#I am not a professional mangaka

[melancholicscoundrel]

just read My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness. bawled my eyes out. never felt so seen. considering hiring myself an escort.

[alishamaybe]

"I only feel like I'm having fun about 10 percent of the time when I work on my series. I'm mostly just exhausted and feeling like I want to run away from it all."

(from Author's Note, Haikyu!!, Vol. 35: Birdcage by Furudate Haruichi)

[birdmenmanga]

no I know exactly what you're talking about. I think one of the big reasons that kekkaishi stuck out to me so much when I was reading it in middle school was that... the characters were asian... and actually LOOKED asian. like yeah it's manga and super stylized and abstract most of the time that things like race aren't even getting conveyed at all because you just know from context that the characters are asian but it just struck me so much that someone out there thought the flat profile with the rounded nose and features was worth depicting with such care and consistency, and on a main character no less (gen also has this kind of profile, and tokine to some degree as well)

I think you're quite accurate in saying that it's an early Tanabe thing too, because like... how do I say this. her early oneshots, especially the ones leaning into the horror genre, and has these almost off-puttingly realistic proportions.

proto yoshimori... you are so realistic.

I think it's obvious that she drew from life quite a lot in her early times... these are not features that art school busts have, if you catch my drift. even though kekkaishi is already far more stylized than, say, the kekkaishi one-shot, I do think this specific profile is one of the holdovers from that early era of art, and it got lost somewhere between the end of kekkaishi and whenever shuumatu happened. nearly none of that remains in birdmen, and even though kaihen is also having this heavy oriental vibe we don't really see it in the same way there either which makes me a little sad </3

I feel like this is the profile you're talking about! left is from LOST PRINCESS and right is from F is for Fake! if I had to guess, I'd say lost princess came before the kekkaishi one-shot, and f is for fake was probably drawn some time during the serialization of kekkaishi, based solely on the artstyle.

anyways I'm sorry for this info dump I just. also feel strongly about this topic lol

sometimes I'll be reading ashihara hinako and she'll hit me with this early-ish tanabe-esque profile view like

I say early-ish and tanabe-esque bc it reminds me of kekkaishi more than anything. I doubt this is a signature thing for her, realistically, but for me it is. I remember watching the kekkaishi anime on Netflix (the original audio wasn't available, so I had to watch the English dub lmao), and I thought this kind of profile was weird and I didn't like it much. now I love it. I really love it

and now idk . I'm overwhelmed. I'm so glad tanabe sensei is still alive and creating art. I'm so upset ashihara sensei took her own life. I love them both so much.

[centrally-unplanned]

Follow-up to my Fanroad Magazine archival scan post - let's look at some cute 90's anime art! Just random ones that caught my eye:

"Hey, what happened to me!?" As mentioned, this came out before End of Eva did - as such, Asuka & crew really didn't get much of an ending in the TV show. 100% how she would react to watching episode 26, props to our artist (春原てるも/Kasuhara Terumo)

There are just so many "Rei running with toast" pieces, it was clearly a combination of a meme amoung the fans and the theme for the magazine. Love how this one brought marmalade too - never compromise on taste, no matter how late you are.

(The artist's name is "actually, I'm a Shinji fan" btw lol)

I love finds like these - these toast-lugging Rei's are by people who are professional mangaka today! The first is by いちば仔牛/Ichiba Kousei, or "Marketplace Cow" - it ain't their birth name I am sure - and they are a founding member of the doujin circle UGO - which is still going strong! And our second is by (I am 80% sure on this one) うおなてれぴん/Uona Terepin, a quite-accomplished artist who adorably published their first professional work in 1997, a year after this. Their twitter feed is 50% big titty girls and 50% model tanks, absolutely based.

Hot👏Shinji👏Fucks👏, this piece is amazing. What else do I have to say? (緋月れん/Hizuki Ren - maybe, translating Japanese names with no context is hard guys -_-)

This is one of my favourite trends - so Evangelion has a lot of technobabble? And it is very frequently in English. So fans really liked recreating that aesthetic in their art. But in 1996 they didn't have access to like screengrabs from the show or scanned splatbooks on hand? Which meant they just used ~whatever English text they could find - generally newspapers at their university or library. Which means we get Toast Rei splashed on reports of stock indices in the global financial markets, and this beautiful moe-Rei/Asuka looking solemnly out over, uh, some report about housing prices and cholesterol levels? Technobabble indeed! (嶋屋みえ/Shimaya Mei, まなせ貴也/Manase Takaya)

Rei clone army! Adorable. (藤桜智美/Fujisakura Tomomi)

Okay, moving away from Eva, there is in fact a bunch of other properties in here with fanart, but these types stood out to me:

That seinen "Kids on the Street" energy that was peaking in the 90's; fully ~aesthetic. (Keiko Kuyuki)

And to end on a weird note:

One section of the magazine is just a free-for-all of thoughts, and one Yayoi Hirone decided to give us a girl caught in the middle of undressing...alongside a recipe for cooking shrimp. Which, if I am being honest, is a huge improvement over the bullshit they throw on recipes online these days. This is the future we could have had -_-

Anyway, I hope that was fun - if anyone is struck or amused by some of the art in the magazine, I would be happy to see what stood out to you!

[m1ckeyb3rry]

HOW I WOULD’VE WRITTEN YUKIMIYA AND KUNIGAMI

i made a silly post last night about something i would’ve done differently in the neo egoist league and it inspired me to finally make a proper post explaining how i, personally, would’ve written yukimiya and kunigami specifically, given that the both of them are currently suffering from benched-character-syndrome (that’s not a real thing, i just made it up, but i’m sure you all can figure out what it means)

disclaimer before i start: this is MY OPINION and just one way that things could be done differently — i’m not saying that this way is better or worse (on the whole i actually have been enjoying kaneshiro’s decisions so this is definitely not hate), it’s just a different perspective!! i will be cutting many characters in the course of this explanation, including some fan-favorites ones, but don’t take that personally, because for the most part, it doesn’t mean i hate them 😩 in fact i typically like most of them, this is just from a writing perspective ☝🏻

disclaimer two: i am not a professional writer or mangaka or anything — i’m literally typing this while eating a rice bowl at my kitchen counter!! so don’t expect peak fiction and DO expect plenty of typos…i also don’t know how the manga is going to go and this could be rendered completely obsolete (writing this as of chapter 276) in like an arc or so 😓 please don’t come in my notes and call me stupid or say i have zero reading comprehension or whatever other insult you feel inspired to come up with (i know some of y’all like to tussle 😰), put that energy into making your own post or ignoring me or whatever brings you peace and joy 🥰

OKAY now that that’s over with we can finally get started!! LMAO sorry for the lengthy disclaimers i’m scared of some people in fandom tbh because some of the notes i’ve seen on my mutuals’ posts/some of the fandoms i’ve been in in the past…anyways…

@sharkissm here’s the post i promised you!!

