Does anyone know enough about the authors of the manga we love so much that they could share their insight into the love lives of mangakas and the authors of light-novels? I would really like to know if the average mangaka can hold on to a marriage for a significant amount of time (more than 7 years) or even if they are able to hold a significant other for more than a few months. I'm wondering if this is why so few mangakas can write realistic and engaging stories about couples that actually get past the point of acknowledging that they both like each other and into the workings of a healthy romantic relationship. I am asking this question because I was looking for a manga or light-novel that isn't hentai, fan-service, or harem and features a somewhat realistic look into the life of a relatable married couple, and needless to say, I did not find much of anything useful.

Your thoughts?

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well I hope I don't get flamed for that, but that's not your typical target audience...
I remember some poll here where over 80% were single... and not being single doesn't mean you are already married...
I guess it is easier to present the fun of finding someone special instead of showing the married life of such a couple... Pretty high risk as the only people that could really discern if something is realistic are a niche group, and lots of people tend to read to avoid reality instead of having to face it (or at least be able to dream about something). I mean romance in general is already blown way out of proportions in literature^^
But it sells.

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in need of romance?
uncommon, sad, sweet

weeelll the mangaka of Sailor Moon is married to the mangaka of Hunter x Hunter. lol. and they're both rollin' in the dough. idk how long they've been married though haha

but i think part of the fun in these "unrealistic romance" stories is because it is unrealistic. if i want something realistic i can just go out and see it for myself. Manga is fiction.... it's all for entertainment.


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WEBTOONS ヽ( ★ω★)ノ

@Sogno, are you serious!?!!!!!? They are married? Sweet child of mine! That's to much manga making talent for a child to bear, if you ask me.
So would you guys say it's more of a marketing strategy than a default due to a lack of experience?

Last edited by zimzimbadabim at 3:40 pm, May 30 2014

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yup, serious as i can be. ^^ lol about the manga child, it'd make an interesting manga about a kid whose parents are famous mangakas who pressure art/writing onto their child but he/she doesn't want anything to do with manga XD

i'd say it's more of a marketing strategy. I mean, just look at all those silly romance novels in bookstores -- i'm sure several of those authors have had experience (i.e., Nicholas Sparks is married). But making up stuff you'd like to see in real life is just more fun. ^^

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WEBTOONS ヽ( ★ω★)ノ

In Spicy Pink, which has a shoujo mangaka protagonist, the protagonist's friend says that she should try to gain more dating experience in order to write about love and men more realistically; the protagonist responds by saying that real men aren't the type the target audience is interested in reading about.

I recommend checking out Yoningurashi. It's cute, though the chapters are extremely short.

Well I like reading realistic manga, but I know I am in the minority. And the evidence for that is in the obvious lack of realistic manga.

I don't know about the real lives of mangaka, but I'm guessing that the reason realistic relationships, specifically marriages, aren't written about more often is just because not that many manga readers are into it. I think that the majority of readers are younger (teenage and early 20s), so they wouldn't be able to relate to manga about marriages anyway.