Mag Talk Weekly Shonen Jump [2014] - Discussion and TOC Talk

[Kaizou 10]

Is there any site that gives the initial print numbers of upcoming volumes? Or something?

I don't think there is; there's only the publisher announced those, but sometimes.

 

[Stark700]

Full Ashihara interview. Not the images, typed. Did it fast, so there may be errors here and there.

How did you settle on the story of World Trigger? Where did it come from?

Spoiler

Before coming up with the actual story, I first created the characters and the world. Then I placed the characters in various roles to see what would be interesting, adding and subtracting from there. So I came up with the characters first. then the story.

World Trigger is a science fiction story. What draws you to science fiction?

Spoiler

I was actually influenced by my editor. After finishing my previous series, I planned to make a pretty standard Shonen Jump manga filled with competition. I originally was going to make a sports manga, but while I was talking to my editor he told me to just do whatever I felt like doing and to aim for something more original. So I took that to heart. My idea for the series was that there‘s alien technology introduced to Earth that everyone can use. In Jump, when characters have special powers they are usually limited to only that person. I figured it would be interesting if anyone could use the same powers on an equal basis. And I thought it would allow me to include some of the ideas I had for my sports series. And that‘s how it turned into a sci-fi series.

You must have some sci-fi influences! What sort of movies, TV or novels have you really enjoyed in the past?

Spoiler

I'm a fan of more than just sci-fi, but one of my favorites since I was young is Doraemon. I was fascinated by the idea of bringing future technology into the present and using it in various ways. ln terms of sci-fi, I read a lot of books in between working on my series. and I really liked Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers and Tunnel in the Sky. I first read Tunnel in the Sky in middle school and it really stuck with me. There‘s a gate that leads to another part of space. That concept really influenced me.

World Trigger is your second series in Weekly Slionen Jump after Kashlkoi Ken Rilienthal (Super Dog Rilenthal). How are your two series similar and different?

Spoiler

They are similar in terms of the story revolving around the characters. The characters exist, and as they are moving around they get caught up in crazy situations and that becomes the story. So that part is similar. The difference is that winning and losing doesn't matter in Rilienthal. It's not really about that. If someone loses, someone else can come to the rescue. They can work together and solve the problem. In World Trigger, as I said earlier, I wanted to have it be more competitive. So even the weak characters have to fight with their own powers. That‘s what makes it different and makes World Trigger a little more serious.

Whats your favorite part of having a weekly manga series?

Spoiler

The best part is the reactions of the readers. Shonen Jump has the reader survey system, and it’s really great when the series' popularity goes up. It's rewarding when you come up with something you think the fans will really like and it turns out that way. And of course. receiving fan mail and seeing the series through the eyes of the reader.

In the comments section, you often get excited when the new volumes come out. Do you ever go to the bookstore to see them all lined up?

Spoiler

I haven‘t really gone to check them out, but my staff does. They'll then email me to say that they found the books. That's enough to satisfy me.

There's an official Japanese World Trigger Twitter account. Was that your idea?

Spoiler

The editorial department asked me and I was excited about it. I was getting a ton of questions from fans through Twitter, so it was my idea to have a Question Corner-like segment. It's a lot of fun.

When you have time, what do you do for fun?

Spoiler

I have no free time right now, but thinking about manga was something I've always done for fun. In between serializations I watched movies and read books, but in the end that was all to help me with my manga-making. So manga is both my job and hobby. (laughs) I do like to play video games, including a lot of American games that are localized and released here, like Skyrim. I really enjoy how there‘s a whole world with characters inhabiting it. It matches my interests. Another great feature is how these games have mods. Fans are able to add new things into the game. I was really struck by this. Tons of new elements like weapons, characters and buildings can be created by the fans. That's so much fun. I wish you could do that in Japanese games. The idea of everyone working together to change stuff is a little similar to the Triggers in World Trigger. It‘s an alien technology, but the people of Earth can change it to suit their needs. And the Neighbor world has many different countries, each of them created by their own people. I really like the idea of things created by hand by various people. I think that influences me a lot.

