A Series of Fortunate Events
Many speak about the Japanese Invasion back in the 70s-80s and the many changes it brought to American Culture; in cinema, music and comics, it was a whole new slew of experiences and tastes that shattered the old ways and molds that the mediums had been used to work with, and the stigma that remained from the previous conflict between both countries.
Where before finding different types of movies or comics from Japan was a rarity, and even then the translation of it would not be of the best quality, nowadays there was a ruse in the number of Mangas that people were reading, and contracts between the Studios in Hollywood for the importing of both movies and Anime were already bearing fruit in both the Disney Channel and LucasTV; Gundam and Miraculous had opened the floodgates that were then followed by Pacific Rim and Macross, While the Disney Channel's import of Lupin III, Anne of Green Gables, Touch, and Mazinger, among others, showed that LucasTV clearly had no monopoly on the anime industry.
And behind their heals was Paramount which was now scrambling to find another series which could replace the previous anime by Lucasfilms, yet that is another story for another time.
Thus, it was no surprise to see that Marvel, having seen the way the wind was blowing, and with access to the connections thanks to being a part of the new Lucasfilms Family, would choose to take advantage of such by first forming the Eclipse Imprint, a new line of comics to showcase both, Manga and American Comics inspired by Manga (Amerimanga if you will) which despite their few numbers of titles at the time, still managed to become a clear hit with readers. Bubblegum Crisis and SP//dr: Amazing Armored Hero, were among the first Amerimanga comics, yet even they soon would be joined by the Pacific Rim adaptation, the adventures of the world of Corsair: Tales of the Enchanted Ocean, and The Transformers.
Yet among the Manga's they held at the time, the collection could best be summarized as "Pitiful"; Dr. Slump and Sand Land were both works created by Akira Toriyama, one of the few mangakas to have joined Marvel, yet it was still not enough when they could see the chance slipping away; while they acknowledged the potential for profit that the Japanese invasion offered, at the same time they were also concerned of it being a fad, one that could very well end before they could take full advantage of it. Getting new Mangakas for their Eclipse Imprint was taking too long, and Dragon Ball was still years away from being made and putting said fears to rest.
Thus, drastic measures were to be taken, and another gamble risked.
Right Time, Right People
In May 4, 1983, Return of the Jedi was released to audiences worldwide, finalizing the first trilogy of films, and immortalizing their characters and actors in history. The entire world cheered as they saw their heroes triumphant, and the darkness of the emperor finally vanished forevermore. For Lucasfilms this meant one of their greatest hauls and profits yet, and as it had become tradition, it also heralded a new period of expansion for the company; from new computers for the "Pixar" Division, increase in budgets for the writers room, investment in both videogames and saloons, expansion of the ILM departments and the creation of dorms to serve as safe havens for their employees... Lucasfilms never shied from using their money like other studios, but invested and expanded, knowing that to stagnate was to slow down and die.
This was just the moment Marvel had been waiting for, as they requested around $200 million for their newest venture; to expand and create their own magazine in Japan. Their plan was to form, like Toriyama had explained from his time at Weekly Shounen Jump, a magazine that would combine their different titles in order to introduce the new Japanese audience to Amerimanga, while at the same time attract new "Mangaka" authors to work for Marvel.
It was approved and put into place... though not without a small amount of resistance due to cultural differences; Japan had long had their own tradition of Manga and movies, in fact many of the movies they tended to see where homegrown, with only extraordinary foreign movies being given the time of day. Their own Mangas were rooted on their own sensitivities, and though American audiences had embraced them, the same could not be said of their American counterparts in Japan. Not to mention that with the language barrier, the entire enterprise seemed like Sisyphus trying to roll the boulder up the hill.
It was fortunate for them however, that a man who had worked in the Manga industry for years had decided to take a leap of faith for them, though perhaps it would be better to say that he had taken a leap of faith with Toriyama.
Hiroki Goto was a man who had worked for Shueisha and Shounen Jump for nearly two decades, working his way up and learning of the many intricacies on just what made a magazine tick, what kind of Mangas would become popular by keeping a finger in the pulse of what are the preferences for much of their audience, while at the same time making his way into the Editing Department and being one of the few who had disagreed with letting Toriyama go. In his mind, this had been Shounen Jump's greatest mistake, and one that would come to haunt them sooner rather than later.
