In this week’s Shonen Jump, the first chapter of Taizan 5’s new series was published, titled The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins.
Described by its author as a “home drama for the next generation,” the series follows Tsubasa Ichinose and his family trying to piece together their past lives after a car accident that led to the six of them having acute amnesia. However, dark secrets lurk in the lives of the people they used to be — will they still be able to be a happy family after everything comes to light?
Why is the series so widely anticipated by Japanese fans?
A series premise such as this might seem atypical to battle-heavy Shonen Jump with its strong focus on family drama, but those familiar with Taizan 5’s past work, Takopi’s Original Sin, will understand why they were given the spot.
Originally serialized in Jump+, Takopi’s Original Sin was one of the most successful digital serializations in Japanese history, with its final chapter seeing over three million views in a single day and eight million views with its first chapter alone due to its blend of wacky space hijinks and realistic depiction of school bullying.
Even though it only lasted 16 chapters, the series to this day has dedicated merch lines and recently announced a Goodsmile collaboration to create figures of its titular character, Takopi. With an author this beloved by the Japanese public, it’s no surprise that their next series was moved to Shueisha’s magazine with the highest viewership.
Will the series be successful?
One thing to note is that the subject matter of Taizan 5’s previous work was a large factor in its success. The series pulled no punches in how it displayed the interactions between its three leads, with implications of self-harm, murder, and obsessive behavior being significant focal points of the series.
With a different editor for their Jump serialization, will this series be allowed to go as dark as Takopi’s Original Sin? Or will the reveals and twists of the series be toned down, a la Tatsuki Fujimoto’s transition from Jump+’s Fire Punch to Chainsaw Man. However, one thing’s for certain: clues suggest that the series may go down a darker path.
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins, the series is being translated into English in tandem with the Japanese release on the official Shonen Jump website here. Be warned, though: it’s heavily implied that future chapters of the series will head into darker themes, so read if you dare!