Under Doctor 33

WyldViolet

1. Roku's House of Oddities 23
2. Nue's Exorcist 162
3. Kagurabachi 132
4. Cannon Master 13
5. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 21

Wookitake

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Kagurabachi 132
3. Witch Watch 263
4. Shinobi Undercover 98
5. Ichi the Witch 99

shillin65

1. The Ura Files 4
2. Akane-banashi 223
3. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
4. Nue's Exorcist 162
5. Someone Hertz 50

ItsSamu

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Ichi the Witch 99
3. Cannon Master 13
4. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
5. Me & Roboco 298

Nuesmoker

1. Nue's Exorcist 162
2. Someone Hertz 50
3. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 21
4. The Ura Files 4
5. Kagurabachi 132

Pietro

1. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
3. Cannon Master 13
4. Under Doctor 33
5. Witch Watch 263

Shockzz1234

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. One Piece 1194
3. Witch Watch 263
4. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
5. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3

Inumaru

1. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
3. Me & Roboco 298
4. Under Doctor 33
5. Animal Signal 15

DrLazer

1. Nue's Exorcist 162
2. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109
3. Ichi the Witch 99
4. Under Doctor 33
5. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3

LogicoftheVI

1. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109
2. Kagurabachi 132
3. One Piece 1194
4. Roku's House of Oddities 23
5. Ichi the Witch 99

Xanji06

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Shinobi Undercover 98
3. Witch Watch 263
4. Someone Hertz 50
5. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109

KyuKyu555

1. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
3. One Piece 1194
4. Hal Formula 14
5. Shinobi Undercover 98

NeeNeen

1. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109
2. Ichi the Witch 99
3. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
4. Under Doctor 33
5. Kagurabachi 132

Shinuki no Reborn

1. Nue's Exorcist 162
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
3. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
4. Under Doctor 33
5. The Ura Files 4

--- Double Post Merged, Yesterday at 10:25 AM, Original Post Date: Yesterday at 10:15 AM ---

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ISSUE #45 (2026) - POLL & COMMENT VOTING!

Yo guys & girls, yeah, the voting for this week issue is already open! Finally being able to start things early, so please dont forget to send your votes!

The members that already voted:

Spoiler

Thehoennhippo

1. Akane-banashi 224
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 4
3. Roku’s House of Oddities 24
4. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 110
5. Witch Watch 264

Kiaida

1. Nue's Exorcist 163
2. Animal Signal 16
3. The Ura Files 5
4. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 4
5. Roku’s House of Oddities 24

WyldViolet

1. Cannon Master 14
2. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 22
3. Akane-banashi 224
4. Nue's Exorcist 163
5. The Ura Files 5

Hawke

1. Akane-banashi 224
2. Shinobi Undercover 99
3. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 4
4. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 22
5. Animal Signal 16

 

[Phantom RPG]

Seems This week’s oneshot, Dog Eat Dog World, is going viral over on Twitter? At this point it has over 50K likes
(Translation: Is this the new oneshot in Jump? I dig the character design)
I used Grok for the translation so take it with a grain of salt please

Yeah, its the second entry for GFC. The author in question happen to be really good, but Shinseki did say this one in particular was not his best work compared to the one he did prior in giga. But we will see once it's posted here.

Although I kinda for Banchoism, the next one shot for this new issue, now having to go though after seeing the popularity of this new one shot. I hope its not discouraging whatsoever. Nor for the next batch of participants.

 

[kiyoshibro]

Thanks for your votes!

