My Hero Academia Creator’s New Manga Clearly Deserves a Longer Run

My Hero Academia is one of the most successful anime and manga series of all time. Although the main story reached its conclusion two years ago, its popularity only continues to rise thanks to the exceptional story. Written and illustrated by Kohei Horikoshi, the manga began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 2014 before ending after a decade. While it’s not Horikoshi’s first series, the creator didn’t work on a new story until August this year with a new one-shot. Two years after the manga’s ending, the creator returned to Shonen Jump with an exciting new story, but it was only one chapter long. Quit Laughing, Shijima centered around a completely new world, and it became a massive hit right after its debut.

Even more than a month after its release, it’s still trending on the official app of Manga Plus, as it continues to rank among the hottest and trending series on the platform. The reception was far better than anticipated thanks to the unique premise and the exceptional art style that Horikoshi is famous for in the industry. However, there is currently no information on the story’s continuation since one-shots are usually standalone series unless they’re officially serialized into a longer story.

Quit Laughing, Shijima Deserves To Be a Weekly Serialization

One-shot manga are often released as a way to test fans’ reaction, and it’s safe to say that Quit Laughing, Shijima passed with flying colors. It took only two years for the creator to build up this horror story with new characters and a power system. With the way the 60-page-long story ended, there’s no denying that it deliberately left room for continuation. Not only that, one-shots barely get this much global recognition, but this is an exception due to Horikoshi’s popularity.

Thanks to the horror theme and the concept of the female lead being used as a sacrifice, the story appears to be even darker than My Hero Academia. The ending takes place after the main character saves Shijima thanks to a newfound power, which looks strangely similar to Dark Deku. While there’s no official confirmation that the manga will continue in the long run, there are more than enough reasons to believe that the one-shot will be developed into a longer story.

However, there won’t be any official confirmation for a while since a one-shot isn’t usually turned into a longer series almost right after its release. Fans might have to wait at least a year or more for updates from Shonen Jump. On the bright side, even if Quit Laughing, Shijima‘s future is unclear, Horikoshi basically confirmed that he will keep working as a manga creator and introduce fans to new stories.