So why does Special have such an effed up release, anyway?

[Dogasu]

(First of all, apologies to gotpika for basically copying the thread he made a few months ago. Nobody's posted there for a while, so I figured it's alright to post a new one.)

So, Pocket Monsters SPECIAL's release schedule.

Basically...what the hell? Why in the world did anyone ever think it was a good idea to spread out a serialized manga series across two (used to be three!) publications, one of which doesn't even have a regular release schedule? I mean, CoroCoro Ichiban! I get because it's a monthly and all, but Pokemon Fan? A magazine that comes out whenever the hell Shougakukan feels like releasing it? The one that doesn't print the release date of their next issue in the current issue because they haven't decided yet? And the one that doesn't have an official website, or any other sort of web presence whatsoever? Why would you want to run your manga in a magazine that's so shitty at letting its readers know when new issues come out?

And then, if that's not bad enough, they release the series out of order? Oh look, Black's Protoga evolved into an Abagoura, sure was nice of them to spoil that for us!

And oh my God, the graphic novels. The Black and White chapters started in September 2010 and yet there's *still* no graphic novels in sight. What the fuck is the hold up?!? What possible justification could there be for this huge delay between magazine publication and graphic novel? At first I thought that maybe Kusaka Hidenori and Yamamoto Satoshi were just working as part-time mangaka and that they couldn't really commit to anything faster, but that still doesn't explain why their publishing company can't take manga chapters that they finished almost two fucking years ago and bound them together in a book.

The whole release scheme just seems unnecessarily complicated and designed to prevent any normal human being from being able to follow this series. Does anyone have any idea of the reasoning behind all the stupid decisions that make this series such a headache to keep up with?

 

[smalllady]

I'm also very annoyed by how infrequently and out of order the chapters are released. I really wish the chapters were released as frequently and as organized as Bleach chapters are. Okay, maybe once a week is asking too much, but at least have them in order and not all over the place? There's got to be a better magazine for them. :\

 

[Sweet Veil]

The only theory I can come to regarding the multi-split serialization in different magazines is the companies just want people to be *forced* buy more different magazines. More magazines sales, more money. IIRC White's story was mainly serialized from Black's story, so maybe they going with the whole B/W thing, only in serialized form? I don't know, it just seems awfully weird they would go that route if that is the case, especially when White and Black's stories aren't paralleled to each other, but connected to each others and need the others(White specifically) to support and explain things. *Shrugs*

The lack of any graphic novels is quite annoying, I might just chalk it up to laziness or the companies want people to buy the magazines mainly. Graphic novels not being released despite it being nearly 2 years is ridiculous, especially when BW2 is on the rise. A shame cause I really want to read the chapters in non-headache form, I've missed many many events like Zorua, Arti's Gym, Sanyou Gym, Kamitsure's Gym, Yakon's Gym, and Hachiku's Gym. It's quite annoying and irritating at that, because they often unintentionally spoiler future events, Protoga/Emboar being the most recent examples.

 

[Rex Kamex]

Were the chapters (by that I don't mean story arcs) always like this, though? I remember how years ago Netkun had chapter images and small summaries as early as the one where Crys debuted, but not earlier. I wasn't sure if it was published anywhere else before that.

I'm fine with them not releasing B/W arc graphic novels now since I'd rather they release the Hg/Ss ones first. For whatever reason, they don't want to start a story arc as a new series (not that I mind, although I wish each arc would start at the beginning of a volume- they star different characters and all). At least they finished Platinum, although it was really recently. Once they release the B/W arc, I hope they release them at a fast rate. Volumes 8, 9, and 10 were released on the same day in Japan, in fact (although 7 was released around a year and a third earlier), so... yeah.

 

[Dogasu]

Hachiku's Gym.

Hasn't happened yet Black only just entered the Gym in the most recent CoroCoro Ichiban! chapter; he won't actually get around to solving the puzzles and fighting the Gym Leader until the chapter that's released later this month.

I'm fine with them not releasing B/W arc graphic novels now since I'd rather they release the Hg/Ss ones first.

Yeah, I definitely want them to release the series in order. But because they've been dragging their feet so much with these graphic novel releases, they'll be releasing HGSS chapters while everybody else is focusing on BW2. That's fucking ridiculous.

I wonder how the Japanese fans feel about this?

 

[1dbad]

As for magazine releases, the only reason I can think of why the magazines do it that way is (like Gotpika said) for the money. As for why Kusaka and Yamamoto put up with it, they seem to have trouble getting Special in magazines so I think they just try to deal with it for the sake of having it released in a magazine. But honestly, if they can't find a better way to release Special magazine-wise I really wish they would just go the volume-only release route.

