What is JUMP?
WEEKLY JUMP, rival publication of WEEKLY SHONEN SUNDAY, is a "phone book" anthology published every week, with a circulation over 4 million. It is filled with some of today's hottest titles targeted for school age boys, many of them familiar to anime fans. Jump has among its esteemed alumni: DRAGON BALL, VIDEO GIRL AI, CITY HUNTER, FIST OF THE NORTH STAR, KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD, SAINT SEIYA, SLAM DUNK, and YUU YUU HAKUSHO / POLTERGEIST REPORT.

Last issue's WEEKLY JUMP update (1998 Issues 39-41)

For a complete set of WEEKLY JUMP briefs, visit Rika's Weekly Jump Updates Page.

Selected Brief Updates:

KAJIKA
by Toriyama Akira
Started in #32, 1998
Ended in #44, 1998

Overview: Kajika is a boy cursed by a fox to save 1,000 lives. He was asked by a girl named Haya to deliver the egg of the last dragon back to its native island (Lonlon Island), and keep it away from the hands of Gibachi, an evil entrepreneur who wants the egg to gain immense power—according to legend, one who drinks the blood of a dragon is to have powers unmatched by mortals.
In this update: Kajika says that he can win over Gibachi using only one arm, angering Gibachi. Gibachi then eats both his henchmenand transforms. As the battle begins, Ghighi tells Kajika to use everything he has to defeat Gibachi, and that it's okay to kill him because he is pure evil. Kajika shoots his largest energy ball, and then extracts every bit of evil out of Gibachi. With his evil heart gone, Gibachi runs off with the baby dragon. Kajika and Ghighi are on their own again. When Kajika told him that his fox form was too slow, Ghighi tells Kajika to throw him a rock. Ghighi "accidentally" gets hit by the rock and falls off the cliff to his death, putting the curse back on Kajika.

HUNTER x HUNTER
by Togashi Yoshihiro
Started in #14, 1998 (3 volumes available)

Overview: Gon is a young energetic boy who wants to follow in his father's footsteps as a hunter. He and his new friends Reolio and Clapika, are in the fourth part (out of five) of the Hunter Qualification Exam.
In this update: The hunt continues, with people taking plates and losing out. Gon merges with Clapika and Reolio to find Ponz, Reolio's target. A little searching leads the trio to a cavern. Reolio enters the cavern. Clapika and Reolio hear nothing for a while... but suddenly, Reolio yells out to them that there are snakes and they shouldn't come in. Clapika and Gon enter the cave, ignoring the warning. In the cavern was a girl, an old man, several dead snakes, and Reolio crumpled on the ground. Gon and Clapika pick Reolio up to go back to get treatment, but the girl (Ponz) tells them that they were in a trap set by the snakemaster Bourbon. Clapika tells Bourbon that he will give everyone's plates if he would release the trap, but Bourbon was already dead from toxic shock from Ponz' bee stings. Gon asks Clapika to look after Reolio, and searches the corpse for the antitode. The snakes that protect Bourbon's body bite and writhe all over Gon; yet the boy persists and finds the antidote. Clapika injects the antidote into Reolio, then Gon. The group gets out by having Ponz spray sleeping gas in the chamber, with Gon holding his breath and carrying the group out to safety. Gon leaves Bourbon's plate with Ponz but takes her plate as the fare to bring her back out. The foghorn signifying the end of the fourth exam blows. Nine candidates left. The chairman of the Selections Committee notes he wants to talk to each candidate as preparation for the final exam. Meanwhile, Gon explains to Clapika what went on during the fourth exam. The chairman starts the interviews, which consist of three questions: (1) Why do you want to be a hunter? (2) Which candidiate do you take most note of? (3) Which candidate do you LEAST want to fight?] Based on these answers, the Chairman creates a tournament bracket. The airship approaches the castle, site of the final exam.

MEIRYOUTEI GOTO SEIJUROU
by Kazu Hajime
Started in #52, 1997 (4 volumes available)

Overview: Seijurou is the reckless, violent student body president of Meiryou High School. He is so feared that his nickname is Meiryoutei ("emperor of Meiryou"). What havoc will he wreak on his students (or force his student council to do) this time?
In this update: Seijurou sets up an opinion box on campus. A few days later, the box was full of letters. The only two letters that weren't complaints about Seijurou's violence were a request to find a missing ring and a request to investigate the Seven Wonders of Meiryou High School. While investigating the seventh wonder, they find a thieving student, and retrieves the missing ring from the other letter. Seijurou feels someone behind him, and meets Keichi Sawara. Several days later, they fight. As the fight progresses, Keichi gets Seijurou in a headlock and drops him to break his neck but fails and in return gets his wrist broken. No matter what Keiichi does, Seijurou finds a way to counter it. Keiichi feels that he can't lose to live up to his adoptive father's expectations, but falls to Seijurou who claims that strength should be sought for oneself.
Takumi overhears some punks scheming to defeat Seijurou. The next day, he meets the punks and says that he was tired of meaningless fights, but even more tired of idiots with meaningless lives. The punks call their backup unit. Seijurou and Takumi team up to get rid of the punks. Seijurou names Takumi as a member of the Disciplines Committee, much to Takumi's dismay.
One day, Seijurou takes Cliff and Hayata to a little bread shop and tells them they are working there before and after school, noting that the bakery has something Cliff lacks. Cliff wonders why the bakery owners work so hard for a mere 200 yen. The owners say that they are buying the hearts of customers, their smiles. Cliff learned something about what it means to earn money, and the bakery appreciated the new set of patrons that came to see Cliff. Seijurou smiles that Cliff learned something about life, but when Cliff asked him if he did it to help the bakery owners, he replied that he made the two work to pay off three years worth of unpaid bread bills.