YUKIMIYA KENYU

poor yuki…he went from number 5 in blue lock to a literal random in bastard münchen?? okay maybe not quite RANDOM but he’s approaching that status 😓 it feels as though the character he was set up to become in the third selection and u20 arcs is not the same as the character he became in the NEL arc both in terms of worldview and play-style!! so to begin with, i’d make some heavy adjustments to his backstory in order to explain away some of those discrepancies in a more consistent manner

as we know, yuki had a pretty good childhood, all things considered — much more in line with the isagis of the world than, say, bachira, and not to mention kaiser. well, the first thing i’m going to do is take that away from him completely!! instead of having an idyllic childhood where he’s incredibly perfect, i want him to be from a “bad” area of japan. of course, both in real life and in blue lock, japan does not have any crazily horrible terrible areas, but all countries have their sketchier parts, and i want yukimiya to be born in one of those. he lives his childhood as an absolute MENACE and is the kid that adults hate to see coming. his parents work a lot, so as much as they love him and try to raise him as best as they can, they’re not there to correct him 100% of the time, so he kinda just runs roughshod and does whatever the hell he wants. in his light novel, it’s mentioned that he learns to play soccer with this old man and his dog, and i’m actually not going to take that aspect away from him completely because it’s cute, but i will change the context a bit; instead of it being a chance encounter, the old man actually seeks yukimiya out and asks to teach him soccer. maybe his son went down a similar path that yukimiya has begun down and while he can no longer save his son, he at least wants to help yuki out and channel his energy into something more productive, hence soccer!!

after learning soccer from the old man and his dog, yukimiya begins to play it on the streets with some of the other local kids (who are just glad he’s not being a bully anymore and are happy to play along) which is the beginning of the development of his street-style dribbling (in reference to that majestic ass panel of him in the u20 game that was like hardly ever referenced again) as well as his dominance as the one-on-one king. he’s basically undefeatable, and this leads to something of a superiority complex in that he is firmly convinced that he is the protagonist, he is the one that the universe favors, and he absolutely cannot and will not lose and nothing bad can ever happen to him. he continues to be an asshole in general and is still the kind of guy that your parents would tell you to stay the hell away from, however!!

things change when his eyesight starts deteriorating. he goes to the doctor, and that’s when it’s revealed that he has this eye disease (is it even named in canon?? idk i’m just going to call it eye disease) and he might eventually go blind. that night when he leaves the doctor, it’s pretty much in despair, because soccer is the only thing that makes him happy given how miserable his surroundings are (again, there’s obviously many countries and places that have it way worse, but for young yukimiya who is comparing it to the rest of japan, it’s not that great) and he feels like he’ll now be stuck in the same cycle that his parents are caught in. on the way home, he sees one of those religious billboards that’s all like “god will always forgive you” and since he’s at one of the lowest points of his life thus far, he decides that he’s going to become religious because this blindness/disease must be a punishment from god for the things he’s done.

soon after, he’s walking home from school or something random (this is meant to be an extreme coincidence given the situation) and is scouted to be a model. this reaffirms his conviction that his conduct thus far is wrong and that if he ever wants to escape and live the good life that he dreams of, he has to abide by god’s rules and follow his ways. he gets into modeling and makes enough money that he and his family can move to a better part of the country, where he begins to play soccer for his new high school and is quickly recognized for his skill/talent. through this process, he learns how to be incredibly polite, kind, and altruistic, because he’s already been “punished” once and doesn’t want to face it again…he also wants to prove that he is better now and deserves this new life of his as much as if he had born to it + he doesn’t ever want to go back to where he used to be!!

what this backstory change accomplishes: it explains the street soccer panel in a more satisfying way, and it also gives a reason for why yuki is so kind in the 3rd selection/u-20 match and then suddenly becomes incredibly selfish in the NEL — instead of it just being explained away as ego, it shows how blue lock manages to draw out the worst aspects of one’s personality via competition, because yukimiya, who has worked so hard to be good and kind, reverts to his childhood personality almost instantly under isagi’s pressure!! it also explains why yuki’s so quick to just go back to being chill, as he probably feels guilty that he let himself slip like that and doubles down on being a “good person”

now as for the actual games this is where i think i will make the most people mad BUT i would’ve gotten rid of kurona and had yukimiya replace him!! to be honest as much as i do like kurona, he was very very randomly dropped in (i literally thought i had missed the manga panel introducing him because his actual first speaking appearance was so out of the blue) and there were already established characters that could’ve taken that role (ex. yukimiya). i would’ve sent kurona (and honestly probably kiyora) over to barcha because they likely would’ve gotten along well with bachira and otoya plus their passing skills could’ve made barcha a stronger team!! this also serves to isolate isagi more and gives him literally no one but hiori on his side — in this scenario, i want yukimiya to be SO altruistic (as per the backstory change) that he will pass to anyone, just as long as that’s what’s best for the team (the “greater good”). if yukimiya stays the 1v1 emperor, this also adds another dynamic to the kaisagi rivalry as well as possibly adding a ness vs hiori dynamic because that would mean that more often than not, yukimiya would have the ball, and he’s the one who they will rely on to break through the defense before passing to one of the other midfielders (ness, hiori) or going straight to one of the strikers (kaiser, isagi) (yes i know there’s only one striker on a team but YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN). this version of yukimiya could also have a very interesting dynamic with kaiser as both of them come from somewhat similar backgrounds (obviously kaiser is worse but there are similarities) however kaiser forsakes everyone in order to view himself as a god, or god’s chosen one, whereas yukimiya once believed himself to be that but has now forsaken that aspect of his ego in order to place his beliefs in others and in a higher being. this means kaiser could also be a method of awakening yukimiya (giving him interactions with more of the team than just isagi) where his selfishness makes yukimiya realize that if he wants to survive and continue dominating on the field as the 1v1 emperor, he also has to be a little more selfish (a leader instead of just a follower), allowing him to settle into a blend of his new personality and his childhood one, where he’s still kind and agreeable but also a little bossy and much more assertive/willing to score his own goals even if it’s not necessarily for the greater good 100% of the time

what this new role accomplishes: it allows yukimiya to have much MUCH more play time as he deserves given the hype built up for him during the third selection (he was ranked higher than NAGI, which yes it was in the second selection but second selection nagi was a beast so that says something about yuki for sure [as well as karasu and otoya but we’re not talking about them atm]), it gives us a smaller cast to work with on bm (because at the moment there are just too many blue lockers getting random backstories and doing one thing in a game before ghosting and honestly if all of their individual contributions were consolidated into one character, in this case yukimiya, it would make that one character much stronger as well as taking away the plotsagi accusations as now isagi isn’t the only one consistently doing things in games) and allows us to get much more attached/involved with the stakes of the games, and it gives kaiser dynamics with the rest of bastard münchen instead of just isagi, which fleshes him out a bit more as well

