SRZ (School Rumble Z) Manga discussion

[kenjiharima]

If SRZ doesn't give a good chapter after 8 more chapters I'll go for Natsu no Arashi. Just hope SRZ is not ALWAYS the gag manga, but has some elements of what school rumble use to be. Harima can end up with either Yakumo or Eri. Or Yakumo can end up with Hanai or Hanai can end up with Akira that stuff. It'll be a great relief to see JUST A LITTLE of those things.

[ColdFury]

Let's be reasonable, guys...

This is the second chapter. On the last chapter there was a survey asking where fans wanted SRZ to go. It would take time for him to get results back from the survey, and then he'd have to formulate plans, or adapt his story plans to the needs of the fans.

If he is honestly listening to the survey, then it was unreasonable to expect SRZ to start its main story in this chapter. We should hold out hope that within the next couple of chapters we'll see the end of these 'natural' chapters, and go back towards the a or b story chapters.

I'm not saying that these chapters have not been disappointing. I also agree that the lack of communication with his fans about where he is taking the series is downright stupid of him. And the naysayers may be correct, this may never be anything but a gag manga until its cancellation. But at this point it is too early to simply write it off, though I can certainly understand not waiting with baited breath at this point. Ask yourself, what purpose would the survey hold if he wasn't intending to follow one of those paths?

So let's try to hold in the cynicism and the declarations that the end is upon us until we can be sure.

[OctaBech]

Originally Posted by ColdFury

On the last chapter there was a survey asking where fans wanted SRZ to go.

Now that I like hearing, I really hope they will publish the result. I do not remember having been so enthralled by an Anime/manga story before.

[Freeter]

Originally Posted by ColdFury

On the last chapter there was a survey asking where fans wanted SRZ to go. It would take time for him to get results back from the survey, and then he'd have to formulate plans, or adapt his story plans to the needs of the fans.

Why the hell would he need a survey when he left that huge plot hole dangling in SR?

It's obvious what the fans want. Jin is just trolling everyone.

[kenjiharima]

I dunno if he's enjoying what he's doing, but one things for sure, an ending like that hurts alot more when animated...

I'll wait for few more chapters of SRZ until it develops back to the REAL school rumble and not SRZ which is an excuse to put more comedy B.chapters.

[moshika]

Spoiler for shonen magazine special:

[taichikun14]

Originally Posted by moshika

Spoiler for shonen magazine special:

Wow that's a great cover I know Tenma isn't the bustiest of characters, but she's just so cute!

[ColdFury]

Originally Posted by Freeter

Why the hell would he need a survey when he left that huge plot hole dangling in SR?

It's obvious what the fans want. Jin is just trolling everyone.

See, it's not obvious what fans want unless you talk to them. Surveys are a great way to talk to them.

I understand you're frustrated, I am as well. But let's not be ridiculous. Either one of two things has happened.

A.) This is Filler until he gets his act together for whatever reasons unknown to us.

B.) He really wants to do a comedy manga starring the SRZ characters.

The translated survey at the end of chapter 1 would suggest A. But professional writers do not 'troll' their fanbases. Let's keep the disappointment rational.

[Freeter]

Originally Posted by ColdFury

See, it's not obvious what fans want unless you talk to them. Surveys are a great way to talk to them.

Or you can visit the world's largest message board and gauge their reactions to your work. 5000+ responses and you still need a survey? Does Jin live in a cave?

This is Filler until he gets his act together

If he had everything together in the first place SR wouldn't be in the mess that it is now.

He really wants to do a comedy manga starring the SRZ characters

But he already did just that. It was called School Rumble

professional writers do not 'troll' their fanbases

They also know how to write satisfying conclusions. Jin should learn from them.

[Lumine]

looks like he learned a lot from Rumiko Takahashi.

[aohige]

"professional writers do not 'troll' their fanbases"
You obviously have never heard of a certain great (lolwut) manga artist named Man-gatarou.

