m0y0:

This year’s 10th issue of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is announcing on Monday that Tite Kubo’s Bleach manga is entering its final story arc. Kubo has been drawing the manga in the magazine since 2001, andShueisha published the 53rd compiled book volume of the manga in December.

Thanks to its “Shonen JumpDigital Warp” program, Viz Media just released the 53rd volume in electronic book form in North America last month. The Digital Warp program prepared the way for this week’s launch ofViz’s English-language digital anthologyShonen Jump Alpha, which is running chapters ofBleach and five other titles two weeks after their print debut in Japan’sWeekly Shonen Jump.Viz will release the print version of the 38th volume next week.

[Via Manga News]

Update: More background information added. The 10th issue of Weekly Shonen Jump published the layout sketch (pictured above) for the color opening page of the manga’s final arc in the next issue. [Via 0takomu]

I think my heart just broke a little. 

If this is real, that is. And if it is, I really can’t say I’m that surprised. But still. :(((