KUNIGAMI RENSUKE

i’m sure this is what most of you are reading for (although i hope you went through the yukimiya part and enjoyed it as well!!) and trust i have come to deliver because i have many thoughts about kunigami…my biggest gripe is that his return from the wildcard was so built up and then the narrative treated it as so utterly unimportant (why do literally none of the characters gaf??? like there were a couple of panels touching on it but nowhere near the significance it shoudl’ve been given) that the readers themselves have zero stakes in it!! like if isagi, who considered kunigami a fairly good friend as far as blue lock goes, barely questions why his friend is so different now, then why should we as readers care either?? now, if/when the wildcard reveals are done, they will MOST LIKELY not have the same impact that they could’ve if kunigami as a character was treated differently in the narrative (again, maybe this will change and there will be something that makes the punch of it still hit just as hard, but as of the moment i’m writing this post, i don’t feel that that will happen)

there’s two routes that i could see kunigami taking, and both of them involve kicking out some fan favorite characters (again) but in the first case it’s only temporary!! i’ll go through the first one and then the second one and cover my ears as the bm fans yell at me for axing kaiser and ness

that’s right, route one involves getting rid of kaiser and (most likely) ness entirely!! i am actually of the firm belief that the ng11s (specifically kaiser and lorenzo) were introduced too early. people legitimately think lorenzo is a bad player just because ubers lost vs bm even though kaiser himself had difficulties when lorenzo was covering him…in my opinion the ng11s should’ve been kept as a mysterious entity whose only representative we see is sae itoshi (for narrative reasons) until the u-20 world cup, where ng11s randomly show up in some of the matches to raise the stakes and allow individual blue lockers to confront their demons/weakness and develop further (for example, in a game against, say, the italian u-20 team, maybe shidou learns how to break through a defensive set up with lorenzo at the center?? and that particular match is the ‘shidou match’ random example because idek if shidou’s built like that but you get the gist). i honestly don’t even mind kaiser being there as much because at least he’s doing stuff and still feels like he’s on another level but lorenzo shouldn’t have been shown until later — anything he does, aiku could’ve accomplished and that also would’ve built the rivalry between him and barou that was hinted at in barou’s ln…but anyways my thoughts on aiku can be a separate post because i have digressed!! back to kunigami

in this version, i want him to be isagi’s main rival instead of kaiser, who’s not here at all. make his new ego so obsessed with scoring goals that he cannot fathom anyone else doing it. whatever wildcard did fucked him up so badly that he is absolutely TERRIFIED of returning, so even if it makes the team lose, even if it makes him an asshole, he will do anything to score and prove himself as “useful” to the team so that, even in the worst-case scenario, he’s the one being chosen instead of anyone else (the way reo was chosen over him). this also creates a much deeper rivalry than just “who gets to be the star of the team” as it’s rooted in kunigami’s insecurity and fear of wtvr the fuck was going on in wildcard. this also builds wildcard up as something much more terrifying than it has been so far in canon, because when you think about it it MUST have been horrible and that’s gone somewhat unacknowledged except for brief hints and glimpses, and it also adds a legal/moral/ethical dilemma — because obviously wildcard WORKS, kunigami is the proof of it (as isagi’s main rival, he’s scoring all of the goals that kaiser did, so he’s obviously eating it up), but is it sustainable?? is it something that they can do en masse?? because there’s no question that it’s destroyed kunigami completely, so is it even worth it?? or is it one of those things that you think is worth it when you start (the way kunigami must’ve) but afterwards you regret entirely??

however, given the importance that kaiser has to the NEL (he’s kind of the face of it to be honest), as well as how many fans he has, i can totally understand leaving him in, so i have another option, which i also really like. in this route, i want to use kunigami to replace ness — which doesn’t make sense at first i know but hear me out!! ness hasn’t contributed enough to the plot (besides his dynamic w kaiser ig) for me to feel bad about kicking him out honestly and that’s one less character on the main cast that we have to care about, allowing for more depth to the characters that DO exist. in this scenario, kaiser’s in a loki-esque situation, where all he needs to get that coveted re al offer is someone with the crazy strength to push through players like lorenzo (we’ve seen kaiser struggling with defense before, and as barou says in second selection, kunigami has the build to hold the ball up at the top of the field)…enter kunigami, who’s very obviously a prime candidate for this, and kaiser POUNCES!! he thinks he’s going to have to convince kuni to take his side instead of isagi’s, but surprisingly, kunigami very readily agrees to it. this is because in this route, kunigami resents the blue lockers, including isagi, because while he was effectively being tortured, they were being lauded with praise and shown on live tv as celebrities and whatnot. they never suffered in the way he did, and although he does believe that wildcard was necessary for him to evolve (not a healthy mindset but the one drilled into him), he still wishes the rest had endured what he did, because it scarred him so much that he almost cannot handle knowing that he went through it alone while the others were enjoying themselves (comparatively)?? so he teams up with kaiser and is actively working against his old friends (for maximum effect add in reminders/callbacks to the team z days to give extra angst to the “betrayal”)…it would also be very fun to juxtapose kunigami’s and kaiser’s backstories here, as kunigami had a good life that was ruined by soccer, whereas kaiser had a shitty life that was saved by soccer, and this could definitely come through in their particular brands of desperation while playing!!

now, there’s plenty of theories floating around that ness will assist isagi in scoring the final point against pxg (now that IGAGURI is in for some reason idk if that’s still a likely outcome but i can def see it happening) however my counter-point is don’t have kunigami assist isagi with the two-gun volley…give that to yukimiya (given he’s a character like i outlined previously) or even hiori, and instead have kunigami pay isagi back for the half of the steak (therefore acknowledging their past and old friendship for the first time since his return) by passing him the ball instead of kaiser, the way everyone expected/was covering for. this allows isagi to still score the final goal against pxg while giving it more of an emotional meaning than just “oh isagi has to win because he’s the main character”

alternatively, if pxg is meant to win, then i would leave the two-gun volley as it is, but i would just make it so that the setup is still kunigami choosing isagi over kaiser and acknowledging their old friendship, and i would make a bigger deal out of the pass since the build up is different!! i also wouldn’t have noa tell kunigami to manmark shidou the entire time…instead i would make kunigami obsessed with shidou in the BEGINNING of the game, but i would have kaiser/isagi/noel noa yell at him for this obsession and remind him that the objective is winning, not revenge, so he’s still active in the game instead of just being stuck on babysitting shidou duty (this role could be given to yukimiya actually, again given that he’s written as i stated previously, as he’s the 1v1 emperor so he has enough of the physicality to accomplish that and keep the ball away from shidou if it gets near him, and he’s already done enough in the previous games that it’s alright for him to take a bit more of a backseat especially after two-gun volley)

as a footnote, EITHER route you like, there’s one thing that was absolutely a missed opportunity which i’d like to focus on, and that’s kunigami’s dynamic with noel noa. it’s not a secret that kunigami’s supposed to be a copy of noel noa, but what does noa think of this?? i need their dynamic to be weird and fucked up…like he’s noa’s protege, as he’s meant to be a copy of the man, but noa is simultaneously absolutely disgusted by ego, becuase what do you mean his old rival who faded into obscurity has suddenly returned with this child whose body and life and future he completely ruined, whose mental state is absolutely destroyed, just so that he could finally “beat” noa?? just so that he could make a copy of the man that he could never actually be himself?? and this disgust with ego transfers to noa also almost shunning kuni and avoiding him when possibly/treating him way more strictly than he does the others…which only makes kunigami try to work ten times as hard to prove himself…but this only freaks noa out more and it’s just a vicious cycle LSKDFJHSLK

