Toriyama's working schedule

[sintzu]

In an interview with 2ch, "One Piece" creator Eiichiro Oda and "Dragon Ball" creator Akira Toriyama, spoke about their sleep schedules during work. Ironically, Toriyama is Oda's creative influence and hero, and it seems Oda has taken after Toriyama's work ethic.

"Now, while working, I only sleep two hours every two days," said Oda during the interview. "That's not all at once, but divided up into 15 minutes at a time." Nowadays, Oda sleeps three hours instead of two.

"There was a time where I slept only twenty minutes over the spawn of six days," said Toriyama. "It was like I gonna die."

http://www.designntrend.com/articles/64 ... -sleep.htm

What are you're thoughts ? I think the amount of time and effort these people put into their work deserves everyone's respect especially when you take into account that they have to do both the writing and drawing which is something I can't imagine any comic writer doing for a year let alone doing it for over 10 years.

[Lord Beerus]

It's the common sacrifice that mangaka have to make. Especially if their manga are very popular. It should be noted that Toriyama tried to repeat this pattern of scheduling his sleep like he did during his Dr Slump and Dragon Ball days when he was working on Jaco The Galactic Patrolman, and it resulted in his health deteriorating so bad, the manga had to be delayed for four months. Two hours of sleep per night isn't exactly a good idea when you're still in your 30s, let alone when you're pushing 60.

[DBZAOTA482]

Oh wow... what an amazing man. He risked his well-being so he can entertain us.

We are not worthy.

[DragonDuck]

You have my respect, Toriyama.

As an amateur artist myself, I know how hard this kind of work can be … but, just two hours of sleep a day? Whow.

[Draconic]

Seeing how good the manga is, it doesn't come as a huge surprise. Still, huge respect for the man. It could explain his bad memory too!

[Hellspawn28]

It's the common sacrifice that mangaka have to make.

It's no different for any artist here. Comic Book artist in the US put into as many hours of work and get very little sleep too.

[sintzu]

Comic Book artist in the US put into as many hours of work and get very little sleep too.

I don't know much about small artist but the ones who work on the popular titles such as Batman have a month between each issue and don't have to write it while Oda for example has to draw and write an issue every week so artists who work for Dc&Marvel don't have it as hard as him.

[ABED]

Two hours of sleep per night isn't exactly a good idea when you're still in your 30s, let alone when you're pushing 60.

That's why Michael J. Fox only did it one time. He was working on Back to the Future and Family Ties simultaneously, but he was in his early 20 and it wasn't even for a year. I can't imagine trying to do that now, much less in 30 years for an extended period of time.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Comic Book artist in the US put into as many hours of work and get very little sleep too.

I don't know much about small artist but the ones who work on the popular titles such as Batman have a month between each issue and don't have to write it while Oda for example has to draw and write an issue every week so artists who work for Dc&Marvel don't have it as hard as him.

While I agree they don't have it quite as hard, but they don't have it as easy as you seem to make it. Sure the comic book may come out monthly but the artists are still non stop working once their done with an issue it's on to the next, there is also a lot more detail in their art then most Manga and not writing but only drawing is probably more of a hindrance than a good thing, they have to work to match someone else's vision, take Yamamuro for example Toriyama wrote a version of Hell for "F" and it took quite a while for Yamamuro to visualise it, it is probably why there are a lot more writer/artists popping up in the comic book industry.

[Theophrastus]

Comic Book artist in the US put into as many hours of work and get very little sleep too.

I don't know much about small artist but the ones who work on the popular titles such as Batman have a month between each issue and don't have to write it while Oda for example has to draw and write an issue every week so artists who work for Dc&Marvel don't have it as hard as him.

Might be worth mentioning that ever since Oda underwent tonsil surgery last year, One Piece has been subject to scheduled breaks every few weeks to (hopefully) keep Oda's workaholic tendencies in check/mitigate some of the impact on his health.

[ParkerAL]

Taking work ethic to such an extreme makes it all the more amazing that Japanese citizens maintain such a high average national lifespan.

I honestly don't understand why Oda puts up with this still. He's in a position where he could leverage any publication schedule he wants. Continuing to work under such conditions only encourages bad behavior from manga publishers.

Say what you will about Togashi's hiatuses for Hunter x Hunter, he at least was able stand up to his publishers after he almost ruined his health working on Yu Yu Hakusho.

[sintzu]

I honestly don't understand why Oda puts up with this still. He's in a position where he could leverage any publication schedule he wants.

I think he works the way he does because he wants too,I read somewhere that even on the days he's off work he still draws and writes One Piece.

