Publisher Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings (2009-2015)

[m3loo]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

I know why he can do that, I'm just saying it should discourage work ethic if he's able to do that. I realize that he's getting special treatment so he won't leave, and that it was him who saved Jump in it's dark ages. As I said I love HXH, so I don't have a problem with this per se, it's just me kinda inferring how it probably makes other mangaka feel. For example, I dislike Naruto vehemently, but I respect Kishimoto for actually taking less breaks than Oda who's manga I DO enjoy, and he actually works hard on his art as far as I can tell. Aoyama, Takahashi (Rumiko), Oda, Kishimoto, and Akimoto (Osamu) are all popular mangaka, but they actually do mangaka things. Yet they sell dramatically less than (Except for Oda and Kishimoto), Togashi who does roughly one third the work they do. I love HXH, and intend to follow it as long as it remains (objectively) good, but I can't help but wonder if other new and veteran mangaka get annoyed with what he's allowed to get away with? Obviously he treats manga more as a hobby that you can put down and pick up whenever you have time and or interest, but should he really be allowed THIS much leeway? And if the answer to that is yes, is it really okay for fans to send the message that he can do this sorta thing and we'll still follow him? I realize how hypocritical I sound, but this is an inquiry of curiosity moreso than a criticism.

I know exactly what you mean, I also think its bad to give special treatment to him, I mean I don´t mind if they give a bit special treatment but what he is getting is just WAY too much.
but I already had a discussion about this on batoto and other people think he should be allowed to do whatever he thinks is ok because he is such a good author.
I personally think even if he is a good author its not ok, I mean can you go to the company where you work and tell them "I have been working for the last 5 years without taking a vacation now I want to have a half a year vacation", they would immediately laugh at you and fire you.

@Baseballbat Boy: what you posted, can be seen in a lot of manga + naruto is a weekly manga so I can understand if he does some mistakes, I mean last time I checked Masashi was still human....
just to make it clear, I am not even a naruto fan.

 

[k-dom]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

It's to bad I also follow this thread :-)

From what I remember, the sketchy chapters of last Hunter x Hunter batch were quite well done and even go well with the plot. At least they were nowhere comparable to what he has done before which had no artistic interest. So maybe that's why he didn't feel the need to redraw them.

And m3loo, have you some notion of work legislation ? First you can't take no holidays during 5 years. There is something called annual leave in modern countries which is compulsory. Second it's not always that easy to fire someone. And most of the time it's one of your right to take a sabbatic leave.

 

[m3loo]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

It's to bad I also follow this thread :-)
And m3loo, have you some notion of work legislation ? First you can't take no holidays during 5 years. There is something called annual leave in modern countries which is compulsory. Second it's not always that easy to fire someone. And most of the time it's one of your right to take a sabbatic leave.

not easy to fire people? you obviously don´t know how it works in the USA, plz inform yourself.
about your annual leave, if you are talking about christmas and so on, thats something everyone gets in modern countries, so yes its holiday but its more like a force holiday, you are not taking it yourself you are getting it.

about the sabbatic year you mentioned. you know that you need to have worked a lot of overtime to get it right? also a lot of the times you don´t get your full wave, you just get a portion of it during that time. and lets be honest, how many company's would allow that? not really a lot.

 

[Kaiten]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

It's not easy to fire people in the US. I live there. And work there. Don't need to inform myself. Stereotypes are lame.

It's a shame people need reminding that Weekly Jump is a business. The goal is to make money. Irregular serialization is a common industry practice. If Jump did not allow Togashi breaks he would leave for another publisher that would. But Hunter x Hunter makes Jump a lot of money. Better to let him take his breaks and draw a few sketchy chapters, then allow him to leave for Shogakukan, Kodansha, or Hakusensha.

In the real world, Togashi has what experts call leverage. He is a successful man who's services would be in demand if he left Shueisha. He has made a lot of money in his career. His wife was also a very successful mangaka, and comes from a wealthy family. He doesn't need to work full time any more, he doesn't need Shueisha. They want him, they want his services, and he got the best deal he could out of them. That is called smart business, not special treatment.

It's to bad I also follow this thread :-)

From what I remember, the sketchy chapters of last Hunter x Hunter batch were quite well done and even go well with the plot. At least they were nowhere comparable to what he has done before which had no artistic interest. So maybe that's why he didn't feel the need to redraw them.

During his last serialization, some of the later chapters looked more like rough drafts than finished manga. He did switch to more of a slightly sketchier style during the last arc, but most of the chapters looked like finished product. It really happened suddenly too. Chapter 325 looked amazing, chapter 326 looked like it had been drawn on a cocktail napkin.

