Weekly Shonen Jump
Encyclopedia
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 (2009). The chapters of series that run in Weekly Shōnen Jump are collected and published in tankōbon
volumes under the "Jump Comics" imprint
every two to three months. The manga series within the magazine target young male readers and tend to consist of a large number of action scenes and a fair amount of comedy
.
Weekly Shōnen Jump has a sister magazine called Jump Square
, created after the fall of Monthly Shōnen Jump
.
Weekly Shōnen Jump was launched by Shueisha
on July 2, 1968 to compete with the already-successful Weekly Shōnen Magazine
and Weekly Shōnen Sunday. The Weekly Shōnen Jump's sister publication was a manga magazine called Shōnen Book
, which was originally a male version of the short-lived shōjo manga anthology Shōjo Book. Prior to issue 20, Weekly Shōnen Jump was originally called simply Shōnen Jump as it was originally a semi-weekly magazine. In 1969, Shōnen Book ceased publication at which time Shōnen Jump became a weekly magazine and a new monthly magazine called Bessatsu Shōnen Jump was made to take Shōnen Books place. This magazine was later rebranded as Monthly Shōnen Jump
before eventually being discontinued and replaced by Jump Square
.
Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden
, released in 1988 for the Family Computer was produced to commemorate the magazine's 20th anniversary. It was followed by a sequel: Famicom Jump II: Saikyō no Shichinin
in 1991, also for the Family Computer. At its highest point in the mid 1990s, Weekly Shōnen Jump had a regular circulation of over 6 million. In the last few years, its circulation has been about three million. In 2000, two more games were created for the purpose of commemorating the magazine's anniversaries. A crossover fighting game titled Jump Super Stars
was released for the Nintendo DS
in 2005. It was followed by Jump Ultimate Stars
in 2006.
, holds annual competitions for new or up and coming manga artists
to create one-shot stories. The best are put to a panel of judges (including manga artists past and present) where the best are given a special award for the best of these new series. The Tezuka Award
, named for manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka
, is given for all different styles of stories. The Akatsuka Award
, named for gag manga pioneer Fujio Akatsuka
, is a similar competition for comedy and gag manga. Many Weekly Shōnen Jump manga artists have gotten their start either winning or being acknowledged by these competitions.
", a festival showing off the people and products behind the Weekly Shōnen Jump manga titles.
has been serializing irregularly since 2006.
of popular series such as Death Note
and Naruto
. Jump NEXT! has had several other past special versions:
is a single issue of Jump NEXT!. One-shots that were featured in Aomaru Jump were Dead/Undead, Shōgai Oyaji Michi!, The Dream, Mieruhito, Yūtō ☆ Hōshi, and Fuku wa Jutsu.
is a special edition of Jump NEXT! that was published in two issues. Jump the Revolution! contained one-shots of upcoming Weekly Shōnen Jump series and soon to be Jump SQ. series.
.
, Argentina
, Mexico
, Spain
, Australia
, and South Korea
.
, debuted in November 2002, with a January 2003 cover date. Though based on Weekly Shōnen Jump, the English language
Shonen Jump is retooled for English readers and the American audience and is published monthly, instead of weekly. It features serialized chapters from seven manga series, and articles on Japanese language and culture, manga, anime, video games, and figurines. In conjunction with the magazine, Viz launched new imprints for releasing media related to the series presented in the magazine, and other shōnen works. This includes two new manga imprints, an anime
DVD imprint, a fiction line for releasing light novel
s, a label for fan and data books, and a label for the release of art books.
Prior to the magazine's launch, Viz launched an extensive marketing campaign to promote the magazine and help it succeed where other manga anthologies in North America have failed. Shueisha purchased an equity interest in Viz to help fund the venture, and Cartoon Network
, Suncoast
, and Diamond Distributors became promotional partners in the magazine. The first issue required three printings to meet demand, with over 300,000 copies sold. It was awarded the ICv2 "Comic Product of the Year" award in December 2002, and has continued to enjoy high sales with a monthly circulation of 215,000 in 2008.
that was published from 2001 through December 2005 before being canceled. In addition to the Weekly Shōnen Jump manga series, the magazine also included original German language manga-influenced comics. The magazine competed as a sister publication to a shōjo
anthology called Daisuki.
