Tenmaku Cinema is the latest creation from the minds that brought you Food Wars! Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki have teamed up to create this story of a junior high school student and passionate cinema aficionado who finds himself possessed by the spirit of a deceased screenwriter. It smacks of Hikaru no Go influence, but also feels decidedly original, a modern commentary on film fascination during an age where cinemas’ futures are sometimes uncertain. Tenmaku Cinema has already premiered its first chapter, but the release date for Chapter 2 approaches quickly.
Tenmaku Cinema Chapter 2 Release Date and Time
Tenmaku Cinema Chapter 2 will release on Sunday, April 16, 2023, as confirmed by the Viz Media Tenmaku Cinema portal and the Shonen Jump manga reader app. We will provide subsequent updates as to the exact time this manga releases its latest chapter along with weekly updates on new content. The series is brand-new, and we’re very excited to binge it along with you.
Tenmaku Cinema Chapter 1 Spoilers and What to Expect in Chapter 2
In Chapter 1 of Tenmaku Cinema, we learn about Hajime Shinichi and how he wound up possessed by screenwriter Takihiko Tenmaku. He finds life suddenly far further outside his control than before, with his right arm, in particular, being frequently taken over, Tenmaku wishing to communicate.
Over time, Shinichi finds common ground with Tenmaku, learning that the ghost’s original body had died 30 years ago, and even had a connection to legendary filmmaker Ryu Shirakawa. Shirakawa, for context, resembles a fictionalized version of Akira Kurosawa, the director of films such as Hidden Fortress and Seven Samurai. Kurosawa is referenced as an influence on Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, and in the manga, Shirakawa is referred to as this influence instead.
Related: Hell’s Paradise English Dub: Release Date, Time, and Voice Cast
Tenmaku lives on as a spirit who died at the young age of 18 and 30 years ago, claiming to have a connection with the director, wishing to pass on a script to the director so he can move on in the afterlife. But the problem is, Shirakawa has been dead for 20 years, so Tenmaku seizes upon the next best opportunity: writing a new script using Shinichi’s classmate, celebrity actress Himeki Kurakui as his focal point. The chapter ends with Shinichi minted as director of this upcoming project, the unwitting tool of a screenwriter ghost.
Where Can You Read Tenmaku Cinema?
Tenmaku Cinema is currently exclusively available to read digitally through Shueisha’s Shonen Jump subscription service, with weekly updates. The first chapter is a substantial 63 pages, and a great first glimpse into the funny, charming world of Hajime Shinichi.
Is it Similar to Hikaru no Go?
Aside from the characters in this series not having Go boards out, the premises are nearly identical. The protagonist unwillingly finds himself inhabited by the spirit of a young prodigy in their medium years ago, and through cooperation (if at first reluctant) the protagonists find themselves thrust into the world, discovering their passions.
Each series’ protagonists have highly excitable ghosts accompanying them, wishing only to be preoccupied with the objects of their obsession. In the case of Hikaru no Go, Hikaru Shindo’s ghost companion Fujiwara no Sai wishes to play the Divine Move in Go, and in Tenmaku Cinema, Takihiko Tenmaku wishes to pen the ultimate script. Is it okay that these similarities exist? Hikaru no Go was a wonderful series and this sort of story is fun to read so please, bring us more stories like this.
Related: Best ’90s Animes that Defined a Generation
Tenmaku Cinema appears to be a textbook coming-of-age story, one of the best fictional narrative journeys and is riddled with charm. It’s culturally savvy and knows the attitudes of the youth toward concepts occasionally considered to be growing old in the current climate.
While it’s sad to consider film as an aging medium, there’s a classic appeal that is maintained by today’s youth, and despite things like tablets and streaming threatening the big screen, characters learn to embrace both options. We look eagerly forward to Sunday’s release of Tenmaku Cinema Chapter 2.
