I sometimes receive various consultations in my X DMs from new manga artists or those aspiring to become one.
Normally, it is best to discuss such matters with your editor-in-charge.
However, in reality, I get the impression that I often receive messages from people who have hit a dead end in their interactions with editors or those who do not have an editor yet.
I don't specifically solicit these, but since I have spoken at conferences for aspiring manga artists, written articles, and have experience as a lecturer at art universities, people might feel they want me to "just listen to their story."
This time, I would like to introduce one such interaction that I felt contained a struggle common to many aspiring manga artists.
The content has been anonymized and the text reconstructed so that individuals cannot be identified. Also, I have received permission from the person involved to introduce this as an article.
If you are currently aiming to be a manga artist or struggling with creation, I hope this will be of some reference to you.
DM from an Aspiring Creator ①
Nice to meet you.
My name is ☆. I am currently active in creating manga originals and scenarios under the guidance of the manga author Mr. ○○.
The other day, I read your article titled "To You, the Aspiring Manga Artist Who Has Hit a Dead End."
（To You, the Aspiring Manga Artist Who Has Hit a Dead End
I found it very interesting.
Since I am not a manga artist in charge of drawing, but mainly handle manga originals and scenarios, I feel there are different difficulties and higher hurdles compared to those aiming to be manga artists.
Previously, I had a connection with an editor at ■■■■ and was repeatedly consulting them about a manga project aimed at commercial serialization at ■■■■.
However, recently, that editor decided to leave the company, and at this point, there are no plans for the project to be handed over to another editor.
To be honest, I am disappointed by this situation.
Until now, I had opportunities to consult directly with editors through introductions from acquaintances, but from now on, I find myself in a situation where I have to start my activities from scratch, submitting works to publishers without any existing connections.
At this stage, rather than aiming for serialization immediately, I am considering it a realistic goal to first have a one-shot work published in a commercial medium.
If it's not too much trouble, I would be very grateful if you could provide advice on what actions I should take in the future given the current situation, and what I should improve and what kind of experience I should gain to get closer to commercial publishing as a manga original creator.
Thank you very much for reading such a long message despite your busy schedule.
Kamentotsu's Reply ①
First of all, I think it is most important to straightforwardly accept the words of Mr. ○○, who is currently guiding you!
People who want to be manga artists tend to want to gather a lot of information. I was like that too!
But as the saying goes, "Too many cooks spoil the broth," if you take in too many people's opinions, you'll eventually lose sight of where you should be heading.
In particular, the path to a commercial manga debut or serialization is not as systematized as you might think.
(There are various reasons, such as commercial manga being a new medium less than 100 years old, and it easily reflects trends and the times...)
Even within the same editorial department, thinking differs depending on the editor-in-charge, and advice often contradicts between manga artists.
That's why an environment where you have a reliable active professional nearby and can receive continuous guidance from them is very blessed. For now, I think it's fine to think with Mr. ○○'s words as your axis.
On top of that, reading your text, I felt that your current consultation might be less about "How can I debut?" and more of a desire to confirm, "Is my current situation okay?"
It's natural to feel anxious when an editor leaves.
However, in this industry, transfers and resignations of editors are not rare at all. There are many cases where projects are not handed over.
In companies the size of major publishers, department transfers and career ups (or downs) happen frequently every 3 to 5 years. If it's a partner without a direct contract, it might not be handed over.
However, that does not necessarily mean an evaluation of the work or the author.
So, I think it's okay to separate that for a moment. Beyond that, if I were to tell you one thing,
It's the number of projects.
I believe that original creators, like manga artists, have a large sales-like aspect to their role.
If one project stops, move to the next.
If you make one one-shot, move to the next one-shot.
Increasing the number of trials directly leads to opportunities.
Creating a project, researching the market, pitching, and improving. This cycle remains the same whether you are an illustrator or an original creator.
The experience you have accumulated so far is by no means wasted, so I think the most constructive thing is to not think too heavily about one connection ending and instead direct your energy toward "creating the next project."
I'm rooting for you.
Reply from the Aspiring Creator ②
Among my many worries, there is one more thing I am concerned about.
With my limited knowledge, I recognize that manga artists usually debut with a one-shot work, which is then often published in manga magazines or on web manga sites.
At this stage, I want to set a realistic goal that is relatively easy for me to tackle. First, I want to aim to produce one completed one-shot work and have it published.
However, I feel that the editors I have interacted with so far are more interested in creating projects based on the premise of commercial serialization from the start.
Of course, I am not opposed to aiming for serialization myself, and I understand the reasons why editors emphasize the possibility of serialization. However, I feel a bit of a high hurdle in planning and producing a work aiming for commercial serialization from the beginning.
Therefore, if I set the immediate goal of producing and publishing a one-shot work, are there any other methods or paths I should take?
Or is it common in the current manga industry to create works with serialization in mind from the start?
