Weekly release schedule might force less experienced authors to forgo detalization as they have to keep up with deadlines.
There are other reasons why weekly release schedule is unhealthy for mangakas.
Nowadays, Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most popular anime out there. Beloved by fans, it’s currently airing its second season, with a prequel movie released two years ago. The manga was already quite popular even before it got an adaptation, but newer fans might be somewhat disappointed by the art in earlier chapters, especially compared to the panels from later ones they probably saw online. There is, however, a reason for it.
But the art wasn’t ever bad!
Now, the art of Jujutsu Kaisen is by no means bad — and never was, really. Gege Akutami is a very talented artist. However, if you compare the early art of the manga to the more recent chapters, you’ll see a striking difference. The art in newer chapters is much more detailed, being easily one of the best among all the Shounen Jump artists. Yes, of course, artists improve over time, honing their skills, and their styles changes as well. But in this particular case, there might be more to it than just that.
A theory
Some fans argue that the simplicity and occasionally lacking details in the early chapters of JJK aren’t a stylistic choice, but rather a result of Gege being forced into a weekly release schedule. There might be some truth to that: releasing a chapter per week requires colossal commitment, as well as keeping up with very strict deadlines. If the mangaka doesn’t have enough experience, they might struggle with detalization, even with help from assistants, occasionally forgoing it to release the chapter in time. It makes sense that as the manga progresses the art improves. One can also wonder if the occasional one week breaks that Akutami takes help to diminish the issue.
Other issues
There’s an argument that the weekly release schedule isn’t healthy for manga creators at all. The example with Jujutsu Kaisen is just one of the many — we all remember Tite Kubo and how his art deteriorated during the last chapters of Bleach. Kubo had health issues during that period, yet he was forced to meet the strict deadlines. Such a schedule is bad for mangakas’ mental and physical health, not to mention the fact it just hinders creativity. Thinking up story concepts and plot points isn’t something you can fully control, and being forced to do it on a weekly basis can often end up with said story’s quality going down.
Having to release a chapter per week isn’t really healthy for the creators.
Weekly release schedule might force less experienced authors to forgo detalization as they have to keep up with deadlines.
There are other reasons why weekly release schedule is unhealthy for mangakas.
Nowadays, Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the most popular anime out there. Beloved by fans, it’s currently airing its second season, with a prequel movie released two years ago. The manga was already quite popular even before it got an adaptation, but newer fans might be somewhat disappointed by the art in earlier chapters, especially compared to the panels from later ones they probably saw online. There is, however, a reason for it.
But the art wasn’t ever bad!
Now, the art of Jujutsu Kaisen is by no means bad — and never was, really. Gege Akutami is a very talented artist. However, if you compare the early art of the manga to the more recent chapters, you’ll see a striking difference. The art in newer chapters is much more detailed, being easily one of the best among all the Shounen Jump artists. Yes, of course, artists improve over time, honing their skills, and their styles changes as well. But in this particular case, there might be more to it than just that.
A theory
Some fans argue that the simplicity and occasionally lacking details in the early chapters of JJK aren’t a stylistic choice, but rather a result of Gege being forced into a weekly release schedule. There might be some truth to that: releasing a chapter per week requires colossal commitment, as well as keeping up with very strict deadlines. If the mangaka doesn’t have enough experience, they might struggle with detalization, even with help from assistants, occasionally forgoing it to release the chapter in time. It makes sense that as the manga progresses the art improves. One can also wonder if the occasional one week breaks that Akutami takes help to diminish the issue.
Other issues
There’s an argument that the weekly release schedule isn’t healthy for manga creators at all. The example with Jujutsu Kaisen is just one of the many — we all remember Tite Kubo and how his art deteriorated during the last chapters of Bleach. Kubo had health issues during that period, yet he was forced to meet the strict deadlines. Such a schedule is bad for mangakas’ mental and physical health, not to mention the fact it just hinders creativity. Thinking up story concepts and plot points isn’t something you can fully control, and being forced to do it on a weekly basis can often end up with said story’s quality going down.
