So long, Men’s Knuckle!

As adults, we tend to forget about the little things we loved as kids and teenagers, since our tastes and interests change as the times progress. Take the magazine Men’s Knuckle, for example. Famous for its snapshots of fashionable young men in street clothes accompanied by cheesy and borderline weird captions like “My destination? Ask the sun,” and “How much is the student discount to ‘Adult Station’?”, this magazine was well-loved by people who grew up in the mid to late 2000s. These days fewer people are turning to magazines for fashion inspiration, though, so it’s fallen by the wayside.

Unfortunately, that means the quirky magazine is disappearing. After 18 years of monthly publication, publisher Taiyo Tosho has decided to end the magazine, leaving many who read it as youths feeling sad and nostalgic.

▼ A typical page from Men’s Knuckle. This one says, “Gaia is whispering to me to shine even brighter.”

Men’s Knuckle began publication in April 2004 under Million Publishing, and quickly became a hit thanks to its clever use of well-placed cheesiness. In 2018 it was purchased by Taiyo Tosho, who kept up the magazine’s publication until its end this year. The magazine just released its final edition, the September 2022 issue, as a Street Fashion Style Book, featuring a collection of Japanese summer fashion. On the cover, the publication wrote, “Thanks guys!” in English, followed by a blurb of gratitude:

“After starting in April 2004 and continuing to serve multiple generations over the last 18 years, this is our last edition. It isn’t much, but we’ve collected some of the best of what Men’s Knuckle has left behind. Thank you so much, everyone!!”

▼ The cover of the final issue, which is also available as a digital version through Amazon Japan here.

 

▼ More pages from the magazine. Quotes include: “The standard is for it to be written like ‘bold’ but read like ‘European'” (top right) and “Come with me wherever you like. I’ll hold you close in cleverness” (bottom right).

Fans of the magazine have taken to Twitter to express their own gratitude to the magazine:

“Thank you, Men’s Knuckle! It’s been fun all these years…”
“It’s ending? I always though whoever comes up with those catch phrases was a genius.”
“Men’s Knuckle is ending? I’m impressed it lasted this long, though it followed me through my youth so I have to say I’m a little sad.”
“Goodbye Men’s Knuckle…I relied on you a lot in my university days.”
“Dang. I used to read it all the time. I think it was Ryoma Saegami whose hair caught my attention?”
“What?!? This was like my bible years ago. How sad.”
“I never really used it as a reference for fashion, but I remember thinking it was an interesting magazine.”
“I loved their catchphrases. I used to use them in my daily life.”

Sadly, it’s a new age when people turn to social media first to get their fashion inspiration, so it’s hard for fashion magazines like Men’s Knuckle to find a place in today’s world. But while people can now turn to Instagram and Twitter to find their next outfit, who will now cheer us up with funny quotes like, “My charisma is so wild even Ouroboros loves it”?

It’s a sad day.

Source: FashionSnap via Yahoo! News via Hachima Kiko, Twitter/#メンズナックル
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Amazon Japan/MEN’S KNUCKLE編集部

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