Shonen Jump Editorial Department, Editor-in-Chief's Office
"In any case, thank you for your hard work on this trip."
After listening to the news brought back by Hisashi, Kazuhiko clasped his hands together in front of his chin, his tone filled with a touch of emotion: "Although I anticipated that this conversation wouldn't go particularly smoothly, I didn't expect it to take this kind of turn..."
"This brat, he really knows how to stir things up."
Since its inception, Shonen Jump has been primarily commercially oriented. From that point on, ensuring that every popular manga continues to be serialized for as long as possible has been one of the important tasks of their editorial department.
Simply put, persuading authors to extend their serialization is a tradition at Shonen Jump.
Having spent so many years in the editorial department, he had seen plenty of cases regarding this matter: some he had executed himself, some he had observed, some successful, some failed, some easy to handle, and some difficult.
Therefore, when he asked Hisashi to handle this, he knew in his heart that successfully persuading the other party would likely not be easy.
Akira is an out-of-the-ordinary genius. Geniuses always have their own persistence and stubbornness, making them inherently difficult to deal with.
Moreover, he is still a young man.
Although being young sometimes means lacking experience and independent opinions, making one easier to persuade, if it is a genius plus youth, it often equals double the difficulty.
However, despite having psychological expectations, he still did not expect that Hisashi would bring back a result that was completely beyond his anticipation.
"A series, huh..."
Kazuhiko chewed on these two words repeatedly, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
As it happens, Shonen Jump currently has a similar case: the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series.
In fact, the JoJo Series was an accidental product.
Because the art style of the first manga in the JoJo Series, 'Phantom Blood', was unconventional, the subject matter was niche, the pacing in the early stages was slow, and it lacked the exhilaration of mainstream shonen manga, its popularity was not high during its entire serialization. Most of the time, its shōsei ranking was only in the middle tier.
But because of its unique style, which created differentiation from other manga, the editorial department positioned it as a niche work to enrich the types of manga in Shonen Jump, and did not pay too much attention to it.
However, precisely because its performance during serialization was mediocre, when Araki Hirohiko was ready to end the story, the editorial department did not dissuade him but let it conclude smoothly.
If everything had just stopped there, 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' would probably only have become a mediocre work in the history of Shonen Jump that would soon be forgotten.
But unexpectedly, Araki Hirohiko quickly drew the second part, 'Battle Tendency', based on the first manga, and its popularity during serialization was even more explosive than the first.
The subsequent third part,'Stardust Crusaders', pushed the popularity of the entire series to a new peak.
It was also after'Stardust Crusaders' that Araki Hirohiko completely determined the creative direction of the series, and it has been serialized ever since.
And through the JoJo Series, some characteristics of serialized manga can be seen
For example, serialized manga have stronger anti-aging capabilities. The story of each part can be updated with the times, making it less likely to fall into the trap of using the same formula repeatedly. Compared to a single long-running manga, it is better at keeping readers fresh.
Secondly, the fault tolerance of serialized manga is also higher. Even if part of the plot or an entire manga in the middle is written poorly, as long as the quality of the next part is on point, it won't overly affect the value of the entire series.
In contrast, long-running manga become unwieldy the further they go. Once the plot is written poorly, it is difficult to readjust, and it may even plummet from there, eventually being canceled, which in turn causes the commercial value of the manga and related products to be greatly discounted.
Furthermore, because the pressure to conclude a single work is low, the author can control the pacing of the story more freely. Creative passion is consumed more slowly compared to authors of long-running serials, and the creative life cycle is therefore relatively longer.
But at the same time, the shortcomings of serialized manga are equally prominent for example, compared to long-running manga that follow a consistent line, the reader stickiness of serialized manga is lower and less stable.
When 'Dragon Ball' was being serialized, Toriyama Akira once tried to change the protagonist from Son Goku to Son Gohan, but the fans did not buy it.
And what serialized manga face is not just changing the protagonist, but that every manga is a nearly brand-new story. There is inevitably a portion of readers who do not like this model, which means that the popularity accumulated by the previous work cannot be fully inherited by the new work.
In short, all the advantages and disadvantages mentioned above point to the same problem—the author's creative passion and sustained creative power must be strong enough.
The vast majority of Manga Artists cannot draw a successful popular manga that can be called a representative work in their entire lives.
Among this small group of Manga Artists who have representative works, examples of those who can continue to create a second, third, or even more popular manga are even rarer.
Obviously, the current popularity of the manga and the benefits it can bring are certain, but whether the other party can create another equally excellent work in the future is uncertain.
Therefore, when facing a popular manga, the editorial department prefers to extend the serialization as much as possible, squeezing the potential of both the manga and the author to the limit, rather than expecting the other party to continue creating popular works next time.
Returning to Akira himself, Kazuhiko glanced at the book placed on the table. It was the second volume of the light novel 'Kara no Kyoukai', scheduled to be released this weekend.
