Tatsuki Fujimoto on Manga Working Conditions, Arduous Schedule

Tatsuki Fujimoto, original manga author of upcoming anime blockbuster Chainsaw Man, shared his thoughts on his working conditions as a mangaka in a new interview.

The Angoulême International Comics Festival, ongoing in France from March 17 to 20, includes a special exhibit of the work of Tatsuki Fujimoto, author of Fire Punch, Chainsaw Man, and Look Back. Conjointly, Tatsuki Fujimoto was interviewed by French media BFM, where he most notably was asked about his working conditions and arduous schedule.

Fire Punch, Look Back manga author Tatsuki Fujimoto on working conditions as a mangaka

Many anime fans are aware by now that the anime industry is plagued with overworking issues and low wages for animators. These problems were only aggravated with the pandemic, and since 2020, we’ve seen episodes to whole series getting delayed. The examples are numerous, from Eighty Six (86), to Madoka Magica Magia Record, and World’s End Harem. In comparison, the manga industry doesn’t fare better, and many mangaka work under extremely harsh conditions. Taking all of this into account, Tatsuki Fujimoto was asked about how he often writes characters who go through incredible suffering, and how it must be directly linked to his own feelings.

The characters’ suffering in Chainsaw Man reflects Fujimoto’s feelings

Tatsuki Fujimoto: “I never thought about it, but it’s all definitely inspired by my own feelings. It might be the reflection of my daily routine. I work alone for a weekly magazine. It’s incredibly difficult, and I don’t want my series to get canceled, so I work non-stop”.

Later in the interview, Tatsuki Fujimoto also brought up the stark contrast between his dream of becoming a mangaka and his harsh reality now that he became one.

Fujimoto on the short deadlines of weekly manga

Tatsuki Fujimoto: “All mangaka wanted to do this job because they love sharing stories and drawing, but when you actually become a mangaka, you realize you need to handle everything alone. When working for weekly magazine, you just don’t have enough time. The schedule is too intense, and you need to work as fast as possible. I always end up improvising some things during the inking phase to save time. I’d like to do both the characters and backgrounds myself, but this is so difficult I need to ask my assistants to handle the backgrounds”.

Tatsuki Fujimoto also mentioned he focuses on making short series and one shots to preserve his health. He is still working on the Chainsaw Man sequel.