- The transformation of "Shonen JUMP" aims at the strengthening of male-oriented works

Shonen Jump, a manga magazine boasting a circulation of nearly 3 million copies, is now in a period of transition. The themes that have been proposed as the latest direction are "Getting Rid of Battle" and "Strengthening of Male-oriented Works". Let's take a look at the trends of the Shonen Jump series to decipher the secret of the magazine's power.

Japan's best-selling magazine "Shonen Jump" (hereinafter referred to as "jump") has a super powerful lineup called "Yokai Serialization" and "ONEPIECE". Among them, there are not a few works that have been animated. In today's age of diverse hobbies, Jump's weekly circulation of 3 million copies is staggering.

On the one hand, popular kanban works such as "ONEPIECE", "NARUTO", and "BLEACH" have been serialized for more than 10 years. At the same time, concerns such as "if we continue like this, the magazine may not sell well" have long existed. In order to dispel this sound, Jump has changed its current performance. "Assassination Classroom" and "Volleyball Boys!!", which began to be serialized in 2011~2012, began to be serialized in 2011~2012!! （ハイキュー!! "Pseudo-Love (ニセコイ)" and other new works are gradually increasing.

Combat is a structural flaw in a popular work

Nowadays, the most approved theme of cutting-edge works is the "Escape from Battle" category. The works of the combat department can be traced back to "Dragon Ball" and "Hokuto God Fist" in the early years of jumping. The depiction of friendship, effort, and victory in battle can be called the golden mode of jumping, and it is not an exaggeration to call it the "royal road". However, in the case of royal battles, popular works often need to be serialized for a long time, so the disadvantages of "excessive power expansion" as a structural flaw will come to the fore. In order to elevate the atmosphere of the story of the work, the strength of the enemy is constantly increasing, and this tendency is very obvious even in the current kanban works.

In addition, "ONEPIECE" and "HUNTER×HUNTER", which are serialized from time to time, are also included, and the combat system of jump has a deep accumulation. Among them, it is very likely that there will be works of similar themes that will be buried. Now, "Assassination Classroom", which is being anticipated as Jump's latest kanban work, has elements of combat, but the story is not one-sided. And the school comedy will be put in the most important position.。 In addition, "Volleyball Junior (ハイキュー!) It shows the down-to-earth enthusiasm and athletic soul that Jump has lacked in recent years. "Pseudo-Love (ニセコイ)" is a romantic comedy, and these works that do not rely on combat are all powerfully promoting the transformation of jump.

Another trend is to "re-engage male readers". There are many works that have been created by the traditional female audience of jump, starting with "Saint Seiya" and "Soccer Player", to the current popular "Kuroko's Basketball" and "JUMPSQ", to the overwhelmingly popular "Prince of Tennis", and the pedigree of this genre will continue to circulate. Female readers who want to see "all kinds of hot guys (but no love stories)" and "real camaraderie between gay guys" are also an important part of supporting jump.

Want to go back to the beginning of magazines?

From a certain time onwards, "Governess REBORN! "D-Grayman" and other works that are very popular among women have begun to increase the proportion of works. However, many female readers are "single-line" and generally buy single-book books. Therefore, the concept of "weekly magazines should be fun for teenagers", which is the origin of JUMP, needs to be strengthened, and it is necessary to increase the proportion of male readers again. Nowadays, works that are popular among men, such as the romantic comedy "Pseudo-Love", "The Spirit of the Halberd", which combines appetite and lust, and "The Rookie Policewoman Chop", where the heroine is a cute female police officer, are being put on the market one after another.

Get rid of the fixed pattern of "over-expansion of power" and once again shift the balance of readership to "juvenile direction". The kanban works that are responsible for the new era will definitely create a new "royal road".

Author: Takahiro Shibata? Hirayama ゆりの is reconstituted based on the May 2013 issue of Nikkei Entertainment

Translation: doremi