Creative Staff
Story: Kenji Ichima
Art: Tsunehiro Date
Translation: Stephen Paul
Lettering: Snir Aharon
What They Say:
On a cold and stormy night, I decided to give up on my dream. But lightning strikes! And now I have an issue of Shonen Jump from the future! Teppei Sasaki is a passionate rookie manga artist who dreams of getting a series in Weekly Shonen Jump. One day, he gets a copy of Jump from ten years in the future. Is it all a coincidence, or is it fate? Whatever the case, destiny is about to change…. Time Warps! Destinies intersected! For a tomorrow that was never meant to be.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I was hoping that Teppei would progress but to no avail. In the last chapter, he had shown signs that he was going to make White Knight into his proper series. But he takes three steps back and is still relying on the microwave time machine to send him future issues of Shonen Jump. He has examined the time machine and has figured out some of the rules of how it works. He has set himself according to the rules of the time machine. I do have to wonder how long this trope can work for. I don’t want to see Teppei constantly go back and forth on questioning himself if what he is doing is right or wrong.
Teppei sees himself as a martyr to keep White Knight running. Its a bit depressing seeing this story from his point of view. He should lighten up a little bit. He sees other people enjoying White Knight but he has this serious mentality. Itsuki has continued on her quest and has won the Tezuka Award for her manga. They go out and celebrate her achievement but Teppei has a sour look on his face. While Teppei has faced every challenge with a pout, Itsuki smiles in the face of adversity. Some challenges do make people turn to sadness but Teppei is accomplishing his goal to make White Knight popular. Even though he is copying, he is putting in some effort to make White Knight a beloved series.
White Knight has turned out to be a success. Everyone is loving it and stores can’t keep on the shelves. One of Teppei’s assistants, Igarashi, reveals to him that he gave up being a mangaka. He changed his mind once he read White Knight and was convinced to give it another shot. Itsuki has also made strides to create something that can surpass White Knight. I appreciate how this manga depicts the effects White Knight has on people.
This chapter ends up with a thrilling mystery. I am excited to see how the story will run with this development. I hope that it will finally cause Teppei to change his methods. This is something that Teppei can not run away from. It will cause him to reexamine if he is on the right path.
In Summary:
Teppei is a character that I love to hate. But for good reasons. I want to see him become a mangaka that can achieve his dreams. But I don’t feel that he can’t achieve it with White Knight. It has become a burden to him. Teppei has given up on his dreams to create a manga that everyone will enjoy. And this casts a huge despondent mood on the series. Others see White Knight as a thrilling adventure that they can’t wait to read. Other characters get to reap the benefits of White Knight being a success. I am grateful that other characters provide a buffer to Teppei’s cynical view. Other characters use White Knight as a motivation tool to improve their art. I prefer reading this story from other characters’ perspectives to be able to see the success that Teppei deserves.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Shonen Jump
Release Date: June 21, 2020