His opposition to the new direction was noted, and though not let go he was quick to notice how previous doors which had been opened to him had now been firmly closed, the different opportunities now were being given to different co-workers, and signs of stagnation on his career became more common as time went on.
Perhaps Goto would have quit on his own as time went on, or perhaps he would have managed to mend fences, as he certainly had the talent for it as time would show, however his future would change when one night he received the call from an old friend. Akira Toriyama had known of the ma before, and they had parted on cordial terms, which he now hoped would be of use after Marvel has asked him if he was aware of anyone who would be willing to take the helm of their new office and venture. Toriyama hoped that their previous acquaintanceship would translate in some recommendations at the very least.
He certainly did not expect for Goto to jump ship and accept Marvel's offer, becoming the new head for Marvel's Magazine in Japan.
Setting the foundations
By September of 1983' the negotiations for Hiroki Goto to become the new Editor in Chief for Marvel's new magazine in Japan had concluded, allowing hm the authority he would need to bring about their vision in the East... with certain caveats of course; As a new company under the Lucasfilms Umbrella, this meant that both the workers and artists were to have their salaries protected, their working time set at eight hours, and of course, no overworking the artists.
Though Goto did not seem to agree with most of what he saw a dilution of discipline, he would eventually agree. What he did push back though was in Marvel's expectations to sell their Superhero comics in an independent format as they were used to in the US. Goto argued back that such comics were more expensive than their Manga counterparts, and with the wide catalogue that they had, many possible fans would be turned off from it as they would have to buy so many of them just to understand what the entire plot was about.
He instead proposed an idea yet to be seen in America, but widely accepted in Japan: The Tankobon; the combination of several issues into a single printed collection for sale. Though initially sceptic to this idea, a presentation with sales numbers and earning proved that the model could be lucrative, and also help to quickly introduce new fans to the medium and story that would otherwise would have felt intimidated. Jim Shooter agreed to give it a trial run in Japan with the first issues of Spider-Man, which sold out in weeks, necessitating a second run, and from then authorizing new Tankobon issues of The Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk for the following year.
In the midst of it all however, the main issue was, and would become, finding new Mangakas and titles that could join the new magazine. Though business staff, workers and regulars could be hired, real mangakas and artists would become an issue. There were always new artists ready to bring about their drawings and ideas, but Goto understood that they needed works of quality if they wanted to stand out from the more established magazines.
In his initial forays he found nothing but rejections and failure; an attempt to convince Buronson and Tetsuo Hara to publish their new Manga, Fist of the North Star, came to nothing when negotiation had to stall which had them accept another offer from Shonen Jump. Takeshi Maekawa did not even give him the time of day before publishing Ironfist Chinmi with Shonen Monthly Magazine. And the less said about the attempts at trying to make an adaptation from Miyazaki's Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water, the better.
On the other hand, he could claim to have found new titles for the Eclipse imprint in America thanks to the connections formed by the many companies under Lucasfilms; Shotaro Ishinomori and Go Nagai were contacted thanks to the former connections that Sunrise Studios had in order to propose new deals that would allow their works to be expanded to the American Market. Enticed by the possibilities, as well as a new source of royalties, the Eclipse Imprint could claim to have Cyborg 009 and Getter Robo as their newest entries, starting in 1984 to give time for the contract to be fully processed.
So long as a new deal for a new Cyborg 009 movie could also be hatched as well. Ishinomori had been quite impressed with the script presented to him, and wanted to see it enter into production.
What surprised the newest Editor for the magazine was the entry of another Mangaka who had decided to bring his seminal work with him; Katsuhiro Otomo was already well known both in Japan for his many influential Mangas like Kibun wa mō Sensō and Dōmu, as well as his current work, Akira. But he was also known to Lucasfilms, as he'd been in the running to become the Head of Animation for DreamWorks, losing only to Yoshiyuki Tomino (making one wonder, how would the studio had developed with his more Cyberpunk vision at the head). Though not selected in the end, he'd had good experiences when in the running, and made many friendships with whom he still corresponded with (among them Don Bluth and Noboru Ishiguro).