There HAS been plenty of "professional" manga artist that trolled or threw a fit at the reader base, and either wrote crappy manga in pissed-off state, or ran off.
They usually dissapear into obsecurity and never seen again in the field.
However, there are few who makes it his style and sticks with it (like the great Man-Gatarou sensei) and there are those who are fairly sucessful, despite their arrogant attiitude towards everyone.
Tatsuya Egawa for one. I don't understand why he can stick around in the manga industry after so much bullshit he's spewed both on TV and in his manga.
He is by far the most hated manga artist in the industry (both by his peers and manga readers), period. Of course, I guess that could be a status on its own...
Don't think every "professional manga artist" adhere to professional standards, ColdFury.
In my 30+ years of manga reading, I've witnessed quite a few that doesn't deserve the respect.

I hope a year down the road, we don't see....

Let's be reasonable, guys...

This is only the 12th chapter.

[christinemarie]

He want's to follow Sorachi's Gintama?

[Darknemo2000]

Originally Posted by ColdFury

But professional writers do not 'troll' their fanbases.

I have an impression that think mangaka's to be gods, without human faults... Sorry, but they are humans...They get pissed-off and do troll their manga-readers, usually they run-off after that but some like Man-Gatarou remain, making a trolling their style.

For your information there are Japanese forums like chans where you can get plenty of information what fans like or not. And if you get thousands of hate comments after the manga ending you have to understand that you did something wrong...

[OctaBech]

Before this thread get too heated! Isn't there a chance that he need this poll to convince his publisher?

I mean like in the Anime/manga and the rest of the world the artist doesn't poses full control, unless one is named Spielber... no wait, George Lucas.

[ColdFury]

Certainly, there are bad eggs in the world that do bad things. And I am not as versed in the history of mangaka hissy fits as others. But I do think it is too early to tell in the case of School Rumble.

One of the problems with the Internet, is people on the Internet overvalue their opinions. ^_^ A message board forum, no matter how big, is not an unbiased sample of the views of your readership. The internet is always going to be a minority of the works' readership. There are plenty of people who know how to read who won't go to that forum, or use the internet much at all.

And you also have to recall that the Internet is like anything else... you will see 10 pissed off people for every 1 satisfied person you see, simply because the other satisfied people don't feel the need to talk about it, regardless to the actual ratio of happy to mad readers the manga has.

So no, an internet forum is not the best way to get marketing research data, no matter how much we'd like it to be.

And remember guys, I'm not saying anyone is wrong here. I'm saying let's see what the next two chapters bring. If chapters 3 & 4 continue the random parodies with no word from the author as to a return to more traditional SR fair, I will be right there with you on the abandon ship train. Right now I'm simply reminding everyone that the situation isn't as dire as some of the comments suggest, yet.

[CaptainSmoker]

Originally Posted by Freeter

Why the hell would he need a survey when he left that huge plot hole dangling in SR?

It's obvious what the fans want. Jin is just trolling everyone.

I have to agree with freeter, KJ isn’t stupid he knows his entire fan base yearns for something we can identify as an ending. KJ has a strange fan base (yes us) I don’t think any other fan base in the manga world is as starved yet tolerant as us. I keep coming back in search of some sort of redemption only to be slapped with nonsensical humor and resets. I think SR fans see the potential of the series yet the author refuses to capitalize upon it. He persistently ignores the fanbase and pulls off these ridiculous parodies and other useless gags, he’s simply trolling everyone. If you keep feeding your dog nothing but bare bone you‘ll have one angry puppy in no time, its about time to see some the meat!

Originally Posted by ColdFury

And remember guys, I'm not saying anyone is wrong here. I'm saying let's see what the next two chapters bring. If chapters 3 & 4 continue the random parodies with no word from the author as to a return to more traditional SR fair, I will be right there with you on the abandon ship train. Right now I'm simply reminding everyone that the situation isn't as dire as some of the comments suggest, yet.

I don’t know much about the manga industry and how it works but marketing is pretty simple, you cant market a product no one likes. I just believed it to be common sense that a manga that is only published once per month needs to deliver to its fan base consistently or they too will abandon it, these parodies are not swaying in new readers… its pushing readers away!!! No matter how funny they are… it seems at this rate Srz will be canceled before it can even have a chance to return to its old glory.

