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4 Hakusensha Manga Magazines Posts Back Issues for Free After Schools Close Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Hakusensha announced on Thursday that it is making back issues of its Hana to Yume, The Hana to Yume, LaLa, and LaLa DX magazines available digitally for free from March 5 to April 2 through its Hakusensha e-net! website, due to many schools, venues, and events in Japan temporarily closing due to concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus illness. The first to fifth 2020 issues of Hana to Yume, the March 1 issue of The Hana to Yume, the January to March 2020 issues of LaLa, and the March issue of LaLa DX are all available.
In addition, the staff of the Chibi Maruko-chan anime made 100 episodes of the anime available on the show's YouTube channel for free until March 15.
Bushiroad has also made video content available for its Bang Dream! (including anime episodes), Argonavis, D4DJ, Revue Starlight, Cardfight Vanguard, Rebirth for you!, and Future Card Buddyfight franchises available on those franchise's respective YouTube channels for a limited time.
Last Thursday, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said that the government is asking elementary, junior high, and high schools to close until the end of spring break in early April to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus illness. The government is also encouraging children and others to stay home and avoid large gatherings for the next few weeks. During the first half of March, such venues and events as Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan, Ghibli Museum, Namjatown, AnimeJapan, and Shizuoka Hobby Show are closed, canceled, or postponed.
As of Monday, the WHO reported that Japan has 284 cases of the virus with six deaths. These numbers do not include the number of cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama. That cruise ship had 706 infected passengers and six deaths.
The first reported cases of the COVID-19 disease were in Wuhan, China in December, and then the disease began to spread in varying rates and intensities across many parts of the globe through incubation in human hosts. The WHO declared a world health emergency on January 30. As of Wednesday, the WHO reported that there are 93,090 infected individuals worldwide, with 80,422 of them in China and 284 official cases in Japan proper. 2,984 individuals have died from the disease in China. The WHO raised its global risk assessment over the virus from "high" to "very high" last Friday.
Sources: Comic Natalie, Chibi Maruko-chan anime's Twitter account via Netlabo, Anime! Anime! (曙ミネ)
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history