Despite being more than 40 years old, there are few other manga as influential as Akira Toriyama’sDragon Ball. This incredible series is often considered by fans asone of the best of all time, and with good reason. Goku’s adventure has everything fans could wish for: endearing characters, exciting battles, and a truly entertaining story.
Kazuhiko Torishima, one of Toriyama’s trusted editors, was vital to the success of this beloved franchise. Recently, the man has shared his opinions on the state of the manga industry, using his experience withDragon Ballto find out what has changed. According to him, editors are too driven by analytics, which has greatly hurt many aspiring franchises.
Torishima Fears for the Future of Manga
Dragon Ball Editor Believes Many New Manga Will Be Forced To End Soon
For many decades, Torishima has been seen as one of the leading figures of the manga industry, not only because of his extensive work on theDragon Ballseries, but also his later projects. He acted as editor-in-chief for Shōnen Jump magazine for several years, sharing his knowledge and experience with new generations.
Ina recently published book, in whichthe legendaryDragon Balleditortalks about his secrets to help manga succeed, he also shared his contempt for the practices adopted by the industry over time.Torishima claims that editors have become too reliant on data and analyticsto predict which topics and stories will become popular with audiences.
He compared contemporary manga with fast-food chains, publishing quick stories that will rapidly interest audiences but will be over before long. Torishima estimates that the most recent manga will be over in less than 3 years. His words hint at a dark future for the industry, as new manga will not have a lasting impact on audiences likeDragon Balldid.
Torishima Used One Piece as an Example of the Industry Changing
The Editor Disapproves of Shōnen Jump’s New Standards
After talking about his disappointment with the new trends followed by manga editors, Torishima went on to use the belovedOne Pieceseries,one of the best-selling in history, as an example. He claims that Oda, whom he considers a talented artist and author, would have received strict feedback on his series if he were working with him.
Dragon Ball’s editor stated thatOda has become too involved with adaptationsof his story, implying that he has somewhat neglected his manga. Nonetheless, the editor explained that he did not find the author or the team behind theOne Piecemanga as the culprits, and would rather point out the lacking standards set by Shōnen Jump’s editorial policy.
