Forum

GATSU wrote:

Wow, he really laid down the law. I'm just wondering if this will affect Viz's ability to continue the U.S. release, if it goes to Kodansha.

It could, but it might not. If (1) Viz has a good personal relationship with Kishiro, or if (2) Kishiro uses his own agent rather than having his publishing company act as agent, or if (3) Kodansha determines that they wouldn't get a better deal from some other publisher, it might certainly stay with Viz.

Considering Viz started publishing BAA well before Shueisha bought into Viz, and that when it started, Viz wasn't publishing all that much in the way of Shueisha material, I'd say the first or second scenarios are likely.

Sounds like this may have been in the works for a while with him having a meeting with a competitor and using them publicly as leverage with his "current" publisher.

If it's a taboo in his country and he knew it, he should have adjusted the dialogue in the beginning. How long did it take for him to change 3 sentences? 10 minutes?

If I was his current publisher, my response would be "Hasta la vista!"

hikaru004 wrote:

Sounds like this may have been in the works for a while with him having a meeting with a competitor and using them publicly as leverage with his "current" publisher.

If it's a taboo in his country and he knew it, he should have adjusted the dialogue in the beginning. How long did it take for him to change 3 sentences? 10 minutes?

It was not an absolute taboo in Japan. The manga was already published three separate times — the original magazine run and two separate book editions — with the original dialogue intact. According to Kishiro, he was asked to make the changes with less than a day to respond, for a new edition that appeared on store shelves just 11 days later. Plus, he was asked while he was trying to finish a new chapter which would appear on store shelves just 12 days later.

Egan Loo wrote:

hikaru004 wrote:

Sounds like this may have been in the works for a while with him having a meeting with a competitor and using them publicly as leverage with his "current" publisher.

If it's a taboo in his country and he knew it, he should have adjusted the dialogue in the beginning. How long did it take for him to change 3 sentences? 10 minutes?

It was not an absolute taboo in Japan. The manga was already published three separate times — the original magazine run and two separate book editions — with the original dialogue intact. According to Kishiro, he was asked to make the changes with less than a day to respond, for a new edition that appeared on store shelves just 11 days later. Plus, he was asked while he was trying to finish a new chapter which would appear on store shelves just 12 days later.

If legal dept had an issue, then it's best to alter it. Businesses are suppose to work with their legal department, not insult it.

If he wants to leave that badly, Ultra Jump should show him the door.

hikaru004 wrote:

Egan Loo wrote:

hikaru004 wrote:

Sounds like this may have been in the works for a while with him having a meeting with a competitor and using them publicly as leverage with his "current" publisher.

If it's a taboo in his country and he knew it, he should have adjusted the dialogue in the beginning. How long did it take for him to change 3 sentences? 10 minutes?

It was not an absolute taboo in Japan. The manga was already published three separate times — the original magazine run and two separate book editions — with the original dialogue intact. According to Kishiro, he was asked to make the changes with less than a day to respond, for a new edition that appeared on store shelves just 11 days later. Plus, he was asked while he was trying to finish a new chapter which would appear on store shelves just 12 days later.

If legal dept had an issue, then it's best to alter it. Businesses are suppose to work with their legal department, not insult it.

I don't think anyone else, including both sides, would say that the legal department was insulted. If anything, since the legal department raised an issue just 11 days before a new edition shipped — when no issue was raised in three separate earlier printings, it's arguable that it was the legal department that did not communicate well with the rest of the company.

Haha, Kishiro strikes again ! What an unusual (and brilliant) mangaka !

Egan Loo wrote:

I don't think anyone else, including both sides, would say that the legal department was insulted. If anything, since the legal department raised an issue just 11 days before a new edition shipped — when no issue was raised in three separate earlier printings, it's arguable that it was the legal department that did not communicate well with the rest of the company.

Besides, from what I understand there were a number of other issues (such as demanding that he start using a Mac instead of his current PC) and this latest debacle was really just the tip of the iceberg.

The way Kishiro is handling this matter just further convinces me that my original thoughts on this story were right: this is as much a case of Kishiro being a diva as it is him standing up to "unreasonable" requirements by the publisher. Why air this kind of dirty laundry in public if he's not trying to show off?

And I don't think we're getting the full story here, either. So far we've really only heard Kishiro's side of things.

(I am a big fan of hs work, BTW, so I certainly hold nothing against him as a mangka talent.)

Egan Loo wrote:

hikaru004 wrote:

Egan Loo wrote:

hikaru004 wrote:

Sounds like this may have been in the works for a while with him having a meeting with a competitor and using them publicly as leverage with his "current" publisher.

If it's a taboo in his country and he knew it, he should have adjusted the dialogue in the beginning. How long did it take for him to change 3 sentences? 10 minutes?

It was not an absolute taboo in Japan. The manga was already published three separate times — the original magazine run and two separate book editions — with the original dialogue intact. According to Kishiro, he was asked to make the changes with less than a day to respond, for a new edition that appeared on store shelves just 11 days later. Plus, he was asked while he was trying to finish a new chapter which would appear on store shelves just 12 days later.