 

[Josl]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

but I can't help but wonder if other new and veteran mangaka get annoyed with what he's allowed to get away with?

I searched a thread in AP forums because I remembered something and found it
http://www.apforums.net/showthread.php?t=159&page=339
According to Greg Oda once in an interview with the Liar Game author said the following:
"I believe we should have popularity rankings for comics because I work really hard and I can't believe that some others are even allowed to be called 'mangaka'."
According to him this sentence was quite harsh in Japanese and everyone assumed he was talking about Togashi even though he didn't mention a name. There was also supposedly a little movement who actually tried to get Oda fired because of that sentence.

 

[Bomber D Rufi]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

It's not easy to fire people in the US. I live there. And work there. Don't need to inform myself. Stereotypes are lame.

It's a shame people need reminding that Weekly Jump is a business. The goal is to make money. Irregular serialization is a common industry practice. If Jump did not allow Togashi breaks he would leave for another publisher that would. But Hunter x Hunter makes Jump a lot of money. Better to let him take his breaks and draw a few sketchy chapters, then allow him to leave for Shogakukan, Kodansha, or Hakusensha.

In the real world, Togashi has what experts call leverage. He is a successful man who's services would be in demand if he left Shueisha. He has made a lot of money in his career. His wife was also a very successful mangaka, and comes from a wealthy family. He doesn't need to work full time any more, he doesn't need Shueisha. They want him, they want his services, and he got the best deal he could out of them. That is called smart business, not special treatment.



During his last serialization, some of the later chapters looked more like rough drafts than finished manga. He did switch to more of a slightly sketchier style during the last arc, but most of the chapters looked like finished product. It really happened suddenly too. Chapter 325 looked amazing, chapter 326 looked like it had been drawn on a cocktail napkin.

Yup, Kaiten is right. I'm preeeeeeeeety lazy, yet I still have employment. Gotta love the good US of A. Seriously though, it is hard to find a job, and (usually) pretty hard to lose it unless you're a slacker. Even then you gotta go through all kinds of shit to fire someone without them suing your ass.

Yeah. I mean as I said I realize that he (Togashi) was Jump's salvation for a while and that they know by giving him what he wants, including an ideal schedule it cements him staying with them opposed to going to one of the other publishers. (I think I posted as much earlier.) I also realize you're not singling me out, but my line of reasoning was in regards to how other mangaka feel about this arrangement. As a writer myself, I can completely understand needing time to just not write, so on that level I can appreciate Togashi's schedule, and as I keep saying I do really like HXH. That being said, I wasn't even looking for an answer to my inquiry, I was merely thinking out loud. If I were a mangaka and saw Togashi's success, I'd be at least be a little annoyed.

You are right though, during the last run Togashi did hand in what seemed to be finished products, and for the most part he's got an incredibly minimalist style anyway. The chapters themselves sorta decreased in quality towards the end of the arc though, and not so much good chapter and then *bam* bad chapter.

---------- Post added at 01:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 PM ----------

I searched a thread in AP forums because I remembered something and found it
http://www.apforums.net/showthread.php?t=159&page=339
According to Greg Oda once in an interview with the Liar Game author said the following:
"I believe we should have popularity rankings for comics because I work really hard and I can't believe that some others are even allowed to be called 'mangaka'."
According to him this sentence was quite harsh in Japanese and everyone assumed he was talking about Togashi even though he didn't mention a name. There was also supposedly a little movement who actually tried to get Oda fired because of that sentence.

I saw that on the AP forums, and that's exactly what I'm talking about. Whether he directly means Togashi, or anyone else I would think people would look at Togashi's effort=sales, and kinda be like 'dude, WTF?' Jump's a business, and how their other talents feel about Togashi isn't going to change how they treat him (though I guess they could riot or something, I dunno.) though I just sorta feel like to a guy or gal who's doing the weekly thing and struggling to be successful it's gotta suck to see that happen.

 

[Kaiten]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

Yeah. I mean as I said I realize that he (Togashi) was Jump's salvation for a while and that they know by giving him what he wants, including an ideal schedule it cements him staying with them opposed to going to one of the other publishers. (I think I posted as much earlier.) I also realize you're not singling me out, but my line of reasoning was in regards to how other mangaka feel about this arrangement. As a writer myself, I can completely understand needing time to just not write, so on that level I can appreciate Togashi's schedule, and as I keep saying I do really like HXH. That being said, I wasn't even looking for an answer to my inquiry, I was merely thinking out loud. If I were a mangaka and saw Togashi's success, I'd be at least be a little annoyed.