, Tottemo! Luckyman
, Hikaru no Go
, and One Piece
as well as several other local manhua
.
. In 1977, the Tong Li company was created and founded by Fang Wan-Nan which created bootlegs, this ended in 1992. A law in Taiwan restricted the act of bootlegging all manga. During 1992, Tong Li created many manga and manhua magazines, New Youth Bulletin, Youth Comic, Margaret Girl, Dragon Youth Comic, and Formosa Youth. Some series like One Piece
and Hikaru no Go
were first published in the manga/manhua magazine Rèmén Shàonián Top (熱門少年TOP) by Da Ran Publishing, but when Daran Publishing went bankrupt the series were transferred to Formosa Youth.
, Captain Tsubasa
and Dragon Ball
—which holds the highest circulation of manga in Hong Kong, alongside the highest of manhua
which would be Chinese Hero
.
, Gintama
along with many original manga-influenced comics from the division Cartoon Thai Studio like EXEcutional
.
, Death Note
along with many original manga-influenced comics from Factory Studio like Meed Thii Sib-Sam (มีดที่ 13 13th Knife) and Apaimanee Saga
.
version of Weekly Shōnen Jump in Sweden, called Shonen Jump as a sister publication to their existing magazines Manga Mania and Shojo Stars. The magazine included chapters from various popular Weekly Shōnen Jump titles including Rurouni Kenshin
, Bleach
, Naruto
, Shaman King
, and Yu-Gi-Oh!
. In January 2007, Bonnier was unable to renew its license with Shueisha
for the magazine and had to cease publication of the magazine.
edition of Weekly Shōnen Jump began publication in Norway in March 2005. Published by Schibsted Forlagene
, the Norwegian edition was a direct translation of Bonnier's Swedish version of the magazine, containing the same series and titles. When Bonnier lost the license for Weekly Shōnen Jump, the Norwegian version also ceased publication, with the last issue released on February 26, 2007. They also created two short lived book imprints: "En Bok Fra Shonen Jump"(A book from Shonen Jump) for profile books and "Dragon Ball Ekstra"( Dragon Ball Extra) a line specifically for manga written by Akira Toriyama
. Also a films comic
based on the Dragon Ball Z anime
was released under the "TV Anime Comic" imprint.
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,...
under the Jump
Jump (magazine line)
sometimes stylized JUMP, is a famous line of manga magazines created by Shueisha. The origin of the name is unknown. The Jump magazines are intended for the male audience, although the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine has also been popular to the female demographic.- History :In 1949, Shueisha got into...
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 (2009). The chapters of series that run in Weekly Shōnen Jump are collected and published in 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...
volumes under the "Jump Comics" imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
every two to three months. The manga series within the magazine target young male readers and tend to consist of a large number of action scenes and a fair amount of comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
.
Weekly Shōnen Jump has a sister magazine called Jump Square
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...
, created after the fall of 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 :...
.
History
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,...
on July 2, 1968 to compete with the already-successful 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...
and Weekly Shōnen Sunday. The Weekly Shōnen Jump's sister publication was a manga magazine called Shōnen Book
Shonen Book
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...
, which was originally a male version of the short-lived shōjo manga anthology Shōjo Book. Prior to issue 20, Weekly Shōnen Jump was originally called simply Shōnen Jump as it was originally a semi-weekly magazine. In 1969, Shōnen Book ceased publication at which time Shōnen Jump became a weekly magazine and a new monthly magazine called Bessatsu Shōnen Jump was made to take Shōnen Books place. This magazine was later rebranded as 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 :...
before eventually being discontinued and replaced by Jump Square
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...
.
Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden
Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden
is a 1988 console role playing game for the Family Computer published by Bandai. The game commemorates the 20th anniversary of Shueisha's manga anthology Weekly Shonen Jump....
