Mangaka Reveals that Editors Often Influence Manga for the Worse

In Japan, it is not uncommon to see manga series that get canceled after only a few chapters, often without enough time to properly develop their story or gain an audience. This often raises questions among readers about the role of editors in this process and to what extent they influence the direction of the works.

However, according to Shinsuke Kondō, author of the manga Ninja to Gokudō, many of these manga end up being canceled due to direct interference from editorial staff, who suggest changes based on what they believe will be more popular. In some cases, these decisions end up moving the work away from its original concept, harming its reception.

Mangaka Reveals that Editors Influence Manga for the Worse sometimes

The discussion began when Shinsuke Kondō shared a statement from his own former editor, who said: “Any editor who tells you ‘if you do exactly as I say, it will sell’ is a fraud, so don’t trust them”.

The author also reported that he has heard several cases in which mistakes criticized by readers did not come from the creators themselves, but rather from editorial suggestions made with the goal of increasing commercial appeal.

He also mentioned cases of other mangaka who received multiple editorial suggestions to make their stories more popular. In some of these cases, even after following the guidance, the works were criticized by readers and failed to achieve the expected success, ultimately leading to cancellation.

He also pointed out that some of these editors have been involved in major hits, which makes their decisions even more influential within the industry and therefore difficult to ignore.

Kondō stated that, in his experience, he never considered editors to be “wrong” in their suggestions, since final responsibility is often shared or depends on the context of each work.

In the end, he suggests that the outcome often depends both on the author’s skill and a bit of luck in editorial decisions.