What creators fear the most is accidentally having their “inspiration collide” even when they don’t want to plagiarize! A famous Japanese manga artist has also had a collision with “Doraemon.”

Regardless of the field of creation, “plagiarism” is a serious accusation. Once accused of plagiarism, it not only denies the creator’s integrity but also casts a shadow over the value of the work, potentially cutting off future creative paths. Recently, many Japanese netizens have discussed that sometimes there is no intention to plagiarize, but due to coincidence or simple forgetfulness, the creation ends up being startlingly similar to previous works.

Such accidental similarities are one of the biggest concerns for creators. The seasoned manga artist Kōji Kumeta also encountered this kind of coincidence in his work “Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei.” Let’s explore the opinions of Japanese netizens on this topic~

During creation, sometimes we don’t intend to plagiarize, but the result collides with others’ ideas. I believe as long as it doesn’t go against my conscience, it’s fine to face it calmly.

Japanese light novel writer ‘Yugi’ shared his experience on social media, mentioning that sometimes during creation, he encounters situations where it is not intentional plagiarism but rather a collision of inspiration. He believes that even if he faces criticism, as long as he is clear in his heart and has no guilt, he should not feel troubled by it.

The whimsical light novel work “Maze Restaurant: We Await You at the Deepest Part of the Dungeon”

In response to “whimsical”, a Japanese netizen with the nickname “LOLISKY” said:

What is most frustrating is that we might forget having seen a certain work, but fragments of it remain in our minds and later blend into our own creations, leading us to mistakenly believe they are original. When we realize this, it feels awful.

This situation has resonated strongly among netizens, many of whom have also expressed that they have experienced similar awkwardness:

 This situation is truly frustrating, and the sense of guilt is helpless.

I had a similar confusion when I was writing songs myself, and I found that I had inadvertently created something similar to other songs, so I could only helplessly give up.

Many netizens who are convinced that they are influenced by potential memories discuss the unconscious influences during their creative process. They point out that they become mentally tense to avoid any impact, but without the reminder of others, they might never realize that they have been influenced.

In addition, some netizens mentioned that to avoid similarity with others, some even started to specifically create works on obscure subjects that receive little attention.

The incident of unexpected similarities in Yoshikazu Kume’s 2011 work “Suffering Teacher” was also raised. At that time, a segment of his story was accused of plagiarizing a plot from the famous anime “Doraemon.”

In episode 268, he depicted a worldview that requires “paying others for their work.” However, this concept is quite similar to the plot of “Doraemon,” which features a “world without the need for money.”

 This matter has caused a lot of dissatisfaction and accusations from readers.

Although Kodansha confirmed there was no risk of plagiarism after communicating with Shogakukan, Kumeta himself felt quite disheartened, believing that he might have been unconsciously influenced due to his busy schedule, and ultimately requested that this piece not be included in the volume.

Therefore, he stated in a declaration that even if the copyright holders believe there is no issue, he still feels sorry for the author of “Doraemon,” Fujiko F. Fujio, and thus requests that the piece be removed from the collected edition.

Kōji Kumeta’s experience serves as a wake-up call for many creators: in ensuring the originality of their work, it is particularly important to recognize sources of inspiration and engage in self-reflection. So, as a creator, have you ever encountered similar unsettling situations?