Some time ago, the news that Takeno, the new editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Sunday, would carry out a major overhaul of the magazine, caused widespread concern both inside and outside the industry. So what was his motivation for doing this, and how exactly did he carry it out? Recently, some media interviewed Ichihara.

★ Definitely have to do something

Q: How did you feel when you heard that you had been transferred from the former editor-in-chief of Monthly Shonen Sunday to the editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Sunday?

A: Monthly Shonen SUNDAY is a magazine that I have asked writers to co-create with my own responsibility, so I am very sorry to leave here, which is a painful thing. However, I have been a pure reader of Weekly Shonen Sunday since elementary school, and I am not at all satisfied with the current state of Weekly Shonen Sunday. If it weren't for Weekly Shonen Sunday, I wouldn't have joined this company, and if it weren't for a manga artist like Adatsutsu, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be in the mood to participate in the Shogakukan interview. Therefore, being appointed editor-in-chief of the magazine I love, I also felt a sense of destiny from it. I felt strongly in my heart that something had to be done.

Q: You mentioned that you are not satisfied with the status quo, but what is your impression of Weekly Shonen Sunday today?

A: There are still many readers and manga artists who like the manga culture and style of the so-called "Weekly Shonen Sunday". However, during this decade, there were not many opportunities for new and young writers to carry on this spirit. I think that's the biggest reason for the current downturn in magazines.

Q: In the future, will you focus on nurturing new talents?

A: I don't think the magazine has a future if it can't train pure new writers and make them stand out. That said, we must not forget to pay tribute to the writers who created the history of ZÀO Weekly Shonen SUNDAY. There is another question about the current "Weekly Shonen Sunday", which makes me wonder: does the magazine really value the writers who support "Weekly Shonen Sunday"? As a result, some writers left us, and I felt that I should bring them back. Mr. Kazuhiro Fujita, Mr. Hiroyuki Nishimori, Mr. Yasuji Kumeda. I hope the three of them will be able to return to Weekly Shonen Sunday as soon as possible.

★ There's nothing tangled up in it

Q: After Mr. Ichihara became editor-in-chief, what kind of changes have occurred in terms of editorial policy?

A: I'm going to be at the center of the reform, and it's up to me to decide whether or not I'm going to be able to tell the storyboards about new writers' short stories to serialized projects. Generally, the editorial department of a manga magazine will have a special reading group for the monthly awards, and they are responsible for the preliminary selection of works. But now I don't need them. Including the monthly prize, all the work related to manga is done by me.

Q: Oh-oh.

A: I'm talking to writers right now, and I've often heard them say, "I don't know what kind of criteria SUNDAY uses to choose manga." Therefore, I will make it clear to everyone: "In the future, it will be decided by my personal decision and aesthetic sense." In the future, it will be my responsibility to determine the fate of SUNDAY, no matter what happens. "If the work is not interesting, then it is my responsibility.

Q: I think it was a courageous decision, but at the same time, did you feel stressed?

A: Not really.

Q: Don't have any problems as editor-in-chief?

A: There's nothing tangled. I don't feel pain and sorrow, not at all these feelings. I'm so happy every day. Heck, although sleep time is a big problem (laughs).

Q: (laughs) To be honest, do you think it is physiologically feasible to leave all the planning of a weekly magazine to you alone?

A: Yes. That's the only way to do it. Therefore, the various business issues that the editor-in-chief was supposed to be responsible for were handed over to my powerful companions, the two deputy editors-in-chief.

★ I want to keep giving opportunities to new writers

Q: So that means you've been involved since you started talking to the writer about what kind of comics to create, right?

A: Yes, I'll be involved all the way. There are very few people in our editorial office who can do it all by themselves and put a great proposal in front of me. To do this, they also have to hone in on it. For now, I've decided to go to the negotiation and even the dinner party myself, and I'll talk to the writers.

Q: I think that's a huge number of writers.

A: There are about 300 people. These people, including newcomers, are the people I think will be able to sustain SUNDAY today. I've read all of their storyboards and drafts, and I already have a strategic plan for these 300 people in my mind. I think there should be a system where, even if you force your way, you have to promote those who believe in your talents.

Q: Wouldn't it take a lot of time and effort to negotiate with those writers?

