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The Princess of Tennis
Todays' rec is The Princess of Tennis (also available on Amazon), which is Jamie Lynn Lano's true life story about working as an assistant for Prince of Tennis manga-ka Takeshi Konomi. It's a really fascinating behind-the-scenes look into the making of a Shonen Jump manga. For those who have read the Bakuman manga, it's remarkably similar (minus the over-the-top melodrama and romance): the manga-ka procrastinating while his editor pushes him to turn in his story on time, and the assistants and manga-ka pulling all-nighters, working frantically to meet the deadline.
Konomi-sensei is a rock star among manga-ka, and the assistants get to share in a bit of the glamor, accompanying him to Shonen Jump Festa events or to the Prince of Tennis stage musicals and getting to meet the actors backstage. But it can also be stressful, frustrating, and even boring at times: the assistants are required to remain in the studio until Konomi-sensei releases them, and sometimes they're stuck there for days on end with nothing to do while they wait for Sensei to finish drawing his pages so that they can add the finishing touches (screentone, backgrounds, etc.), and then have to rush to finish their work in order to get the manga to the publisher on time.
Jamie's account is very frank and personal, speaking freely about her insecurities and mistakes that she made along the way, including an ill-fated romance with one of the PoT actors (though she declines to name him). It was almost like reading someone's diary, which is not surprising, since the book is based on the blog posts she made while working on the New Prince of Tennis manga. At times I felt slightly guilty about reading such intimate details although obviously she was okay with publishing her story and intended for it to be read.
On a less serious note, there are plenty of fun details like how Jamie helped to design the new school uniform for the manga, and about all the Valentine's Day chocolate that fans send in for the PoT characters and for Konomi-sensei himself. (Seriously, tons of chocolate--more than Sensei and the assistants could ever eat! I wish they could send me some of the extra chocolate!)
This is highly recommended for Prince of Tennis fans, or anyone who is interested in how manga is made and published.
Konomi-sensei is a rock star among manga-ka, and the assistants get to share in a bit of the glamor, accompanying him to Shonen Jump Festa events or to the Prince of Tennis stage musicals and getting to meet the actors backstage. But it can also be stressful, frustrating, and even boring at times: the assistants are required to remain in the studio until Konomi-sensei releases them, and sometimes they're stuck there for days on end with nothing to do while they wait for Sensei to finish drawing his pages so that they can add the finishing touches (screentone, backgrounds, etc.), and then have to rush to finish their work in order to get the manga to the publisher on time.
Jamie's account is very frank and personal, speaking freely about her insecurities and mistakes that she made along the way, including an ill-fated romance with one of the PoT actors (though she declines to name him). It was almost like reading someone's diary, which is not surprising, since the book is based on the blog posts she made while working on the New Prince of Tennis manga. At times I felt slightly guilty about reading such intimate details although obviously she was okay with publishing her story and intended for it to be read.
On a less serious note, there are plenty of fun details like how Jamie helped to design the new school uniform for the manga, and about all the Valentine's Day chocolate that fans send in for the PoT characters and for Konomi-sensei himself. (Seriously, tons of chocolate--more than Sensei and the assistants could ever eat! I wish they could send me some of the extra chocolate!)
This is highly recommended for Prince of Tennis fans, or anyone who is interested in how manga is made and published.