Shō Aimoto Pauses Kemono Jihen Following Her Brother’s Death

Shō Aimoto announced on X/Twitter that her Kemono Jihen manga will take a hiatus following her brother’s peaceful death on August 15.

The series will skip the October issue of Shueisha’s Jump SQ., due September 4. It is scheduled to return in the November issue, arriving October 2.

The manga’s 25th collected volume shipped on August 4 and revealed that the series will conclude with its next volume.

Seven Seas Entertainment publishes the manga in English. Its synopsis follows Inugami, a Tokyo detective specializing in the occult, whose response to a call takes him to a remote village.

There, he meets Dorotabo, an unusual, unsettling boy without parents. His nickname comes from a yokai that haunts muddy rice paddies. His foul smell makes him a target of others’ anger.

Inugami soon recognizes that Dorotabo’s monstrous nature goes beyond his nickname. Their investigation into an inhuman creature attacking local livestock confirms his suspicions.

The synopsis suggests Inugami may take the mistreated boy into his care. He could train Dorotabo to confront the world’s hidden supernatural beasts using his own body’s eerie powers.

The series previously took a one-issue break in February. Announcing that break on X, formerly Twitter, Aimoto said she had developed gastroenteritis at the start of the year. She added that she was feeling better and would soon undergo an endoscopy.

Aimoto began the manga in Jump SQ. in December 2016. Seven Seas released its 21st English volume on June 23. A television anime adaptation premiered in January 2021.