What's your favorite series in Jump right now (besides World Trigger)?

Spoiler

I don't have much time to read, so I don‘t read everything. Let's see... This is hard. As a manga fan I used to read things for fun. but as a creator you end up looking at manga differently. You see it through the eyes of a creator and can't help but analyze it. I do have certain chapters that really stick with me though. Lately I've seen some chapters from Haikyu and Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan that featured stuff that I wanted to do in my manga. Halkyu is a volleyball manga, and sports have a mysterious aspect to them. Even though you‘re "fighting" with someone, you can understand each other. I think this is because the competitors are sharing the same type of skills. This makes it different from a war and why I wanted to do a sports manga. So l‘ve been learning a lot about sports manga from Halkyu. And in Saiki Kusuo, the main character does not think of psychic powers as being a positive thing. In my manga, the characters have powers called Side Effects. These are very useful, but in some ways they might cause problems and ruin your life. I enjoyed reading Salki Kusuo as it was interesting to see a different take on a similar theme.

How has World Trigger changed from its inception, and do you see new possibilities for the series that you didn't when you started?

Spoiler

The biggest change from the original concept is that Yuma‘s and Osamu’s positions switched. Their personalities were set really early on. Yuma is talented but doesn't think about things too deeply. He just jumps right in without a second thought. Osamu. on the other hand, wants to do the right thing but is lacking the strength to accomplish it. So while their personalities haven‘t changed, originally Yuma was the Border agent and Osamu was a normal human who isn’t in Border. The story was based around them meeting and Osamu joining Border. but my concept was that they were opposites, so I decided to go all the way and make Yuma a Neighbor. That was the biggest change, and it greatly influenced the story. Osamu became a low-level agent in Border who has to struggle with a lot. (laughs)

Can you describe the relationship between Osamu and Yuma?

Spoiler

My idea from the start was that they would team up, so that‘s why l decided to make them opposites of each other. l figured it would be fun to see characters who are complete opposites of each other working together. One of the big differences between them is that Osamu holds a lot inside. For example, he thinks that it’s a good thing to not react when you're getting bullied. Yuma comes from a totally different place. He's an “eye for an eye" rather than a “turn the other cheek" kind of guy. His life has taught him that if you don‘t dish it out better than you receive, you'll lose respect. That's the greatest difference between the two if characters. l put a lot of effort into expressing that in the early chapters.

If you were in Border, what position would you be? Attacker, Gunner, Sniper, Operator, All-Rounder...

Spoiler

Good question. Gunner seems like it would be a lot of fun. But l‘m not very athletic, so l‘d probably have to be an Operator. (laughs) Oh, it hasn't appeared much in the series yet, but there‘s a department of engineers. They are the ones who create and augment the Triggers. I think that would be fun.

Which character are you most like?

Spoiler

Hmm... Who would it be? I don't really put much of myself into my characters. When I was a little kid l was similar to Osamu. (laughs) But now? Oh, there's a kid in Miwa Squad with glasses named Kodera. He hasn‘t done much yet, but he's really good at analyzing the battlefield and using it to help the team. l like analyzing things, so that makes me fond of Kodera. I expect to let him shine sometime in the future.

You've inserted some pretty hilarious stuff into the extras in the World Trigger graphic novels. ls that because it's hard to fit into the serious tone of the series?

Spoiler

Yeah, I‘ve always loved seeing a different side of the character in the bonus material. I do want to add more comedy elements into the series, but it can be difficult because of the tone. If it's too serious it can be tiring to read, right? (laughs)

There are so many characters in the series now. Is that something you planned? ls it an influence from originally planning to do a sports manga?

Spoiler

When I create characters I first think up their names. Once I decide on a name. I start to see the character coming together. So I created like a hundred of those. World Trigger has Border and squads of agents. Sol came up with the characters to fill an entire squad at a time l‘d pick the captain and their personality and then think about what kind of agents would be under them. Then if I liked the team I‘d put them all in the manga. That‘s why there are so many characters, and there are probably a lot more to come. (laughs)

What life experience would you say best prepared you for your job as a Weekly Shonen Jump artist?

