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Making Manga with Editor Shihei Lin

Manga enthusiasts packed together as The Japan Foundation invited veteran manga editor Shihei Lin to discuss his career. Lin currently serves as the CEO of his manga company, Mix Green, and was the former Editor-in-Chief at Shonen Jump Plus, helping to contribute to such titles as DAN DA DAN, Chainsaw Man, and SPY x FAMILY, all of which were discussed over the course of the panel. The conversation started with Lin going over how he works with individual mangaka. When asked about what he looks for in new creators, he mentioned there isn't any specific criteria since some mangaka excel in art and storyboarding, while others are better with dialogue, so what catches his eye is coming across a mangaka who really excels at their speciality.

Regarding working with Yukinobu Tatsu on DAN DA DAN, it took about six years to help develop the version of the story that exists now, and he wanted to ensure Tatsu focused on making the kind of manga he wanted rather than focusing on traditional convention. As such, he claimed that about 80 to 90% of what is featured in DAN DA DAN was present in the original name (initial draft) that they worked on. At the same time, Tatsu tends to constantly update the art and dialogue for DAN DA DAN on his own to better convey his point of view to his readers.

For SPY x FAMILY, Lin stated that he had been working with Endo for roughly 19 years before its serialization, and that work on the series began following a 7-year slump that Endo experienced after the end of his previous manga, Tista. The concept of a spy husband, assassin wife, and psychic daughter had been present from the very beginning, but it was Lin who suggested that Anya should have the power to read minds since it would be the most troublesome power for a spy to deal with. It was also Lin who insisted that the family should include the dog, Bond, since he feels that every family should have one, and helped to decide what kind of dog Bond would be. He claims that one of Endo's best skills as an artist is making his characters instantly recognizable even in storyboards, and even mentioned that Endo has a chart to help outline them.

As for Tatsuki Fujimoto, the author of Chainsaw Man, Lin stated that he had first been assigned to work with Fujimoto when he was only 17, and it had taken six years before he helped him to put out his first serialization, Fire Punch. He also joked that the protagonist of Fire Punch ended up being difficult for Fujimoto to work with, since constantly being on fire meant that no one could touch him. Despite Fujimoto's current level of acclaim, though Lin feels as though there isn't anything particularly special on regards to Fujimoto's growth as creator, as much like many other mangaka, he has worked to hone his style through one shots, and said that if there is anything that separates him from other artists it's that so many of his earlier one-shots have been made available for fans. Personality-wise, he says that Fujimoto is very straightforward and enjoys novels, as well as seeing the latest movies, so the two of them often engage in lengthy discussions whenever they go to see films together. In particular, Fujimoto is a big fan of the MCU and horror movies. When working on Chainsaw Man, he claimed that one of Fujimoto's greatest strengths is that he often thinks in the voice of his characters when deciding their actions, and while Lin offers his opinions, he understands that no one knows their characters better than their creators.

For the next section of the panel, Lin talked about the process of manga creation, which includes working on a name, developing storyboards, and coming up with the initial concept of a series as well as how arcs should be split up. As an editor, he generally gives two types of feedback, both as a reader and as a critic. As a reader, he reads very quickly to see what aspects of a series catch his eye, and as an editor, he helps to point out any inconsistencies with the art or the storytelling to help iron them out. He says that for a weekly manga, the process of working on a name generally takes one to two days, and that editor feedback requires a quick turnaround. Despite that, he has a good enough relationship with the authors he works with that it's rare for him to have to deal with any emergency revisions. Besides helping with quality control for a series, his day-to-day responsibilities also include helping to spread a manga's popularity. He mentioned that he also has to do a lot of work to help sell a series internationally. At his peak, he was supervising up to 8 or 9 manga at once, but since he's always been a voracious reader, he claims that he's never had trouble compartmentalizing what he works on.

Finally, the panel closed with Lin discussing his philosophies as an editor, as well as his involvement with Manga Apartment VUY, a dormitory established for mangaka who have yet to debut. He stated that many up-and-coming mangaka end up phasing out after a couple of years to find a desk job. Thus, he works with sponsors on housing for them, so they have more time to focus on developing their skills. He also invites more experienced mangaka to offer them advice, and hopes that having all these mangaka interact with each other can foster an environment for creation. There are currently about 25 mangaka living there, and he claims that a few of them should be making their debuts very soon. Now that he's independent, his ultimate goal as an editor is to help nurture new talent, and while he acknowledges that there is a certain degree of luck involved in finding success in the industry, his biggest piece of advice to aspiring creatives is to never stop drawing, as working constantly to sharpen your skills is important. When asked about overseas creators working in the industry, he says that there are a lot more working in the industry right now, and that translation apps have been a big help in creators handing in submissions, so he believes there could be a day where editors get to work with aspiring international mangaka more directly.