Time Paradox Ghostwriter - From Promising...to Axed.

[@ReplayValue]

A VERY VERY special thank you to Drawplex for doing the animations / edits on this video! He absolutely killed it.

[@aspenlog7484]

"im gonna write a manga about how bad at writing manga i am and how i always get axed!" the manga proceeds to get axed for being bad.

[@stargazerch.3605]

Ironic

[@Triplefga]

Bruh if the author reads this shit he/she bouta cry 4 sho

[@FMeister94]

People need to expand their vocabulary and try to use words other than good or bad especially essay reviews.

[@rezazorro00]

This is sooo meta

[@Robert-rw5lm]

How... meta

[@OneFinalAutumn]

Everyone: Has possibly fun goals. Emma: S U R V I V E

[@Mordred14394]

cries in Gintoki Sakata 🤣

[@Brindlebrother]

who needs ears

[@Rockden]

@@Mordred14394 P A Y R E N T

[@thung977]

@@Mordred14394 S U R V I V E

[@sarafontanini7051]

Hilariously, while thinking about it, this is exactly the main motivation the main character of a story I'm planning to write has: to survive against all the foes wanting her dead, as well as living on to remember those who died due to her presence, and in doing so keep on living as they are. It may not be the best motivation, but its a start at least.

[@thai-cheese]

This is fundamentally another example of the genius detective problem that a character can only be as smart as its author. This series couldn't do what Bakuman did because the author can't write as good as the author of Death Note. This also makes me think of the music in Carole and Tuesday, which was funny to see you bring up in another reply. Ultimately, there's a certain level of creativity that can't be faked.

[@kingj9664]

what was wrong with Carole and Tuesday

[@pokedoctor2087]

Yes, In Bakuman many of their fictional mangas were interesting and something you'd wanna read. You understood why the MCs wanted to surpass them and how they achieved this in a competitive sort of way

[@JonoSSD]

I agree to an extent. Research, especially when well done, can fake intelligence or creativity pretty well. Sure, a smarter author will be able to write better stuff more consistently and there's only so much a mangaka can do for a weekly series, but if you plan ahead enough you can at least know where to take your story for several chapters at least. Take a look at Bleach, for example, another manga with a reactive protagonist, one without a clear goal. Kubo planned enough ahead that the cracks only start to show years into its publication. Sure, by the end it's a clusterfuck and a total shadow of its former self, but the author had a lot of time to plan the manga's direction, he just suck at it.

[@somethingwitty309]

While I definitely agree with what you've said, I disagree on one point. A good author can write genius characters that are smarter than they are, through research (as mentioned below) and another fact: the author knows everything that's happening in the world they are creating. This means that they can specifically tailor the story to make a genius-level character look clever. For example, realistically speaking the way L tracks down Kira (in episode 2 I think?) would likely not work out so well, since, in reality, the chance that L would be right about Kira’s location is really low, despite his logic which only really relies on likelihood. It still, makes L SEEM incredibly clever because the logic makes sense and because the author was able to make sure that L was right. As I've said it only really works if the writer is inherently good at writing and framing scenes. And as an aspiring author myself, I can confirm that it's really difficult to frame a character as a genius. There are slight “cheats” you can do like: having them speak in higher register English, have them spout facts etc. These small things work to an extent but are superficial. To impress the audience and to drive home the genius of the character you need to frame the story around that characters intelligence. And it's tough!

[@or9422]

With enough planning ahead, you can definitely write a character a thousand times smarter than you are. Thing is, planning and time are pretty hard on a weekly schedule like that.

[@StrikerstormThunder]

tbh the art in this manga was amazing

[@lainsoviet73]

Just average imo

[@OneFinalAutumn]

I feel the giant eyeball scene was the best representation of the artist's skills.

[@OseiTheWarriors]

Yeah what a shame the level of detail is great

[@RobGradyVO]

Yeah the artist is top tier. But that's not even close to enough now adays

[@willywitchdoctor]

It's a shame he had to draw a guy drawing really hard for 100s of panels. He really is a good artist

[@rekkou1880]

Wait! there is a Doraemon chapter exactly about this. Nobita used Doraemon's gadget to get a manga magazine from the future, he saw a new manga in it, plagiarized it, and claim it as his own. A manga editor saw it and offer to publish it under a different artist. Nobita agreed, but when he asked Doraemon for the next volume, the manga is gone, because Nobita stole it, and therefore the continuation of it also erased from the future. Regretting it, Nobita then throws away the manuscript, which then got picked up by the original author, thus creating a paradox.

[@LaylaMiki]

When Teppei met Itsuki, she explained that she consistently herself as an “empty” person. However she told him that she has been bullied when she was a middle schooler and she wanted to create a manga that even bullies could enjoy so it will make them realise that there are funnier things than bullying people. Just with that, she made me think that she was far from empty. She had a clear goal by drawing manga. She deserved to be the main character of this manga, much more than the actual one.

[@KhayJayArt]

Wouldn't be the first time a manga favors a bland ass male character over other characters with actual personality and depth

[@FMeister94]

What’s wrong with an antagonist having personality over a protagonist.

[@KhayJayArt]

@@FMeister94 you're usually following the protagonist in most stories and it's boring to follow a main character that doesn't have a personality

[@sarafontanini7051]

@Starless there isn't, but there is a bit of a sexism issue in japan, and its very readily shown through their media, especially shonen manga. also I agree, the girl should've been the protag, could've gone for a decoy protagonsit angle or something.

[@kurteybean193]

Please tell me this manga went super meta when it got cancelled, breaking the fourth wall and explicitly saying what the actual Shonen Jump writers told the author. Seems like a golden opportunity to go out with a bang.

[@BroomPusher2024]

It wouldnt be the first time. One of Manga expert Go Nagais first significant works was a fanservice heavy comedy. When parents complained to the point where copies of the comic were destroyed, Nagai ended the series by having an army of Prudes massacre the entire cast.

