Shonen Jump has released a new trailer for its upcoming "battle audition" show, which pits aspiring manga creators against each other for the chance to get a publishing deal.
The new web series, entitled MILLION TAG, premieres on the Weekly Shonen Jump YouTube channel on July 2. MILLION TAG stars six aspiring manga creators, who will be paired up with experienced Shonen Jump editors as they compete to create a new manga series worthy of publication. The competition will consist of four challenges and will be judged by a panel of industry experts, including Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto. Japanese comedy troupe YONSENTOSHIN and video game voice actor Ayane Sakura, who is best known for her starring role as Alice Hiiragi in Persona 5 Strikers, will host the series.
The winner will also receive 5 million yen (approximately $45,000 USD) and will get their work serialized on Shonen Jump+, the magazine's online imprint. If their series becomes popular enough, the winner will also get their manga published in print and will also be given the option of having their work adapted into an anime series.
Weekly Shonen Jump is published by Shueisha and is one of Japan's best-selling and longest running manga magazines. The magazine is where popular anime and manga franchises such as Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen were first published. In 2014, Shueisha launched Shonen Jump+, a website and app that publishes digital manga online. Shonen Jump+ has become as successful as its print counterpart, with a few of its exclusive titles, including the espionage themed comedy Spy X Family and the giant monster themed Kaiju No.8, becoming as popular as some of the series featured within the main magazine.