Lemon People
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2012) |
 Cover of January 1994 issue. | |
| Categories | sexploitation, hentai manga |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| First issue | February 1982 |
| Final issue | 1998 |
| Company | Kubo Shoten |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Lemon People (レモンピープル, Remon Pīpuru) was a sexploitation hentai manga magazine published by Kubo Shoten from February 1982[1] to November 1998 in Japan. The first issue had some gravure idol photographs, but the format of the magazine quickly switched to all manga by the eighth issue.
Lemon People predates the lolicon manga boom in Japan in the 2000s, and was the longest-running lolita manga magazine in Japan. The magazine genre including science fiction, cyberpunk, space opera, fantasy, and horror that was common worldwide, While the stories were serious, they often were described as humor and parody. Lemon People received competition from other magazines such as Manga Burikko, Manga Hot Milk, Melon Comic, and Monthly Halflita, though none of them achieved the same success.
Before Lemon People, adult comics tended to be more dramatic and serious. Lemon People changed the genre by introducing a more cute style of manga, often with less realistic storylines. Lemon People was considered the beginning of the "new wave" of lolicon manga.[2] Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, there was a growing movement in Japan to censor magazines such as Lemon People because some viewed them as harmful to young people.
By the mid-1990s, the sales of Lemon People began to drop, and the magazine changed its format to the B5 paper size and reduced its cover price. This strategy was not effective, however, and the November 1998 issue was the last one, ending a run of sixteen years and nine months.
Manga artists published
Many manga artists published works in Lemon People over its nearly seventeen-year run. Following is a list of some of them:
- Shun Ajima
- Rei Aran
- Yoshitō Asari
- Hideo Azuma
- Morio Chimi
- Clarissa
- Dragoon
- FJ-3
- Fukuryū
- Ryū Hariken
- Toshihiro Hirano
- Ken Hirukogami
- Hiro Hoshiai
- Narumi Kakinouchi
- KAN2O
- Kobayashi Shōnen
- Meimu
- Hikaru Nagareboshi
- Fumio Nakajima (the Lolita Anime OVAs were based on his works here)
- Ochazukenori
- Makoto Orikura
- Ruria046
- Senno Knife
- Masato Tanaka
- Shindamane
Special issues
Beginning with the 29th issue of Lemon People, some special themed issues started being published infrequently, including two full color mooks for the anime series Fight! Iczer One. Here is a short list of some of them:
- Bishōjo & Robot (美少女&ロボット, Bishōjo ando Robotto) (issue 29, science fiction, 15 May 1984)
- Bishōjo in Occult House (美少女inオカルト・ハウス, Bishōjo in Okaruto Hausu) (issue 35, horror, 15 October 1984)
- Lemon People Best Collection (レモンピープル/Best Collection, Remon Pīporu Besuto Korekushon) (issue 40, reprint collection of full color art and stories from past issues, 15 February 1985)
- Lemon People issues 61, 65, and 70 (1986–1987) are full color collections of original stories & art that deal with subjects like horror & fantasy.
Trivia
Gundam ZZ character Elpeo Ple - an extremely bubbly, playful 11-year-old girl - was named for this magazine.
References
- ^ Comic Box, Fusion Product, April 1983, p.178
- ^ Shinpo, Nobunaga [in Japanese], ed. (February 14, 2000). "すべてはエロから始まった". 消えたマンガ雑誌 (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Media Factory. pp. 30–37. ISBN 4-8401-0006-3.
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