Publisher Shogakukan Inc. said Monday it will discontinue two time-honored magazines targeting elementary school students that include hit comics such as "Doraemon" and "Pocket Monsters" because they have failed to respond to the diversifying tastes of children.
The last issue of Shogaku Gonensei (Fifth Graders) will hit stores Feb. 3 and the final Shogaku Rokunensei (Sixth Graders) will go on sale Dec. 28, the company said.
Shogakukan said it will continue publishing magazines for younger children, including Shogaku Ichinensei (First Graders).
Fifth Graders and Sixth Graders were launched in 1922, the same year the publisher was established. During the peak of their popularity in 1973, 635,000 copies of Fifth Graders were printed per month, while the print run for Sixth Graders was 460,000.
But circulation has been hovering around 50,000 to 60,000 in recent years. "The preferences and hobbies of these upper graders have become diverse and (the magazines) can no longer accommodate their changes," a Shogakukan official said.