Rare 'Jujutsu Kaisen 0.5' Manga Allegedly Scalped By TGV Cinemas Staff
The cinema chain has since conducted an internal investigation and denied that their staff were involved in the illegal sales of the manga booklets.
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TGV Cinemas is caught in another controversy after claims surfaced online that their staff has been illegally selling Jujutsu Kaisen 0.5 manga booklets when they were supposed to be given out for free
The company announced on 16 March that limited edition Jujutsu Kaisen mangas would be given out for free to customers who buy two tickets to see the anime film from 17 March onwards.
Officially titled Jujutsu Kaisen 0.5: Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, the booklets were also distributed to audiences at Jujutsu Kaisen 0 screenings across Japan to celebrate the movie's release.
According to Tokyo Otaku Mode, the booklet contains a nine-page side-story penned specially by original author Gege Akutami about the daily lives of Okkotsu and the other first year students. It also includes storyboards from Chapter 1 of the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 manga (The Cursed Child), a Q&A with Akutami, as well as comments from the staff and cast.
Image via TGV Cinemas (Facebook)
However, according to a Twitter user, when she and a friend went to watch the film again on 18 March after hearing about the promotion, they were told that the booklets had already run out
"When we arrived at TGV KLCC, we queued up to redeem the booklets. When it was our turn, the TGV staff told us, 'Sorry, they were sold out since yesterday (17 March).' We were so speechless," she told this SAYS writer.
She added that she felt frustrated because TGV Cinemas did not provide any updates regarding the booklets being sold out at certain cinemas.
Image via Twitter
Another Twitter user also claimed to have gone to a TGV Cinemas outlet on 18 March but was unable to get a free booklet either.
"I almost couldn't believe it because 17 March is the first day [of the special promotion]," wrote the user.
Image via Twitter
Fans who missed out on the deal resorted to purchasing the booklet from resellers — but at a hefty price tag
Two days after the disappointing visit to the movie theatre, the user told SAYS that she was searching for the booklets on Carousell and found that so many of them were being sold.
One seller even priced the booklet as high as RM120.
Image via Carousell
"There was one seller that caught my eyes [...] She [was] selling it for RM80 and I asked to lower the price to RM60. But the seller refused and said that someone else would buy it for [even higher]."
Image via Provided to SAYS
The seller then told her that she is working at TGV Cinemas, raising suspicions that the seller might be taking home the mangas from her workplace to sell online illegally.
On top of that, since the booklet is a rarity, she questioned why there were suddenly so many being sold online yet not many of the Jujutsu Kaisen fans in Malaysia were able to get their hands on it, citing the lack of photos of the booklet online within the fan community.
Image via Provided to SAYS
TGV Cinemas has since issued a statement denying that their staff are involved in the illegal sales of the rare manga booklet
"Let us assure you that TGV stands with the fans and we strongly condemn such behaviour," said the company in a statement dated 22 March.
"Our preliminary investigation indicates no involvement of TGV staff, and we see the perpetrator is using multiple fake social ids."
"For the record, TGV will take strong disciplinary action against any staff found guilty of committing such wrongdoings."
The Twitter user said she has already informed the cinema chain about the seller and the company has acknowledged her concerns.
As of writing, no further updates have been given by the company regarding the issue.
Image via @TGVCinemas (Twitter)
Just a few weeks ago, TGV was involved in another issue that had gone viral on social media:
Separately, the manga collection was recently censored with a piece of paper on its cover at a popular bookstore in Kuala Lumpur:
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