[@kurteybean193]

@@BroomPusher2024 Beautiful

[@maz4425]

@Unabashed Hedonist What? Dude chill jeez.

[@faronomus1589]

@Unabashed Hedonist goddamn what’s up with the needless anger?

[@catzor4795]

@@faronomus1589 I don't think he's angry. Just being concise and cynical.

[@stephenwings4947]

So I enjoyed this manga a lot. I do agree with your criticism. Although as an artist, I can really feel this mangakas tortured soul through the pages. The protagonist is so clearly them, the rejection of their work has definitely happened to them and the original creator of white knight is clearly what they wish they could be. When you put your heart and soul into your art to the point that it is you, it's all you have to offer, and it still isn't good enough, what is your worth? The tragedy of it all is so meta it just hurts.

[@piput8533]

The way this manga axed,while the story inside tells about the best manga ever existing,is an art itself

[@spacepenguins8939]

It’s like poetry really

[@soc7967]

I feel like it axed itself on purpose to tell that kind of story

[@bocodamondo]

on hindsight, youre 100% right, i guess i only liked the series because of the art quality, which isnt really speaking well for the writer, seeing how at the end, only the artist will get all the praise of this manga's existence, while the writer gets all the criticism of its failure...but i hope they will get another try in the future

[@nivorann]

deku: i wanna be the greatest hero! hinata: i wanna be like the little giant! emma: *_i just want to live_* naruto: i wanna be the hokage!

[@ganipra7402]

yoh: i wanna lazy around, and do nothing. anna: ... yoh: ... ... ... just kidding, i wanna be shaman king (so i can lazy around and do nothing).

[@FMeister94]

What manga is Hinata in?

[@nivorann]

@@FMeister94 haikyuu, a series focused on volleyball.

[@sandihya3450]

Gon: i want to meet my father! And i would just stop him.

[@shinybreloom4027]

boruto: I will become Sasuke and protect Konoha from the shadows!

[@Baamthe25th]

I'm pretty sure the author heard that "It's not that anything about it is bad, it's just that nothing about it is good" line himself. Anyway, good review. It's refreshing to see one that doesn't mention Bakuman every chance it has

[@shamarbrown2677]

Exactly

[@jagaimo6013]

the female lead would be such a better mc than the male mc imo

[@croissant-kun4025]

I wonder if the story would've been better from her perspective

[@SquibbyJ]

Honestly that story is the most interesting, even if you tell it from someone else’s POV.

[@terragolemenjoyer8359]

this actually makes a way better premise. I would be a story with a better moral lesson about fighting plagiarism sure it has a time travel thing, but still if we make the male mc the "villain" i would actually sympathize for him, he was someone desperate to achieve his dream that he would pretty much plagiarize just to achieve it, do most of us condone it? Of course not, so we root for the female mc to beat the plagiarizer.

[@elingobernable1331]

This could be said about most of the Shonen to be honest.

[@brandonwithnell612]

that definately would make a better story if it had switched to her perspective part way through and suddenly the original mc becomes the Villain meanwhile the girl tries to create a new story while not knowing that the guy plagiarized off her future work. then you can show off her struggle by having her original white knight story made by the guy become more popular than her new one while she constantly questions and doubts herself on how its possible every idea she has is somehow being done by the other guy first, and being unable to prove a thing as others look at her as the crazy one

[@TazerLad]

Great video! TPGW is a series that sparks a lot of curiosity for me regarding Jump's editorial board. When did they tell the authors it was gonna be axed, what was their response to the, from the sound of it, decent backlash to the plagiarism angle? I feel like TPGW could've dug itself out of this hole if it had been given more time but it seems to just have gotten especially unlucky in an already historic turnover year for Jump. I think the writer and artist are a good team though so hopefully it isn't too long before they get another shot in the magazine.

[@zeemod1556]

You brought up the lack of being able to actually see the difference in art as a problem and that there's no ability for the reader to participate in literally seeing what those chapter's dramatic stakes were based in. I want to elaborate even further. I can't state enough how the fact that TPG refused to elaborate on "White Knight's" characters, locations, narratives, themes, and small detailed windows into what the average chapter was supposed to *BE* like massively hurt my engagement in caring about the characters of "Time Paradox Ghostwriter" itself. Granted that would perhaps mean the Author would have to do double duty and create two works of fiction at once: both his narrative and the narrative within the narrative (a lot for a manga with a weekly deadline but *not* impossible without preplanning). It also probably didn't help that "White Knight" is, according to the characters, the greatest manga of all time. The effort it would take to communicate that level of resonance with the TPG readers to be as effective as it is to the fictional readers in the TPG story would very difficult. You risk not making White Knight be cool or inspirational enough for people like me and other TPG readers to actually believe it has the level of power and influence that people in the story are saying it does - so you end up just hiding it; telling not showing. Have someone react to it with a tear in their eye... let the narrative simply pretend it's amazing so it gets to be as impressive as it needs to be. The author kind of immediately wrote themselves into a corner because neither would have worked without having to sacrifice something major to my enjoyment. I think the author of TPG really just wanted White Knight to embody a vague shonen jump-esque template that can stand for anything and be liked by anyone. But the narrative of TPG really requires White Knight to be so much more than that for any of its dramatic stakes to work.

[@ReplayValue]

That problem is one that I find a lot of fiction falls into, I thought about it a lot in Carole & Tuesday for example while watching people's reactions to it. If you don't find the music they're making to be good / enjoyable, your suspension of disbelief that they could rise in that space is utterly crushed - and so...yeah it's a lot safer to tell people it's awesome and not show them that. I think that's the reason we don't see a lot of "this person is the greatest painter in the world" kind of stories, but plenty of ace pitcher / basketball player / chess grandmaster / etc - because one of these things is subjective and you're gonna lose some of your audience from the jump (because it presupposes fact), whereas the other can just be so overly domineering in the fiction that it's inarguably fact.

