June (magazine)
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was a
yaoi ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the '' wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created ...
magazine published by Magazine Magazine between 1978 and 2012. The magazine was a ''toko zasshi'', a magazine which mainly publishes unsolicited manuscripts with a small
honorarium An honorarium is an ''ex gratia'' payment, i.e., a payment made, without the giver recognizing themselves as having any liability or legal obligation, to a person for his or her services in a volunteer capacity or for services for which fees are no ...
. In ''June'', stories were not required to include a "love scene".


History

''June'' was the earliest
yaoi ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the '' wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created ...
magazine, which began in 1978 as a response to the success of commercially published manga such as the works of female artists
Keiko Takemiya is a Japanese manga artist and the former president of Kyoto Seika University. Career Keiko Takemiya (or Takemiya Keiko) is included in the Year 24 Group, a term coined by academics and critics to refer to a group of female authors in the ea ...
,
Moto Hagio is a Japanese manga artist. Regarded for her contributions to ''shōjo'' manga ( manga aimed at young and adolescent women), Hagio is considered the most significant artist in the demographic and among the most influential manga artists of al ...
and
Yumiko Ōshima is a Japanese manga artist and is associated with the Year 24 group that heavily influenced the development of shōjo manga in the 1970s. Career She made her debut as a professional manga artist in 1968 with the short story "Paula no Namida" ...
. Other factors that influenced the founding of June were the rising popularity of depictions of ''
bishōnen (; also transliterated ) is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth (boy)" and describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man of androgynous beauty. This word originated from the Tang dyna ...
'' in the ''
dōjinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created ...
'' market and ambiguous musicians such as
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
and
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
.Toku, Masami (6 June 2002
Interview with Mr. Sagawa
/ref> ''June'' was meant to have an underground, "cultish, guerilla-style" feeling – most of its
manga artists A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist bef ...
were new talent. Frederik L. Schodt describes ''June'' as "a kind of 'readers' magazine, created by and for the readers." Very early on, Keiko Takemiya became the editor of a section called "Manga School", which instructed readers and amateur manga authors. ''June'' magazine ceased operations in 1979, but was relaunched in 1981. Azusa Nakajima ran a contest in the magazine for readers called "Shosetsu dojo" ("Novel School") which was an important platform for aspiring writers.Mizoguchi Akiko (2003). "Male-Male Romance by and for Women in Japan: A History and the Subgenres of Yaoi Fictions". ''U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal'', 25: 49-75. ''June'' magazine was named after the French author
Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Thief ...
, with "june" being a play on the Japanese pronunciation of his name.
Digital Manga Publishing Digital Manga is a California-based publishing company that licenses and releases Japanese manga, anime, and related merchandise in the English language. Digital Manga also owns and operates eManga, a digital publishing site for manga and ...
had an unrelated BL imprint which is also called June. The magazine's name became an early name for what is now the BL genre, as June published male/male ''tanbi'' 耽美 ("aesthetic") romances, stories written for and about the worship of beauty, and romance between older men and beautiful youthsVincent, Keith (2007)
A Japanese Electra and Her Queer Progeny
'' Mechademia 2'' pp.64-79
using particularly flowery language and unusual kanji. Essays about the characteristics of the June genre were published with the manga in ''June''. In 1982, ''Shōsetsu June'' ("Novel June"), a sister magazine to ''June'' began publication. Its content was text-only stories with male romance. In 1991, Sandra Buckley noted that ''June'' was increasing its coverage of gay culture in response to its gay readership, and she credits the magazine with "playing a role in the construction of a collective gay identity" in Japan. As of the mid-1990s, ''Shōsetsu June'' outsold ''June''.Schodt, Frederik L. (1996) '' Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga'' pages 120-123 In 1996, there were four June magazines - one called ''June'', in a "large format" with many photos of youths, ''Roman June'' ("Romantic June") which contained a mix of stories and manga, intended for an older female reader, ''Shousetsu June'', and the original manga magazine, retitled ''Comic June'', for general
fujoshi The ''yaoi'' fandom consists of the readers of (also called Boys' Love or abbreviated to BL), a genre of male x male romance narratives aimed at those who participate in communal activities organized around yaoi, such as attending conventions, m ...
audiences. Circulation of ''June'' was 40,000 in 1998. As of 2002, June was still running, although the target audience's ages had widened and the style of stories had changed from being "soft love" to occasionally being more overtly "pornographic". On 6 April 2006, ''Koi June'' was launched, which published 3-4 issues per year which ran for seven issues until 19 January 2009. This magazine included manga, text-only stories and a DVD. A single-issue sister magazine, ''DVD June'', was published on 9 February 2007. Both were subsequently merged using the latters name, with the first issue (''DVD June Vol.8)'' published on 18 June 2009 and still running. Creators associated with June included
Tomomi Kobayashi is a Japanese illustrator. She is best known for her character design and illustration work in the '' SaGa'' series of video games by Square Enix. Kobayashi has been termed an "iconic" artist for Japanese role-playing games, and has had multiple ...
, Kaoru Kurimoto (both as an author and as a critic),
Keiko Takemiya is a Japanese manga artist and the former president of Kyoto Seika University. Career Keiko Takemiya (or Takemiya Keiko) is included in the Year 24 Group, a term coined by academics and critics to refer to a group of female authors in the ea ...
,
Mizuki Kawashita is a Japanese manga artist, best known for her romantic comedy ''Strawberry 100%'' which was published by Shueisha in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 2002 to 2005, and would later receive a television anime and OVA adaptation. During the early part ...
and
Akimi Yoshida is a Japanese manga artist and a graduate of Musashino Art University. She made her professional debut in 1977 with the short story , published in '' Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' magazine. Yoshida is best known for the crime thriller series '' Bana ...
. The last issue was published on 28 December 2012 (February 2013 issue).


Name of original magazine

The original magazine had different name. The name of magazine was ''Comic Jun'' () at the first (October 1978) issue. The first issue had also subtitle "Aesthetic Magazine for Gals". The second (December 1978) issue had the same name. The name of magazine was changed to ''June'' () from the third (February 1979) issue.''Comic Jun (October 1978)'', ''Comic Jun (December 1978)'', and ''June (February 1979)''. Note: The name "Jun" had other implications different from Jean Genet. For instance, Shōtarō Ishimori's image story manga had this title, whose protagonist is a boy named Jun. '' (ja) Jun''. Ishimori won the
Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being given since ...
for this manga in 1967
Google images
''Jun'' means "pure" in general.


Titles

*''
Ai no Kusabi is a Japanese novel written by Rieko Yoshihara. Originally serialized in the magazine '' Shōsetsu June'' between December 1986 and October 1987, the story was collected into a hardbound novel that was released in Japan in 1990, and eventua ...
'' (Shousetsu June) *'' Fujimi Orchestra'' *''Uozumikun'' *''
Sensitive Pornograph is a Japanese yaoi anime OVA based on a BL manga anthology of short stories by Ashika Sakura, who also authored the manga series ''Sekirei'' under her other pen-name, Sakurako Gokurakuin. It has one episode which is made up of two separate and ...
'' (Comic June Piace Series) *''Great Place High School''


References


External links


June-Net
{{Authority control 1978 establishments in Japan 2012 disestablishments in Japan Bi-monthly manga magazines published in Japan Defunct magazines published in Japan Magazines established in 1978 Magazines disestablished in 2012 Pornographic manga magazines Yaoi manga magazines