That's kind of a fact of life though. Shueisha and Togashi need to do whats best for themselves. Manga is business, the other mangaka need to understand it is a business agreement. Obviously Shueisha does not want to destroy office morale over one mangaka. Part of being the boss is knowing you can't make everyone happy. It's not like Hunter x Hunter is that out of the ordinary anyway. Look at Berserk, for example. Veteran manga get these type of deals all the time. If I were his editor, I'd personally have been pissed about the quality of some of those chapters. I might even have said something, if not to him, then to my boss.

---------- Post added at 01:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:54 PM ----------

I know you don't, but some people though seem to forget this is a business, and Togashi has leverage. He is doing what any good businessman would: using what leverage he has to get himself the best deal possible. One can hardly fault him for being smart and playing his hand so perfectly. He has had irregular serialization for a long time now, going back to Level E.

 

[Bomber D Rufi]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

That's kind of a fact of life though. Shueisha and Togashi need to do whats best for themselves. Manga is business, the other mangaka need to understand it is a business agreement. Obviously Shueisha does not want to destroy office morale over one mangaka. Part of being the boss is knowing you can't make everyone happy. It's not like Hunter x Hunter is that out of the ordinary anyway. Look at Berserk, for example. Veteran manga get these type of deals all the time. If I were his editor, I'd personally have been pissed about the quality of some of those chapters. I might even have said something, if not to him, then to my boss.

I guess another part of this scenario I'm curious about is the fans themselves. Tsubasa Fukuchi (Ueki, Takkoku, and Anagle Mole), has gone on a hiatus spanning more than a few months twice in his young career. The fans in Japan immediately labeled him as having 'Togashi-sickness', though later it was found he has a poor physical condition. A lot of the reviews on Amazon for HXH 32 bitch about Togashi not having the right to be a mangaka anymore, yet look at it outrun other manga. Although places like 2ch are really not representative of the population as a whole, I do wonder if enough people are getting sort of tired of the hiatuses? Though as you said, it's not that weird for manga to have irregular serializations, or to disappear for a while. In Japan I guess it's an unwritten taboo to ask a mangaka why he or she doesn't draw normally, or if he or she is too sick to sustain a normal serialization.

Though yeah Togashi's got it good, and arguably you could say he earned it.

 

[Kaiten]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

I can only really guess, but with volume sales rising, the breaks don't really seem to hurt HxH. The new anime and upcoming movie seem to have increased popularity, while none of the hiatus have had any effect. Fans here don't like them either, but even on break Hunter x Hunter is one of our most popular forums. It's hard comparing HxH to other manga. Togashi has been around so long, and produced enough popular manga, that his situation is a little different. That's why I used Berserk as a comparison. While it doesn't sell as many books, it is similarly high profile, long running, and critically well regarded. It also has had a recent anime reboot. Numerous breaks don't really seem to effect it's popularity either.

 

[Bomber D Rufi]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

I can only really guess, but with volume sales rising, the breaks don't really seem to hurt HxH. The new anime and upcoming movie seem to have increased popularity, while none of the hiatus have had any effect. Fans here don't like them either, but even on break Hunter x Hunter is one of our most popular forums. It's hard comparing HxH to other manga. Togashi has been around so long, and produced enough popular manga that his situation is a little different. That's why I used Berserk as a comparison. While it doesn't sell as many books, it is similarly high profile, long running, and critically well regarded. It also has had a recent anime reboot. Numerous breaks don't really seem to effect it's popularity either.

Necessary evil huh? Well, as long as the story stays up there....Togashi's imaginative and I'd hate to see a schedule contain that. I don't read Berserk, so I dunno about it as a manga, but I do know it's known for it's hiatuses. I guess we should just be thankful that not all popular manga are irregularly serialized. It's also good to remember that there's plenty of manga out there to read when one or two end or go on hiatus.

 

[Nii]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

Though yeah Togashi's got it good, and arguably you could say he earned it.

Isn't that the whole point? It's not like Togashi, Miura or others were "slackers" from the beginning, if you want to go as far as calling them so. They earned it because their past series (or past chapters, like in Miura's case) were just that good. A mangaka has a pretty harsh schedule anyway, I understand why Togashi, etc. don't want to go with it anymore. Heck, they probably have enough money so they actually could stop working completely if they wanted to. As a fan it's indeed annoying but it's not like we're all saints who say "Hey, I will just continue to work hard every day even though I seriously don't need to. It's for the fans!".

