Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 27 does not require a draft.

The last time Ken Sakamoto visited the Shueisha building, it didn't really count as a visit to the editorial department.

He only met with the editor in the public meeting area, after all, he wasn't a contracted writer for JUMP at the time.

Now, he is able to officially enter the editorial department as a contracted writer.

Last week, Ken Sakamoto only visited that small magazine company. The entire company only rented one floor in an office building, and the editorial department had only a few seats.

The JUMP editorial office is not small, but it looks particularly crowded.

(Above image: JUMP editorial department, taken from the documentary "We and Shonen Jump 50 Years".)
The desks and various gaps were piled with books, manuscripts, and documents. At a glance, there were probably twenty or thirty workstations, most of which were empty.

It wasn't because there was no editor in that position, but because the editor was out.

As a comic book editor, the work actually done while sitting in the office is relatively minor.

Those who need to go out may do so for purposes such as visiting an author's home to discuss or retrieve manuscripts, or checking the availability of new books at a bookstore.

There was a large whiteboard on the wall next to it, with the name of each editor marked on it. The last two columns were for the time spent away from home and the time of return to the office, which needed to be filled in by hand.

The fact that most of them listed the author's name in the "Outings" section indicates that the editor had gone on a home visit.

In the "Return to the Company Time" column, several editors simply filled in "Returned Home".

It means that after visiting the writer, you can go straight home without having to go to the company again.

Unlike rigid traditional companies, editorial departments do not require clocking in and out. Apart from editorial department meetings, all time is arranged by the editors themselves.

Despite the lack of a clock-in time requirement, the editors actually work incredibly long hours.

An editor's working hours depend on the writer's schedule. If an editor happens to work a writer who works day and night, then the editor will also have to work day and night.

At JUMP, each editor is responsible for a maximum of two weekly publications, and usually only follows up on one.

After all, discussing plot with writers, polishing storyboards, chasing manuscripts, typesetting and proofreading, reader feedback... all sorts of things related to a work can fill an editor's normal working hours.

The editor who is in charge of both parts is the ultimate editor, having given up all personal life.

The situation is different for monthly magazines and web publications. While editors are responsible for the main magazine's content, they can also take care of some monthly magazine and web publication writers.

After all, monthly magazine writers submit far fewer articles than weekly magazine writers, and web-based publications only require uploading to the internet, without the time-consuming and labor-intensive tasks of typesetting, printing, or visiting bookstores.

Of course, this refers to editors of "ordinary writers".

For top-tier writers like Oda and Kishimoto, they would be assigned a dedicated editorial team, with all members working full-time to take care of everything related to the writer, including their personal lives.

Ken Sakamoto's gaze swept over the editorial department, a sacred place that all aspiring manga artists longed for, but it turned out to be as chaotic as a warehouse.

Soon, he saw Editor Gage sitting in a corner near the back, almost completely obscured by a mountain of books.

Perhaps sensing the gaze coming from the doorway, Editor Kaji looked up, and the two met eyes.

She paused for a couple of seconds, then immediately stood up.

"Sakamoto-sensei, you're here! I'm so sorry I didn't come down to greet you." Kaji Keiko walked over quickly and apologized repeatedly.

“It’s nothing, I just happened to visit the editorial department,” Ken Sakamoto said.

“It’s different from what I imagined, quite chaotic.” Keiko Kaji pointed outside and said, “Come on, let’s talk in the small conference room.”

Ken Sakamoto followed Keiko Kaji through a corridor covered with manga posters and into a small room.

There was only one round table and two chairs in the room.

Kajiko helped Ken Sakamoto pull out his chair, and then sat down opposite him.

“Sakamoto-sensei, let’s skip the formalities and get straight to the point,” Kaji Keiko said. “During the meeting this morning, I introduced *Chainsaw Man* to all the editors, and everyone agreed that Sakamoto-sensei’s work has great potential.” “Thank you,” Sakamoto Ken nodded and said, “I have a lot of confidence in *Chainsaw Man*. If it gets published in JUMP’s main magazine, it can definitely be featured as a main work.”

