The end is near in Show-ha Shoten! chapter 36 as Taiyo and Shijima finally take the stage for the Wara-1 Koshien. They’ll have to blow the judges’ socks off if they want to win, but is this really possible?

No one quite expected the final part of Show-ha Shoten! to turn out like this. For most of its run, the series had focused on shorter stories involving the two main characters and a handful of rivals, but the Wara-1 Koshien has been an entirely different beast. Not only have the protagonists barely made an appearance, it’s gone on much longer than anything before it, mainly due to lengthy flashbacks that explain the philosophy and origins of each set of contestants. 

Still, that doesn’t mean that the arc hasn’t been a lot of fun. Finally seeing the fearsome Sprechor in action was both cathartic and captivating, while newer groups such as Brutus and Mega Beef Bowl XL were immediately able to make their mark due to their setting and distinct personalities. Even so, Show-ha Shoten has arguably now set itself an almost impossible task: how can it justify Taiyo and Shijima’s victory out of a pool of such a rich and talented pool of contestants? 

How the series addresses this question will ultimately determine how it shakes up in hindsight, so it’s a good job that Show-ha Shoten! chapter 36 already makes a solid start on this. First of all, it’s made quite clear that One Way Ticket to the Top has a significant amount of support among the Wara-1 Koshien participants themselves: a massive crowd has gathered around the monitor in the waiting room, where Onozuka screams “Knock ‘em dead laughing!!”. This support might reach them, at least spiritually, all the way on the stage.

Perhaps more importantly, however, Show-ha Shoten! chapter 36 introduces a change in Shijima and Taiyo’s strategy. Following a conversation with his sister about the phrase “Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction,” Shijima realizes that a certain amount of reality is needed for the audience to engage with a comedy routine: if they truly believe that one of the members would say something so ridiculous, then it’s even funnier. As a result, he makes the bold decision to open the act with the bombshell that Taiyo is a former child actor and that he’s a nobody.

Even if how this will affect the routine and the audience’s reaction to it remains to be seen, this change is an important step towards building the narrative framework necessary to justify Shijima and Taiyo’s victory. Of course, it’s entirely possible that series author Akinari Asakura might pull a fast one and have the protagonists lose, but that would be truly unexpected. One of the best things about Show-ha Shoten! is its “classic” flavor, incorporating elements from series of yesteryear such as Bakuman.

You can read Show-ha Shoten! chapter 36 for free via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.