Today's society points the finger at you pretty easily, despite not behaving any better in a lot of cases. Before you start accusing someone because of something, you should always think about what you would do in his/her case and/or if you could do it any better. I'm not sure what I would do in Togashi's case but I definitely would play with the thought of doing the same thing he does. Bitching about a mangaka going on hiatus over and over again is plain annoying at this point because (at least from the cases I know) their reasons are understandable. It's sad and annoying from a fans perspective, I feel the same, but if you try to look at it from the mangakas point of view it makes sense.

 

[Bomber D Rufi]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

Isn't that the whole point? It's not like Togashi, Miura or others were "slackers" from the beginning, if you want to go as far as calling them so. They earned it because their past series (or past chapters, like in Miura's case) were just that good. A mangaka has a pretty harsh schedule anyway, I understand why Togashi, etc. don't want to go with it anymore. Heck, they probably have enough money so they actually could stop working completely if they wanted to. As a fan it's indeed annoying but it's not like we're all saints who say "Hey, I will just continue to work hard every day even though I seriously don't need to. It's for the fans!".

Today's society points the finger at you pretty easily, despite not behaving any better in a lot of cases. Before you start accusing someone because of something, you should always think about what you would do in his/her case and/or if you could do it any better. I'm not sure what I would do in Togashi's case but I definitely would play with the thought of doing the same thing he does. Bitching about a mangaka going on hiatus over and over again is plain annoying at this point because (at least from the cases I know) their reasons are understandable. It's sad and annoying from a fans perspective, I feel the same, but if you try to look at it from the mangakas point of view it makes sense.

I agree with all of this, but I just want to point out that again I'm not criticizing Togashi as much as I am curious how others around him feel. The Oda quote suggests there's at least a little unrest, but for the most part people feel that Togashi deserves his schedule, and that's fine. I write too, and I know I would want time to relax and recharge so It's only fair if Togashi wants the time that he gets it.

 

[k-dom]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

During his last serialization, some of the later chapters looked more like rough drafts than finished manga. He did switch to more of a slightly sketchier style during the last arc, but most of the chapters looked like finished product. It really happened suddenly too. Chapter 325 looked amazing, chapter 326 looked like it had been drawn on a cocktail napkin.

Indeed 326 may have deserved some redrawing, I had more 327 in mind which I find interesting this way.
I'm not a big fanatic of Togashi but what I don't understand is why he has acquired all this hate and bad reputation on himself when what he did is quite common in the manga industry. Look at that table of the Morning. Half of the series published don't have a weekly schedule. And Hunter x Hunter fans are not in that bad a situation, they are almost ensured to have one or two volumes per year. French or English readers are far from being that lucky for many series.

 

[m3loo]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

I think its more like other mangakas don´t want to get a shit storm if they say something bad about him, I can completely understand that. also what I see as a problem is that if more popular mangakas start doing the same, I mean what if lets say ODA Eiichiro and the naruto author starts doing that? if you allow it for someone then you will also have it to allow it to others that are really popular.

again I am not trying to bash any author, I don´t even read HXH or Berserk so it doesn´t effect me, just saying that in my opinion what the author of HXH is doing is not ok, again I am not bashing or anything. also woudn´t it have been better for him if it was a monthly manga that has like 30 pages each month?

 

[Nii]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

I agree with all of this, but I just want to point out that again I'm not criticizing Togashi as much as I am curious how others around him feel. The Oda quote suggests there's at least a little unrest, but for the most part people feel that Togashi deserves his schedule, and that's fine. I write too, and I know I would want time to relax and recharge so It's only fair if Togashi wants the time that he gets it.

I forgot to mention that this is just my general opinion, it wasn't my intention to criticize you as I got your intention.
If there's anyone who's allowed to criticize Togashi, it's guys like Oda who've massive success/popularity and still go with the harsh schedule. Makes you appreciate their effort a lot more, knowing that they could probably go the same way as him. I understand if Oda questions Togashi being a "true mangaka" but we have to accept the fact that not everyone loves his own work that much or wants to continue because of the fans. I understand both sides, so I won't complain.

I don't think it's a discouragement towards newcomers and guys who are only decently (or even less) popular. If anything, it might be a motivation for the mostly diligent mangakas. Togashi's example shows what you can achieve if you deliver quality. Like I said, he earned that right by working hard. Obviously it's another thing if others would go the same way as him, there's a good chance some think "I wouldn't go the same route" but I doubt they feel bitter towards him as there's an understandable reason why he's allowed to do as he wants.

