VIZ Originals Creator Newsletter, Edition 1

Your source for in-depth interviews, mangaka spotlights, and rare looks behind the worlds you create. 

By VIZ Media June 04, 2025

The official VIZ Originals Creator newsletter is the place for exclusive interviews with editors, spotlights on your fellow mangaka, and close looks at the Originals and one-shots that you work so hard to produce. 

In our inaugural issue, One-Shots editor Hisashi SASAKI discusses the program from a bird’s-eye view, “Cinematic Certitude” creator Naf dissects an action scene, and, since portfolio reviews are open once again, we give you some tips to put your best foot forward when presenting your work to an editor for review.

CONTENTS: 
In Conversation With Manga Editor Hisashi SASAKI
Are You Ready for Your Portfolio Review?
In the Spotlight -“Cinematic Certitude”

In Conversation With Manga Editor Hisashi SASAKI


Renowned former Weekly Shonen Jump editor-in-chief Hisashi SASAKI leads our one-shots program, personally helping mangaka refine their works and make them the best they can be. We’re going to be digging into his career and body of knowledge over the next few months in this wide-ranging interview. Vizoneshot Hisashi01 1200x630 

What is exciting about the one-shot format, compared to a series with a longer story?

HISASHI SASAKI: The biggest difference between one-shots and longer series is that one-shots allow us to try our hand at publishing a much larger variety of works. I’m very happy to be able to provide publishing opportunities to so many mangakas. But other than that, there is no difference. In both cases, characters are the most important element, and you win if you can make the audience want to read more.


In Japan, rather than suddenly starting a series, it is common practice to try out a one-shot with the same characters and world settings and see how audiences react. This is not to say that if a work is unpopular as a one-shot, it will never be serialized; rather, we—mangakas and editors—often carefully analyze why it was not popular, correct the direction, and then start serializing it.

Serializing manga is a very difficult job, both mentally and physically. If mangakas have to go through such a tough time to serialize their work, then I want it to become popular to justify their efforts. In order to increase the probability even a little, we first check audiences’ reactions to their work with a one-shot.

This one-shot program was started with the aim of transplanting a system that has been successful in Japan to the United States. I hope that some of the published one-shots will be serialized as soon as possible, and at the same time, I want our audience to enjoy the various one-shots by different mangakas. 

A pitch for a one-shot includes some art and the overall gist of the story, but it’s usually unfinished. What makes a pitch for a one-shot catch your attention? What are you looking for, and how do you judge its potential? 

SASAKI: The one-shot pitch includes complete thumbnails and character designs. I don’t specifically look for this element or that element. This is because when I review one-shot thumbnails, what I am looking for is to gain a sense of who the mangaka is, not the manga itself.

Also, I do not expect a “perfect” work at the one-shot pitch stage. Rather, I’m attracted to mangakas who have potential and room for growth. For example, even if the story isn’t great, maybe the drawings are excellent, or there are characters you can’t take your eyes off even though the story doesn’t make sense, or the drawings aren’t great, but you’re drawn into the story, etc…I would like to meet and talk with mangakas when I read those thumbnails. 

One-shots are often standalone stories, which means creators have just one chance to hook the audience. When it comes to editing, what ingredients go into making a good one-shot? 

SASAKI: The most important element in a manga is the characters. This is true for both one-shots as well as longer series. I think one-shots can be said to be a forum for mangakas to present their characters to the audience. The characters are created entirely by the mangakas, and there is little room for editing. However, as an editor, I want mangakas to think about, know, understand, and love their characters more deeply than anyone else. 

Are there any lessons that new comics creators should learn from the format? 

SASAKI: Compiling a one-shot within a limited number of pages (20 to 50 pages for VIZ) requires organizational skills. This is an absolutely necessary skill to maintain even after you begin serializing your work.

In the age of digital publishing, it seems that the physical restriction on the number of pages has disappeared, but even if you draw hundreds of pages of what you want to draw, it doesn’t mean that the audience will read your one-shot. Their time is limited. And if they don’t read it, all those extra pages and effort won’t matter.

Practicing how to organize your manga into a set number of pages from early on will definitely come in handy in the future.


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Are You Ready for Your Portfolio Review?


Portfolio reviews are a great chance to get your work in front of manga editors and receive honest, detailed feedback. These are our portfolio guidelines:

Artists:

  • Samples of sequential works that best highlight your art style and storytelling
  • Best works that showcase composition, character expressions, and scene details
  • Include finished pieces, not only sketch or concept work
  • Include original character art pieces – some fan work is okay

Writers:

  • Samples of sequential works that best highlight your writing and story ideas
  • List your creative writing work – prose and fan work are okay
  • VIZ Originals can only consider writing samples in English at this time

Here are some additional tips (in no particular order) to help you get the most out of the experience.
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What’s the purpose of your portfolio review?

