Tough time for Shonen Jump

 Weekly Shonen Jump has spent the better half of the past decade facing gradually decreasing circulation numbers, and that trend continues with the latest update. According to the Japan Magazine Publishers Association (JMPA), the magazine’s print circulation dropped below 1.4 million between July and September 2021.

These are still staggering numbers that Western comic magazines can only dream about, but in the Japanese competitive manga market they are cause for alarm. 

The full circulation total for that period came to 1,371,818 copies. This is in stark contrast to the numbers from the January-March period of 2014, which had the magazine at 2,715,834 copies. It first dipped below two million in 2017 and has continued to decline at a steady pace since.

At its height in 1994, Weekly Shonen Jump had a print circulation count of 6.53 million copies.

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In other news, for those who haven't noticed, my second guidebook, Otaku Japan, is out! Amazon.co.jp: Otaku Japan: The Fascinating World of Japanese Manga, Anime, Gaming, Cosplay, Toys and More! : Gianni Simone, ジャンニ・シモーネ: Japanese Books

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Last but not least, I have launched a brand-new newsletter, Tokyo Calling, which covers books, films, music, and of course all things Japanese. 

Please check it out and if you like it, share it widely and SUBSCRIBE. It's free!

Tokyo Calling | Gianni Simone | Substack

Forget YouTubers: Japanese Kids Want to Be Office Workers

A recent survey by insurance company Daiichi Seimei Hoken asked 3,000 kids aged six to 18 what they wanted to be when they grew up. 

Until now, popular choices were football (soccer) or baseball player for kids and pastry chef/confectioner for girls, or idol and YouTuber for both sexes. However, this time the two most popular answers were office worker and civil servant. Hardly exciting jobs, but solid, financially secure professions.

That was true for boys in elementary, middle and high school and for girls in middle and high school.

For elementary school girls, the number one choice was pastry chef, with office worker coming in at number four.

Why office workers? There’s speculation that because more moms and dads are at home working remotely, kids have gotten a better idea of what their parents do for work, and have decided it doesn’t look all that bad.

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