 

[Bomber D Rufi]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

I think its more like other mangakas don´t want to get a shit storm if they say something bad about him, I can completely understand that. also what I see as a problem is that if more popular mangakas start doing the same, I mean what if lets say ODA Eiichiro and the naruto author starts doing that? if you allow it for someone then you will also have it to allow it to others that are really popular.

again I am not trying to bash any author, I don´t even read HXH or Berserk so it doesn´t effect me, just saying that in my opinion what the author of HXH is doing is not ok, again I am not bashing or anything. also woudn´t it have been better for him if it was a monthly manga that has like 30 pages each month?

Actually that does make sense that the others just don't want to start stuff I guess. Though as many have said, HXH is a flagstaff of WSJ, so they probably won't switch it to a monthly mag.

---------- Post added at 03:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:23 PM ----------

I forgot to mention that this is just my general opinion, it wasn't my intention to criticize you as I got your intention.
If there's anyone who's allowed to criticize Togashi, it's guys like Oda who've massive success/popularity and still go with the harsh schedule. Makes you appreciate their effort a lot more, knowing that they could probably go the same way as him. I understand if Oda questions Togashi being a "true mangaka" but we have to accept the fact that not everyone loves his own work that much or wants to continue because of the fans. I understand both sides, so I won't complain.

I don't think it's a discouragement towards newcomers and guys who are only decently (or even less) popular. If anything, it might be a motivation for the mostly diligent mangakas. Togashi's example shows what you can achieve if you deliver quality. Like I said, he earned that right by working hard. Obviously it's another thing if others would go the same way as him, there's a good chance some think "I wouldn't go the same route" but I doubt they feel bitter towards him as there's an understandable reason why he's allowed to do as he wants.

Objectively it depends on how one wants to take it I suppose. Some might see it as an incentive to work hard to achieve a status and leverage that Togashi has, while others might be like 'Dude, I just got cancelled again despite putting all of this effort into my work, while that Togashi guy just skates by on sketches!' I said it before that he treats manga more as a hobby than a job, and I don't mean that in a negative way. Some people just love doing it, and don't mind the rigorous schedule. Oda may be right in being a little harsh, (if he was in fact referring to Togashi....gotta go with reasonable doubt here.) and fans have a right to be annoyed, but HXH is well written (and on occasion), well illustrated. If it means we'll have to wait a bit more between releases to keep up a standard, then so be it I think.

My original point was just musing out loud that it must be pretty interesting to be a mangaka in Japan (or anywhere), and note Togashi's success. Do they envy him? Do they respect him? Do they loathe him? We won't really know I think, unless more guys like Oda insinuate their feelings.

 

[Asgaroth]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

What i really dislike about Togashis behavior is not necessarily that he takes breaks, just the way how he does it. Coming back once in a while every two years to make a handful of chapters, which many can only be called sketches is a really ridiculous way. The wrong one is entirely the reader themselves, who could just stop buying it or protest against it. As long as they keep buying the volumes with raising sells, then he will do it that way till he dies. I don't think that the people buying his works because of the great quality in art, more likely because they want to finish what they started. The fact that they don't get annoyed is really due his incredible writing skills.

I just think that there are two ways to satisfy both fractions. He could either let his series end in the shortest possible way and make once in a while spin-offs, movies and whatever or draw the chapter before and let them release them only after he finished his arc. that way he wouldn't need to draw sloppy scenes and could as long as he wants, but its probably in the interest of jump that he produces more rather than achieve a high drawing quality.

 

[xi0]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

What i really dislike about Togashis behavior is not necessarily that he takes breaks, just the way how he does it. Coming back once in a while every two years to make a handful of chapters, which many can only be called sketches is a really ridiculous way. The wrong one is entirely the reader themselves, who could just stop buying it or protest against it. As long as they keep buying the volumes with raising sells, then he will do it that way till he dies. I don't think that the people buying his works because of the great quality in art, more likely because they want to finish what they started. The fact that they don't get annoyed is really due his incredible writing skills.

I just think that there are two ways to satisfy both fractions. He could either let his series end in the shortest possible way and make once in a while spin-offs, movies and whatever or draw the chapter before and let them release them only after he finished his arc. that way he wouldn't need to draw sloppy scenes and could as long as he wants, but its probably in the interest of jump that he produces more rather than achieve a high drawing quality.

