Today, VIZ Media as part of its VIZ Originals line launches a one-shot submissions portal that will see American aspiring creators published alongside Japanese legends including Rumiko Takahashi, Junji Ito, and Haro Aso via the VIZ Manga digital service. The new platform will produce bite-size original manga stories covering a variety of interests from horror to comedy and from action to romance, all locally created by debut and seasoned writers.
The Japanese one-shot model for serialization boasts the most influential and successful track record on the planet for launching debut manga creators. It is a model in which a one-shot (a complete story running between 15 – 60 pages) is published for an already built-in audience who then determine whether it should go on to be serialized as a manga series.
Leading the acquisitions for the next big manga is former Weekly Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief Hisashi Sasaki who oversaw Japan’s prestigious Weekly Shonen Jump magazine at a time when some of the most iconic, beloved and highest grossing creators of all were being serialized including Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, and Tite Kubo’s Bleach, amongst many others.
With Sasaki’s guidance, creators whose submissions are selected will have the opportunity to work closely with the revered Japanese manga editor, making VIZ Media the only publisher in the US to offer this experience domestically. Until now, manga-influenced creators who aspire to work with Japanese editors have had to travel to Tokyo for such an opportunity.
“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 Hisashi Sasaki, Editor-at-Large.
Additionally, successful one-shots can access a wealth of capabilities at VIZ Media including the licensing and establishing of an IP as an ongoing series for digital and print formats, producing their story into an anime, and the production of consumer products.
Source: Press Release
