Weekly Shonen Jump Sparks Controversy Over Sneaky Explicit Artwork

Weekly Shonen Jump has been the Champion of Manga for years now, and it continues to be. The popular shonen magazine debuted in 1968 and has continued to thrill young readers with titles like Dragon Ball, Naruto, My Hero Academia, and more. To put it lightly, the magazine has been the birthplace of countless hits, but it seems like its latest issue swung a miss thanks to a growing controversy.

As reported by Sora News 24, Weekly Jump has found itself facing criticism. The magazine has been accused of being overtly sexual in recent years with certain series, but its latest issue includes some straight-up NSFW art when looked at closely. So, you have been warned! There is material below which may not be suitable for young audiences!

The offending image comes from artwork included for the manga Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs. The series is a popular one with fans given its cute heroines, but the artwork being criticized sees the heroine bathing in a hot spring topless. With her breasts facing forwards, the only thing censoring the artwork is some well-placed steam, but there is a catch as you can see in the artwork here.

The artist's next page features panels of the manga, and one of them includes tapioca pearls. The food close-up looks very much like nipples, and they are placed perfectly behind the risqué cover image. If you shine a light through the pages, then the tapioca pearls overlap with the colored artwork to give the girl nipples.

Over on Twitter, some were quick to criticize the hidden artwork given the demographic of Weekly Jump, but others admitted they were impressed by the sneaky addition. While exaggerated features are commonly seen in shonen heroines, it seems this tapioca-assisted slight has proven too much for some fans while others assert this sort of trick is normal for any manga nowadays.