when editors and authors clash
Recently, the two authors of Death Note drew in their effort together once more - but Bakuman is no intellectual thriller. Instead, it's a much more realistic story of two high school kids trying to realise their dreams of becoming a mangaka.
Even in the first few chapters, Bakuman emphasised the importance of a good editor-mangaka rapport that will ensure both parties are happy - the publishing company have something to print, and the mangaka gets to write stories and get paid for it.
Judging by Bakuman's fond tone of Shounen Jump, this is either a big marketing ploy to attract more new stars, or Obata and Ooba have had very good luck with editors.
The manga world is rife with unhappy relationships between editors and mangaka. Even someone like me, who doesn't really follow mangaka news, can count a number of cases - mangaka being forced to drag out a story past its use-date (e.g. Togashi Yoshihiro with Yuu Yuu Hakusho); mangaka told to axe series because it wasn't popular enough (Shiina Ayumi with Penguin Brothers); and most recently, mangaka being told that all her works would be pulled from shelves if she leaves the publishing house.
For a long time, I had always been a bit iffy about Sho-Comi's serialisations - it had many artists whose art I liked: Watase Yuu, Ikeyamada Go, Oda Aya, Minami Kanan - and yes, even Shinjo Mayu and Aoki Kotomi, when they're not trying so hard to do sexy.
But apart from Watase Yuu, all of these artists had something in common that really irked me - their stuff were smutty. Not only smutty, there seemed to always be a continual inexplicable need for the main characters to undress spontaneously. And not only that, all the girls seem to fall for the most...oh, bondage-wielding guy?
If it weren't for that, I might actually read their stuff.
It's always amazed me that Shinjo Mayu drew the same format over and over again, the same tall, long-legged male who's got a libido that can power a truck, when she herself said a few years back that she actually prefers drawing younger, more innocent characters.
It seems at least now we know why. Billwang forums has a more complete translation of her decision to leave Sho-Comi.
She claims that the editors were intent on directing her stories, even when she wanted to move away from erotica. She produced 120 pages of manga per month, often surviving on no more than 3 hours sleep each night, and felt under-appreciated for all the effort she's put in, when the chief editor dismissed her request to change her style with an uncaring, "Fine, we'll transfer you to another magazine." When she finally decided to leave, she was threatened with having all her works pulled from the shelves. Shocked, she asked, "Is this a threat?" and the response was, "The one who's threatening anything is you."
She argues a good case. The creative cooperation disintegrates when the editor uses the mangaka as a drawing machine for the same trite plotlines that sells without amusing.
She points out that Shogakukan's biggest fault is its lack of respect for the mangaka, the lack of acknowledgement that it's a relationship built on both giving and taking. Yes, the company does give mangaka a job, but the mangaka also gives the company something to publish.
I hope Shinjo-sensei finds a good publisher and let us see what she's really capable of, rather than those carbon-copy soft porn she's been producing over the last decade.
I wonder if Watase Yuu leaving Sho-Comi stems from the same reason? Granted, she's probably popular enough that she's warranted her erratic publishing schedule, but even Watase's given to random bouts of needless fanservice (vis Zettai Kareshi), and her propensity to write silly love stories when she herself claims that she much prefers action to romance.
Even in the first few chapters, Bakuman emphasised the importance of a good editor-mangaka rapport that will ensure both parties are happy - the publishing company have something to print, and the mangaka gets to write stories and get paid for it.
Judging by Bakuman's fond tone of Shounen Jump, this is either a big marketing ploy to attract more new stars, or Obata and Ooba have had very good luck with editors.
The manga world is rife with unhappy relationships between editors and mangaka. Even someone like me, who doesn't really follow mangaka news, can count a number of cases - mangaka being forced to drag out a story past its use-date (e.g. Togashi Yoshihiro with Yuu Yuu Hakusho); mangaka told to axe series because it wasn't popular enough (Shiina Ayumi with Penguin Brothers); and most recently, mangaka being told that all her works would be pulled from shelves if she leaves the publishing house.
For a long time, I had always been a bit iffy about Sho-Comi's serialisations - it had many artists whose art I liked: Watase Yuu, Ikeyamada Go, Oda Aya, Minami Kanan - and yes, even Shinjo Mayu and Aoki Kotomi, when they're not trying so hard to do sexy.
But apart from Watase Yuu, all of these artists had something in common that really irked me - their stuff were smutty. Not only smutty, there seemed to always be a continual inexplicable need for the main characters to undress spontaneously. And not only that, all the girls seem to fall for the most...oh, bondage-wielding guy?
If it weren't for that, I might actually read their stuff.
It's always amazed me that Shinjo Mayu drew the same format over and over again, the same tall, long-legged male who's got a libido that can power a truck, when she herself said a few years back that she actually prefers drawing younger, more innocent characters.
It seems at least now we know why. Billwang forums has a more complete translation of her decision to leave Sho-Comi.
She claims that the editors were intent on directing her stories, even when she wanted to move away from erotica. She produced 120 pages of manga per month, often surviving on no more than 3 hours sleep each night, and felt under-appreciated for all the effort she's put in, when the chief editor dismissed her request to change her style with an uncaring, "Fine, we'll transfer you to another magazine." When she finally decided to leave, she was threatened with having all her works pulled from the shelves. Shocked, she asked, "Is this a threat?" and the response was, "The one who's threatening anything is you."
She argues a good case. The creative cooperation disintegrates when the editor uses the mangaka as a drawing machine for the same trite plotlines that sells without amusing.
She points out that Shogakukan's biggest fault is its lack of respect for the mangaka, the lack of acknowledgement that it's a relationship built on both giving and taking. Yes, the company does give mangaka a job, but the mangaka also gives the company something to publish.
I hope Shinjo-sensei finds a good publisher and let us see what she's really capable of, rather than those carbon-copy soft porn she's been producing over the last decade.
I wonder if Watase Yuu leaving Sho-Comi stems from the same reason? Granted, she's probably popular enough that she's warranted her erratic publishing schedule, but even Watase's given to random bouts of needless fanservice (vis Zettai Kareshi), and her propensity to write silly love stories when she herself claims that she much prefers action to romance.