[@kinosa11]

@@ReplayValue have you read blue period? Its basically that concept of great painters, its pretty inspiring and has great art

[@layarlaut]

@@kinosa11 yes, and they show us the painting and let us judge ourselves how good they are

[@ew275x]

@@ReplayValue I think that's fine, but they shouldn't have focused so much on the manga making process (like you know focus on the time travel mystery) or supplement it with something else. Kakushigoto also focuses less on the manga and more on self deprecating jokes about mangaka and the industry.

[@6dm978]

It was kind of impossible for this work to show White Knight and have people be satisfied because White Knight was set up as the worlds greatest shounen manga

[@TheComiKen]

I really wonder if it is POSSIBLE to have the author rewrite the same premise, with the chance to realize its full potential (like a REDUX). Or maybe even have someone else ask to use the premise and draw their own take if the author doesn't want to continue. I feel like we really missed out on a great story here.

[@jaishkhan7442]

Ikr i was really into the manga and binged all chaps in a day... Really interesting and new concept honestly

[@Zulf85]

They could have absolutely had an awesome story arc out of the whole plagiarism thing

[@baggelissonic]

Wait I great review. I still really like this series, but I totally understand all your points raised. It is a flawed series, but it has some nice ideas. I really loved how meta it got, even if it was obviously not the intended ending of the series. It was a fun story and given how short of a read it is, I definitely think it's worth reading for anyone even remotely worth in reading it. It really felt like writing one of those reject mangas that the protag starting reading at the end of the series. A lot of missed potential and some of it was the fault of the mangaka and not just the axe.

[@lpfan4491]

I like how the fundamental issue is clear even when it is quickly narrated to someone. When I heared the summary of chapter 1, I basically jizzed my pants and when I heared that he just gets to continue the work without actual issue and the girl was like:"Screw you, I will leave you alone and just out-do you", I instantly felt the disappointment in where it actually went.

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

The problem with calling him out for plagiarism is that there's no way of proving it. It's not like she could present the media with a copy of Jump that won't be published for another ten years and proof that a manga published recently is her work. The most logical plot that presents itself is instead of letting the MC off the hook, Sasaki and Isuki should have become rivals both trying to develop the same idea. Sasaki should just adopt White Knight as his own idea. He should be beset with inner conflict in question that even if he does succeed, he will have effectively stolen someone else's dream and livelihood, to say nothing of what this suggests of his own creative abilities. Conversely, Itsuki is too mad with Sasaki to come up with any original ideas and is forced to go ahead wit her own version of White Knight. As matters progress, both manga differentiate themselves enough to get published and find some initial success, but Itsuki is still bitter and Sasaki is still guilty. Neither are able to make significant headway, but with each chapter that comes out, patterns seem to emerge that reflect features in each artist's personal life. Though it isn't obvious to any of the readers, the mangaka begin to communicate through their stories. Itsuki's new White Knight is a story of betrayal (which would be even more effective if the two had met before the story began and where childhood friends or something) Sasaki's White Knight becomes a story of redemption. The individual flair of the two artists undergoes rapid development as they express themselves. Sasaki reveals capacities for illustration he didn't know he had because he never felt he had the right driving force behind them, something that was filled in by Itsuki's concept. This exacerbates his guilt in a new direction; he is grateful to itsuki for revealing his true talents, but also further indebted. He could likely abandon White Knight t this point and still find work as just an illustrator rather than a full-on author. Itsuki's work on the other hand is better written but sometimes leaves readers dissatisfied with her artwork; a problem she never had in the original timeline because there was no chip on her shoulder. Sasaki, having read more future chapters of White Knight, understands how the timeline is diverging and decides the he has to take action to set things right. He does everything he can to talk things out with Itsuki, but she won't listen. The situation worsens and Itsuki's dreams are falling apart. This leaves only one option. Up until this point Sasaki had tried his best to avoid plagiarizing Itsuki wherever possible and take the story in his own direction, but now he sees what has to be done. He studies White Knight and brings everything he knows about her to bear on the problem and realizes her story to the absolute best of his ability. It is a monster success that surpasses the original. Itsuki is more furious than ever with Sasaki and resolves to end her own life. But before she does, she sees how the readers respond to her ghost-written work made under Sasaki's name and how many of them are now inspired to become mangaka themselves. This leads her to remember what her time in her childhood spend with Sasaki was like and she she finally agrees to speak with him. Sasaki offers to work with Itsuki, with she writing and he as the illustrator, though officially her name will never appear on the cover (the branding is much stronger with just his name.) As far as the readers are concerned, Sasaki is the originator of all the ideas as well. Having remembered the true value of manga, Itsuki is content with this and the two go on to make more worldwide hits. Fin.

[@LeSage013]

Thank you for making this video. It's the first time I've heard of this manga and hearing you explain the flaws of the MC is like looking into a mirror. A lot things I need to unpack in myself.

[@Thetopnoobpro]

I remember reading this after it was cancelled and was kinda sad that the manga was about trying to make a great manga and then it ended up ending. I know there are a lot of stuff that went unexplained but that’s because it was never given the chance and had to rush it because of the competition in shonen jump. It shows u how brutal SJ can be

[@ew275x]

I think other problems are the following: - The series goes out of its way to excuse and justify the plagiarism at every turn and even the volume versions try to downplay it. The solution should have been to setup the MC as a scumbag who would plagiarize instead of "Saving Balloons for kids" man. That or make Aino the MC. - Similarly the MC doesn't have the self-improvement drive other Jump MCs have, he gets everything handed on a platter and he just complains. This makes him unintentionally unsympathetic especially for Eastern audiences. - The story doesn't know if it wants to focus on the time travel mystery or manga making and we end up with an underdeveloped time travel mystery and surface level manga making stuff to the point I know more about The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs than White Knight. TL;DR Go watch/read Steins;Gate and The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs to get a better ine travel mystery and a story about people making a super successful story everyone loves.

