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 Shoten!” If you have thoughts on this or any other current Shonen Jump titles, please let us know in the comments!
Sho-Ha Shoten! Chapter 19
Written by Akinari Asakura
Illustrated by Takeshi Obata
Lettered by James Gaubatz
Translated by Stephen Paul
Reviewed by Brian Salvatore
Azemichi’s troubles with the joke-writing competition in ‘Chapter 18’ put him behind the eight-ball, comedically, for the first time in a long while, and ‘Chapter 19’ allows him to both get out from under that pressure, and also learn about performing. This is one of the most effective chapters thus far at getting into the nuts and bolts of what makes something funny. Instead of trying to land joke after joke, Akinari Asakura walks us through the thought process for why something is funny, rather than trying to make it funny. That, in a way, seems almost harder; as Frank Zappa (or Martin Mull, depending on what source you believe) said “Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.” But in this instance, explaining the process of how Azemichi writes versus what the audience expects was a really clear, well put together sequence.
The ‘mentor gives feedback’ scene has been overwrought since American Graffiti, but the way Takeshi Obata illustrates the sequence keeps it from being overly staid and, because of its intercutting into the ‘main’ story, flows well. Obata’s depiction of the judge, with his Steve Coogan hair and slim nose, makes him a striking figure in the story, which gives weight to his opinion. That’s one of Obata’s best pieces of “Sho-Ha Shoten!;” he is able to give various characters looks that instantly tell you how they fit into the power structure of the story.
The ongoing nature of the competitions gives the story a natural push that makes it feel like it is paced better/faster than it is. Due to the flashbacks/focuses on other teams, the experience can often feel like speeding between traffic lights. But right now, the momentum is all there, which means that it is likely time for a few months of idling before the next big push. However, as those breaks have evolved, they feel a little less jarring than the earlier side adventures did. With the ending of this competition being a tie, it sets up One Way Ticket to the Top nicely for a big win without it feeling telegraphed. The bigger question is what the scope of the story, longterm is, and whether Asakura and Obata are seeing this as a ‘year in the life’ story, or something longer. If it is the former, we are likely nearing the end of the story. The story itself’s tone doesn’t give it away either way.
Final Verdict: 7.7 – A strong entry that acts as a world-building chapter without taking its foot off the gas.
