Manga has been a great source of amusement for audiences of every age group. As manga readers, the joy and excitement we experience after reading a chapter is amazing. However, manga authors go through many struggles to produce chapters weekly, making it one of the most challenging professions.
Even after going through all that toil and creating mesmerizing art and details over days, fans often glance at it and move on within a few seconds. Only a handful take the time to notice the intricate details meticulously crafted by the author, which are often overlooked in weekly publications. This is Masashi Kishimoto’s belief, as he explained in an interview in 2016 when asked about weekly manga publications.
Most readers ignore small details, according to Masashi Kishimoto
Being a manga artist is extremely tiring, as you have to sacrifice many things, including your sleep and personal life, to achieve success. Getting your manga serialized is extremely low, and even if you somehow attain it, you will be bombarded with weekly schedules and deadlines.
Authors like Masashi Kishimoto, Eiichiro Oda, Tite Kubo, and several others deserve more respect for their hard work. Despite facing many difficulties, they managed to publish chapters weekly for many years.
One of the saddest things for a manga artist is when people overlook the art and the hidden details that the author works hard to include. This is one of Masashi Kishimoto’s sentiments about weekly publication.
In a 2016 interview where Masashi Kishimoto and Togashi sensei sat down together, the author of Naruto explained that creating intricate art along with small details is often a waste for weekly publications because fans often tend to ignore it. He said:
You really don’t need to think about a camera lens when you draw, but I can’t help it. I enjoy drawing long-distance and wide-lens shots and experimenting with depth of field. But most readers don’t notice details like that, so it’s kind of wasted work for a weekly series artist. Plus there are those who are much, much better than I am. Like Katsuhiro Otomo.
Viewers who paid attention to details in the Naruto series would have noticed that Masashi Kishimoto experimented with various elements, including incorporating real-life objects such as light poles and depicting fights from multiple angles; however, a significant portion of the audience missed these details, thereby proving the author’s point.
Masashi Kishimoto based Naruto on himself
Naruto, as the main character, is adored by fans, with his detractors being extremely rare. His popularity stems from his simple and subtle nature, which resonates with fans.
Naruto’s strongest selling point was not his acclaimed lineage or being a reincarnation of God, it was his defeats and struggles. He was never born with innate talent, nor did he have an easy journey to the top.
Naruto always had to experience numerous defeats before he could match the strength of his friends, pushing himself to work even harder to surpass them. In an interview in 2015, Masashi Kishimoto revealed that he based Naruto on himself.
According to Masashi Kishimoto, he was someone who used to give up easily and therefore created Naruto to resemble what he always wanted: resilient and mentally unbreakable in the face of difficulties.
This proved to be a wise decision, as fans fell in love with Naruto and his struggles. Naruto’s imperfections and flaws made the audience adore him even more than expected.
You can watch Naruto on Crunchyroll.
