The winner of the MILLION TAG award and the author of the popular manga series Beat & Motion on Shonen Jump+, Naoki Fujita, has announced on the last page of chapter 47 that the series will officially conclude with the release of chapter 48 on January 25, 2025.
The manga initially began its serialization on the Shonen Jump+ platform of Shueisha in February 2023. An original net animation (ONA) is currently in production and licensed by Netflix, alongside the upcoming compilation volume.
It is noteworthy that the initial serialization of the manga has gained substantial popularity, particularly due to Natsuki Fujita’s victory in the MILLION TAG animation competition, making it a remarkable success. It is particularly significant that Shueisha only collaborates with winning authors to publish at least one complete volume, meaning that the manga will be a solid addition to the lineup when Beat & Motion begins.
Beat & Motion is a manga that embodies passion and the success of Natsuki Fujita
With several of Shonen Jump and Shonen Jump+’s flagship titles coming to an end, Shueisha is keen to introduce new works. One of the prominent new series is the animation-based program titled MILLION TAG. It is described as “a series of documentary films about the trials and tribulations of discovering the next big manga.”
When the initial program aired, it featured contributions from six emerging talents who competed against each other to secure a prize of 5 million yen in Japan. The resulting works of these participants have been serialized on Shonen Jump+, with a physical volume of the work being published alongside an anime adaptation from Netflix.
Natsuki Fujita, the creator of Beat & Motion, is the winner of this competition and has successfully leveraged this opportunity to create a work that serves as a “stepping stone” for creative individuals striving to maintain momentum while developing their innate talents and skills.
Beat & Motion is a manga that vividly illustrates the journey of Tatsuhiko, a boy passionate about art, who dreams of becoming an animator since childhood. After being caught up in a series of setbacks, he turns to music and forms a band in a short period of time.
After the band disbanded, Tatsuhiko became reclusive and grew distrustful of those around him. After enduring a painful defeat due to the loss of a dear friend and being caught in a drunken incident, Tatsuhiko suddenly felt an urge to pursue animation once more. Subsequently, he encountered a new passion that he had long suppressed, and both he and his friends began to chase their dreams together.
Although it is unfortunate to see the manga coming to an end, it has established a brilliant legacy and has laid the groundwork for future endeavors. Furthermore, there is still an anime adaptation currently in production, so fans of the anime and manga can expect to see much more from Beat & Motion in the future.
