Chapter 27: No Draft Needed
The last time Sakamoto Ken visited Shueisha’s building, he didn’t actually visit the editorial department.
He only had a meeting with an editor in a public conference area, as he wasn’t a contracted artist for JUMP at the time.
And now, he could officially step into the editorial department as a contracted artist.
In his previous life, Sakamoto Ken had only visited that small magazine publisher; the entire company rented a floor in an office building, and the editorial department only had a few desks.
The JUMP editorial department wasn’t small, but it looked incredibly crowded.
（ Above: The JUMP editorial department, excerpted from the documentary 《 We and 50 Years of Weekly Shonen Jump 》. ）
Books, manuscripts, and documents were piled on desks and in every available space. At first glance, there were probably twenty to thirty workstations, most of which were empty.
This wasn’t because there were no editors for those desks, but because the editors were out.
For a manga editor, the actual work done in the office was a minority.
Tasks requiring them to go out included discussing manuscripts or picking up original manuscripts from artists’ homes, and checking new book placements at bookstores.
On the adjacent wall was a large whiteboard, listing each editor’s name, followed by two columns for them to fill in their out-of-office tasks and estimated return time.
Most entries in the “Out-of-Office Tasks” column had a writer’s name, indicating the editor was visiting the artist.
In the “Return Time” column, several editors had simply written “Going home.”
This meant they would go straight home after visiting the artist, without returning to the office.
The editorial department was different from a rigid, traditional company; there was no clocking in or out. Except for the editorial department’s collective meetings, all time was managed by the editors themselves.
Despite the lack of strict clock-in/out times, the editors actually worked incredibly hard.
An editor’s working hours depended on the artists they were responsible for. If they happened to be working with artists who had a reversed sleep schedule, the editors had to follow suit.
At JUMP, each editor was responsible for a maximum of two weekly serialization works, though typically they would only follow up on one.
After all, discussing plot, refining storyboards, urging for manuscripts, layout, proofreading, and reader feedback for one work could fill an editor’s normal working hours.
Editors handling two works simultaneously were the epitome of dedication, essentially sacrificing all personal life.
The situation for monthly and web publications was different; editors could manage some monthly and web artists while also overseeing a main serialization.
This was because monthly artists had much less manuscript volume than weekly artists, and for web publications, it was simply a matter of uploading online, without time-consuming and labor-intensive out-of-office tasks like layout, printing, or bookstore visits.
Of course, this referred to editors of “regular artists.”
For top-tier artists like Oda or Kishimoto, a dedicated editorial team would be assigned to them, with everyone working full-time to manage all aspects of the artist’s work, even personal matters.
Sakamoto Ken’s gaze swept over the editorial department; this was the holy grail for all aspiring manga artists, yet it looked as chaotic as a warehouse.
Soon, he spotted Editor Kaji sitting in a corner near the back, almost completely hidden by piles of books.
Perhaps sensing his gaze from the doorway, Editor Kaji looked up, and their eyes met.
She paused for two seconds, then immediately stood up.
“Sakamoto Sensei, you’re here. I’m so sorry, I didn’t come down to meet you,” Kaji Keiko said quickly, apologizing repeatedly.
“It’s fine, I just took a look around the editorial department,” Sakamoto Ken said.
“It’s different from what you imagined, right? Quite chaotic,” Kaji Keiko said, gesturing outwards. “Let’s go to the small meeting room to chat.”
Sakamoto Ken followed Kaji Keiko through a corridor adorned with manga posters to a small room.
The room contained only a round table and two chairs.
Kaji Keiko pulled out a chair for Sakamoto Ken, then sat opposite him.
“Sakamoto Sensei, let’s not waste time with pleasantries and get straight to the point,” Kaji Keiko said. “During the meeting this morning, I introduced 《 Chainsaw Man 》 to all the editors, and everyone agreed that Sakamoto Sensei’s work has great potential.”
“Thank you,” Sakamoto Ken nodded and said, “I have a lot of confidence in 《 Chainsaw Man 》. If it were to be serialized in JUMP’s main magazine, it could definitely be a featured work.”