Otomo had heard of the newest attempt by Lucasfilms to form another company in Japan, and having lost his chance at working for DreamWorks, he saw another opportunity in whatever this new venture would be. Akira was still ongoing, and very popular as it went, with its entry into the new library it would allow at the very least a sizeable number of fans to buy the magazine when the time to publish it arrived. He and his newest assistant, Satoshi Kon, agreed to the terms put forth by Goto, as well as to bring any new works that they completed to them first.
Despite it all, they were still lacking titles to complement the new Amerimanga that Eclipse Imprint would be bringing to the table. And though technically he could say that his directives were accomplished with his current additions, Goto was a man of high ambition and high standards as well. A couple of old titles that'd had their day, as well as Katsuhiro Otomo for the new venture, was not enough. He would have to hurry though, as the due date for the magazine release was already set, and he had less than a year now to bring in the new titles that could complement their American counterparts.
During his scouting for new talent, his mind kept on coming back to a promising newcomer's manga that he'd once had his sight on when he still worked on Shounen Jump. His first work had been rough, but it screamed of future potential, and the only reason he'd not tried to have him work for Shounen at the time was the policy to remain strictly on genre. Goto did not know if the young man was still interested, but he figured that it would not hurt to at least try.
And it turns out that not only was he interested, but he jumped at the chance.
Naoki Urasawa, though originally not interested in being a Mangaka due to seeing how commercialized the entire venture had become, had re-discovered his passion after joining the New Japan Party, and being convinced by his new friends to at least try to relive his old childhood dreams. He'd won the New Manga Artist award in 1981 with Return and then and entered the industry with a new energy with him, but had been doing mostly freelance work since so far, he'd yet to find a place that fit right with him.
Just recently he'd been working on a short story called Beta! when Hiroki Goto had called on him. Urasawa had been ecstatic at the idea, having been a huge fan of Sunrise and DreamWorks animation ever since the release of Astro Boy: Pluto. Having been a fan of Tezuka's arc of "The Greatest Robot on Earth" and loving the new designs for both the robots and humans. Though not yet on the same level of many of the more veteran mangakas, his work still showed that promise of greater accomplishments for the future, and was decided to have him polish his art and pencilwork before he could take on a more serious work.
No one would understand just what he could bring at the time however.
Adapt To Thrive
Goto was aware that at the moment he still needed to find more titles for the magazine to be viable, and though Katsuhiro Otomo and Naoki Urasawa were a fine beginning in his opinion, there was still more to be done. Though much of the art and stories presented were sub-standard, and for a while it seemed he would have to compromise in order to "pad the numbers" as it were, a small light of hope shone through when during the reading of one of the submissions he found one of the most amazingly haunting pieces of manga he'd yet to read.
When he found that the submitter was barely 20 years of age, he was astonished, when he found that he'd been drawing Manga as a Hobby he was perplexed, and when he found out that so far he had no plans to enter the industry he wasted no time to draw a contract and visit his home personally to get him to work for their new magazine.
Thus it was that Junji Ito found himself as a new Mangaka, his previous plans to work as a Dental Technician shelved first temporarily, and later permanently as the lack of time would make it impossible to return to it.
The addition of Junji Ito was perfect for Goto, who on seeing his drawings felt that he could bring in something that was sorely needed for the next step of his plan; the adaptation of established works as Manga. Though not an innovative idea in and of itself, it was still usually not fully considered due to the double issues of royalties and popularity; when it came to popular works, the number of royalties that would have to be paid to the author would usually increase, not to mention that the full control tha they could demand of the final product which would have the cost go up even more. Whereas those works low in popularity, though they would not need that much in royalties, could become a waste of resources if there was no audience to cater to in the end.
However, having seen the wild success that the Pacific Rim Manga adaptation had garnered for Marvel, as well as the popularity that the latest season of Classical Tales relating to the myths and folktales of Japan garnished, Hiroki Goto decided to invest on a project that would be able to involve both.
And it would all begin with a call to a Natural History Researcher by the name of Hiroshi Aramata.
A polymath, literary and art critic, as well as a well as a fan of literature whether foreign as well as form his own home (he was well known for having translated works from H.P. Lovecraft, J.R.R. Tolkien as well Robert E. Howard among others). Though he worked as a computer programmer in order to make ends meet, his true passion remained on esoteric and exotic knowledge of history, which pushed him to writing in order to share it with as many people as possible. The result of his labors was Teito monogatari, a novel that explored a romanticized retelling of the 20th-century history of Tokyo from an occultist perspective.
