Following the successful run of the anime's first season, the manga series for Jujutsu Kaisen will reportedly be going on an "indefinite" hiatus on account of the series creator's health.
The Twitter post that reported the news stated that author Gege Akutami would be taking a break as the series goes on a hiatus with no official return date. The manga will release a chapter as a part of Weekly Shonen Jump's Issue #28, scheduled for June 20. Following the release of that nine-page chapter, the series will then fully commence its hiatus, with Akutami estimating that it "should take around a month."
Jujutsu Kaisen will be taking an indefinite hiatus after this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #28 due to Gege's health condition.
— Shonen Jump News - Unofficial (@WSJ_manga) June 9, 2021
According to the mangaka's note, it "should take around a month", but nothing is exactly specified.
The Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department also released a note on the situation, writing, "To our readers. Thank you for always reading Jujutsu Kaisen. Due to the poor physical condition of Akutami Gege, Jujutsu Kaisen will be absent for some time from the next issue onward. Akutami wanted to continue writing, but after several discussions with the editorial department, it has been decided that it’s better for Akutami to take a break for a certain period of time." While the length of the hiatus is currently unknown, Weekly Shonen Jump stated more information would be released in the upcoming issue.
Akutami released their own statement, saying, "I have been asked by the editorial department to take a break from the series, but I don’t want to slow down the weekly serialization of Jujutsu Kaisen since I’d like to draw the end of the series as soon as possible, and just put a hold on my answer." The author acknowledged that a single break would not stop the issue from being repeated and thus agreed to the prolonged hiatus. They did assure fans, however, that their condition was not a serious illness, and that their mental health was also fine.
The health of manga creators has been a long-standing concern within the industry. The deadlines for each chapter require the artists to work consistently long hours. In recent years, artists such as One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda have had to slow down their schedules for their own well-being, taking regular one-week breaks to recover. Long-lasting health issues have also resulted in a number of series going on an indefinite hiatus, as exemplified by creator Yoshihiro Togashi, who had to put their Hunter X Hunter manga on hold for over a year.
While Akutami's statement suggested that they are hoping to return soon, only time will tell. At the very least, fans of the series can look forward to Season 2 of the anime, currently in production by MAPPA.
Source: Twitter
