Snow Job, continued
With about 20 days until AnimeUSA, and I've still got three panels to write up. One of those, I have to admit, I'm leaving incomplete. Not because I'm lazy, but because, well, it's a combination of disgust and revelation.
Since the Yuki Suetsugu news came out a last week, I've been busy working on a panel to address it. I've been doing some digging, and what was revealed on Anime News Network only scratches the surface. Forget about Flower of Eden, this woman's career is practically nothing but lightbox traces, so much so that a Japanese website I've been using as a source estimates that as much as 1 out of every 3 panels she's ever done (and bear in mind the average manga page has about five panels, and the average manga book has about 175-200 pages in it) is a trace or plag. 1/3 of her entire body of work. Add to that the estimated (on average) 1 out of every 5 panels that are "legal and ethical" (and they are, I'm putting it in quotes for emphasis), and you're getting dangerously close to the fact that half of everything put out by this woman is nothing but tracery and copying, whether legal or not. Needless to say, that's completely unacceptable.
What's worse, is the litany of places she's cribbed from. It covers just about every corner of the manga world, from ones you've never heard of (Ren Ai no Jiyu, Densha Otoko, Libero Revolution!!), to ones that you'd be amazed to wonder how she thought she could get away with it (Slam Dunk, BASTARD!!, Fruits Basket, Peach Girl). She's pulled from a bunch of commercial/non-stock photos, other artwork still under copyright, and numerous other IP sources.
And to the person on ANN who crassly commented, "It'd have been okay if she'd copied from a doujinshi artist, since no one thinks anything of them," there's an allegation that she may have taken the idea of her newest work, Silver, from a doujin artist. Wow, isn't that a surprise. I think the ANN reader either isn't aware of, or just doesn't care about, the fact that not all doujinshi are the Japanese equivalent of fanfics. There are some outstanding doujinshi that that have never been officially published but have nothing to do with a pre-existing work. Haibane Reimei is just one example. There are others, including (maybe) this doujin artist that will have to prove his/her work was stolen. Frankly, that's hard enough; fortunately, if it's true, then Suetsugu's own lack of morals have made it easier for the doujin to make a case.
I could go on about this, but it's curdling my stomach. So many people (myself, included) want to be a part of this business, and go about it in a careful and honest manner, while people like her (and don't kid yourself, there are others) are at the top of the game without real merit. I can only pray this changes.
Since the Yuki Suetsugu news came out a last week, I've been busy working on a panel to address it. I've been doing some digging, and what was revealed on Anime News Network only scratches the surface. Forget about Flower of Eden, this woman's career is practically nothing but lightbox traces, so much so that a Japanese website I've been using as a source estimates that as much as 1 out of every 3 panels she's ever done (and bear in mind the average manga page has about five panels, and the average manga book has about 175-200 pages in it) is a trace or plag. 1/3 of her entire body of work. Add to that the estimated (on average) 1 out of every 5 panels that are "legal and ethical" (and they are, I'm putting it in quotes for emphasis), and you're getting dangerously close to the fact that half of everything put out by this woman is nothing but tracery and copying, whether legal or not. Needless to say, that's completely unacceptable.
What's worse, is the litany of places she's cribbed from. It covers just about every corner of the manga world, from ones you've never heard of (Ren Ai no Jiyu, Densha Otoko, Libero Revolution!!), to ones that you'd be amazed to wonder how she thought she could get away with it (Slam Dunk, BASTARD!!, Fruits Basket, Peach Girl). She's pulled from a bunch of commercial/non-stock photos, other artwork still under copyright, and numerous other IP sources.
And to the person on ANN who crassly commented, "It'd have been okay if she'd copied from a doujinshi artist, since no one thinks anything of them," there's an allegation that she may have taken the idea of her newest work, Silver, from a doujin artist. Wow, isn't that a surprise. I think the ANN reader either isn't aware of, or just doesn't care about, the fact that not all doujinshi are the Japanese equivalent of fanfics. There are some outstanding doujinshi that that have never been officially published but have nothing to do with a pre-existing work. Haibane Reimei is just one example. There are others, including (maybe) this doujin artist that will have to prove his/her work was stolen. Frankly, that's hard enough; fortunately, if it's true, then Suetsugu's own lack of morals have made it easier for the doujin to make a case.
I could go on about this, but it's curdling my stomach. So many people (myself, included) want to be a part of this business, and go about it in a careful and honest manner, while people like her (and don't kid yourself, there are others) are at the top of the game without real merit. I can only pray this changes.