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ISSUE #44 (2026) - VOTING RESULTS

1. Roku's House of Oddities 23 (46 J-points)
2. Akane-banashi 223 (44 J-points)
3. Nue's Exorcist 162 (36 J-points)
4. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3 (35 J-points)
5. One Piece 1194 (21 J-points)
6. Witch Watch 263 (21 J-points)
7. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109 (21 J-points)
8. Ichi the Witch 99 (21 J-points)
9. Kagurabachi 132 (19 J-points)
10. Someone Hertz 50 (17 J-points)
11. The Ura Files 4 (16 J-points)
12. Under Doctor 33 (15 J-points)
13. Me & Roboco 298 (13 J-points)
14. Hal Formula 14 (12 J-points)
15. Shinobi Undercover 98 (11 J-points)
16. Cannon Master 13 (11 J-points)
17. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 21 (9 J-points)
18. Sakamoto Days 276 (6 J-points)
19. Animal Signal 15 (4 J-points)

Notes:

-29 Users voted in the poll & 17 in the comments
-Tied placements decided by which series is older

Poll Source:

Spoiler

Comment Source:

Spoiler

Thehoennhippo

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Me & Roboco 298
3. Roku's House of Oddities 23
4. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
5. Someone Hertz 50

Hawke

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Roku's House of Oddities 23
3. Hal Formula 14
4. Under Doctor 33
5. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 21

Kiaida

1. Nue's Exorcist 162
2. The Ura Files 4
3. Someone Hertz 50
4. Me & Roboco 298
5. Hal Formula 14

Discomusic

1. Roku's House of Oddities 23
2. Witch Watch 263
3. One Piece 1194
4. Sakamoto Days 276
5. Under Doctor 33

WyldViolet

1. Roku's House of Oddities 23
2. Nue's Exorcist 162
3. Kagurabachi 132
4. Cannon Master 13
5. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 21

Wookitake

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Kagurabachi 132
3. Witch Watch 263
4. Shinobi Undercover 98
5. Ichi the Witch 99

shillin65

1. The Ura Files 4
2. Akane-banashi 223
3. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
4. Nue's Exorcist 162
5. Someone Hertz 50

ItsSamu

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Ichi the Witch 99
3. Cannon Master 13
4. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
5. Me & Roboco 298

Nuesmoker

1. Nue's Exorcist 162
2. Someone Hertz 50
3. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 21
4. The Ura Files 4
5. Kagurabachi 132

Pietro

1. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
3. Cannon Master 13
4. Under Doctor 33
5. Witch Watch 263

Shockzz1234

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. One Piece 1194
3. Witch Watch 263
4. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
5. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3

Inumaru

1. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
3. Me & Roboco 298
4. Under Doctor 33
5. Animal Signal 15

DrLazer

1. Nue's Exorcist 162
2. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109
3. Ichi the Witch 99
4. Under Doctor 33
5. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3

LogicoftheVI

1. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109
2. Kagurabachi 132
3. One Piece 1194
4. Roku's House of Oddities 23
5. Ichi the Witch 99

Xanji06

1. Akane-banashi 223
2. Shinobi Undercover 98
3. Witch Watch 263
4. Someone Hertz 50
5. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 109

KyuKyu555

1. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
3. One Piece 1194
4. Hal Formula 14
5. Shinobi Undercover 98

Shinuki no Reborn

1. Nue's Exorcist 162
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 3
3. Roku’s House of Oddities 23
4. Under Doctor 33
5. The Ura Files 4

--- Double Post Merged, Yesterday at 10:25 AM, Original Post Date: Yesterday at 10:15 AM ---

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ISSUE #45 (2026) - POLL & COMMENT VOTING!

Yo guys & girls, yeah, the voting for this week issue is already open! Finally being able to start things early, so please dont forget to send your votes!

The members that already voted:

Spoiler

Thehoennhippo

1. Akane-banashi 224
2. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 4
3. Roku’s House of Oddities 24
4. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 110
5. Witch Watch 264

Kiaida

1. Nue's Exorcist 163
2. Animal Signal 16
3. The Ura Files 5
4. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 4
5. Roku’s House of Oddities 24

WyldViolet

1. Cannon Master 14
2. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 22
3. Akane-banashi 224
4. Nue's Exorcist 163
5. The Ura Files 5

Hawke

1. Akane-banashi 224
2. Shinobi Undercover 99
3. Graykeith: Translator Daemonica 4
4. Class 2B Hero Destroyerz 22
5. Animal Signal 16

Is there a problem with the vote count? Because, like, I voted for both 44 and 45, but I don't show up in either one.

