Out of the frying pan….
TWC vote incentive is a sneak peek at next week’s page! 😀 Guess where we’re going next?
I’ve been reading Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima lately. I don’t like it as much as Bleach or One Piece, but it’s starting to grow on me. What I found particularly interesting about the series is that Mashima has no idea where his story is going, and reading along, I get that impression. I read an interview with Rumiko Takahashi a couple years back where she admitted the exact same thing. It’s also opposite of how I write: I always have the end in mind when I write, even if I don’t know how I’m going to get there, so I at least have a little guideline as to what the story’s about. I guess I have the luxury of knowing that I can tell the ending to my stories though; a lot of manga series in Japan die after only a few chapters if they don’t pick up an audience, so having stories that are episodic in nature work well in that environment. Especially since there is nothing worse than loving a series and being unable to see the ending.
Aaaah, I’m so behind on my Fairy Tail. But I won a sketch from Hiro Mashima at ComicCon one year when Del Rey Manga hosted him!
My story’s pretty episodic, with elements that I’m carrying from chapter to chapter that will eventually come to a head. Like you, I’ve got a general ending in mind, but I’m a shounen fan, so I don’t mind taking the loooonngg way around to it. And I rewrite so many things as I go, because I don’t actually figure out stuff about the characters or the world until I put them into real situations.
Oh well, I think there’s room for all types of storytelling!
You won a sketch? That’s so cool! 😀
All us shounen fans like taking our time, don’t we. XD Though to be honest, whenever I pick up an American comic now, especially superhero stuff, I think to myself, Man this pace is so fast it’s breakneck! I used to rely more on the storytelling style you have, but with my last comic, I discovered that it wasn’t working for me. Different techniques for different writers. 😀
If Rumiko Takahashi doesn’t know where her stories are going that would certainly explain the ending to ranma 1/2. Jen if you know where your story is going and it has a definite satisfying ending that’s a good thing.
I hope the ending is satisfying. I will work hard to make it so. 😀 And yeah, the ending to Ranma was sadly not good, but I think that was the point. Maison Ikkoku was much better.