As for the volume releases, I can understand it a bit more. The reason for the gap is because the magazines rush them to focus on the current games, but they want to release the volumes in order so that's why they don't jump ahead. The problem is the release rate is too slow. I'm not quite sure why that is though. My guess would be it's either something with the publishers or that they stay so busy with the magazines that they don't get a lot of time to work on the volumes. (since they usually do make a few changes before releasing them, and in the cases of volume 29 and 40, had to make a volume-worth of content from scratch.) The good news is they seem intent on catching up, because they said the volumes will definitely reach BW by the end of this year, so hopefully once they reach that point they'll just mass-release BW volumes until we catch up.

 

[The Violent Tomboy]

Okay, this is how it works.

Pokemon Special is printed out in the Japanese, Nintendo-fied version of Highlights: kid magazines that feature new games and toys. Problem is, there never is enough going on to justify weekly printings, so Pokemon Special is stuck with monthly releases despite the fact the story is long enough to need weekly. The only compromise was to get multiple magazines to keep up with the games. And because PokeSpe has to run alongside of the games, it can't just go straight to the volumes because that would take too long and happen way after the hype is over. This is why other Pokemon manga usually get canceled or are only a volume long.

 

[1dbad]

Problem is, there never is enough going on to justify weekly printings, so Pokemon Special is stuck with monthly releases despite the fact the story is long enough to need weekly. The only compromise was to get multiple magazines to keep up with the games.

Ahhhh, that makes sense. It's just too bad that only one of the magazines they have is monthly.

And because PokeSpe has to run alongside of the games, it can't just go straight to the volumes because that would take too long and happen way after the hype is over. This is why other Pokemon manga usually get canceled or are only a volume long.

Yeah, I know it can't, and I realize volume-only releases might not be a good move to make either. Was just saying it would be nice is all, haha.

 

[Dogasu]

So why don't Kusaka and Yamamoto get their manga printed in a weekly magazine instead?

As for magazine releases, the only reason I can think of why the magazines do it that way is (like Gotpika said) for the money.

But wouldn't you think they could get more money if they released the series in a way that the average fan could actually *follow*?

I imagine there's been a significant number of people who have gone "fuck dealing with this, I'll just wait for the graphic novels," after all. And why wouldn't they?

My guess would be it's either something with the publishers

Yeah, they're fucking lazy.

or that they stay so busy with the magazines that they don't get a lot of time to work on the volumes.

Just about all their contemporaries do weekly series *and* graphic novels in the same amount of time. I refuse to believe that Kusaka and Yamamoto are so busy doing their measely two chapters a month (if that!) that they don't have the extra time to draw a graphic novel cover here or a character bio page there.

If they're just doing this manga as a part-time gig, then yeah, maybe I can give them some leeway. Do we have any reason to believe that this may be the case? Or are they doing this manga full-time and are just really, really lazy?

(since they usually do make a few changes before releasing them, and in the cases of volume 29 and 40, had to make a volume-worth of content from scratch.)

It doesn't take two years to make a single volume's worth of content. Japanese manga typically takes a week per chapter, so with that in mind, Kusaka and Yamamoto are only working two weeks out of the month. They should have plenty of time during the other half of the month to work on additional content.

And because PokeSpe has to run alongside of the games, it can't just go straight to the volumes because that would take too long and happen way after the hype is over.

They released a volume based on Platinum more than two years after that game's ceased to be relevant. Their current strategy obviously needs some work.

 

[Saiga]

Yeah, PokeSpe has an absolutely awful release schedule, and it's really off-putting for me. I stopped reading after the Emerald arc because the Platinum arc still wasn't wrapped out, which is pretty crazy. Got into it now that volume 40 has been released, and I'm hoping they pick up the pace again with the novels.

A weekly serialization would be a blessing for the manga, as they could actually wrap up the stories in time for the next pair of games rather than stopping the arc short and leaving it hanging while they work on the newest released games. As it is now they have to work on current chapters while also going back and finishing the previous arcs, before the volumes can catch up.

 

[Silktree]

If they're just doing this manga as a part-time gig, then yeah, maybe I can give them some leeway. Do we have any reason to believe that this may be the case? Or are they doing this manga full-time and are just really, really lazy?

It is definitely their full-time job, unless they're very shy about their real professions. Their Wikipedia pages only mention Kusaka being an editor for Pokémon Fan (which as you said is released very infrequently) and Yamamoto working on some other manga series for a year (starting from April 2010). That's almost nothing.

Why not tweet one or both of them? I am sure that they won't mind the question as long as you don't imply that they're lazy, although they appear to be just that.

