Shonen Jump is going to be 40 years old soon, and Shonen Jump magazine is going to be five years old as well. So Viz media is going to use this as an opportunity to celebrate some of the most popular series. There will be a special edition issue of Shonen Jump, a contest to attend Japan’s Jump Festa anime convention and hardcover, collector’s editions of the first volumes of six popular series.

The highlight will be the special, hardcover edition of the August 2008 edition of Shonen Jump. For $24.99, fans will get a hardcover version of the magazine that has all the manga chapters that appeared in the very first and second issues Shonen Jump in December 2002. It will also have interviews with manga authors, a special Yu-Gi-Oh card and a poster to collect character stickers that will be found in volumes of Bleach, Death Note, Naruto and Slam Dunk.

Title: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2 (aka Shonen Jump: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress)Price: $39.99System(s): PSPRelease Date: June 24, 2008Publisher (Developer): Namco Bandai Games (CyberConnect2)ESRB Rating: “Teen” for cartoon violence, crude humor, mild suggestive themes and simulated gambling.Pros: Fast action, good animations, a couple fun minigame, easy to use fight controls make this fairly addictive. Wireless game sharing for multiplayer battles using one UMD.Cons: Too few minigames that become highly repetitive and limited character building.Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 80/100; B-; * * * out of five.

Except for the choose-your-own-type rooms, three additional characters (Third Hokage, Shizune, and Kabuto Yakushi) and equipping characters with items before each Battle, this is essentially the same as the first Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes PSP game. While neither a technical masterpiece nor a unique game, Ninja Heroes 2 is surprisingly addictive.

Click through for the full review…