Akira Kanai, manga editor famous for his work Vinland Saga, Ajin: Demi-Human and Planeteshas taken a firm stance against letting political correctness influence its editorial decisions.
This was revealed in his interview with Manga Passion, in which he was asked about his approach to ensuring the international success of Manga manga.
“I do not allow myself to be influenced by so-called political correctness abroad and design works accordingly,” Kanai declared.
The editor-in-chief explained his approach in detail, saying he complies with various content codes related to violence, nudity, and religious depictions. However, these considerations are based on general content standards rather than specific international sensitivities.
According to him, interesting stories “will usually be understood, regardless of whether you are from Africa, Chile or Greenland.”
Kanai asserts that basic human experiences and emotions are universally relatable. And so, stopping a work just because it deals with an issue that is too Japanese makes no sense to him.
“I think there are no fundamental differences in the population in terms of what they have. considered important—be it in Japan, Germany, China or Korea,” he said. “Stopping a work because it addresses an issue that is too Japanese, or intends to do something – that rarely happens.”
Kanai also questioned the notion of creating content that balances local and global appeal, suggesting that such an approach may not be effective.
He illustrated his point with the example of Skip and Loafera manga about a girl from rural Japan who moves to Tokyo to study.
“I don't think it's possible to create works that are exactly in the middle, and that such works won't really appeal anywhere. Take Skip and Loafer for example, about a girl from rural Japan who moves to the Japanese city of Tokyo alone to study at a good high school. I think people around the world will definitely understand her feelings of insecurity in the same way. That is why such works tend to attract international audiences.“
Despite his unwillingness to adhere to political correctness, Kanai believes that global exchange is vital for a medium like manga.
However, he rejected the notion that Japan's push to expand the manga market abroad is due to the country's falling birth rate.
“I believe that birth rates – except in Africa and India – are generally falling. I find it a shame to expand abroad because the domestic market is shrinking,” he said. “But thanks to advances in digital technology, people living abroad can now easily read manga from Japan.”
He also criticized the idea that Japanese publishers would suffer financially if they did not expand into international markets.
Instead, he hopes that the manga community will grow as more and more people can read and enjoy manga.
“The idea that Japanese publishers will get poorer if they don't expand abroad is pathetic and needs to be abandoned. Now that it is possible to read and draw manga abroad, I hope the manga fan community will grow more and more. No matter where they come from and no matter what religion they belong to,” Kanai said. “So when asked the question of whether I think globalization is important or not, I would say this way is much more interesting.”
Kanai also addressed the issue of piracy while discussing the globalization of manga. He admitted that although it would be better if fans did not read pirated copies of the manga, he understood that some fans may not have the finances to purchase the official copy.
“But if they don't have money and there are a lot of pirated copies, I think pirated copies are fine now,” he commented, joking that Kodansha board members could “beat him to death.” for saying so.
Akira Kanai is a prominent figure in the manga industry, currently serving as editor-in-chief of Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon magazine, a magazine famous for the seinen titles it publishes.
Kanai began his career at Kodansha in 1994, one of Japan's largest publishing companies. Before being promoted to his current editor-in-chief position, he worked on the editorial boards of Morning magazine and Weekly Shonen Magazine.