ANYWAYS so this was a crazy long post but it’s really not meant to be taken all too seriously!! like i said these are just musings about how two characters that i personally like could’ve been used differently 🤩 if you read all of this then you’re a goat fr and feel free to talk to me about blue lock/anything else at any time!!

what was that youtube ass outro

[66sharkteeth]

more thoughts (positive for a change)

sorry to keep treating this like a personal journal when most of you are here for CoB content but it remains the 1 place where i feel semi-safe talking about things w/o blasting them to 10k+ people while also having more than 0 people listening

but just feeling a little hopeful for once! i got invited to speak on my 2nd ever panel today. it looks like it's a small convention and it's far too early to know if it'll actually pan out (not even responding today bc im trying to be more strict about giving myself wednesdays off), but it's still just...really cool that i'm actually being recognized as a professional and invited to things.

i still think so much about how when i was like.....12....or something, we had to do one of those like...dream life assignments. and i remember exactly what i said- i wanted to be a mangaka in japan with a studio apartment (yes, i was a very cringy kid. i called my friends -chan and -kun too). then i got older and more realistic. realized i could do art, but never my own project, and yeah, that's what i did for a long time.

yet... here i am now?!! granted, i never moved to japan (which i'm fine w/ lol) and it turns out studio apartments kinda suck and i much prefer a 1 bedroom...but i'm making a living off of that comic i came up w/ in middle school when had 0 concept of reality and how unlikely the chance to do that would be. and... i dunno! for a kind of rare moment, i feel like i can keep doing it (knock on wood)? if it's not obvious by now, i can get kinda doom and gloom about my future (and i wont even think about the industry as a whole w/ AI becoming more of a problem every day), but just for this moment i feel kinda optimistic?

i still have no idea what my future holds with webtoon. I have no idea when I'll have something ready to pitch again or if they'll even take it, but for once I feel like that uncertainty doesn't mean all or nothing. I kinda feel confident for once that even once CoB concludes on Webtoon, I can keep doing this to some capacity, whether that's through another series, physically printing CoB, somehow continuing CoB, I dunno yet. like i dunno. i think i'm just finally having this dawning realization that i am a professional? and other people see me as such? ik, probably a dumb thing to just now be realizing but blah blah, imposter syndrome or something, etc etc.

not sure where i'm going with this but just thank you guys for your support. if you're one of the like 100 people who actually follow me here, tbh you're probably one of my more dedicated readers, so thanks for being part of making this quite literal childhood fantasy dream come true. and shout out to the people actually inviting me to stuff on the super slight chance they actually follow me here. it seriously gave me kind of a reminder that oh yeah, i am a professional and good at this

[reimenaashelyee]

This is maybe not so important to announce but it's going to affect my online activity/webcomic updates, so here it is:

I am going back to school and pursuing a Masters in Arts Management until 2025

If you recall, I have spoken several times in my blog about my past life in academia, the quarter-life crisis that resulted from it (not the full story), and the occasional spasm of desiring institutional recognition.

I am willingly! voluntarily! going back through the gates of the ivory tower.

For the past few years now, I’ve been slowly crabwalking towards an administrative, organisational, educational/resource-providing, leadership-type role in my areas of work (comics, writing, illustration, commercial art).

I hinted about somewhat being sick of the physical and emotional investment of comics-making trapping me to the same four-walls. The 2-ish years of hard commitment that each graphic novel demands is something that I don’t mind doing, especially for a story I truly believe in. However, I cannot keep doing this consecutively. For two years, I keep having visions of myself in my late-fifties asking me, now, if this is all worth it: to devote all this time to make comics that people like, but to not have a life lived? I am thinking of those mangaka who spend all their time breathing eating knowing only comics, and then suddenly, dying with not much to show except their impressive body of work. Did they see enough of the world? Did they eat enough good food? Have they discovered all their non-comics passions? I certainly don’t want my ghost to ask the same questions when she sees my body.

In a way I’ve sort of outgrown that shine of comics as a full-time job: ironically, in my success at producing audience/market-friendly work in exchange for financial support, I do not have time at all to pursue experimental, personal play and art that truly speaks to me. I’m also facing the reality that, as much as I enjoy working in traditional publishing, I am running out of ideas. I only have 2 to 3 more stories left in me for young adult/middle grade graphic novels. After that? I don’t know…

(Unless the new graphic novel imprints are suddenly hungry for adult work. Because, boy, do I have ten billion ideas.)

Anyway, the situation is that the majority of the graphic novel space in traditional publishing is still cashing in on the boom for middle-grade/young adult stories, with no long-sighted consideration for catering to those readers who will eventually, definitely grow up into adults. Meanwhile, I am running out of kids stories and am desperate to make bloody, complicated work (the kind of stuff I was already making pre-success and am still making), and to disentangle the actual act of creating from income-making. Not in the sense that I don’t want money at all from my comics; just that I don’t want comics to be my primary source of income anymore. And personally… I just want more time to live and be offline.

So this is the emotional aspect that’s been motivating my crabwalking. Still, if that was not a factor, this was always going to be the natural progression of my career anyway.

Like, considering that I began my career as co-founder of a regional comics network and my life-long practice of creating resources, it’s not that surprising. Even when I formally officialised my career in 2018 as a Traditionally Published, Professional Comics Creator in the Mid-list, I was also engaging in the administrative with my dayjob at Hiveworks, in addition to the aforementioned regional comics network UNNAMED, and now, the Cartoonist Cooperative. I continually make resources and facilitate them. The dayjob is expanding to include even larger responsibilities (it’s not really company-related, just a consulting thing we’re doing with a giant entity).

Clearly, the horizontal pivoting has gotten to the point where that aspect is becoming the majority of my practice, into something that I actually want to form the bulk of my career and the foundation of my 30s era. It’s happening at the same time as my desire to withdraw from the cycle of commercial production to focus on what I call studio/residency work aka sketching and making my webcomics.

So yeah, I’ve decided to formalise the other half of what I am already doing, since in this universe one can’t get a job in corporate/NGO/NPO art administration without a degree – despite years of experience and evidence of extremely specialised skills that don’t exist in a university course but are valuable on the ground (do they teach comics crowdfunding and webcomics marketing/production in tertiary?). And I do intend to go somewhat corporate, even if it’s as someone who runs a literary festival or artist residency. Because I actually find pleasure in doing all that admin juggling. I like helping artists pursue their practice. It engages a side of my brain that is understimulated since I stopped academia.

I went to the Orientation session on Thursday. It had been exactly 8 years since I last did an Orientation for school; I am no longer a wide-eyed doe so the entire time I was barrelling through the throngs of baby undergraduates and sitting through the talks with laser-focused practicality (putting aside the nice-sounding speeches for the actual hard facts of where stuff is and who to contact; though the speeches were quite thoughtful).