Spoiler

After I graduating high school I worked at the reception desk of a business hotel. and that‘s helped me a lot. Before that I didn‘t really know how to communicate with people beyond friends. But getting a job and having to deal with customers and coworkers was a big change. It helps me now when I have to talk to my editor. That maturity is really important in this kind of work.

Which character do you enjoying drawing most and why? Least and why?

Spoiler

The most fun to draw is Kitora and Usami from the Tamakoma Branch. Also Yoneya. the guy with the spear. Kitora has two sides to her. Like she's really strict, but in some ways she's pretty ditzy. I like that kind of thing, so it’s fun drawing her. And for Usami and Yoneya, those two just seem to be enjoying life. I think about that as I‘m drawing them. Like “these two are really free!" Their enjoyment of life is contagious to me. In terms of difficult, l‘d say Jin. He’s got weird hair (laughs) and it‘s hard to tell what he‘s thinking. He seems happy, but there‘s also darkness inside him. He has the ability to see the future, so I think he's seen a lot of stuff. I try to draw him in a way where you can see that in his face. Sometimes, even l wonder what he's thinking when I draw him. (laughs) I feel that Jin is a deeper character than even I know.

Is there a special meaning to why Replica tells Yuma that only he can decide to use the Black Trigger?

Spoiler

That‘s kind of like the overall theme of the series. That when something happens, you have to be the one who decides how to react to it. For Yuma and all the characters, there will be forks in the road and they will need to decide which to take. Like going down this path is what Border wants. Or taking the other path is against Border's rules. but maybe that's what you really want to do. And you're the one who has to make that choice. So I'm trying to express that theme through Replica. With so many different characters‘ they may get involved in similar situations where someone tells them something like that.

What would you like to say to your English-speaking fans in America and around the world?

Spoiler

l never imagined that overseas fans would even be reading my manga when I started But I'm so happy that they are. I'm going to work really hard so that everyone can keep enjoying the series. Thank you.

 

[vinceled]

Good question. Gunner seems like it would be a lot of fun. But l‘m not very athletic, so l‘d probably have to be an Operator. (laughs) Oh, it hasn't appeared much in the series yet, but there‘s a department of engineers. They are the ones who create and augment the Triggers. I think that would be fun.

That actually got me thrilled, I really want to see that one day.

When I create characters I first think up their names. Once I decide on a name. I start to see the character coming together. So I created like a hundred of those. World Trigger has Border and squads of agents. Sol came up with the characters to fill an entire squad at a time l‘d pick the captain and their personality and then think about what kind of agents would be under them. Then if I liked the team I‘d put them all in the manga. That‘s why there are so many characters, and there are probably a lot more to come.

Ugh

 

[WyldViolet]

I find it odd that he talks so much about character creation and how that's the thing he focuses most on, when the immensely bland characters are easily the weakest part of the series.
Makes me worry about the future of the series if he intends to make it more character driven when we don't give a damn about any of the characters.

 

[SharkBait]

I find it odd that he talks so much about character creation and how that's the thing he focuses most on, when the immensely bland characters are easily the weakest part of the series.
Makes me worry about the future of the series if he intends to make it more character driven when we don't give a damn about any of the characters.

How are you speaking for "us?" The series is clearly popular for its characters or else there wouldnt be such a wealth of an explosion for arts for it or even finding tons of sustained popularity through its lifetime thus far. Series are better when character driven and character focused. Verily, that ideal seemed to be the belief of the leadership of the magazine that characters are the most important aspect of a good story.

 

[WyldViolet]

How are you speaking for "us?" The series is clearly popular for its characters or else there wouldnt be such a wealth of an explosion for arts for it or even finding tons of sustained popularity through its lifetime thus far. Series are better when character driven and character focused. Verily, that ideal seemed to be the belief of the leadership of the magazine that characters are the most important aspect of a good story.

