Viz made a big announcement today regarding the future of Weekly Shonen Jump. In a video shared on Viz’s website and across social channels, Hisashi Sasaki, former editor-in-chief of the Japanese magazine, explained the changes taking place December 17.
In order to remain competitive, ShonenJump.com and the Shonen Jump app will offer same-day manga chapters releases in both Japanese and English free to all readers. This includes popular series like “One Piece,” “My Hero Academia,” “Boruto,” and “Dragon Ball Super,” in addition to many other series available now and in the future.
Subscribers who are currently paying to access this content need not worry, however. Shonen Jump members will see their subscription cost go down to $1.99/month. A seven day trial will also be available for those who haven’t signed up. Subscribers can unlock unlimited readings of Shonen Jump’s massive back catalogue of more than 10,000 chapters, which means fans won’t have to wait for physical volumes to be released to catch up on past chapters of their favorite manga.
Weekly Shonen Jump launched as a digital publication in 2012 after existing as a print magazine in North America since 2002. The change in strategy comes from the company’s observation over the last year that giving away free digital chapters of their series increased readership.