That's the whole point though. And keep in mind that the majority of people who buy HxH tankoubons don't follow WSJ week to week like people online do. It's way more convenient for us. I don't read HxH, but if I only cared about buying the volumes, I'm not going to buy the magazine weekly. The HxH fan in Japan sees advertisements for when the books are released and they buy them. It's just like any person following a favorite author in any other country.

I will acknowledge that hardcore fans probably get word that the series is back, or see it on the cover and then will buy those issues. But HxH sells enough that most people who buy them probably just wait for the couple volumes they get a year.

I've been dealing with Berserk for years now and I doubt anyone drops HxH or Berserk because of the schedule. This is also the only reason why Miura and Togashi have the arrangements they have with their publishers - because they put out quality material (I acknowledge there's a clear difference between the two products, don't get me wrong). People interested in a series are at the mercy of the creator.

 

[Kaiten]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

What i really dislike about Togashis behavior is not necessarily that he takes breaks, just the way how he does it. Coming back once in a while every two years to make a handful of chapters, which many can only be called sketches is a really ridiculous way. The wrong one is entirely the reader themselves, who could just stop buying it or protest against it. As long as they keep buying the volumes with raising sells, then he will do it that way till he dies. I don't think that the people buying his works because of the great quality in art, more likely because they want to finish what they started. The fact that they don't get annoyed is really due his incredible writing skills.

He doesn't come back "once in a while" or every two years. He has released at least twenty chapters a year, every year, since 2008. Last year he released thirty new chapters. No more than five contained rough, unfinished looking art. The vast majority were spectacular, among the best looking he has ever done. It has been less than a year since he last went on hiatus. He should be back in the spring, late March or early April.

Protest what? I love Hunter x Hunter, it's one of my favorite manga. I look forward to new chapters. Why wouldn't I want to read it? His breaks are part of the deal. Despite what you make think, no one considers him antagonistic towards his fans.

I just think that there are two ways to satisfy both fractions. He could either let his series end in the shortest possible way and make once in a while spin-offs, movies and whatever or draw the chapter before and let them release them only after he finished his arc. that way he wouldn't need to draw sloppy scenes and could as long as he wants, but its probably in the interest of jump that he produces more rather than achieve a high drawing quality.

This I don't understand. What factions? What second group must he satisfy? Since the new anime started, HxH may be more popular than ever. The last two books have already sold a million copies each.

---------- Post added at 01:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 AM ----------

Indeed 326 may have deserved some redrawing, I had more 327 in mind which I find interesting this way.
I'm not a big fanatic of Togashi but what I don't understand is why he has acquired all this hate and bad reputation on himself when what he did is quite common in the manga industry. Look at that table of the Morning. Half of the series published don't have a weekly schedule. And Hunter x Hunter fans are not in that bad a situation, they are almost ensured to have one or two volumes per year. French or English readers are far from being that lucky for many series.

There were a few poorly drawn chapters, three or four iirc. The rest of the arc was very well drawn, some of the best art work in the series. 327 was one of the better chapters. It was kind of jarring to see. He did the same thing during the transition from Greed Island to Chimera Ants, right before he started taking this breaks. I'm a really big fan of HxH and Level E, a very underrated manga that I highly recommend. I've still never tried YuYu.

I think so much more hate is directed towards Togashi because of how well known HxH is. Many online fans do not even seem aware this is relatively common. No one seems to make any connection between HxH and Berserk, the other manga well known among international fans for taking long, regular breaks.

Morning is a little different. I think that is their way of ensuring they can add new series while rarely canceling anything. Evening does the same thing. A bi-monthly magazine, but most of the series are released monthly.

 

[xi0]

Re: Weekly Oricon Comic Rankings

I think so much more hate is directed towards Togashi because of how well known HxH is. Many online fans do not even seem aware this is relatively common. No one seems to make any connection between HxH and Berserk, the other manga well known among international fans for taking long, regular breaks.

I don't know about that. I think when someone tries to compare the two series for this reason, Togashi gets more hate because of the lack of consistency in art quality. Conversely, it's quite the opposite in Berserk as it never looks like it's been drawn with a ball-point pen.

But I guess you could say the trade-off in this scenario is that Berserk readers get less content per year than HxH readers do. At least, that has been the case in the pass year or so. Berserk usually has one new volume per year, whereas HxH has had three in a calendar year before, a 1.5 year gap with nothing, but seems to be on target for two volumes a year from now on. There's just more consistency all around. But this isn't me speaking on the quality of anything other than the art mind you, and it wouldn't stop me from reading it at some point in the future.