War of the Adults (Otona Taisen)

Today’s featured manga is Otona Taisen, a newly serialized title with only one volume out so far—but its unique setting and thought-provoking world-building make it a standout worth discussing. Although it’s published on Shonen Jump+, Otona Taisen doesn’t feel like a typical Jump series. As outlined in the synopsis, this story takes place in a hyper-surveillance society, where doing good deeds earns you points, and your “Adult Rank” is determined based on your evaluations. It’s a dark and dystopian premise—quite different from the action-packed or fantasy-driven tone we often associate with Jump. That said, this deviation from the norm is what makes Otona Taisen so compelling. It cleverly satirizes today’s increasingly monitored global society, turning real-world anxieties into speculative fiction. One of its most striking elements is how legal adulthood is defined by your evaluation score, not your age. A higher Adult Rank brings social privileges and recognition, while those with low scores are effectively erased from society or treated as lesser citizens. Reading Otona Taisen, I couldn't help but feel—“Isn’t this the direction we’re already heading in?” As of 2025, with the rise of smartphones and social media, people’s value is often judged by follower counts, likes, and posts. We’re already immersed in a culture of constant judgment and public image maintenance. Otona Taisen feels like a sharp commentary on that reality. Perhaps that’s why it's gaining so much attention—it resonates deeply with readers navigating a world that already feels halfway there. The protagonist, Yutaro Urashima, awakens from a 15-year coma to find that the peaceful world he once envisioned has become a suffocatingly perfect society. Watching how he confronts and navigates this world is one of the most exciting parts of the story. Fun fact: The name Urashima Yutaro is clearly inspired by Urashima Taro, a famous Japanese folk tale. In the original story, Taro saves a turtle and is taken to a palace under the sea (Ryugu-jo), only to return to the surface and discover that hundreds of years have passed. Similarly, Otona Taisen’s Yutaro wakes up after 15 years to find a drastically changed world. This parallel adds a clever cultural layer to the narrative—both tales explore the displacement caused by time and how the world can transform in ways one never imagined. If you're into dystopian social commentary with a clever twist, Otona Taisen is definitely worth checking out.

July 28, 2025