If legal dept had an issue, then it's best to alter it. Businesses are suppose to work with their legal department, not insult it.

I don't think anyone else, including both sides, would say that the legal department was insulted. If anything, since the legal department raised an issue just 11 days before a new edition shipped — when no issue was raised in three separate earlier printings, it's arguable that it was the legal department that did not communicate well with the rest of the company.

But we're only hearing one side of the story. So we don't know if this was discussed for the prevous editions. To change one word shouldn't take that long. Asking for the legal dept to apologize is insulting that dept.

Then he's asking the company for a recall. That's going beyond normal operating procedure.

hikaru004 wrote:

Egan Loo wrote:

I don't think anyone else, including both sides, would say that the legal department was insulted. If anything, since the legal department raised an issue just 11 days before a new edition shipped — when no issue was raised in three separate earlier printings, it's arguable that it was the legal department that did not communicate well with the rest of the company.

But we're only hearing one side of the story. So we don't know if this was discussed for the prevous editions. To change one word shouldn't take that long. Asking for the legal dept to apologize is insulting that dept.

While we do only hear from Kishiro's side, he specifically noted that this issue didn't come up before and said he mentioned that very point to the editor. As pointed out by glock78, changing dialogue in art drawn in the 1990s — before the widespread use of digital tools in the workflow — is not as simple as editing a text field in Photoshop. Photoshop didn't even implement re-editable text fields until the late 1990s. Even finding the original artwork in physical archives, 21 volumes and 4,000+ pages later, can be a task. I still don't see anyone else perceiving a request for an apology, warranted or unwarranted, to be an insult.

Quote:

Then he's asking the company for a recall. That's going beyond normal operating procedure.

While it is unusual, it isn't unprecedented, and it wouldn't be the first manga recall. Only one of the volumes with the changes shipped when the dispute came to light, and one of the other volumes hasn't shipped at all yet.

Should we really be calling Kishiro a diva. All we hear about mangaka and animators is that they are worked like dogs and for little pay.

When one finally has the power or will to stand up for what they believe, suddenly they are diva's.

Sounds like Kishiro own's his property. More power to him. Shouldn't we give him the benefit of the doubt. A lot of us have to work with deadlines, and the last thing we want is someone dumping more work on us for some piddling matter. I would think the new chapter had a higher priority, since it has to make the press in time for the monthly manga. Not only that it was the 100th installment.

I would think Kishiro should be insulted that his editors had no problem with delaying publication of his 100th installment, so that some reprint of old stuff that had been reprinted already, could have some legal department censoring done to it. If they wanted it censored, then they should have censored the original.

TarsTarkas wrote:

Should we really be calling Kishiro a diva. All we hear about mangaka and animators is that they are worked like dogs and for little pay.

If anyone else in just about any other entertainment-related job field did what Kishiro did, they'd be called a diva. Why isn't the label fair here? Even if he is in the right in this case, he seems to be deliberately making a very public mess of this.

Let's just not be too quick to label this a case of a downtrodden person righteously standing up to "the man" without knowing the full story here.

Key wrote:

TarsTarkas wrote:

Should we really be calling Kishiro a diva. All we hear about mangaka and animators is that they are worked like dogs and for little pay.

If anyone else in just about any other entertainment-related job field did what Kishiro did, they'd be called a diva. Why isn't the label fair here? Even if he is in the right in this case, he seems to be deliberately making a very public mess of this.

Let's just not be too quick to label this a case of a downtrodden person righteously standing up to "the man" without knowing the full story here.

Perhaps you are right, but it seems to go against the public perception that animators and mangaka are downtrodden masses working long hours for little pay. I just think we are a little too quick to sell Kishiro out because he showed some backbone in public.

Another site showed what the offending words were and it wasn't even the dreaded kichigai, it was hakkyou.
Political correctness sucks, and I'm with the mangaka all the way on this one.

mrsatan wrote:

Another site showed what the offending words were and it wasn't even the dreaded kichigai, it was hakkyou.
Political correctness sucks, and I'm with the mangaka all the way on this one.

As linked in this article, ANN reported on the three words when the manga went on hiatus in June.

Forum - View topic
NEWS: Battle Angel Alita/Gunnm: LO Manga's Return Planned

Cupid Parasite: Sweet & Spicy Darling Video Game Review

This Week in Anime - Are Some Manga Truly "Unadaptable"?

NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a Anime's New Video Reveals 2nd Part's July Debut, LiSA's Opening Song

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Astrea Record Novel One Review

6 Interesting Things I Learned About Anime From the Legendary Producer Maruyama Masao Documentary

Sakamoto Days TV Anime Confirmed for January 2025 Starring Tomokazu Sugita

Fairy Princess Minky Momo Episodes 31-46 Anime Series Review

Ghost in The Shell Gets New TV Anime Series in 2026 by Science Saru

Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Part 2 Anime Film Review

TOHO to Acquire Anime Studio Science SARU as Its Subsidiary

Forum - View topicNEWS: Battle Angel Alita/Gunnm: LO Manga's Return Planned

Forum

Forum - View topic
NEWS: Battle Angel Alita/Gunnm: LO Manga's Return Planned