 

[NeeNeen]

Votes #44: (20 minutes late, apparently. Oh well) (Am I the only one who keeps getting server error messages when I'm trying to post or edit something?)

1) Kiyoshi: So I was both right and wrong. "That's why I'm here" indeed. Though it seems they were still underestimating the gravity of the situation.

2) Ichi: That wasn't even close to realistic, but it did give me a good laugh. And of course the gun is unexpectedly strong. The only thing left is to work on her aim.

3) Roku: Of course Jack Black Ripper has the most mundane backstory of them all.

4) Dr: I'm gonna miss the guy. Hope we'll see him again someday. I think these isolated cases are very well done emotionally, but I wouldn't mind a longer arc with a bit more action either.

5) KGB: Mr Sushi should've been the first choice, honestly. I don't know why anyone is still expecting Shiba to play by the rules.

OP: So he studied under Mihawk? The Strawhats sure love their hats.

Shinobi: I guess befriending a slime axe counts as character growth.

Destroyerz: Twisted Goku is really annoying. I'm surprised he didn't recognise the former hero guy.

Graykeith: A 50-story spider web above my house would make me uncomfortable. As would corpses in my library. And that's just the stuff that's in the background. This is shaping up to be more horror than adventure, which doesn't have to be a problem but I do hope we'll be seeing some more story rather than just worldbuilding.

Robocco: Methods aside, her advice is solid. I hope the boys reading this will remember some of it.

Akane: This was so confusing. They're talking about some guy from the past, then about food, then about "he" (a salesman?), then about some technique from past guy (who was apparently telling stories without speaking? Which somehow gave him the power of deception??) involving "zen koan" and "tanka" (???), then they keep talking about "he" but somewhere along the line they're no longer talking about past guy but about Issho? Or are they supposed to be the same person? Ain't no way Issho is from the Meiji era.

Ah, the French version makes more sense. The English translator just doesn't understand how pronouns work. And they also clarify the technique part:

"Prove it's possible to tell a story without opening your lips." Faced with this seemingly unsolvable problem, the rakugoka from the Meiji era racked his brain and wrote in conclusion this comical poem: "The king of hell has taken my tongue. From now on, I have no reason to refrain from lying!" (Translator note: In Japan, children are told that when they lie, the king of hell will take their tongue.)

I still don't understand how that solves anything, but whatever.

Ura: She doesn't see you as a charity case. She sees you as a safety buffer between her and the boys.

Nue: Rude.

Cannon: So they have their own Dragon Ball radar now. Neat.

WW: Why on earth would you attack her?? Were you trying to convince her the world is still a shitty place where people murder witches just for existing? If so, good job, you've given her a reason to want and destroy it all.

Sakamoto: Is that a fake or is she just stupid fearless?

Animal: This organisation kinda seems more dangerous than the criminals they are fighting.

Formula: So he's not doing this to provide for his brother? He's actually paying them for the opportunity to risk his life? That kinda puts the scoldings from the first chapter in a new perspective (also what happened to "the sponsors are furious"? Did they all leave when he started winning?).

 

[needtorelax]

Due to a combination of physical and mental health issues, I have decided to decline all future work with deadlines after completing my current assignments, and prioritize writing my own manuscripts.
I will announce here when I resume writing my manuscripts.

Togashi...

 

[monstera11]

Hmm this is from the new interview; really sounds like that Ichi The Witch won't end after the Seven Stars are done since after the current arc 4 out of 7 would likely be defeated (or all spots will be filled again soon since we know that they can get replaced). Wonder what comes after.

There is the concept of majik coexistence. And also Madoka being the hybrid.

