Act-Age Artist Releases Ichi the Witch, Shonen Jump's Best New Series
Ichi the Witch just might be Shonen Jump's biggest new series yet
Ichi the Witch has made its debut with Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, and the new series from the artist behind Act-Age just might be the best new series in the magazine. Act-Age gained a lot of notoriety among fans very early into its run. Shortly after the manga made its launch with Weekly Shonen Jump, fans were so drawn to each new chapter of the series that it was already looking like it was going to go own to a very expansive length with an anime adaptation and more on the table. But that didn't really come to pass.
But Act-Age artist Shiro Usazaki had made their return to the pages of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine together with new writer, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun series creator Osamu Nishi, for a brand new series, Ichi the Witch. This new series has debuted its first chapter within the pages of the magazine, and its 57 page debut is one of the strongest the magazine has seen since the likes of Kagurabachi thanks to its central hook. If all goes well, this could be the next big thing.
Ichi the Witch, Ch. 1: In a world filled with magic witches and powerful creatures, one human hunter eagerly waits for the right moment to strike! Read it free from the official source! https://t.co/k0sAr8vMqV pic.twitter.com/GIHD9rDLCL
— Shonen Jump (@shonenjump) September 8, 2024
What Is Ichi the Witch?
Ichi the Witch has debuted its first chapter, and introduces fans to a young boy named Ichi. Living in the mountains since he was abandoned there as a child, he's developed a fondness for hunting animals. But it's not that he's an person who enjoys killing for killing's sake, however, Ichi instead only seeks to hunt either what he's going to use for food or supplies, or something that harms people. It's his philosophy of "death for death" that keeps him living on the mountain, as he feels there's something big he needs to do before he can leave it. Hunt a rather large creature that's been spotted on the mountain.
It's soon revealed that Ichi lives in a world full of witches, who are women that are able to conquer beings called Magiks. These magical beings pop up in the natural world and challenge women to a certain trial in order to claim their respective magical ability (with examples being water and fire spirits, which allow the witch to eventually control water or fire). It turns out that the large beast is actually one of these Magiks, King Uroro the King Magik. When a witch fails to defeat it, King Uroro reveals that his challenge is to stop his heart but that no woman can do so.
Being a man, Ichi is able to deal the final blow and absorb King's magic within his body. Now the hook for the rest of the series is seeing how Ichi handles being a witch despite being a man (who aren't supposed to be able to use magic), and being able to withstand holding King's magic within his body. It's described as a "miracle." You can now find the series with Viz Media's digital Shonen Jump library or Shueisha's MangaPlus service to check it out.
Cover art for Ichi the Witch
- Shueisha)What Happened to Act-Age?
It's a pretty big return for Shiro Usazaki, who last was in the hit Shonen Jump series, Act-Age. This series first made its debut in 2018 (alongside Jujutsu Kaisen), and ran for two years before its sudden cancellation. Writer behind the series, Tatsuya Matsuki, was charged with the indecent harassment of a minor, and Shueisha quickly cancelled Act-Age as a result and was subsequently scrubbed from its library. Viz Media even halted their English releases of the series, and cancelled any future manga release plans.
Usazaki shared a message with fans after Act-Age's cancellation that capped off with, "Of course, it's not the victim's fault that the work ended. It is never wrong for the victim to have spoken out, to have endured the pain, and not to ignore the molestation and sexual assault. It was the result of the right thing to do. That courage and action should not be disregarded, humiliated, or further harmed with humiliating words." Now that the artist has returned to the magazine, there's a brighter future ahead for this one given it's such a great introductory chapter.
