Fist of the North Star writer Yoshiyuki Okamura, known under the pen name Buronson, has in recent years been focusing on producing new talent and providing opportunities for aspiring creators at his private manga school Saku Mangasha. However, in parallel to his teaching job, the 78-year-old author says he has been working on new original manga. As Bunshun Online reports, Buronson has many more stories to tell, and has diligently been sending his manga scripts to numerous publishers, though without much luck so far.
Talking to the outlet, Buronson said that “These days, offers don’t come anymore, so I have to bring in the manuscripts myself. And even though nobody wants to use the ones I bring, I really want to see if a work written at my age with my current ability still holds up among modern-day readers. That’s why I’m forcibly bringing in my works to editors. But I think that behind my back they’re just saying, Oh not that old geezer again (laughs).”
But despite the rejections, Buronson doesn’t seem to want to give up just yet. Invigorated by the daily interactions with his students, he explained that he’s been feeling much livelier ever since he established his manga school, and is “still not ready to lose to the youngsters.”
While Too BEAT, the latest manga he’s written for, ended serialization in 2023, Buronson has been actively working on numerous different scripts in hopes to score his next publishing deal. “Recently I’ve been writing a lot of stuff based on my hobbies, which are golf and horse racing. I’m also currently writing a story about a porn actress and a story about a swindler. I think maybe two of my scripts could go well, and it would be nice if they actually get greenlit by the publishers,” he said.
On a related note, Buronson’s manga school was originally based in facilities owned by Saku City in Nagano. However, the writer decided to invest 400 million yen out of his own pocket to build the Saku Mangasha so that the school can continue operating undisturbed, and has even requested to “continue the school as long as the money allows it” in his testament.
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