Although he did not know much about the light novel industry, he knew that the first volume of this light novel sold very well, and the feedback from readers seemed to be quite good.
Recently, when he met the editor-in-Chief of Super Fantasy Bunko, the other party had changed from his usual gloomy face and looked radiant. If nothing unexpected happened, his position as editor-in-Chief, including the entire department, should have been temporarily preserved.
Whether an author possesses sustained creative ability can often only be verified by time, but considering that 'Kara no Kyoukai' can also be considered part of the fate series, Akira's ability is actually evident.
Of course, looking at the other party's performance over the past six months or so, he indeed had nothing to say.
But besides the author's own ability, as an editor, he also had to consider another problem: commercialization.
General long-running manga, according to normal commercial planning, as long as the manga's popularity is good, one can consider TV anime production after one year of stable serialization. Once the anime is released, commercial projects such as merchandise, peripherals, and collaborations will follow one after another.
As long as the popularity of the long-running manga itself can be maintained, this model can continue to operate, and their editorial department is also familiar with this.
But for the commercialization of serialized manga, they had no mature precedents to apply.
And here, one must mention the JoJo Series again.
The JoJo Series has been serialized to this day and has indeed become a unique and distinct existence in Shonen Jump, a mainstay that has not fallen after more than a decade of serialization, possessing a group of stable audiences.
However, because its art style, subject matter, and content are niche, even the highly acclaimed'Stardust Crusaders' could not stably rank at the top in the shōsei rankings during its serialization.
Of course, this cannot be entirely blamed on it.
Because during the serialization of'Stardust Crusaders', 'yuyu hakusho' and 'slam dunk' also began serialization one after another, and eventually, together with 'Dragon Ball', they constituted the most glorious Platinum Era of Shonen Jump.
At that time, not only'Stardust Crusaders' but also many excellent works were covered by the brilliance of the Platinum Trinity.
In short, considering the subject matter, content, and audience scale of the JoJo Series, when promoting the anime adaptation of'Stardust Crusaders', they did not follow the traditional animation thinking of long-running manga at that time. Instead, they chose to produce OVAs that were more fan-oriented to test the waters, and first produced the content of the most exciting Egypt Arc.
The so-called OVA, or Original Video Animation, refers to an animation series that is not broadcast on TV but only released through discs.
When the OVA was released in 1993, although the word-of-mouth among the fan base was good, the sales per volume were mediocre, only barely reaching the passing line.
Such mediocre results also led to the production progress of the other half of the OVA being shelved, until it was put back on the schedule last year, and it is expected to continue to be released this year.
And the promotion of other commercial projects has also slowed down along with it.
However, returning to "Fate/stay night" itself, according to the series of concepts relayed by Hisashi from Akira, as well as his own judgment, the entire system of Fsn's settings and worldview is indeed very suitable for expansion as a series IP, even more so than the jojo series.
In terms of subject matter and genre, Fsn's content is clearly more mainstream and "orthodox," and compared to other manga of the same period, its popularity is higher, and its commercial attributes are undoubtedly more prominent.
At the same time, the current era has undergone some changes.
In the past, television stations generally favored animated series capable of long-term serialization, at least those that could air for a full year.
Beyond that, shorter animated series were rarely valued by TV stations; they were either relegated to filling late-night slots as niche or experimental works, or released solely as OVAs.
The reason they at Shonen Jump advocate for long-running serialized manga also stems from these considerations.
After all, OVAs are ultimately niche and fan-oriented, whereas TV anime is what can truly reach the masses for promotion and marketing.
However, ever since the economic bubble burst, the market economy has been on a downturn, and the animation industry is no exception.
Therefore, unlike the high-cost, long-cycle long-running animated series and year-long shows, "half-year shows" with lower production costs and faster capital turnover began to emerge and gradually appear on television.
Ultimately, in 1995, the massive popularity of "EVA" and the promotion of the production committee model made the concept of "half-year shows" popular, turning it into a very mainstream animation production format in recent years, which has also been widely accepted by television stations.
Under these circumstances, even medium-length manga now have the possibility of being adapted into TV anime.
In other words, Fsn and the entire fate series might be able to be promoted and operated for the masses like traditional long-running manga, rather than becoming a niche, critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful work like the jojo series.
But—
"Why should we take this risk?"
Kazuhiko's expression instantly turned serious as he asked Hisashi in a deep voice.
Perhaps Fsn could achieve commercial success as a series, but the same is true for extending the serialization.
The former has no precedent for success; choosing that path inevitably carries risks, which means one must bear the responsibility.
The latter, however, is their most accustomed, safe approach; even if it fails, the responsibility borne is smaller.
Since that's the case, why take the risk?
However, facing Kazuhiko's questioning, Hisashi couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile and teased, "Hearing such words from you, why do I find it so strange?"