[@123UlquiorraIsMe1]

As far as I’m aware, your first point is the primary factor as to why it got cancelled. The Japanese are very big on honour and not causing trouble for other people, so the plagiarism would have immediately put off the entirety of the Japanese reader base right off the bat. And that problem was only exacerbated because the author kept trying to justify it. Honestly I enjoyed it but I fully understood why it got cancelled.

[@james13sylar]

I think it is a bit more interesting to see a character that is normally a good person but has bad traits rather than a complete scumbag IF it is done right. Maybe if they showed him doing a few more egoistic things that "wouldn't hurt" anyone, like cheating on an exam or keeping a small bill that they saw someone drop, but still being generally a kind person, that would give him more dimensions, and it will also could be used when someone points out his flaws, because they need to be pointed, either by someone else or by himself after some reflection. Painting him as an opportunistic will also fit with the fix proposed on the video, in which he represents the comercially-inspired creation, trying to appeal to everyone and latching to new trends. He would have never presented a story that he wanted to say before White Knight, he just presented what he thinks would appeal to the public. And he would present White Knight as his own following the same logic, using as an excuse his "responsibility to give it to the world before it vanishes" to not think about the plagiarism involved. He sees himself as a kind person, so he always justifies those acts.

[@KhayJayArt]

I get the feeling that some current daymanga creators are too afraid to make their main characters bad people. If the MC does something that's bad the author writes some bs that tries to justify their actions and put them in the right instead of acknowledging the character fucked up and having them face consequences and grow as a person.

[@shinybreloom4027]

A character's singular flaw does not dismiss all their virtues, nor does a singular virtue dismiss everything else. The very same kid Naruto who was a perverted brat stood up for what he believed in, stubbornly refusing to give up, which triumphed over anything else. and characters can still unreasonably complain. Look at the fanfare kid sasuke got.

[@loren5432]

@@shinybreloom4027 The thing with Naruto is that that specific theme gets completely destroyed in part 2 when you realize that he was destined to become the best ninja from his generation, making Neji's message in the Chunnin exams become true. I've seen arguments that say that Naruto wasn't mainly about hard work vs talent/destiny, but you can't deny that Naruto was presented as an idiot in part 1 who kept winning by "brute forcing" (never giving up and all that stuff) his way through most fights. Sure, you can argue that he worked hard and all that, but it was set in stone from the get go that he'd succeed, hence why it left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths. I'd have liked it more if other characters like Lee (who used fists in a world where a lot of people use magic) was the protagonist.

[@phoenyck]

Love the editing style in this video, it' a breath of fresh air. And Chrono Trigger music is always a plus for me.

[@DBZimran]

This was a manga I enjoyed great video just discovered your channel, can't wait to see more from you.

[@irfan8702]

Thank you for making this video. I too was hype about TPGW when it first release. This video did justice with your explanation and improvement ideas, along with your editor amazing edits.

[@necroliger]

i like it, the chapter 1, the premise and the end, all in between was fineeee. if viz give me a omnibus i´ll buy it. Good video man, thank you. One think i can say is, about mangas like this and Bakuman, i would love a collection of one shoots of the mangas they presents; you know White knight, crow, tramp, tanto, ETC...

[@ihavenolife8651]

Haven’t read this series, but I feel like they could’ve gone somewhere with sasaki’s character being hollow and him making manga to try and fill that hole. At that point we would have a motivation and an internal conflict as he could comment on how plagiarizing doesn’t fill that hole. I think that would be a better motivation since his arc could be trying to turn white knight into his own story and making peace with himself. (This comment was made in response only to the description up to chapter 4)

[@ihavenolife8651]

Just a dumb idea from an inexperienced writer, so don’t take it too seriously

[@lucasw4r]

@@ihavenolife8651 no, that's intresting and is something I would read.

[@ihavenolife8651]

@@lucasw4r thanks, though imo it’s easier to come up with a concept than it is to flesh it out.

[@kennethrodriguez2286]

@@ihavenolife8651 with this sentence, I think you summarized what failed with TPG, imo

[@nullgator8073]

Tbh I'd be interested in more autopsys like this of failed manga series, as someone who doesn't usually pick up manga until they've started picking up clout I have a lot of curiosity about the ones that don't make it and why

[@ShadyShelf]

I was so hyped for this manga... :(

[@thesteadfastduelist6258]

Same :(

[@nevergonnagiveupuntilibeco5690]

:(

[@mthiyanendaba48]

Me too:(

[@TsunaXZ]

Is this new? :(

[@IHateRecess]

I was like" yay ima love this manga art gives me zom 100 vibes!" Realizes it got canceled

[@nwut]

from promising... to neverland

[@ngakk]

I remember liking the themes of lack of confidence of one's skills, or the powerlessness of realizing that you are not up to par with someone else. I really liked this manga during it's first 7 chapters but it did start to feel a bit directionless. I hope the authors get something else going

[@MaxIronsThird]

It was probably axed around issue 7.

[@-Teague-]

I would love for the creators to come back too but the writer was basically bullied out of the industry by people hating on the series so he probably quit completely

[@farid2672]

I just remember something about the premise. It similar to chapter in Doraemon, where Nobita using the stamp that can bring book from the future. At first, he doing it as joke to impress his friend but when it become big, he stop and drop it near the real author of the story and it ends with the author ask for permission to use the comic as his new comic.