To me It would be very strange if Srz shifts randomly back to the original plot in a later chapter at this point wouldn't it? If we were to have a sudden return to the main story line in chapter 4, for example, how can anyone blame fans for jumping ship? I think Srz is entirely a parody series unfortunately. At this point I believe KJ is determined to see this parody stuff through but may decide to return to SR’s story in a Harima Rumble series or something in the future.

Oh and yakumo is dazzling in anything she wears (regaurding the new cover)

[ColdFury]

Originally Posted by CaptainSmoker

I have to agree with freeter, KJ isn’t stupid he knows his entire fan base yearns for something we can identify as an ending. KJ has a strange fan base (yes us) I don’t think any other fan base in the manga world is as starved yet tolerant as us. I keep coming back in search of some sort of redemption only to be slapped with nonsensical humor and resets. I think SR fans see the potential of the series yet the author refuses to capitalize upon it. He persistently ignores the fanbase and pulls off these ridiculous parodies and other useless gags, he’s simply trolling everyone. If you keep feeding your dog nothing but bare bone you‘ll have one angry puppy in no time, its about time to see some the meat!

I love how, in the same paragraph, you say that KJ isn't stupid, but that he's a troll. ^_^

I understand that the ending to SR was frustrating. I *get* that. And I know that, after that ending, having the release schedule shift to monthly and to get two parody chapters in a row is rough. But to say 'I keep coming back' after two chapters is a bit over-reactive, that's all I'm saying.

Let me be theoretical for a second, here. He ended the manga in an odd spot. In a perfect world the ending would've been better, but maybe he wanted to give SR a nice capstone that ended Tenma's story. Now that it's over, he takes a break and writes some parody chapters as filler while he works on the main story. He does a survey to see which aspect of School Rumble people like the most. I understand that on the interwebs people love the Harima/Eri/Yakumo, and I concur with that sentiment, but maybe he wanted to get some up to date info from people who weren't forum goers.

Now he has that information, sees how popular each aspect of school rumble is from something of a broader sample, and now is writing new chapters that accentuate what he thinks the fans want to see. And when his filler parodies run out, we'll be away with a new story.

This is theoretical guess work on my part, you could even call it fantasy. I certainly hope its true. It is just as likely, if not moreso, than the "He is a troll lol" theory.

I don’t know much about the manga industry and how it works but marketing is pretty simple, you cant market a product no one likes. I just believed it to be common sense that a manga that is only published once per month needs to deliver to its fan base consistently or they too will abandon it, these parodies are not swaying in new readers… its pushing readers away!!! No matter how funny they are… it seems at this rate Srz will be canceled before it can even have a chance to return to its old glory.

To me It would be very strange if Srz shifts randomly back to the original plot in a later chapter at this point wouldn't it? If we were to have a sudden return to the main story line in chapter 4, for example, how can anyone blame fans for jumping ship? I think Srz is entirely a parody series unfortunately. At this point I believe KJ is determined to see this parody stuff through but may decide to return to SR’s story in a Harima Rumble series or something in the future.

People who write things are not necessarily marketing geniuses. I agree, from a marketing perspective this is a moderate disaster. Even under my 'dream scenario' above, it's foolish of him not to communicate more clearly that the main story will continue, if it does so.

However, to say that he's pushing readers away based on internet forum feedback is not necessarily accurate. Internet forum traffic doesn't always reflect sales. Even on the aforementioned 4chan, I'm sure, when it comes down to it, most of the noise on any School Rumble thread comes from under 50 people. And that's hardly indicative of market trends. It's indicative of those 50 people's opinion.

I'm too lazy to go look this up, but I believe there was three designations for chapters in School Rumble, A plot, B plot, and one that was used for a group plot once. They were based on musical annotation, IIRC. sharp, flat, natural, not necessarily in that order. The chapters thus far, if forum info I recall reading is accurate, have been notated as being natural chapters, I think. So it is conceivable that when the story picks back up, we may see a 'Sharp' or 'Flat' chapter 1 that starts the story.

