is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

 and first launched in 1983. Its audience demographic is geared toward younger teenage boys, and contents tend to be predominantly sports stories and high school romantic comedy. Many of the popular series in Magazine Special were transferred there from other Kodansha publications like Weekly Shōnen Magazine

Weekly Shonen Magazine

, also known as Shōnen Magazine, is a shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, first published on 17 March 1959. Despite some unusual censorship policies , it's mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college...

 after their initial run. It is issued monthly on the 20th in perfect-bound B5 format and retails for 500 yen. Issues are typically about 600 pages printed in black and white on heavy newsprint

Newsprint

Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...

, with a few glossy pages in color. Between 20 and 30 stories appear in each issue, almost all of them installments of ongoing and frequently long-running serials by different manga artist

Mangaka

is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...

. In 2008 monthly circulation was reported at 84,667 copies by the Japan Magazine Publishers Association.

Magazine Special series

Title	| Author / Artist	Status
Z Mazinger Z Mazinger is a retelling of the Mazinger Z story by Go Nagai, mixing it with ancient Greek mythology. Here, Greek myths are the human testimony of the epic battles between robots piloted by extraterrestrials...	Go Nagai Go Nagai , better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...	1998-2000
Gacha Gacha Gacha Gacha is a shōnen manga by Hiroyuki Tamakoshi. As of November 2008, the first 13 volumes have been published in North America by Del Rey Manga. However, according to the Anime News Network, the series ended in Japan at volume 11 of the second season...	Hiroyuki Tamakoshi Hiroyuki Tamakoshi is a Japanese manga artist. His manga are mostly of the comedy ecchi boy's harem romance theme. Most of his work has appeared in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, with Boys Be... and Gacha Gacha his best-known titles.-Works:...	2002–2008
Pastel Pastel (manga) is a shōnen manga by Toshihiko Kobayashi and published in the U.S. by Del Rey Manga. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, then moved to Magazine Special in 2003. From chapter 50 and onwards, it is in monthly magazine format...	Toshihiko Kobayashi Toshihiko Kobayashi is a male Japanese manga creator from Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 1995, Half Coat was serialized in Magazine Special from No. 1 to No. 11. After the serial publication of Parallel in Magazine Special from No. 8 in 2000 to No. 1 in 2002, Pastel was serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine from the...	2003–ongoing
Kagetora	Akira Segami	2002-2006
Miami Guns Miami Guns is a manga and anime series. The anime takes place in Miami City, which is similar to Miami, Florida, except for several locale changes. It's mainly about the life of two female Miami City police officers having to stop crimes before they get worse...	Takeaki Momose Takeaki Momose is a Japanese manga artist.- Works :These Japanese comics have been drawn by Takeaki Momose:* Miami Guns* RahXephon * Magikano- External links :...	1997–1999
Sumire 16 sai!! Sumire 16 sai!! is a Japanese manga written by Takeru Nagayoshi. It was serialized in Magazine Special, published by Kodansha. A live action adaptation was also aired as a drama series starting April 13, 2008 starring Nako Mizusawa and Takuma Otoo.-Synopsis:...	Takeru Nagayoshi Takeru Nagayoshi is a Japanese manga artist. He is notable as the author of the Sumire 16 sai!! series. He debuted on Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2006 with the manga series Sumire 17 sai!!, then later moved to Magazine Special continuing the series but renaming to Sumire 16 sai!!.-Works:*Sumire 17 sai!! *Sumire 16...	2006–2008
Negima!? neo Negima!? is an alternate retelling of the manga series Negima! Magister Negi Magi. The anime, directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, aired October 4, 2006 to March 28, 2007 in Japan. It is accompanied by a new monthly manga series by Takuya Fujima called Negima!? neo. Both series feature the same characters and...	Takuya Fujima	Jan. 2008–August. 2009
Jooubachi (Vampire Queen Bee)	Chigusa Takada	Apr. 2009–ongoing
Boys Be... Next Season Boys Be... is a manga created and written by Masahiro Itabashi and illustrated by Hiroyuki Tamakoshi, which was in 2000 adapted into a 13 episode anime series by Hal Film Maker....	Masahiro Itabashi (story) Hiroyuki Tamakoshi Hiroyuki Tamakoshi is a Japanese manga artist. His manga are mostly of the comedy ecchi boy's harem romance theme. Most of his work has appeared in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, with Boys Be... and Gacha Gacha his best-known titles.-Works:... (art)	Nov. 2009–ongoing

External links

• Magazine Special website