, released in 1988 for the Family Computer was produced to commemorate the magazine's 20th anniversary. It was followed by a sequel: Famicom Jump II: Saikyō no Shichinin
Famicom Jump II: Saikyo no Shichinin
is a 1991 RPG for the Nintendo Family Computer published by Bandai. The sequel to Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden, the game features seven main characters from different Weekly Shonen Jump manga serialized at the time. Only four of the 16 represented titles from the original are brought back, while...
in 1991, also for the Family Computer. At its highest point in the mid 1990s, Weekly Shōnen Jump had a regular circulation of over 6 million. In the last few years, its circulation has been about three million. In 2000, two more games were created for the purpose of commemorating the magazine's anniversaries. A crossover fighting game titled Jump Super Stars
Jump Super Stars
is a 2D fighting game for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005 in Japan and accompanied the release of a red Nintendo DS...
was released for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
in 2005. It was followed by Jump Ultimate Stars
Jump Ultimate Stars
is a fighting video game developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the sequel to Jump Super Stars, also released for the DS. The game was released in Japan on November 23, 2006...
in 2006.
Newcomer Awards
Weekly Shōnen Jump, in association with parent company ShueishaShueisha
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,...
, holds annual competitions for new or up and coming 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...
to create one-shot stories. The best are put to a panel of judges (including manga artists past and present) where the best are given a special award for the best of these new series. The Tezuka Award
Tezuka Award
The is a semi-annual manga award offered by the Japanese publisher Shueisha , under the auspices of its Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. It awards new comic artists in the Story Manga category. Its counterpart award, Akatsuka Award, awards new comic artists in the Comedic Manga category...
, named for manga pioneer 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...
, is given for all different styles of stories. The Akatsuka Award
Akatsuka Award
The is the name of a semi-annual award presented to humorous manga cartoonists by the Japanese publisher Shueisha. The award has been given since 1974 and it aims to reward new manga artist in the comedy manga category. Its counterpart award, Tezuka Award, awards new manga artists in the Story...
, named for gag manga pioneer 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....
, is a similar competition for comedy and gag manga. Many Weekly Shōnen Jump manga artists have gotten their start either winning or being acknowledged by these competitions.
Associated items
WSJ is also the center of the Shueisha's branding of its main manga products due to the popularity and recognition of the series and characters published in it. Although the manga are published both in the main magazine as well as in the Jump Comics line, they also are republished in various other editions such as kazenban and "Remixes" of the original work, usually publishing series older or previously established series. The Jump brand is also used on the tankōbon released of their manga series, related drama CDs, and at "Jump FestaJump Festa
is an annual party or exposition in Japan, all about anime and manga, sponsored by Shueisha, creators of the various Jump anthologies. New movies, manga, games, and merchandise are introduced during this event...
", a festival showing off the people and products behind the Weekly Shōnen Jump manga titles.
Series
There are currently twenty manga titles being regularly serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Hunter × HunterHunter × Hunter
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The story focuses on a young boy named Gon, who discovers that his father, whom he was told was dead, is actually alive and well...
has been serializing irregularly since 2006.
| Series Title | Author | Premiered |
|---|---|---|
| Tsugumi Ohba Tsugumi Ohba is a writer best known for the manga Death Note. His real identity is a closely guarded secret. As stated by the profile placed at the beginning of each Death Note manga, Ohba collects teacups and develops manga plots while holding his knees on a chair, similar to a habit of L, one of the main... , Takeshi Obata Takeshi Obata is a Japanese manga artist. He works as the artist in collaboration with a writer. He has also mentored several manga artists, including Kentaro Yabuki of Black Cat fame, Nobuhiro Watsuki of Rurouni Kenshin and Busou Renkin, and Yusuke Murata of Eyeshield 21.He originally became noticed in 1985... |
||
| Ryūhei Tamura Ryūhei Tamura is a Japanese manga artist. He is former assistant of Toshiaki Iwashiro author of the manga Psyren. He is well known for being author and illustrator of the manga Beelzebub which was first published as a one shot in Weekly Shōnen Jump, 2008. It was then serialised in 2009.-References:... |
||
| Tite Kubo Tite Kubo , known by his pen name , is a Japanese manga artist. His most significant work is the manga series Bleach.-Biography:Kubo was the son of a town council member in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima. He never took drawing seriously until he was 17, and after reading the manga Saint Seiya which... |
