Manga Creators Are Struggling to Get Toilet Paper Too

There are things which every person needs when they shelter in place, and the list can be hard to [...]

By Megan Peters

There are things which every person needs when they shelter in place, and the list can be hard to put together. As the new coronavirus continues its global spread, billions have put themselves under a voluntary lockdown (and sometimes mandatory) to contain the virus. Of course, the pandemic prompted many to stock up on supplies ahead of time leading to massive supply gaps, and manga readers should know their favorite artists know their suffering...

And what suffering is that? It just so happens that these artists are struggling to get their own toilet paper too. It seems the need to stock up on TP has become a global one, and some of Shonen Jump's top artists were not able to score any.

Recently, a slew of artists in Shonen Jump shared their tale of woe with fans. A series of them posted author notes in one of the magazine's recent runs, and it was there Hajime Komoto of Mashle: Magic and Muscles shared his story.

"I can't get any toilet paper, so I'm wiping my butt with cleaning wipes," the artist wrote.

The same problem was presented to Gege Akutami of Jujutsu Kaisen. "Down to the last roll of toilet paper in the studio, a shiver ran down my spine. But it was okay."

Of course, there are other things causing hardship for manga creators. The man behind ACT-AGE is a bit hungrier these days as Tatsuya Matsuki's top ramen shop is closed.

"A super-delicious ramen shop that only those in the know knew about closed," he wrote. "This is hard."

For these creators, it seems some of them have rebounded from their distress, but the fight against coronavirus is not over. Nations around the country are continuing to climb to their peak infection rates while Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe announced a state of emergency earlier today. Hopefully, life will find a new normal soon that works for everyone including these creators... and maybe Matsuki will get his ramen shop back!

Do you feel the pain of these creators? Or do you have a stocked pantry? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

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