The writer's alter ego, striving for unity with the work

As communication methods diversify, the importance of "editing skills" – the ability to process and disseminate information from a unique perspective – is growing. A publisher's editor and a Dentsu Inc. planner discuss the secrets of these "editing skills," revealing their respective views on the subject.

This time, Yasusuke Yahagi, Editor-in-Chief of Jump Square, and Yuki Toyama, Strategic Planner at Dentsu Inc. who handles communication planning and brand-building support for manufacturers, discussed "editing skills."

Creating a Manga Magazine That Defies Categorization

Toyama: I've loved manga since I was little and was a devoted reader of Weekly Shonen Jump. I understand you worked in the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department before taking your current position.

Yahagi: That's right. I joined Shueisha in 1994 and spent 18 years in the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department. I became editor-in-chief of Jump Square in 2012.

Toyama: Reading both Weekly Shonen Jump and Jump Square, I feel the direction and focus of the works are quite different. Jump Square seems to be quite bold, featuring many unique works. How is this distinction managed?

Yahagi: Jump Square was originally launched with the idea of "drawing what can't be drawn in a weekly magazine." We aimed to break away from the rules found in Weekly Shonen Jump. This has been the approach since the first editor-in-chief, and it remains the same today. The category is also distinct—neither a young adult magazine nor a boys' magazine. We deliberately avoid strict categorization, doing things like including Fujiko Fujio A's comic essays, not just manga.

Toyama: So it's about not narrowing down the target audience or category too much.

Yahagi: Exactly. So we don't really think too much about reader demographics either. What we do is take a bird's-eye view of the serialized works and consciously try to fill in the gaps in genres we feel are lacking.

Aligning with the position where the artist feels most comfortable drawing

Toyama: You really publish such a diverse and wide range of works. I imagine you've been involved with numerous manga projects in this way. As an editor, is there anything you particularly keep in mind?

Yahagi: Every artist is different; each has their own style. For example, some artists come to the editor asking, "What should next week's story be?" while others prefer the editor not to suggest ideas. So, I think the most important thing is to align with the position where the artist feels most comfortable drawing. It's perhaps like the catcher's sense of adjusting to different pitchers.

Toyama: Communication really is key, isn't it? Moreover, while readers see the finished product, editors read the initial drafts before completion. That process of refining it towards completion also relies heavily on the editor's communication skills.

Yahagi: Readers can judge whether something is interesting. But editors are the ones who can suggest what to do when it isn't. If it's not interesting, readers will leave, so we have to be strict about that. We clearly tell the author it's not interesting and have them revise it. However, sometimes deadlines make it impossible to fully revise an installment. In those cases, we clearly outline the issues, discuss them with the author, and aim for 100% next time. That communication is key, isn't it?

Toyama: You absolutely need trust with the author.

Yahagi: Poor work quality can also stem from the editor's meetings. That's precisely why we must become the writer's alter ego, becoming one with the work. Manga magazines are essentially collections of individual shops—the works themselves—and each work is a rival. So editors shouldn't think of themselves as "Jump Square editors," but as "editors for their assigned work," prioritizing the work above all else. To do that, you need to share the work's theme and direction, becoming able to speak the same language as the artist. That might be what we call "editing skill."

Toyama: That aspect is common to my work too. The client is the most important thing, and you must become one with them. That's precisely why I believe sharing the theme and direction with the client is crucial.

The Meaning of "Waiting" for Media Mix in a Fast Cycle

Toyama: Another thing I'd like to ask Mr. Yahagi is about your approach to media mix. Jump Square has various works undergoing media mix, right?

Yahagi: Since works struggle to gain traction solely through the magazine, we actively pursue the path from comic book to anime adaptation. If media mixes don't continue steadily, the name Jump Square itself risks fading from public awareness.

Toyama: Especially recently, media mixes seem to be expanding manga works into other media at a very fast pace. For Jump Square works too, are there increasing cases of short-term adaptation into video content after magazine publication?

Yahagi: That trend is definitely strong. However, timing is crucial for media mixes—it's bad if it's too late, but rushing it too quickly is also problematic. If you do a media mix too soon, the work's popularity might decline by the time that project finishes. Forcing it too quickly isn't good for the work either. So, we wait until the work is ready to truly take flight.

Toyama: So the core is always the manga work itself, and the media mix exists to maximize its popularity. That's precisely why you wait for the best timing.

Yahagi: Exactly. In today's fast-paced cycles, "waiting" is tough... But the most crucial factor is the popularity of the core work itself. In that sense, the ideal span for media mix—neither too early nor too late—is roughly two years. That's about the time it takes for a manga serialization to release six tankobon volumes. So, I always plan two years ahead and hold off until the timing when readers will enjoy it most.

Toyama: Since we're the ones approaching manga works for collaborations, we need to truly understand the creators' perspectives and build mutual benefits.

Building strength by going against the flow of the times

Toyama: Not only are the forms of media mixes increasing, but manga itself is diversifying across media. E-books are a prime example of this.

Yahagi: The advent of e-books brought significant change. Unlike magazines or physical comics, e-books don't require paper costs, enabling lower-cost publication. Compared to the print-only era, it became a model where you could release many diverse works at low cost, hoping a hit would emerge from them.

Toyama: As this shift toward digital media progresses, what direction should manga take?

Yahagi: Costs have certainly decreased compared to the past, and the number of works may have increased. But that alone doesn't raise the overall quality or level of manga. In fact, if the total volume increases while the number of interesting works remains the same as before, the probability of readers encountering something interesting might decrease. In other words, readers might increasingly pick up a manga only to find it "boring," leading them to drift away from manga. As a result, truly interesting works could actually become harder for readers to discover. That's precisely why, with a mindset of "going against the grain" of recent trends, I want to focus on elevating the quality of each individual work rather than just increasing the quantity and broadening the reach.

Toyama: It's similar to "waiting even within a fast cycle" in media mixes. Here too, it's a "contrarian approach" of "enhancing quality instead of expanding reach" amidst a mainstream focus on expansion.

Yahagi: Ultimately, I believe that unless we improve the quality of each individual work like this, neither manga nor the people involved in it will truly grow stronger. Thinking about it that way, the ability to go against the flow of the times might itself be a form of "editorial strength" within the manga industry.