And again, this is hopeful thinking on my part. However the main evidence I have for this is the survey, it fits. And it just seems more likely than accusing this brilliant author who wrote this story that we love of not 'getting' his own story. Or of accusing him of 'trolling' his fans by writing an all parody series from here on out.

In all likelihood the correct answer is probably either mine, or that he is doing parodies from now on for a certain reason, whether it be he got tired of School Rumble, that it got canceled and the editors of the new magazine wanted a parody manga and he just threw this together, or some other reason. He certainly isn't doing something he thinks will be unsuccessful in order to piss off his fan base.

I'm just asking for a bit of rational thought here guys. I know that reading Parody Rumble after the ending School Rumble had is tough, but let's not lose all reason or give up on hope just yet.

[Freeter]

Originally Posted by ColdFury

In a perfect world the ending would've been better, but maybe he wanted to give SR a nice capstone that ended Tenma's story.

Why would we need to be in a "perfect" world to get a better, conclusive ending to SR? You're giving Jin far too much credit.

Tenma's story could've been addressed anytime. However, Eri's story was just as important, and hers didn't have to be sacrificed just so Tenma could get closure (if you can even call it that).

I understand that on the interwebs people love the Harima/Eri/Yakumo, and I concur with that sentiment, but maybe he wanted to get some up to date info from people who weren't forum goers.

Now he has that information, sees how popular each aspect of school rumble is from something of a broader sample, and now is writing new chapters that accentuate what he thinks the fans want to see. And when his filler parodies run out, we'll be away with a new story.

This is theoretical guess work on my part, you could even call it fantasy. I certainly hope its true. It is just as likely, if not moreso, than the "He is a troll lol" theory.

It's not just that they "loved" it, but an important development had surfaced and Jin put the lid on it without any explanation. You don't have to be an interwebber to realize the grave error that he made.

Internet forum traffic doesn't always reflect sales. Even on the aforementioned 4chan, I'm sure, when it comes down to it, most of the noise on any School Rumble thread comes from under 50 people. And that's hardly indicative of market trends. It's indicative of those 50 people's opinion.

4chan =/= 2chan. The former is barely 1/10th of what the latter is.

And again, this is hopeful thinking on my part. However the main evidence I have for this is the survey, it fits. And it just seems more likely than accusing this brilliant author who wrote this story that we love of not 'getting' his own story. Or of accusing him of 'trolling' his fans by writing an all parody series from here on out.

Jin a "brilliant author"? I was right, you do give him too much credit

If he's so great, why would he need a survey to dictate where the plot goes? Why not actually plan ahead and have the series go in the direction he wants instead of being reliant on feedback?

he is doing parodies from now on for a certain reason, whether it be he got tired of School Rumble, that it got canceled and the editors of the new magazine wanted a parody manga and he just threw this together, or some other reason. He certainly isn't doing something he thinks will be unsuccessful in order to piss off his fan base.

If he grew tired of SR, wouldn't that concur with him wanting to aggravate his fanbase as a result of souring his interest? The possibility is there, just as all of the aforementioned options.

let's not lose all reason or give up on hope just yet

Sorry, but you shouldn't have to wait 5 chapters in for an actual story to surface. It should hit the ground running from the get-go.

[kenjiharima]

The thing that pissed fans off is the manga's sudden end with out resolutions to the other characters and the main characters. If KJ gets back to the main storyline and lessen the jokes he might gain back the trust of the fans.

I am more depressed and sad now than angry after seeing the end animated since I feel KJ didn't wanted it to end YET.

[Solafighter]

Originally Posted by kenjiharima

The thing that pissed fans off is the manga's sudden end with out resolutions to the other characters and the main characters. If KJ gets back to the main storyline and lessen the jokes he might gain back the trust of the fans.

I am more depressed and sad now than angry after seeing the end animated since I feel KJ didn't wanted it to end YET.

Would be pretty easy to find a way, to take a look into KJ´s head. Many questions would be answered and perhaps even hope could come back.