Tsukuda and Saeki tried and failed to repeat the success of the iconic food comedy.
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma is a popular manga about competitive cooking by Yuuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki that ran in Shonen Jump for over seven years. When the creator duo announced the launch of a new manga called Tenmaku Cinema earlier this year, fans were beyond excited. A few months later, the manga underperformed so badly that it was canceled.
The story of Tenmaku Cinema revolves around Hajime, a young cinephile and aspiring filmmaker who becomes haunted by the ghost of a genius screenwriter Takihiko Tenmaru. Together, they set about creating a movie based on the last script Takihiko wrote before his death. From the start, the manga received lukewarm responses from the Japanese readers, despite the intriguing premise. There could be a few reasons for that.
Those who’ve read Food Wars! remember the online discourse generated by its controversial final arcs. Readers complained about the rushed pacing, unnecessary romance, and lack of high stakes. It’s no wonder shonen fans are cautious about hyping up a new series by creators that disappointed them in the past. Weekly Jump is a highly competitive space, and you can’t survive on a good name alone.
The manga itself got criticism for the lack of strong, impactful characters. The great artwork is there, the premise is there, but the protagonist doesn’t feel like a real person. There’s no external conflict in the series either: most of it focuses on the behind-the-scenes process of creating movies. In fact, at times the manga feels more like a tutorial for movie enthusiasts rather than a story.
Perhaps Tenmaku Cinema could have lived had it been released in a less popular magazine. Right now, its chances of survival do not look good. It’s very rare for a series to move to a different manga publisher after it got axed. No one wants to pick up a work that has already failed to develop a loyal fan base, regardless of how good it is.
Tenmaku Cinema is now officially canceled, with the final 21st chapter set to be released soon. There’s no word yet about Tsukuda and Saeki’s plans for the future. If they ever decide to join forces to do another project, they should learn from their mistakes and go for something more challenging.
Tsukuda and Saeki tried and failed to repeat the success of the iconic food comedy.
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma is a popular manga about competitive cooking by Yuuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki that ran in Shonen Jump for over seven years. When the creator duo announced the launch of a new manga called Tenmaku Cinema earlier this year, fans were beyond excited. A few months later, the manga underperformed so badly that it was canceled.
The story of Tenmaku Cinema revolves around Hajime, a young cinephile and aspiring filmmaker who becomes haunted by the ghost of a genius screenwriter Takihiko Tenmaru. Together, they set about creating a movie based on the last script Takihiko wrote before his death. From the start, the manga received lukewarm responses from the Japanese readers, despite the intriguing premise. There could be a few reasons for that.
Those who’ve read Food Wars! remember the online discourse generated by its controversial final arcs. Readers complained about the rushed pacing, unnecessary romance, and lack of high stakes. It’s no wonder shonen fans are cautious about hyping up a new series by creators that disappointed them in the past. Weekly Jump is a highly competitive space, and you can’t survive on a good name alone.
The manga itself got criticism for the lack of strong, impactful characters. The great artwork is there, the premise is there, but the protagonist doesn’t feel like a real person. There’s no external conflict in the series either: most of it focuses on the behind-the-scenes process of creating movies. In fact, at times the manga feels more like a tutorial for movie enthusiasts rather than a story.
Perhaps Tenmaku Cinema could have lived had it been released in a less popular magazine. Right now, its chances of survival do not look good. It’s very rare for a series to move to a different manga publisher after it got axed. No one wants to pick up a work that has already failed to develop a loyal fan base, regardless of how good it is.
Tenmaku Cinema is now officially canceled, with the final 21st chapter set to be released soon. There’s no word yet about Tsukuda and Saeki’s plans for the future. If they ever decide to join forces to do another project, they should learn from their mistakes and go for something more challenging.
