News
act-age Manga Volume Sales Indefinitely Suspended After Writer's Arrest
posted on by Egan Loo
The official website for Shueisha's Shonen Jump brand announced on Monday that sales and distribution of Tatsuya Matsuki and Shiro Usazaki's act-age manga volumes have been indefinitely suspended. That includes the print edition of the 12 existing volumes, as well as the digital edition via Shueisha's services (as of 11:59 p.m. on Monday evening) and via other digital services (gradually later).
The website also confirmed that the hypothetical publication of volumes 13 and beyond are canceled, as well as the act-age Comic Calendar 2021 slated for September 4, the NatsuComi 2020 Photo Contest prize Tosho Card (substituted with a card of another title), 200 Rasetsujo Stage Play DVD-Box prizes, and the Jump Shop 366-Day Sticker. However, Weekly Shonen Jump still plans to mail out the act-age gifts offered in this year's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine issues 21/22 and 33/34 and Jump Giga 2020 Spring, as well as the 10 randomly distributed gift metal badges offered with Jump Character Store orders. People can call to cancel their gifts if they wish.
The editors of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine had announced last Monday that they canceled the serialization of the manga itself. The chapter that appeared in this year's combined 36th and 37th issue, which shipped last Tuesday, is the final chapter. Shueisha's MANGA Plus service announced on August 8 that it would not publish the final chapter on its platform. Hori Pro canceled the upcoming stage play adaptation of the manga.
NHK reported on August 8 that Matsuki was arrested on suspicion of committing an indecent act with a female middle school student. According to police, the girl was walking in the Nakano ward of Tokyo on June 18 at 8:00 p.m. when the suspect approached the girl from behind while on a bicycle and touched her inappropriately. Afterward, the suspect fled the scene on the bicycle. The girl went to police, who analyzed security camera footage to investigate. Police discovered through security footage that about an hour later, a similar incident on a nearby road with a different female middle school student occurred, involving a suspect who resembled Matsuki.
Matsuki reportedly told police "there's generally nothing incorrect" with their accusations.
Matsuki and Usazaki launched the act-age manga in Weekly Shonen Jump in January 2018. The manga was nominated for Kodansha's 43rd annual Manga Awards last year.
Viz Media announced last Monday that it will not publish the final chapter of the manga on its English Shonen Jump service. Additionally, Viz Media removed its listing of further compiled book volumes of the manga, as well as a notice that it would add chapters 26-45 of the manga after they were translated. Viz Media published the first three chapters in English simultaneously with the Japanese release, and then began regularly publishing the manga digitally in December 2018. Viz Media released the first volume on July 7. Shueisha's MANGA Plus website also published the manga in English digitally.
Source: Shonen Jump's website via Hachima Kikō
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history