Digital and simulpublishing means fans now have easier and faster access to Japan's newest and best manga. Whether you're using Comixology, iBooks, Crunchyroll or the Shonen Jump app from Viz Media, international readers have never been better off jumping into a series after watching its anime adaptation or finding fresh titles tipped for one.
The shonen world has been going through some guard change lately. While the continuation of Dragon Ball in Super has helped to ensure the relevance of Akira Toriyama's world-famous franchise, two of the Big Three— Naruto and Bleach alongside the unbeatable One Piece — recently, as decided by general consensus, have been replaced by My Hero Academy and Black Clover.
But for those looking into the future, there's a crop of new shonen manga titles that have yet to be turned into a hit anime series — some with Next Big Thing written all over them.
The shonen world has been going through some guard change lately. While the continuation of Dragon Ball in Super has helped to ensure the relevance of Akira Toriyama's world-famous franchise, two of the Big Three— Naruto and Bleach alongside the unbeatable One Piece — recently, as decided by general consensus, have been replaced by My Hero Academy and Black Clover.
But for those looking into the future, there's a crop of new shonen manga titles that have yet to be turned into a hit anime series — some with Next Big Thing written all over them.
JUJUTSU KAISEN
You can't go wrong with Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen for traditional shonen fan. Starting its run in 2018, its demonic feet are firmly planted in the modern-day supernatural action territory that served a hit series well before it, from Blue Exorcist to Tokyo Ghoul. The story stars Yuuji Itadori who swallows a "Curse" finger called Sakuna, starting a body-sharing partnership Jekyll and Hyde-style.
There's also a magic school element, as well as a collect-a-thon mission for Yuuji and Sakuna to complete— both with competing goals, of course. But as derivative as some of these components are, Jujutsu Kaisen is well-placed with the kinds of ferociously visceral action sequences you imagine will look great in its upcoming anime adaptation.
CHAINSAW MAN
If Jujutsu Kaisen is too numerous for you, Chainsaw Man is the ripcord-roaring fun you've been looking for. Tatsuki Fujimoto's series also began in 2018, but about a year later switched to digital-only publishing in Japan. When we meet Denji, his titular antihero, he's an orphaned, impoverished young man with only his company Devil dog, Pochita.
Then a series of horrific events lead Pochita to become the ultimate Good Boy, producing an unholy combination of god, Devil and chainsaw. Denji is soon swept into a more standardized, organizational setting, but his socio-realistic origin makes him more complex than some of the more starry-eyed heroes of the genre.
SPY X FAMILY
If you enjoy both the paranoia of the Cold War and the 2005 rom-com spy caper, Mr and Mrs Smith, you have absolutely no excuse not to love Spy x Family. Tatsuya Endo's digital-only series, which began serialization in Spring 2019, spins a story that cleverly combines James Bond levels of suave spy with a delightfully crafted meeting-cute setup.
It is anchored by Loid Forger, aka Twilight, who is forced to acquire a wife and child to infiltrate an elite school for world peace. On both fronts, he lucks: his "daughter" turns out to be a mind-reader, while his wife is a master assassin who also needs a convincing cover story. The jokes fly as fast as the action, and the characters instantly endear.
UNDEAD UNLUCK
Yoshifumi Tozuka's Undead Unluck may be a newcomer to Shonen Jump's digital library, but its madcap premise and crude sense of humor defy you from the very first chapter. There's more than Deadpool's whiff about "Undead" Andy— a muscular, ill-mannered killer desperate to end his possibly endless life.
In "Unluck" Fuuko, whose body is cursed to bring deadly bad luck to anyone touching it, he finds the perfect partner. His moments of kindness and tenacity indicate a friendship that will become more than just mutually beneficial, while the inclusion of a broader cast around them opens up the story to be more than the sum of its initial gimmick.
SCHOOL JUDGEMENT
School Judgement: Gakkyu Hotei carries on it the esteemed name of Death Note artist, Takeshi Obata, and the artwork is impeccably detailed. Not to be overshadowed, Nobuaki Enoki's story is equally layered: taking the Phoenix Wright franchise over - the-top courtroom scenes and relocating them to an Elementary School setting.
Little children acting like ruthless prosecutors and shrewd defense attorneys is an instantly funny premise, based on the cases of protagonist Abaku Inugami: grisly adult crimes committed by children on a childish level (e.g. murder and dismemberment of classroom fish). As it finished its short run in 2015 (but is new to English language-simulpublishing), it's perfect for engagement-free binge-reading.
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