is a weekly ''shōnen''

manga magazine are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics an ...

published on Wednesdays in Japan by

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college student demographic. According to circulation figures accumulated by the Japanese Magazine Publishers Association, the magazine's circulation has dropped in every quarter since records were first collected in April–June 2008. This is, however, not an isolated occurrence as digital media continues to be on the rise. It is one of the best-selling manga magazines. By March 2008, the magazine had 2,942 issues, having sold 4.55billion copies, with an average weekly circulation of . At an average issue price of ($), the magazine had generated approximately () in sales revenue by March 2008. In addition, about compiled ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

'' 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 is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump (magazine line), Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many Action (fiction), action scenes and a fair ...

'' and likened this magazine to "more like something you'd find in the guys' locker room."

Features

Series

There are currently 27 manga titles being serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine''. Out of them, '' Ahiru no Sora'' is on indefinite hiatus.

Circulation

''Magazine Pocket''

, or , is an online web comic site run by

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 are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

magazine in Japan of its period, appearing popular amongst many otaku. But the position was later occupied by ''

'', 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 is a weekly manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, making it ...

'' 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.Shonen Magazine, Shonen Sunday Mark 50th Anniversary (Updated) - Anime News Network
/ref> Others include ''Shōnen Magazine'', published by Kobunsha of the same

group. ''Shōnen Magazine'' famously serialized '' Tetsujin 28-go'', the first

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...

anime from July 1956 to May 1966.

References

External links

* {{Kodansha manga magazines Weekly manga magazines published in Japan Magazines established in 1959 Kodansha magazines 1959 establishments in Japan Shōnen manga magazines