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Borutohas been serialized on a monthly schedule for a while now, and it even moved fromShonen JumptoV-JUMPback in 2019. A good portion of theBorutofandom areNarutofans who keep following the story, so there are some discussions about whether the publishing schedule is potentially hurting the series, especially considering thatNarutowas published on a weekly basis.
Boruto Two Blue Vortexis currently at a very interesting point right now, so it’s natural for fans to worry about whether the series could reach an even larger audience if it were serialized weekly like most shonen hits.
The Problems with the Monthly Release Schedule
The biggest issue with the monthly schedule is that fans sometimes getconfused about when new chapters are coming out, especially for those who just enjoy the series without getting into too many online discussions.
Weekly schedules keep people engaged because it becomes part of their routine. On the other hand, it’s very easy to forget about something if it only happens once a month — this can also affect sales, as monthly series tend to sell less than weekly series (because dropping new chapters weekly can bring more attention to a series).
Another problem isthe pacing of the story. On a monthly schedule, the chapters are usually longer, about 40 pages — weekly chapters are usually about 20 pages. But a month usually lasts four or five weeks, so the weekly series gets about 80–100 new pages each month, the monthly series. Thus, the weekly series progresses at twice the speed of the monthly series, so fans can feel a difference in the pacing.
Not only that, but, even though the monthly series drops more information on each chapter,fans may feel that the story is progressing even slower than it actually isdue to the longer time between chapters. This seems to be the case withBoruto.
As chapters need to set the stage for the story to advance properly, many fans think that chapters with less action are “a waste of time,” or theydon’t feel the impact of an eventwhen it takes many months/chapters to unfold.
For this reason, many fans may choose to wait a few months to read a lot of chapters at once, so that they don’t feel like things are moving too slowly.
Boruto Actually Followed A Monthly Schedule in Shonen Jump
Boruto: Naruto Next Generationsbegan serialization inShonen Jump, but even though it was in a weekly magazine, the series followed a monthly schedule for a while before moving toV-JUMP, a monthly magazine.
While this may seem like just protocol — moving a monthly series from a weekly magazine to a monthly magazine — it is actually more than that.Shonen Jump’s circulation is much larger thanV-JUMP’s, so the series would have more potential to attract a larger audience inShonen Jump, even with a monthly schedule.
Also, sinceBorutoreaders usually also read otherShonen Jumptitles as well, they would hardly miss new chapters just because they forgot, as the magazine would advertise a week in advance that a newBorutochapter would be coming soon.
Is The Monthly Schedule Hurting the Series?
Despite Its Drawbacks, It’s Probably For The Better
For international audiences, being serialized inShonen JumporV-JUMPmay not make that much of a difference, as new chapters are added toMANGA Plus. They are also published inShonen Jump+in Japan.
However, fans might have felt that the series was being less marketed after it moved toV-JUMP, since it is a smaller magazine. If the authors could serialize it on a weekly schedule, it would probably be betterin terms of sales and popularity, but let’s not forget that the work routine atShonen Jumpis very hard, andmany authors develop health problemsdue to the exhausting routine.
Dragon Ball Superis also serialized inV-JUMP, and fans hardly say that it is an issue. InBoruto’s case, it may have seemed like a “downgrading” of the series — and it may indeed have impacted its potential reach, especially with the anime on hiatus —, but this routine is probably for the best when it comes to writing the series in a viable way.So, despite its drawbacks, the monthly schedule is probably saving the series rather than killing it.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex’s latest chapters are available to read onMANGA Plus.
Boruto
Boruto is an action anime series that continues years after the events of Naruto, now in the shoes of the next generation - many of which are the children of the protagonists from the original series. Boruto follows the titular character, the son of Naruto, who seeks to impress his father. Together with the other ninjas-in-training, Boruto will battle to overcome trials and threats even more significant than his father ever faced.
