Mag Talk Magazine Sales

[Bigivelfhq]

Whats happening with Weekly Shonen Sunday? It decreased 13%! Does people really are hating the line-up of the magazine?

Shouldn't Detective Conan, Magi, Silver Spoon, Hayate no Gotoku(isn't this popular?) and Major 2nd(this is only came back recently) guarantee some popularity in the magazine? Is the magazine right now that unappealing?

I know magazines print are decreasing, but Sunday is exceptional. People looking at its current numbers never would guess that at a given time it was the 3rd most popular magazine with around 1 Million print copies per issue.

 

[Eru13]

Whats happening with Weekly Shonen Sunday? It decreased 13%! Does people really are hating the line-up of the magazine?

Shouldn't Detective Conan, Magi, Silver Spoon, Hayate no Gotoku(isn't this popular?) and Major 2nd(this is only came back recently) guarantee some popularity in the magazine? Is the magazine right now that unappealing?

I know magazines print are decreasing, but Sunday is exceptional. People looking at its current numbers never would guess that at a given time it was the 3rd most popular magazine with around 1 Million print copies per issue.

Well, the whole "55 new series for the 55th anniversary" thing was probably the cause for this
They just ended a lot of decent-ish series to make it possible and of the new series that started I think the only actually good one is Dagashikashi (well, Denpa Kyoushi and Zettai Karen Children restarting don't really count as new series)

Tbh, before this whole anniversary thing happened, I really liked Sunday's lineup, I mean, there were plenty of series I liked and the new ones usually looked promising, but everything's been pretty disappointing this last year

And you know, if you consider that Shounen Jump and like half of Kodansha's magazines are now being published digitally, the drop isn't that weird for those (I mean, I guess they're making up with digital sales), but the big problem is that Shougakukan hasn't established much of a digital manga campaign so far

 

[Unok]

I personally don't like the Sunday lineup now or from 1 year ago. There are only 1-2 series I care about. 55 new series idea was cool, but like 95% of them looked disappointing and far away from the genre I like. Last decent action series I saw from Sunday was Area D and that was in 2012. In the not so long past their lineup was more balanced and I used to like much more series.

 

[Torca]

Do you talk about Kenichi, Kami Nomi and Gekkou? Because this are the 3 series that were doing decently out of everything Sunday ended in preparation to 55 new serialisation. It was mostly done to give younger mangakas a chance and to purify from series that did not badly but they were on mediocre level (Izumo, Saijou no Meii). Sunday is dropping from 2002, it's more than 10 years guys, look at the data. There's new editor from 2011? Or 2009? They try a lot of promotion, but their biggest problem is that they didn't get new mangakas from their workshop. Gin no Saji and Magi are done by mangakas that started in other publishers. Next problem is that their mangakas that had a success couldn't get a second popular series, like Mitsuda or Tanabe. From the big 3 they're only left to get digital version, maybe they'll do it with a bang on this year. Oh, and action series aren't a big thing in Sunday. It's motto is a fun read on weekend, so there's more relaxing series, rom-coms, comedies, slice of life etc. If you look at their biggest hits it says that (Touch, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2 now Gin no Saji and Dagashi rising).

Still, magazine sales drop is something that's happening for every publishers, times are changing. Lower birth rate, and people are ageing. It's clear that the magazine with the lowest priority (I would say) will get biggest hits.

 

[Xzone]

And not only that, the anime bost of Sunday series is ridiculous, see Rinne, only his first day the first volume appeared in the chart...

 

[Unok]

Oh, and action series aren't a big thing in Sunday. It's motto is a fun read on weekend, so there's more relaxing series, rom-coms, comedies, slice of life etc. If you look at their biggest hits it says that (Touch, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2 now Gin no Saji and Dagashi rising).

If action ain't their thing, why are they even making it? And I think titles like Ushio and Tora, Karakuri Circus, Inuyasha, Kekkaishi, MAR, Recca, Ueki, Magi, Kenichi, even Mushibugyo aren't a small thing for them, and they are action series. Sunday have produced quite good actions series, better than Magazine (in my opinion). Fujita (Ushio, Karakuri, Gekkou) is now doing series in another magazine; Anzai (Recca, MAR) is gone too. Nakaba Suzuki (Kongou Bancho) is doing Nanatsu no Taizai in Magazine; Arago's author is doing series in another magazine. Yeah, it may not be their best sellers, but some of those sold much better than quite a lot other Sunday series.