Anyway,

anyway…

This is a long-winded post to break the Jinx and say I am officially pursuing my Masters in Arts Management. Two years of this. Who knows what may happen?

Hopefully I will come out with better experiences this round, since this would be the first time that I chose a course not out of anxiety for the unknown, but because I very much know what I want based on experience actually working in industry.

[bengiyo]

Don't Care for an Old Man's Underwear! Ep 2 Stray Thoughts

Thanks again to @isaksbestpillow for making this watch possible.

Last time, we met Okita Makoto, a middle-aged supervisor of a copier sales company whose toxic masculinity has let him down in his professional and personal relationships. He regularly offends his juniors (especially the women on their team), his kpop stan wife, mangaka daughter, and queer son. An unlikely encounter with a self-assured gay man led to the start of a new friendship, and Okita has promised his son that he will work to update himself so he can connect with his family and peers.

I am a little sad for this man that the opening sequence was a dream. As off-putting as he is, I do think he genuinely cares for his family.

Mm, ruined it immediately by being rude to Moe.

Oh, Okita. You can't walk it back right away like that. You're going to kill the trust of your team. You just said that people have a right to their breaks.

Oof, that was painful. Growth is not easy and not a straight line.

Wow, finally a show captures the constant pressure heteronormativity places on you when you don't fit in with it. That was an excellent sequence when Kakeru hesitated at the door.

Genuinely, this show is doing really well so far. It's putting in a lot of empathetic work on a man whose position allows his bad behaviors to cause issues for other people. I like that the show doesn't demonize him, and shows that his actions come from a believable human place. I also like that they use the wise gay child to ask the big question: Do you want to connect with others, or have you given up on people altogether?

Bro, you really should not have opened her mail. Even if you were concerned you broke it, you should have just called her down. This is not cool.

I actually like this junior's explanation of why he wears a bra. I'm glad it wasn't a gender thing or even an expectedly queer thing. He just wanted to feel like he's supported and that's enough.

Okay, I'm very excited about Okita Makoto going to sell yaoi at a fan event. I hope he brings Igarashi Daichi with him.

This flashback for Moe was also so good. We all make flippant comments about things we don't like or understand all the time. We won't remember it, but the people around us might. In this case, Moe knows her father will never understand her passions and can't share them with him.

Yes, Daichi!!

Everything about this con is excellent so far. Makoto may be getting shock at everyone's outfits, but he picked up immediately at how determined everyone is and appreciates their discipline.

I love Apple.

Daichi doesn't know what a fujoshi actually is? There's something interesting here about a self-actualized gay not even participating in this part of fandom.

Okay, I'm alright with it. He has the right attitude.

"People who love something are strong." He's beginning to believe.

Yes, Daichi, go on your date!

I teared up when Moe got emotional about Makoto selling the books, and love them ending that moment with her scream about him looking inside the work as a way to check on Kakeru.

I'm glad Makoto only observed that moment between Daichi and that guy, and has to confront the practical reality that Daichi is gay, and not just some magical youth that helps him. Daichi has a life.

Ending on Makoto seeing Kakeru as he wants to be is an excellent way to end this, because he's forced to see that people find strength in passions outside of his experience and must apply it to the people in his life.

This show is so good. There are quite a few characters, and the way they're weaving them into the narrative of the episode is truly special. In this episode we had Kakeru struggling to leave the house because he can't feel safe being seen as he is, while Moe is fighting to get out of the house because she needs to be seen by her people. Makoto is trying, but he's still not ready to see everyone the way they are. This is so legible. I am rooting for everyone.

[dexterlittle]

Comics?

Hi Ghoap people! And shippers from the COD universe! I see comics are popular (Im also a sucker for those so dont worry!)

And I was wondering: What are the bare minimums for you to enjoy a comic? You see, I never really worked on a comic. I tried years ago for a project of some sort in my local area but never got anywhere. I always struggled with my art, perfection, proportion etc I put a lot of pressure on myself and projects a lot and either i dont do much effort or I do WAY too much and it burns me out. I get overwhelmed and it’s not fun. I am always feeling some imaginary pressure from others as I often got judged in the past and got my things examined closely and it started to get me paranoid and make me feel not good enough. Thats why I never published art before I joined Ghoap in over ten years or so. Im also terrified of art thieves and even more of all that AI shit going around. I want to be credited and known for my art, not be forgotten while my art keeps being reposted you know? SO if I were to make a comic (at least try) and tell a story, what are the bare minimums requirements? I see some comics have amazing art and I know I can’t deliver that. But I do see diversity of style from the 1Farm1 AU from Grimmzee to the Monster 141 AU from Bluegiragi to the CoffeeShop AU from Blueishfishfood and many more I’ve seen here and there. Some have backgrounds, some dont and some have simple elements. Some have amazing details and shading, some have basic shadings etc But what they all have in common is: getting proportions quite good if not excellent. And amazing angles instead of the basic standing/sitting. And all those nice facial expression that makes it nice to read what the character might feel. Especially the eyes for characters such as Ghost or Roach. Aaaand I know colors don’t matter. So at least there’s that. So what are the minimum requirements? I don’t expect doing amazing fight scenes like the Monster AU, I am clearly not that talented ahah but I know that it’s more interesting to have… something more than standing characters all the time. So please in the comments, let me know? Show me exemples? Doesnt have to be COD related but just comics from people around the internet who do it for fun and not professionals working for DC Comics for example ahah I just want to tell stories so badly but I know that writing is… a lot for me. Too much even. I’ll keep trying… but it’s complicated for now. And I know that comics are a great way to see your art get better with time! Lots of mangaka got better the more time passed so.. Why not me? Oh also another comic I’ve been following for years is A Tales of Two Rulers by Figmentforms And THAT is something I can never achieve. The attention to details and the shading and… UGH <3 But it still makes me want to tell a story. So please, comment and let me know! <3 Thank you! -Dexterlittle

[love-overdrive]

Knocking on Heaven's Door

Summary: Mary insists on having Koichi take her to see her old acquaintance, Rohan Kishibe. Rohan, however, is less than thrilled to see his "rival" at his door.

Pairing: Rohan Kishibe x F!OC

Rating: SFW

Word Count: ~2.9k

Notes: Reunion? Kinda? Rohan is an ass, Koichi is stuck like the poor kid between arguing parents. Both Mary and Rohan are delusional morons, please forgive them <3

Please let me know if you'd like to be tagged whenever I post future works <3!

“Do I know you?” Rohan asked drabbly, an irritated look on his face as he was once again interrupted from his work with a knock at the door. 

“Well, yeah, Mr. Kishibe, we have met before!” She eagerly replied to his question. Koichi figured it was only natural they have seen each other previously as he stood beside Mary. Rohan hummed then tapped his chin in thought until he snapped his fingers. Mangakas must have seen-

“Oh. A fan, right?” Rohan dismissively said, making Koichi and Mary jolt in surprise. “Hm… let’s see, was it during my tour in the north? Or my appearance at that con last year?” 

“What? No. Mr. Kishibe, come on, it’s me!” Mary pleaded, hoping for him to remember her. 