Do you want an honest, in-depth critique of your work, your overall art style, or something else? Are you pitching a one-shot or a longer original work? The more you know about what your own goals are, the better you’ll be able to ask questions in order to receive the most helpful advice. If you aren’t sure of your goals, choosing one aspect of your work or story and zeroing in on that is a good and safe place to start.

Pin-ups are nice, but storytelling is crucial.

A detailed drawing of your favorite original character may be a great way to show off your drawing skills, but it isn’t the best way to showcase your storytelling abilities. Lead with your comics pages, particularly the ones with high-impact action scenes and subtle acting. Show us how good you are at using your artistic skills to tell a great story.

Tell us about your work, and lead with your passion.

Do you want to draw romance? Action? Slapstick comedy? What motivates you? What energizes you? Share your influences, techniques, and dreams with us, and that will help us tailor our feedback to best meet your needs.

One-shots aren’t the same thing as first chapters.

Speaking of knowing your goals—are you seeking to be published in an ongoing publication or a one-shot? Different types of stories have different requirements, so be sure to have a thorough idea of what you intend to do when you present your work for review.

Seek actionable advice.

A portfolio review is, above all else, a chance to learn from someone with experience. You may leave the review with new insight into your work, or a small list of things to practice that will help you grow. The most important thing is to make sure you leave with advice you can use. If you feel unsure about some aspect of your art, ask about it! Reviews are geared toward sharing feedback to help you achieve your goals, so don’t be afraid to ask questions about anything you’re curious or concerned about!

Upcoming Portfolio Reviews:

Sign-ups for portfolio reviews will be opening soon. If you’re attending either of these conventions, stay tuned for more information!



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In The Spotlight - “Cinematic Certitude”

VIZ Originals and the One-Shots program are home to some of the finest storytelling around. In this ongoing feature, we’ll examine some of the coolest moments and what was on the mangaka’s mind while they were creating them. In this inaugural letter, we speak to Naf, creator of “Cinematic Certitude”!

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You’re having fun with some classic storytelling ideas, tropes, and jokes in “Cinematic Certitude.” What kind of works influenced you or were on your mind going into this project?

NAF: “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” I thought that this cliche trope was kind of amusing, that’s when I had the idea to write this story. BLAME! (Tsutomu Nihei), Ajin: Demi-Human (Gamon Sakurai), and the SCP web series are the main inspirations for this one-shot.

Two characters in this story wear masks, which means a lot of their personality is delivered via dialogue as well as body language. How would you describe their differing personalities?

NAF: In many stories, you often see faceless foot soldiers slaughtered by the dozens without much significance. Hey, they’re humans too! Captain is a blunt, calculated, no-nonsense type while Spinner is more casual, boisterous, and fun loving. Regardless, they’re both professionals who are good friends and work well together.

What moment or bit of storytelling are you most proud of in “Cinematic Certitude,” now that you’ve got some distance from it? Is there anything that makes you think, "Yeah, I nailed that"?

NAF: I think my favorite part of “Cinematic Certitude” has to be the intro. In a one-shot, you only have a limited number of pages to set up the mood, the setting of the story, introduce the characters and their goals, etc. I’m pretty satisfied with the way I did this in the first four pages of “Cinematic Certitude” by just showing what’s happening without too much exposition.

I quite liked the pacing of this one, the way you transition from spooky, relatively simple panels early on to ones that are flooded with sound and visual effects. The dialogue drops out during the fight scene, too. How do you plan a sequence like this? Were there certain panels that you were particularly excited to draw? Did you always plan for the fight scene panels to happen without dialogue?

NAF: Yes, pacing is one of the most important aspects of manga in my opinion. I put a lot of thought into how panels link together, and how to transition between shots and scenes to make the reading experience as seamless as possible. I want the reader to think about the story, not about how the story is presented to them. In the shooting sequence, I want to show them that everything is happening really fast, that and how oppressively loud gunshots can sound and feel in a small space. Naturally there isn’t going to be a lot of talking in such a situation. Plus, I want to show that these guys work well together, and they don’t need to talk much to cooperate. The money shots of this sequence are the panels where Spinner unloads his guns on the monster. Those were very fun to draw.

I like the hints of a greater world that are shown to the audience throughout the story, like the autopsy at the end. Can you share some of your worldbuilding with us? What is this world like, outside of the lens of this story? Is this a one-off setting, or do you think you’ll return to it in the future sometime?

NAF: I’m glad you noticed! This one-shot is very much inspired by the SCP web series. In that series, there are multiple organizations and entities that work with paranormal anomalies that appear in the world. They all have different philosophies and ideals and would frequently come into conflicts with one another. I wanted to show that there are larger forces at play behind the scenes and these agents are just a small part of the entire operation. If there’s a chance in the future, I’d love to go deeper and showcase the organization they work for and how they deal with these anomalies. The one-shot is just a small mission that serves as a short and sweet glimpse into this world.

Do you have any comments for your audience?

NAF: Thanks for reading! I hope that with programs like VIZ Originals, all of us will be able to enjoy more manga by creators from all over the world!



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