Weekly Shonen Jump Issues #38-40 2021 Roundup

Because of running very behind schedule with these weekly roundups, this roundup combines the past three issues into one. This allows for thoughts that cover the series up to this point and any standout moments from the past few weeks.

Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #40 of 2021 is here and features a shared cover and lead colours pages for One Piece. Series also featuring colour pages this week are Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Sanji and Magu-Chan: God of Destruction.


You can read all the chapters listed below for free via the Shonen Jump app or website. Note that you can only read the first 3 chapters and the latest 3 chapters of a series for free. You can access the rest of the chapters plus more series by subscribing for a monthly fee of £1.99/$1.99.

You can also read via the Manga Plus app or website. There’s no paid option, so it’s entirely free with a lot of other series available in their entirety.


Spoilers ahead!


One Piece Ch. 1022-1024 (Cover) (Lead Colour Page)

Luffy still hasn’t re-entered the fray but there’s so much going on within the castle on the currently flying Luffy still hasn’t re-entered the fray, but there’s so much going on within the castle on the currently flying Onigashima island that it’s probably a good way to give the other characters more page time for a while. We all know Luffy is going to return and clean house alongside a now older Momonosuke. So it’s been nice to have an extended run with the other members of the Straw Hat crew. Also, seeing young Yamoto was very cute, not to mention the potential revelations surrounding Zolo’s father.

Dr. Stone Ch. 207-209

Feels like Dr. Stone has picked up a little after leaving India. Seeing some of the other group visit them was a nice touch. But most of all is the very real ramifications to those that will be heading into space when they are able. I would imagine that predication is a good way off yet, but that is going to be a huge plot point going forward.

My Hero Academia Ch. 323-325

MHA has been all over the place as of late. I don’t mean in terms of quality, week to week the series is still great, but in pacing in a way but not quite that either. There’s a weird unbalance between events that I can’t quite pin down. It’s like the series is not quite ready to ramp the story up and is trying to find its footing within this middle ground of building tension but holding it back enough.

The Elusive Samurai Ch. 28-30

I’m not sure how a series with a somewhat clear focus of progression can also feel completely random, but this series manages to do that on a weekly basis. We’re thirty chapters in and I’m still not invested in any of the characters. We’ve not reality been given a reason to care when everyone is so happy-go-lucky.

Jujutsu Kaisen Ch. 155-157

The build to reaching Kinji Hakari might have taken a little too long, but it’s been a good ride so far. Now we’ve reached this point, I worry about what’s to come. The culling game is still somewhere on the horizon. I guess‌ we’ll need yet another refresher on the complicated rules. Because let’s not forget, while it may have only been less than fifteen chapters ago, the culling game was first mentioned around six months ago for us weekly readers.

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Sanji Ch. 4 (One-Shot) (Colour Page)

If you come at these chapters with anything other than silliness in mind, then you might be a little more than disappointed. To be fair, the last chapter was very good, but this one is perhaps a touch too long. Plenty of silliness on display, though.

Sakamoto Days Ch. 35-37

Since the introduction of Wutang, Sakamoto Days has been exercising its comedy chops. It’s been a funny couple of chapters and I hope Wutang is sticking around, even if it’s only for a little while. His presence has really rounded out the team at Sakamoto’s. At first glance, he’s intelligent and elegant, but he’s also just as dumb as the rest of them and it’s hilarious.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles Ch. 74-76

What can you say about Mashle that hasn’t already been said? It’s Mashle. 008 is cute.

Me & Roboco Ch. 53-55

Gags involving Roboco’s knees, the Shonen Jump reader survey and the mind-reading Chizuru fill these chapters. Gags is perhaps not the right word, as they weren’t funny. The Shonen Jump reader survey chapter wasn’t bad, but it’s chapters like that that make me wonder why this isn’t a small 4-koma to accompany the author comments. I feel it would work really well in that format. As a full series, not so much.

Undead Unluck Ch. 75-77

Finally getting to some action and actually focusing on a couple of characters that haven’t been featured in a major way before now. Both Top (Unstoppable) and Chikara Shigeno (Unmove) have played minor roles in previous arcs, but now we’re actually seeing what they’re made of plus a little backstory which never hurts.

Mission: Yozakura Family Ch. 94-96

Taiyo manages to figure out the secret behind Futaba’s stage and moves onto the final test – Kyoichiro. Taiyo has managed to far exceed whatever potential he may have had a long time ago. Being able to stand alongside the rest of the Yozakura family is a testament to his dedication and drive. Taking on Kyoichiro though, I can’t imagine it going well. While Kyoichiro is a weird sister obsessing freak, I can’t imagine he’ll be any less than fair within the confines of an exam. But at the same time, maybe not.

