Welcome to This Week in Shonen Jump, our weekly check in on Viz’s various Shonen Jump series. Viz has recently changed their release format, but our format will mostly remain the same. We will still review the newest chapters of one title a week, now with even more options at our disposal. The big change for our readers is that, even without a Shonen Jump subscription, you can read these most recent chapters for free at Viz.com or using their app.
This week, Brian checks in with “Sho-Ha Hoten!” If you have thoughts on this or any other current Shonen Jump titles, please let us know in the comments!
Sho-Ha Shoten! Chapter 16
Written by Akinari Asakura
Illustrated by Takeshi Obata
Lettered by James Gaubatz
Translated by Stephen Paul
Reviewed by Brian Salvatore
As the story of “Sh-Ha Shoten!” continues, Akinara Asakura has an increasingly difficult job, which is to make sure that the comedy is getting better. One of the points that often comes up in the discussion of this title is the tricky nature of doing what is essentially stand up comedy both on the page, and translated from a different language. And while not every premise hits, what Asakura and Takeshi Obata are particularly skilled at is showing that One Way Ticket to the Top, as well as their competition in these contests are getting more confident. That’s achieved by different body language, clever panel construction, and an increased amount of commentary from other folks about OWTTT, as they’re called in this chapter.
Where the story somewhat falters is in the manufactured rivalry of these competitions. It’s a double-edged sword; when there’s a chapter focused on another team, OWTTT is missed, but when we are seeing them going against somewhat unknown competition, the rivalry feels flat. I do like the interactions in this chapter with Shiba Inu World Tour, as the team is unique enough from the jump that you feel like you know them. But with Broken Glass Slipper, they’re so far just a somewhat predictable ‘tough’ team of older students.
But one of the charms of this series thus far has been the ability to mix story with actual technique. Even if the bits aren’t all knee-slappers, there’s a sense that these are well-constructed bits that are structurally sound pieces of live comedy. It is reminiscent of “Food Wars,” in that you’re only getting to appreciate one piece of a skill without getting the full picture. It makes the story a little bit of a challenge at times, but the care going into the story is evident. There’s something very satisfying about each performance, even if you can’t help but feel like you’re still missing a piece of why it is so great.
Final Verdict: 7.8 – Still a lot of fun, even without a lot of funny.
