This 2018, the best-selling manga magazine, Weekly Shounen Jump is celebrating its 50th anniversary! Uniqlo has already released its share of limited-edition shirts for the celebration. In addition, a concert called Jump Music Festa will be held from July 7 to 8 at Yokohama Arena, including Little Glee Monster, KANA-BOON, and SpyAir.
Because shounen manga is a boys comic, Weekly Shonen Jump has been a magazine that features male protagonists in intense action stories, not to mention the number of humorous moments inserted in the storyline.
With huge titles under their belt such as Naruto, Dragon Ball, and One Piece, let us take a trip down the memory lane and find out how Weekly Shonen Jump started conquering the world comic scene.
Where it all Began
The first Shounen Jump issue was released on August 1, 1968. The magazine was launched by the company Shueisha to compete with other shounen magazines of the time, namely the Weekly Shonen Magazine and the Weekly Shonen Sunday. Shounen Jump was originally a bi-weekly magazine, but after its 20th issue, it was released only once a week.
The Shameless 60s
The first notable manga that appeared in the magazine was Shameless School (Harenchi Gakuen) by Go Nagai in 1968. It’s about a school full of perverts--from its students to its teachers. The manga spawned a live action TV series, five movies, and an anime OVA (Original Video Animation).
The Comical 70s
The 70’s saw the release of KochiKame - Tokyo Beat Cops (Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo) by Osamu Akimoto. It followed a middle-aged policeman called Kankichi Ryotsu in downtown Tokyo. It garnered a total of 200 volumes and has been adapted into anime series and live action films.
The Kamehame Wave of the 80s
The 80’s was then smashed by the phenomenal Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. The 42-volume manga followed the life of Son Goku, who was in search of 7 orbs called the dragon balls. It became the second best-selling manga of all time, having sold 240 million copies worldwide.
The original Dragon Ball anime series was then followed by four sequels: Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Z Kai, and Dragon Ball Super, which was just released in 2015.
Best-selling Heroes of the 90s
The 90s saw the birth of the legendary battousai of Rurouni Kenshin, by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It was the story of Kenshin Himura, a former assassin of the Tokugawa Era, who vowed to protect other people’s lives instead. The series was also internationally known as Samurai X because of Kenshin’s x-shaped scar on his face. With 28 volumes released, it has sold over 70 million copies. The manga also inspired three live-action movies starring Takeru Sato.
However, Kenshin was not alone in this decade. One Piece, what was considered the best-selling manga of all time, was also released in the 90s. The series, which was written by Eiichiro Oda has sold a record-breaking 430 million copies worldwide. The story dealt with the adventures of the pirate Monkey D. Luffy, and his quest to find the world’s greatest treasure.
By the end of the decade, another huge success was born in, in the form of the ninja Naruto, by Masashi Kishimoto. It has 72 volumes, and has sold 220 million copies. The story followed the ninja, Naruto, as he trained to become the head of his village.
The New Millenium
In the 2000s, the Weekly Shonen Jump featured Bleach by Tite Kubo. The manga was about a teenager named Ichigo Kurosaki, and his life after he obtained the powers of a Soul Reaper. The manga has spawned a television series and multiple anime films. It has also sold 120 million copies around the globe.
Death Note was also a manga series in Weekly Shounen Jump that garnered considerable fame. Written by Tsugumi Oba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, it was released in 2003 and has a total of 12 volumes. The manga wass all about a teenage boy named Light, who discovered a powerful notebook that can kill anyone whose name or face he knew. Death Note has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, and inspired novels, anime, video games, and live action films.
In the present, Weekly Shonen Jump is still making waves with manga. A notable one is Black Clover by Yuuki Tabata. The story follows a boy named Asta, who was born without any magical powers but dreamt to be the Wizard King. An anime series was released based on the manga in 2017.
With all these titles, it could definitely be considered that, for 50 golden years, the world of manga has forever been changed by the Weekly Shounen Jump. And for 50 years, the magazine has already and will forever change the lives of young boys, who will always say, as the Radwimps song goes, “I was dreaming of a future, one like something out of Shounen Jump."
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