Light novel magazine “Dragon Magazine” will cease publications after 37 years

The May issue of the light novel magazine Dragon Magazine (KADOKAWA) was released today on the 19th, and the magazine has ceased publication with this issue.

It has closed its 37-year history since its launch on January 30, 1988. In the future, KADOKAWA’s light novel and new literature labels will come together to launch and transition to a new media “Mekurimekuru” under a new system. The editorial department sent a message of gratitude to the readers who have continued to support the magazine, saying, “The light novel literary magazine Dragon Magazine will cease publication with this issue, the May 2025 issue. Thank you very much for your support.”

“Dragon Magazine” is a light novel magazine that was launched on January 30, 1988, and has published many popular works that have been made into anime, such as “Full Metal Panic!”, “How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend”, “Slayers”, “Date A Live”, and “High School DxD”. Currently, it publishes “The Last Battle Between You and Me, or the Holy War That Begins the World”, “Spy Classroom”, and “Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor”, which have also been made into anime.

The cover of the issue released today features “Slayers” with the message, “Dramaga has reached a happy ending, but… our adventure is still continuing!”. It also features the first Slayers short story in 13 years and a special project to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the series. Regarding the suspension, the official website explained, “KADOKAWA Co., Ltd. will start a new media service “Mekurimekuru” for fans of entertainment novels such as light novels this spring. We would like to inform you that we will transfer the light novel recommendation service “Kimirano”, which has been in operation since 2019, to the new media, and will suspend publication of “Dragon Magazine”, a light novel literary magazine launched in 1988, and move to a new system”.

The editorial department of Dragon Magazine explained the background, saying, “Due to the recent changes in the reading environment, the role that “Dragon Magazine” has played is no longer being able to be fulfilled by paper magazines, and this is our next challenge.” They called on readers to “look forward to delivering media services in a new form. We hope you will look forward to it”.

The editorial department of Mekurimekuru, the new media, said, “In 2025, KADOKAWA’s light novel/new literature and other novel labels will come together to launch the web magazine Mekurimekuru.” “Mekurimekuru is a web magazine that delivers information and topics about so-called “entertainment” novels such as light novels and character literature, while also enjoying related entertainment such as anime, manga, events, music, and voice actors that are derived from the content. We have been operating several regular publication media in addition to “Kimirano” and “Dragon Magazine”, but we intend to gather our knowledge here again and develop it as a place to communicate with our readers. We aim to be a media that you can drop in on every day and look forward to updates, so we appreciate your support,” they said.

“In addition, information about Mekurimekuru before the launch will be released from time to time on Kimirano Official X, etc.” Regarding the new system, the Kimirano management team reported, “Kimirano, a light novel and new literary recommendation service, celebrated its fifth anniversary on March 19, 2024, but in spring 2025, as the new media “Mekurimekuru” is launched, some of the content will be transferred and the service will be closed as a standalone service.” “The currently held “Next Light Novel Award” will continue, and in the future, we will work hard under the new system to deliver the appeal of entertainment novels, not just light novels. We hope that all the fans who have supported Kimirano and the labels who have worked with us will look forward to our announcements”.