Anime and manga are deeply interconnected media. I don’t think this needs much more explaining from me. That in mind, I thought it’d be worth the time to discuss a few major manga magazines. There will likely be more than one Key Frames post on this topic, but I thought to begin with I’d discuss the top selling manga mags for each of the traditional demographics.
Key Frames #6: Manga Magazines
Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic: Shōnen
Parent Company: Shueisha
First Issue: 1968
Major Titles: Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach
About: If you’re familiar with anime at all, you’re likely familiar with at least the name Weekly Shōnen Jump. Jump has the widest circulation and a library of legendary titles. First published as a biweekly magazine, it became weekly in 1969. The magazine spawned an entire Jump franchise with multiple sister publications still running today and numerous forays into international markets.
Weekly Young Jump
Demographic: Seinen
Parent Company: Shueisha
First Issue: 1979
Major Titles: Tokyo Ghoul, Golden Kamuy, Elfen Lied
About: The fourth bestselling manga magazine in Japan targets an older demographic than the Jump franchise starter. If Wikipedia is to be trusted, its circulation is about a third of the circulation of Weekly Shōnen Jump. It tends to feature provocative content, sexual themes and intense violence. It has spawned a few popular anime series and a monthly magazine counterpart.
Ciao
Demographic: Shoujo
Parent Company: Shogakukan
First Issue: 1977
Major Titles: Hamtaro, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Wedding Peach
About: The bestselling shoujo manga magazine is also the sixth bestselling manga magazine overall. Originally, the magazine came packaged with paper crafts, but it now includes small goods like cosmetics and pens. Like another entry on this list, it has played host to a Pokémon series Pocket Monsters PiPiPi ★ Adventures.
Be Love
Demographic: Josei
Parent Company: Kodansha
First Issue: 1980
Major Titles: Peach Girl, Chihayafuru
About: Number 28 on the list of manga magazines, the bestselling josei mag is a far cry from the other entries on this list, with only a fraction of their readership. Still, with manga focused on everyday life, the magazine was the first to target adult women when it debuted. Most of its readership consists of working women and housewives.
CoroCoro Comic
Demographic: Kodomo
Parent Company: Shogakukan
First Issue: 1977
Major Titles: Doraemon, Pocket Monsters SPECIAL, Yōkai Watch, Super Mario-kun
About: If, like me, you still follow the Pokémon series, CoroCoro Comic probably isn’t an entirely unfamiliar name. Initially created as a way to distribute the Doraemon manga, CoroCoro Comic also features news on popular franchises whose tie-in manga run in magazine, leading to CoroCoro having exclusive news on many Pokémon titles. It’s the third bestselling manga magazine, and while it primarily caters to younger children in the kodomo demographic, it occasionally skews toward shounen content.
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