You can't speak for a majority either.
But for me, literally every single major criticism I've seen on the series has been about the blandness of the characters.
I do agree 100% that the best series are character driven, and I can't comprehend why you'd think I'm implying otherwise, I'm just stating that for a series so supposedly focused on its characters, the characters are seen by very many as very weak.

 

[FanOfAniManga]

Ugh

I, for one, can't wait.

 

[SharkBait]

I thought the anime would have at least helped propel Nisekoi: False Love to debut at above even Toriko but I guess the nature of the anime and limited reach beyond fans prevented it from gaining additional followers, will be interesting to see what the numbers end up being.

 

[Leoat12]

We don't know yet, since this ranking is approximated of the Oricon ranking. What we know is that Nisekoi stayed on 8th place everyday, something new. Also it is above Shin Prince of Tennis, which has sold nearly 200k in the first week. Although Amazon doesn't matter much, it placed above Bleach and Kuroko some times, now it is above Kuroko.
We're expecting a good increase in the sales, for sure.

 

[Kaizou 10]

I thought the anime would have at least helped propel Nisekoi: False Love to debut at above even Toriko but I guess the nature of the anime and limited reach beyond fans prevented it from gaining additional followers, will be interesting to see what the numbers end up being.

You shouldn't believe that site too much. It is good to get the idea about how the series is selling; but, it isn't really exact.

 

[Kaiten]

I thought the anime would have at least helped propel Nisekoi: False Love to debut at above even Toriko but I guess the nature of the anime and limited reach beyond fans prevented it from gaining additional followers, will be interesting to see what the numbers end up being.

Kurabas full sales increase did not come until August 2012, four month after the anime began. I'm not sure judging Nisekoi in comparison to Toriko is fair in the first place. Let's compare any increase to past volumes of Nisekoi, not other manga. It's only Monday. Let's wait until the real Oricon rankings come out on Wednesday.

---------- Post added at 11:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:58 PM ----------

You shouldn't believe that site too much. It is good to get the idea about how the series is selling; but, it isn't really exact.

Where do they get their rankings from? I've seen that site before, but don't really follow it.

 

[101nemesis]

You can't speak for a majority either.
But for me, literally every single major criticism I've seen on the series has been about the blandness of the characters.
I do agree 100% that the best series are character driven, and I can't comprehend why you'd think I'm implying otherwise, I'm just stating that for a series so supposedly focused on its characters, the characters are seen by very many as very weak.

Agreed. The characters are too bland and uninteresting. Also, the huge number of characters in the series does not help either. None of the characters have been developed which makes the action so less interesting.
What I like about WT is the world its set in and I guess that's the only thing that keeps me going.

 

[WyldViolet]

Agreed. The characters are too bland and uninteresting. Also, the huge number of characters in the series does not help either. None of the characters have been developed which makes the action so less interesting.
What I like about WT is the world its set in and I guess that's the only thing that keeps me going.

Mmhm.
For me, even the world it's set in is pretty generic.
The only reason I'm still reading is because I have a soft-spot for Jump battle manga that aren't terrible. Although if the mangaka insists on continuing to introduce countless new characters we don't care about, and then try and put characters in situations where we are supposed to feel for them yet are unable to because of how poorly he's built them up then I probably will end up dropping it later on if it doesn't end up getting cancelled first.

I mean people often complain about how many new series get cancelled in Jump, but honestly, if you look at the series that get cancelled and the ones that don't get cancelled, there is (in most cases) an obvious difference in the level of quality. Yes, World Trigger is MUCH better than crap like Hungry Joker or Takamagahara, but it's also no One Piece or Hunter x Hunter which is probably why it hasn't been a big success.
One reason I'm really liking Illegal Rare and iShoujo is because I think that they have those qualities that make a good Jump manga. Illegal Rare for example has good art, decent world-building (so far), interesting characters (in my opinion), and nice action and good comedy (which is especially impressive due to the dark tone of the manga), meanwhile we have Iron Knight which is next on the chopping block that has mediocre (arguably just bad) art, mediocre world building, mediocre characters, bad action, and mediocre comedy.
And while I personally am not a fan of Stealth Symphony, is a much more (at least in my opinion) fleshed out and professional series than most of the crap that gets cancelled in Jump.

