Weekly Shonen Sunday (週刊少年サンデー Shūkan Shōnen Sandē) is a weekly shonen manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 17, 1959. Despite its title, Weekly Shonen Sunday issues are released on Wednesdays.
History[]
Shonen Sunday was first published on March 17, 1959[2] as a response to its rival Weekly Shonen 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, Shonen 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.
Weekly Shonen Sunday's mascot, Issue 1991-#37
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 Shonen 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.
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 [3]
- 2009 - 773,062 [4]
- 2010 - 678,917 [5]
- 2011 - 583,750 [6]
- 2013 - 532,667 [7]
- 2014 - 461,250
- 2015 - 393,417
Editors[]
- 1959–1960
- Kiichi Toyoda[8]
- 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 Kyokai no Rinne, which was released on October 20, 2009.
References[]
- ↑ Japanese Magazine Publishers Association Boy's Manga
- ↑ Japanese Language Magazines Releases
- ↑ Where's The Manga Magazine Bailout?
- ↑ 2009 Japanese Manga Magazine Circulation Numbers
- ↑ 2010 Japanese Manga Magazine Circulation Numbers
- ↑ Shonen Sunday Mag's Circulation Dips Below 600,000
- ↑ Boy's Manga
- ↑ Shonen Sunday's 1st Editor Kiichi Toyoda Passes Away
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