One of Japan’s biggest cultural exports is anime, that distinctive style of animation that has become increasingly popular in America and the rest of the world. Open acceptance of anime is not uncommon in the US these days, a fact that might be thanks to how many adults today grew up watching and enjoying japanese animation on American TV channels. Series such as Naruto, Bleach and Dragon Ball Z were wildly successful here, leading to a generation of Americans that has grown to love Japanese animation.
Despite that, many anime fans may not be as familiar with where some of the most popular franchises originated: the pages of a magazine called Weekly Shonen Jump. This weekly publication, which has been running since 1968, is Japan’s best-selling manga magazine, and one of the most influential institutions in modern media.
Manga, as you may already know, is the japanese term for comics and graphic novels. While manga has much in common with American comic books, there are some distinguishing features. First, while American comics are usually in full color, manga is almost always monochromatic. There is also not nearly as much crossover between series, with each franchise being created by a relatively small team as a stand-alone piece of fiction. There are many other differences as well, but the one most relevant to this discussion is that each new issue of a manga series is usually published in a weekly anthology which combines multiple series in one book.
Shonen Jump has long stood as the biggest and most prestigious host for popular manga series, and for good reason. Over the years, it has published international hits such as One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, Dragon Ball, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and many more. If a manga creator can manage to make a deal with Shonen Jump, their work can be showcased to a huge audience. If the series continues to be successful, it may even warrant an anime adaptation, as has been the case with all of Jump’s most popular franchises. But maintaining your position in Weekly Shonen Jump is not an easy feat.
Because Jump is so popular, it has strict limitations on what series can remain in publication. This is largely determined by audience feedback, with the least popular series being discontinued to make room for a new series. As a result, the competition is fierce, and only a manga with great art, writing and storytelling will last long enough to be considered a success.
With that in mind, you may be wondering what kind of manga is the most successful. From the examples I listed earlier, you may be able to guess that Shonen Jump’s biggest audience is boys and young men. The stories presented usually appeal to things that this demographic tends to like, with an emphasis on action and comedy. While this means that there is not as much as an emphasis on things like mystery, romance or drama, these genres have still seen some amount of success in the pages of Jump.
This emphasis on action and excitement aimed at boys is referred to as Shonen manga, the term from which the magazine takes its name. This formula has proved to be surprisingly flexible, and has been combined with many other genres over the years. Subjects can include anything from fantasy and sci-fi, to contemporary subjects like card games or sports. As you might imagine, many of these subjects are appealing to people from all over the world, which is an important factor in Shonen Jump’s international appeal.
Today, Shonen Jumps still stands at the top of the manga industry, and continues to influence the creation and distribution of some of the most popular franchises in the world. Looking at it today, one can see a combination of long running series like One Piece and JoJo along with new ones like My Hero Academia and Dr. Stone. New issues can be found in Japanese specialty stores or even purchased online, so if you’re curious about the future of anime and manga, pick up a copy when you get the chance.
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