Jump Manga Artist Recalls Health Problems and Says Editor Did Not Allow Break
The behind-the-scenes of the manga industry has once again drawn attention after a Jump manga artist recalled a break due to health problems that was never approved. Veteran mangaka Oguri Kazumata, known for Hanasaka Tenshi Tenten-kun, revealed that he faced serious physical issues during the publication of the work (serialized between 1997 and 2000), but his request for a break was denied by the editor in charge.
Jump Manga Artist Recalls Health Problems and Says Editor Did Not Allow Break
In a post made on his X account and also on his blog, Oguri Kazumata recalled events from around 30 years ago, when he was publishing Hanasaka Tenshi Tenten-kun in Weekly Shonen Jump.
According to the author, during the serialization period he developed problems related to the autonomic nervous system, suffered from constant sleep deprivation, and even began experiencing frequent spasms in his left eyelid. As his condition worsened, he asked his editor for a temporary break from publishing the manga, but the request was rejected.
At the time, Oguri believed that only creators of major hits were able to receive this kind of privilege. He commented that works that started serialization after his, such as One Piece by Eiichiro Oda, and Seikimatsu Leader-den, had already been able to temporarily stop their serialization.
Motivated by this thought, he decided to work even harder to increase the popularity of the series.
Effort Took the Manga to Second Place in Jump
Despite facing health problems, the author created the “Angel vs. Fallen Angel” arc, as well as illustrating the cover and color pages of Weekly Shonen Jump during the series’ second anniversary.
The result appeared in the magazine’s popularity polls: Hanasaka Tenshi Tenten-kun reached second place, ranking only behind One Piece. Despite this, the long-awaited rest never happened.
Oguri stated that this was the highest point of his entire career. After that period, he began struggling to come up with new ideas, and the popularity of the series gradually declined.
The mangaka compared his journey to a runner who starts a marathon with a burst of speed but loses strength before reaching the finish line.
via 4Gamers