[@EnerKaizer]

I liked the base premise after reading the first chapters, but for me TPG shot itself in the foot with a bazooka the moment the main-character pretty much gained an "absolution" from the original creator of the white knight manga. This destroyed any kind of tension, character-evolution und meaningful story progression this series could've had. Showing how stressful the live of an mangaka is in generall with the permanent fear of beeing found out as a plagiarist on top of it would've been an excellent source for the drama. Having a social commentary on the industry as well as taking a look at the generall philosophy of what qualifys as unique and what counts as plagiarism would've made TPG propably one of the most outstanding mangas in recent years with a potentiall to become timeless even if done right. The easiest solution would've been to not have the original author and the main-character becoming friends, simply as that. Have her come out and call the main-character out as plagiarist. Of course she couldn't prove that (because her version of white knight propably would've only been a loose script and some minor drawings plus the fact there was no "regular" way of him finding out about this) but it could still lead into what the actuall TPG did by her tryieng to out-do our main-character by creating a new and even better series (while also tryieng to find out how he stole her originall work). Suddenly the series could've had a nice cat-and-mouse game as a plot-device, and if you then add in the moment the one Shounen Jump comes in were it is revealed that she suddenly died in 2031 and he now has to continue writting for the series, thus setting up an excellent drama-point. That I think could've made TPG a longer running series, even though I think it also would've at best last maybe 2-3 years max because that premise fits more into a single-story/ movie instead of a long running series. (Also the premise mirrors multiple movies. There is for example a German movie that got released about 2 years ago about an unsuccessfull musician who wakes up suddenly one day in a world were the beatles never existed and he starts becoming famous by copieng their music because he remembers their songs perfectly. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)

[@stonecat676]

ah, Yesterday. There was also this one chapter in Doraemon a long time ago with a similar premise: a manga author with writer’s block asks the mc to go to the future (a normal thing for him, he has a time machine in his desk) and buy future issues of his own manga for him to copy i forgot how it ended tho

[@thongdo9809]

@@stonecat676 He got writer block again and got sick, forced Doraemon to keep buying future copies and draw for him.

[@stonecat676]

@@thongdo9809 ahaha, yeah, i remember now, such a typical doraemon ending

[@starwarzchik112]

a story about plagiarism... plagiarizes? why I never!!

[@junichiroyamashita]

Isn't the movie basically Boku wa Beatles?

[@moonman375]

i have never seen a video of yours first, but i was actually surprised by how good your editing is

[@spacepenguins8939]

The irony behind the series aside I do feel this series is just a massive example of missed potential and could have been incredibly interesting (I mean it taught me to wait for a series to get to like 20 chapters before reading it or you’ll get interested and then it’ll end) The series isn’t awful just a bit disappointing. The ending isn’t great but I can’t blame the author since they got axed and had to rush things like Aino’s death and her manga getting popular and rivalling White Knight. So we just freeze time and wrap up as fast as they can

[@lukemilton66]

Its ashame that the series was cancelled 14 chapters in, I was looking forward to an official manga release.

[@kevintandian6257]

awesome analysis man

[@BmoreBrass]

Glad to see you back and making bangers again!!

[@dee6561]

I love this video. Very interesting.

[@hats3579]

I love how a video talking about a mangá w time travel has chrono trigger music, God i love that game

[@pattongilbert]

Really great video! It’s so nice to see somebody talk about manga and especially so professionally. I felt the same way about this manga when it started. So much potential, but it was just missing things. Great job with talking about Time Paradox Ghostwriter!

[@ComedyJakob]

I really enjoyed this video

[@aboringotakuwhoisntnamedkyle]

This manga hurts so much.I think it could’ve been so big, it touched me so much I wish it could’ve reached more people like me

[@tuvillo]

The death notice should honestly have been at the end of chapter 1, somehow. Maybe just give him the pilot one-shot chapter and force him to write the entire thing on his own.

[@sammulhall]

Dude you make such good content

[@pokedoctor2087]

Bakuman did the Shonen Jump Mangaka way better, with unique and distinctive art for every fictional mangaka

[@PatLund]

Bakuman is probably my favorite manga of all time.

[@kaelthunderhoof5619]

Bakuman did great and didn't drag the story any further. Just like the manga that they published.

[@mattm2451]

Great video. I wonder if anyone made a video like this about Noah Notes, a series I felt at similar potential. I may read what exists of this one and I think your fixes sound like really intriguing story concepts.

[@jazzyjin]

I think this manga had one of the best first chapters I have read in a long time. Something that the first chapter hinted at, but never really continued, was him thinking that he had come up with the idea on his own. I wished that story thread had continued and only later he realized that he had been plagiarizing the whole time.

[@commonercorvus6291]

when i was reading TPG for the first time it was easy for me to compare another manga about making manga which was Bakuman which ran on the same magazine albeit a few years earlier. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that we as a reader don't know what makes Teppei tick as compared to in Bakuman where we see Bakuman's main character Mashiro, who is exposed to manga making through his uncle and witness how cool manga is and has a goal where the goal was established early, that is get manga published > get anime > get married to girl who he promised to if his manga gets an anime and the girl voices in it. Other than that, I was annoyed a bit as to how in the manga kept saying Teppei's manga is not as good and White Knight is this great manga without actually seeing much of the mangas. The characters in the manga see and say that, but we don't get an opportunity to do so as much as to establish our feelings towards the in world work of TPG. In Bakuman you actually get to see the fictional manga in the world and we believe as a reader and can say that "hey, this manga is pretty cool!" because we witness what the characters are saying ourselves. but hey that's just me. Also, this video has very great editing. big props to the editor!

[@KYPMbangi]

Yea, i really loled when they literally have a wall of text on that one editor's scene describing the manga.. and several other scene too.I mean, I did not come here to read a light novel haha

[@batmeme9349]

The momment I read the very first chapter of this manga I already knew that this is going to be brought to the choppin board

[@Foyay_Red]

I dunno about you but when this was coming out I LOVED IT

[@Toto-95]

yup this is a great analysis !

