Magazine Special Explained

Frequency:Monthly
Circulation:40,667
(July–September, 2016)
Category:Shōnen manga[1]
Publisher:Kodansha
Firstdate:September 5, 1983[2]
Lastdate:January 20, 2017
Country:Japan
Based:Tokyo
Language:Japanese

was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha and first launched with a cover date of September 5, 1983.[2] Its audience demographic is geared toward younger teenage boys, and contents tend to be predominantly sports stories and high school romantic comedies. Many of the popular series in Magazine Special were transferred there from other Kodansha publications like Weekly Shōnen Magazine after their initial run. It is issued monthly on the 20th in perfect-bound B5 format and retails for 540 yen. Issues are typically about 600 pages printed in black and white on heavy newsprint, with a few glossy pages in color. Between 20 and 30 stories appear in each issue, almost all of them installments of ongoing and frequently long-running serials by different manga artists.

In August 2016 it was announced that the magazine would cease publication with the February 2017 issue.[3]

Series

Title Author / Artist Status
Miami Guns 1997–1999
Z Mazinger 1998–2000
Kagetora Akira Segami 2002–2006
Gacha Gacha 2002–2008
Pastel 2003–2017
Fantastic Detective Labyrinth Meito Manjō (story), Seiji Wakayama (art) August 2006 – August 2008
Sumire 16 sai!! 2006–2008
Psycho Busters 2006–2008
Negima!? neo Takuya Fujima January 2008 – August 2009
School Rumble Z Jin Kobayashi August 2008 – May 2009
Boys Be... Next Season Masahiro Itabashi (story), Hiroyuki Tamakoshi (art)November 2009 – March 2012
Tsubasa World Chronicle: Nirai Kanai-hen August 2014 – March 2016

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Boy's Manga. Japanese Magazine Publishers Association. September 2016 . Japanese. November 6, 2016 .
  2. Web site: http://mediaarts-db.jp/mg/magazine_titles/11114. ja:雑誌基本:少年マガジンSPECIAL(週刊少年マガジン増刊)(講談社 ∥ コウダンシャ. Media Arts Database via Agency for Cultural Affairs. August 3, 2016. Japanese. https://web.archive.org/web/20180304172622/https://mediaarts-db.jp/mg/magazine_titles/11114. March 4, 2018. dead.
  3. Web site: Kodansha's Magazine Special to Cease Publication in January. August 3, 2016. August 3, 2016. Anime News Network.