Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Japanese manga magazine
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- 5 chapters
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ToursExplore Lably’s 3D toursIt is one of the best-selling manga magazines. By March 2008, the magazine had 2,942 issues, having sold 4.55 billion copies, with an average weekly circulation of 1,546,567. At an average issue price of ¥129 ($1.29), the magazine had generated approximately ¥590 billion ($5.9 billion) in sales revenue by March 2008. In addition, about 1 billion compiled tankōbon volumes had been sold by March 2008.
Jason Thompson stated that it is "more down-to-earth, as well as just a tad more guy-oriented" compared to Weekly Shōnen Jump and likened this magazine to "more like something you'd find in the guys' locker room."
History
The magazine, launched on March 17, 1959, was the first weekly manga magazine, followed rapidly by Weekly Shōnen Sunday by rivalling publisher Shogakukan. Throughout the 1960s, Weekly Shōnen Magazine was the top selling weekly manga magazines besides Weekly Shōnen Sunday and Weekly Shōnen King. During the first years of its run, the magazine was not solely focused on manga, but also published other content for children.
From 1965 onwards, the chief editor of Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Masaru Uchida, invited artists associated with the gekiga movement to work for the magazine. The gekiga movement had a style marked by dramatic, realistic storytelling often aimed at mature audiences. Blending children's manga with adolescent gekiga themes and styles attracted new readers to manga magazines. In a short time, the readership of the magazine expanded rapidly and was at nearly one million by the end of 1966.
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Features
Series
There are currently 31 manga titles being serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Out of them, Ahiru no Sora is on indefinite hiatus.
Circulation
Magazine Pocket
Magazine Pocket (マガジンポケット, Magajin Poketto), or MagaPoke (マガポケ), is an online web comic site run by Kodansha and tied in to their Weekly Shōnen Magazine line. It runs original manga created for the site as well as manga moved from one of the print magazines related to Weekly Shōnen Magazine. It opened on August 3, 2015.
Reception
The Weekly Shōnen Magazine achieved success in the 1970s and subsequently had increased sales. As a result, it became the top-selling manga magazine in Japan of its period, appearing popular amongst many otaku. But the position was later occupied by Weekly Shōnen Jump, when this competitor was born in 1968, knocking Shōnen Magazine off the top spot. Shōnen Jump had begun to circulate and dominate the manga magazine market. This started from the 1970s and continued throughout the 1990s.
In October 1997, Shōnen Magazine reclaimed its position as the top-selling manga magazine of its day until this was brokered in 2002. Currently, the two magazines have competed closely in terms of market circulation. Sales of the two magazines now remain very close. Circulation has dropped below two million. In a rare event due to the closeness of the two magazine's founding dates, Weekly Shōnen Magazine and Weekly Shōnen Sunday released a special combined issue on March 19, 2008. In addition, other commemorative events, merchandise, and manga crossovers were planned for the following year as part of the celebrations.
Others include Shōnen Magazine, published by Kobunsha of the same Kodansha group. Shōnen Magazine famously serialized Tetsujin 28-go, the first mecha anime from July 1956 to May 1966.