||
| Retsu | ||
| Hideaki Sorachi Hideaki Sorachi is a Japanese manga artist best known for his work Gin Tama.- Works :* Bankara One shot, 2010* Gintama Serialization, 2003* 13 One shot* Shirokuro One shot* Samuraider Discontinued at sketch phase... |
||
| Yoshihiro Togashi Yoshihiro Togashi is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college, the publisher Shueisha recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres during the past three decades... |
||
| Kōji Ohishi | ||
| Yasuhiro Kanō Yasuhiro Kano is a Japanese manga artist known for Pretty Face, M×0 and Kagami no Kuni no Harisugawa.-Works:*Midnight Magic*Black City *Tokyo Ants *Pretty Face *M×0 *MP0*She Monkey*Snow in the Dark... |
||
| Akira Amano Akira Amano is a female Japanese manga artist known for the shōnen manga series Reborn!.Early versions of Reborn! were published in seinen manga magazines. In late 2003, the series, a stand-alone short story at the time, was published in the Weekly Shōnen Jump. After the success of the short story, the series... |
||
| Osamu Akimoto Osamu Akimoto is a Japanese manga artist born on December 11, 1952 in Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan. He is best known for his long running series Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo, which has been continuously published in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1976... |
||
| Haruto Ikezawa | ||
| Tadatoshi Fujimaki | ||
| Naoki Iwamoto | ||
| Nisio Isin Nisio Isin , frequently written as NisiOisiN to emphasize that his pen name is a palindrome, is a Japanese novelist and manga writer. He attended and left Ritsumeikan University without graduating. In 2002, he debuted with the novel , which earned him the 23rd Mephisto Award at twenty years of age... , Akira Akatsuki Akira Akatsuki is a Japanese manga artist known primarily as the artist of Medaka Box.- References :*... |
||
| Masashi Kishimoto Masashi Kishimoto is a Japanese manga artist, well known for creating the manga series Naruto. His younger twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a manga artist and creator of the manga series 666 Satan and Blazer Drive... |
||
| Naoshi Komi Naoshi Komi is a male Japanese manga artist who resides in Japan. Komi's stories have regularly debuted in Shōnen Jump magazine and its affiliates, Jump being one of the most popular manga magazines in Japan. Due to Jump's restrictive selection process many of Komi's submissions to the magazine haven't... |
||
| Hiroshi Shiibashi Hiroshi Shiibashi is a Japanese manga artist known for the manga Nurarihyon no Mago. He has worked as an assistant on Hirohiko Araki's series Steel Ball Run.-Career:... |
||
| Eiichirō Oda Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of One Piece.-Early life:As a child, Oda was inspired by Akira Toriyama's works and aspired to become a manga artist. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular TV animation series titled Vicky the Viking... |
||
| Kenta Shinohara | ||
| Ryōsuke Takeuchi, Masaru Miyokawa | ||
| Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro is a Japanese manga artist. He made his debut in 1996 in Weekly Shōnen Jump and received a Akatsuka Award for best new comic manga writer. He is best known for , for which he won the 2001 Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga... |
Jump NEXT!
is the seasonal edition of Weekly Shōnen Jump which is published on Japanese holidays, which was previously published under the name of The magazine features many amateur manga artists who get their one-shots published in the magazine. Akamaru Jump also puts additional one-shot titles by professional manga artists, which promote upcoming series to be published in the main magazine. It also features yonkomaYonkoma
thumb|right|150px|Traditional Yonkoma layout, a comic-strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom...
of popular series such as Death Note
Death Note
is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
and Naruto
Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
. Jump NEXT! has had several other past special versions:
is a single issue of Jump NEXT!. One-shots that were featured in Aomaru Jump were Dead/Undead, Shōgai Oyaji Michi!, The Dream, Mieruhito, Yūtō ☆ Hōshi, and Fuku wa Jutsu.
is a special edition of Jump NEXT! that was published in two issues. Jump the Revolution! contained one-shots of upcoming Weekly Shōnen Jump series and soon to be Jump SQ. series.
V Jump
was originally a off-shoot of the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in a special issue called . The special issues lasted from 1992 through 1993. V Jump became its own independent anthology in 1993 for coverage of games, including video and card games.Super Jump
was also originally an off-shoot of the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in a special issue called . The magazine was published from 1968 to 1988. In 1988 it became a separate anthology for seinenSeinen
is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at a 20–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be older with some manga aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men" and is not suggestive of sexual matters...
.
