Shonen Book
Encyclopedia
is a manga
magazine by Shueisha
, which debuted March 1958 and ended in April 1969. Shōnen Book was originally a spin-off of Shueisha's . Shōnen Book is famously known in Japan for being the predecessor to the company's famous Weekly Shōnen Jump
magazine. The Shōnen Book tankōbon
manga volumes are published under the manga imprint. Shōnen Book was a part of Shueisha's former leading magazine line, Book, now Jump. Shōnen Book was created in 1958 as a male version of the short lived Shōjo Book. Omoshiro Book became an off-shoot of the magazine, and eventually faded away in the middle of the Shōnen Book timeline. Shōnen Book also served as a root to many other magazines published by Shueisha.
magazine Shōjo Book. The success of Shōjo Book, led to the publication of their wideley successful, Ribon
. Shueisha was planning to make a Shōnen
version of their Shōjo Book magazine, and they created Shōnen Book. Shōnen Book was created as a sister anthology to their already successful Omoshiro Book, on the front cover of the first Shōnen Book it announced that Omoshiro Book would continue as a special issue of Shōnen Book. Omoshiro Book had an Osamu Tezuka
manga called Lion Books
. Shōnen Book, historically had some of the most famous manga artists
of all time, such as Tatsuo Yoshida
whose Mach GoGoGo (Speed Racer
) appeared in the magazine, and which ultimately was rereleased by Fusosha as two deluxe volumes. The magazine also serialized many of Osamu Tezuka
's manga series. In the middle of Shōnen Book's publication, Shōnen Jump
was created, making Shōnen Book a special issue. Shōnen Jump at the time was a semiweekly magazine. When it became a weekly magazine, the title of Shōnen Jump was changed to Weekly Shōnen Jump, and Shōnen Book was discontinued. The magazine of Shōnen Book was replaced with a special called Bessatsu Shōnen Jump, which was later changed to the title Monthly Shōnen Jump
(branched of into its own magazine, discontinued, and was replaced with the current; Jump SQ.
), and then finally Akamaru Jump (the latter of which is now a "Zōkan" (special) issue).
A essential feature of Shōnen Book is that it had many famous manga artists in it. The magazine published series from the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka
, and also published Tatsuo Yoshida's Mach GoGoGo, which has become a successful title in the late ages of anime
in the United States
. Also in Shōnen Book, a manga adaptation of the sequel to the Mighty Jack
TV drama: Tatakae! Mighty Jack. The famous Harenchi Gakuen
also started in Shōnen Book, and later moved to the major Weekly Shōnen Jump
.
In addition to the manga series of Shōnen Book, it also featured many light novel series. The light novels are based on the running series in the magazine.
magazine, also put under their new imprint—Jump Comics.
has been released in English. More importantly, the anime
was one of the first brought to the United States of America, as well as the manga. The manga was first published by NOW Comics
, selecting chapters from the series under the title of the English anime. Mach GoGoGo was later released in complete volumes by DC Comics
's Wildstorm Productions under the title Speed Racer: the Original Manga, the cover art was done by Robert DeJesus. Currently the series is published by Digital Manga Publishing
under the title Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go.
Although "Speed Racer" has found success in the States, some other series have also appeared in the United States under other media besides manga or anime. An example of this would be Obake no Q-tarō
by Fujiko Fujio
, the Shōnen Book series was never published in English, although a video game based on the series was published in the United States. This game was called Obake no Q-tarō: WanWan Panic
retitled Chubby Cherub, and was heavily altered. The game was originally made for fans of the series, which Americans would have no knowledge of. Q-tarō, the Ghost was replaced with a cherub
. The series has been in many other magazines besides Shōnen Book, such as CoroCoro Comic
, Weekly Shōnen Sunday, and Bessatsu Shōnen Sunday
, making the game media of all four of the anthologies.
Even currently Shōnen Book appeared in United States. In the Astro Boy Game Boy Advance
video game Astro Boy: Omega Factor
, the main character of the Big X
series made a cameo. Astro Boy: Omega Factor was released in States on August 17, 2004.
As for the manga based on television series, not the manga, but the Mighty Jack
TV series had episodes one through six merged into a dubbed
feature-length film (much like Giant Robo
). This was a common act of filmmaking at the time. The series gained more exposure after its appearance on Mystery Science Theater 3000
, which in the 1980s aired on Comedy Central
. Also the manga Captain Scarlet was an adaptation of the United Kingdom
TV show: Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
, which was in English to begin with.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
magazine by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
, which debuted March 1958 and ended in April 1969. Shōnen Book was originally a spin-off of Shueisha's . Shōnen Book is famously known in Japan for being the predecessor to the company's famous Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
magazine. The Shōnen Book tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
manga volumes are published under the manga imprint. Shōnen Book was a part of Shueisha's former leading magazine line, Book, now Jump. Shōnen Book was created in 1958 as a male version of the short lived Shōjo Book. Omoshiro Book became an off-shoot of the magazine, and eventually faded away in the middle of the Shōnen Book timeline. Shōnen Book also served as a root to many other magazines published by Shueisha.
