The coronavirus pandemic has taken halted several sources of entertainment. From major public events to television anime and even manga serialization, we have seen all of them go down in the past couple of months.
Even big titles like Pokemon, Digimon, Attack on Titans, Food Wars!, and One Piece are caught up in this delay.
Adding to the delay, Weekly Shonen Jump copies are now being limited to one copy per reader, as reported by @uchijump on Twitter.
ジャンプて購入制限かかるんか
— うっちー (@uchijump) May 18, 2020
今こち亀とかNARUTOとかの最終回がのってる号で高いのかな pic.twitter.com/DkaYqLyMQe
Is there a jump and purchase limit? I wonder if it’s expensive in the last issue such as Kochikame or NARUTO
English Translation, Twitter Translate
While no official statement has been released yet from Shueisha, this limitation might be due to production issues caused by COVID-19. Shueisha’s office is currently closed and staff are working from home after a possible COVID-19 scare.
An employee was reportedly sent home after he was not feeling well. Since then, a work from home policy was established and this has resulted in several delays.
Another possible reason for this limitation could be Demon Slayer’s end. Demon Slayer manga came to an end in the most recent issue of the Weekly Shonen Jump and people tend to stock up on such issues to sell them later at a higher price.
The series has been the highest-grossing manga since mid-2019, and this may be why Shueisha enforced a one copy per reader policy.
About Shonen Jump:
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. It is the best-selling manga magazine, as well as one of the longest-running; the first issue was released with a cover date of August 1, 1968.
The manga series within the magazine targets young male readers. They tend to consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of series that run in Weekly Shōnen Jump are collected and published in tankōbon volumes under the “Jump Comics” imprint every two to three months.
No Comments on Weekly Shonen Jump Copies Limited to One Copy Per Reader