Fanart Friday returns, and I've finally got my poor, gullible mother hooked on Game of Thrones. Don't worry, Ma, it's all happy reunions at the end of the first season. Last week, we started a three-part theme focusing on the top weekly shonen publications, starting with Weekly Shonen Magazine, and this week we continue with Weekly Shonen Sunday!
Starting mere weeks after Magazine, Sunday began publication on April 5, 1959, and new issues come out on Wednesday (and originally Tuesday), so I think it should be renamed Weekly Shonen Liesday. Currently, the longest-running title in the magazine is Case Closed--Detective Conan internationally--at a still-going-strong 84 volumes. Also the home of Rumiko Takahashi's weeklies, Sunday lives up to its name by "evoking the feeling of a relaxing weekend," and I'd say that it really does. Let's get started!
DISCLAIMER: None of the art presented is the property of myself or Crunchyroll. All characters and series are tm and © their respective creators and corporate owners. All art is the creative property of their respective artists. Any artists who wish to have their work removed from this article may contact me, and appropriate action will be immediately taken.
by カツコ
Speaking of titles that are lies, I can't easily describe how Hayate the Combat Butler got my hopes up, especially after experiencing actual combat butler Walter in Hellsing! Call it what it actually is: Hayate the Hijinx Butler!
by Unoo
We'll get to Inuyasha later on, so sit tight--in the meantime, we can start with Ranma 1/2, Rumiko Takahashi's insane sex comedy sitcom that happens to have one of my all-time favorite "final techniques"--the Saotome "Fast Break!"
by 鯉魚君
Equal parts fun fantasy-action series and pure shameless slashbait, Kekkaishi was a fairly long-running manga and a pretty fun (and also rather lengthy) anime!
by マグマリス
Hey, I haven't had a chance to include Captain Ass Earth for a while! I also completely stopped watching the anime for some reason or another, but the manga's still running in Sunday! It's not often that you find mecha titles running in weekly shonen publications, but here's the (popular) exception to the rule!
by えびら
Every time The Seven Deadly Sins is brought up, I mention Nakaba Suzuki's first manga, the high-energy and absolutely insane delinquent warfare epic Kongou Banchou, which I really, really want to see adapted into an anime.
by 史也
Case Closed is just one of those shows where I'm perfectly content with it staying the same forever and ever. There's a little progress every now and then, but it's such an episodic series and the whole point is just that Conan solves mysteries. It's incredibly relaxing, and great to leave on for long stretches.
by meissdes
Major, on the other hand, is a manga that ran for 78 volumes and tracked Goro's entire life, from when he was a five-year-old playing baseball with his friends, up through Little League, high school, and finally as an adult playing in the MLB! Can you imagine what it would be like growing up reading Major, and the characters pretty much grow up with you?
by Koda89 READER SUBMISSION!
Fresh from tearing out our hearts (and warming them) in Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa went right back to work with Silver Spoon, a more low-key series that helped Yugo here grow up.
by シグレ
I always mention that shameless emulation is not necessarily a bad thing, and the same can be said for Flame of Recca, which takes the formula of Yu Yu Hakusho and just freaking runs with it. Still, it was super fun, and watching Nobuyuki Anzai develop as an artist is a real treat.
by shishio*
I'm honestly kind of surprised with how much Magi is able to get away with in terms of fanservice--maybe it's the art style, since Shinobu Ohtaka got a lot of practice with the raunchy (and hilarious) Sumomomo Momomo. That being said, Magi is an awesome, epic adventure with a very fresh setting for a long-running shonen series.
by BlackAdam009 READER SUBMISSION!
GETTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER! While most of us are familiar with Go Nagai's anime adaptation, the original Getter Robo manga is a classic Sunday title!
by サイギ
We're getting an anime soon! Denpa Kyoshi isn't exactly GTO, but it's nice to see a teacher use his nerdy ways to inspire his students.
by ふのこ
I think every weekly shonen mag has a silly, sexy only-sorta rom-com that's way more popular than you'd expect. In Sunday's case, I'd give that honor to The World God Only Knows!
by kaizoku5493 READER SUBMISSION!
Fast-paced cooking titles are something we don't have enough of, and one of the real trendsetters was Yakiktate Ja-pan, which also works as a masters' course in punslinging.
by hajime
This is a series with many titles--the original manga is Konjiki no Gash, the anime was first released as Konjiki no Gash Bell, and then when it was released over here it became Zatch Bell. Either way, it's Pokemon with adorable little "demon" kids.
by 羚
In my neverending quest to constantly rename anime, I've settled on one I like for Arata the Legend: Fushigi Dudegi (I will also accept Broshigi Yugi). At least Arata himself isn't nearly as annoying as Miaka.
by OroNoDa READER SUBMISSION!
Never gonna rename Inuyasha, though. I'll be honest--as an anime, it went on for way too long, but as a manga, I could deal with its crazy longevity. This picture takes me back, though, to watching Inuyasha on those terrible Hong Kong bootleg DVDs.
by シグレ
First Flame of Recca, then MAR show me that Nobuyuki Anzai really specializes in the "plucky kids fighting it out with magical weapons in tournament-ish like brackets" genre, and I really hope he never moves on to doing a harem series or something.
by ぐっちぇ＠くろケット:ア14ｂ
Aside from Rumiko Takahashi, one of Sunday's other long-running contributors is Takashi Shiina, who's made both Ghost Sweeper Mikami and Zettai Karen Children, among other, smaller titles!
by ultmte READER SUBMISSION!
WAIT WAIT WAIT ONE MORE because ultmte sent this sucker in late but that's fine, I'm more than happy to give him a break. Area D is a newer series running in Sunday that seems to be about people trapped in a superpowered prison. I'll have to check it out!
by 兜子
And because I'm your pal, let's end with some tears--whether they're from sadness or joy or understanding, that's up to you. Silver Spoon is my current favorite that's running in Sunday--Arakawa really knows how to get your emotional engine going.
And that's everything for this week! There's no way I could have included every Weekly Shonen Sunday title--what are your favorites? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
I'm seeing more and more of you guys' art in this column, and that's a good thing! You're always welcome here, regardless of your skill level or experience. Want to share your work? Just PM me a link to your art (full URL, please) from an art hosting site like Deviantart or Pixiv, and make sure to get it to me by Thursday! Here are the next three themes for Fanart Friday:
-Next week, on MARCH 27th, we wrap up this three-week theme with a look at WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP! This is the magazine that needs no introduction, as it's home to big names, big titles, and helping to make anime and manga into an international sensation! THIS IS THE ONLY THEME I'M ACCEPTING REQUESTS OR SUBMISSIONS FOR THIS WEEK!
-Then, on APRIL 3rd, it's time for our annual SPRING RECAP, looking back at the last six months of Fanart Friday!
-On APRIL 10th, I'll be out of town, so DANIKA HARROD, aka DARLINGDANICHAN is helping out--it's anyone's guess what she'll do!
Thanks as always for coming by and checking out Fanart Friday! Have a great weekend, and I hope you drop by next week!
