Weekly Shōnen Sunday

Weekly Shōnen Sunday (週刊少年サンデー), first published on April 5, 1959, is a weekly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan. Contrary to its title, Weekly Shōnen Sunday issues are released on Wednesdays.

History
Shōnen Sunday was first published on Sunday, April 5, 1959, as a response to its rival Shōnen Magazine. The debut issue featured Shigeo Nagashima, the star player of the Yomiuri Giants on the cover, and a congratulatory article by Isoko Hatano, a noted child psychologist.

Despite its name, Shōnen Sunday was originally published on Tuesdays of each week, switching to Wednesdays in 2011. The "Sunday" in the name was the creation of its first editor, Kiichi Toyoda, who wanted the title to be evocative of a relaxing weekend.

Shōnen Sunday ' s distinctive "pointing finger" that appears in the lower corner of every page on the left side of the magazine made its subtle debut in the 4/5 issue from 1969. This understated feature, ever present but easily overlooked, was referenced as a plot element in 20th Century Boys. Sunday's more noticeable mascot, a helmeted fish debuted in the 1980s.

Prior to the 1990s and 2000s no serial in Shōnen Sunday had run over 40 volumes, but that began to change with series such as Detective Conan, MAJOR, InuYasha, Shijō Saikyō no Deshi Kenichi and Karakuri Circus, which maintained a high level of popularity. Consequently, another change that has met with mixed feelings is the early discontinuation of series by non-veteran manga artist which has led to newer artists, Kōji Kumeta for example, leaving for other publishers' magazines.

In a rare event due to the closeness of the two magazine's founding dates, Weekly Shōnen Sunday and Weekly Shōnen Magazine released a special combined issue on March 19, 2008. In addition, other commemorative events, merchandise, and manga crossovers were planned for the following year as part of the celebrations.

Other well-known Sunday series
In its nearly fifty year history Shōnen Sunday has been host to many series that are considered classics of their genre. From the works of Osamu Tezuka and Shotaro Ishinomori to Rumiko Takahashi, Mitsuru Adachi and Gosho Aoyama, some of the biggest names in the industry have called Shōnen Sunday their home.

Circulation

 * 2000 - 2.02 million
 * 2002 - 1.53 million
 * 2003 - 1.31 million
 * 2004 - 1.16 million
 * 2005 - 1.06 million
 * 2006 - 1.01 million
 * 2007 - 0.94 million
 * 2008 - 873,438
 * 2009 - 773,062
 * 2010 - 678,917
 * 2011 - 583,750

Editors

 * 1991 - 1993
 * Takashi Hirayama
 * 1994 - 2000
 * Toyohiko Okuyama
 * 2000 - 2002
 * Shinichiro Tsuzuki
 * 2002 - 2004
 * Shinichi Mikami
 * 2004–present
 * Masato Hayashi

International version

 * Shōnen Star - Indonesia

North American edition
Anime News Network also confirmed that Viz Media plans on launching Shonen Sunday titles in the U.S. Starting with Rumiko Takahashi's Rin-ne manga adaptation, which was released on October 20, 2009.