The Superhuman Mangaka

There are few occupations that require as much hard work for as little monetary gain as being an artist. Many of the greatest artists of all time were never recognized in their lifetime, and art supplies are expensive. This, combined with Japan’s abnormally cruel work expectations, makes being a manga artist, also known as mangaka, an extraordinary feat for more reasons than just skill.

An Artist’s Life

I have taken a few art classes in my time. I had many great teachers, and learned things I consider valuable even to non-artists. But of all the classes I took, none were as eye-opening and memorable as my 2D Design class at Utah Valley University.

The teacher of this class was not an easy teacher; He did not go easy on any student, and did not split hairs or beat around the bush when criticizing our works. His class not only taught us how to objectively criticize art, but also the lifestyle of a professional artist. After planning and critiquing each others’ projects for a week or two, the deadline would arrive.

I ended up finishing this the day it was due, 6 AM

In order to receive as much critique as possible and hone our projects, most of us would wait until the last two days to create the finished product, which typically resulted in all-nighters. several bloodshot eyes and empty cans of Monster later, the class was over, and despite all that, I don’t think any class has ever felt so rewarding, in retrospect.

But this isn’t just a fun, character building experience for college students. For real, professional artists, this is a way of life. As far as professional artists go, few are as successful as mangaka. You might think that successful mangaka don’t have to worry about this, but that’s not the case.

Shimekiri

In any culture, there is importance behind deadlines. In our time-driven society, where everybody is approaching their certain death whether they like it or not, waiting is not something we like to do. But in some places, deadlines mean a great deal more than others.

For the 2004 Summer Olympics, Athens, Greece was selected as the host. Despite Greece being the original home for the Olympic Games, those in charge of setting up facilities for the building were behind schedule, and they completed the main Olympic Stadium just two months before the games began. Greece has a traditionally laid-back culture, and this was reflected in their hesitance to get things done in a timely manner. The location for the 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo, however, will undoubtedly not have that problem.

The majority of people and companies in Japan place high value on teamwork, following rules, and punctuality. This seems to be no exception for mangaka. Drawing manga takes a long time; From planning to sketching to inking to all of the other finalizing touches, being a solitary manga artist is no simple task. On top of all this, artists are often given very little time to finish a whole chapter for a publication or doujin for an event. Like many things I write, this is mostly based off of assumptions I have drawn from the media, but I think it’s a safe bet to make in this case. In manga and anime, the sleep-deprived mangaka is a regular trope, and if anything reflects the way mangaka feel, it’s probably the manga themselves.

Namori, A Super Mangaka

One of my favorite mangaka is Namori, the author of Yuru Yuri. I have been reading about her recently, and it seems that she is considered to be a suspiciously quick writer, spitting out manga at a speed out of the question for most mangaka.

According to her page on the Japanese Wikipedia, she has done things such as:
Publishing two or three chapters of Yuru Yuri in each bi-monthly publication of the magazine Yuri Hime
Physically signing all 10,000 copies of the special edition volume 4 Yuru Yuri. (I would kill for one of these, by the way.)
Over the span of 4 months, finalizing and releasing 3 tankobon volumes of Yuru Yuri, one of which was 100% all-new content.
While keeping up her busy schedule, she is constantly posting new art on her Pixiv account.

I get the feeling she is really having fun with what she does, and that she really loves her fans, since most of this stuff is far beyond the expectation for a normal mangaka. Either that or she feels obligated and is very stressed out all the time. I hope it’s the former.

Have you heard of any other super mangaka? Do you know anywhere I can read some actual information about this? Let me know in the comments!