Shuhei Hosono is the current editor-in-chief of Manga Plus at Shueisha, so I caught up with him to discuss all things manga.
Hosono joined Shueisha in 2000. Assigned to Monthly Shonen Jump, building his career as a manga editor. He then worked at Jump Square, then joined Weekly Shonen Jump in 2012. In 2014. He was then involved in launching the manga magazine app Shonen Jump+, serving as its editor-in-chief from 2017 to 2024.
These days he’s the editor-in-chief of Manga Plus, but before all that, I wanted to know more about how he got into manga and what manga he enjoyed reading as a kid.
“As a child, I was somewhat introverted; rather than sports, I was completely engrossed in reading. Even when I went to a friend’s house, I’d be absorbed in reading the books on the bookshelf while my friend would go out to play, and we’d end up not hanging out together. I grew up in the countryside where there weren’t many fun activities to do. My parents also liked reading, so they always told me to “read as much as I wanted.” It’d be really cool if I could confidently say that this immersive experience with reading and storytelling during my childhood was the foundation of my current career, but I’m not 100% certain that’s the case. However, I think I have a deep understanding of people who like books.
“I think the first manga I came into contact with was either Doraemon or Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo, which I found in the dentist’s waiting room. I’m pretty sure that the first physical manga I bought was Doraemon too, but it was volume 7, a very random volume, and I’ve lost the book cover. I really got hooked back when I was in elementary school. It started with Doraemon in the CoroCoro Comic magazine, and from there, I moved to Weekly Shonen Jump. Kinnikuman was what got me reading Jump. Later, I became obsessed with Saint Seiya and Dr. Slump. When Dr. Slump ended, I got to witness in real time the historic transition to Dragon Ball.
“I was in junior and high school during the end of the 80s and into the 90s, which is during the era when Weekly Shonen Jump was surging toward its all-time peak circulation of 6.53 million copies. As a reader, I followed the new serializations of historic masterpieces that would go on to be loved worldwide, like Dragon Ball, of course, as well as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, YuYu Hakusho, and Slam Dunk. I vividly remember being terrified by the scene in the first chapter of JoJo where a woman is offered as a sacrifice to the Stone Mask.
“In terms of my childhood days, Doraemon was definitely my favorite. Then, as I grew up a bit, I naturally became obsessed with Dragon Ball. The characters are just so captivating. I believe that people are drawn to Dragon Ballbecause of the vulnerabilities of comedic characters and the duality of the droll, offbeat nature and seriousness.
“By my junior years, it was the norm for all my friends to be reading Dragon Ball in the weekly magazine too. While I enjoyed sharing a common language with others through those titles, I also began to feel that touch of contrariness typical of adolescence. I desired to explore worlds beyond the mainstream and started looking toward works in other magazines.
“Around that time, I also became deeply drawn to titles from Weekly Shonen Sunday and similar magazines. I specifically liked works such as Mobile Police Patlabor, Spriggan, and Ushio & Tora. Masami Yuki was the first creator whose work I bought specifically because of the author, and I even purchased his earlier series, Kyukyoku Chojin R.”
Weekly Shonen Jump is arguably one of the most successful manga re
Shonen Jump is arguably one of the biggest and most renownedought this was
“I’m asked this often, but I don’t have a concrete answer. However, I think it has something to do with the formation of partnerships between new creators and fresh editors, which is the same for the other Jump label magazines at Shueisha. What we get with this tag team isn’t the fully calculated technique but the artist’s deeply personal “initial impulse” directly imprinted upon the work. It is precisely that raw, unpolished intensity that generates a novel kind of appeal that leads to capturing the atmosphere, the zeitgeist, of the era.
“I believe that when this spirit of the times aligns with the sensibilities of the audience, a historic hit is born. The fervor surrounding the success can then transcend borders and find acceptance across the globe. Now, if you look at it from another perspective, Jump stories place immense emphasis on the appeal of their characters, sometimes even more than the story itself. A character that’s compelling on their own works as a type of non-verbal appeal. It’s because these characters possess the power to resonate intuitively that they’re able to cross language barriers and connect with fans around the world.
“Another major appeal lies in the sheer variety of genres and stories available. I recall witnessing a fan who, upon meeting the creator, tearfully exclaimed: “This character is the very embodiment of who I am!” People from all over the world are able to strongly project themselves onto the diverse cast of Jump characters. I believe this is precisely the
Naturally, I wanted to know how Hosono ended up at Shueisha.
