Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, spoke in an interview about what he believes is lacking in many mangas today.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Shōnen magazine Jump in 2018, Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, gave an interview together with Takehiko Inoue (manga artist of Slam Dunk) (via skullnight.com).
In this, the Dragon Ball creator spoke about his own works but also addressed the current manga scene in general. He criticized one thing that he had noticed more frequently.
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Many mangas are high quality, but one thing is missing
During the interview, Akira Toriyama was asked what he would say to aspiring authors who are working towards a publication in Jump.
He then elaborated and explained that he had observed a development in today’s mangas that he personally found a bit regrettable:
Well, times have changed, but I recently thought about something when I was a jury member for the Tezuka Prize.
It’s nice that aspiring manga authors are influenced by their favorite authors, but I want them to be proud and add a little originality that only they can provide […]
I feel that the quality of the works themselves is increasing, but the individuality and pride in their work is decreasing.
Akira Toriyama, source: skullnight.net
With that, Akira Toriyama wished that manga creators would give their works more individuality and their own ideas instead of relying too much on existing inspirations. Takehiko Inoue agreed, although he admitted that he no longer reads too many mangas.
According to the father of Dragon Ball, aspiring manga authors should also feel free to draw on more extravagant ideas to give their stories individuality. Because that is exactly what makes a work interesting, as Akira Toriyama humorously noted:
“I would like to come across a manga where I think: ‘This author must be crazy!’ [laughs].”
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