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'It wasn't selected': Ken Wakui Opens Up About Getting Rejected by Shonen Jump for Tokyo Revengers
Ken Wakui revealed that he pitched Tokyo Revengers to Shonen Jump but was turned down by the publication. Here's everything we know.
When it comes to manga, the gig is competitive for creators. Each years, there are hundreds upon hundreds of artist looking to get their series into publication. Even veteran creators like Masashi Kishimoto have struggled to get new stories off the ground. It seems the stars must align for a series to succeed, and Ken Wakui says a major rejection put him on the right path.
Recently, the creator of Tokyo Revengers and Astro Negai, Wakui sat down to chat about their career with Natalie. The rock star wanted to know everything about the mangaka, and it was there Wakui revealed that he pitched his first manga to Shonen Jump. But after some consideration, the publication turned him down.
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Ken Wakui opened up on being rejected by Shonen Jump
Ken Wakui got candid and shared how he was rejected by Shonen Jump. "I also brought [my work] to Shonen Jump at first. But my style didn't match and it wasn't selected. At that time, I was told to draw something more familiar to my interests elsewhere. So when I drew my manga Shinjuku Swan, I was told it was interesting there," he shared.
Wakui further shared how he got into the publication game. The artist was working a normal gig as a young adult and decided to risk it all on manga. Wakui quit his job and stayed in for a whole year to level up his art. It was then Wakui began pitching Shinjuku Swan in earnest to Kodansha.
"I was originally good at painting, so after I quit my job, I stayed home for a year or so and practiced drawing. I fully intended on becoming a manga artist, so I brought a complete work I finished myself to the Bessatsu Young Magazine editorial department every week."
Wakui was the definition of persistent with his goal and did not rest until he got somewhere as a manga artist, and his time with Kodansha did him good. After all, Shinjuku Swan ran for eight years and paved the way for Tokyo Revengers' debut in 2017. Now, Wakui is busy with Astro Negai as his new series is being published by Shonen Jump in a funny twist of fate.
A brief about Ken Wakui
Ken Wakui is a Japanese manga artist best known for his works Shinjuku Swan and Tokyo Revengers. Wakui debuted with Shinjuku Swan in 2005 which became a notable commercial success and received multiple adaptations; the series concluded in 2013. His three shorter series, Abaddon, Budgerigar and Desert Eagle were released from 2010 to 2016.
Wakui's most critically acclaimed work, Tokyo Revengers, was first published in 2017 and concluded in 2022, with more than 70 million copies in circulation, Tokyo Revengers has since become one of the best-selling manga series of all time and it has been adapted into an anime series and several live-acton films.
In 2004, Wakui entered Shinjuku Swan into the Weekly Young Magazine Newcomer Award, where it earned an honorable mention. The next year, it began serialization in Weekly Young Magazine, where it ran until 2013. The series performed well and earned a jury recommendation at the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival. It was also adapted into two live-action films, which were released in May 2015 and January 2017.
A brief about Tokyo Revengers
Tokyo Revengers is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Wakui. It was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from March 2017 to November 2022, with its chapters collected in 31 tankōbon volumes.
The story follows Takemichi Hanagaki, a 26-year-old temp worker with a gloomy life, who learns that his ex-girlfriend, Hinata Tachibana, has died in a dispute involving the Tokyo Manji Gang. The next day, while returning from a part-time job, Takemichi gets pushed off the subway platform by someone. As he is about to be hit, he jumps twelve years back in time, to the year he was dating Hinata. Finding that out, he makes the decision to do everything to prevent her death.
The anime television series adaptation produced by Liden Films, aired from April to September 2021. A second season aired from January to April 2023. A third season premiered in October 2023. A live-action film adaptation was released in Japan in July 2021, with its two-part sequel released in April and June 2023.
By December 2022, the manga had over 70 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2020, Tokyo Revengers won the 44th Kodansha Manga Award for the shōnen category.
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