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

The idea that Sasaki's work is inexplicably "worse" could be alluding to the idea that Sasaki cannot replicate White Knight properly because it isn't his original vision, this giving ramifications for his plagiarism that's more subtle and clever than "herp derp copying is wrong."

[@sarafontanini7051]

of course,it doesn't seem like the story focuses on that aspect too much for it to work fully

[@stray_editori]

I saw someone once say that TPG is about imposter syndrome but I don't think that really works out if.... you're actually an imposter. I guess there's a case to be made that all creative work is essentially "stolen" or based on something else, just a combination or re-imagining of the original idea. I mean the shounen formular in itself is kind of a testiment to that BUT yeah Idk with stuff as painfully real as plagarism, it just feels kind of iffy to have something like that be the wheel for themes like that. I'm not really like, taking down TPG for that, after all, it's not really what it's about. I never really hated the protagonist, for he didn't do it on purpose, but I will admit that having a "only I can do this" premise on top of stealing a work is kind of... yikes? The scenarios it brings about certainly can be true! There's this perfect version of what you're doing in your mind, and no matter how much you try, you can never truly realize it. Sometimes people have similar ideas, and one of them just made it first. I think that all works in a bubble, but the fact that the timetravel IS real, is just kind of.... damning to that, I feel like.

[@free91obama]

Love the Carole and Tuesday OST towards the end.

[@kayodesalandy]

I honestly would love to see this manga premise adapted into like a film or series, but take the story elsewhere. It's a wonderful premise and the directions different writers could take it (like yours def gets me hyped) makes me super happy to even think about.

[@baked7423]

The conflict between the two should have been an entire arc and when that conflict resolved like in chapter 3, the motivation for teppei should have been he now wants to write a manga better than itsuki. Maybe he will still use the future shounen jump mags as reference but now he can no longer straight up plagiarize. If itsuki really was going to make a better manga than white knight, it can't be the same or else it won't be better. So then you could have character development for Teppei where he improves as a mangaka and starts implementing his own ideas. White knight becames his own thing rather than a copy.

[@ggaboveaveragegamer]

That’s exactly what happens

[@baked7423]

​@@ggaboveaveragegamer Not really. There are seeds planted by sadly the manga got axed before it could. Teppei sorta acts like a loser a little and its not until chapter 13 where he really starts to do so.

[@ggaboveaveragegamer]

@@baked7423 it was already stated that he was no longer gonna copy her style and decided to make white knight on his own style and it seemed like it was naturally leaning on that the future Shōnen jumps were gonna stop coming in And he was going to have to make it up himself from that point on but the author had to rush the conclusion and made the death thing speed things up and left a few loosed ends because of it (like who was sending the messages? He kind of hinted being a parent but then was told to forget it) in short it’s was axed before it even had a chance to expand its lore and teppei find his style. Really sad because I was hooked from chapter one till the end

[@mgbrad5018]

For anyone that enjoyed this manga I would HIGHLY suggest checking out bakuman. It was a series made by the deathnote creators about the manga industry as a whole. The goal for those characters was to create a a manga that would get an anime which never happens until the very end so they keep having to change the genre of manga they keep creating, seeing what formulas or plot lines work from each series they work on.

[@aristheia_]

your idea was surprisingly good, it'd be interesting to see that concept be tackled, albeit, not in TPGW anymore

[@Lemuel928]

To be continued,play the Roundabout Music.

[@kausthita11]

I like the kashiwa Daisuke ost in the bg

[@dabokuma6995]

Happy New year Replay Value!

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

Sasaki's motivation doesn't have to be complex. He and Aino could simply have been inspired by an older mangaka, like how Deku wants to be a hero because of All Might.

[@GarnetReaper]

Made it half away and i can't help but think, couldn't they have it here the time machine stop gibing him chapters since she stopped working on it so now he couldn't even finish and keeps delaying til the manga got canceled... or he figures a way to make it better or something. I am assuming with how the video goes so far that wasn't even something that happened in the manga but wanted to get this out of my head before i finish then forget it by the end of the episode. If it was or you bring it up my apologizes

[@timothymclean]

TPGW seemed so good at first, but it kept wandering without any apparent goal. Thanks for analyzing the manga and helping me understand why the conclusion felt so...disappointing. Empty.

[@Ray_V]

2:31 Well damn now *I'm* hooked, this story sounds great!

[@KYPMbangi]

My first impression of this manga is that it revolves around the karoshi (death by overwork) phenomenon.. felt like the 99% of this manga problem could be solved by just telling the mangaka not to overwork themselves to death, even bakuman made a point about that

[@Ineedgames]

Too bad the industry love those whips and is published in a magazine that shoves out 20 page chapters a week.

[@amuro9624]

Notice how ichigo wasn't on that list of heroes with goals

[@Sammysapphira]

Ichigos goal is to protect those he cares about, and to attain the power required

[@MaxIronsThird]

@@Sammysapphira It's too vague for a SJ character, even Denji had a clearer goal, and it isn't a regular SJ shonen.

[@JacobWP]

yeah this manga editing style rules

[@fancypants5782]

I just think its wild how there are serialized manga where characters are sexually assaulted yet plagiarism was a step too far for Japanese people.

[@ilikestuff9250]

Its culture The Japanese value honor above a lot of other things much like other Asian countries

[@collinnelson]

I could have lived with her getting over the MCs plagiarism because of the setup in chapter 1 and potential for an exploration of his moral character and its connection to his goal of making Manga for everyone, but once plagiarism was framed as good/necessary to save her life, it threw a lot of potential away for me. That was the end.

[@mariokarter13]

An interesting premise can get you in the door, but an interesting premise alone doesn't keep you in the room. It's like when you think of a topic for an essay in high school, then hammer out a first draft off the top of your head. It could be readable and coherent, but more likely than not it'll be a stream of consciousness with no real direction just to meet a page count.

