Japan is the world's biggest producer of comics. This fact cannot be overstated. Japanese comics, referred to internationally as manga, consists of many different genres. There are over 200 weekly and monthly magazines dedicated to publishing manga.
The most popular of them all is the weekly Shonen magazine. Shonen Jump publishes 2 million copies every week. The biggest selling period was the 1980s and 1990s, when 7 million copies were sold every week. This was an extraordinary number. Shonen Jump, the comic book weekly, which was first published in 1968, was not popular at first. But they were successful because they cared about nurturing new artists and writers. The magazine's motto is three words: friendship, hard work and triumph. With these as the foundational themes, many masterpieces were created.
One of the most popular comics during this heyday was Dragon Ball, which had a ten-year run of publication. The series consists of 42 volumes when put together. These books were released all over the world. They have sold a total of 250 million copies. The Dragon Ball series originally ended in 1995. However, it is still popular today, with new artists continuing to carry on the new series. Why is it so popular?
It's an engaging story that kids will be excited about. It is also because of the excellent character design that draws readers in. The main character, Goku, battles a series of powerful enemies and becomes stronger and stronger. The story is simple, but powerful and full of reader appeal. The drawing style is simple and charming, and is very approachable.
This popularity soon led to an anime adaptation. As soon as the animation aired on television, many international contracts were signed. Dragon Ball aired in over 60 countries around the world, and in the United States, on Cartoon Network.
Shonen Jump has been producing a lot of international hits besides Dragon Ball. For example, a manga called Kochirakatsushikakukamearikuenmaehashutsusho was serialized for 40 years, starting in 1976, and published 200 books. The story is a comedy. The main character is an unscrupulous police officer. He causes a ruckus each time and makes the reader laugh.
One Piece is an adventure fantasy in which a boy sets out on a voyage to become a pirate king. It is still running and is the most popular work in Japan. 100 million copies were sold in 2005. The 96th volume will be released in April of 2020, bringing the total to over 470 million books.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure has also been a long seller for over 30 years. It's a very strange story about characters with special abilities who fight each other. The style is also very unique and many fans are eagerly awaiting the next book.
One of the most recent and most talked about is Demon Slayer. It's a Japanese style vampire story. It's set in the 1920s in a unique historical setting, in an era without smartphones or modern science. The author uses an original style of narration to describe the battle between humans and demons. It is very cruel and unique. It's refreshing and has gained many new readers.
Thus, Shonen Jump is a manga hitmaker that stands out from the crowd. It is always aware of the times and has succeeded in attracting a new generation of writers and readers. I'm sure they will continue to make more interesting magazines in the future.
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