What is the right way to make Jump? Well, this is not what Takeshi Sakurai answers while exploring what makes Jump if you were looking for insight similar to something like Bakuman for example. Instead, he answers exactly how Jump is made from start to finish, from printing to cover designs, etc.
So get ready to learn what a resin plate is and how it involves a Jump magazine! From an onigiri maker!
Yes, an onigiri maker, as Takeshi Sakurai stopped drawing manga — He gave it a shot but didn’t make it. So for about four years, he starting working at an onigiri shop, got married, and lived a life mostly content. Then his former editor reached out and asked if he could draw a manga that researched how Jump was made. After Sakurai was certain his initial story would be rejected, he ended up telling in manga form the entire magazine process. While also throwing in many onigiri jokes and preferences. (I like salmon by the way.)
The humor might not work for anyone that wants straight up information about Jump, but it does provide a break from what is an informative look at how the magazine gets made. This manga goes into how it’s printed — from using a large amount of recycled paper, the printing companies, etc — and answers common questions (like why is the paper color different?). It shows just how expansive Jump is and how everything is overseen in order for it to be released well. Maybe too strict: for example a newbie editor had to show a project to one of his senior editors at a wedding before going on vacation after the initial versions were rejected. But it was nice to see how detailed each department is in order to create a Jump magazine.
So getting Sakurai’s humor thrown in breaks things up and makes for a good read. His fanboy side shows out a lot, particularly when learning something new (and deciding to make Star Wars references somehow) or when wanting to avoid something bad (in learning Jump chapters are also printed for next week he wanted to avoid reading them). Him also freaking out when he actually sees how Jump gets printed is really hilarious as well. That said, it can be pretty overbearing. It can come across sometimes as Jump can do no wrong, and while I understand why, it’s a little much.
While most of the chapters are fun, for me, the standout was when he and his editor took a trip into Kohei Horikoshi’s studio and when they went to America and visited VIZ Media’s offices. Just from him and his editor learning how Horikoshi works on his manga to them one time trying to mentally will a consumer into a buying a Shonen Jump volume at one of the US bookstores (that consumer ended up buying Parasyte) was fun and really was a great addition to this work.
There are other really neat chapters as well, from Sakurai meeting a long-time Jump logo veteran to chapters that had readers in Japan ask questions about certain aspects in Jump (One example: someone asked if there are female editors in Jump. The answer is no, and the reasons why are not the best answer honestly!). It covers a lot. If the humor or look doesn’t deter you, this is a wonderful manga that looks at how Jump is made.
Some things to point out though: this manga got started in 2014, so some things might have changed over in Japan since then, while for those reading English Shonen Jump now…it’s pretty different! But overall, The Right Way to Make Jump! is an informative, hilarious look into how Jump is made, and worth a read for those into publishing and Jump.