While manga is generally seen as entertainment, most major Japanese publishers have understood the medium’s value for education, particularly history. One of the most well-known educational manga series is Shueisha ‘s Gakushu Manga: Sekai no Rekishi (Educational Manga: World History). Originally released in 1986, the series gained an update in 2002 with each volume getting a new cover drawn by a different manga artist. The series is now getting another update, and the standout manga artist this time is none other than JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure ‘s Hirohiko Araki .
Image via twitter.com ©荒木飛呂彦・集英社
The Shueisha Jidōsho (Children’s Book) imprint’s X (formerly Twitter ) account announced the newest edition on April 23. The post previews the new art of five historical figures (Muhammad Akbar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ramesses II, Elizabeth I, and Mahatma Gandhi), and the cover of the 10th volume by Araki.
【情報解禁！】ようやくお伝えできます。
集英社版『学習まんが 世界の歴史』(全18巻)が22年ぶりに全面リニューアルして2024年10月４日に発売になります！
表紙は、荒木飛呂彦をはじめ集英社で活躍する漫画家がこのシリーズのために描き下ろした歴史的主要人物のイラスト。… pic.twitter.com/u48l2gg8Yh
— 集英社 児童書編集部（公式） (@shueishajidosho) April 23, 2024
[Embargo lifted!] We can finally tell you.
Shueisha’s Educational Manga: World History (18 volumes in total) has been completely renewed for the first time in 22 years for release on October 4, 2024!
The covers feature illustrations of major historical figures drawn specifically for this series by manga artists active at Shueisha, including Hirohiko Araki.
This is the first educational manga on World History published in line with the latest curriculum guidelines!
https://kids.shueisha.co.jp/sekaishi/
The lineup of Shueisha manga authors outside of Araki is also quite spectacular. According to the Shueisha homepage, the authors providing cover art are:
Volume 1: Yasuhisa Hara ( Kingdom )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©原泰久・集英社
Volume 2: Hiroyuki Asada ( I’ll [Generation Basket] , Tegami Bachi )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©浅田弘幸・集英社
Volume 3: Kōhei Horikoshi ( My Hero Academia )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©堀越耕平・集英社
Volume 4: Kozueko Morimoto ( Gokusen , Ashi-Girl )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©森本梢子・集英社
Volume 5: Yūki Tabata ( Black Clover )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©田畠裕基・集英社
Volume 6: Fusako Kuramochi ( Itsumo Pocket ni Chopin , Tennen Kokekko )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©くらもちふさこ・集英社
Volume 7: Posuka Demizu ( The Promised Neverland )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©出水ぽすか・集英社
Volume 8: Io Sakisaka ( Ao Haru Ride , Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©咲坂伊緒・集英社
Volume 9: Hikaru Miyoshi ( Moriarty the Patriot )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©三好輝・集英社
Volume 10: Hirohiko Araki (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©荒木飛呂彦・集英社
Volume 11: Yūsei Matsui ( Assassination Classroom , The Elusive Samurai )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©松井優征・集英社
Volume 12: Masanori Morita ( Rookies )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©森田まさのり・集英社
Volume 13: Satoru Noda ( Golden Kamuy )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©野田サトル・集英社
Volume 14: Shin’ichi Sakamoto ( Innocent )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©坂本眞一・集英社
Volume 15: Tatsuya Endō ( SPY x FAMILY )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©遠藤達哉・集英社
Volume 16: Shin’ichi Sakamoto
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©坂本眞一・集英社
Volume 17: Mari Yamazaki ( Thermae Romae )
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©ヤマザキマリ・集英社
Volume 18: Posuka Demizu
Image via kids.shueisha.co.jp ©出水ぽすか・集英社
This is an amazing lineup of artists, and each captures the essence of the historical figures. For instance, Noda’s illustration of Vladimir Lenin captures the Russian socialist movement in the late 1910s, and Endo’s art of Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler evokes the struggles of WWII. So subject and manga author fit quite well.
A Little Bit About Educational Manga
For the longest time, parents would admonish children in Japan for reading manga, fearing it would make them unintelligent. However, authors and publishers have seen the potential in manga as educational material. These include your historical fiction such as Tezuka Osamu ‘s Buddha , Riyoko Ikeda ‘s The Rose of Versailles , or more recently Noda’s Golden Kamuy. However, these series fall into the category of edutainment — with some educational value, but designed to be entertaining.
So, what are educational manga then? These are manga made by committee with the express purpose of supplementing children’s education. Granted, there is still an element of fiction in the stories presented, but those stories are developed under the care of scholars and leaders in the field of study. Add on top of this, some of the educational manga also have question and answer sections after each chapter, much like a traditional textbook, to help readers comprehend the material. Thus, while categorized as manga in most major bookstores in Japan, educational manga also fall into the limbo of educational material. Hence, you’ll likely find them mixed in with other supplemental education books or study guides.
This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last time manga creators at Shueisha create covers for the publisher’s educational manga, especially for Araki. However, considering his age, we may only get a few more from him. The Gakushu Manga: Sekai no Rekishi series is set to go on sale on October 4. Each individual volume will be 1,100 yen, and the full set will be 19,800 yen (about US$7 and US$128 respectively). Pre-orders are available, however there is no information on where to pre-order the books. Previous educational manga by Shueisha are available on Amazon Japan, so it is likely the newest edition will be available there as well. So, if you love manga and are a history buff, check out the series when it releases.
Update: Typo fixed. Thanks, Nagsura.
Source: Shueisha website, Shueisha Jidosho X/Twitter account, Mantan Web