Just a few weeks after my last post mostly highlighting the best and the most promising series currently running under the Shonen Jump imprint, one of them finished after running for almost a year and a half. Most unfortunately for me, it was the underdog which I had grown the fondest towards.
PPPPPP had two qualities that made it tough to last in the shonen manga field: a focus on the expressiveness of music performance, and an artstyle where every person looks like they flopped out of the laundry basket. The latter often supplemented the former via creative imagery throughout the various piano duets that serve as this story's "battles". Together both came in service of storytelling that put its spin on conventional plot beats by frequently diving onto the textural.
All of that came to an end this week. The cancellation caught me by surprise. The last 12 chapters seemed to be in service of a "transitional" part between 2 duets, and that strength in mood-focused elements laid on thick for much of the panelling both made it seem in line with everything so far. But looking back, the flitting through much of the already established cast from a story that usually kept things contained to a small ensemble arc by arc is now clearly laying paths for the audience to know the ends everyone was supposed to meet.1
If my memories of reading BAKUMAN。 over a decade ago aren't faulty,2 usually unestablished mangaka are told of their axing ahead of the final 10-chapter order. How each one handles the wrap-up can vary wildly; I feel Mapollo 3 worked through it elegantly, although not perfectly. One character who until then had been a mystery set up for a late-game duet ends still mysterious, while chapters 68-70 are paced like a mad dash through what were clearly meant to be big moments for confronting the "main villain". Despite those points sticking out, the overall emotional crux is clearly laid out, and the final chapter manages to pack some glee alongside bitterness both inside and surrounding the narrative, with a damn fine closing panel.
Its not the kind of manga that will sit well with everybody, but if possible, I urge you to read its paltry 70 chapters while they're still available for free in most of the world. Given how things have usually worked on Manga Plus, all but the first 3 chapters will be removed by the end of March. Mapollo 3 is currently working on their next manga, which I'm eager to see how it will pan out. Don't miss out on either of them.
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Something that should be mentioned about PPPPPP that didn't fit the path of my writingis that it might be the first to apply shonen homoerotic subtext to a pair of girls instead of guys. There was something unexpectedly delightful to see that here of all places.
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BAKUMAN。 is the first series I ever rage-quit, specifically due to the awful way that women were written. The insight into the weekly serialization process was nice but I can't bring myself to re-read it & fully confirm that factoid.