Jujutsu Kaisen Creator Sheds Light on Hiatus in New Statement

Gege Akutami lit the world of manga on fire by introducing Shonen Jump readers to the world of Yuji Itadori and his fellow Jujutsu sorcerers in Jujutsu Kaisen, with the mangaka recently releasing a new statement in the latest issue of the popular publication. With the first season of the anime helping to push the series to new heights of popularity, the manga is taking a decidedly different approach from what is happening in the anime building up to a tournament that was placed on an indefinite hiatus thanks to health issues concerning Akutami.

Following official statements from Akutami and the editorial team at Shueisha with the newest chapter of the series confirming this hiatus, Akutami shared a second more personal note that gives fans more of an insight as to the why of the hiatus. Along with the creator’s explanation, thankfully the note also mentions that Akutami’s health issues, while serious, are thankfully not that dire and the creator plans to return after proper recuperation.

As Akutami noted to fans (as translated by Viz Media) and elaborating on his official message to readers in Shonen Jump, “As explained in the magazine page, I have decided to take a break that will probably last about a month. I did have feelings that it’s wrong for a rookie like me to take a break that isn’t even when the story is between the end of a long arc and the start of a new one,” Akutami began. Continuing further, Akutami apologized to fans for the upcoming break but is thankful to take it.

“And I also know that I’m not the only one facing these challenges,” Akutami continued. “But I have been causing a lot of people trouble by being later and later with the Jujutsu schedule. So I’m incredibly thankful to be able to take this break. I really don’t have any kind of serious health issue. However, I did an interview the other day where I said, ‘All I need is a half day to do the storyboards.’ But I was spending two and a half days in the [flat on stomach] position you see here before I could actually start that half day.”

Things started snowballing from there health wise it seems as Akutami ends the message with, “Then my regular chiropractor moved away. When I’m awake, all the eateries would be closed. And it all culminated with the dreaded publishing of some art in the rough draft stage. Those type of things all piled up to bring me to my current state.” Finally, Akutami teased his eventual return as such, “As I said before, I will treat my return like the start of a new series and do my very best.”

With the release of Chapter 152 of the series this past week, Jujutsu Kaisen is now on hiatus for an indefinite period as Akutami works toward recovery. ComicBook.com will keep you updated as soon as a return date has been revealed. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or you can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!