Though the literary work was being published by Kadokawa Shoten, so far it had yet to be made into a Manga form, which is where Goto hoped to make his pitch. Arranging a meeting with Aramata, the meeting at first seem to be going nowhere, mostly because Aramata felt that his work had to be published by Kadokawa, and so far Goto and the new magazine in Japan he supposedly represented had still to show their skills and abilities properly adapt his work.
Goto showed the drawings that he'd had Urasawa and Ito make for the meeting. Images full of terror and humanity that only the two artists could have made, and heralded their own future works in the industry, scenes detailing the sheer terror that the monsters could evoke, and the depths that humanity could sink for survival.
Aramata only had to take a look at them before agreeing to the deal. Kadokawa agreeing if only to get a piece of the profits later on.
Setting A Stage
With the turn of the new year long passed by, it was starting to dawn that not many quality titles would be found for their magazine. There were already too many other magazines that were better entrenched and willing to take in as many of the more talented Mangaka as they could, whereas their only claim to reputation would be association with both Marvel and Lucasfilms. While this did not mean that they would stop their attempts at finding more titles, it did mean that they would have to default on Lucasfilm's preferred strategy of highlighting the quality of their product.
Goto and the rest of his assistants had thought on a massive marketing campaign where the authors of the different Amerimanga could perhaps arrive to Japan on scheduled intervals to highlight their different works. This hit a slight snag due to the different authors either being too busy, not interested, too fearful and shy to arrive, and at other times, they had already left the title in question and gone on to a different venture altogether, a key difference between American Comic Artists and Mangakas that Goto had not thought of.
The campaign went on however, highlighting the titles to be sold, giving hints as to the stories, and gaging the reactions and interest expressed by those who were involved. It soon became apparent that from all Amerimanga titles involved, that Bubblegum Crisis was the one who'd achieved the best reception so far, and the one that they would put most of their efforts on as the face for their new magazine. When Marvel was informed of the decision however, they managed to help by getting in contact with a young singer whose name had been going around their offices for a while.
A young man known as Kurt Cobain.
Though underage, Kurt had managed to emancipate himself after running away from home at age 14, and making a living through his own music. A massive fan of the Bubblegum Crisis series (and in future interviews saying how it changed his life) Kurt's life had not been the most pleasant one, but had found solace in two things; his music and the comics which inspired so many of his first songs about said universe, of battling the forces of evil and being a hero. Which he managed to sell to Marvel for them to make into a soundtrack, and for Kurt to have some additional money to live off of.
His life would take another bizarre turn when during one of his busking performances he was heard by a visiting Nintendo worker who when hearing him sing found immense promise on the young man. Though due to his age he could not yet be hired on a more permanent position, Kurt was still given a part-time job as a janitor and backup musician, where he could compose music in his free time, which impressed many of the higher ups and regular musicians as well, soon being mentored and having his talents nurtured while he finished his education.
It was not all suns and roses though; due to needing to finish said education he could not work all the time, which made gaining money a difficult proposition. He had to live in the Janitor's closet of the company until he managed to get enough to buy a home, and he had to manage his time carefully in between studying, his music passion, and his actual job in order to not starve.
When Marvel came to him with an offer to help promote the Bubblegum Crisis soundtrack he'd sent them once, and perhaps write a few more songs about it, Kurt was more than willing to take the chance, and his bosses at Nintendo, seeing the chance to gain better relationships with both Marvel and Lucasfilms (not to mention having their newest wunderkind get even more experience) agreed to let him go during the summer.
The very summer when the magazine would release its first issue.
Māberujapan
September 16, 1984. The release date for the first issue had arrived, and the number of titles remained nearly as low as expected; Bubblegum Crisis, SP//dr: Amazing Armored Hero, Corsair: Tales of the Enchanted Ocean, The Transformers, Akira and Teito Monogatari, along with some short stories and One-Shots submitted by promising Artists. Among them, the ones who stood out the most were Baoh, a Superhero/Horror story about a man kidnapped and experimented to be turned into a bioweapon, and 2001 Nights, a collection of loosely collected short stories all taking place in the same timeline over a period of hundreds of years.