[medama_oyaji]

Eguchi: When you keep at it like that you end up dying at sixty, like Tezuka and Ishinomori.

Urasawa: And then there’s Fujimoto [i.e. Fujiko F. Fujio], who died at sixty-three. They were all so proud of how little they slept — three hours a night or whatever.

Eguchi: And their monthly production rate of four or five hundred pages. (laugh)

Urasawa: Shigeru Mizuki said he’d hear them talk like that and wonder why that stuff would be worth bragging about. “I sleep nine hours a day and look at me now — everyone else is dead!”

That quote is taken from this interview. I believe manga authors work too hard. It will eventually catch up with them. Toriyama seems to have retired, and hopefully he will have a long, healthy life. But I worry about Eiichiro Oda.

[jrdemr]

Say what you will about Togashi's hiatuses for Hunter x Hunter, he at least was able stand up to his publishers after he almost ruined his health working on Yu Yu Hakusho.

Truth be told, it's his own fault, too. He's so perfectionistic he frequently draws the manga entirely by himself. Most mangaka have around 5 assistants.

Toriyama was kind of to blame, too, he never had more than one assistant when he was drawing both Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball (though his wife occasionally helped when things got tight). I'm amazed at the quality of artwork he was able to deliver with almost no help, actually. Though he did usually just leave drawing the entire chapter to the last few days before he actually had to turn it in, so, no surprise he had to work really hard during that time.

Though I agree, manga publishing companies need to cut mangaka some slack.

[Doctor.]

Taking work ethic to such an extreme makes it all the more amazing that Japanese citizens maintain such a high average national lifespan.

I honestly don't understand why Oda puts up with this still. He's in a position where he could leverage any publication schedule he wants. Continuing to work under such conditions only encourages bad behavior from manga publishers.

Say what you will about Togashi's hiatuses for Hunter x Hunter, he at least was able stand up to his publishers after he almost ruined his health working on Yu Yu Hakusho.

Oda is a workaholic. He likes his schedule.

[Araki]

Say what you will about Togashi's hiatuses for Hunter x Hunter, he at least was able stand up to his publishers after he almost ruined his health working on Yu Yu Hakusho.

Truth be told, it's his own fault, too. He's so perfectionistic he frequently draws the manga entirely by himself. Most mangaka have around 5 assistants.

Toriyama was kind of to blame, too, he never had more than one assistant when he was drawing both Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball (though his wife occasionally helped when things got tight). I'm amazed at the quality of artwork he was able to deliver with almost no help, actually. Though he did usually just leave drawing the entire chapter to the last few days before he actually had to turn it in, so, no surprise he had to work really hard during that time.

Though I agree, manga publishing companies need to cut mangaka some slack.

Oda loves his crazy routine, apparently (people need to tell him to stop working, or else he doesn't). Anyway, when a manga gets so big like OP (and DB in the past), it gets to a point where the author doesn't have much choice. There gotta be an immense amount of pressure over the mangaka. If Oda went on a hiatus, for instance, the list of companies and people potentially losing money would be huge: Shueisha, Toei, Tv Fuji, Bandai and other Sponsors..

I really admire Toriyama for getting through with only one assistant his whole life, never disrespecting the readers and still having the energy to work on his franchise these days. Togashi succumbed to the lack of assistance, as it not only affected the quality of his drawings, but especially his health.

[JulieYBM]

Kishimoto drew the Pain arc of Naruto while he had an injured back, so it's definitely not unheard of for the artists to simply suffer for their art. It takes a pretty inhuman person to do such a thing, which is probably why so many comics are so interesting.

[DBZAOTA482]

Kishimoto drew the Pain arc of Naruto while he had an injured back, so it's definitely not unheard of for the artists to simply suffer for their art. It takes a pretty inhuman person to do such a thing, which is probably why so many comics are so interesting.

How ironic...

[jrdemr]

Kishimoto drew the Pain arc of Naruto while he had an injured back, so it's definitely not unheard of for the artists to simply suffer for their art. It takes a pretty inhuman person to do such a thing, which is probably why so many comics are so interesting.

How ironic...

It's still beyond me how I read the full interview where Kishimoto stated that, read Jacob's post and only now did I get it

[ekrolo2]

Kishimoto drew the Pain arc of Naruto while he had an injured back, so it's definitely not unheard of for the artists to simply suffer for their art. It takes a pretty inhuman person to do such a thing, which is probably why so many comics are so interesting.

How ironic...

And the Pain arc was the last good one of Naruto, coincidence? I think not!