Seinen manga facts for kids
Seinen manga (青年漫画) is a type of Japanese comic made for young adult men. The word seinen in Japanese means "youth." But seinen manga is usually for men between 18 and 40 years old.
Seinen manga is different from shōnen manga, which is for teen boys. However, some seinen manga, like xxxHolic, can be similar to shōnen manga. Seinen manga can be about many things. These include action, politics, science fiction, fantasy, relationships, sports, or comedy. The manga for young adult women is called josei manga.
Seinen manga has many different art styles and topics. Some popular seinen series are Berserk, AKIRA, 20th Century Boys, and One Punch Man. Other examples include Golden Kamuy, Ghost in the Shell, Hellsing, and Kingdom. Even JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Trigun used to be shōnen manga before becoming seinen.
You can often tell if a manga is seinen by looking at the text. If all the kanji (Japanese characters) have small reading guides called furigana above them, it's usually for younger readers. The name of the magazine where it was published is also a clue. Manga magazines with "young" in their name, like Weekly Young Jump, are often seinen. Some magazines, like Gangan Powered, mix shōnen and seinen stories. Other well-known seinen magazines include Weekly Young Magazine and Big Comic Spirits.
How Seinen Manga Started
One of the first manga magazines in Japan was a seinen one. It was called Weekly Manga Times and came out in 1956. It was made for middle-aged men. Later, in 1959, two big shōnen manga magazines appeared: Weekly Shōnen Magazine and Weekly Shōnen Sunday.
In 1967, the first magazines for younger men started. Weekly Manga Action was one of them. It became famous for series like Lupin III and Lone Wolf and Cub. Later, Crayon Shin-chan also became popular in this magazine. Big Comic followed in 1968, known for its series Golgo 13.
In 1972, Big Comic Original was added. It featured Tsuribaka Nisshi, a manga about two older men who love fishing. This manga was even made into popular movies. In 1979, Shueisha, a publisher known for Weekly Shonen Jump (for teen boys), started its own seinen magazine called Weekly Young Jump. Many stories from Young Jump have been turned into anime shows or live-action TV series. Some examples are Elfen Lied, Gantz, and Liar Game.
Popular Seinen Magazines
Here is a list of top Japanese seinen manga magazines. The numbers show how many copies were sold between October 2009 and September 2010.
| Title | Copies Sold |
|---|---|
| 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 (no longer published) | 300,000 |
| Business Jump (no longer published) | 285,334 |
| Super Jump (no longer published) | 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 |
See also
- Children's manga: Manga for young kids
- Shōnen manga: Manga for boys
- Shōjo manga: Manga for girls
- Josei manga: Manga for young women
- Gekiga: Manga for adults