 

[The Violent Tomboy]

The Platinum chapters still ran in the magazines during the hype.

 

[Hidden Mew]

The release schedule for Special is pretty ridiculous. Even with running some of the chapters of a current video games in the magazine, I don't think it should take them this long to release the volumes. The fact that they just finished the Platinum arc and are about to start with the HG/SS volumes when there's hype for B2/W2 is just sad. Even though it probably would be problematic in terms of releasing the chapters around the time of the video games, I kind of wish that they would just release the series as a graphic novel instead of having two chapters or so a month in those magazines. At least they would be able to include the whole story from the start, instead of doing a few chapters during the magazine run and then adding more content for the volumes, and the English versions of the volumes could come out even sooner, especially for the B/W volumes.

 

[Rex Kamex]

That Special feeling you get when you realize what the publication schedule's like.

At least they would be able to include the whole story from the start, instead of doing a few chapters during the magazine run and then adding more content for the volumes,

Adding, or simply changing content from the magazines is another issue that makes getting the magazines a problem. Not saying the changes themselve

I really hope B/W has a faster volume release schedule. Fortunately a new volume comes out this month in Japan, for Hg/Ss. Soon afterward'll be B/W, which I assume will have more frequent volume releases. But what's going to happen when B2/W2 comes along? I reaaaaaally doubt B2/W2 stuff will simply be added onto the B/W saga.

I'm also curious as to how much Kusaka (and I guess Yamamoto) plan ahead/pace themselves/etc.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

If I were purchasing the magazines to read the manga, I'd definitely start to get fed up with the way things are being ordered and being serialized in multiple magazines. As Dogasu pointed out, I'd probably just give up entirely on the series. I mean, what with it being serialized in multiple magazines and barely catching up with the volume releases, it would just be too much to bare with. Heck, I'm confused by it all even though I don't buy magazines. Even then, the latest arcs have not been that great really. I think only the RBY and GSC arcs were good.

But that's not the point of this thread. I'm just as confused as the next guy about this whole fucked up ordeal, and I'm not quite sure what's with the hold up.

Unless this all has something to do with copyrights, and getting Nintendo's approval. I know that UDON has to consult Capcom on pretty much every single thing in regards to their Capcom-based publications, which is why so many of their publications are always being delayed. But it's not really their fault since they have to wait for word to come back first.

 

[Aestivate]

I can't stand this convoluted releasing that I've absolutely refused to continue reading the series (even though I've spoiled myself silly with major events) until there is some semblance of order. It's baffling to me how the consolidated tenkobon volumes could somehow still just have barely touched HGSS is baffling to me. And don't get me started on the utter ridiculousness that is the BW chapter.

 

[Dogasu]

Why not tweet one or both of them? I am sure that they won't mind the question as long as you don't imply that they're lazy, although they appear to be just that.

I might just do that.

The Platinum chapters still ran in the magazines during the hype.

I know that. What I'm saying is that the graphic novels don't come out until way after the hype has died down.

Pocket Monsters Platinum is nearly four years old (September 2008) at this point. These graphic novels should have come out *years* ago.

Unless this all has something to do with copyrights, and getting Nintendo's approval.

They wouldn't have to get any more approval than any other manga out there.

And I mean, really, if Viz can get the green light to make their own Black and White graphic novels, there's no reason to believe that the original authors of the thing would have any problems with getting Nintendo's approval.

 

[Rex Kamex]

Whatever they're doing, it isn't updating Netkun's gallery...

While it doesn't have to do with the graphic novels and chapters themselves, I feel like I might as well mention the Gallery page on Netkun's site for this series. It mainly has many of the front and back covers for this series, from Volume 10 onward. It hasn't updated in I don't know how long, but more than just a few months. They've got plenty of more recent volumes to put pictures up on, so it's not like they've run out of content.

 

[Eitarou]

Whatever they're doing, it isn't updating Netkun's gallery...

While it doesn't have to do with the graphic novels and chapters themselves, I feel like I might as well mention the Gallery page on Netkun's site for this series. It mainly has many of the front and back covers for this series, from Volume 10 onward. It hasn't updated in I don't know how long, but more than just a few months. They've got plenty of more recent volumes to put pictures up on, so it's not like they've run out of content.

It hasn't updated since 2008. However, from what I hear, volume 40 indicates that the gallery will update soon.

 

[Kiyomaro]

I really hope the gallery does update soon, considering it still has [NEW] tags next to pictures from the Emerald arc. It'd be nice if we see those colored images from volume 40 in full seeing as to how they were thrown into a collage in the volume, but any sort of update to it would be appreciated by this point.