The second part of Mipon’s Ryou Katagiri interview has been released! The mangaka continued talking about the manga industry in Japan, burnout, earnings, and the process of becoming a published manga artist.
Katagiri is the author of Tutti! and Chuganji Clan’s Secret.
Starting Out as an Artist
In the second part of the interview, she talked about her beginnings and love for drawing. She started thinking about becoming a manga artist at 12, but it wasn’t until she turned 21 that she won her first manga award. As mentioned in part 1 of the interview, manga awards allow artists to have their work published.
She first tried submitting her manga when she was 19. However, that didn’t go too well, but she didn’t give up and a year later she won the Shogakukan award. When submitting a manga for a contest, the artist has to make sure that the manga is a complete one-shot, with 30-40 pages.
Katagiri also mentioned that artists these days can publish their work online on platforms such as Twitter and Pixiv, and even Instagram. If the series becomes popular, you might get noticed by an editor.
How Much Does a Mangaka Earn?
Manga artists are paid by the page. New mangakas earn between 10,000 and 15,000 yen (90-135$) per page. Manga artists can also earn royalties from published works.
Stress and Burnout in Manga Industry
Lack of inspiration can lead to serious burnout, especially when you depend on your art to make a living. Katagiri compares drawing to brushing her teeth – it’s something that a manga artist has to do every day, no matter what.
Another big issue for artists is finding out that their work isn’t too popular with the readers, Katagiri says. In these situations, she tries to think of a solution as soon as possible.
Ryo Katagiri also talked about the artists she looks up to in the full interview:
Read about the first part of the interview.
Source: Mipon e-mail correspondence, YouTube Channel
Thumbnail: Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, ©Izumi Tsubaki / SQUARE ENIX, GEKKAN SHOJO NOZAKI KUN Project
