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Shonen Jump Rookie Contest Challenges Manga Artists to Impress Kentarō Yabuki

posted on by Eric Stimson
Manga artist asks for protagonists "the audience can empathize with"

Think you've got what it takes to draw a compelling shounen manga? Shonen Jump Rookie is holding a contest for aspiring manga artists with Kentarō Yabuki (To Love-Ru, Black Cat, Mayoi Neko Overrun!) as the judge. Although Yabuki may be most well-known for his fanservice harem comedies, any genre is acceptable; the choices listed on the application form include "battle," "fantasy," "school/sports," "romantic comedy," "comedy/gag," and "mystery/horror." Entrants can pick up to two.

Yabuki writes on the contest's webpage:

I feel sort of embarrassed about this, but I've been chosen to judge romantic comedies. Recently I've been moving on from romantic comedy manga, but there's an element to drawing romantic comedy that I think is important. That is to make the protagonist someone the audience can empathize with. No matter how attractively you draw the heroine, if readers don't like the protagonist they won't cheer on the romance. Please create the protagonist as well as the heroine with care.

And I think the possibilities for settings and characters for romantic comedies are varied. New possibilities, exciting manga, tragic manga — I look forward to whatever manga I'll get!

There is no page limit, but keeping it under 60 pages is suggested. Artists may also choose whether to draw their manga horizontally or vertically. Works appearing in commercial magazines or websites are ineligible. Entries will begin appearing on the website around the end of July, with updates every Friday.

The contest will last until September 30; winners will be announced in November or December. Their prizes will be a trophy from Yabuki himself and publication in Shonen Jump +. They will also get prize money (500,000 yen/$4,874 for the Grand Prize, 100,000 yen/$975 for the Great Prize). A third-place winner will just get money (50,000 yen/$487).

More manga contests will also be announced later in the summer.

Shonen Jump has also held similar contests for non-Japanese comic artists.

Source: Shonen Jump Rookie via Comic Natalie


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