Takeru Hokazono, author of Kagurabachirevealed in a recent interview published in the November issue of Da Vinchi magazine that his decision to speed up the manga's pace was significantly influenced by two contemporary manga series. Juggernauts: Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man.
Reflecting on his creative process, Hokazono noted that reading these series changed his perspective on how fast stories move, causing him to change his own story structure. .
Hokazono admitted that at first, he had reservations about pushing the tempo Kagurabachi. However, after reading JJK and Chainsaw Manhe changed his views.
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“When I was drawing, I thought maybe it was early, but when I read Jujutsu Kaisen, I thought, 'Wow, so fast!' and then when I read Chainsaw Man, I thought, 'As expected, so fast!' I realize this is the recent feeling of speed. One of the appeals of Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man and Kagurabachi is that I try to engage readers and really speed things up even more,” he said.
This approach led Hokazono to introduce the series' first main antagonist, Genichi Sojo, much earlier than originally planned.
The manga's breakneck pace is also evident in the early chapters, as Hokazono introduces several major plot elements in a short period of time.
By the seventh chapter, readers were introduced to three of the seven enchanted swords that exist in the universe Kagurabachiincluding the precious weapon Shinuchi.
This sword, considered a masterpiece created by Chihiro Kunishige Rokuhira's father, was originally intended to appear later in the series.
However, Hokazono decided to include it early in the story to exceed readers' expectations and maintain narrative momentum.
“Because I wanted to attract readers' interest and I really felt the desire to introduce this masterpiece right away,” Hokazono explained.
Hokazono revealed that he accumulated various ideas while preparing the manga. And having tighter pacing will ensure that the ideas he has won't go to waste and will instead be incorporated into the manga.
“During the preparation period before starting the serial, I stocked up on many different things. idea. If I hold back, they will get old, so I want to use them all and quickly empty my drawer,” he shared.
The influence of the two manga series, especially Jujutsu Kaisenmay cause concern for some sections of readers as the series has faced scrutiny over its pacing and direction as of late.
Many fans expressed concern that Jujutsu Kaisen began focusing too much on fight sequences, sacrificing the character interactions that the manga had originally endeared to audiences.
Interestingly, in the current interview, Hokazono mentioned that he intended to create an action-oriented story which, combined with his comments on the pacing, could make Kagurabachi There are too many similarities with >JJK.
“I don't want to make it too exciting; I wanted to create a story about people fighting each other,” Hokazono said.
But Hokazono has expressed a desire to study famous works before. And while he wants to continue some of the classic themes from these, he notes that young creators like him are always thinking about approaching their work creatively, making they are distinct from previous works.
Kagurabachi has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine since September 2023. The first tankobon volume was released on February 2, 2024.
The third volume of the series was published in July 2024, with Naruto Author Masashi Kishimoto introduces the Kagurabachi manga in the volume. The fourth volume is released in October 2024.
Viz Media and Shueisha's Manga Plus platform are publishing the series in English.
The manga also received many awards – winning the Tsugi Manga (Next Manga 2024) award and being chosen by fans as the best upcoming manga on Shueisha's Manga Plus app during Anime Expo 2024.
Source: Da Vinci magazine (translated by Kagurabachi Br)