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After 2 Years, My Hero Academia’s Creator Finally Returns With a Near-Perfect Follow-Up
Kohei Horikoshi, creator of My Hero Academia, has returned with Quit Laughing, Shijima, a supernatural one-shot manga published in Weekly Shonen Jump. Polygon’s review finds it visually impressive and entertaining, particularly for its character work and creature designs, but argues that it falls short as horror because it relies on familiar genre ideas without building sustained psychological tension.
Set in a seaside city of three million people, the story follows Azumi, a schoolboy who sees disturbing figures in the bay and is secretly in love with the popular Shijima. When Shijima is selected as a sacrifice to a godlike being said to bring prosperity to the town, Azumi tries to save her and declares his feelings. The reviewer says the human-sacrifice plot echoes works such as Midsommar and Higurashi, and contrasts the manga with more unsettling Japanese horror by creators including Junji Ito and Shuzo Oshimi.
In short
- Horikoshi’s new one-shot is stylish but not especially frightening.
- Strong monster designs cannot overcome a familiar sacrifice plot.
- The review sees it as a promising, imperfect horror debut.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Excellence in executing established narrative forms can create genuinely worthwhile art, especially when paired with strong character development and visual craftsmanship. Horikoshi's return delivers engaging storytelling with memorable creature design, demonstrating that technical skill and emotional resonance matter significantly in evaluating creative work.
The case against
Effective horror as a genre demands more than technical proficiency with familiar premises—it requires sustained psychological tension, genuine dread, and distinctive artistic vision. By adopting recognisable tropes without building unique atmosphere or unsettling perspective, the work functions competently as entertainment but fails to achieve what horror fundamentally requires.
Explained simply
My Hero Academia is a popular manga series by Japanese creator Kohei Horikoshi. Manga are comics published in Japan, often in serial form; Weekly Shonen Jump is a major magazine that publishes stories aimed mainly at teenage boys.
Quit Laughing, Shijima is a standalone supernatural story set in a large seaside city. It follows Azumi, a schoolboy who sees strange figures in the bay and cares for Shijima, a popular classmate chosen as a sacrifice to a being believed to bring prosperity.
The story combines school relationships, local beliefs and horror, including the idea of human sacrifice. The review praises its art and characters while questioning whether familiar horror elements create enough lasting tension.