A Mangaka's Weirdly Wonderful Workplace

Episode 12

It takes a lot to be a creator. Doesn't matter if you're a writer, an artist or someone who does content on the Internet, it is hard to just get the ball rolling in those types of fields. It's even harder to make a career out of it. With every success, there's probably a dozen other people that have failed, but what exactly separates the people who succeeded from those who don't make it work out? Yes, you do need talent and yes, you do need luck, but you also need connections. The theme of this episode is all about how the connections we foster with people, whether it be others in the creative field that help lift each other off the ground or the audiences that creators connect with. It's those connections that can define the success that people make in these creative fields.

Technically, this episode doesn't introduce anything that I haven't already seen before. In that sense, it is a little bit underwhelming, but I think it makes up for that by reaffirming the strong connections all of the characters have. In a lot of ways, the show is being very realistic about the fact that none of these characters could've seen success if it wasn't for a few encounters that could've very easily been missed. I got to hear Arisa and Nana talk about their former editor a couple times throughout the show and how he really didn't have any faith in their own artistic vision. If they had been stuck with them or if they had been so demoralized after working with him, they wouldn't be where they are now. It's only after getting to work with editors and other creators who do see value in their work that they were able to see the success that they have today. I also do like the fact that these encounters aren't totally by chance, sometimes you have to make those connections happen like how Kaede seems to fight to be Nana's editor and jumped at the opportunity when her former editor was being transferred.

While that's all solid, the second half of the episode does what I really wanted the show to do throughout the run and showcases to Nana how much of an impact her work has on other people. What better way to do that than by having her directly interact with fans that are lining up to get assigned copies of the latest volume of her book. It's one thing to see numbers go up online or being told sales figures, but to directly see and hear from the people that want to buy your book is a completely different experience. You're seeing people's lives actively express happiness because of the work that you put out into the world. It's really simple in its execution but the emotional weight is still there. I especially like the fact that Nana was willing to wait extra time so that the final person who was running late was able to get the hundredth copy. That connection could spark more creativity for the future. I really really like this episode because this almost feels like a definitive endpoint. I was expecting the show to be over after the credits rolled, but looks like I'll still get one more peak into this magical mangaka world and I am very curious to see what kind of note the show definitively ends on.

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A Mangaka's Weirdly Wonderful Workplace is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.