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Weekly Shonen Jump Gets First Ever Reprint Thanks to KochiKame
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Shueisha announced on Monday that it will reprint this year's 42nd issue of its Weekly Shonen Jump magazine — the issue where Osamu Akimoto ended his Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo ("Kochikame") police comedy manga — as well as the 40th anniversary "Kochikame Jump" issue, on December 31. The printing is the first time in Weekly Shonen Jump's history that it has reprinted an issue.
The pack, sold in a set named "Kochikame Baku-Ure Orei!! Ryō-san Tokubetsu Anniversary Pack," will cost 780 yen (about US$7.50).
The various manga in Weekly Shonen Jump's 42nd issue featured a small nod to Kochikame's end: each manga featured a hidden image of protagonist Kankichi Ryotsu's signature eyebrows. Shueisha also went against its normal policy of not featuring a manga on the cover of the Weekly Shonen Jump issue that publishes its final chapter. The 42nd issue's cover (pictured right) featured images of Kankichi drawn by Akimoto as well as various Shonen Jump artists. The issue originally shipped on September 17.
The "Kochikame Jump" issue (seen left) shipped on August 16. In the issue, Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto) and Kentarō Yabuki (To Love-Ru -Trouble-) drew their takes on the manga. The issue also included a collaborative Kochikame poster featuring artwork by Hirohiko Araki of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Masanori Morita of Rokudenashi Blues, Eiichiro Oda of One Piece, Masashi Kishimoto of Naruto, Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro of Toriko, Mizuki Kawashita of Strawberry 100%, and Yūsei Matsui of Assassination Classroom, as well as gag artwork by other Weekly Shonen Jump artists, and a variety of information about the manga.
Kochikame ended after four decades of serialization. The manga's 200th and final compiled volume also shipped on September 17. The manga series has approximately 150 million copies in print as of June when the 199th volume shipped.
The manga centers on the crazy adventures of middle-aged policeman Kankichi Ryōtsu. Akimoto debuted Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo in 1976, and it has become Weekly Shonen Jump's longest-running manga series. The manga has earned the Guinness World Record for "most volumes published for a single manga series."
Source: Comic Natalie
