It has now been zero days since the last time Weekly Shonen Jump didn’t contain a manga created by a convicted sex offender. Proving that they learned nothing when act-age writer Tatsuya Matsuki was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two middle school girls, the manga periodical launched Build King, the latest manga by Toriko creator Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro.
In 2002, Shimabukuro was arrested and charged for hiring a 16-year-old girl for sex. He was initially given a two year jail sentence, but it was suspended for unknown reasons. Shonen Jump cancelled his series Seikimatsu Leader Den Takeshi! as a result of the charges.
Shueisha gave Shimabukuro another chance in 2004 (some believe this was at the request of One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda). They ran his sports comedy manga Ring in Super Jump for three volumes. In 2008, he returned to Shonen Jump with Toriko.
This is not the first time Shueisha has continued to work with a convicted sex offender. Nobuhioro Watsuki was charged with possession of child pornography in 2017. He was back to work on Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc less than a year later.
Not to be outdone by their Japanese counterpart, Viz Media has already translated and released the first chapter of Build King on their website.
[Sources: Anime News Network, Samantha Ferreira’s Twitter]
