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Answerman - Why Do Manga Artists Prefer To Stay Anonymous?

Because everyone, in Japan anyways, was expecting Buso Renkin to be another Rurouni Kenshin and was disappointed when it couldn't live up to the same impossible standards that Kenshin set. If Watsuki had used a different name it might have been judged on its own merits and therefore lasted longer then 9-10 volumes

I was thinking about a same comparison; I learned the faces of Stan Lee and Steve Dikto long before the face of the Green Goblin.

For a western example of why someone might not want their name published, or why they might regret doing so:
George R.R. Martin got tons of letters from fans who were/are afraid that he'd die before finishing A Song Of Ice And Fire (ala Robert Jordan) to the point where he got fed up with it and posted a video of him flipping them off.
On a more professional note Imagine having every work you create judged not by its own merits but by the merits of what you did before. Apparently J.K. Rowling still publishes new works sometime. But she publishes them under a pseudonym to prevent them from being compared with Harry Potter against which they would undoubtedly fall short.

I could see why some mangakas would want to keep their identity hidden. I would hate to see one of my favorite authors bugged from a fan of their works. I do have a question though, isn't this also evident in the idol industry? The idol duo Claris never show their face, and their voices are amazing! However, from that point of view, I can see why. Idol fans are super scary.

animalia555 wrote:

For a western example of why someone might not want their name published, or why they might regret doing so: George R.R. Martin got tons of letters from fans who were/are afraid that he'd die before finishing A Song Of Ice And Fire (ala Robert Jordan) to the point where he got fed up with it and posted a video of him flipping them off. On a more professional note Imagine having every work you create judged not by its own merits but by the merits of what you did before. Apparently J.K. Rowling still publishes new works sometime. But she publishes them under a pseudonym to prevent them from being compared with Harry Potter against which they would undoubtedly fall short.

This, this, A THOUSAND TIMES this!
I feel like we've become so entitled to creators' identities in the West and obsessed with judging the person, rather than a work itself.

That's something I've wondered about doujinshi. Do doujinshi artists mostly sell their own products at places like Comiket, or do they hire people / ask friends to help out to do the actual selling at their booths?

Some of them occasionally depict themselves in silly cartoon form