Gutsoon! Entertainment, Inc. was a publisher of English translated manga. The company, headquartered in Encino, Los Angeles, [1] served as the US subsidiary of Coamix, which was founded by Nobuhiko Horie and manga artist Tsukasa Hojo.
The company published the English manga anthology Raijin Comics , a U.S. equivalent to the Japanese Weekly Comic Bunch and published many of the same titles ( Fist of the Blue Sky and City Hunter ), as well titles from other magazines such as the Japanese Weekly Shōnen Jump .
Raijin Comics began as a weekly magazine with its first issue (dated December 18, 2002), but switched to being a monthly publication beginning with its 36th issue (dated September 2003). Gutsoon! also published a companion magazine to Raijin Comics, titled Raijin Game & Anime (originally called Fujin Magazine), which lasted only 20 issues before being merged into the pages of Raijin Comics. The collected volumes of Raijin Comics titles were published under the Raijin Graphic Novels imprint. Raijin Comics also has a mascot called "Raijin Maru". Before the company's fall they were also planning to make a shōjo manga magazine called Smile Magazine .
On March 15, 2004, Gutsoon! announced that they would be placing their Rajin Comics brand on hiatus. Raijin Comics ceased publication with its July 2004 issue (issue #46) and the Raijin Graphic Novels line was subsequently cancelled as well.
Some volumes of Raijin Comics were only published in Japan. These were called Raijin Collection volumes and were in large phone book magazine issues. Another line like Raijin Collection would be Shueisha Jump Remix. The list below has all the manga by the Raijin Collection label:
Shōnen manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent boys. It is, along with shōjo manga, seinen manga, and josei manga, one of the primary editorial categories of manga. Shōnen manga is traditionally published in dedicated manga magazines that exclusively target the shōnen demographic group.
Seinen manga (青年漫画) is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word seinen literally means "youth", but the term "seinen manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like Weekly Manga Times and Weekly Manga Goraku which cater specifically to men's interests, and are marketed towards a demographic of young adult men between the ages of 18 and 40. Seinen manga are distinguished from shōnen manga which are for young teen boys, although some seinen manga like xxxHolic share similarities with shōnen manga. Seinen manga can focus on action, politics, science fiction, fantasy, relationships, sports, or comedy. The female equivalent to seinen manga is josei manga.
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. Chapters of the series that run in Weekly Shōnen Jump are collected and published in tankōbon volumes under the Jump Comics imprint every two to three months. It is one of the longest-running manga magazines, with the first issue being released with a cover date of August 1, 1968.
Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 tankōbon volumes under the Jump Comics imprint. Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth after a nuclear war, the story centers on a warrior named Kenshiro, the successor of a deadly martial art known as Hokuto Shinken, which gives him the ability to kill his opponents by striking their secret vital points, which often results in an exceptionally violent and gory death. Kenshiro dedicates his life to fighting against the various gangs, bandits, and warlords who threaten the lives of the defenseless and innocent, as well as rival martial artists.
Shogakukan Inc. is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.
Raijin Comics is a discontinued manga anthology published from 2002 until 2004 in North America by the now-defunct Gutsoon! Entertainment and largely backed by the Sega Corporation at its inception. The collected volumes of Raijin Comics titles were published under the Raijin Graphic Novels imprint. The magazine was aimed at mature readers.
Tetsuo Hara is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for co-creating the post-apocalyptic martial arts series Fist of the North Star (1983–1988) with writer Buronson, which is one of the best-selling manga in history with over 100 million copies in circulation.
Fist of the Blue Sky is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara, with plot supervision by Buronson. It was serialized in Weekly Comic Bunch from 2001 to 2010, with the chapters collected into 22 tankōbon volumes by Shinchosha. It is a prequel to the popular 1980s manga Fist of the North Star, which Hara originally illustrated with Buronson writing. Set primarily in Shanghai during the 1930s, the series centers on the 62nd successor of the Hokuto Shinken martial arts style, Kenshiro Kasumi, the namesake and predecessor of Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star. The manga was adapted into a 26-episode anime series that aired on TV Asahi from 2006 to 2007.
Comic Bunch is a Japanese manga anthology marketed to a seinen audience that was edited by Coamix and published weekly by Shinchosha from 2001 throughout 2010 and became monthly since 2011. The collected editions of their titles are published under the Bunch Comics imprint.
Coamix Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manga and anime production company headquartered in the Kichijoji Zizo Building in Kichijōji, Musashino, Tokyo. The company was previously partnered with Shinchosha until 2010 and then with Tokuma Shoten until Coamix began self-publishing in 2020.
Shonen Jump, officially stylized SHONEN JUMP and abbreviated SJ, was a shōnen manga anthology published in North America by Viz Media. It debuted in November 2002 with the first issue having a January 2003 cover date. Based on Shueisha's popular Japanese magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump, Shonen Jump is retooled for English readers and the American audience, including changing it from a weekly publication to a monthly one. It features serialized chapters from four manga series, and articles on Japanese language and culture, as well as manga, anime, video games, and figurines. Prior to the magazine's launch, Viz launched an extensive marketing campaign to promote it and help it succeed where previous manga anthologies published in North America had failed. Shueisha purchased an equity interest in Viz to help fund the venture, and Cartoon Network, Suncoast, and Diamond Distributors became promotional partners in the magazine.
Bomber Girl is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Niwano. It was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from January to April 1994.
Jump, also known as Jump Comics, is a line of manga anthologies created by Shueisha. It began with Shōnen Jump manga anthology in 1968, later renamed Weekly Shōnen Jump. The origin of the name is unknown. The Jump anthologies are primarily intended for teen male audiences, although the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine has also been popular with the female demographic. Along with the line of manga anthologies, Shōnen Jump also includes a crossover media franchise, where there have been various Shōnen Jump themed crossover anime and video games which bring together various Shōnen Jump manga characters.
Hana no Keiji is a Japanese period manga series, based on the novel Ichi-Mu-An Fūryūki by Keiichiro Ryu and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 1990 to August 1993. The story serves as a fictionalized account of the life of Keiji Maeda. Hana no Keiji is one of best-selling Weekly Shōnen Jump manga series of all time, with over 17 million copies in circulation. An English adaptation was published in Raijin Comics under the shortened title Keiji.
Shueisha Inc. is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company.
The First President of Japan is a Japanese manga series written by Yoshiki Hidaka and illustrated by Ryuji Tsugihara.
PPPPPP is a Japanese musical manga series written and illustrated by Mapollo 3. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from September 2021 to February 2023, with its chapters collected into eight tankōbon volumes as of May 2023. The manga has been licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media.