Apparently, the current editor-in-chief of Weekly
Shonen Sunday magazine , Kazunori Oshima, believes that “ Sousou no Frieren (Frieren:
Beyond Journey's End)” will surpass “ Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no
Yaiba ” in popularity in the next five years.
According to an interview with veteran manga editors
and former rivals Kazuhiko Torishima (left) of Weekly Shonen Jump and Katsuya
Shirai (right) of Weekly Shonen Sunday, Shirai stated that current
editor Oshima recently stated that “Sousou no Frieren” will surpass “Demon
Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” in 2028. It should be noted that the
magazines Weekly Shonen Jump, from Shueisha, and Weekly Shonen Sunday, from
Shogakukan, have been rivals since their creation in late the 1960s.
Torishima and Shirai, the aforementioned veteran
editors, maintained fierce competition during the 1970s and 1980s, when
magazines were just beginning to make a name for themselves in Japan. Weekly
Shonen Jump ended up surpassing Weekly Shonen Sunday and its other competitors
in popularity, becoming Japan's best-selling manga magazine of all time and
serializing many of the country's best-known series, such as “One Piece,” “
Dragon Ball” and, of course, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.”
In contrast, Weekly Shonen Sunday has
seen a fairly steady decline since 2007. However, it still
maintains several notable titles, such as “Call of the Night,” “Komi Can't
Communicate,” “Detective Conan,” and “Sousou no Frieren.” The magazine also
remains a familiar title among manga fans and is among the top ten most popular
manga magazines, although far surpassed by Weekly Shonen Jump in the volume of
circulation.
Given the numbers and history of both
magazines, Oshima's claim that “Sousou no Frieren” will surpass “Demon Slayer:
Kimetsu no Yaiba” may be wishful thinking. Frieren
has been one of the most popular manga series of 2023, especially since the
premiere of the Madhouse anime adaptation in late September, quickly receiving
praise for its animation quality and intricate plot. Both Demon Slayer
and Frieren are historical adventure fantasies that quickly gained popularity
in Japan and became international hits after receiving an anime adaptation. The
same can be said for “One Piece,” “Naruto,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Shingeki no
Kyojin,” and many other series. The fact that Oshima uses Demon Slayer as a
benchmark for success instead of other series is proof that Demon
Slayer is not only a modern classic, but also one of the most financially
successful franchises of all time.
In the interview with Torishima and Shirai, both
editors also referenced Demon Slayer on several occasions, to continue
underlining how rare the success of a series like that is. Shirai
stated that the fact that Oshima claimed that Frieren could surpass her meant
that the editor must have a "competitive spirit." Comparing
both titles, Demon Slayer consists of 23 volumes and has more than 150 million
copies in circulation, making it the ninth best-selling manga series of all
time. Frieren has 13 volumes published to date and just over 21 million copies
in circulation.
Beyond manga sales, for Frieren to
surpass Demon Slayer, it would have to rake in millions of dollars as a media
franchise. This means that the former would have to
produce a film that rivals Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train, currently the
highest-grossing Japanese and anime film in history, and the highest-grossing
film worldwide in 2020. Additionally, to surpass Demon Slayer in
popularity, beyond the huge fan base and numerous accolades, Frieren would also
technically need a themed airline, an attraction at Universal Studios, and a
protagonist that Japanese children look up to more than their own parents.
Oshima gave this goal a period of five
years, so it is entirely possible that in five years all the aforementioned
objectives will be achieved. Given how much
Demon Slayer's popularity skyrocketed following the release of Ufotable's anime
adaptation in 2018, the coming years will offer significant insight into future
projections for Frieren's success.
Source: ThunderFaminicokema
