Young Animal (magazine)

Young Animal (ヤングアニマル, Yangu Animaru) is a semimonthly Japanese seinen manga magazine that features photos of gravure idols. It has been published by Hakusensha on the second and fourth Friday of each month since 1992.

History and profile

Young Animal was launched in May 1992. The magazine is a successor to Monthly Animal House (月刊アニマルハウス, Gekkan Animaru Hausu), Hakusensha's previous seinen manga magazine that ran from 1989 to 1992. Young Animal is issued on the second and fourth Friday of each month in saddle-stapled B5 format. Its headquarters is in Tokyo.

A typical issue consists of about 300 black-and-white pulp pages of manga wrapped in about 20 slick pages of color pinup photos of teenage girls in bikinis (generally pop stars and gravure idols). Advertising (other than house ads for Hakusensha) appears only in the form of a few ads in the back pages and on the inside and back covers. As of 2015, circulation is approximately 119,000 copies. Each issue features about 15 different stories, mostly serial stories tending toward sexy romantic comedy, fantasy, and epic adventure, with a number of humorous yonkoma or four-panel gag strips.

Popular long-running series appearing in Young Animal include the medieval dark fantasy adventure Berserk and the modern day married-life sex comedy Futari Ecchi (both over 300 chapters as of 2010). A number of Young Animal manga series have been adapted into anime.

Titles serialized in Young Animal are published as tankōbon volumes by Hakusensha under the Young Animal Comics imprint. Prior to June 2016, volumes were published under the Jets Comics imprint.

Young Animal has also inspired several spin-off magazines: Young Animal Arashi (2000–2018); Young Animal Island (2004–2013), briefly relaunched as Young Animal Innocent (2014); and Young Animal Zero (2019–present).

Features

Series

There are currently 24 manga titles being serialized in Young Animal.

Former series

1990s

• Japan (ジャパン) by Kentaro Miura (1992)
• Buttobi!! CPU (ぶっとび!!CPU, Buttobi!! Shī Pī Yū) by Kaoru Shintani (1993–1997)
• Air Master (エアマスター, Ea Masutā) by Yokusaru Shibata (1996–2006)
• Cestvs: The Roman Fighter (セスタス -The Roman Fighter-, Sesutasu -Za Rōman Faitā-) by Shizuya Wazarai (1997–2009)
• Ai Yori Aoshi (藍より青し) by Kou Fumizuki (1998–2005)
• Mouse by Satoru Akahori (story) and Hiroshi Itaba (art) (1999–2004)

2000s

• Holyland (ホーリーランド, Hōrīrando) by Kouji Mori (2000–2008)
• Yubisaki Milk Tea (ゆびさき ミルク ティー, Yubisaki Miruku Tī) by Tomochika Miyano (2002–2010)
• Chocotto Sister (ちょこッとSister, Chokotto Shisutā) by Gō Zappa (story) and Sakura Takeuchi (art) (2003–2007)
• This Ugly yet Beautiful World (この醜くも美しい世界, Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai) by Ashita Morimi (2003–2005)
• Detroit Metal City (デトロイト・メタル・シティ, Detoroito Metaru Shiti) by Kiminori Wakasugi (2005–2010)
• KimiKiss: Various Heroines (キミキス -various heroines-) by Tarō Shinonome (2006–2009)
• Yuria 100 Shiki (ユリア100式) by Shigemitsu Harada (story) and Nobuto Hagio (art) (2006–2010)
• Ateya no Tsubaki (当て屋の椿) by Kanji Kawashita (2007–2020)
• Jisatsutō (自殺島) by Kouji Mori (2008–2016)
• Sickness Unto Death (死に至る病, Shi ni Itaru Yamai) by Hikaru Asada (story) and Takahiro Seguchi (art) (2009)
• Usotsuki Paradox (うそつきパラドクス, Usotsuki Paradokusu) by Nanki Satō (story) and Akira Kiduki (art) (2009–2012)
• Nana & Kaoru (ナナとカオル, Nana to Kaoru) by Ryuta Amazume (2009–2016)
• Amagami: Precious Diary (アマガミ precious diary) by Tarō Shinonome (2009–2011)

2010s

• Kendo Shitō Den Cestvs (拳奴死闘伝セスタス, Kendo Shitō Den Sesutasu) by Shizuya Wazarai (2010–2014)
• Tokyo Yamimushi (東京闇虫) by Yūki Honda (2010–2016)
• Photo Kano: Your Eyes Only (フォトカノ Your Eyes Only) by Nylon (2012–2013)
• Mai Ball! (マイぼーる!, Mai Bōru) by Sora Inoue (2012–2019)
• Giganto Maxia (ギガントマキア, Gigantomakia) by Kentaro Miura (2013–2014)
• How Clumsy you are, Miss Ueno (上野さんは不器用, Ueno-san wa Bukiyō) by Tugeneko (2015–2022)
• Boku to René to Aoarashi (僕とルネと青嵐, Boku to Rune to Aoarashi) by Kou Fumizuki (2015–2016)
• Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise (ペリリュー -楽園のゲルニカ-, Periryū -Rakuen no Gerunika-) by Kazuyoshi Takeda (2016–2021)
• Record of Grancrest War (グランクレスト戦記, Gurankuresuto Senki) by Ryo Mizuno (story) and Makoto Yotsuba (art) (2016–2019)
• Asobi Asobase (あそびあそばせ) by Rin Suzukawa (2016–2022)
• Boku wa Ikemen (ボクはイケメン) by Nanki Satō (story) and Akira Kiduki (art) (2016–2018)
• Gal Gohan (ギャルごはん, Gyaru Gohan) by Marii Taiyou (2016–2020)
• Dokunie Cooking (毒贄クッキング, Dokunie Kukkingu) by Suu Minazuki (2017–2019)
• Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World (キミと僕の最後の戦場、あるいは世界が始まる聖戦, Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjō, Aruiwa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen) by Kei Sazane (original story) and Okama (2018–2021)
• Majo wa Mioji Kara (魔女は三百路から) by Shigemitsu Harada (story) and Kyūjo Matsumoto (art) (2018–2020)

2020s

• Ore wa Lolicon ja Nai! (俺はロリコンじゃない！, Ore wa Roricon ja Nai!) by Uran (2020–2023)
• Love Flops (恋愛フロップス, Ren'ai Furoppusu) by Love Flops Project (original story) and Ryūdai Ishizaka (2022–2023)
• Sōsei no Taiga (創世のタイガ) by Kouji Mori (2023)

Notes

References

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Young Animal at Anime News Network's encyclopedia