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Seinen manga (青年漫画) is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men.^[1] In Japanese, the word seinen means "youth", but the term "seinen manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like Weekly Manga Times and Weekly Manga Goraku, which write on topics of interest to male university students and workingmen. Seinen manga is distinguished from shōnen manga, which is for young boys, and seijin-muke manga (成人向け漫画), which are intended for adult audiences and often contain explicit content. Some seinen manga like xxxHolic share similarities with shōnen manga. Seinen manga can focus on action, politics, science fiction, fantasy, relationships, sports, or comedy. The female equivalent to seinen manga is josei manga.

A common way to tell if a manga is seinen is by looking at whether furigana is used over the original kanji text: if there is furigana on all kanji, the title is generally aimed at a younger audience. The title of the magazine in which it was published is also an important indicator. Usually, Japanese manga magazines with the word "young" in the title (Weekly Young Jump, for instance) are seinen. There are also mixed shōnen/seinen magazines such as Gangan Powered and Comp Ace. Other popular seinen manga magazines include Weekly Young Magazine, Weekly Young Sunday, Big Comic Spirits, Business Jump, Ultra Jump, and Afternoon.

In 1959, two of the main shōnen manga titles appeared: Weekly Shōnen Magazine and Weekly Shōnen Sunday. Then, in 1967, the first magazine aimed at seinen appeared: Weekly Manga Action, which scored big hits with Lupin III, Lone Wolf and Cub, and later Crayon Shin-chan. The year 1972 saw the addition of Big Comic Original, which featured Tsuribaka Nisshi, a manga about two older men who enjoy fishing; the manga was made into a series of popular movies. In 1979, the publisher Shueisha, known for Weekly Shonen Jump for teen boys, entered the seinen market with Weekly Young Jump. Many Young Jump series have been adapted into anime or live-action TV programs, such as Elfen Lied, Gantz, Hen, Kirara, Liar Game, Oku-sama wa Joshi Kōsei,Dragon Ball.

Magazines

A list of the top Japanese seinen manga magazines by circulation in the time-span from October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010.^[2]

Title	Circulation
Weekly Young Magazine	807,871
Weekly Young Jump	768,980
Big Comic Original	729,750
Weekly Manga Goraku	500,000
Big Comic	454,000
Comic Kairakuten	350,000
Weekly Morning	340,209
Weekly Manga Sunday (defunct)	300,000
Business Jump (defunct)	285,334
Super Jump (defunct)	277,500
Big Comic Spirits	260,024
Comic Shitsurakuten	250,000
Young Champion	250,000
Comic Ran	207,350
Big Comic Superior	204,125
Manga Action	200,000
Young King	200,000

References

^ "Everything about the Seinen Genre". Jappleng.
^ Loo, Egan (January 17, 2011). "2010 Japanese Manga Magazine Circulation Numbers". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 30, 2014.

External links

Japanese Magazine Publishers Association (in Japanese) (archived 2 April 2007)

[1] "Everything about the Seinen Genre". Jappleng.