Foreign adaptations
Manga titles from Weekly Shōnen Jump are translated into many foreign languages, and some even having their own separate version of the Weekly Shōnen Jump anthology. Weekly Shōnen Jump manga are also published in many other countries where the magazine itself is not published, like the United KingdomUnited 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...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
SHONEN JUMP
SHONEN JUMP, published in North America by Viz MediaVIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
, debuted in November 2002, with a January 2003 cover date. Though based on Weekly Shōnen Jump, the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Shonen Jump is retooled for English readers and the American audience and is published monthly, instead of weekly. It features serialized chapters from seven manga series, and articles on Japanese language and culture, manga, anime, video games, and figurines. In conjunction with the magazine, Viz launched new imprints for releasing media related to the series presented in the magazine, and other shōnen works. This includes two new manga imprints, an 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....
DVD imprint, a fiction line for releasing light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s, a label for fan and data books, and a label for the release of art books.
Prior to the magazine's launch, Viz launched an extensive marketing campaign to promote the magazine and help it succeed where other manga anthologies in North America have failed. Shueisha purchased an equity interest in Viz to help fund the venture, and Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
, Suncoast
Suncoast
Suncoast may refer to:* The Florida Suncoast , a colloquial name for the west-central and southwest peninsular Florida coastal area between Pasco County to the north, and Naples to the south, and including the Tampa Bay area...
, and Diamond Distributors became promotional partners in the magazine. The first issue required three printings to meet demand, with over 300,000 copies sold. It was awarded the ICv2 "Comic Product of the Year" award in December 2002, and has continued to enjoy high sales with a monthly circulation of 215,000 in 2008.
Banzai!
Banzai! is a German language version of Weekly Shōnen Jump published by Carlsen VerlagCarlsen Verlag
Carlsen Verlag is a subsidiary of the homonymous Danish publishing house which in turn belongs to the Swedish media company Bonnier. The branch was founded on 25 April 1953 in Hamburg. The publisher's program focuses on books for children Carlsen Verlag is a subsidiary of the homonymous Danish...
that was published from 2001 through December 2005 before being canceled. In addition to the Weekly Shōnen Jump manga series, the magazine also included original German language manga-influenced comics. The magazine competed as a sister publication to a shōjo
Shojo
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...
anthology called Daisuki.
Remen Shaonian Top
Rèmén Shàonián Top (熱門少年TOP) is the former weekly Chinese language version of Weekly Shōnen Jump published in Taiwan by Da Ran Publishing. In the 1990s Da Ran went bankrupt and the magazine had to cease publication. Rèmén Shàonián Top serialized series such as Yu-Gi-Oh!Yu-Gi-Oh!
is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
, Tottemo! Luckyman
Tottemo! Luckyman
is a Japanese manga series created by Hiroshi Gamō for the shōnen anthology magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump. Running between 1993 and 1997, this gag comedy series focused on the adventures of a bizarre superhero on his fights against various aliens and other enemies threatening the planet Earth...
, Hikaru no Go
Hikaru no Go
is a manga series, a coming of age story based on the board game Go written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata with an anime adaptation. The production of the series' Go games was supervised by Go professional Yukari Umezawa...
, and One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
as well as several other local manhua
Manhua
Manhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
.
Formosa Youth
Formosa Youth (寶島少年 Báodǎo Shàonián, lit. "Taiwan Teen") is the current weekly Chinese version of Weekly Shōnen Jump. Formosa Youth features various series from Weekly Shōnen Jump. The Formosa Youth magazine translates Weekly Shōnen Jump manga up to date. A sister publication of Formosa Youth is Dragon Youth Comic (龍少年 Lóng Shàonián), which specializes in local manhuaManhua
Manhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
. In 1977, the Tong Li company was created and founded by Fang Wan-Nan which created bootlegs, this ended in 1992. A law in Taiwan restricted the act of bootlegging all manga. During 1992, Tong Li created many manga and manhua magazines, New Youth Bulletin, Youth Comic, Margaret Girl, Dragon Youth Comic, and Formosa Youth. Some series like One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
and Hikaru no Go
Hikaru no Go
is a manga series, a coming of age story based on the board game Go written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata with an anime adaptation. The production of the series' Go games was supervised by Go professional Yukari Umezawa...
were first published in the manga/manhua magazine Rèmén Shàonián Top (熱門少年TOP) by Da Ran Publishing, but when Daran Publishing went bankrupt the series were transferred to Formosa Youth.