Anyway, Gokuraku not having anything going for him is so concerning. He completed his arc during his introduction so he end up feeling bland

 

[Xanji06]

There is the concept of majik coexistence. And also Madoka being the hybrid.

Anyway, Gokuraku not having anything going for him is so concerning. He completed his arc during his introduction so he end up feeling bland

I wouldn't worry too much about Gokuraku's arc, had the same thoughts about Asmodeus from Iruma-Kun earlier on and he is still one of the standout characters regardless.

--- Double Post Merged, Yesterday at 11:58 AM, Original Post Date: Yesterday at 11:57 AM ---

Translation from @ sandman_AP - Togashi: Due to a combination of physical and mental health issues, I’ve decided that after completing the work I’m currently committed to, I will turn down all future requests that come with deadlines and prioritize working on my own manuscripts. Once I’m able to resume work on them, I’ll announce it on Twitter.

 

[defensor_de_boruto]

Hmm this is from the new interview; really sounds like that Ichi The Witch won't end after the Seven Stars are done since after the current arc 4 out of 7 would likely be defeated (or all spots will be filled again soon since we know that they can get replaced). Wonder what comes after.

Ichi the Witch can continue for 1000 chapters tbh lol

 

[monstera11]

Hmm this is from the new interview; really sounds like that Ichi The Witch won't end after the Seven Stars are done since after the current arc 4 out of 7 would likely be defeated (or all spots will be filled again soon since we know that they can get replaced). Wonder what comes after.

Can you share the link to the interview?

 

[Shinuki no Reborn]

Is there a problem with the vote count? Because, like, I voted for both 44 and 45, but I don't show up in either one.

You mean the poll or comment voting? Because in the comment voting i don't see you posting votes, but if you mean poll, you can't vote on them? I see your name in the poll for issue #45

 

[kiyoshibro]

You mean the poll or comment voting? Because in the comment voting i don't see you posting votes, but if you mean poll, you can't vote on them? I see your name in the poll for issue #45

I vote 42/43 or 44 i don't remember correctly (the poll one yeah, in the comment i never vote once)

 

[Xanji06]

Can you share the link to the interview?

Its on the Ichi The Witch Discord Server all translated by Jetnoire (all credits to her!) but I can post all questions and answers here too.
Using Spoiler Marks cause its a bit long. Gonna leave out the final question 6 since I already shared it here.

Spoiler: Question 1 - How they feel about reaching the second anniversary

Now that the series has reached its second anniversary, how do you feel about that milestone?
Usazaki: I’m truly grateful! We’ve really been working hard, haven’t we?
Nishi: We have. We’ve kept this going for quite a long time now, and I think that’s something we should be proud of.
Usazaki: When we reached Chapter 100, the data file names for my manuscripts finally reached three digits, and I remember thinking, “I’ve really drawn a lot!” But there’s still so much I want to draw from here on, so in another sense, it also feels like we’ve only just begun.
Nishi: That’s true! I feel exactly the same way.
Usazaki: Of course, I’m incredibly grateful to our readers, but I’m also grateful to you, Nishi-sensei. You’re serializing Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun at the same time, yet your work is never late…! You always leave yourself plenty of room before the deadline, and yet you never just coast on that extra time. I’m the type who ends up working right down to the wire, so I’m always amazed by how you manage it. Thank you, as always!
Nishi: Thank you! But I also think it’s precisely because you work right up until the deadline that the quality is so consistently high every time. Whenever I’m asking Usazaki-sensei to draw something, I always think, “If it’s Usazaki-sensei, then it should be something that only Usazaki-sensei can draw.” So I end up making some rather unreasonable demands lol. Even then, you always manage to rise to the occasion and deliver, and I’m genuinely grateful for that.

