Senzensenki author's house flooded, but he still got a double reprint

Writer Ethen, 50, told Oricon News how he experienced the floods that hit his house this summer while working on Senzensenki, the manga he has been publishing in Weekly Shonen Magazine since June. The house, built ten years ago and still under mortgage, came close to being submerged.

"All I can do is laugh now. During a meeting, the kids were yelling in the background and when I looked, the water was up to my feet," he says. The family's main house flooded above floor level, and in the new one water came in from below. Ethen helped evacuate his parents and bailed water for hours, but he never stopped drawing storyboards.

The first volume of Senzensenki came out in September with a reprint before release and another on the day it went on sale. The second arrives in Japanese bookstores on November 17. The series is written by Ethen and drawn by debut artist Ryuga Kawasaki.

From 3,000 rejected storyboards to a double reprint

Before signing with the magazine, Ethen made a living from adult dōjinshi and worked as a character designer at Nippon Ichi Software. He debuted in a commercial magazine after turning 40 with Aka no Grimoire, but later projects never got off the ground. He estimates he went through more than 3,000 rejected storyboards.

"There was a time when nothing got approved and I was at rock bottom. But giving up was not an option," he explains. His goal was to publish in Weekly Shonen Magazine, the magazine of Kyojin no Hoshi and Ashita no Joe, and to have a job he could be proud of in front of his 9- and 5-year-old children.

For this series he decided to hand the art to a younger creator. The magazine's editor-in-chief introduced him to Kawasaki, and Ethen thought his style would connect better with today's audience. The combination of his narrative structure and the debut artist's art has worked: the first volume was reprinted before release and reprinted again on launch day.

A success with the house half-repaired

Repairs for the rain damage are still ongoing, but the author says his mood has completely changed. "Compared to the era of 3,000 rejections, this complaint is a blessing," he says. He adds that the reprint has given him strength to continue: "I have a mortgage and a family. From now on I'll make the story more and more interesting and work for my children."

Senzensenki tells the story of a boy who, after his small country falls to an ambitious king, seeks to become a sennin, a being with supernatural powers, to free his people. The series is still running in the magazine.

Did you know Senzensenki, or is it new to you? Tell us in the comments if these stories of perseverance make you want to give the manga a chance.