Kamentotsu's Reply ②
First, the path to a manga debut or commercialization is probably not as fixed as you think. It is more fluid than everyone imagines.
For example, imagine someone aiming to be a chef.
Some start as part-timers at chain stores, while others apprentice at famous restaurants. Some inherit a family business, and others become popular by posting cooking videos on SNS and then open a shop.
Manga artists are the same as chefs; there isn't just one correct answer, right?
What's important is "how to create an interesting work and deliver it to the world."
So, if the editor who was in charge of you was proposing a serialization project from the start, it's probably because that editor judged that "this route has the highest possibility for you."
Editors aren't looking at projects as a free service. Their job is to put interesting manga out into the world and sell it.
Therefore, unless they are a particularly mean person, there is basically no reason for them to purposely make your career take a detour or recommend a path that would be disadvantageous for you.
Of course, as you said, the flow of "first publishing a one-shot and then moving to serialization" is the most standard debut course from long ago.
However, in other words, that is just the general entrance for people who don't have a connection with an editorial department yet.
If an editor says, "I want to skip the one-shot and think of it as a serialization project," it means there is a possibility you can skip one entrance.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean it will succeed.
But if there is a chance, I think it's well worth the challenge. In fact, the forms of debut are truly diverse. For example, I didn't debut through a pitch either.
I posted manga on Twitter, and an editor who read it reached out to me, leading to my commercial debut.
From the editor's perspective, there was the reassuring factor that "there are already readers and the work is being evaluated," so it was easier to get the project approved.
In short, "debuting after publishing a one-shot" is not the only correct answer. The route the editor proposes is one correct answer, and gathering readers yourself and being reached out to is also one correct answer.
The manga industry is more fluid than you think.
Therefore, rather than looking for the "correct order of debut," I think your mind will feel a bit lighter if you think from the perspective of "what is the route with the highest possibility currently given to me!"
Reply from the Aspiring Creator ③
If you don't mind, please let me consult you about the work I am currently producing as well.
Currently, I have two works that I am pitching to publishers, and one of them is a project that I personally feel quite confident about.
Both have pros and cons, and because I have spent a lot of time on them, I am unable to judge which choice is best.
If you are interested, could you please take a look at the storyboard (name) and give me your opinion?
(Address for file attachment)
*~Omitted~
Afterward, the person showed me the storyboard they are currently producing.
I will omit a detailed evaluation of the storyboard's content, but my frank impression was that it was "made with solid thought."
What I felt was particularly good was that, despite aspiring to be an original creator, they didn't stop at just a text plot but requested someone who could draw to finish the work into the form of a storyboard by paying them.
That's amazing. There aren't many people who do that, really. Great job!
Among those aspiring to be original creators, there are many who just hold onto ideas or plots and keep looking for someone with a dependent stance like "Won't someone draw this for me?"
In that regard, I thought the attitude of taking a risk themselves and investing to give the work a shape was very commendable.
On the other hand, there were some points of concern regarding the work itself.
The compatibility of the two elements that formed the axis of the project was not very good, and as a result, it was difficult to convey the charm of the protagonist.
Also, as I will mention later, the desire for "I want to be thought of as this kind of author" or "I want to be evaluated this way" came out too strongly, becoming noise or an aftertaste.
I felt that this was less about poor composition and more about a challenge at the earlier stage of project design, specifically "which subjects to combine to create the project," so I told them about that in detail.*
~~
Kamentotsu's Reply ③
(After finishing the impressions and evaluation of the manga) Having received your consultations throughout, there is something I felt about your stance in asking questions.
Suddenly, there is a manga called "G-Senjou Heaven's Door" that I cherish and reread many times.
In it, in response to the question "What is the most important thing for a manga artist?", a certain character answers "Personality."
I believe these words hit the essence. Manga is something you draw with your personality.
The job of manga is the job of imagining people's feelings.
If you draw a villain, you think about why that person became that way. If you draw a victim, you imagine that pain. You think that not only the protagonist but every supporting character has a life.
In other words, the stance of trying to understand others is a very important ability for a manga artist.
Empathy, hospitality, humility. Being able to think from the other person's perspective. I believe such qualities are just as important as drawing ability or composition skills.
On top of that, there was something that bothered me a little during this exchange.
In my previous and second-to-last replies, I wrote about things like:
・First, increase the number of projects.
・Think with the words of Mr. ○○, who is guiding you, as the axis.
・Try believing in the editor's proposal for once.
・Diverse ways of debuting.
However, in your replies, instead of talking about actions like "I'll try it" or "I'll think about it" based on those contents, it became a barrage of consultations. The questions were structured one after another.
Of course, I understand very well the feeling of wanting to seek someone's judgment when you are anxious.
However, the job of a manga artist or original creator is ultimately a job of continuing to make decisions yourself.
Consulting is important, but if you turn the person you are consulting into an "external processing unit for thought," the opportunities to think and decide for yourself will gradually decrease.
