Stores in Japan are currently restricting purchases of the latest edition of Weekly Shonen Jump to just one copy per reader.As documented by Twitter user @uchiijump and translated by @WSJ_manga -- an unofficial Weekly Shonen Jump news source -- this week's installment of the manga magazine is in "high demand," leading to retailers imposing buying limitations on customers who might be looking to stock up on multiple copies.
This could well be a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a detrimental effect on the entire manga and anime industry in Japan. Last month, Jump's publisher, Shueisha, had to temporarily suspend its entire editorial department from work after a suspected case of coronavirus in its offices. The publisher then adopted a work-from-home policy after a state of emergency was declared in the country. Just earlier this month, mangaka Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, one of Jump's biggest, ongoing series, told readers to expect "more interruptions for now," as the creative team is working to continue producing the series while "staying healthy." It's possible that the magazine itself is now facing a limited supply run.
Another probable contributing factor is that this particular issue contains the final chapter of Koyoharu GotÅge's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Chapter #205 brings to a close one of Jump's biggest-selling series in the past four years. In 2019, Demon Slayer's tankÅbon (volume) sales were beaten only by One Piece; an impressive feat attributed largely to its critically-acclaimed anime adaptation. With 60 million recorded copies currently in circulation, it seems likely that booksellers in Japan are putting the measure in place to ensure a fairer distribution of the conclusion to GotÄ“ge's runaway hit.
Created by Koyoharu GotÅge, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Chapter #205 is available to read in English from Viz Media.