EX-am
EX-am is the Hong Kong version of Weekly Shōnen Jump published by Culturecom Holdings's comic division Culturecom Comics, the largest comic distributors in all of Asia. The magazine published Hunter × HunterHunter × Hunter
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The story focuses on a young boy named Gon, who discovers that his father, whom he was told was dead, is actually alive and well...
, Captain Tsubasa
Captain Tsubasa
, also known as Flash Kicker, is a popular long running Japanese manga, animation, and video game series, originally created by Yōichi Takahashi in 1981...
and Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the...
—which holds the highest circulation of manga in Hong Kong, alongside the highest of manhua
Manhua
Manhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
which would be Chinese Hero
Chinese Hero
Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword is a wuxia manhua series created by Hong Kong artist Ma Wing-shing. It is also referred to as Blood Sword, Blood Sword Dynasty, A Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword and A Man Called Hero....
.
C-Kids
C-Kids (ซีคิดส์ See Kít) is the Thai language Weekly Shōnen Jump published by Siam Inter Comics. C-Kids publishes many Weekly Shōnen Jump series such as One PieceOne Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
, Gintama
Gintama
, also known as Gintama, is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi and serialized, beginning on December 8, 2003, in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump...
along with many original manga-influenced comics from the division Cartoon Thai Studio like EXEcutional
EXEcutional
EXEcutional is a Thai language comic book written by Panuwat Wattananukul . The comic is serialized in the Thai version of Weekly Shōnen Jump, C-Kids.-Introduction:...
.
Boom
Boom (บูม) is another Thai language Weekly Shōnen Jump published by Nation Edutainment. Boom publishes many Weekly Shōnen Jump series such as NarutoNaruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
, Death Note
Death Note
is a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
along with many original manga-influenced comics from Factory Studio like Meed Thii Sib-Sam (มีดที่ 13 13th Knife) and Apaimanee Saga
Apaimanee Saga
Apaimanee Saga is a Thai comic series written and illustrated by Supot A. It was originally serialized in Thailand in NED Comics' magazine Boom...
.
Swedish Shonen Jump
In February 2005, Bonnier Carlsen began publication of a Swedish languageSwedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
version of Weekly Shōnen Jump in Sweden, called Shonen Jump as a sister publication to their existing magazines Manga Mania and Shojo Stars. The magazine included chapters from various popular Weekly Shōnen Jump titles including Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin
, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
, Bleach
Bleach (manga)
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki...
, Naruto
Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
, Shaman King
Shaman King
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei. Shaman King follows the adventures of Yoh Asakura as he attempts to hone his shaman skills to become the Shaman King in the Shaman tournament....
, and Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh!
is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
. In January 2007, Bonnier was unable to renew its license with 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,...
for the magazine and had to cease publication of the magazine.
Norwegian Shonen Jump
A Norwegian languageNorwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
edition of Weekly Shōnen Jump began publication in Norway in March 2005. Published by Schibsted Forlagene
Schibsted
Schibsted is a Norwegian media conglomerate with operations in 20 countries, the most important being Norway and Sweden. The company has its headquarters in Oslo, Norway and is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange....
, the Norwegian edition was a direct translation of Bonnier's Swedish version of the magazine, containing the same series and titles. When Bonnier lost the license for Weekly Shōnen Jump, the Norwegian version also ceased publication, with the last issue released on February 26, 2007. They also created two short lived book imprints: "En Bok Fra Shonen Jump"(A book from Shonen Jump) for profile books and "Dragon Ball Ekstra"( Dragon Ball Extra) a line specifically for manga written by Akira Toriyama
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and game artist known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which he remembers for the great art...
. Also a films comic
Films comic
A , or , also referred to as ani-manga, are Japanese manga volumes which use images from an anime series, film, or video release instead of the standard drawn panels. They generally contain the full dialog from the anime from which they are adapted...
based on the Dragon Ball Z 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 released under the "TV Anime Comic" imprint.
Circulation and reception
In 1982, Weekly Shōnen Jump had a circulation of 2.55 million. By 1995, circulation numbers swelled to 6.53 million. The magazine's editor-in-chief Masahiko Ibaraki believes this was due to the magazine including "hit titles such as Dragon Ball, Slam Dunk and others." After hitting this peak, the circulation numbers began dropping again. By 2007, circulation was at 2.7 million.External links
- Pop Web Jump (Archive)
- Official Jumpland website