Warning! Contains spoilers for Uron Mirage Chapter 171!
One Shonen dance manga just shines brightly on many popular Shonen antics with a chapter from a completely fake series. That Shonen Jump manga is Witch Watch by Kenta Shinohara and translated by Adrienne Beck, often about the wacky blunders of a witch and her supernatural bodyguards. But it also has a subplot involving a manga in the universe called Uron Mirage, and its latest chapter offers a glimpse into the much more standard Shonen series.
Chapter 100 of the Witch Watch is actually just chapter 171 of Uron Mirage, which has the ending of a battle with a major villain. The villain is a classic Shonen Jump villain, stating that he has no plans to let the heroes push him too far and promises that they will meet again. As the main characters report to their superiors after the battle, their conversation is filled with vague allusions to mysterious threats that leave the reader wondering. Of course, given the high danger of the conflict, a Senate filled with mysterious and interesting characters meets to discuss the secret of a powerful weapon that has fallen into the protagonist’s hands. And of course, at the end of the chapter, the main character can unleash the power of that weapon with the power of friendship and give the series a name.
Uron Mirage shows the absurdity of many Shonen Tropes
This is, of course, a ludicrous imitation of a typical Shonen Jump fighting manga, and it’s made to feel even better. Witch Watch previously introduced another chapter of Uron Mirage in chapter 48, but it was far more absurd. While it also mocks many Shonen genres, it’s also clearly more of a joke. After all, it ended with a lion nailed to his underwear. That lion also serves as a source of weird jokes in Chapter 100, but they’re much less goofy.
What makes this latest chapter so great is that it really feels like it could be a chapter in the middle of a typical Shonen action series. Without context, many of these series’ convoluted terms and convoluted plots can feel ridiculous. Also, knowing that readers will likely never be rewarded for any of the mysteries this chapter lays out makes them fun instead of engaging like in a series like One Piece. And of course, the power of friendship is always a little silly even in manga that have incorporated it so well.
Uron Mirage works so well because it’s like a real manga
A fan reading this chapter without knowing it’s fake might think it’s part of a real Shonen series they’ve never heard of, which is a sign of a great parody. Witch Watch will likely return to its usual format of a life comedy in the coming chapters, but this excellent chapter shows that Shinohara clearly has a deep understanding of what makes action manga so popular. language. Hope he makes more chapters Uron Illusion in the future, so that fans can feel a different sense of this absurd act Shonen dance story.
Uron Mirage Chapter 171 available from Viz Media.
