@VerticalComics_Ed

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What kind of degree (or degrees) do you need to work at Vertical? What kinds of jobs are there to do?

While I think it helps to have a degree in something relevant to publishing, design, East Asian studies or marketing, I do not think we require them.
There are also only a handful of people here in this office - editor (2), production manager (2), marketer, and CEO. That's it. That is the entire company.
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Liked by: Haley L

Shorts?!?!?! Even in the winter?

I was wearing shorts in Feb. It was around 1F with windchill at times.

the Vertical office doesn't have a dress code? So you all are allowed to wear whatever you like? (i mean, assuming it's not like obvious offensive clothing?)

Yes. We wear shorts, T-shirts, flip-flops... As long as we are clothed it's fine.
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Liked by: Haley L

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Do you have a list of the conventions you'll be attending, or do you usually let everyone know shortly before the event?

It's in our tumblr feed. Should be under the tag "conventions".
That said, the list is subject to change.

How come we don't see any sales numbers on titles on NYT for US, but Oricon for JP does have them out for the public?

First of all NYT rankings are not actual total sales nation wide. They are just a survey of a few sources. So do not take those very seriously for things like comics or manga.
Second... Since we do not work for Oricon so we cannot say why they make their data public. That said, Oricon charts do not cover everything either. But like Nielsen BookScan they provide a good sample of what the market looks like at the top.

How is France's manga market compared to the US market? In size.

No idea. It isn't relevant to us, so I haven't researched that before.

If Kizumonogatari sells well, will you guys be open to publish more of the monogatari light novels?

I hope so. This isn't the novels department, so I cannot say for sure, though.

Will you be attending ACEN this year?

At this time, it doesn't look like it. ACEN hasn't contacted us about attending, so we might not make it.

While you're on the topic of Ajin.. I read Ajin on Crunchyroll, and they don't seem to update the release information very often. Do you know why that is? I assume it's because the magazine it is serialized in is bimonthly, but I haven't been able to find a concrete answer. When is the next chapter?

Sorry, we are not CR, so we do not know how they manage their release info. I think they have an ASK. Maybe asking them about it would help?
AJIN runs in GOOD! AFTERNOON magazine, which is released monthly in Japan. AJIN was not in the current April issue, but I would assume it should be back next month for the May issue.

What kind of dress code does the Vertical office have? Casual? Business Casual? Full suits?

We don't have a dress code.

Do you know if any official company (Goodsmile, Kotobukiya, etc) has made a PVC figure for Tsumugi Shiraui yet? I would love to own one ¶-¶

I have no idea.
I am proud to admit, I don't collect figures. I spend my money on manga instead. ψ(｀∇´)ψ
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Liked by: Brandon Dubose Student no.0

will you support me in my decision to get a tattoo of best gril in ever (aka Tsumugi from KoS)

We will... Until we get photos sent to us online. Then we'll gasp, ROFL, shake our heads and email the photos to Nihei.

Since your guys Gundam the origin is a retelling of the original show am i still able to watch Zeta gundam with ease or do i still have to watch the original anime to understand what happens in Zeta gundam?

You don't need to watch the original anime anyway.
But The ORIGIN has a closer connection to Zeta than the original anime.

What circumstances would lead to a manga or light novel getting censored in its U.S release

I have no idea. Fear. Foolishness.
I can't imagine any situation for an LN to be censored though. Has that ever happened?!

Could you give us any hints on the next Josei license? Pleeeaaase?

We don't have another one at this time.
So there are no hints to share.

Speaking of josei, what are your thoughts on manga that straddle josei and shoujo like series from Cocohana, Anelala, or Petite Princess? Do you think series like that could serve as a bridge to more challenging josei?

Well we cannot discuss our thoughts on those series, here. I'm certain there are some good works. Hopefully some have global potential.
But the concept might work. I think it should work.
I kinda feel that it won't, though. At least not immediately. And after looking at those mags closely, I'd
The easiest angle is to model/comp artists and a lot of shojo artists that have been successful in the West are working in that segment of the market.
Stores are willing to give previously successful artists a chance, but readers follow trends not talent. It can work, but that takes work.
Once again very few of these works have media tie-ins or much merchandising. And while I am not the best judge of this, I do not feel there is much net interest for these stories at this point in time. If that isn't the case, please let me and other pubs know (with proof).
I wonder about the art too. Looking at the magazines you suggested...I found most skewed towards less "pretty". But that's subjective so mileage will vary.
Maybe through time. But I guess pubs will have to make that step first. Viz has taken one attempt recently. I hope that'll work as that first step.

