Hi guys! Today’s topic for MANGA INSIDER is the final stage- “Proof reading”! Now that all the proof sheets are printed, the editors need to check them from head to toe, to make sure there are no problems! This causes a tense atmosphere, since they need to bluntly point out problems and mistakes. Let’s sneak in and figure out what kind of things they point out! That might be a clue to create a great manga! So, we’re in the conference room once again… See Mr. Watanabe at the back, already on the go!   Now that everybody’s here, time to start checking! The room becomes completely silent, leaving only the noise of scribbling.   I got a scoop! Here I secretly took a picture of a new manga for Web Comic ZENYON!   Here an editor- Mr. Kakishita is checking the font size of the dialogues. He is using a typesetting size sheet to figure out which size is the best for it. In this panel, he thought the dialogue was a bit too big… so, he put in the directions “scale down 1Q”. This Q stands for “Quarter”, and 1Q is about 0.25mm (1/4mm). How does he tell the font size is too big, or too small? One aspect is if it fits in the speech balloon, and another is if the size matches the loudness. In manga, the font size can simply represent the loudness of the character’s voice. Isn’t it interesting that even the format of the dialogue can express emotions, not just the contents?   Here are some pictures of the directions and suggestions made by the editors. In this panel, the editor has pointed out the orthographical variants (a problem with word choice). “Chu” and “Chuu” leave so different impressions in Japanese! Moreover, it is better to keep an expression standardized; using different expressions when referring to the same thing confuses the readers!   This suggestion is about the scenery, that it would better to have one shot of a wounded hand before mentioning it in the dialogues. That would make it easier for the readers to understand, since most of the information come from the pictures.   Oh, there is a mistake in information about the date the next volume the manga is going to released! Now that’s why they have to check it before the publication… Incorrect information is definitely a no-no.   Here Mr. Yokoyama is getting some advice from a senior editor, Mr. Akiyama. Seems like he made a draft for an advertisement! They are possibly talking about where to emphasize, and where to not.   The hardest part in proof reading is that one manga has to be read by multiple editors… which ends up taking a lot of time!   Once the editor has finished reading, they sign this sheet which describes who has checked, and who hasn’t. The more the better, but we do need to keep the time in mind!   After several editors have checked the sheets, it is finally passed to the chief editor- Mr. Hanada, and he does the final check.       So that’s all for the proof reading. As you can see, it is simply taking a look at the manga to see if there isn’t any mistakes. However, like with the Nyu-ko process, it’s always the simple things that you need to be especially careful of. After all, a manga is a media that has certain influence onto people. We do not want any mistakes or problems in the manga. Editing is not just a fun job… it is a very serious one, where you need to take huge responsibility for the information contained in the manga. I remember Mr. Hanada advised us in his interview to re-read our work before showing to anyone… this is not only effective for making a better manga, but also helpful for the editors too! I think I got a clue about what kind of things are important when checking manga! Now I’m really curious to join this proof reading session! I want to join it, and read the manga earlier than anyone in the world!! Next week I will be able to show you the brand new volume of Monthly Comic ZENON! I am also going to introduce to you the hardest work for the rookie editors, that all happens after the book is on sale!   [catlist name=”MANGA INSIDER MAYU” thumbnail=”yes” thumbnail_size=160 content=”no” date=”yes” dateformat=”M j, Y G:i” template=page_list]