Magu-Chan: God of Destruction Ch. 55-57 (Colour Page)

I always find the best chapters are the ones where the gods of chaos are facing the hardships of everyday life and we got a good portion of that within these chapters. It’s only when there’s an ongoing storyline does the series become less interesting. Not a good position to be in.

Blue Box Ch. 17-19

It’s hard to see the hardworking and always upbeat Hina struggle with her emotions and even letting them affect her performances. It’s also what makes the series so good to read. The tension being slowly built up always leaves you wanting more. Although I enjoy the current equilibrium, part of me wants something serious to down and really shake things up. The kind of event that is hard to watch but impossible to look away from.

Witch Watch Ch. 26-28

So the warlock is tiny. That was a surprise. It made for a quick chuckle at the very least. Not much else has really happened aside from Morihito and Wolf duking it out. For all the setup and build up to this point, the actual climax was very tame. All the dogs that the warlock gathers served as nothing more than bystanders as Nico and Kan capture her with ease. Nico didn’t really do anything, let alone learn any new spells or grow as a witch.

Highschool Family: Kokosei Kazoku Ch. 50-52

These chapters were a prime example of why I enjoy this series so much. Tackling themes like sex education and really capturing the embarrassment anybody would have if they had to sit that lesson with their parents. Haruka joining the seedy shogi club and immediately crushing them. Shizuka becoming the baseball teams manager and taking on a motherly role. It all leads to the usual hilarious interactions and misunderstandings that we come to expect from this series.

Neru: Way of the Martial Artist Ch. 6-8

Neru is still finding its footing and I’ve noticed a bit of character design changes or inconsistency, especially with Akebi. I don’t know if that is because of introducing Kaname and perhaps wanting to give her that glaring look. Either way, it stood out as Akebi’s design in that first chapter was very striking. Character design aside, each chapter so far has been interesting and well-paced. Need to build some momentum from now on, though.

Ayakashi Triangle (Web-Only, 18+) Ch. 56-58

Ayakashi Triangle has left the lewdness aside for some serious storytelling, and it’s greatly appreciated. Of course, there’s still some on display for those eager readers and Suzu has thighs for days, so it’s hard not to show that off. But it’s nice to get some real story development. How long that will last and where it’s going is up in the air, but a good couple of chapters, nonetheless.

The Hunters Guild: Red Hood Ch. 7-9

Did this series have a moment of self-realisation about its awkward beginnings because characters literally discussed it? I wonder if the author reads my roundups? That’s a promising sign though it gives me confidence that the drawn-out start was planned or at least is being retroactively given some significance. The actual test now is can the author pull it off in a meaningful way. I would hope so because the series has been progressing well since.

Candy Flurry (Ame no Furu) Ch. 16-18

It’s odd to think that this series hasn’t been serialised for long because it certainly feels like it has stretched these chapters out with nothing to fill them. Tsumugi appears to have been literally standing around while her friends? Colleagues? Class-mates have been taking a beating. It’s fine to make out that it was because of her not wanting everyone to find out about her power, but that never stopped her before. Anyway, she turned her lollipops into a huge mech that she’s now piloting, so that’s something.

Chapters from previous issues:

Black Clover Ch. 303-304

The backstory between Megicular and Noelle’s mother has been nicely closed, with the collective beat down Noelle and Nozel put on Megicular. It also gave some insight into Nozel’s attitude throughout the series. Perhaps we’ll see a nicer side to him from now on, but regardless, he’s badass. We also see Gaja confess his love to Lolopechka in his usual straightforward manner.

One Piece: Naoshi Komi covers Vivi’s Adventure (One-Shot) (Colour Page)

Not sure what to think of this one-shot, it’s One Piece, it’s Vivi, and it’s by Naoshi Komi, author of Nisekoi. It was a good read, but it didn’t really add anything new to the lore of One Piece. I’m pretty sure we already know the story of Vivi and the throwing up of the arms with the X on them. Or perhaps that’s just my brain filling in blanks. It has been a long time since reading that far back in One Piece, so the details aren’t all that clear. Regardless, the premise doesn’t have a particular hook like the Shokugeki no Sanji spin-off does.


Let us know in the comments or via social media your thoughts on this week’s Shonen Jump. Be sure to check back in next week for another roundup!


Image Source: Viz Media

Editor-in-chief