For all of this year, we’re taking a look at Shogakukan’s Weekly Big Comic Spirits (週刊ビッグコミックスピリッツ) magazine back in 2001. From these issues exactly 25 years ago from their releases helps give a bit of a insight into the creators and the magazine at the time. If you want to see more of these author comments and other articles about the magazine, check out our archive for Weekly Big Comic Spirits on this page.
The cover date on the issues are not the actual release dates for the magazine. As such, we will be posting the articles based on the calendar date when the magazine was actually available for readers to pick up in Japan. In the year 2001, this would typically be published on every Monday.
Every modern issue, the editorial staff would ask a single question to all of the published authors. While the magazine was released weekly, not every series in the magazine was published in each issue. Below is the listing of the manga series as they appear in the issue along with a rough English translation for the question and each response.
Issue Info
Release Date: 3/12/2001
Cover Date: 3/26/2001
Cover Design: Pineapple and Tomato (Mascots)
- 20th Century Boys had the opening color pages.
- The 3 Young Men had two chapters in the issue to celebrate the upcoming volume release.
Question
It’s graduation season, is there a congratulatory speech you would like to hear… If so, who?
卒業式のシーズンですが 、あの人の祝辞なら聞いてみたい･･･という人は?
| Series | Author | Answer (English) | Answer (Japanese) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20th Century Boys 20世紀少年 | Naoki Urasawa 浦沢直樹 | The Showa era, given today. | 昭和のいる・こいる。 |
| 365ho no RYUTA 365歩の竜太 | Story: Masao Yajima Art: Chihiro Tamaki 作:矢島正雄 画:環ちひろ | Guts Ishimatsu. (Tamaki) | ガッツ石松。(環) |
| Gekka no Kishi 月下の棋士 | Junichi Noujou 能條純一 | Magazine deputy editor, Hideki Egami. | 本誌副編・江上英樹。 |
| Fighting Sun Legend Gutch!! 格闘太陽伝 GUTCH!! | Hiromi Aoyama Supervision: Lou Thesz 青山広美 監修: ルー・テーズ | Hana-chan (Aoyama) | ハナちゃん。(青山) |
| Otana-Bukuro 大人袋 | Isami Nakagawa 中川いさみ | Minoru Torihada. | 鳥肌実。 |
| Chocolat ショコラ | Eisaku Kubonouchi 窪之内英策 | “The Coming of Age Ceremony Troublemakers” by that guy. | 「成人式で暴れたヤツら」byアイツ。 |
| Saikano 最終兵器彼女 | Shin Takahashi 高橋しん | I don’t have any opinion for this kind of question. Sorry as always…. | これ系の質問にはあんまり心当たりないです。いつもすいません･･･。 |
| The 3 Young Men THE3名様 | Makochin Ishihara 石原まこちん | Rokusuke Ei. | 永六輔。 |
| Kaijuu Jinsei 怪獣人生 | Nobuyuki Hori ほりのぶゆき | Minoru Torihada. | 鳥肌実。 |
| Boku 僕 BOKU | Yasuhito Yamamoto 山本康人 | Section Chief Nomura of Nippon Cultural Broadcasting’s evening show. | 文化放送の夕方のラジオに出てくる野村係長。 |
| 8 8エイト | Atsushi Kamijo 上條淳士 | Unrelated, but today (March 12th), is my birthday (38 years old). Hehehe… | 関係ないけど今日(3月12日)誕生日なんだ(38歳)。えへへ･･･ |
| Yoiko よいこ | Yugo Ishikawa 石川優吾 | I would love to hear Inoki-san reciting his famous poem “The Road.” | 猪木さんの例の詩、“道”の朗読希望。 |
| Sentiment no Kisetsu センチメントの季節 | Nariko Enomoto 榎本ナリコ | Piko-san. | ピーコさん。 |
| The Two Oigawas Employment Diary ふたりの大井川 就職日誌 | Inosuke Rodriguez ロドリゲス井之介 | Ishii-chan. | 石井ちゃん。 |
| Jimihen じみへん | Tatsuya Nakazaki 中崎タツヤ | Queen Himiko (again). | 女王卑弥呼(またか)。 |
| Thirty Girls サーティーガールズ | Miya Kitazawa & Takeshi Wakasa 北沢未也+若狭たけし | Hello. I don’t like “ceremonies” or “assemblies.” | こんにちは。「式」とか「会」は好きじゃないです。 |
| Nijikoshi Iinchou にじこしいいんちょう | Nobumi のぶみ | My dog (mixed breed). | うちの犬(雑種)。 |
| Aozora 青空 | Hidenori Hara 原秀則 | Prime Minister Mori (Looking forward to the audience’s insults♪). | 森首相(会場からの罵声が楽しみ♪)。 |
| A Capricious Concept 気まぐれコンセプト | Hoichoi Productions ホイチョイ・プロ | Ebiichi Somenosuke and Sometaro | 海老一染之助、染太郎 |
| Senkousekka 電光石火 | Kenji Morita 盛田賢司 | It’s a hassle, so I’d skip it. | めんどくさいからいい。 |
| Naoko 奈緒子 | Story: Nobuhiro Sakata Art: Yuu Nakahara 坂田信弘+中原裕 | A congratulatory poem from Antonio Inoki. | アントニオ猪木からお祝いの詩。 |
| Animal Mania アニマルマニア | Kiriko Kubo 玖保キリコ | It would Madame Curie who I deepy respect. Oh, do they still need to be alive? | やはり私の尊敬するキューリー夫人ですね。あ、生きてる人じゃないとだめ? |
