Weekly Shōnen Sunday
 1984 Vol. 40 featuring Urusei Yatsura on the cover. | |
| Editor | Yu Torimitsu |
|---|---|
| Former editors | Masaki Nawata |
| Categories | Shōnen manga[1][2] |
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Circulation |
330,000[2] (July–September, 2016) |
| First issue | March 17, 1959 |
| Company | Shogakukan |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Website | websunday.net |
Weekly Shōnen Sunday (Japanese: 週刊少年サンデー Hepburn: Shūkan Shōnen Sandē) is a weekly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, Weekly Shōnen Sunday issues are released on Wednesdays.
History
Shōnen Sunday was first published on March 17, 1959[3] as a response to its rival Weekly Shōnen Magazine. The debut issue featured Shigeo Nagashima, the star player of the Yomiuri Giants on the cover, and a congratulatory article by Isoko Hatano, a noted child psychologist.
Despite its name, Shōnen Sunday was originally published on Tuesdays of each week, switching to Wednesdays in 2011. The "Sunday" in the name was the creation of its first editor, Kiichi Toyoda, who wanted the title to be evocative of a relaxing weekend.
Shōnen Sunday's distinctive "pointing finger" that appears in the lower corner of every page on the left side of the magazine made its subtle debut in the 4/5 issue from 1969. This understated feature, ever present but easily overlooked, was referenced as a plot element in 20th Century Boys. Sunday's more noticeable mascot, a helmeted fish debuted in the 1980s.
Prior to the 1990s and 2000s no serial in Shōnen Sunday had run over 40 volumes, but that began to change with series such as Detective Conan, Major, InuYasha, Shijō Saikyō no Deshi Kenichi and Karakuri Circus, which maintained a high level of popularity.
In a rare event due to the closeness of the two magazine's founding dates, Weekly Shōnen Sunday and Weekly Shōnen Magazine released a special combined issue[4] on 19 March 2008. In addition, other commemorative events, merchandise, and manga crossovers were planned for the following year as part of the celebrations.[5] The book Shonen Sunday 1983 was published on 15 July 2009 to celebrate the anniversary and the magazines heyday. It reprints manga from 1983, such as Urusei Yatsura and Touch, and has interviews with their creators as well as artists who were inspired by the series from that period, such as Gosho Aoyama.[6]
To celebrate Weekly Shōnen Sunday's 55th anniversary, 55 new manga series were launched in the print and online magazines Weekly Shonen Sunday, Shonen Sunday S, Ura Sunday, and Club Sunday throughout the year beginning in March 2014.[7]
Currently running manga series
| Series title | Author | Premiered |
|---|---|---|
| Amano Megumi wa Sukidarake! (天野めぐみはスキだらけ!) | Nekoguchi | August 2015 |
| -Asaoka Kōkō Yakyūbu Nisshi- Over Fence (-浅丘高校野球部日誌- オーバーフェンス) | Mitsuru Adachi | April 2011 |
| Arata Kangatari〜Engaku Kōgatari〜 (アラタ カンガタリ〜革神語〜) | Yū Watase | October 2008 |
| Be Blues!〜Ao ni Nare〜 (BE BLUES!〜青になれ〜) | Motoyuki Tanaka | January 2011 |
| Birdmen (バードメン) | Yellow Tanabe | July 2013 |
| Dagashi Kashi (だがしかし) | Kotoyama | June 2014 |
| Daiku no Hatou (第九の波濤) | Michiteru Kusaba | April 2017 |
| Detective Conan (名探偵コナン) | Gosho Aoyama | January 1994 |
| Gin no Saji Silver Spoon (銀の匙 Silver Spoon) | Hiromu Arakawa | April 2011 |
| Hatsukoi Zombie (初恋ゾンビ) | Ryou Minenami | October 2015 |
| Hoankan Evans no Uso: Dead or Love (保安官エヴァンスの嘘～DEAD OR LOVE～) | Mizuki Kuriyama | April 2017 |
| Komi-san wa, Community-shō desu. (古見さんは、コミュ症です。) | Tomohito Oda | May 2016 |
