Viz Media’s Shonen Jump and Shueisha’s MANGA Plus app have officially added Yohira Tokiwa’s new manga series, Kurumizawa’s Folly (Japanese title: Kurumizawa Yoshihiko no Gukō), to their English-language digital libraries. The first chapter of the drama-psychological-shonen series debuted on Friday, September 5, 2025, allowing international fans to read it simultaneously with its Japanese release on Shonen Jump+.
A Look into Kurumizawa’s Folly
The newly released manga, penned and illustrated by Yohira Tokiwa, transports readers to Japan in 1971. The narrative centers on Kurumizawa, a once-popular manga artist who finds himself in a significant creative slump, facing constant rejections for his new submissions. His fortunes take a dark turn when he encounters a promising young artist named Hata, leading Kurumizawa to devise a scheme after witnessing Hata’s impressive work.
The manga has already garnered attention for its compelling premise and unexpected twists in its initial chapter. Readers have noted the series’ strong setup, intricate plot points, and art style that pays homage to the manga era of the 1970s, with influences from legendary artists like Osamu Tezuka. The series delves into themes of ambition, desperation, and the ethical complexities of artistic creation, echoing discussions around previous manga that explored similar concepts of appropriating another’s work.
The author, Yohira Tokiwa, is reportedly the new pen name for Tendai Yano, who previously authored Buddy and Daddy in 2023.
Accessing the New Manga
Fans can now read Kurumizawa’s Folly through two primary digital platforms:
Viz Media’s Shonen Jump App
Viz Media offers a robust digital manga service, with its Shonen Jump platform providing access to numerous popular series. Viz Media has been a leading publisher and licensor of Japanese content in North America for decades, expanding its digital offerings significantly in recent years. Their digital services, including the dedicated Viz Manga app launched in 2023, provide over 10,000 chapters from Shogakukan and Shueisha releases, often with simulpub (simultaneous publication) releases alongside Japan.
Shueisha’s MANGA Plus App
MANGA Plus, an online manga platform and smartphone app owned by Japanese publisher Shueisha, launched globally in January 2019. It provides translated versions of new chapters from Weekly Shonen Jump, Shonen Jump+, and other Shueisha magazines simultaneously with their Japanese release. The service is available worldwide, excluding Japan, China, and South Korea, which have their own localized services. MANGA Plus typically offers the first three and the three most recent chapters of many series for free, with some Shonen Jump+ titles having all chapters available for free in certain regions. Shueisha has been committed to simultaneous English releases for all new Shonen Jump+ manga since January 2023, and since August 2024, all Shonen Jump+ one-shots are also released simultaneously in English.
The addition of Kurumizawa’s Folly further expands the diverse catalog available to English-speaking manga enthusiasts, reflecting the ongoing efforts by Viz Media and Shueisha to bring Japanese comics to a global audience rapidly and legally.