[2] Loo, Egan (January 17, 2011). "2010 Japanese Manga Magazine Circulation Numbers". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 30, 2014.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
 {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
-{{Anime and manga}}
+{{Anime and manga|expanded=groups}}
+[[File:Say Hello to Black Jack volume 1 cover.jpg|thumb|right|Cover illustration to the ''seinen'' manga series ''[[Say Hello to Black Jack]]'' by [[Shūhō Satō]]]]
-{{Nihongo|'''''Seinen'' manga'''|青年漫画}} is an editorial category of [[Manga|Japanese comics]] marketed toward [[Young adult (psychology)|young adult]] men.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jappleng.com/culture/articles/anime-manga/160/seinen-genre|title=Everything about the Seinen Genre|website=Jappleng}}</ref> In Japanese, the word [[wikt:seinen|''seinen'']] literally means "youth", but the term "''seinen'' manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like ''[[Weekly Manga Times]]'' and ''[[Weekly Manga Goraku]]'' which cater specifically to men's interests, and are marketed towards a [[demographics|demographic]] of young adult men between the ages of 18 and 40. ''Seinen'' manga are distinguished from [[shōnen manga|''shōnen'' manga]] which are for young teen boys, although some ''seinen'' manga like ''[[xxxHolic]]'' share similarities with ''shōnen'' manga. ''Seinen'' manga can focus on action, politics, science fiction, fantasy, relationships, sports, or comedy. The female equivalent to ''seinen'' manga is [[josei manga|''josei'' manga]].
+{{Nihongo|'''''Seinen'' manga'''|青年漫画}} is an editorial category of [[Manga|Japanese comics]] marketed toward young adult men.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jappleng.com/culture/articles/anime-manga/160/seinen-genre|title=Everything about the Seinen Genre|website=Jappleng}}</ref> In Japanese, the word ''seinen'' means "youth", but the term "''seinen'' manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like ''[[Weekly Manga Times]]'' and ''[[Weekly Manga Goraku]],'' which write on topics of interest to male university students and workingmen. ''Seinen'' manga is distinguished from [[shōnen manga|''shōnen'' manga]], which is for young boys, and seijin-muke manga  (成人向け漫画), which are intended for adult audiences and often contain explicit content.  Some ''seinen'' manga like ''[[xxxHolic]]'' share similarities with ''shōnen'' manga. ''Seinen'' manga can focus on action, politics, science fiction, fantasy, relationships, sports, or comedy. The female equivalent to ''seinen'' manga is [[josei manga|''josei'' manga]].
+A common way to tell if a manga is ''seinen'' is by looking at whether ''[[furigana]]'' is used over the original [[kanji]] text: if there is ''furigana'' on all kanji, the title is generally aimed at a younger audience. The title of the magazine in which it was published is also an important indicator. Usually, Japanese manga magazines with the word "young" in the title (''[[Weekly Young Jump]],'' for instance) are ''seinen''. There are also mixed ''shōnen''/''seinen'' magazines such as ''[[Gangan Comics|Gangan Powered]]'' and ''[[Comp Ace]]''. Other popular ''seinen'' manga magazines include ''[[Weekly Young Magazine]]'', ''[[Weekly Young Sunday]]'', ''[[Big Comic Spirits]]'', ''[[Business Jump]]'', ''[[Ultra Jump]]'', and ''[[Afternoon (magazine)|Afternoon]]''.
-''Seinen'' manga have a wide variety of art styles and variation in subject matter. Examples of ''seinen'' series include: ''[[Berserk (manga)|Berserk]]'', ''[[Vagabond (manga)|Vagabond]]'', ''[[Vinland Saga (manga)|Vinland Saga]]'', ''[[Akira (manga)|AKIRA]]'', ''[[20th Century Boys]]'', ''[[One Punch Man]]'', ''[[Golden Kamuy]]'', ''[[Ghost in the Shell (manga)|Ghost in the Shell]]'', ''[[Hellsing]]'', ''[[Kingdom (manga)|Kingdom]]'', ''[[Initial D]]'', ''[[Maison Ikkoku]]'', ''[[Master Keaton]]'', ''[[Mushishi]]'', ''[[Oh My Goddess!]]'', ''[[Outlaw Star]]'', and ''[[Tokyo Ghoul]]'', as well as the formerly ''shōnen'' manga series ''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]'' and ''[[Trigun]]''.