A: For me, it's a pleasure to spend consulting with manga artists, so I don't feel any pressure at all. As the editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen SUNDAY, I knew exactly what I was supposed to do. Regarding the policy, there are some places where it is necessary to change the personnel of the editorial department and consider it according to the situation on the ground, but there is actually nothing that deviates from my idea at the moment, so the next step is to implement it. About a week after I took office, I decided that I wanted to cut a considerable part of my work in half. Now it is in a state where the death penalty for works is pronounced every day.

Q: Announce the ...... cut in half? Doesn't this make you feel entangled?

A: It must take a lot of courage to make the decision to cut the serialization in half, but for me, the most important job for the editor-in-chief is to decide whether to cut the serialization in half, so I am not confused or entangled at all. It is also very important to announce the news of the halving to the writer.

Q: As long as you do your own thing clearly, then there will be no misunderstandings. Speaking of which, the lineup of serialized writers for the magazine will also change in the future?

A: I think there will be a lot of changes in the next two years. In fact, there will be a lot of finished serials from the fall. Not only "Weekly Shonen SUNDAY", but also the supplement "SUNDAYS" will be a stage for nurturing new talents. Therefore, there will be many short stories in the future, and there will be some short-term intensive serialization. There will be more pages for the work of new writers than there are now.

Q: Then the opportunities for new writers have increased.

A: Even if it is a newcomer who is purely aiming for an award, as long as he is a little satisfied with me, I can come to the editorial office and talk to him directly, and then the training plan for him can be determined. I want to keep giving new people opportunities in this form. This policy will not change. Therefore, I hope that the newcomers will bring their works with confidence.

★ I want to break the preconceived notions

Q: What kind of image does Mr. Ichihara think of a rookie writer?

A: It may be a bit abstract, as long as there is a slight aspect that stands out. In today's shonen manga industry, our creators seem to be bound by the formula of "no matter what, as long as you do this, you should be able to sell well" that was formed in the 80s~90s. Readers have long been tired of this routine, but the creators don't realize it and continue to shrink and duplicate the work.

Q: In other words, new writers and editors are slowly becoming more and more modest.

A: Shonen manga was originally more liberating. In the past, there were many people who read it and sighed, "Can this be called a shonen manga?" ". And if we publish these works in shonen manga magazines, then this sense of diversity will attract the attention of teenagers. However, I don't know when it began.,There was a preconceived notion that "such a work should be serialized in a weekly shonen manga magazine.。 I want to be able to break the preconceived notions. In this way, I think the possibilities of manga are much wider.

Q: I see.

A: One of my beliefs as an editor is that "drawing manga for the sake of showing manga is a wrong idea." "The comics themselves are just a means of showing the diversity of human beings and the plot. We've got novels, we've got movies, we've got musicals, we've got rakugo. Comics are just one of the means. However, our creators are shackled by the shackles of "you have to create a manga according to a certain law", so I have always felt that this kind of thinking has also made the scope of manga more and more narrow. And this tendency is especially evident in shonen manga. I'm not saying to add some particularly exaggerated descriptions. It's just that the original comics should have a broader scope of expression. If you read the old manga, you can understand it, and I think everyone can do the same now. That's why I'm looking for the talent that can achieve this with my own personality.

★ "Weekly Shonen SUNDAY" is a magazine that trains writers

Q: Do you have anything to say to new writers who want to contribute to Weekly Shonen Sunday in the future?

A: Please pay attention to your initial impulses. Don't think about anything, "Is it really possible to draw this kind of thing?" "Is it possible to win an award by painting like this?" I hope that the works you bring are created with the thoughts of "I think this manga is interesting" and "I think this character is very handsome".

Q: Don't be influenced by what's trending.

A: Yes. I think Weekly Shonen Sunday should be a magazine that is better at nurturing manga artists than creating works. Our magazine should be able to produce talented writers who can become manga artists for the rest of their lives and create several popular works. The strongest thought in my heart is to re-turn Weekly Shonen Sunday into such a unique talent group.

Q: Thank you very much for your answer. Finally, I would like to say a few words to the readers of Weekly Shonen Sunday and those who want to read Weekly Shonen Sunday in the future.

A: For those of you who still love Weekly Shonen Sunday, and for those who want to read Weekly Shonen Sunday again in the future, let's take a look at the current magazine and see how much the manga magazine has changed in the next one or two years. In short, "Weekly Shonen SUNDAY" will change dramatically.