CATDOLL: Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Shonen Sunday: Breaking preconceived notions

Recently, "Weekly Shonen SUNDAY" announced that there will be major changes. As soon as the news was released, it attracted widespread attention from the industry. Recently, the media interviewed the new editor-in-chief, Takeno Ichihara.

Definitely need to do something

Q: You were transferred from the original editor-in-chief of "Monthly Shonen Sunday" to the current editor-in-chief of "Weekly Shonen Sunday". How did you feel when you heard about this transfer?

A: Monthly Shonen Sunday is a magazine where I take responsibility and invite writers to co-create, so I feel very sorry to leave here. It is a very painful thing. However, I have been a pure reader of Weekly Shonen Sunday since elementary school, and I am not satisfied with the current status of Weekly Shonen Sunday at all. If there were no Weekly Shonen Sunday, I would not have joined this company, and if there were no cartoonists like Adachi Mitsuru, I am afraid I would not even have the mood to participate in the interview at Shogakukan. Therefore, I also felt a kind of fate in being appointed as the editor-in-chief of the magazine I love. I strongly felt in my heart that I had to do something.

Q: You just mentioned that you are "dissatisfied with the current situation". So specifically, what is your impression of the current "Weekly Shonen Sunday"?

A: There are still many readers and cartoonists who like the so-called "Weekly Shonen Sunday" comic culture or style. However, in the past ten years, newcomers and young writers who inherited this spirit have not been given many opportunities. I think this is the biggest reason for the current downturn of the magazine.

Q: So you will focus on training new people in the future?

A: I think that if the magazine cannot cultivate those pure new writers and make them stand out, then there is no future. However, we should not forget to respect the writers who created the history of Weekly Shonen Sunday. There is another problem with Weekly Shonen Sunday now, which makes me wonder: does the magazine really value the writers who support Weekly Shonen Sunday? As a result, some writers left us, and I think they should be invited back. Mr. Fujita Kazuhiro, Mr. Nishimori Hiroyuki, and Mr. Kumeda Koji. I hope that the three of them can return to Weekly Shonen Sunday as soon as possible.

There is no entanglement

Q: What changes will there be in editorial policy after Mr. Ichihara becomes the editor-in-chief?

A: I will be the core of the reform. From the short storyboards of new writers to the storyboards of serialized projects, I will have the final say on whether they are approved. The editorial department of a general comics magazine will have a special reading group for the monthly award, and they are responsible for the preliminary screening of the works. But now I don't need them. Including the monthly award, all the work related to comics will be done by me alone.

Q: Oh.

A: I am also communicating with the writers now, and I often hear them say, "I don't understand what criteria SUNDAY uses to select comics." Therefore, I tell everyone clearly, "From now on, it will be decided based on my personal judgment and aesthetic awareness. No matter what happens in the future regarding the fate of SUNDAY, it is my responsibility." If the work is meaningless, then it is also my responsibility.

Q: I think this is a courageous decision, but do you feel a lot of pressure at the same time?

A: Not really.

Q: Don’t you have any worries as the editor-in-chief?

A: There is nothing to worry about. I don't feel pain or sadness, I don't have any of those emotions at all. I am very happy every day. Oh, although sleep time is a big problem (laughs).

Q: (Laughs) To be honest, do you think it is physically possible to let you review all the planning of a weekly magazine by yourself?

A: Yes. That’s the only way. Therefore, I handed over various business issues that the editor-in-chief should have been responsible for to my strong companions, the two deputy editors-in-chief.

I hope to continue to give new writers opportunities.

Q: So that means you've been involved since the moment you discuss with the writer about what comics to create?

A: Yes, I will be involved in the whole process. There are very few people in our editorial department who can complete the negotiation with the writers and put a great proposal in front of me. To do this, they still need to hone their skills. At present, I have decided to participate in the negotiation and even the dinner, and I will communicate with the writers.

Q: I think this is also due to the huge number of writers.

A: About 300 people. These, including the newcomers, are the ones I think can support the current SUNDAY. I have read all their storyboards and manuscripts, and I have a strategic plan for these 300 people in my mind. I think there should be such a system: even if it is forced through, those who believe in their talents should be promoted.

