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: 6/25/2001
Cover Date: 7/9/2001
Cover Design: Reina Asami
- Age 23 by Hideki Akiyama started it’s serialization in this issue.
Question
What type of character merch would you want from your series?
自分の作品で作ってみたいキャラクターグッズは ?
| Series | Author | Answer (English) | Answer (Japanese) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parking Violation Wars!! 駐禁ウォーズ!! | Story: Ryoichi Imai Art: Uhyosuke 作: 今井亮一 画: ウヒョ助 | Hatori’s favorite nosebleed stopper. It ‘ll stop the heaviest nosebleeds. No leaking on the side either. (Uhyosuke) | 羽鳥愛用鼻血止め。大量の鼻血もシャットアウト。横モレ無し。(ウヒョ助) |
| Tennen てんねん | Satoshi Yoshida 吉田聡 | Just give me the Shogakukan Manga Award instead (please, I’m asking). | そんなことより小学館漫画賞くれ(いや、ください)。 |
| 20th Century Boys 20世紀少年 | Naoki Urasawa 浦沢直樹 | God’s Piggy Bank. | 神様の貯金箱。 |
| Subaru 昴スバル | Masahito Soda 曽田正人 | A realistic figure of Subaru with movable joints. | 関節が動くすばるのリアルなフィギュア。 |
| 365ho no RYUTA 365歩の竜太 | Story: Masao Yajima Art: Chihiro Tamaki 作: 矢島正雄 画: 環ちひろ | Festival masks. (Tamaki) | 縁日のお面。(環) |
| Hanazono Merry-Go-Round 花園メリーゴーランド | Haruko Kashiwagi 柏木ハルコ | …. | …。 |
| Naguruzo! 殴るぞ! | Sensha Yoshida 吉田戦車 | Maybe we’d sell a plush of Manpuku? | マンプクのあれ、ヌイグルミ売れないか? |
| Saikano 最終兵器彼女 | Shin Takahashi 高橋しん | I can’t find a good phone strap. So that. | ケータイのストラップ、いいのがないので。それ。 |
| Russo-Japanese War Story 日露戦争物語 ~天気晴朗ナレドモ浪高シ~ | Tatsuya Egawa 江川達也 | Plastic models for the entire fleet during the Russo-Japanese War, with a Battle of 203-Meter Hill diorama. | プラモデル、日露当時の連合艦隊全艦艇、二百三高地ジオラマ。 |
| 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 | A strap I guess. | ストラップでいいです。 |
| Agnes Kamen アグネス仮面 | Minoru Hiramatsu ヒラマツ・ミノル | A Yori whoopee cushion. | ヨリのブーブークッション。 |
| Chocolat ショコラ | Eisaku Kubonouchi 窪之内英策 | “Out of control, Mechapiyoko,” by that guy. | 「制御不能、メカピヨ子」byアイツ。 |
| Monimoni もにもに | Koji Aihara 相原コージ | It’s got to be coming squishy!! | もにもにに決まってるだろ!! |
| 8 8エイト | Atsushi Kamijo 上條淳士 | T-shirts, figurines, and more… (←I’m serious). | Tシャツにフィギュアに･･････(←本気だ)。 |
| Kaijuu Jinsei 怪獣人生 | Nobuyuki Hori ほりのぶゆき | Can we… create a real monster? | リアル獣出します･･･よね? |
| A Capricious Concept 気まぐれコンセプト | Hoichoi Productions ホイチョイ・プロ | A Hosokawa doll with burnt pubic hair. | 陰毛燃やす細川人形。 |
| Jimihen じみへん | Tatsuya Nakazaki 中崎タツヤ | Some onsen manju would be good. | 温泉まんじゅうでいいっス。 |
| Boku 僕 BOKU | Yasuhito Yamamoto 山本康人 | Hiroshi’s studying notebook and eraser. | ひろし学習ノートとひろし消しゴム。 |
| The 3 Young Men THE3名様 | Makochin Ishihara 石原まこちん | Furikake (Family Restaurant Flavor, comes with trading card). | ふりかけ(ファミレス風味、トレカ付き)。 |
| Age 23 23才 | Hideki Akiyama あきやまひでき | A high-end ballpoint pen with Nakazaki’s face printed on it. | 中崎の顔が印刷してある高級ボールペン。 |
| Oishinbo 美味しんぼ | Story: Tetsu Kariya Art: Akira Hanasaki 雁屋哲+花咲アキラ | Cell Phone Strap (Oyama design). (Hanasaki) | 携帯ストラップ(雄山の)。(花咲) |
| Nijikoshi Iinchou にじこしいいんちょう | Nobumi のぶみ | There will be 300 unique designs. Be sure to collect them all. | 300種類くらい出ています。ぜひ、お買い求めください。 |
| Naoko 奈緒子 | Story: Nobuhiro Sakata Art: Yuu Nakahara 坂田信弘+中原裕 | A teacup with a quote from Gonji. (Nakahara) | 権じい語録付き湯飲み。(中原) |
| Animal Mania アニマルマニア | Kiriko Kubo 玖保キリコ | A sliding door? Would be tricky to store that. | 襖かなー? 保存するのが大変そうだが。 |
