Kagurabachi loses another competitor after MamaYuyu as Weekly Shonen Jump axes a promising manga

Just one week after MamaYuyu’s cancellation, Weekly Shonen Jump has announced the discontinuation of another Kagurabachi manga rival, Two on Ice by Elck Itsumo. The manga, which centers around figure skating, will conclude its serialization in issue #21 on April 21, 2024, with the release of its 28th chapter.

Despite its promising and unique figure skating theme, the manga’s run in the magazine was unfortunately shortened due to low volume sales. Unlike Kagurabachi, Two on Ice failed to gain a strong fanbase, resulting in a lack of buzz among manga enthusiasts.

As a result, the manga’s sales suffered. With Elck Itsumo’s manga being cancelled, Takeru Hokazono’s battle shonen series remains the only one to continue in the Jump NEXTWAVE project.

MamaYuyu’s Rival, Two on Ice, Gets Cut from Weekly Shonen Jump Lineup

The ToC (Table of Contents) ranking list for Weekly Shonen Jump’s #21 issue was leaked on Thursday, April 11, 2024. As per the list, chapter 28 of Elck Itsumo’s figure skating manga, Two on Ice, will mark the end of its serialization on April 21, 2024.

This manga was part of the same group as Kagurabachi by Takeru Hokazono and MamaYuyu by Yoshihiko Hayashi. However, Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump has a tendency to discontinue manga series that do not meet expectations.

Just a week prior, MamaYuyu’s run in the magazine came to an end. Despite being a potential rival to Hokazono’s manga, it was cancelled due to its lackluster performance. It appears that Elck Itsumo’s manga has suffered a similar outcome.

Lead color page of Elck Itsumo's manga (Image via Elck Itsumo/Shueisha) — Lead color page of Elck Itsumo’s manga (Image via Elck Itsumo/Shueisha)

Despite not sharing similar themes with Takeru Hokazono’s manga, the series was still part of the same line-up, making it a rival. Due to the cancellation of Itsumo-san’s manga, Takeru Hokazono’s battle shonen series remains as the sole Jump NEXTWAVE manga to survive the chopping block.

Despite sharing a similar theme to the popular manga Yuri on Ice, Itsumo’s figure skating manga was unable to gain a following and ultimately faced cancellation. Despite its potential, the manga failed to capture the interest of readers since its debut.

Due to its consistently low rankings on the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine’s Table of Contents, MamaYuyu and Two on Ice faced the unfortunate possibility of being cancelled. This was a common trend for series that were consistently placed at the bottom of the ToC rankings.

Despite Kagurabachi’s first volume selling over 60k copies, the manga’s low rank in the magazine ultimately had a negative impact on its overall sales. In contrast to the success of the first volume, Two on Ice failed to rank on Shoseki’s manga sales list. Consequently, the magazine decided to end the series’ serialization.

Chihiro Rokuhira, as seen in the manga (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueisha)

Despite starting as a meme, Takeru Hokazono’s manga quickly gained a devoted fanbase and received an overwhelming response. The battle shonen series also made history in Weekly Shonen Jump by becoming the first major shonen series to have its own VOMICs in English.

It is unfortunate that both MamaYuyu and Two on Ice were unable to escape the dreaded cancellation. No doubt, this announcement will disappoint numerous fans who have been devoted followers of these two series from the beginning.

Is Kagurabachi responsible for the cancellation of MamaYuyu’s exploration?

Kagurabachi is being blamed by fans for the departure of a popular manga from Weekly Shonen Jump.

The Kagurabachi manga has garnered over 6 million views, outshining both MamaYuyu and Two on Ice.