Q: Wouldn’t it be very time-consuming and energy-consuming to negotiate with so many writers?

A: For me, the time spent negotiating with cartoonists is fun, so I have no pressure at all. As the editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Sunday, I know exactly what I should do. Regarding the policy, although there are some places where the editorial department needs to make personnel changes and consider it according to the situation on the spot, in fact, nothing has deviated from my ideas at present, so the next step is to execute. About a week after I took office, I decided to cut off a considerable part of the works. Now I am in a state of announcing the death penalty of my works every day.

Q: The announcement of the cancellation... Doesn't this make you feel conflicted?

A: It certainly takes a lot of courage to make the decision to cut a series short, but for me, the most important job of an editor-in-chief is to decide whether to cut a series short, so I was not confused or entangled at all. It is also very important to announce the news of the cut short to the writer.

Q: As long as you do your job clearly, there will be no misunderstanding. So, will the lineup of serial writers in the magazine change in the future?

A: I think there will be a big change in the next two years. In fact, there will be a lot of completed serials starting from autumn. Not only "Weekly Shonen Sunday", but also the supplement "SUNDAYS" will become a stage for training new talents in the future. Therefore, there will be many short stories in the future, and some short-term concentrated serial works. The number of pages used to publish the works of new writers will be more than now.

Q: Then the opportunities for new writers will increase.

A: Even if it is a newcomer who is purely aiming for an award, as long as he or she makes me slightly satisfied, he or she can come to the editorial office for a direct conversation, and then the training plan for him or her can be determined. I hope to continue to give newcomers opportunities in this way. This policy will not change. Therefore, I hope newcomers can bring their works with confidence.

I hope to break the preconceived notions

Q: What kind of image do you think a new writer should have?

A: It may sound a bit abstract, but as long as there is something that stands out, it's fine. In today's shonen manga industry, our creators seem to be bound by the formula that was formed in the 80s and 90s: "No matter what, as long as you do this, it should be a bestseller." Readers have long been tired of this routine, but creators are not aware of this and continue to shrink and repeat work.

Q: That is to say, new writers and editors are gradually becoming stereotyped.

A: Shonen manga was originally more free. There were many works that people today would look at and wonder, "Can this be called shonen manga?" If we publish these works in shonen manga magazines, the sense of diversity will attract the attention of teenagers. However, I don't know since when, there has been a preconceived notion that "weekly shonen manga magazines should serialize such works." I hope to break the preconceived notion. In this way, I think the possibilities of comics will be broader.

Q: I see.

A: One of my beliefs as an editor is that "drawing comics for the sake of expressing comics is a wrong idea." Comics themselves are just a means of expressing the myriad aspects of human beings and plots. We have novels, movies, musicals, and rakugo. Comics are just one of the means of expression. However, our creators are bound by the shackles of "creating comics according to certain rules", so I have always felt that this idea has made the scope of expression of comics become increasingly narrow. This tendency is particularly obvious in boys' comics. I'm not saying that we should add some particularly exaggerated descriptions. It's just that comics should have a wider range of expression. You can understand it as long as you read the old comics, and I think everyone can do it now. So I pursue this kind of talent that can achieve this with my own personality.

Weekly Shonen Sunday is a magazine that can train writers

Q: What would you like to say to new writers who want to contribute to Weekly Shonen Sunday in the future?

A: Please pay attention to your initial impulse. Don't think about "Is it really possible to draw something like this?" or "Will I win a prize if I draw like this?" I hope that the works you bring are created with the idea of ​​"I think this comic is interesting" or "I think this character is cool."

Q: Don’t be influenced by what’s popular.

A: Yes. I think Weekly Shonen Sunday should be a magazine that is better at training cartoonists than creating works. Our magazine should be able to train talented writers who can be cartoonists for life and create several popular works. The strongest thought in my mind is to make Weekly Shonen Sunday a group of individual talents again.

Q: Thank you very much for your answer. Finally, please say a few words to the readers of Weekly Shonen Sunday and those who want to read Weekly Shonen Sunday in the future.

A: For readers who still love Weekly Shonen Sunday and those who want to read it again in the future, please read the current magazine first, and then I hope you can witness the changes in the next one or two years. In short, Weekly Shonen Sunday will have earth-shaking changes.