Itadaki!

[...]

Which brings us to Fumizuki Kou. Fumizuki Kou's first breakout series was actually Ai Yori Aoshi, which relied on establishing the very iconic and memorable character of Sakuraba Aoi. Unlike the great masters of old, Fumizuki-sensei built his career in the merchandising age. In fact, given that both Ai Yori Aoshi and Umi no Misaki are fundamentally harem series, it has always been necessary for each and every one of the female characters to be completely distinct from each other and be memorable to readers. While some story is needed, the whole point of manga like this is to "sell" the characters, not the actual story. That Fumizuki-sensei is also a good storyteller is what distinguishes his manga from the rest (of the harem stuff) but let's be honest, the majority of his readers probably came to gawk at the girls. This is why continuing to be able to create memorable and distinctly recognizable characters is actually important for his future. He's not a god like Tezuka or a grand master who's basically his own editor like Adachi.

 

That said, the characters here don't seem all that similar to those in Umi no Misaki, so I don't know why some are complaining. 

Thank you for the explanation, it's appreciated.

I feel like complaining because the art is getting worse and worse. The overall art in Ai Yori Aoshi is better (as in more polished, less cartoony) than in Umi no Misaki, and the art in UnM is better (again) than Itadaki. I cannot see any positive evolvement in this way of doing, only a lazy attitude. I dont know if he had less assistants so he has to do stuff quicker, but it's a fact that something happeend in the first 20 or so chapters of UnM that were still in a AyA polished style, and got everything worse.

Now probably the more cartoony art fits better in the absurd scenario of Itadaki, whereas AYA being so dramatic needed a more precise and polished draw, but i guess i prefer the latter by far. Honestly, Itadaki looks like a superdeformed version of AYA.

That was a very interesting little exposition, thanks.

I agree wholeheartedly. Thank you ssr for the wonderful analysis.

That was a very interesting little exposition, thanks.

Exactly. While some artists evolve their styles early on and refine them so they look different from when they started, it's still the same art and once they reach their peak thats pretty much it. I read almost every manga by Adachi Mitsuru and he draws pretty much the same people over and over. Like Starbuck said, all that really matters is the story. This series is also more of a guilty pleasure series, since I assume chapters come out only once every 2 or 3 months.

The Tezuka Star System is not about drawing similar-looking characters, but about using THE SAME CHARACTERS in new roles in the various manga he drew. Each of the characters had to be unique so that they could be easily identified by readers, but at the same time "blank" enough so readers don't immediately catch on to what role the character is supposed to play (unless Tezuka himself wants them to). They work like actors or movie stars (that's where "Star System" came from) in the various "movies" written by Tezuka in the form of manga. It takes incredible skill to make this work, and perhaps only Tezuka has managed to really pull it off. From this perspective, Tezuka's most brilliant "Star" is perhaps the under-appreciated Acetylene Lampe; a guy drawn to be the standard evil villain who has also appeared in Tezuka mangas as just about everything - from a hotel manager confused by the main characters' antics, to a helping hand in a time of trouble, to a kempeitai henchman, to a victim himself, Lampe has done it all - and he's always made it work! The Lampe who appears in one Astro Boy episode can be completely different from the Lampe in the next one, and readers are always willing and able to recognize the distinction. Similarly, it's clear to everyone that the Mustachio in Metropolis is completely different from Atom's teacher and erstwhile detective pal. In short, the Tezuka Star System is completely different from what you're saying. It's much more complex than simply a mangaka relying on the strength of his storytelling so that his character drawing isn't too important. 

Adachi's situation is closer to that. Adachi does in fact rely on his storytelling. He's a master storyteller who doesn't fuss about how memorable each of his characters is, and he focuses on telling as many stories as he can. This sets him apart from Tezuka, who actually NEEDS readers to remember his characters to make the Star System work. Within each Star's character appearance there is an implied personality that always carries over to the Star's next appearance. Lampe is always villainous until proven otherwise; Mustachio is always heroic, and you know it from the moment you set your eyes on him. Adachi's characters don't need to be anything like this. In fact, they're not even the same characters (unless the series is a sequel), and they never carry over to the next series. Adachi's expertise is actually the "silent panel treatment", using actions in the panel to inform reader of the situation without narrating out loud what's happening. 

Both of these masters standardized their characters not just because it made things simpler over their long productive careers (Tezuka did admit to that), but largely because they never had to "sell" their characters on graphical qualities alone. Atom's graphical appearance is of course iconic now, but that was more an accident of popularity. Adachi has never really created an iconic character of his own. He's created many iconic MANGA, but not characters.

Which brings us to Fumizuki Kou. Fumizuki Kou's first breakout series was actually Ai Yori Aoshi, which relied on establishing the very iconic and memorable character of Sakuraba Aoi. Unlike the great masters of old, Fumizuki-sensei built his career in the merchandising age. In fact, given that both Ai Yori Aoshi and Umi no Misaki are fundamentally harem series, it has always been necessary for each and every one of the female characters to be completely distinct from each other and be memorable to readers. While some story is needed, the whole point of manga like this is to "sell" the characters, not the actual story. That Fumizuki-sensei is also a good storyteller is what distinguishes his manga from the rest (of the harem stuff) but let's be honest, the majority of his readers probably came to gawk at the girls. This is why continuing to be able to create memorable and distinctly recognizable characters is actually important for his future. He's not a god like Tezuka or a grand master who's basically his own editor like Adachi.

That said, the characters here don't seem all that similar to those in Umi no Misaki, so I don't know why some are complaining. 

Usually I love the works of Fumizuki Kou... but this is terrible. Same drawings of Umi no Misaki...

are you serious? umi no misaki's art is great.

Nice to see something cheerful from this author after all the gloom in Umi lately. Wait... they're totally going to get eaten by a bear, aren't they?

it's a technique professed by Osamu Tezuka, to provide continuity in a mangaka's style and make it easier to draw fast.

ultimately, it's the storytelling that makes a manga interesting to read or not (nice or beautiful art makes it easier, but does not provide interest for following )

Exactly. While some artists evolve their styles early on and refine them so they look different from when they started, it's still the same art and once they reach their peak thats pretty much it. I read almost every manga by Adachi Mitsuru and he draws pretty much the same people over and over. Like Starbuck said, all that really matters is the story. This series is also more of a guilty pleasure series, since I assume chapters come out only once every 2 or 3 months.

Usually I love the works of Fumizuki Kou... but this is terrible. Same drawings of Umi no Misaki...

it's a technique professed by Osamu Tezuka, to provide continuity in a mangaka's style and make it easier to draw fast.

ultimately, it's the storytelling that makes a manga interesting to read or not (nice or beautiful art makes it easier, but does not provide interest for following )