Even though this series isn’t in the United States yet (Tankōbon wise,) I was following it through Manga Plus. Written by Kenji Ichima and illustrated by Tsunehiro Date, Time Paradox Ghostwriter debuted in the May 2020 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, while this series ran for fourteen chapters and compiled two tankōbon volumes, the first was published in August and the other was in October. Today’s review will be focusing on the manga series during its serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine.
“It was 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! The future of Jump is here!”
Writer Kenji Ichima does a good job of helping the reader understand what goes on in the Manga Industry, the one nitpick I have about this was that the story in most places including the ending was rushed and ruins the tone of the severity in Teppei’s decision of plagiarizing Itsuki’s work, the possibility of Itsuki’s death, and to make amends for what he had done. Introducing the idea of time travel is something that most people would say for a story like this is an odd fit but since most of the Shōnen Manga and Stories you read today has that element of Science Fiction or Fantasy, it is in the line of Supernatural. It didn’t need larger than life battles, enemies, and heroes that were overpowered. It had a simple lesson for Creators, which was not to plagiarize or take credit for another Creator’s work or artwork. Also, encouraging potential writers and artists to not back down from trying to create something new, to practice and improve your craft, and to never back down from challenges.
Since we’ve discussed and praised Kenji’s writing, it’s time to go over Tsunehiro Date’s artwork. Tsunehiro’s pencilwork and detail are a perfect fit for this supernatural tale. It reminds me of their previous work, Tokyo Wonder Boys. Date’s illustrations were perfect for the story that Ichima was trying to tell, which gave readers a nostalgic feeling of Manga stories such as Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Bakuman, and Kei Sanbe’s Erased.
Final Grade:
Viz Media and Manga Plus published chapters of the series simultaneously with the Japanese release. It would be a year later, when Viz Media released both volumes as Digital Exclusives. Both volumes are available to purchase now, on Amazon.
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