Act-Age Artist Announces Shonen Jump Return With New Manga

Shonen Jump has a slew of hits under its belt, and as some of its top series are closing, the publisher is ready to bring new ones to light. It wasn't long ago that My Hero Academia ended, and this month will bring about the close of Jujutsu Kaisen . As such, Shonen Jump is gearing up to drop some new titles this fall, and one of those incoming projects features the beloved artist of Act-Age.

Yes, you read that right! Shiro Usazaki is gearing up for a comeback. The artist of Act-Age will help bring the new manga Madan no Ichi to life, and it will feature writing by Osamu Nishi who pens Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun.

So far, very little is known about this new manga, but a few details have been shared. The manga is slated to premiere on September 9, and Madan no Ichi will be a fantasy series. Set in a magical world, the manga will follow a boy who is raised in the mountains as witches scour the land hunting for magic. So with Usazaki on board, you can bet this manga is going to be a gorgeous read.

As you can imagine, fans of the artist are glad to see Usazaki make their return to Shonen Jump . Their work on Act-Age was impressive to say the least, but sadly, that series did not pan out for Usazaki. Despite its initial popularity, Act-Age has been scrubbed from the fandom's memory given its writer's arrest in 2020.

The Downfall of Act-Age

For those unfamiliar with the drama involving Act-Age , the manga was released in January 2018, and writer Tatsuya Matsuki earned high praise for the high school drama. However, that attention soured years later when police arrested Matsuki for allegedly touching two middle school students inappropriately . Shonen Jump addressed the issue quickly and ultimately cancelled Act-Age in response to the allegations. Later in 2020, Matsuki was found guilty of committing two indecent acts and sentenced. Since then, Act-Age has become unavailable to read across the board, and Usazaki has been working behind the scenes quietly while coping with their coworker's crimes.

Now, the artist is ready to return to work, and Midan no Ichi will hopefully give Shonen Jump a new hit. After all, the magazine needs to line up its next generation of top titles, and Usazaki has the talent to put Midan no Ichi on top.

What do you think about this latest Shonen Jump announcement? Give me a shout at @ meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X ( Twitter ) and Instagram .