"Friendship, Effort, Victory" was the core tenet proposed by the first editor-in-chief, Nagano Nobuhiko, at the founding of Shonen Jump, and it was a guiding principle that Shonen Jump upheld for a long time.
But Kazuhiko believed such things were meaningless, advocating that "manga is not moral education but entertainment," and boldly and publicly promoted the philosophy that "as long as manga is interesting, that's all that matters."
This behavior also led to his opposition with the traditional faction within the editorial department and embroiled him in a power struggle, causing him to miss out on the position of Shonen Jump editor-in-chief in 1993.
After being appointed to the position in a time of crisis in 1996, Kazuhiko still firmly pushed his own philosophy. In addition to traditional mainstream manga, Shonen Jump began to see the appearance of "heretical" manga, and even school romance manga.
At the same time, he also vigorously promoted a multimedia crossover strategy.
He believed that gaming platforms could also be platforms for promoting Shonen Jump rather than enemies. During his time as an editor, he had provided Toriyama Akira with character design work for "dragon quest," and the currently serializing "yu-gi-oh!" is also a return on this strategy.
In short, Kazuhiko himself is a person with a great spirit of adventure, one could even say he is unconventional. Hearing the word "risk" from his mouth really makes one unable to help but smile.
Being spoken to like that by Hisashi, Kazuhiko struggled to maintain his serious expression, unable to help but slightly curl the corners of his mouth, laughing, "I am indeed a little interested in this project, but I must be more responsible to Shonen Jump."
"So, tell me your thoughts."
"Understood."
Hisashi was already prepared. His expression became slightly more serious as he said, "First, I believe the probability of this project succeeding is not low, and if it succeeds, then in the future, Shonen Jump will not only have an additional series product with stronger risk resistance, but also a new direction to choose from."
"Secondly, I believe the cost of failure is acceptable."
"It's not just because I believe in Mochizuki-sensei's talent, but more importantly, he is still very young. He has abundant energy and sufficient time to create more excellent works."
"Youth, huh—" Hearing this, Kazuhiko sighed with emotion.
Having talent is not scary, and being young is not scary, but being talented while also being young—that is somewhat scary.
The vast majority of Manga Artists are already in their twenties or even thirties when they debut, but Akira is only nineteen this year.
His starting point upon debut is already the finish line that most Manga Artists will never reach in their entire lives.
Furthermore, Fsn has been serializing for less than a year, and he has many such years ahead of him.
Youth is indeed the greatest asset Akira possesses.
"Lastly—" Hisashi didn't know what the other party was thinking, just continuing with his argument.
However, when he reached the last sentence, his tone paused slightly, and he said with some helplessness, "Regarding the long-term serialization, Mochizuki-sensei's stance is quite firm. Even if we don't agree to the manga series proposal, it will likely be very difficult to get him to agree to long-term serialization."
This sentence instantly pulled Kazuhiko back to reality, making him glance at Hisashi with some annoyance.
Who doesn't know about this situation?
At the same time, he felt somewhat stifled. It was one thing that Inoue Takehiko ran off, but now he couldn't even handle this little brat.
But there was no helping it; he really couldn't handle him. The guy doesn't just draw manga; he also writes light novels, writes songs, and even the money he makes from writing songs now is more than what he makes from drawing manga. Where the hell are you supposed to reason with that?
So, as long as it isn't brought up, everyone is happy. Why ruin the mood at a time like this?
Hisashi, on the other hand, looked quite calm about it.
Generally speaking, this situation could be considered a dereliction of duty as an editor, but facing an existence like Akira, he only wanted to say—if you're so capable, you do it.
Kazuhiko certainly wouldn't do it.
He had come up all the way from being an editor and naturally understood the difficulty of this job. Moreover, the negative case of Inoue Takehiko running off a few years ago was still fresh in his memory.
And in Akira's case, it was, in a sense, even harder to deal with than Inoue Takehiko. Just hearing about it gave him a headache.
So he didn't say much about it, just glared at Hisashi twice and pretended not to have heard the other's last remark.
And at this moment, he suddenly thought of another point: even if this project failed, if he could use this failure to dampen the sharp spirit of this brat Akira, that seemed like a pretty good outcome too.
However, in the next instant, he was somewhat dumbfounded, feeling that his own thought was too childish. He shook his head slightly, dispelling the distracting thoughts from his mind.
Having roughly sorted out the current situation, it was time to make a decision. He put his hands down and decided, "Well, let's leave it at that for now. In a few days, I will organize a meeting to discuss the specific plan in more detail."
"Understood."
Hearing this, Hisashi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although it hadn't been finalized yet, since the conversation had reached this point, it was practically a done deal. What followed would merely be a matter of specific implementation.
Looking back, the role he played in this entire conversation was actually not very significant. The most important factor was Akira himself.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: The existence of a genius is truly unreasonable.