Editors and senior manga artists are not "people who will make you debut" or "people who give you chances." They are "people who think together with you to create an interesting work."
Therefore, I believe that if you think with the axis of "how can it become more interesting?" rather than "how can I be evaluated?", you will as a result get closer to a commercial debut.
It is very important to first say "I'll try it" to the person who spent time for you, read your work, or lent you their strength.
To put it bluntly, from your emails, I felt a state of being "extremely rushed regardless of appearances" or "I want anyone to help me."
Of course, that might not have been your intention.
However, people imagine the other person's attitude from their writing.
And that's not just for editors or people you consult.
It's the same for readers. This isn't a story about mentalism or spirituality. People who have a "deep interest in others" tend to draw manga that moves people's hearts. It's true (seriously).
Conversely, if the center of creation becomes only "how will I be evaluated?", the characters and readers also tend to be treated as "existences for oneself."
Manga is a job of entertaining others.
That's why I believe the stance of trying to understand others, gratitude toward people, and the power to imagine the other person's perspective are not separate from creative techniques, but are the "power as a manga artist" itself.
------------------End of Reply
Summary
After this, I received reactions from ☆ like "I didn't realize I was sending questions one after another," "I didn't realize I wasn't returning a reaction to the replies," and "I might have been doing that to the editor and Mr. ○○ too..." with surprise and apologies. Good!
From now on, based on this exchange, they will apparently head toward creative activities with even higher motivation. I want them to continue making works just as they said.
Through this consultation, there is something I thought about again.
Among the consultations I receive from aspiring manga artists and writers, there are some that look like they are treating others a bit lightly, even if the person doesn't intend to.
They see editors and readers as "existences that solve my problems" or "existences that evaluate me."
However, this isn't simply a story about that person having a bad personality.
Aspiring manga artists and writers who can't debut for a long time are placed in a state where it feels like their work is being rejected for a long time.
No reply comes even if they send a work. It's not accepted even if they pitch it. They are rejected even if they apply for an award. Only the people around them move forward.
If that situation continues, it's natural in a sense for the desire to "want to be seen," "want to be evaluated," and "want results quickly" to become stronger.
Chasing a dream is that desperate of a thing.
However, that desperation robs the creator of the kindness and leeway within them.
This is the dark side that aspiring manga artists fall into
You become more concerned about what you can be taught next than the time and effort the other person spent for you. The anxiety and desire where your own unsolved problems look larger than the reaction to receiving a reply...
Then, when the desire to "want to be seen" comes to the front, that attitude also appears in the work.
It becomes a manga to have your efforts recognized, rather than a manga to entertain readers. Proving the author's own pain or correctness takes priority over drawing the characters. I have seen many such dark-side aspiring manga artists.
Of course, desires and the darkness of the heart can also become infinite power. Darth Vader says so too.
There are works born from emotions like "I want to be recognized," "I want to get back at them," or "I want my feelings to be understood." Rather, there are manga that cannot be drawn without such strong emotions.
The problem is hitting the reader with that desire as it is.
Readers don't read manga to evaluate the author. It's not because they want to reward the author's efforts or because they have an obligation to support the dream.
They read manga because they want to read something interesting.
Rather than seeing readers only as "people who recognize me," "people who support my dream," or "people who pay money," first think of them as a single human being who is using their time to read the work.
It's about looking only at numbers and reactions and forgetting the existence of the human being on the other side.
Recently, opportunities to call works "IP" and readers "users" have increased.
That "user" might be someone reading on the train on the way home from work, or someone who opened a manga at the end of a painful day.
Even if the words are rational, there is always a human with blood running through them on the other side.
I think it's very important not to forget that.
The same can be said for aspiring manga artists.
Editors, senior creators, and readers.
No one is a "mechanism."
Each is a person who has their own life and is involved in the work using their own time.
That's why I want you not to forget respect for that time and effort.
Of course, there's no need to become unable to say anything by thinking too much about the other person's feelings, or to become unable to create by being excessively considerate. A certain kind of thick-skinnedness is also necessary for creation.
What's important is not "not using the other person," but "even if it's a relationship of using each other, not forgetting that the other person is a single human being."
I believe that sense is just as important as the technique of drawing manga.
The impatience and desire within oneself, and the imagination for others. Balancing those is not easy.
Even so, not treating the person who spent time for you as a mere convenient mechanism. Not seeing readers only as existences that give you evaluations or sales.
I think this is something important for making works for a long time, even before manga techniques.
However, apart from this story, I am not very impressed by editors who leave a newcomer they were looking after halfway without any handover.
There must be various circumstances, but couldn't you at least send a single word of contact!? I think they are... poop???
Making such an editor regret it or look foolish when you eventually become successful might be one of the joys of becoming a professional manga artist.
Oops, the dark side came out.
Well then, everyone, do your best!
