Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Magazine is celebrating a massive milestone this year. The publication behind Noragami, Beck (Mongolian Chop Squad), Seraph of the End, and Your Lie in April is 50 years old this month. To celebrate, fans in Japan are being treated to brand-new editions of the magazine’s most popular stories.
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The magazine was first published in 1964. It was originally released quarterly before being upgraded to a monthly publication in 1969. The magazine has undergone several names over its 50-year history but was changed to its current title, Monthly Shonen Magazine, in 1975. Comic Natalie reported on their celebration, complete with new edition volume covers.
Beck, Your Lie in April, Noragami & More Get New Editions
Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Magazine has unveiled brand new editions of its most popular series ahead of its 50th anniversary. Six popular works published in the magazine have been updated with new editions, and the first of these have been released in Japan today.
The six titles getting a re-release are Noragami, Your Lie In April, Kaiouki, Capeta, Beck, and DEAR BOYS. The first volumes of Noragami, Your Lie in April, and DEAR BOYS were all released today. The first and second volumes of Kaiouki, Capeta, and Beck were also released today. No official release schedule has been announced for the rest of the series. The new editions have been published in Japanese. Western fans are hopeful that the beautiful new editions will be published in English as well in the near future.
The report also unveiled the covers for the new editions. Beck‘s re-release features series protagonist Yukio “Koyuki” Tanaka holding his beloved guitar, with different colored backgrounds. Your Lie in April‘s cover features its central protagonists, Kaori Miyazono and Kosei Arima, with their faces half-cut off on the page’s border.
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Beck, Your Lie in April, and Noragami All Got Excellent Anime Adaptations
Beck, written by Harold Sakuishi, is one of the biggest works to get a re-release. Published between 1999 and 2008, the manga follows fourteen-year-old Yukio “Koyuki” Tanaka, whose boredom with life is disrupted when he meets 16-year-old guitarist Ryuusuke “Ray” Minami, who inspires a love of music. The manga was turned into an anime in 2004 by Marvelous Entertainment. Titled Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad, the anime is a cult classic, even if it is a pain to find on streaming services.
The gut-wrenching Your Lie in April, written by Arakawa Naoshi, is also getting a new edition. This romantic drama was published between 2011 and 2015, following Kosei Arima, who gave up playing the piano after his mother died. But, when he meets young violinist Kaori Miyazono, sparks will fly, and music will play again. Your Lie in April was adapted into an anime in 2014. Like Beck, it ran for a single season. Your Lie In April is considered to be one of the most heart-breaking anime of all time.
Noragami, written by the artist duo Adachitoka, takes a step away from the music genre, following a minor deity who seeks to grow his following by teaming up with a human girl after saving her life. Noragami‘s anime adaptation was released in 2014, running for two seasons to critical acclaim and garnering a strong fan base.
H/T: Comic Natalie
