Highlights
- VIZ Media is launching a portal for American creators to submit their work and potentially be published alongside manga legends like Rumiko Takahashi and Junji Ito.
- The platform will feature "bite-size" original manga stories across various genres, with both debutant and seasoned writers contributing.
- The initiative is inspired by the Japanese model of publishing one-shot stories, and successful submissions will have opportunities for licensing, ongoing series, merchandise, and even anime adaptation. #VIZMedia
Manga and anime licensor and distributor VIZ Media is launching a portal where aspiring American creators could submit their work and possibly have it published alongside legends like Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha; Maison Ikkoku; Urusei Yatsura; Ranma 1/2), Junji Ito, Haro Aso (Alice in Borderland; Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead) and others through the VIZ Manga digital service.
The platform will have "bite-size" original manga stories from a wide variety of niches from horror to comedy, romance to action. Created by debutant and seasoned writers, the selected works will be forming part of the VIZ Originals catalog, with a major player in the industry-leading the acquisitions for the next hit. The VIZ Media Originals Submissions Portal officially launches Wednesday, October 18; however, the site can already be viewed.
Hisashi Sasaki, Editor-in-Chief of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump oversaw the magazine during the serialization of various hugely significant and beloved titles, including Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto and Tite Kubo's BLEACH. Sasaki will guide creators of selected submissions and work closely with them, forming the first ever experience of this nature offered within the US, with creators prior to this point having had to take a trip to Tokyo for the same kind of feedback.
The initiative is inspired by the tried and tested Japanese model for manga serialization, which sees creators publish a short story of between 15 and 60 pages for an established audience who then decide whether it should be serialized as a manga.
"In Japan, a yomikiri or one-shot story has a proven track record for producing hit manga, and I’m thrilled to implement this method at VIZ for local writers in the U.S. I’m particularly excited to work with aspiring mangaka as Japanese pop culture continues to keep fans enthused and wanting more," said Editor-at-Large Sasaki.
Successful one-shots will have various opportunities at their disposal, including licensing, the establishment of an IP (intellectual property) as an ongoing series, publishing possibilities both print and digital, production of merchandise, and the Bakuman dream of having the one-shot-turned manga be produced into an anime series.
VIZ Originals has been delivering manga-inspired graphic novels and manga adaptations of existing pop culture since 2020, with some of the most notable titles being Ren and Bikkuri's Devil's Candy webcomic; the manga adaptation of Rainbow Rowell’s award-winning coming-of-age novel Fangirl; the horror anthology Betwixt, which is a collaboration between western and Japanese creators and features a cover and foreword by horror legend Junji Ito.
Source: VIZ Media Newsletter