Shinobu Seguchi, the mangaka behind the series Shūjin Riku, recently found himself at the center of a controversy when he asked a fan to take down a colored version of one of his manga panels.
The fan, who goes by the Twitter handle @Atsukyoo, had shared their coloring of the panel and tagged Seguchi in the post, likely hoping for some recognition from the author. However, Seguchi’s response was not what anyone expected.
🌧️ @ShinobuSeguchi pic.twitter.com/6Go2mjsNbd
— Atsu (@Atsukyoo) April 6, 2024
In a tweet, Seguchi expressed his concern that people who saw the colored panel might mistakenly believe that he had colored it himself.
He also criticized the coloring, saying it lacked ingenuity and sense and did not match his intended image. Seguchi drew a clear distinction between this type of fan coloring and fan art that is created from scratch, using his original work as inspiration.
これは僕の描いた線画の絵なので削除してください。この絵を見た人が僕が色を塗ったと間違える可能性があるからです。この色付けは工夫もセンスも無くイメージもまったく違います。僕の絵を見て新たに線画から描き起こして色を塗って描いてくれたファンアートとは訳が違います。
— 瀬口忍 (@ShinobuSeguchi) April 6, 2024
He replied with the following Tweet “This is a line drawing I did, so please delete it. There is a possibility that people who see this picture will mistakenly think that I colored it. This coloring has no ingenuity or sense, and the image is completely different. It is completely different from fan art that was created by someone who saw my picture, drew a new line drawing, and colored it.”
Despite Seguchi’s request, the fan refused to remove the post, arguing that many people have colored the mangaka’s pictures and that it made sense for them to do the same, given their coloring account and the fact that they had signed their work and mentioned the author in their posts.
Seguchi simply responded, “It’s extremely unpleasant,” and the fan coloring remains on Twitter as of now.
For now the situation has not been resolved as the fan coloring is still up on Twitter and the original poster refuses to budge from their point despite many of the commenters asking them to delete the post.
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Many Manga Authors Encourage Fan Coloring
This incident has sparked a wider discussion within the manga community about the acceptability of fan colorings and the proper etiquette for sharing such works.
Many fans have sided with the original poster, pointing to other mangaka who actively encourage fan art and colorings, seeing it as a way to promote their series and engage with their fanbase.
One example that has been brought up is Makoto Yukimura, the author of Vinland Saga, who is known for liking, replying to, and even retweeting fan art and colorings.
The discourse surrounding a mangaka disrespecting someone’s coloring of their work is funny because the Vinland Saga mangaka is just like: pic.twitter.com/oHcOko1PIk
— PridefulSin🫧 (@ReignOfPride) April 9, 2024
The differing attitudes towards fan colorings among mangaka have left fans divided on the issue. Some believe that authors have the right to control how their work is presented and interpreted, while others see fan art and colorings as a form of creative expression and appreciation that should be encouraged, as long as the original creator is properly credited.
What do you think about this situation? Should fan colorings be removed at the request of the mangaka, or was Seguchi wrong to ask the fan to take down their work? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