“You’re not a fan? Then what are you doing here?” Rohan narrowed his eyes, not pleased to be away from his desk any longer. 

“Wait, I am a fan but- ugh, not like that! You seriously don’t remember me?” Koichi grimaced as Mary looked to be deflated from her earlier excitement to see Rohan again. Koichi thought that, from how highly and affectionately Mary spoke of Rohan, that they had a close relationship. 

However, Rohan was rolling his eyes and about to slam the door shut on them. “I guess not. I only remember those worthy of being remembered.” 

Mary let out an offended gasp. “What? What the hell are you talking about?” 

Koichi hadn’t heard Mary get so aggressive before, while Rohan seemed to not care at all. “Exactly what I said. Now, tell me your name and state your business, or I’ll just assume that you are here to waste my time.” 

“I’m Mary. Mary Yazawa. You know, creator of Nina, and stuff?” Mary introduced herself awkwardly, hoping this would jog his memory. 

“Hm, Nina, I can’t say I-” just as he said that, his face dropped and he let out an angered gasp. “You!” 

Both Mary and Koichi leaned back in confusion when Rohan pointed at Mary as if she were the devil herself. “Y-yes?” 

“You dare show yourself to me like this? Don’t think you’re anywhere near good enough to breathe the same air as me!” 

“Why are you getting so angry at me, huh? I just wanted to see you again!” Mary folded her arms. 

“Oh, no, no, no, I know what you’re up to! The great Rohan Kishibe doesn’t need some talentless hack to visit him.” 

“Talentless hack? You’re so rude!” 

“It’s simply the truth. I guess they just let anyone publish anything nowadays, huh?” 

Mary glared at him. “You know what? Ixnay on this visit! I was just happy to see an old friend here!” 

“Friend? Please, you wish you could be my friend. Or did you simply think meeting me here would allow my genius to rub off on you and make your manga worth a damn?” Rohan said with a haughty smirk. 

“My manga is perfectly fine, thank you very much!” 

“And that’s what separates us two, you’re happy releasing mediocre and serviceable work under the pretense of it being ‘fine’. I, however, aim to excel and achieve greatness by surpassing all else.” 

“You sure excel at being an asshole!” Mary shouted back. 

Koichi stared in horror as the two mangakas continued to bicker back and forth. Rohan tried to keep his pompous air up, but the more Mary argued with him, the more his mask was slipping. Was Mary really certain they were friends? This didn’t seem like how friends acted. Or even professionals, for that matter. 

“I have more talent in my pinkie than you do in your entire body!” Rohan childishly yelled, practically cheek to cheek with Mary. 

“I put way more heart and soul into my work! You're just a soulless jerk!” 

“Soulless?! At least I don’t need to publish my manga in English to boost my sales!”

“What about it? They love my work!”

“That’s because they have no taste! What is so hard to understand about a stupid romance?” 

“It’s not just a romance, you idiot!” 

Koichi looked at his two heroes, eyes flicking between them as they traded even worse and more personal insults. 

“Yeah? Well your hair is ugly! Tell your stylist to give you a refund!” 

“Says the man whose hair looks like toothpaste!” 

“Screw you! You’d never understand the-“

“The what? The fact you choose to look like a tube of Crest every day?” 

“I’ll have you know, my grandmother-“ 

“Guys! Stop it!” Koichi screamed, attempting to push them both away from each other. Mary huffed and dusted herself off. 

“I’m sorry, Koichi. Mr. Kishibe just seems to be a real character.” 

“Hmph,” Rohan seemed to feel the same as he fixed his hair. “I’m sorry as well for losing my cool against a half-rate ‘mangaka’.” 

Koichi deadpanned. “Rohan…” 

Rohan rolled his eyes and sighed, folding his arms. “Fine. Sorry, to uh, whatever your name was.” 

“Rohan!” 

Rohan rolled his eyes again and sighed even louder. “Sorry, Miss Yazawa.” 

“Fine. Apology accepted. Mind telling me what that was all about?” She furrowed her brows at him, now curious about the reason for his hostility. 

“I shouldn’t have to explain myself. You know very well the reason for our mutual dislike of one another.” 

“What? No, I’m actually really confused!” 

“You need me to spell it our for you, huh? Or are you simply pretending to be daft to attempt to mock me?” Rohan dramatically said. Koichi looked at Mary curiously, but she only shrugged, seeming just as lost as Koichi was. “Well, if you need such a reminder, it all starts back on the day we first met!” 

Mary, of course, remembered that day. Koichi knew about it after Mary gushed with stars in her eyes about how a young Rohan had bumped into her after a meeting with her editors. He had accidentally picked up some of her drafts that had fallen on the ground, and looked through them. Mary had said it must have been fate, that the handsome young man was the one to give her better tips and advice to make sure her work got published. That didn’t really sound like Rohan, but Koichi nodded along, thinking the story at least made him sound somewhat nice. He was certain, though, that past Mary’s rose-tinted glasses, Rohan probably said a few insults that were sprinkled with genuine criticism and promptly walked away. 

That sounded more like Rohan. But even still, he didn’t see how Rohan could view that day as a sign of disrespect or mutual dislike. 

Rohan placed a hand on his hips and pointed an accusatory finger at Mary. “That day… that day you scorned me and ignored my very existence, I’ve always had it out for you! You think you could dismiss me and look down on me? Please, the only reason you are close to beating me in sales is because Viz published your manga in English! Otherwise, you’d be so far behind!” 

“I don’t think you two are on the same page…” Koichi mumbled. Even if Rohan was an ass, he didn’t see why Mary of all people would ignore him for no reason. And why was she saying the nicest things about him before while he assumed she was ignoring him? 

“I am on the correct page,” Rohan argued. “It is her who started this feud, and it is I who will end it!” 

“I didn’t even know we were in a feud,” Mary casually stated, resting her chin between her thumb and index. “I never ignored you, by the way. I don’t even know what you’re referring to. Are you mistaking me for someone else?” 

“I do not have you mistaken! You must be a complete airhead to forget that day!” 

“Alright, then what happened that day?” Mary challenged. Koichi leaned in closer to hear Rohan’s explanation. 

“Fine. Since you really are ignorant, allow me to enlighten you. It all started the day of the award ceremony. I had, of course, just won the ‘Best New Shounen’ award, and you had won the ‘Best New Shoujo’ award. My editor, for some reason, said it would be good for me to congratulate you. I went up to you, and you didn’t even spare me a glance! You kept looking away and mumbling under your breath, then left without even saying ‘thank you’! I wanted your damn manga cut, but somehow, you still have a job!” 

“Eh…?” Mary gave a dumb smile as she listened to Rohan. “But that wasn’t-” 

“What, going to insist that you did nothing wrong? Tell me I was mistaken again? I know what you are, Miss Yazawa! And I won’t stand for someone like you attempting to feel superior over me!” 

Koichi nervously chuckled and waved to get their eyes. “I think I understand the issue here.” 

