The January issue of Shonen Jump magazine hit stores on December 4th, and it is jam-packed with 392 pages' worth of holiday-worthy content. This "Mondo!" issue - which marks the anthology's fifth anniversary - features an important turn in the hugely popular ninja epic Naruto (which returns to the magazine after a two-month hiatus with a brand-new story arc), three full chapters of Bleach, and installments from Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, YuYu Hakusho, One Piece, Hikaru No Go, and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

Shonen Jump is the world's most popular English-language comics anthology, with nearly two million readers. I'm not part of its target demographic (teen males), and I'm totally disinterested in video game tips and trading cards, so I was surprised to discover how much I enjoyed this issue. Each section was prefaced by a helpful "Story Thus Far" primer, and the various manga series offered a nicely balanced blend of humor, drama, action, and girls in disconcertingly inadequate uniform skirts. I was particularly pleased to get caught up on Bleach and Naruto - according to our highly scientific research study*, these are seriously popular titles, and even the world's girliest manga fan (read: me) needs at least a nodding familiarity with them.

*i.e., We looked 'em up on Fanfiction.net to see how many fanfics they'd inspired.

Labels: manga, Shonen Jump