“Haha, confidence is good,” Kaji Keiko said, thinking Sakamoto Ken was joking. Then she said seriously, “Featured works in JUMP aren’t easily selected. Sakamoto Sensei’s current goal should first be to get a smooth serialization in the weekly magazine.”
Sakamoto Ken had been observing Kaji Keiko’s expression. Although the change was subtle, he still caught that flicker.
“Editor Kaji, are you encountering any issues in trying to secure the serialization opportunity?” Sakamoto Ken asked.
Kaji Keiko nodded sincerely and said, “Although Sakamoto Sensei’s work ranked first in last week’s new work poll, the rival… well… is very strong.”
“She’s almost four thousand votes behind me, and yet she might still take away the opportunity?”
“It’s a bit complicated, and I’m not at liberty to tell you the exact reasons…” Kaji Keiko sighed lightly and said, “But it doesn’t mean there’s no chance to appear in JUMP this time. Even the Chief Editor is strongly advocating for your work. If you can further widen the gap, I’ll stake my career to recommend 《 Chainsaw Man 》.”
Seeing Sakamoto Ken frown slightly, Kaji Keiko quickly added, “Sakamoto Sensei, don’t worry. Even if you can’t make it into the main magazine this time, we’ll still prepare for serialization. The next serialization opportunity will definitely be yours.”
Hearing Editor Kaji say this, Sakamoto Ken understood.
It seemed like Haruna had indeed pulled some strings with her family connections.
If someone had connections with high-level executives like the president, and if JUMP happened to have an open serialization slot, letting her experience serialization wouldn’t have a significant impact.
After all, works were occasionally removed from JUMP’s main magazine, requiring new works to fill the gaps. These new works wouldn’t receive much reader attention in their initial few issues.
However, once a serialization began in the weekly magazine, one had to follow JUMP’s rules.
Weekly Shonen JUMP only had space for about twenty works per issue. Even manga that had been serialized for a long time could be cancelled if they consistently ranked at the bottom of the reader surveys for three consecutive issues.
Popular works like 《 Shaman King 》, which ran for six consecutive years, were also tragically cancelled.
In fact, there were even more famous examples in later generations, but it was currently 2015, and Kishimoto Sensei had only recently finished 《 Naruto 》.
A few years later, 《 Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru 》, for which he served as the original creator, received extensive promotion across various channels before its release, only to be cancelled less than a year later.
JUMP only trusted reader surveys; even Kishimoto Sensei’s works were cancelled without mercy.
Given Haruna’s personality, if her manga were cancelled after a few issues in JUMP due to poor performance, she would likely be severely impacted, perhaps never drawing manga again.
However, Sakamoto Ken had no intention of helping her with the manga serialization. It would be best if she could secure the serialization slot herself.
He was the one who needed that royalty fee.
Kaji Keiko continued, “In any case, Sakamoto Sensei, you don’t need to worry too much about the main magazine serialization; just focus on drawing your work well.”
“You can rest assured about the manga’s quality, Editor-san. I completed three chapters last week, as you saw,” Sakamoto Ken said.
Kaji Keiko nodded and said, “Then, my requirement for Sakamoto Sensei’s work will no longer be at the level of web publication. From now on, I will view each of your chapters with the standards for main magazine serialization.”
She spread her hands towards Sakamoto and continued, “Next, let’s confirm the subsequent plot development and storyboards together.”
“I can verbally explain the plot, but as for storyboards…” Sakamoto Ken maintained a smile and said, “Kaji-san, I don’t need drafts when I create.”
“No drafts?” Kaji Keiko was somewhat confused.
“Kaji-san, you should understand that every author has different creative habits.”
“Of course. Then please tell me about your habits, Sakamoto Sensei,” Kaji Keiko took out a small notebook, intending to start taking notes.
Sakamoto Ken said, “I don’t have an outline, I don’t have drafts; I draw the complete storyboard directly.”
Kaji Keiko had just written down the word “no” when her pen-holding hand froze.
“You draw storyboards directly?” Kaji Keiko furrowed her brow slightly and asked, “What do you mean?”
