Shonen Jump cancels a new manga.
The last year has been quite exciting in the manga world. Many authors have put their works on hiatus, and popular series like "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "My Hero Academia" have come to an end. This has created gaps in the "Shōnen Jump" lineup. Now, publisher Shueisha, known for some of the most successful mangas, faces another setback: the one-shot manga "Sayonara Wonder Rabbit" has been removed from the Tonari Young Jump website (where "One Punch Man" is also published) due to plagiarism allegations.
Japanese news platform Jisin reports that Yuki Komuro's one-shot manga, which was released on November 21, 2024, immediately struck readers as being similar to the 2017 American film "Brigsby Bear." After concerned fans voiced their suspicions, Jisin contacted Shueisha. The publisher then released an official statement on its blog and took the manga offline shortly afterward.
Sayonara Wonder Rabbit Suspected of Featuring a Character Similar to Brigsby Bear
Shueisha Pulled the New One-Shot After Plagiarism Accusations
Sayonara Wonder Rabbit was a manga about a girl named Luna who lost her parents in an accident. As a child, she was completely enthralled by a TV show called "Wonder Rabbit," hosted by a cartoonish rabbit mascot. However, after the accident, Luna discovered that this show never actually existed; her parents had invented it just for her. To cope with her grief, she decided to continue the show with the help of her friends.
While the idea is touching and unique, the 2017 film "Brigsby Bear" had already told a similar story. The film, starring Kyle Mooney, Mark Hamill, and Claire Danes, is about a man named James who was forced to live in a bunker. There, he repeatedly watched an educational series called "Brigsby Bear." When he found out that his supposed parents had produced the series just for him and he was separated from them, James decided to create a sequel to the show himself as a film. While the two stories differ in some details, there are also several parallels.
Shueisha Suffers Another Blow Following Plagiarism Allegations
The Removal of Wonder Rabbit Comes at an Inopportune Time for the Jump Publisher
The Jump magazines haven't had it easy lately. While "Jujutsu Kaisen" garnered mixed reactions, it was still extremely popular and has unfortunately ended. "My Hero Academia" has also recently concluded, meaning that two major manga series have ended within a year. The currently most popular ongoing series, "One Piece," recently had to take a surprising and unexpected hiatus. "Spy x Family" has also joined this pause.
While "Sayonara Wonder Rabbit" was never as successful as the most well-known Jump titles, the forced discontinuation due to plagiarism allegations is still an unusual event in the manga world. Since the manga's removal, the author, Yuki Komuro, has not yet commented on the matter.
via Jisin, ScreenRant