That motto can't be right. The magazine comes out on Wednesday, so I checked on Wikipedia if it says something about their motto and it says: "The "Sunday" in the name was the creation of its first editor, Kiichi Toyoda, who wanted the title to be evocative of a relaxing weekend." that's quite different than having a fun read on the weekend.

 

[Torca]

Relaxing and fun, yup you took me by one word, I didn't go by wiki, just by what I remembered. It's not like their line-up is only built with rom-coms. That's for sure, does Jump run only battle series? Or they're just the biggest part of their magazine? Shounen Magazine things are/were and probably will be for a long time sport series. Just like Sunday have more romcoms, sol series. Action series just don't play main role in Sunday, though they're important, every popular series is important in each magazine. Also Sunday is more diverse than other magazine, they had successful mangas in most genres and ratio of series in each genre is more balanced. Their biggest hit now (it's probably the biggest and most popular series Sunday had) is Detective Conan, a crime/mystery manga.

Every magazine need to have something that describe it and relaxing series are main thing in Sunday.

 

[Unok]

In the not so long past their lineup was more balanced and I used to like much more series.

Also Sunday is more diverse than other magazine, they had successful mangas in most genres and ratio of series in each genre is more balanced.

I never stated Sunday was action oriented or it's strong point, but that it used to be more balanced than it's now (and you stated the same thing now). And in "I used to like much more series" I'm not only referring to action series, there were other non-action fun series. Also commented that they haven't got decent action since 2012. It's not necessary they to produce action after action after action. But one in a while is fine, yet you can barely count few out of those 55 new series (and especially those starting in the weekly magazine).

Another quote from Wikipedia: "Prior to the 1990s and 2000s no serial in Shōnen Sunday had run over 40 volumes, but that began to change with series such as Meitantei Conan, Major, InuYasha, Shijō Saikyō no Deshi Kenichi and Karakuri Circus, which maintained a high level of popularity." - 3 of those 5 mentioned series are action. Surely that means something. And considering they used to had big action series (like Karakuri got reprinted in 2 different formats, the last one in 2011; Ushio got bunkoban and now is getting kanzenban), even if they are not the main thing in Sunday, it doesn't mean they shouldn't try or even barely try to get another big hit action series, especially when the readers obviously like action (considering past successful action series). You mentioned Jump being action oriented, okay. But they still try to find hit sport, ecchi & rom-com when they feel the need (especially when some old one ends or is ending). While I'm not sure how much Sunday tries to find hit series.

About the motto, the idea is the magazine name to sound relaxing, not that it will feature mostly relaxing series or that being their motto.

 

[kobester11]

wow. sunday's really hitting it hard... Despite the new series, the price decrease. nothing's working.

They should either restructure the magazine(remove the bad ones) or adapt the Jump system or drop the Sunday name and make a new magazine.

It's monthly shonen jump all over again.

I kinda agree with the relaxing one. Sunday wasn't famous for being too shounen having epic battles and such but for slice of life romcom ones. Same as jump having dragging action, magazine having angsty romance and champion being too... yankee?

Solution: Bring the old authors back. Specially Adachi!

 

[Unok]

And who said Sunday was action-packed with epic battles or that for that they are famous? "Too shounen" what does that even mean? Everything in Sunday is shounen, everything. Having lots of romcom doesn't mean they don't have other genres or successful titles at those genres... Why did Major return? Because they want successful sport series. Which are the 3 biggest current sellers for Sunday? If I'm not mistaken they are: Magi, Conan and Silver Spoon; surely Magi and Conan are not romcoms and that means people in the magazine like other genres and not only romcoms, thus they are not buying it only for that. Sunday may not be famous for having epic battles dbz style, but it had famous action series, it had famous sport series, etc other genres. It's not only romcom.

And their motto is not "relaxing read" as "read light romcom series". The idea of Sunday name is to associate you with the day of the weekend in which you are not going to school/work and you are free to have fun/relax the whatever way you want. Some do it by playing sports, training, watching tv/movie (all genres), music, etc. That's what a "Sunday" should mean, a day you take off and do whatever fun you want, and not (only) romcom reading. They may have some famous series in that genre, but it ain't what they are only famous for. Otherwise why do they always have sport/action/mystery series? If people know them only for the romcom and are there only for the romcom, they just should end all other genres. But obviously, that's not the case.