It was not supposed to be anything beyond the norm when the magazine was first released. At most, they expected that the draw it would get would mostly be enough to remain competitive, to get attention, heck Hiroki Goto himself did not expect that there would be profits for the magazine till at the very least the end of 85', and that was if they managed to last enough without Marvel declaring this a failed enterprise and just washed their hands off of it. What no one expected however, was for the magazine to suddenly gain an entire new audience thanks in part to the Cyberpunk aesthetic of Bubblegum Crisis, which at the time one of the most popular genres among the youth of Japan.
However, it was Kurt Cobain's music that truly set the entire phenomenon on fire. The same passion, skill, the very talent that Nintendo had seen in him was now being released in full raw form to a Japanese audience which was now enthralled by the music. While the venues had at first been small at first, they soon began to grow as the music and word of mouth began to spread, as Kurt's songs resonated with the entire new wave of dissatisfaction with the current status quo of Japan and the new youth that had embraced the message of the New Japan Party.
Though they may have lost in the previous elections, the New Japan's Party message of change and a new direction for Japan was still sinking into the consciousness of the youth who now saw Bubblegum Crisis as the very emblem of rebellion; a tale of brave mavericks going against both government and corporations in order to do what's right, to save the people no matter if that would end with their livelihoods destroyed because in the end, it was the right thing to do.
This fever for all things related to the medium resulted in record sales of the magazine, first in order to read the new Amerimanga, but soon grew as many found that not only could they enjoy the adventures of the Knight Sabers, but also their favorite stories; Akira's cyberpunk adventure, often credited with pioneering the genre, fit perfectly with Bubblegum Crisis to the point that many saw it as opposite sides of the same coin, with one being more optimistic and heroic than the other.
With the sales of the Spider-Man Tankobon's, the new version of SP//dr: Amazing Armored Hero, was more than well received by fans who wanted to see more of their web-head hero, quickly growing to love Peni Parker and her adventures as she tries to live a normal life in a world that is not willing to give her a break. Whereas The Transformers gave an entirely new idea when it came to robots being able to fight and have their own thoughts. Though not fully explored, the Transformers did allow for an interesting look into the idea of artificial life forms and their own way of life distinct from humans, and showing both extremes of both Honor and goodness and against deception and darkness represented by both the Autobots and the Decepticons respectively.
It became the third most popular story, right behind Akira and Bubblegum Crisis.
Corsair: Tales of the Enchanted Ocean, charmed readers with its worldbuilding and fantastic adventures among a world where anything and everything could happen, their characters were well rounded, and the adventure did not seem to have an ending, but countless beginnings. Though a niche title, it managed to be well regarded by readers, with many fan letters being sent. And the dark, terrifying reality of a world still in the thrall of folklore monsters that was Teito Monogatari, along with Junji Ito's illustrations, managed to keep fans, both old and new of the novel, satisfied at seeing such an amazing adaptation that gave respected both the stories and their imagination when it came to showing the true fear that such monsters could evoke.
Other small stories like Baoh and 2001 Nights also found their niche fans, though in the case of the former it would not stop the story from lasting for more than one year. Regardless, the fan support generated managed to keep the new magazine not only as a surviving medium, but as a thriving one. Finding their audience not by remaining tied to a single genre, but by expanding and trying new and different ideas to innovate and develop. No longer did the New Year loomed as the fearful due date for Goto and the rest of the staff and Mangakas as to whether they will be able to continue, but now as a joyful occasion where they could take greet a new beginning of their lives, and a bright new future for Māberujapan.
Aftermath
Though at first clearly having a more Cyberpunk feel, thanks in part to the popularity of the genre, Māberujapan would grow to include different and varied genres during its long and varied history, and though mostly focused on the fantasy, adventure and Cyberpunk genres, there would always be at the very least one or two titles that would explore horror, psychological, mystery or thriller as well. Though not all of the titles were able to make a successful crossing of the ocean for the Eclipse Imprint and Vice-Versa, there were more than enough Mangakas who decided to work with marvel to justify the endeavor a success in the end.
