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We can almost hear the collective screams of fans, “No, not again!“

When it was announced back in March that popular manga Hunter x Hunter would resume serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine after being on hold for roughly 20 months, the response was huge, to put it mildly, and ecstatic fans filled the internet with congratulatory tweets and illustrations.

▼ The tweet back in March from Weekly Shonen Jump’s publisher, Shueisha, saying that a huge announcement concerning the manga would be made in the upcoming issue of the magazine:

So it was to the delight of fans, the series resumed serialization in April of this year, and despite the long break, the new episodes have not disappointed, giving readers much to talk about and anticipate with each new magazine issue.

But alas, the period of happy enjoyment for fans was short-lived, as it was officially announced in this week’s Weekly Shonen Jump that after roughly only three months, Hunter x Hunter was again going to be put on hold with no mention of the reason for the hiatus or when it  might resume again.

Was something wrong (again) with the manga’s creator, Yoshihiro Togashi? Well, as followers of the series will no doubt be aware by now, Togashi, despite being acknowledged as a brilliant storyteller, is also known for taking long periods off from manga writing, so much so that his fans are used to Togashi being able to produce work for only a short period of time — in fact, you could say that something like this was almost expected. At least we got 11 good new episodes, and you could even say that this time, the quality of the artwork was better than usual (which is actually a big deal for Togashi, who has been known at times to submit and publish work that looks decidedly half-finished, albeit still attractive).

▼ The recent issue of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, in which the sad news was announced:

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It really is a pity, too, since the story was getting truly exciting and reaching a point where readers would be dying to find out what happens next. We felt so emotionally involved, as a matter of fact, that we actually contacted Shueisha to see if we could find out any information on the situation concerning the recently announced break.  Here’s what they told us:

“The last time the series was put on hold, it was because of Togashi-sensei’s lower back pain, and once again, his condition has gotten worse, necessitating a break again. At this time, it is not certain when we will be able to resume the series.”

A tragedy for fans, indeed. Perhaps a weekly serial is too hard a schedule for Togashi-sensei.

▼ There are even rumors that Togashi’s wife, Naoko Takeuchi, also a famous manga artist and creator of the Sailor Moon series, has been drawing the background patterns and illustrations for Hunter x Hunter.

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And what have fans been saying about the news on the internet?

“Hunter x Hunter on hiatus … again!”
“Well, this was kind of expected, lol”
“Unfortunate, since the story was really building up to the exciting part. Look forward to it coming back.”
“But it was getting so good! Well, there’s nothing to do but wait.”
“One of the things I enjoy most in life is gone again.”
“Take care, Togashi-sensei, and give us wonderful material again when you’re ready.”

It seems like some of the comments are actually quite understanding and sympathetic, although maybe that’s just because anyone following the series has become accustomed to the frequent breaks by now.

There’s no doubt that fans around the world who feel like they’ve grown up with the Hunter x Hunter series are fervently hoping for the manga to continue and see completion even at a slow pace, so we hope you feel the love, Togashi-sensei!

▼Whether it’s with or without help from his wife Naoko Takeuchi (of Sailor Moon fame), we hope we’ll be seeing more fantastic work from Togashi-sensei!

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Original article by: Seiji Nakazawa
Photos: © RocketNews24
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