[@nafisrahman5791]

man when this manga started i legit thought it would have been a mainstay.

[@hauwley]

I remember super eyepatch wolf recommending this manga in one of his videos, so i decided to check it out and I was a disappointed of its expeditious ending.

[@PipeBombSD]

Bakuman without the direction and character development? Bakuman was great telling the story of a mangaka with drama that was consistent all the way through

[@raveelemental4928]

Very glad you covered this manga dude. It's such a shame it ended like this, with the whole rushed ending souring it.

[@pedr0_m198]

Do you still recommend reading it? I was interested in this manga but I didn't knew that it was canceled

[@raveelemental4928]

@@pedr0_m198 with it only having less than 15 chapters available on the manga plus app for free, I'd at least say to give it the time of day.

[@KingSpectre844]

I wouldn't say nothing about it is good, as you stated. While the narrative falls flat, the structure is lackluster, and all your criticisms are valid, the artwork is just stunning. If nothing else, I hope this artist gets a lot more work with Jump in the future. Solid talent.

[@indago5032]

You say that the MC doesn't have a clear goal, but at 9:45 the panel you flash says "I don't care about the money! All I want is to make sure this manga doesn't disappear from the world!!" which really makes it seem to me that he either: A) Wants to leave a mark on the world so that he isn't forgotten in history (Which might've been explored in future chapters through realizing it isn't his own mark that he's leaving) or B) That he wants to preserve the work of someone else, which he himself brought an end to. I haven't read the manga myself, of course, so these are wild guesses.

[@AscendantStoic]

The idea is that the "But why?" of these statements was never explored, why does he want to leave a mark on history, or why he is trying to preserve a comic?

[@brenwan2190]

Man I heard about this one a while ago and was really excited to get back to this series hoping it had a bunch of chapters out. This really sucks.

[@Frnky-lw9rq]

I was never bothered by his plagerismm just that they didn't do anything with it lik it could have been an interesting topic to discuss and yet nothing came out of it

[@streeker007]

After listening to your video, I had a few ideas as to how the story could have gone. Granted I didn’t read the manga, so this I could be wrong somewhere. Regardless, I really wanted to try an improve the story based on watching your video. Here it goes. Based on your summary, I agree that the first chapter shows promise. The concept of a manga artist plagiarizing work from the future is pretty interesting. It allows for external conflict between Teppei Sasaki, the original artist and possibly the world and internal conflict between him and his integrity as and artist. My idea is to extend the story further and have maybe two arcs. He doesn’t purposefully present a plagiarizing draft to the editor. Rather, it was an accident. Additionally, he doesn’t meet with Itsuki Aino until the end of the first arc which would be until a few days after he copied the last volume. His motivation in chapter two where he convinces himself to continue plagiarizing can still be his initial motivation. I think his delusional goal would help him understand where he is in his work and help him realize some things about himself. For example, he would continue copying the future works and slowly learn why they resonate with so many people while his work doesn’t. He would learn from his coworkers about their projects and what they went through to get where they are today. Including the editor from the first chapter, who turned him down multiple times. The story continues with Teppei as the lead of the “White Knight” series and has a team to help him work on it, boosting its popularity in the city. At the end of the arc, Teppei and Itsuki meet accidentally and he worries that she would be mad that her ideas for “White Knight” were stolen. Instead, she talks about the manga and that she was making a similar work under the same name and how she only recently found out about the series. She then decides to no longer continue writing the work, unsure of what she wants to do. At this point, is where the future volumes stop coming in and Teppei has to go on ‘creative hiatus’ which gives him time to reflect on himself and what he has done. Taking responsibility, he finds Itsuki again and encourages her to make more stories using her future self’s quotes. Inspired, Itsuki vows to make a story better than “White Knight,” leaving it in his hands. This would also be where he would review his old drafts and finally see what the other editors were saying about his work being empty. This turning-point shifts his character to be more professional and to really try and make “White Knight” his own and continue the series. The second arc is mostly Teppei hiring Itsuki to help him with the “White Knight” series and them working together to make the story amazing. They grow a friendship and work off of each other, getting better ideas and improving themselves as artists. I don’t have many ideas in this arc. I had considered that maybe Itsuki finds out about the time machine and gets mad at Teppei initially after he confesses about plagiarizing her work. They would later reconcile and finally destroy the machine signifying that he doesn’t need it anymore to be a professional manga artist. Another was, the machine somehow getting destroyed and he starts to relapse because he is not confident in he own skills due the increasing pressure of the series. Or maybe both, I wasn’t sure. This is my take on the manga. Again, I didn’t read it, but it was fun to think about. The way I did the structure feels more of a sci-fi/fantasy slice-of-life than a shonen, but whatever. I had fun.

[@letsreadtextbook1687]

Great commentary and editing! And this is just my two cents as a complete amateur but I think: The problem is, the "personal project" view is the objectively right answer to artistic dilemma. Sure, at the end of the day, mixing up your unique personal element with marketable generic elements is what usually sells. Too much personal aspects will make the art unrelatable while too much generic aspects will make it bland. Balance (as well as plain luck) is what makes it good. Of course, everyone also have different 'balance' and preferred aspects, so not everyone will like the same thing. Personally, I used to have that principle too: I wanted to make a (web)comic that a lot of people would enjoy. And guess what, I didn't end up making good art. So I can relate to the author's feeling, I felt that way too: the great feeling of being praised by (relatively) a lot of people although the work wasn't as original as I'd like and the subsequent feeling of worthlessness when I failed to repeat that. But the real fix to this is really just... life experience. The answer is ultimately must be solved outside the art itself. Because the manga is meta, I feel some possible advice needs to be said to the author as well: Be an illustrator. If you like making manga and only good at drawing, cooperate with a writer to make it. As the commentary said, the art is top-notch and not just in technical stuff, I like the symbolisms, the energy of each panel, the composition, etc as well.