Spoiler: Question 2 - How did Ichi The Witch come to be

How did Ichi The Witch come to be?
Nishi: It all started with a simple question: why is there a word for “witch” (majo, 魔女), but no equivalent word like “mao” (魔男) for a male counterpart? From there, I started wondering things like, “What if this is a world where only witches exist?” and “What if boys simply can’t use magic?” As I kept thinking about it, all sorts of images and scenes that I wanted to draw started popping into my head. There were so many that I felt like I had to get them out somehow. That was really what sparked the whole thing. I started by putting the idea into words, and once I had written it down, I felt like there was something promising there. I wanted to see how far I could take the idea and make the work as big as possible, so I decided to challenge myself by taking it to Jump. I also suddenly sent the editor from my Jump SQ. serialization an extremely long script, over 20,000 characters, just to see what they would think lol. This was back in November 2021. At that point, I wasn’t really thinking about what would happen afterward or planning everything out in detail. More than anything, I just had this strong feeling of, “I want someone to read this, no matter what.”

Spoiler: Question 3 - How they ended up working together

How did the two of you end up working together?
Nishi: At the beginning of 2022, I finished the first storyboard and sent it to my editor. It didn’t have the title Ichi the Witch yet, and it was 136 pages long. Over the next year and a half, we met many times to discuss and refine it, eventually adjusting it to fit the page count needed for Chapters 1–3 to be submitted for the serialization competition. Once that was finished, I was given a list of potential artists, and I made an offer to Usazaki-sensei. That’s how it all came about. Of course, Usazaki-sensei’s art is appealing when it comes to male characters too, but her female characters are especially charming, and really really cute. My editor and I both agreed that she would be a great match for a work with so many witches, and that the combination would be really interesting. Above all, though, I absolutely love the eyes Usazaki-sensei draws…! If you look at the cover of Volume 6, you can really see how captivating they are. There were many artists on the candidate list, but Usazaki-sensei’s name stood out to me the most, and she was the very first person I asked. Usazaki: I was so happy!! I first heard about it from my editor at the time. But back then, I was in the middle of challenging myself to see if I could handle the storyboard stage on my own. I had never had a work that I storyboarded myself published in a commercial magazine, and I really wanted to experience that at least once. So even though it was a wonderful offer, I couldn’t give an answer right away. But after reading the storyboard, I started thinking, [the quote below lol]. That made me want to at least meet with them, so I asked if I could have the chance to do so. “If I turned down the offer and it came out with someone else’s art, I’d be jealous.”
(Question is continued on the 2nd page)
Usazaki: ...and I asked them to arrange a meeting for us. By that point, I was already thinking, “This is an opportunity I absolutely have to take.” After hearing you talk about the story in person, I found myself thinking, “I really want to do this!” We had a light meal together and then went our separate ways, but that very same night, I went ahead and sent you my character design for Desscaras.
Nishi: It happened so quickly that I was honestly stunned! You had talked quite a bit about the character design during our meal, so I could already tell how enthusiastic you were, but we hadn’t even received your final answer by the time we parted ways… lol. My editor and I had agreed beforehand that we would “do our best to convey how strongly we felt about the project and work toward getting a positive response later on.” So I never imagined that we’d receive not only your answer, but an actual character design on that very same day.
Usazaki: I felt that what really mattered was whether my hand would naturally move when drawing for this story, so I wanted to find out for myself. I also wanted to somehow convey all the excitement I was feeling at the time, so I decided to try drawing something and send it over. I just impulsively drew whatever came to mind, and that ended up becoming Deathcrow’s character design. Sending it was essentially my way of giving my answer that I wanted to take on the job.

Spoiler: Question 4 - What was the process like after the series was officially chosen for serialization?