History
Shueisha was just getting into the business of making manga magazines, creating the magazine Omoshiro Book and the ShōjoShojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
magazine Shōjo Book. The success of Shōjo Book, led to the publication of their wideley successful, Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
. Shueisha was planning to make a Shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
version of their Shōjo Book magazine, and they created Shōnen Book. Shōnen Book was created as a sister anthology to their already successful Omoshiro Book, on the front cover of the first Shōnen Book it announced that Omoshiro Book would continue as a special issue of Shōnen Book. Omoshiro Book had an Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
manga called Lion Books
Lion Books (manga)
was a 1950s Japanese manga series published by Shueisha into the Omoshiro Book as a supplement. The same company would publish Lion Books II into Weekly Shōnen Jump in the 1970s, which would commonly be referred to as "The New Lion Books"...
. Shōnen Book, historically had some of the most famous manga artists
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...
of all time, such as Tatsuo Yoshida
Tatsuo Yoshida
was a Japanese cartoonist, writer and anime pioneer who founded the anime studio Tatsunoko Productions.Born in 1932, Yoshida grew up in the hardship of war-torn Japan. A self-taught artist, his first job was as working for local newspapers in Kyoto...
whose Mach GoGoGo (Speed Racer
Speed Racer
Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
) appeared in the magazine, and which ultimately was rereleased by Fusosha as two deluxe volumes. The magazine also serialized many of Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
's manga series. In the middle of Shōnen Book's publication, Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
was created, making Shōnen Book a special issue. Shōnen Jump at the time was a semiweekly magazine. When it became a weekly magazine, the title of Shōnen Jump was changed to Weekly Shōnen Jump, and Shōnen Book was discontinued. The magazine of Shōnen Book was replaced with a special called Bessatsu Shōnen Jump, which was later changed to the title Monthly Shōnen Jump
Monthly Shonen Jump
is a now defunct monthly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shueisha from 1970 to 2007 under the Jump line of magazines. It was the sister magazine to Weekly Shōnen Jump.- History :...
(branched of into its own magazine, discontinued, and was replaced with the current; Jump SQ.
Jump Square
is a Japanese monthly shōnen manga magazine with a circulation of over 300,000. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for Monthly Shōnen Jump, another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of that year. The magazine is a part of the Jump...
), and then finally Akamaru Jump (the latter of which is now a "Zōkan" (special) issue).
Features
Shōnen Book much like many other manga magazines had many different features such as manga series, articles, etc. Shōnen Book also had special editions like , which was a children's version of the main anthology, aimed at young children. Or , which features all color artwork.A essential feature of Shōnen Book is that it had many famous manga artists in it. The magazine published series from the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
, and also published Tatsuo Yoshida's Mach GoGoGo, which has become a successful title in the late ages of anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Also in Shōnen Book, a manga adaptation of the sequel to the Mighty Jack
Mighty Jack
was a tokusatsu SF/espionage/action TV series. Created by Japanese effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, the show was produced by Tsuburaya Productions and was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 6, 1968 to June 29, 1968, with a total of 13 one-hour episodes...
TV drama: Tatakae! Mighty Jack. The famous Harenchi Gakuen
Harenchi Gakuen
is a Japanese media franchise created by Go Nagai. Harenchi Gakuen was one of the manga serialized in the very first issue of Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump. The series was the first big success for Go Nagai...
also started in Shōnen Book, and later moved to the major Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
.
In addition to the manga series of Shōnen Book, it also featured many light novel series. The light novels are based on the running series in the magazine.
Manga in the last issue of Shōnen Book
This list contains all of the manga in the last issue of Shōnen Book. Three of the series were transferred to the Shōnen JumpWeekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
magazine, also put under their new imprint—Jump Comics.