"Haha, it's good to have confidence." Kaji Keiko thought Sakamoto Ken was just joking, and then she said seriously, "It's not easy to get selected as a main work in JUMP. Sakamoto-sensei's current goal is to get it serialized in the weekly magazine smoothly."

Ken Sakamoto had been watching Keiko Kaji's expression closely, and although the change was subtle, he still managed to catch it.

"Editor Kaji, did you encounter any problems when trying to secure a serialization opportunity?" Ken Sakamoto asked.

Keiko Kaji nodded sincerely and said, "Although Sakamoto-sensei's work was number one in last week's new work poll, her competitor, well... is very strong."

"She's almost four thousand fewer votes than me, and there's still a chance she'll take my spot?"

“It’s a bit complicated, and I can’t tell you the reasons…” Keiko Kaji sighed and said, “But it doesn’t mean there’s no chance of it getting published in JUMP this time. Even the editor-in-chief is pushing your work. If you can further widen the gap, I’ll risk my career to recommend Chainsaw Man.”

Seeing Sakamoto Ken's slight frown, Kaji Keiko immediately added, "Don't worry, Sakamoto-sensei. Even if we can't be featured in this magazine this time, we'll still prepare for the serialization. The next serialization opportunity will definitely be yours, Sakamoto-sensei."

When Kaji said that, Ken Sakamoto understood.

It seems that Haruna really did use her family connections.

If she has connections with high-ranking figures like the president of the company, and JUMP happens to have a free slot for a serialization, letting her experience serialization wouldn't be a big deal.

After all, JUMP magazine has works that are discontinued from time to time, and new works are needed to fill the gaps. These new works do not receive much attention from readers in the first few issues of their serialization.

However, once it starts being serialized in a weekly magazine, it must follow JUMP's rules.

Weekly Shonen Jump only has about twenty slots per issue. Even manga that has been serialized for a long time may be canceled if they linger at the bottom of reader surveys for three consecutive issues.

Popular works like "Shaman King," which ran for six years, were also tragically canceled.

In fact, there are even more famous examples in later generations, but it is still 2015, and Kishimoto-sensei has only recently finished Naruto.

A few years later, the novel "Samurai: Hachimaru-den," which he wrote the original work for, was heavily promoted through various channels before its publication, but it was canceled in less than a year.

JUMP only trusts reader surveys, and it shows no mercy when it comes to discrediting works by Kishimoto-sensei.

Given Haruna's personality, if her work were to be canceled in JUMP after only a few issues due to poor performance, she would probably be severely affected and might never draw manga again.

However, Kenjiro Sakamoto had no intention of helping her with the manga serialization; it would be best if he could secure the serialization slot himself.

He's the one who's short of that royalties.

Kaji Keiko continued, "In short, you don't need to worry too much about the serialization in this magazine, just focus on drawing your work well."

"Don't worry, manga quality editor. I finished three chapters last week, as you've seen," Sakamoto Ken said.

Keiko Kaji nodded and said, "Then, my requirements for Sakamoto-sensei's works will no longer be at the level of web publication. From now on, I will regard each of your chapters as if they were serialized in this magazine."

She spread her hands toward Sakamoto and said, "Next, let's confirm the subsequent plot ideas and storyboards together."

“I can describe the plot to you, but as for storyboards…” Sakamoto Ken said with a smile, “Kachi-san, I don’t need drafts when I’m creating.”

"No draft needed?" Keiko Kaji asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Kaji-san, you should understand that every author has different creative habits.”

“Of course, then Sakamoto-sensei, tell me about your habits.” Kaji Keiko took out a small notebook, intending to start taking notes.

Ken Sakamoto said, "I didn't have an outline or a draft; I just drew the complete storyboard directly."

Keiko Kaji had just written the word "no" when her hand holding the pen froze.

"Draw the storyboard directly?" Keiko Kaji frowned slightly and asked, "What do you mean?"

(End of this chapter)