 

[Torca]

It's getting too off-topic so I stopped. I didn't say it to go and try to be perfectly right, it's a simple generalisation, but one that simply covers what Sunday does or did (in my opinion, OF COURSE). You're just reading too much of this.

To be on the thread, it's not that the action series aren't hitting in Sunday that it falls, there are more things to it. I said in my first comment why I think it falls, so I'll not repeat myself. Still, their promotions are really nice and if they can mix it and get a stability in sales, than they can rebounce.

 

[Unok]

And I didn't say they have fallen due to the action. I don't read only action, but it's my preferred genre and I expressed my disappointment that they haven't created decent one recently, especially with this "55 new series" thing. Current lineup is consisted of mostly boring series (for me) no matter the genre. I also commented that in the past they had better balanced lineup and I liked more series; and here I wasn't talking about action only.

And due to the comments stating action isn't Sunday's thing, but it's romcom. I went and checked a ToC from couple of years ago:
ToC 2010-01
#1 – December 1
The World God Only Knows 123 (Cover)
History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi 409 (Lead Color)
Saijou no Meii – The King of Neet 33
Saigo wa? Straight!! 7
Sengoku Yatagarasu 28
ARAGO 47
Detective Conan 758
Kunisaki Izumo no Jijou 45 (Color)
Hayate no Gotoku! 299
Koutetsu no Hanappashira 10
Kekkaishi 331
Kyoukai no Rinne 76
Magi 73
Arata Kangatari 102
MiXiM11 – 122
Zettai Karen Children 240
Hajimete no Aku 91
Kaitai Shinsho 0 – 38
Gekkou Jourei 22.35
Defense Devil 76
Onidere 129
T.R.A.P. 36
Katsu!! Washi ga Shishou Zeyo! 2 (Dennou Yuuki Club)

Absent: King Golf


I'm counting more action series than romcoms. Wonder if you are still convinced that action isn't a Sunday thing.

 

[Torca]

Still the pure count is more or less 50-50 (9 to 11 and 3 sport series, Sengoku is hard to go, it's kinda action but still a historic manga, not so loose on this term like Mushibugyo). I said, that it was simple generalisation... Just like JUMP=BATTLE, MAGAZINE=SPORT (please don't take this too seriously). Sunday first big action series that actually hit was Ushio to Tora or Kenji, though dunno if it was big enough to count it. Ushio started in 1990. In 55 years history, only after 30 years, they had series like this become a hit. Of course there were Cyborg 009, but it was tossed around. Second, thing I really didn't say that they aren't important part of the magazine, but for Sunday by no means there is a bigger push to have hit action series. They focus more on the relaxing series which doesn't exclude second statement, they try to minimize the effect by putting action series mostly by more experienced mangaka, when mangaka from their workshop, mostly do lighter mangas. Even on the TOC you posted it gives this away, (with Kenichi and Kekkaishi being first hit series for both mangaka, and rest aside Kaito is done by more experienced mangakas). This also don't exclude that they don't try their youngsters to do action series (Dejikon, Drea-Mer, Kirwo).

The times for Sunday starting from 2000, were just lackluster. It was this times that Sunday tried to change and failed so miserably. Thanks to actually hitting with action series (Gash, Kekkaishi, Kenichi, Inuyasha, Arms, Recca, Mar and smaller) they tried to push more and we could say that this times where the (around 2004 to 2009-11?) times when action took main role, STILL this times were the worst times for Sunday. They had the biggest jumps in circulation, when their rivals still didn't go with drops, they had lower numbers of mid popular series, their older mangaka went to do series in seinen magazines, in 2005-2008 biggest published series was Zettai Karen Children and probably nothing more came out.

Last thing here, when we say Sunday, do we really think of all this action series? Or is it more Rumiko and Adachi? Sunday is remembered because of them and when there are series like this, they are kinda compared to Rumiko and Adachi works. They were precursors in those genre, that's why relaxing series (koushien love story and romcom) is something that was stuck to it. Just what Toriyama is for Jump, thanks to Dragon Ball.

Ehh, that's the only thing I can go to compromise, or rather to just develop my opinion or just what I meant. This talks were done (if my memory works right) in the right thread for it, not here. Sorry for mistakes, it's long so probably there are few.

 

[kobester11]

Place a 2010 ToC for comparison, that sure proved your point. Despite Sunday already plummeting circulation during the 00s.
Post an older one where Sunday are actually in league with Jump and Magazine.