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Archipel Releases English-Subtitled Documentary With Shaman King Creator Hiroyuki Takei
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Documentary YouTube channel Archipel released a 15-minute interview and documentary with English subtitles about Hiroyuki Takei, a manga artist best known for creating Shaman King. Takei talks about his life and journey with manga, including how he got started, his influences, and the ideas that went into Shaman King.
The interview touches on the circumstances behind Shaman King's cancellation. Takei said that as time went on, his work took on an "artsier" turn. "Rather than drawing for the readers, part of me was making things to have fun myself. That wasn't a good thing. Indirectly, when my manga started to drop in the rankings, it felt that I wasn't needed anymore. From there, finding the energy to end a series requires a lot of effort. I started not knowing what to draw anymore. I was also tired from all those years of weekly chapters, so I couldn't find the energy to put it together. In the end, having the plug pulled was important, being asked to finish at a said time. I kind of wish I had been told sooner, though..."
Shaman King began in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1998. The series abruptly ended in 2004, although a reprinting of the manga revealed a "true ending" in 2009. Takei spoke about how he was glad that he was able to come back and finish the story properly after resting. He also says that he is currently planning a new series and that he wants to "go all in on it."
Takei drew a series of short stories titled Shaman King 0 in Shueisha's Jump X magazine starting in November 2011, and published a sequel series titled Shaman King Flowers in the same magazine from 2012 to 2014. Shaman King The Super Star, the new arc for the manga, launched in May 2018, after publishing three prologue chapters.
Takei's manga works also include Ultimo, Jumbor, and Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai. He also worked on Garo the Animation by assisting in character designs. Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai launched in September 2015 and concluded in April 2018.
Source: Comic Natalie via Otakomu