-A common way to tell if a manga is ''seinen'' is by looking at whether ''[[furigana]]'' is used over the original [[kanji]] text: if there are ''furigana'' on all kanji, the title is generally aimed at a younger audience. The title of the magazine it was published in is also an important indicator. Usually, Japanese manga magazines with the word "young" in the title (''[[Weekly Young Jump]]'' for instance) are ''seinen''. There are also mixed ''shōnen''/''seinen'' magazines such as ''[[Gangan Comics|Gangan Powered]]'' and ''[[Comp Ace]]''. Other popular ''seinen'' manga magazines include ''[[Weekly Young Magazine]]'', ''[[Weekly Young Sunday]]'', ''[[Big Comic Spirits]]'', ''[[Business Jump]]'', ''[[Ultra Jump]]'', and ''[[Afternoon (magazine)|Afternoon]]''.
+In 1959, two of the main ''shōnen'' manga titles appeared: ''[[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]'' and ''[[Weekly Shōnen Sunday]]''. Then, in 1967, the first magazine aimed at seinen appeared: ''[[Weekly Manga Action]]'', which scored big hits with ''[[Lupin III]]'', ''[[Lone Wolf and Cub]]'', and later ''[[Crayon Shin-chan]]''. The year 1972 saw the addition of ''[[Big Comic Original]]'', which featured ''[[Tsuribaka Nisshi]]'', a manga about two older men who enjoy fishing; the manga was made into a series of popular movies. In 1979, the publisher [[Shueisha]], known for ''[[Weekly Shonen Jump]]'' for teen boys, entered the ''seinen'' market with ''[[Weekly Young Jump]]''. Many ''Young Jump'' series have been adapted into anime or live-action TV programs, such as ''[[Elfen Lied]]'', ''[[Gantz]]'', ''[[Hen (manga)|Hen]]'', ''[[Kirara (manga)|Kirara]]'', ''[[Liar Game]]'', ''[[Oku-sama wa Joshi Kōsei]]'',[[Dragon Ball]].
-One of the earliest manga magazines published in Japan was a ''seinen'' publication: ''[[Weekly Manga Times]]'', was released in 1956. It was aimed squarely at middle-aged men, featuring erotic fiction and manga and talestwo of the main ''shōnen'' manga titles appeared: ''[[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]'' and ''[[Weekly Shōnen Sunday]]''. Then in 1967, the first of the magazines aimed at younger men appeared: ''[[Weekly Manga Action]]'', which scored big hits with ''[[Lupin III]]'', ''[[Lone Wolf and Cub]]'', and later ''[[Crayon Shin-chan]]''. ''[[Big Comic]]'' followed in 1968, perhaps best known for its series ''[[Golgo 13]]''. The year 1972 saw the addition of ''[[Big Comic Original]]'', which featured ''[[Tsuribaka Nisshi]]'', a manga about two older men who enjoy fishing; the manga was made into a series of popular movies. In 1979, the publisher [[Shueisha]], known for ''[[Weekly Shonen Jump]]'' for teen boys, entered the ''seinen'' market with ''[[Weekly Young Jump]]''. Many ''Young Jump'' series have been adapted into anime or live action TV programs, such as ''[[Elfen Lied]]'', ''[[Gantz]]'', ''[[Hen (manga)|Hen]]'', ''[[Kirara (manga)|Kirara]]'', ''[[Liar Game]]'', ''[[Oku-sama wa Joshi Kōsei]]'', and ''[[Zetman]]''.
 ==Magazines==
@@ Line 78: / Line 77: @@
 * [[Shōnen manga|''Shōnen'' manga]]: intended for boys
 * [[Shōjo manga|''Shōjo'' manga]]: intended for girls
-* [[Josei manga|''Josei'' manga]]: intended for young women
+* [[Josei manga|''Josei'' manga]]: intended for adult women
+* [[Gekiga]]: a type of manga that was popular among male workers in the 1960's and 70's
-* ''[[Gekiga]]'': intended for adults
 ==References==
@@ Line 86: / Line 85: @@
 ==External links==
 {{Wiktionary|seinen}}
-* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070402232911/http://www.j-magazine.or.jp/data_001/main_b.html#003 Japanese Magazine Publishers Association] {{in lang|ja}}
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070402232911/http://www.j-magazine.or.jp/data_001/main_b.html#003 Japanese Magazine Publishers Association] {{in lang|ja}} (archived 2 April 2007)
-{{Portal bar|Anime and manga}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Seinen Manga}}

Latest revision as of 11:27, 22 November 2024

Magazines

See also

References

External links