Weekly Shonen Jump and Shonen Jump+ are among the highest-selling magazines from Shueisha, Japan’s largest publication company. Each year, the magazines go through several changes with many series being canceled or finishing, and just as many get introduced to fill the gaps. This has especially been the case this year, as we just bid farewell to Ken Wakui’s Astro Royale after an unsuccessful year. On the other hand, Shonen Jump+’s beloved manga, Kaiju No. 8, will reach its conclusion in July 2025. As such, both magazines introduce new series this week in two consecutive days, and while they may be completely opposite of one another, both have a ton of potential.
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WSJ debuts Ekiden Bros, a sports manga by Daiki Nono, a new name in the manga industry. The author even shared a special message after the manga’s debut in the author’s comments. While Shonen enthusiasts welcome a new mangaka in the industry, Shonen Jump+ adds another sequel of Welzard’s famous horror series, Karada Sagashi. Horror manga fans might be familiar with the franchise that has released several manga series, anime series, and live-action films based on the manga. The latest sequel, Re/Member: The Last Night, is also a weekly installment, set in an amusement park after midnight. The first chapter of both series is available on Manga Plus, which you can access for free. Ekiden Bros will add new chapters every Sunday, while Re/Member: The Last Night will be released every Monday.
What Is the Plot of Ekiden Bros?
The story centers around Nobunaga, who has been watching the Tokyo-Hakune Round-Trip College Ekiden Race since he was a child. The race takes place every winter, and Nobunaga is thrilled to witness the incredible moments, the prizes, and the new records being set each year. Since his father is the coach for the Ekiden marathon and his mother runs the dorm, Nobunaga lives among the long-distance runners, which fuels his passion for the race. Now in high school, he dedicates all his time and energy to learning everything about the marathon.
Despite all that, Nobunaga only wants to keep watching from the sidelines since he believes he doesn’t have the talent for it and wants to avoid people mocking his father for having a “mediocre” son. Although he planned to work in the dorm and support the runners as much as possible, Nobunaga rediscovers his love for running after getting in a brief argument with his childhood rival and entering a ten-kilometer run. Thanks to Kenzaki’s help, the ace of Seitoku University’s track and field team, Nobunaga, wins the race and decides to pursue his dream of running in the Ekiden marathon.
What Is the Plot of Re/Member: The Last Night?
The series is a continuation of Welzard’s web novel, Karada Sagashi, which was published in 8 volumes from 2013 to 2015. Katsutoshi Murase returns as an artist in the latest installment and showcases his unusual gore and intricately detailed art style. The story kicks off from where the original Karada Sagashi web novel and the 2022 Netflix live-action film, Re/Member, left off. The latest manga series is an adaptation of the upcoming sequel film set to release in September 2025.
The screenplay is done by Harumi Doki and Yuki Hara. Doki is best known for her works in Ultraman and Pokรฉmon Concierge, while Hara is a renowned animator known for Bakemonogatari, Nisekoi, Evangelion, and more. The story follows a group of students trapped in a time loop who hold a haunted house during a school festival. They believe the other students are avoiding the haunted house because of the sign that says, “Re/Member,” an urban legend that those chosen for the re/membering will be torn limb from limb by a blood-soaked girl.
After the culture day, the students visit an amusement park where they discover a strange girl, believing she is lost. After they chase after her, she asks them to find her body before they find themselves in a strange place. The ghost of the girl begins targeting the students one by one. After the tragic incident has passed, the students find themselves stuck in a time loop as they realize that “Re/Membering” wasn’t merely an urban legend after all.