What was the process like after the series was officially chosen for serialization?
Nishi: The serialization was decided in early summer 2024. By that point, I had already completed storyboards up through around Chapter 5, but before too long, we decided to go back and make some changes. Originally, I had included the prophecy surrounding Ichi’s fate much earlier in the story. After discussing it with my editor, though, we decided to push that information further back. The concern was that if we revealed something that important before readers had really had the chance to become attached to the characters, it might not have the impact we wanted, or give readers enough reason to keep reading.
Usazaki: That makes sense. It’s the kind of information you want readers to learn only after they’ve had the chance to really grow attached to Ichi.
Nishi: Exactly. And that discussion ultimately led to what is now Chapter 4. We wanted to give readers more time to get immersed in the world and become familiar with the characters, so we came up with the episode where Ichi and Deathcrow explore the town of Natalie and encounter Kumugi.
Usazaki: It’s such a fun chapter, isn’t it? You get to experience the characters through Ichi happily running around everywhere, while the town itself gives you a chance to really take in and enjoy the world of the series!

Spoiler: Question 5 - Has anything in particular stayed with you since the series began serialization??

Has anything in particular stayed with you since the series began serialization?
Nishi: I remember being pretty concerned about the reader surveys, especially in the early days. I looked into the kinds of things WSJ readers tend to respond to, and when I went back over the early chapters, I felt they were missing a little something. So starting around the end of Volume 2, we began steering the series in a direction that I felt would resonate more with our readers. The idea was to bring magic, the element that makes this series unique, to the forefront. In that regard, BLEACH was a huge source of inspiration for me.
Usazaki: Having something that looks really cool on the page is important, after all, isn’t it?
Nishi: Definitely. That said, I also believe a series naturally gets better when you’re genuinely enjoying what you’re creating. So these days, I try not to let the reader surveys occupy too much of my mind.
Usazaki: For me, one of the moments that really stands out is the scene in Chapter 28 where Ichi tells Gokuraku, “Right now, I want to do something for you!” In the storyboard, Ichi was smiling when she said it, but I felt that a more serious expression would fit the moment better. So I drew a quick sketch and suggested changing it. As the artist, I knew I was probably stepping a little beyond my role, but…
Nishi: Not at all! I don’t think of it as you simply drawing something I created. I see Ichi the Witch as a work that the two of us are creating together.
Usazaki: That makes me so happy!! When I’m drawing, I tend to think very deeply about what kind of expression a character would naturally make and what they might be feeling or thinking in that particular moment. Of course, I approach Ichi the Witch the same way because I want to draw these characters with a genuine understanding of who they are. I think that, especially in the early days, I was unconsciously holding myself back when it came to giving Nishi-sensei my opinions. But that scene became a turning point for me, and after that, I gradually became more comfortable speaking up and sharing what I thought. But even so, suggesting changes to someone’s storyboard is still a pretty big thing to do. That’s why I’ve been rather demanding with our editor, the one who actually has to relay my comments to Nishi-sensei, and would tell them, “Please phrase it in a way that doesn’t sound rude.” lmao
Nishi: From the very beginning, what I’ve wanted is for you to have the freedom to draw as you see fit. And when it comes to the amount of time spent with these characters, I actually think Usazaki-sensei has been with them longer than I have. While drawing them and deciding even the smallest details, how they stand, how they move, how they gesture, and so on, she’s constantly thinking about who each character is. I think that naturally gives her a deeper understanding of them. So when she comes to me with an opinion based on that understanding, I’m happy to take it into consideration. Of course, if there’s something that doesn’t feel right to me, I won’t use it. But there have actually been quite a few scenes and details that we ended up changing based on Usazaki-sensei’s suggestions.

 

[pennycryman]

Seems This week’s oneshot, Dog Eat Dog World, is going viral over on Twitter? At this point it has over 50K likes
(Translation: Is this the new oneshot in Jump? I dig the character design)
I used Grok for the translation so take it with a grain of salt please

Official post on the Jump account got 16K likes in 4 hours (Cursed Case got like 150 total). People seem to be praising the action and panelling. Jump definitely needs to fast track this author.

 

[Hawke]

seeing psyren get this level of treatment is amusing, really fun to see axed series get love like this

 

[Bulju]

Man, sometimes I just can't believe Akane-banashi is drawn by the Ole Golazo guy. What the fuck.