Recently we brought you news of the cancellation of manga Act-Age after its author was arrested. Now English publisher Viz Media has released a statement detailing their own actions going forward in light of the cancellation.
The statement is as follows: “Concerning Shueisha’s official statement, VIZ Media will no longer publish current and future works of Act-Age, including graphic novels and digital volumes, and chapters will be removed from the Shonen Jump digital vault.”
Viz Media has not released a timeframe as to when the chapters would be removed. They also declined to publish the last chapter of the manga digitally, along with MANGA PLUS. Refreshing as it is to see that publishers are taking such decisive action, the fact that the manga will only be accessible in print in whatever quantities are already available may cause quite a stir for those fans still wanting to complete the series, or for those wanting to read a title surrounded by scandal, which would drive up sales of volumes that are already on store shelves.
While it’s highly unlikely that the author would be seeing any revenue from this, the public backlash both Shueisha and Viz Media might incur would be enough to make them wary of allowing the manga to continue any and all forms of production. Therefore, the total erasure of the series comes as no real surprise.
We can only hope that if another situation like this arises, publishers will continue to take a hard stance, despite any challenges that might come as a result. While it may be a result of needing to save face and avoid a public reckoning, it’s always in the best interest of the company to look after the needs of its customers. After all, they do say people vote with their wallets.