[@alwayscommenting56]

I know I’m commenting on a year-old comment, but just in case anyone’s seeing this: this is already a mangaka duo. Honestly the artist should get better writers.

[@loleo123]

How would you describe Ichigo from Bleach? Cause his motivation is, imo, pretty similar. He just wants to protect his friends and family. But we're never told why he has such a will to protect his friends. We can speculate about why, but we're never told in the manga. I don't think so at least?

[@raseruuu3742]

It's his burden to bear ever since his mom died.

[@loleo123]

@@raseruuu3742 Yeah that's what I thought too. But we're never told that, right?

[@raseruuu3742]

@@loleo123 a rewatch/reread will help make it more apparent, maybe. pretty sure he said it himself.

[@loleo123]

@@raseruuu3742 aight. Will do!

[@Ravi9A]

Dead Mom pretty obvious subtext

[@RebeccaGunn]

I think this idea would only work if you saw the work and how it was improved or iterated upon. Like the first few pages of each chapter are White Knight if only Itsuki drew it, then the end of the Chapter is how Teppei interpreted it, then later on how they improve the story via working together, or Itsuki's present day amateur draft in comparison to the more polished version she'll draw in 10 years time instead of making her already a practical master in present day.

[@WaddleMoogle]

Thank you for putting exact words on my thoughts about this manga in a calm and collected manner. It has become increasingly hard to talk about this series with people blinded by its art and "sheer potential". Reducing its failure to "muh plagiarism" always was reductive and unfair to both sides of the discussion.

[@user-ve2zx7zc4i]

nothing can beat bakuman way of writing a genre based for manga

[@JullOxW]

Where can we read that special "extra" chapter of TPGW you talked about at 11:50 please ? Also, great video! I've followed the publication of the series in august and was also disapoined by how it went. It has a good potential but failed :(

[@zeroyuki92]

I remember reading the first chapter of this and was curious about the direction the manga would take. Quite surprised that it got axed very fast, but learning that the manga simply took the premise nowhere seems to answer my questions about it.

[@sarafontanini7051]

Sometimes stories are axed prematurely for dumb, petty and awful reasons. this is a case where the story ended because even the editors could see it just wasn't good enough to last.

[@Corethegamer007]

As much as this was promising I would still rather read blue period

[@sirsavvier7728]

I remember reading this manga is was rlly enjoyable

[@amandam992]

It gave me the same vibes as the movie “Yesterday”

[@MrZer093]

After reading some of the comments, here’s my two cents that nobody asked for: It probably would have been better if Itsuki was the protagonist instead. Be about a middle school girl who gets bullied but finds solace in manga to the point where she wants to be a mangaka when she grows up and secretly works on a series that she never showed anyone (because she doesn’t have friends to show it to). But one day she finds her concept as a one shot in her favorite magazine with different art and under a different name and she’s crushed. She got plagiarized but not only can’t prove it but would look like the crazy one if she tried (and people believe her own works are just fan doujinshis of the guy’s work). After confronting the man, she comes back more determined than ever to create an even better series to make it so everyone forgets his even existed. Boom! Sympathetic character with a clear defined goal. Probably would be good to also make the guy at least somewhat sympathetic by keeping him the way he is only to get desperate when the future chapters run out and gradually fall into despair as his readers leave him when he has to rely on his own lack of creativity. Just a good descent into madness from a fellow starry eyed youth who wanted to be a mangaka too. Such wasted potential.

[@Lasherluke]

in hindsight, i feel the series could have worked if the main girl was already a ghost who had the main character publish her work and guided him on how she wanted it to go, literally he becomes a ghost writer for a actual ghost. The events of him getting the copy of jump in the future that could of all still happened but the twist is that he finds out that the main girl after looking up her name, is already dead and then she appears as a ghost to him and said "I want you to publish my work for me, become my ghostwriter" because, there are actual ghostwriters in the world and I think that would have avoided the whole plagirisim angle.

[@halfdemonprince]

I think the concept would’ve been a great opportunity to address the sexism in the manga industry. Image if Aino, like Sasaki, kept trying to get her manga published at Shonen Jump but kept getting rejected because they didn’t think a manga written by woman would sell well to their target audience (boys). She could then give up on being a professional manga writer and continue do it as a hobby, only for Sasaki to steal her idea via time travel and reap her rewards. Aino could then confront Sasaki on how unfair it is that he got to live his dream despite being less skilled than she is. They could’ve eventually find some common ground, work together, expose Aino’s talent to the public, and change the manga industry for all future writers. Maybe have Aino start her own successful manga company or be a professor at an art school. It’s a bit cliche, but at least the story would’ve been about something.

[@Lucky_A]

There are many female shounen manga artist btw if u didn't know Example include full metal alchemist and magi

[@HyperGirl81]

I really wished that the ending was him going to the real creator of white knight and admitting everything. Then after that confess that they know the stress of creating a manga and how it can break an artist he knows that because he sees the same stress on her face that was on his. He admits that he came to a road block and he can not surpass that alone and that he wants to start over except this time working together to finish White Knight with Anno given rightful credit. Sure it discards the time travel but it make it more intriguing to see an artist that went from relying on his own work to stealing from another in order to make it and his decline. Sasuke would face negative consequences because of his actions but he would face it and pay the price for them. Sure it would stain his reputation as a manga artist and make it harder for him to get published in the future but I like to think that eventually the experience would make him a better person for it.

[@greenmario3011]

It wasn't good but I think the mangaka could do well in the future. There are a lot of good things and interesting ideas, it just doesn't fit together right and has a lot of failures in execution.

[@sarafontanini7051]

they basically need a stronger idea for a story and more of a defined plot thread to follow

[@Th.Alchemist]

Could have hired the girl to write the story

[@ggaboveaveragegamer]

He tried that and didn’t work

[@CAUKAIETS]

i really liked it