The sales of Marvel Comics in the East also skyrocketed thanks to the Tankobon system that allowed a continuous revenue from the sales of the different titles in a format that would be more accessible to buyers, while also justifying paying a heavier rice for it than if they were selling single issues. By the end of the 80s, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America would also successfully make the transition to Japan, followed closely by Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme and Avengers.
Oddly enough, Static never managed to gain much popularity in Japan though.
Hiroki Goto would go on to lead Māberujapan for the rest of the decade, always on the lookout for new titles, with his keen instinct finding many gems that would have their time to shine through the years; Masamune Shirow was one of those, whose amazing Manga, Appleseed
fit perfectly with the more Science Fiction approach they had going at the time. The atmosphere and better conditions for Mangakas managed to convince him to remain, his latest works such as Dominion and Ghost in the Shell becoming classics of the staple.
In time, a new magazine would also be formed, Māberujapan Next, which would focus on more lighthearted and fantastical tales than the more heavy based stories in the original magazine. This is where both Dragon Ball and Saint Seiya would make their debuts in 1985, with the former having achieved unbelievable success in just a couple of months, expanding through nearly all of the American continent, and the latter forming its own franchise not only in Japan but America, when its Mangaka agreed to take his work directly to the Eclipse Imprint.
The adaptation of Teito Monogatari opened the doors for further adaptations as well, with authors like Ryo Mizuno agreeing to have his work, Record of Lodoss War, to be adapted into several manga's to better explore the world he was creating, forming a true collection and franchise that would expand into games, anime, and an animated movie in time. This too would be granted to Legend of the Galactic Heroes and The Heroic Legend of Arslan, both by Yoshiki Tanaka.
Naoki Urasawa would go on to have a long and fulfilling career in the magazine, which published nearly all his works, among his most famous still remain Yawara!, Monster, 20th Century Boys, an adaptation of the Astro Boy: Pluto anime, and Billy Bat, the latter considered by many to be one of his most masterful works, and reviving briefly in America the conspiracy myth of who truly killed John F. Kennedy. Hirohiko Araki would come back in strength after a brief sabbatical with Phantom Blood, a tale that would become the first part of the ongoing saga of JoJo's Bizarre Adventures, whose incredible stories, fashionable outfits, and intriguing ideas have yet to go out of style.
In the latter half of the 80s, the stories by Junji Ito, Tomie was first published, heralding the arrival of one of the greatest and most influential masters of horror in Manga. Though Ito would focus mostly in short stories, he was not averse to longer serializations, as it was shown with Uzumaki. Venus Wars and Vampire Princess Miyu were another couple of titles that owe their debut to Māberujapan, as well as 3x3 Eyes, which convinced Yuzo Takada to also bring Blue Seed later on.
But it would be during the final years of Hiroki Goto's stewardship when his greatest accomplishments would occur, as from 1989 to 1990 three new highly acclaimed titles would join the library; Berserk by Kentaro Miura, a man whose artistic ability had gained him a job in the magazine in 1985, yet he refrained from becoming a full-fledged Mangaka as he worked more on just what exactly he wanted to work with, making sure that both his character and world made sense. Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue, one of the few sports manga that Māberujapan would host, yet one dripping with passion in every page. Inoue would then go on to work on the acclaimed series Vagabond, which gained praise and manga awards. And finally, Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi, a more Shounen style manga that showed the changing tendencies of the time period, as the magazine moved from Cyberpunk style stories, into more adventure type tales.
Māberujapan would go on to acquire more titles and Mangakas, yet that would no longer be the job of Hiroki Goto, as he retired at the beginning of the new decade, claiming that he needed to let the new blood take where he had left, leaving behind a legacy as the first and most influential editor, the one who managed to take what could very well have been a losing venture and turned it into a true peer to the more well-established Japanese Manga magazines.
A.N.: Oddly enough, I just wanted to make a short story about how Hiroki Goto would become the new Editor in Chief for our magazine in Japan. From there, I kept on looking Mangakas, and kept on finding so many new Mangas that would have started at this period of time, the novels that could be adapted, how the entire process could have gone, and ideas just kept on flooding in until it became this entire monstrosity in front of me. Junji Ito and Hirohiko Araki were late additions when I found that they would have started around this time as well. There were so many titles I wanted to add, but I had to restrain myself and think how one needs competition in the end.