Gangan Comics

Gangan Comics
ガンガンコミックス
Parent company
StatusActive
Founded1991; 33 years ago (1991)
Country of originJapan
Headquarters locationTokyo, Japan
DistributionJapan
Publication typesManga, magazines, light novels, graphic novels
Fiction genresShōnen manga, seinen manga
Official websitegangan.square-enix.co.jp

Gangan (ガンガン, Gangan) is a manga imprint owned by Square Enix Holdings. It originated as a manga imprint for Enix before the company merged with Square to form Square Enix. It publishes manga in several anthologies aimed at different reader demographic groups in the Japanese market. Its anthologies are home to some popular Square Enix manga series which were adapted into anime series, like Fullmetal Alchemist, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Nabari no Ou, Inu x Boku SS, The Case Study of Vanitas and Soul Eater.[1] The comics are later collected in paperback volumes under brand names such as Gangan Comics (ガンガンコミックス, Gangan Komikkusu), Gangan Comics Joker (ガンガンコミックスJOKER, Gangan Komikkusu Jōkā) and Young Gangan Comics (ヤングガンガンコミックス, Yangu Gangan Komikkusu), which identify the anthology of serialisation. These paperback brand names are formed by omitting any gekkan (月刊, monthly publication) or shōnen (少年, boy) in the magazine name and inserting Comics (コミックス, Komikkusu) directly after the word Gangan.

Anthologies

Monthly Shōnen Gangan (since 1991)

Monthly Shōnen Gangan
Monthly Shōnen Gangan (08/2021 issue)
CategoriesShōnen manga[2]
FrequencyMonthly
First issueMarch 12, 1991 (April 1991)
Company
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Websitegangan.square-enix.co.jp

Monthly Shōnen Gangan (月刊少年ガンガン, Gekkan Shōnen Gangan) is a monthly manga anthology that regularly has over 600 pages. Shōnen Gangan was launched by Enix (now Square Enix) in 1991, to compete with other magazines such as Monthly Shōnen Magazine, Monthly Shōnen Jump and Shōnen Sunday Super, and is targeted toward the same young teen male demographic (shōnen means "young man"). It features manga with much action and adventure; science fiction and fantasy elements in the stories are very common. Square Enix also publishes the related Gangan YG and Monthly Gangan Wing.

Series

Manga First Issue Author
Eiyū Kyōshitsu (英雄教室) September 2016 Shin Araki, Koara Kishida
Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger (ファイナルファンタジー ロスト・ストレンジャー) July 2017 Hazuki Minase, Itsuki Kameya
Futoku no Guild (不徳のギルド) June 2017 Taichi Kawazoe
Kinsō no Vermeil (金装のヴェルメイユ) October 2018 Kouta Amana, Youko Umezu
Munou na Nana (無能なナナ) May 2016 Looseboy, Iori Furuya
Nagasarete Airantō (ながされて藍蘭島) January 2002 Takeshi Fujishiro
Ojisama to Neko (おじさまと猫) April 2019 Umi Sakurai
Shachiku-san wa Yōjo Yūrei ni Iyasaretai (社畜さんは幼女幽霊に癒されたい。) August 2019 Imari Arita
Toaru Majutsu no Index (とある魔術の禁書目録) April 2007 Kazuma Kamachi, Chuya Kogino
Ura Sekai Picnic (裏世界ピクニック) February 2018 Iori Miyazawa, Eita Mizuno
Yomi no Tsugai (黄泉のツガイ) December 2021 Hiromu Arakawa

Manga and series featured:

Monthly GFantasy (since 1993)

Monthly GFantasy (月刊Gファンタジー, Gekkan Jī Fantajī), also known as Gangan Fantasy, is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine.[3] Launched in 1992 as a special issue of Shounen Gangan under the name Fantastic Comic (ファンタスティックコミック). In 1993 it became its own magazine under the name of Monthly Gangan Fantasy (月刊ガンガンファンタジー). In the April 1994 issue it was renamed to GFantasy. The manga tend to be set in a fantasy setting with large amounts of supernatural themes and a fair amount of action and/or horror scenes.

Manga featured:

Young Gangan (since 2004)

Young Gangan (ヤングガンガン, Yangu Gangan) is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Square Enix twice a month, on the first and third Friday.[5] The magazine was first published on December 3, 2004.

Manga featured:

Gangan Online (since 2008)

Gangan Online (ガンガンオンライン, Gangan Onrain) is a free manga and light novel web magazine and smartphone app published and updated by Square Enix. The online web magazine was activated on October 2, 2008.

Manga featured:

Light Novels featured:

Gangan Joker (since 2009)

Monthly Gangan Joker (月刊ガンガンJOKER, Gekkan Gangan Joker) is a Japanese shōnen manga anthology that was launched by Square Enix on April 22, 2009.

Manga featured:

Monthly Big Gangan (since 2010)

Monthly Big Gangan is a seinen manga publication entry in Square Enix's Gangan imprint.

Manga featured:

Gangan Pixiv (since 2017)

On February 22, 2017, Gangan Pixiv was launched as a collaboration between Pixiv and Square Enix.[6]

Manga UP! (since 2017)

Main article: Manga Up!

Like Gangan Online, Manga Up! is a manga app and website which serializes a lot of popular media mix works with manga adaptations of novels exclusively published on the service. In July 2022, Square Enix launched an English version of the Manga UP! featuring titles from Manga UP! and other Square Enix magazines.[7]

Gangan BLiss (since 2021)

In September 2021, Square Enix launched Gangan BLiss, a manga label dedicated to publishing boy's love manga. The manga published under this label will be serialized on the CMOA website.[8]

  • Love in the Palm of His Hand
  • Mobsters in Love
  • Ōkami wa Tantei wo Tabetai
  • Ore no Hanamuko wa Omae Janai
  • Shota x Oni

Discontinued magazines

Gangan Powered (2001–2009)

Gangan Powered (ガンガンパワード, Gangan Pawādo) was a Japanese shōnen/seinen manga magazine published by Square Enix. The last release of the magazine was with the April 2009 issue sold on February 21, 2009, and it was subsequently replaced by Gangan Joker.[9]

Manga featured:

Monthly Gangan Wing (1996–2009)

Monthly Gangan Wing (月刊ガンガンWING, Gekkan Gangan Wing) was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Square Enix. The last release of the magazine was with the May 2009 issue sold on March 21, 2009, and it was subsequently replaced by Gangan Joker.[9]

Manga featured:

See also

References

  1. ^ "2007 profile" (PDF). Square Enix. October 2007. p. 6. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  2. ^ Thompson, Jason (2007). Manga: The Complete Guide. Del Rey Books. p. xxiii-xxiv. ISBN 978-0-345-48590-8.
  3. ^ Beasi, Melinda (November 5, 2010). "Fanservice Friday: A Girl's (G)Fantasy". Manga Book Shelf. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  4. ^ "Skate-Leading Stars Skating Anime Gets Manga". Anime News Network. March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  5. ^ "Square Enix Comic Magazines" (in Japanese). Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ^ スクエニ×pixivのWebマガジン創刊！「幸色のワンルーム」など4タイトル. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 22, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  7. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 25, 2022). "Square Enix Launches English Version of Manga Up! Web Manga Site, App". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  8. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 18, 2023). "Square Enix Reveals New 'Gangan BLiss' Boys-Love Manga Label". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Gangan Joker to Replace Gangan Powered, Wing Mags". Anime News Network. March 1, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2009.