Summary
Manga artists like Akira Toriyama endure enormous physical costs for their work, partly due to the industry’s strict expectations of creators. The culture in the manga industry has normalized harsh treatment, harming artists and making many sick. Although the mangaka laughed at the event, it spoke to a much deeper problem in the industry and raised questions about what steps could be taken to improve working conditions.
An interview with Akira Toriyamathe man behind the fame Dragon ball franchise, revealed heavy material costs that manga artists face. Although his cheerful laughter when recounting the abuse he received from his former editor suggests he had no hard feelings, it still paints an unflattering picture of this sector. What’s worse is that the culture still takes such harsh treatment for granted.
The interview was originally held in 2018 to celebrate Weekly Shonen Jump’s 50th anniversary. In it, Toriyama, along with manga author Takehiko Inoue of Slam Dunk fame, shared stories about their work. While they happily admired each other’s work and discussed the state of the manga industry, some of their comments, however glib, spoke volumes about what they had to endure back in the day. head.
“I replied that I could barely move my hand due to inflamed tendons. [Torishima] told me to try writing my name, and I said, ‘Of course I can write my name!’ Then he said ‘If you can write your name then you can draw manga!’ What kind of logic is that?!” – Akira Toriyama
At the beginning of the interview, Toriyama and Inoue discuss work related to the very popular 1995 issue of the magazine. For Toriyama, this means that his first editor, the infamous Kazuhiko Torishima, loved I asked him to draw two chapters in a week.
Toriyama’s interview highlights the problems of the Manga industry
Famous artists overlook the personal costs of painting under pressure
While the group laughed at the anecdote as something of the past, it was the truth. The manga industry still regularly demands harmful levels of output from its artists. Eiichiro Oda is known for sleeping 3-4 hours a night and living separately from his family to focus on drawing One Piece, while Bleach’s Tite Kubo has been hospitalized multiple times due to pain and overwork while working on it. Bleach. Meanwhile, Kentaro Miura – the man responsible for the popular fantasy series Berserk – passed away in 2021, with many claiming the cause was due to health complications due to his work schedule during the first day of manga release.
The laughter in Toriyama’s interview shows that manga artists consider their situation normal. It’s “misery builds character” logic, and blood, sweat and tears are proof of one’s passion, all complemented by Japan’s notorious overwork culture. Copy. It’s true, while Torishima became notorious for his strictness – and Toriyama even turned him into a character in the comedy manga Dr. Slump – he also motivated the author to turn Dragon Ball into the most successful manga of all time.
The character Torishima in Dr. Slump is an evil – and unsuccessful – scientist named Dr. Mashirito.
However, physical (and mental) damage should not occur as usual. The industry seems to have changed over the past few years, with authors like Chainsaw Man’s Tatsuki Fujimoto and Black Clover’s Yuki Tabata opting for digital, non-weekly publications to reduce their workload. their job. However, when future artists see icons like Toriyama and Inoue casually treating tendonitis and lack of sleep as part of their jobs, this only passes on bad habits and poor work habits to the next generation, who will obviously feel forced to live up to their standards. giants like Akira Toriyama to one day be able to create his own Dragon Ball.