Both mangakas looked at him, Mary with a hopeful look and Rohan with a stern glare. He gulped, feeling their attention on him. Both of them wanted an explanation for their frankly one-sided rivalry. 

“Well? Go on and tell us,” Rohan urged. 

“Don’t be so rude to him,” Mary countered. Koichi shook his head. 

“I think you two had a different idea of your first meeting with each other.” 

“And that would be?” 

“Mary went on and on about how nice you were and helped her before her manga was published. You think she snubbed you and ignored you during the award show. Both can’t be true, unless you forgot about your actual first meeting, Rohan,” Koichi fumbled to explain. 

“What? No. We met at the award show,” Rohan retorted. “I would know, I was wearing my white Versace shoes that night. And I only wear it on special occasions.” 

“No, we met outside the halls of Shueisha. We bumped into each other, remember?” 

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Rohan dismissively said. “Why would I talk to someone I bumped into?” 

“You did!” Mary cried and then covered her cheeks with her hands. “You picked up my manuscript from the floor!” 

It was like magic, that moment! Our fingers touched, and you were in your simple white pants and shirt. I looked into your green eyes and knew I was destined to meet you! You had a serious expression on your face- that real cool-guy type of look! The kind of look that said ‘hey, I’m the best around.’ And like, you so were! Everyone was fawning over your new manga, and the fact you looked at me and even talked to me was incredible!

For that moment, I understood what it was like to be at the center of attention. You had that smooth and relaxing voice that I wanted to melt into. Your voice, it was so soft, but your words- they were so harsh! You looked at me with that smolder and told me my work had potential but I was squandering it. You, the genius mangaka, was telling me I had potential? My heart soared! I thought I should cry about it, but how could I when you looked at me with those beautiful eyes? 

I almost thought I died that day and went to heaven. When you gave me back my manuscript and told me to do it again, I totally knew I had what it took to succeed! And thanks to your words of (dis)couragement, I have been a shoujo sensation! 

Rohan raised a brow at Mary’s flushed face. “Is this normal?” 

Koichi pursed his lips and nodded at Rohan. “Yeah…” 

“Hmph, well, regardless, I clearly remember us meeting at that award ceremony.” 

Now, we already established I was in my white Versace shoes. They need no introduction. By the way, this award show was for my second award- Pink Dark Boy truly is a masterpiece that I have cultivated from my very being. The sales figures did not lie, and the ratings from the readers of Shounen Jump proved I was a legend in the making. And now, my work has amassed me great fortune and fame- none of which I care for since I am writing to be read. Pink Dark Boy must continue for as long as I, Rohan Kishibe, continue! Until my very last breath, I shall- 

Wait, wait, off topic. The award show, right. Yeah. Kyoka had insisted I ‘make friends’ with that girl that won. I don’t really need friends, because none surely will ever come close to my level. And second off, why would I want to congratulate that girl? I read a page of her work, and while there was potential, I found it too slow. There was no hook. I mean, what is the hook to a premise like ‘two women with the name Nina accidentally meet on a train’? Am I missing something? I bet I could go on a train right now and find about three women with the name ‘Naomi’. That’s not really anything special, that’s just statistics. 

Agh. Again. Well, I was gonna just go give her a quick congratulations, yet when I walked up to her, she covered her mouth and nose! What kind of rude person does that? Was she trying to imply I smelled? I can assure you, I do not, not after I have sprayed my Calvin Klein Eternity cologne! Rude. And then when I went to shake her hand, she took a few steps back and refused to look me in the eyes! 

That, I can assure you, is a declaration of war! I was about to pity her and give a half-hearted congratulations, but her insistence on snubbing me and insulting both my appearance and work is unforgivable! If she wishes to act superior to me, then I will make sure she knows she was sorely mistaken to have crossed me! Ever since then, I have been laughing away at the sales numbers with my morning coffee. I will make sure she understands she does not have what it takes to best me! 

“W-wait, you really have been looking at my sales numbers?” Mary gasped, her eyes widened as she covered her mouth. 

“Heh, obviously. Since you turned down my offering of praise, I have checked our sales numbers to compare it many times. And what do you know, even with your numbers on Viz from this quarter, you still have not caught up to me!” Rohan triumphantly leaned his head back. 

“Really? I’m… wow, the fact you took the time to look at my numbers is so… it’s so touching you’ve been keeping an eye on my growth!” Mary grinned in shock.

“Of course. You can rest easy now knowing I’ve seen your progress, and cannot wait to crush you further,” Rohan chuckled back. 

Koichi’s jaw dropped as his eyes darted between the smug Rohan and the bashful Mary. 

“W-what? But you two aren’t saying the same thing! I-I think you guys are on different planets right now!” He shouted, but the two mangakas seemed to be focused on each other. Rohan pointed again at Mary and smirked. 

“Let it be known, just because we are in the same town, I still don’t forgive you. I will be keeping a close eye on you. You better give me something worthwhile to surpass, Miss Yazawa,” he stated, although Koichi noticed Rohan’s pompous words seemed to have a bit of eagerness in them. Was he seriously insulting her to do better so he could ‘win’ more? Mary gasped and nodded. 

“Yes, Mr. Kishibe! I totally will!” She nodded, clasping her hands together as she stammered out. “I’ll, uh, I’ll make sure you regret picking up a pen!” 

“I’d like to see you try,” Rohan gloated, dramatically flipping his hair. “Now get out of my house, I have work to do.” 

He said with a grin as he slammed the door shut on Koichi and Mary. Koichi stood close to Mary, who was completely silent, and waved his hands. 

“P-please don’t listen to Rohan, he just doesn’t understand how-” 

Mary interrupted Koichi’s apology with a quiet squeal. “Oh my gosh, Koichi, he does remember me!” 

“Uh-” 

“He even checks and compares our sales numbers! The fact he regards me so highly means I’m doing amazing!” 

“But he just said he wanted to crush you.” 

“Oh, he’s just joking,” Mary dismissed. “Men like Rohan, they’re driven by one thing! Their self-imposed ideals and goals! That fact I’m now one of his goals to crush means I am, in fact, important enough to become a goal! He just can’t admit that, yet. I mistook his harsh words earlier for a brute, but now I see he really does care for me!” 

Koichi looked gobsmacked at Mary’s excited cheers. “W-what, that is literally not-” 

“Koichi, thank you for today! I owe you my life!” Mary beamed. “I’ll make you your favorite dinner soon! But now, I need to go home and start my new chapter!” 

“But, but you and Rohan still-” 

“Byyyyyyyeeeee~!” She waved as she sprinted off in her heels to presumably head back to her house. 

Koichi was left speechless at Rohan’s front porch, wondering what the hell he just witnessed. He couldn’t believe his two favorite mangakas were such weirdos. Is that a requirement for all mangakas at this point? 

[yandere-daydreams]

have u read umekoppe's works. it is het yandere smut. before you recoil i need to tell you it is the truest unadulterated experience of seeing a yandere quotev story drawn by a mangaka and with a professional editor. the boob physics may be wack but the ahegao faces go hard, AND the guys are scummy

you lost me at het, but i am going to pass on the recommendation to my followers who might be more willing to view straight people for a prolonged period of time. i will, alas, just have to continue writing my own dressed-up quotev yandere stories. still trying to find a way to translate boob physics into a literary medium, but we'll get there. i have faith in this community.