Manga series
| Manga | Began | Ended | Creator |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1968 | April 1969 | Kōki Yokoyama | |
| January 1968 | April 1969 | Sachio Umemoto × Kazuya Fukumoto | |
| January 1968 | April 1969 | Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack... |
|
| January 1969 | April 1969 | Fujio Akatsuka Fujio Akatsuka was a pioneer Japanese artist of comical manga known as the Gag Manga King. His name at birth is 赤塚 藤雄, whose Japanese pronunciation is the same as 赤塚 不二夫.... |
|
| June 1968 | April 1969 | Reiji Matsumoto | |
| April 1969 | April 1969 (continued in Shōnen Jump Weekly Shonen Jump is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies... ) |
Hiroshi Kaiduka | |
| April 1969 | April 1969 (continued in Shōnen Jump Weekly Shonen Jump is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies... ) |
Gō 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... |
|
| April 1969 | April 1969 (continued in Shōnen Jump Weekly Shonen Jump is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies... ) |
Noboru Kawasaki Noboru Kawasaki is a Japanese manga artist. He is most famous for drawing the series Star of the Giants. He won the 14th Shogakukan Manga Award in 1969 for Animal 1 and Inakappe Taishō and the 2nd Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen in 1978 for Football Hawk.... × Ikki Kajiwara Ikki Kajiwara was a Japanese author, manga writer, and film producer, also known under the pseudonym . His real name is . The pseudonym was used since he was writing for a rival magazine at the time. Having multiple names would not allow overlaps by the two magazines... |
One-shots
| Manga | Published | Creator |
|---|---|---|
| April 1969 | Rentarō Itai | |
| April 1969 | Takumi Takahashi | |
| April 1969 | Gō 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... |
|
| April 1969 | Sachio Umemoto |
Shōnen Book media in the English language
Only the series Mach GoGoGoSpeed Racer
Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
has been released in English. More importantly, the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
was one of the first brought to the United States of America, as well as the manga. The manga was first published by NOW Comics
NOW Comics
NOW Comics was a comic book publisher founded in late 1985 by Tony C. Caputo as a sole-proprietorship. During the four years after its founding, NOW grew from a one-man operation to operating in 12 countries, and published almost 1,000 comics books....
, selecting chapters from the series under the title of the English anime. Mach GoGoGo was later released in complete volumes by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
's Wildstorm Productions under the title Speed Racer: the Original Manga, the cover art was done by Robert DeJesus. Currently the series is published by Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...
under the title Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go.
Although "Speed Racer" has found success in the States, some other series have also appeared in the United States under other media besides manga or anime. An example of this would be Obake no Q-tarō
Obake no Q-taro
, by Fujiko Fujio, is a Japanese manga about an obake, Qtarō who lives with the Ōhara family. Qtarō, also known as Q-chan or Oba-Q, is a mischief-maker who likes to fly around scaring people and stealing food, though he is deathly afraid of dogs.The story is formulaic, usually focussed on the...
by Fujiko Fujio
Fujiko Fujio
was a nom de plume of a manga writing duo formed by two Japanese manga artists. Their real names are and . They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987....
, the Shōnen Book series was never published in English, although a video game based on the series was published in the United States. This game was called Obake no Q-tarō: WanWan Panic
Chubby Cherub
Chubby Cherub is a video game software by Bandai for the Nintendo Family Computer. The original Japanese version of the game, Obake no Q-tarō: WanWan Panic, was heavily modified for its United States release and retitled Chubby Cherub since Americans had no knowledge of Obake no Q-taro...
retitled Chubby Cherub, and was heavily altered. The game was originally made for fans of the series, which Americans would have no knowledge of. Q-tarō, the Ghost was replaced with a cherub
Cherub
A cherub is a type of spiritual being mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and cited later on in the Christian biblical canons, usually associated with the presence of God...
. The series has been in many other magazines besides Shōnen Book, such as CoroCoro Comic
CoroCoro Comic
is a Japanese monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan, starting on May 15, 1977. Its main target is elementary school aged boys, younger than the readers of shōnen manga...
, Weekly Shōnen Sunday, and Bessatsu Shōnen Sunday
Bessatsu Shonen Sunday
was a monthly manga magazine published by Shogakukan in Japan from Spring 1960 until March 1974. It was initially published quarterly, but switched to a monthly release beginning in December 1964. Due to sluggish sales and the paper shortage caused by the 1973 oil crisis, the magazine's last issue...
, making the game media of all four of the anthologies.
Even currently Shōnen Book appeared in United States. In the Astro Boy Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
video game Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
is a beat 'em up video game developed by Treasure Co. Ltd and Hitmaker, and published by Sega. The game was released for the Game Boy Advance console on December 18, 2003 in Japan; August 18, 2004 in North America; and February 18, 2005 in Europe. The game is based on Osamu Tezuka's manga and anime...
, the main character of the Big X
Big X
is a science fiction manga series and an anime series by Osamu Tezuka, based on actual experiments conducted by the Nazis to create secret weapons toward the end of World War II.-Storyline:...
series made a cameo. Astro Boy: Omega Factor was released in States on August 17, 2004.
As for the manga based on television series, not the manga, but the Mighty Jack
Mighty Jack
was a tokusatsu SF/espionage/action TV series. Created by Japanese effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, the show was produced by Tsuburaya Productions and was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 6, 1968 to June 29, 1968, with a total of 13 one-hour episodes...
TV series had episodes one through six merged into a dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
feature-length film (much like Giant Robo
Giant Robo (tokusatsu)
, is a manga and tokusatsu series created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It is similar to his famous Tetsujin 28-go , though Giant Robo has more fantastic elements....
). This was a common act of filmmaking at the time. The series gained more exposure after its appearance on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
, which in the 1980s aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
. Also the manga Captain Scarlet was an adaptation of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
TV show: Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
, which was in English to begin with.