Ribbon:70th Anniversary Project Continues: "Tokimeki Tonight", "Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne", and "Gokinjo Monogatari" Top Shoujo Manga Magazines in Circulation with Gorgeous Original Illustrations

Shueisha's girls' manga magazine Ribon will celebrate its 70th anniversary in August, and to commemorate this, they will be holding commemorative events throughout 2025. The February issue, which is currently on sale, features a group illustration of characters from 38 popular manga works from the past and present, including those currently being serialized, on the back cover, and the March issue, which goes on sale on February 3rd, will see the start of a serialized project in which manga artists currently serializing their works will write about their "memorable Ribon works" through illustrations. In the first episode, Asaka Noriko will talk about "Looking for the Full Moon." There are also plans for collaboration projects and events, such as the production of merchandise for popular works from the past.

The February issue comes with a "Ribon 2025 Schedule Book Set" and includes original illustration cards by 12 manga artists, including Ikeno Koi (Tokimeki Tonight), Tanemura Arina (Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne), Mizusawa Megumi (Hime-chan's Ribbon), Yazawa Ai (Gokinjo Monogatari), and Fujii Mihona (GALS!). The illustration cards can be purchased as photos or stickers at Lawson multi-copy machines nationwide.

"Ribon" was first published on August 3, 1955. As a general magazine, it has included a wide variety of articles, including manga, "picture stories" written with illustrations and text, reading materials and gravure photos, coloring books and quizzes, etc., to make it easy for children to read. In the late 1970s, it began to include a wide variety of supplements such as letter sets, notebooks, and paper bags with illustrations by manga artists. In particular, the supplements contributed by Mutsu A-san, Tabuchi Yumiko-san, and Tachikake Hideko-san, who were supported as "girly manga artists" with their cute illustrations and stories, are said to have accelerated the popularity of "Ribon". In the February 1994 New Year's special issue, the circulation exceeded 2.55 million copies, the largest in history, and it became the number one girl's manga magazine in circulation. In 2024, it once again became the number one girl's manga magazine in circulation. The cumulative circulation is over 14 million copies (as of December 2024).