“I joined Shueisha in 2000. I was first assigned to the Monthly Shonen Jump editorial and not Weekly Shonen Jump. I built my career as an editor there until 2006; when the magazine ceased publication, I transferred to the editorial department of its successor, Jump Square.
“A major turning point came in 2012, when I transferred to Weekly Shonen Jump as deputy editor-in-chief, overseeing digital operations. However, “digital” in the publishing industry at that time did not yet involve the large-scale business activities seen today; this was even before Kindle arrived in Japan.
“It was around that time that I was approached by Yuta Momiyama, who is the current digital editor-in-chief of Shonen Jump+. We first worked to launch Jump Book Store!, an e-book sales app. As a subsequent step, we released Jump Live, a limited-time content distribution service. The experimental initiatives and experience gained through Jump Live served as the direct precursor to the current Shonen Jump+ app, which launched in 2014.
“Thus, I found myself fully immersed in the transformative era of manga digitization. While managing Shonen Jump+, I took on the challenge of reaching a new frontier by launching Manga Plus by Shueisha, an official global manga distribution platform in 2019. Although I am now dedicated exclusively to this project, the launch of Manga Plus, much like my previous projects, began with Momiyama approaching me with an enthusiastic proposal: “I want to create a platform like this for overseas audiences.”
“Our experience with previous projects was what enabled us to handle the demanding schedule required for simultaneous translation and bring this project to life. Despite the extremely tight deadlines, we communicate closely about the subtlest nuances in the text, passing the baton from the translator to Shueisha, the editor, and ultimately the manga creator.
With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), I wanted to know what Hosono’s views were on the technology in relation to the creation of manga.
“Regarding the impact of the spread of AI on manga culture, I believe there are two sides to the issue: reasons for optimism and challenges that require a cautious approach. On the optimistic side, AI holds the potential to become an incredibly useful tool that supports the creative work of artists and the editor’s tasks. For example, there was a time when all manga artwork was created by hand using analog methods, and many believed that digital drawing would never catch on in the industry.
“Today, however, countless artists utilize digital tools to produce magnificent works. Similarly, AI may eventually become an established part of the creative process and serve to foster new forms of artistic creation, like assisting with brainstorming and streamlining workflows. It is a welcome development that technology enables more people to easily share their work.
“Yet interestingly, I think that as AI-driven expression becomes more commonplace, creators who rely solely on their own skill and sensibility may be valued more highly than ever. We’re going to enter a new era where the uniquely human passion behind creative work will be appreciated more than ever before.
“At the same time, as a company that works closely with creators and manages their valuable copyrights, we recognize that there are naturally many challenges to address. We are paying close attention to issues such as the risk of AI-generated content infringing upon existing copyrights.
“Our most important mission is to safeguard an ecosystem where creators can focus on their work, and where their talents are fairly recognized and protected. Therefore, while remaining flexible in adapting to technological advancements, we are committed to taking a cautious and appropriate approach regarding the protection of rights.”
Finishing up, I was curious what Hosono’s hopes were for the future of things like Manga Plus.
“We want to grow Manga Plus to become a place where manga fans around the world experience it as the most fun place to read manga. To achieve this, we plan to continuously improve the UI and features to enhance the reading experience, while also expanding our lineup of titles. Although we currently operate in nine languages, we are considering adding even more. Ultimately, the ideal future we envision is one where a global hit originating overseas is born from this platform.
“We hope to create a new formula for success, where a title discovered by international readers on Manga Plus gains momentum overseas, with the excitement making its way back to Japan in a kind of “re-import,” and ultimately becomes a global hit, including in Japan.
“A recent example of this is the series Kagurabachi. Although its anime adaptation was only announced recently, the title garnered attention when teaser images were released before its serialization. It has now cultivated a global fanbase known as the “Bachi Bros”. At the same time, managing Manga Plus has made me aware of certain challenges. Specifically, there are undoubtedly parts of the world where the appeal of Japanese manga has yet to fully reach audiences, due to factors such as language barriers and limitations on the number of titles available.
“Manga Million offers one way to address the issue. While the existing Manga Plus service focuses primarily on the simultaneous global release of the latest serialized titles and the excitement of following them in real time, Manga Million is a project designed to spotlight “classic masterpieces” that have not previously been widely available in translation. Through this service, we aim to translate this immense collection of past classics into multiple languages, serving as a powerful bridge that allows readers around the world to discover the true depth of Japanese manga.”
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This article was originally published onForbes.com
