42 Years Later, Forgotten Shonen Jump Series Gets a Major New Update

June 4, 2026, 8:30pm

As the anime industry grows in massive popularity worldwide, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it has long become one of the mainstream forms of media. Crunchyroll is by far the largest streaming hub for anime fans across the world, known for adding dozens of new series every quarter as part of the new season lineup. On the other hand, platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and HIDIVE have begun adding several unique anime films and series for fans to enjoy. Most of those films and series have already been released a few years or even decades ago, and some are even classics that have lost their hype over time. Each month, the official website of HIDIVE releases a new slate for its anime lineup, revealing a list of series that will be added and removed from its library.

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The June 2026 schedule has just been released, and it confirms a forgotten Shonen Jump classic will be streaming on the platform this month. Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine has released countless series over the decades, but not many have stood the test of time. Several classics from the 1980s or around the same era have long been forgotten by Shonen fans. HIDIVE is bringing a range of older classics from the 1960s to the 1990s, one of which is Leave it to Mecha-Doc, which will begin streaming all 30 episodes on June 9th, 2026.

What Is Leave It to Mecha-Doc About?

Written and illustrated by Ryuji Tsugihara, the manga was serialized in the magazine from 1982 to 1985. All chapters of the manga were compiled in 12 volumes after the end of serialization. While the manga was ongoing in 1984, Tatsunoko Production, one of the largest animation studios of all time, released an anime adaptation. The studio was established in 1962 and thrived during the 1970s and 1980s, when there wasn’t an endless stream of anime series. During the era, Leave it to Mecha-Doc was considerably popular in Japan, but the series never made it to the West.

The anime series released 30 episodes, but never fully adapted the entire story. The manga and anime ended in the same year, with only one month apart, and that was the end of the series, eventually leading viewers to forget about it altogether. The story follows 18-year-old Jun Kazami, who works at the tuning shop known as Mechadoc. With the help of his friends, he specializes in upgrading regular, non-racing cars to take on his rivals in car races.

The manga follows an authentic depiction of various machine parts, on top of focusing on intense, high-stakes races that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The anime is perfect for car lovers as the story delves deeper into each aspect of race cars while the protagonist upgrades and maintains them. The realistic portrayal is what sets the series apart from other anime that focus on the same themes.

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