When it comes to sales, Shonen dance series is no stranger to the top seats. After all, the weekly publication is home to some of the best performing series of all time. Lots of series have come and gone from Shonen Jump, and their mark on the industry is obvious when looking at the box office and award charts. However, the series that most recently topped the sales charts may not be the series fans have come to expect from the world’s most popular manga publisher.
The Shonen Jump News Twitter account recently shared that Blue Box is currently at number one on the Japanese manga sales chart. Although shounen generally refers to a genre that is primarily geared toward young male audiences, titles that fall under this tag cover a wide variety of themes. Fighting and action manga may be the most iconic shounen genre, but those aren’t the only genres that fall under that broad umbrella. That’s why Blue Box’s rise to number one in daily and weekly sales for May on both fan-favorite Shonen Jump series like Dandadan and Undead Unlock is so surprising.
Shonen Jump’s blue box takes first place for May manga sales
Blue Box pushes the boundaries of shounen by becoming a true romance set in sports. Honestly, the sports aspect of the manga sometimes prevails over the relationships between the main characters, setting it apart from other Shonen Jump series. Blue Box follows badminton player Taiki Inomata as he practices, inspired by his affection for older basketball player Chinatsu Kano. Chinatsu’s hard work is what makes Taiki fall in love with her, and he finally gets to approach her one morning when they both arrive early to practice. However, in a series of events, she ends up moving in with his family when her family has to move to work, marking the beginning of the manga’s romantic comedy side.
The series has been rapidly gaining popularity since 2021 to top the Japanese disc sales chart with the most recent release being in the first week of May. There are many reasons why this manga has become so popular. The actual manga was finally released in English last year, introducing the series to a wider Western audience. On top of that, many other Shonen Jump series have started to go darker, with even fun series like One Piece entering serious territory. It seems that Blue Box is like a breath of fresh air for many readers. In the end, the story is very good: the characters really have chemistry, the major sports leagues are realistic, and the story expertly balances the romance with Taiki’s growth as a character. one player.
The success of Blue Box has huge implications for the future of Shonen Jump. Not only is it shaping up to be an anime follow-up, but the success of a limited series of shounen challenges could inspire more romance-based series like it. Currently, Blue Box is Shonen dance series to look out for!