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I think you've probably answered this before, but why do you think Josei sells badly here? Whenever I look at top selling manga in japan each week, It feels that Shounen (obviously) and Josei usually take up majority of the rankings. I understand we're 2 seperate markets. Just wish more.. (cont.1/2)

No one knows exactly why. But here are a few theories.
1) Manga in the US is heavily tied to anime. The shojo market is really really competitive here. Many titles tend to do well, but the big hits tend to have anime connections. FuruBa, Ooran, VampireKnight, and Sailor Moon are all examples of this. That is not to say there aren't exceptions but in general it is hard to break that mold. Josei isn't often adapted into anime.
One reason why josei does so well is due to how often JDrama's are based off josei titles. So that form of media mix provides additional marketing to already popular titles (effectively adding to their audiences).
Now here is what's tough about this. JDramas are rare in English. Also in the rare situation where a josei title is adapted into an anime - Bunny Drop and Honey & Clover - and available in English, many still do poorly here. So this segment of the manga has become difficult to predict and properly model financially.
2) Manga readers tend to skew younger. Most manga readers are still teens. Josei, like seinen, is geared towards older readers. They are also priced more to reflect that. So that can be a challenge to entry.
One thing that the industry has noticed is how US manga readers tend to drop off through the college years. That is about the sweetspot for getting into josei in Japan. So these points are in direct conflict in the US market.
3) Design. People say you cannot judge a book by its cover. But people often do. Josei designs are generally not as detailed as what is seen in shojo. Actually many of the best selling josei artists tend to have minimalist designs, that while expressive, are not as "pretty" as what is seen in shojo (or BL for that matter).
4) Genre. You mention josei romance. And that is a key genre of josei. But equally as important to the josei market are horror and comedy. Josei horror has been attempted and fails miserably (Dark Horse). Josei comedy, like comedic manga in general, is a delicate topic in English, as it is hard to translate and is often culturally geocentric.
Romance is a little challenging too, due to the age thing. But settings play a part. Office lady stories may require some knowledge of that culture. Uniforms, workforce structure, extra-curriculars, and skinship are not easy to explain. Some of these topics might turn fans off. So that's tough to overcome.
I want to say josei universally has been a challenge outside of Japan. I am not sure how well it does in Europe. But I haven't heard of much success there. I know shojo is big in southeast Asia. So I'm curious if josei has made in-roads there.
Anyway, those are some thoughts to consider. We'll keep on releasing josei. But when we do, we'll continue to play it cautiously. ...Until this market tells us otherwise.

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Liked by: Liz Brainchild129 GetSelious Eoghan O'Connell

When making license requests through email to certain publishers, you're told that it's dependent on if the JP Publisher come to them with the property, is there no point to fan demand and inquiries by the NA Publisher then?

First of all, I would like to make one point... You have sent this ask to a publisher.
Okay, so to get to your question... This is complicated. I am not certain which publisher you contacted but manga publishers in the US are not all alike. Some are owned by JP publishing companies, and in many cases they are dependent on JP decisions. Other publishers work independently. Some of them have exclusivity deals with JP publishers; others can work with multiple JP pubs.
So my best advice is to not treat every publisher the same when it comes to fan demands.
Vertical regularly surveys its customers. Those surveys are very important to us. I actually have been dissecting the results our latest survey with our CEO and manga dept staff all this week.
Other publishers might get most of their titles from their JP owners. But that doesn't mean fans aren't important to them either.
However, what I would suggest to you and to readers who want to make a difference in licensing. First speak with your dollars. If you like a mangaka and they have books in English, make certain to buy them ASAP! Same goes for the genres you like. (We get questions about sports manga a lot, but that genre wouldn't be as hard to find in English if those books sold well outside of its core fanbase.) And if you wish to recommend titles to publishers, learn about those publishers. Find out who do they work with. Look into whether or not they take suggestions from the public. Read up on what genres do they publish. Blind suggestions often result in those emailed being ignored or prepackaged answers like the "JP publishers" response you might have gotten in the past.
Also because of the competitive nature of licensing publishers do not like to reveal what they are working on. So responses to unsolicited license requests are often not going to reveal much if anything. But please be aware that under every circumstance, US pubs are interested in fan opinions.

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Liked by: Eoghan O'Connell

Does the Kinokuniya store near your office carry japanese versions of licensed manga? I may live 8 hours away, but if they do, I may make a stop on my next business trip to NY....

All Kinokuniya stores carry manga in Japanese. And they carry manga in English, as well.
However, they do not necessarily carry JP editions of every translated manga series. Some titles are old. Some are from smaller, unpopular JP pubs. So you might not find everything, but they do carry a lot of current titles.

Why do your AJIN releases only credit, Gamon Sakurai?

Well, that is simple... Because he is the only person credited from volume 2 on.
Miura is in the cover of volume 1, with Sakurai.

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