Blue Exorcist fans were treated to great news last month as the anime was confirmed to return with a new season. Now though, fans will have to wait a bit longer for the manga’s next chapter. That’s because Blue Exorcist is taking a one-month break due to the author’s recent COVID diagnosis.
The manga’s creator, Kazue Kato, shared on her X (formerly Twitter) account that she is going to take a month-long break to recover from COVID-19.
This might be an unexpected development for some, especially considering how COVID is no longer seen as a huge deal in most of the world.
COVID Is Still Making Headlines Even in the Anime and Manga Industry
The COVID pandemic that began in 2020 is seemingly over now given that practically all countries don’t have quarantine restrictions anymore. Not to mention that international travel has rebounded from previous years.
Despite these, the pandemic is still not considered over by organizations such as the WHO. COVID-19 also continues to make headlines as new variants are being discovered.
It’s fair to say that we’re past the worst of it, but COVID-19 is still affecting some industries this year, including the anime and manga industry.
For example, a COVID-19 wave in late 2022 to early 2023 in China is believed by many to have been the primary cause of the Winter 23 anime delays. The delayed shows include NieR: Automata Ver1.1a and Ayakashi Triangle.
Now, it was revealed that Blue Exorcist creator Kazue Kato has tested positive for COVID recently, causing a one-month delay to the manga.
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Blue Exorcist Manga Hiatus Announced, Will Return Next Month
On her personal X account, Kazue Kato shared that she couldn’t finish the manuscript for the next Blue Exorcist chapter as she’s still recovering from COVID-19.
In the post, she said that she is recovering, albeit slowly as she’s still coughing, and her sense of smell is still not 100% back.
Kato did guarantee fans that the chapter will be released in the following Jump Square issues. This means fans shouldn’t worry about any long-term delays or hiatuses for the anime.
Blue Exorcist chapters are released once a month in the Jump SQ magazine. The next chapter was set to be released in the November issue which launches this month.
Because of the delay, the next Blue Exorcist chapter will instead be released in the December issue of Jump SQ, which will be launched in November 2023.
Along with the next chapter, Kato’s autograph signing session has also been delayed to January 2024 to facilitate her recovery.
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