 

[FanOfAniManga]

I've just read Stealth Symphony. To be honest, it just feels like another Iron Knight. Sure, the main character has an end goal and a role model this time around, but it's ultimately just another kid with a curse that turns him into a monster he has to control to earn the respect of the general public, who, yet again, are dumbed down to the point of gullible, irrational ignorance.

I'm also concerned about this manga's reliance on cheap symbols to try to give the manga its identity, such as Jig's Idiot Hair and Troma's goofy mask that obviously can't be hiding any deep secrets from the wearer.

Also, this Broken Pedestal reveal is even worse than Bulge's. There's practically no time given to provide a sufficient background to the reader behind this orphanage director we're supposed to trust, so there's not much of a reason for the reader to be mindblown when Jakking reveals the bitter truth to Jig about him.

I actually like seeing a large variety of characters in a series, but not when they're all introduced in one go, as in this case. It's something I've always seen done gradually, when it comes to manga. And it's not just the characters that seem to be rushed for introduction. The story itself seems to be doing the same thing; there's just too much stuff going on, it's hard to focus on the bigger picture about Jig trying to remove his curse. Jump is definitely a cutthroat magazine with limited time for each mangaka to try to appeal their series to the readers and editors, but for the mangaka to rush themselves right from the start might be setting themselves up for failure. I feel like I'm reading World Trigger on fast forward.

When I try to predict whether a manga succeeds in WSJ, the one main factor I take into account is how well thought-out it is. Unfortunately, I can't say Stealth Symphony is one of those titles if it immediately reminds me of Iron Knight and Bulge.

Bottom line: I'm just not getting a good first impression of the series.

 

[101nemesis]

Agreed. I ain't interested in SS that much. It's good but I prefer IR more. Too many characters are introduced in this also. Well, as long as the story gets interesting, I'll keep reading it. It's still too early to judge it. But I found it more entertaining than WT's initial chapters so I guess that's something. I'm waiting for Illegal Rare's 3rd chapter and hopefully iShoujo(Yes, I'm gonna give an ecchi manga a go since everyone is praising it so much -_- ).

...

Yeah. I'm starting to lose interest in WT seeing how the battles lack any intensity. Honestly, I cannot see this becoming a big hit at all. The author is taking too long to develop the characters and instead we have one huge scale war already. It took me 25 chapters just to get used to the stupid ' 3 ' expression that MC always had.
I find the world interesting cause I have a soft-spot for sci-fi stuff.

 

[vinceled]

I, for one, can't wait.

Well has a reader, sure this is exciting but as a translator not so much lol -_- Also I wish he would would focus more on the main characters. Chika has been presented as the heroine but her development and screen time in the series is on a secondary character level.

 

[TXC]

Nisekoi vol10 sold 182,013 in 9 days, let's see how much vol11 did in 6... don't forget that we saw a rise from vol9 to vol10 already.

 

[SharkBait]

Kurabas full sales increase did not come until August 2012, four month after the anime began. I'm not sure judging Nisekoi in comparison to Toriko is fair in the first place. Let's compare any increase to past volumes of Nisekoi, not other manga. It's only Monday. Let's wait until the real Oricon rankings come out on Wednesday.

---------- Post added at 11:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:58 PM ----------



Where do they get their rankings from? I've seen that site before, but don't really follow it.

I think a late increase (kurobas) seems rarer. Noragami and hozukis happened while it was airing for example.

 

[Kaizou 10]

I think a late increase (kurobas) seems rarer. Noragami and hozukis happened while it was airing for example.

Actually, it is not; some series took some time to get increase. Plus, Kuroko was also increased while it was airing, not after.

 

[Leoat12]

It is increasing while it is airing, volume 10 already had an increase, the biggest since the beginning of the series and the series had barely begun. Volume 11 is having a better perfomance than volume 10 in all kind of rankings. I wonder what kind of increase you're talking about.