Oshi no Ko criticizes mangas that 'drag on unnecessarily'

 

The most recent episode of the second season of "Oshi no Ko" has become a trend due to a direct criticism of the manga industry, specifically from the perspective of authors who publish weekly in magazines. In a key scene, Yoriko Kichijouji, who in the anime is the author of the popular manga "I'll Go With Sweet Today," expresses her frustration towards Abiko Samejima, her former assistant and now successful author, with the following words:

• «Weekly publication is not a job for humans! It is the work of a soldier whose mind has been tuned for weekly serialization! The job of manga editors is to create mangas that sell. And once they sell well, don't let them end."

This dialogue has generated an intense debate among Internet users about the problem of mangas that, when they become too successful, publishers are reluctant to finish. This leads to many stories, which were originally good, being extended unnecessarily, affecting their reputation. The debate also brought to light opposing cases such as "Assassination Classroom" and "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," which ended suddenly despite their great success.

Here are some outstanding comments from Internet users:

• «On the same day, an article saying that it is no longer necessary to do long series also became a trend. Is it because "My Hero Academia" ends in the next issue?"
• «I think it's because now you can expand the business using the manga's intellectual property, even if the original story is over. Every week I see "Demon Slayer" collaborations in Jump magazine."
• «When a series becomes a big franchise, it's no longer just an editorial problem. Television stations, merchandise and international distribution are affected."
• «The job of publishers is to release successful works continuously. Clinging to a single series and prolonging it unnecessarily, to the detriment of the author, is a bad practice."
• «I always thought that the job of publishers was to create and maximize sales of successful works, not necessarily to prolong them indefinitely."
• «In long-term terms, it's better to finish a work at its best, which benefits both the author and the fans."
• «I think 'Jujutsu Kaisen' will also end in a similar way."
• «This topic was already talked about in mangas like "Bakuman", showing that it is not a new problem."
• «Since "Kuroko no Basket" ended satisfactorily, it seems that the trend has changed."
• «Recent works have such elaborate worlds and plots that trying to prolong them with new enemies can be incoherent. The current trend is to make spin-offs."
• «If the author plans the ending from the beginning and includes it in the contract, the series can be terminated. This should be known by any aspiring mangaka."
• «In the case of "Demon Slayer," the editor and author planned the ending together and the editor predicted that the series would need around 20 volumes, which came true."
• «What to do with series like "Hajime no Ippo", where neither the author nor the publisher seem to want to end it? Outside of Weekly Shonen Jump there are a lot of extremely long series."
• «The trend of ending series quickly is because you can now make money in the long run from merchandise, games, anime, and movies. It is more efficient for authors to seek a new success."
• «It's healthy to end series properly, but this can leave fans feeling like there's a lack of content in magazines like Jump."
• «Reading the last volume of "Oshi no Ko", I noticed that the author seemed to have had enough. The story lost quality in the last volumes."
• «Prolonging series for commercial reasons can be seen as a culturally inferior practice. Ending a series when the author decides to does so improves the manga's position."
• «The tendency to unnecessarily extend series is a thing of the past. The author's mental and physical health is now considered, allowing for long breaks or moves to monthly publications."
• «The season format in anime has helped maintain the longevity of the business without the need to prolong the original story."
• «Series like "Hunter x Hunter" should be shut down if the author has no intention of continuing. The author can resume the series whenever he wishes."

The comments reflect a mix of opinions on how publishers handle successful series, from those who advocate commercial extensions to those who advocate well-planned endings. The episode of "Oshi no Ko" has reignited this discussion that had already arisen in the original manga, highlighting the tension between art and business in the manga industry.

Source: Yaraon!