Time Paradox Ghostwriter is one of the shortest Jump Manga i've read, only managing to have 14 chapters before getting axed. Today is the official release of the final chapter, and i feel like I have to give it a review.

This will contain spoilers and is also something i'm deeply, personally attached to!

Story: 9/10
From beginning to end I feel like TPG has had a fairly solid story, focusing on a struggling rookie mangaka: Teppei Sasaki, putting a lot of emphasis on his passion for making manga and wanting to make a manga everyone would be able to enjoy. Met with the extreme ruthlessness of the industry he's a part of he almost breaks, in a scene i found incredibly relatable as a creative. Just as this happens he receives a copy of Weekly Shounen Jump from the future, thinking it was all a dream he unintentionally plagiarizes a manga named "White Knight" and the story truly begins from there. This set up serves to create an intriguing mystery as we uncover more about our secondary protagonist Itsuki Aino, but also brings up a lot of moral questioning on if what he's doing is right, he clearly feels guilt for his actions, but feels indebted to his fans and to Aino to an extent that he must continue, and theres this richness to the story where it's complicated and nuanced, and its a shame because seeing these topics being explored would have been really interesting.

I won't lie, due to it's axe i feel like more could have been done for sure, it's rushed but the ending chapters still were incredible for me, both characters feel decently fleshed out, and the mystery plot kept me on edge too. It clearly presented it's themes and told what it wanted to with no extra bits and delivered emotionally. It's short and sweet even if it'c cut a little short.

Art: 9 /10
Usually i prefer art with a lot more flair, which feels unique ... this charm is somewhat lacking here, but the quality for a weekly manga is amazing especially in the characters, and also the setting, where i noticed a lot of really well drawn backgrounds and items. The panelling is a bit basic and sometimes theres a little too much text ... which i think might've been a factor in why it got axed.

Character: 8/10
I wish we got more time with Teppei Sasaki and Itsuki Aino, I felt like i could relate to them a lot, Teppeis frustration about not being good enough, his creative struggles as well as his absurd passion for manga are something i feel deeply connected to. With Aino, her loneliness and how manga essentially became her everything also resonates with me, and for a manga and it's characters to captures such a specific feeling is amazing. I wish we got to explore their chemistry a bit more, but i liked what i did see, with them both in the end coming to a realization together on what they want from manga and life.


Conclusion:
I love this manga, i think i was brought to tears almost every chapter from how relatable it was, feelings i thought were very specific to myself i found in this manga, and it made me feel validated. It's given me an extremely personal connection to this manga and the authors, In a way it feels like a personal message from the authors about manga, about being a creative, the frustrations, the joy of making something, and in the end just enjoying the process might be the best thing, you don't have to make a manga that everyone will enjoy, but if one person understands you and your manga, isn't that amazing?

I feel like I was that person, this manga felt made for me, and even though it got axed I'm so happy it exists, I'm so happy i got to read it every week for the 4 months it was serialized, thank you.


Why it Failed:
From what I gathered some parts didn't go very well with the Japanese audience such as the whole plagiarizing business, which i thought was very well done. Other things such as it having a lot of text at times may have also contributed to people not liking it as much or not being bothered to really read it thoroughly. Perhaps it was too niche and just doesn't have the the draw other series have like the action in a battle manga or comedic value of a gag manga, maybe people feel like it isn't necessary since Bakuman exists ... sales are also a big factor and TPG didn't have the best sales. I'm sure like other Jump manga theres multiple reasons, I hope the authors can keep going and make more manga in the future since this one really captivated me (and that guy who bought 100 volumes).


FINAL SCORE: 9/10 - Great