Giving into the webtoon mania, Shōnen Jump’s publisher,Shueisha recently launcheda new webtoon platformcalled Jump Toonalong with the commitment to not only license current popular works but also produce new original series. As part of this new initiative, Shueisha has announced the serialization of two new series on Jump Toon, one of these beingNetflix’s adorable new romance animeBlue Box.
According to a post on X byWSJ_manga, Koji Miura’sBlue Boxwill be receiving afully-colored webtoon adaptation on Jump Toon.The series will be launched on the platform in December 2024,with an exact release date yet to be revealed. A webtoon adaptation ofMagilumiere Magical Girls Inc.by Sekka Iwata will also be launched alongsideBlue Box. That said, the only catch is that Jump Toon’s series arecurrently only offered in Japanese, so it is unclear when and if Blue Box’s upcoming webtoon will be available in English and other regional languages.
Blue Box Joins Jump Toon’s Offerings of Manga-Turned-Webtoons
Taiki and Chinatsu’s Romance is Already Webtoon-Coded
While digitally colored manga renditions are excellent in their own right,Blue Box’s beautiful art most certainly called for a webtoon-style adaptation. TMS Entertainment’s stunning adaptation of the manga has further proved just how beautiful the series' visuals truly are and only a full-color webtoon could hope to live up to the same standards.
If anything, the new adaptation is set to makeBlue Boxeasier than ever to catch up with, especially with the ease that the vertical scroll format provides. While it is unfortunate thatBlue Box’s webtoon will only be available in Japanese for the time being, it may only be a matter of time until Shueisha launches a sister platform for international readers.
What Is Shueisha’s New Reading Platform, Jump Toon?
Jump Toon is still a fairly new venture which was launched back in May 2024. The platform hosts a variety of popular Korean manhwa likeDoctor Elise,Japanese webtoons likeWIT Studio’sSuicide Squad Isekaias well as several exciting webtoon adaptations of manga by Shueisha’s new subsidiary called Toon Factory, which includeHaikyu!!, Hell’s Paradiseand nowBlue Box.
The launch of Jump Toon suggests Shueisha too has finally recognized the ever-growing popularity of manhwa and webtoon which may very well be on their way to overtaking manga. For now, fans ofBlue Boxand other Jump Toon originals can only hope that these webtoons are licensed sooner rather than later.
Blue Boxreleases new episodes every Thursday on Netflix and is available to read on Manga Plus and Viz Media.
Blue Box
Cast
Taiki Inomata, a junior high student at Eimei Academy, is a dedicated badminton player with a crush on Chinatsu Kano, a star basketball player. Their paths intertwine in unexpected ways when Chinatsu moves in with Taiki’s family. Balancing sports, school, and budding feelings, Taiki aims to prove himself worthy of her admiration while striving for Nationals.