| Magi (マギ) | Shinobu Ohtaka | June 2009 |
| MAJOR 2nd (メジャーセカンド) | Takuya Mitsuda | March 2015 |
| Maoujou de Oyasumi (魔王城でおやすみ) | Kagiji Kumanomata | May 2016 |
| Meteor Girl (隕石少女―メテオガール―) | Reach Ishiyama | May 2017 |
| Jōjū Senjin!! Mushibugyo (常住戦陣!!ムシブギョー) | Hiroshi Fukuda | January 2011 |
| Psyche Matashitemo (サイケまたしても) | Tsubasa Fukuchi | July 2014 |
| Kyōkai no Rinne (境界のRINNE) | Rumiko Takahashi | April 2009 |
| Sōbōtei Kowasubeshi (双亡亭壊すべし) | Kazuhiro Fujita | March 2016 |
| Tenshou no Quadrable (天翔のクアドラブル) | Takahiro Arai | April 2017 |
| Youkai Giga (妖怪ギガ(仮)) | Satsuki Satou | April 2017 |
| Yugami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga Inai (湯神くんには友達がいない) | Jun Sakura | May 2012 |
| Zettai Karen Children (絶対可憐チルドレン) | Takashi Shiina | July 2004 |
Other well-known Sunday series
In its fifty-five years of history Shōnen Sunday has been host to many series that are considered classics of their genre. From the works of Osamu Tezuka and Shotaro Ishinomori to Rumiko Takahashi, Mitsuru Adachi and Gosho Aoyama, some of the biggest names in the industry have called Shōnen Sunday their home.
Circulation
- 2000 - 2.02 million
- 2002 - 1.53 million
- 2003 - 1.31 million
- 2004 - 1.16 million
- 2005 - 1.06 million
- 2006 - 1.01 million
- 2007 - 0.94 million
- 2008 - 873,438 [8]
- 2009 - 773,062 [9]
- 2010 - 678,917 [10]
- 2011 - 583,750 [11]
- 2013 - 532,667 [12]
- 2014 - 461,250
- 2015 - 393,417
Editors
- 1959–1960
- Kiichi Toyoda[13]
- 1991–1993
- Takashi Hirayama
- 1994–2000
- Toyohiko Okuyama
- 2000–2002
- Shinichiro Tsuzuki
- 2002–2004
- Shinichi Mikami
- 2005–2009
- Masato Hayashi
- 2009–2012
- Masaki Nawata
- 2012–present
- Yu Torimitsu
International versions
Elex Media Komputindo published an Indonesian version of Weekly Shōnen Sunday titled Shōnen Star from 2005 to 2013.
Viz Media began a Shonen Sunday imprint for titles in North America; starting with Rumiko Takahashi's Kyōkai no Rinne, which was released on October 20, 2009.
See also
References
- ↑ Thompson, Jason (2007). Manga: The Complete Guide. Del Rey Books. p. xxiii-xxiv. ISBN 978-0-345-48590-8.
- 1 2 "Boy's Manga" (in Japanese). Japanese Magazine Publishers Association. September 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ↑ "Japanese Language Magazines Releases". Patlabor. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
- ↑ "Shōnen Sunday's 50th Anniversary". Rumic World. 13 April 2008.
- ↑ "Shōnen Magazine Shōnen Sunday Mark 50th Anniversary". Anime News Network. 18 March 2008.
- ↑ "Shonen Sunday 1983 Book Honors Manga Magazine's Heyday". Anime News Network. 9 July 2009.
- ↑ "Shonen Sunday Family to Launch 55 Manga to Mark 55th Year". Anime News Network. 3 March 2014.
- ↑ "Where's The Manga Magazine Bailout?". Manga Cast. 2009-02-22. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- ↑ "2009 Japanese Manga Magazine Circulation Numbers". Anime News Network. 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- ↑ "2010 Japanese Manga Magazine Circulation Numbers". JMPA. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
- ↑ "Shonen Sunday Mag's Circulation Dips Below 600,000". Anime News Network. 2011-11-10.
- ↑ "Boy's Manga" (in Japanese). Japanese Magazine Publishers Association. September 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Shonen Sunday's 1st Editor Kiichi Toyoda Passes Away". Anime News Network. 2013-01-15.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Viz Media's Shonen Sunday page
- Weekly Shōnen Sunday at Anime News Network's encyclopedia