[officialinuyasha]

Takashi Shiina Blog Translation - Shonen Sunday S 2021/Dec

10/03/2021

The second chapter has been completed. I’m relieved that the first chapter seems to be fairly popular… But I can’t let my guard down. I think those who liked the first chapter will like it (the manga), but for better or worse, the direction of this comicalization won’t be clear until the third chapter of the first volume, so by the end of this year I will be emotionally unstable. Therefore, if you thought it was fun, please give me positive praises. 

During my childhood there were no video-cassette recorders, let alone streaming services (note: he means stuff like Netflix), and comicalizations (1) were the only way for children to repeatedly immerse themselves in the story world of the visual content they liked. As entertainment for the exponential increase in the number of children during the period of high economic growth (2). TV animation (called "TV manga" at the time) and SFX heroes became a gathering of many talents, and many mangas were created as advertising projects... I think it’s probably not so wrong to say that.The situation is different from today's manga book productions, though.

Mangakas or manga producers are involved in the project from the beginning as "original authors" and write "comic adaptations in the name of the original work" at the same time as the animation (is being created), a method which is well known for Kamen Rider, Devilman, Getter Robo and Sailor Moon. The works created in those circumstances aren’t the same as those where "first there is the original manga and then it is adapted into an anime" or vice versa.Thus, works such as Devilman and Getter Robot, as masterpieces that differ considerably from the anime, left an impression to us, or perhaps I should say the little ones from back then got traumatized (laugh). 

In my case, I am "a manga artist who has built up a career to a certain extent, who asks the rights holders “let me do it”, they  agree and I draw it at my own discretion, although they check it", so perhaps it is closer to what is called a tribute. Wouldn't you like to read Yashahime drawn not only by me, but also by Fujita Kazuhiro, Aoyama Goushou and Kenjirou Hata? I would like to (laugh). I think it seems a bit unusual to do a whole serialization instead of a collection of short stories…Ah, there’s “Pluto”. That was a magnificent masterpiece, right? 

Well, the fact that the comicalization started just when the 16 years old serialization of Zettai Karen Children had finished, and the second season of the anime (3) was about to start, after 16 years of serialization, was a bit of a surprise, but in addition, accidentally, the circumstances and the timing also happened to coincide in a strange and perfect way. Rumiko’s professional staff are mostly the same from when my wife was there, so they're quite easy to contact for small enquiries, and Takahashi-sensei and my editor are from the same period (4), so of course communication is easy (laughs)... I think I was probably guided by something and decided to adapt ‘Yashahime’ into a manga, that’s why perhaps everything will be okay. The second chapter will surely be well received… so I expect. 

When you have almost a month between the chapter being sent to press and its release, you read it over dozens of times and repeatedly ask yourself, "It’s interesting... That's what I think, but I'm not sure about the readers... But Takahashi-sensei and Sumisawa-san said it was interesting..." By the time it's released, you don't know what's going on anymore. (laugh). That won’t make any difference, so I’ll immediately start working on the third chapter.

Source: https://cnanews.asablo.jp/blog/2021/10/03/9429144

Notes

1- Mangas.

2- The post WWII war period in Japan.

3- Here he means Yashahime

4- He means they worked together, they’re peers.

[hyeahgaku]

MASTERLIST

> Greetings. I'm Soy (they/them), and I thank you for stumbling on this page and/or following me here. This blog is dedicated to Yūto Suzuki’s incredible masterpiece called “SAKAMOTO DAYS”. Support Suzuki-sensei by reading the manga on the official site: Read here!

> In an effort to make this blog resourceful for all Sakadays fans, i try my utmost best to post everything associated with Sakadays here; articles, news, interviews, poll results, draft sketches, mangaka's comments, magazines extras, etc.

> I have X/twitter so you can consider followin me there. I make an effort to post everyday especially when new chapter are released.

> Most importantly: This blog is absolutely not spoiler-free.

> Second most importantly: If you use any of my translated works, please credit me. You can attach the hyperlink to my original post, or just credit my username "hyeahgaku" it's that simple.

> I read both the EN & JP versions of Sakadays and I do JP->EN translations sometimes but it's all self-learn. I am by no means a certified professional translator, I'm just a humble fan translator. Moreover, English isn't my best language so I'm not 100% fluent in both languages (MEGA LOL). So my translations aren't 100% accurate and are subjected to changes when the official versions drop. Pardon me for any grammatical, spelling and translation mistakes that you may encounter.

–

Sakadays Anime Stuff.

Official anime website

Character designs, key visual & trailer

Voice actors & actresses + Comments

-

My Translated Works.

WSJ Magazine Extra - Character Profiles:

Tarō Sakamoto • Shin Asakura • Heisuke Mashimo • Slur / Kei Uzuki • Lu Shaotang • Nagumo • Osaragi • Shishiba • Kashima • Gaku • Natsuki Seba • Takamura • Aoi Sakamoto • Hana Sakamoto • Boyle • Obiguro • Tatsu • Hyō • Lu Wutang • Rion Akao • Akira Akao • Kanaguri • Kamihate • Mafuyu Seba • Nao Toramaru • Satoru Yotsumura • Amane Yotsumura • Kumanomi • Haruma • Club Jam • Carolina Reaper • Uda • Jōichirō Kaji • Yanaya Tsu (Jay Erk) • Etsuko Satōda • Byōdō

SAKAMOTO DAYS Light Novel 1 - Hitman's Method:

Suzuki-sensei illustrations & extra pages

SAKAMOTO DAYS Light Novel 2 - Hitman's Blues:

(to be released Dec 4, 2024)

Suzuki-sensei illustrations & extra pages

SAKAMOTO DAYS Jump Festa 2024:

Q&A Special with Yūto Suzuki-sensei

SAKAMOTO DAYS Special Stage, featuring guests commentaries

Interviews or Q&As with Yūto Suzuki-sensei:

Exclusive Interview with Yūto Suzuki-sensei (Jump GIGA Winter 2023 extra)

SAKAMOTO DAYS Bonus Omake *Unofficial translations by me:

Vol. 4 Bonus omake (featuring Natsuki & Tanaka-san)

Vol. 7 Bonus omake (featuring Slur, Kashima, Uda & Gaku)

Vol. 9 Bonus omake (featuring the casts for 1st Popularity Poll)

SAKAMOTO DAYS Popularity Polls:

"No. 1 Spread Campaign Poll" Results - Top 20!

1st Character Popularity Poll Results - Top 10!

1st Character Popularity Poll Results (full list with all names)!

1st Character Popularity Poll Top 10 Characters + Yūto Suzuki-sensei comments!

/note: These are mere fan-translations. All titles, synopsis and descriptions are subjected to changes in the official version.

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Official Volume Extras

Japanese version:

Vol. 1 • Vol. 2 • Vol. 3 • Vol. 4 • Vol. 5 • Vol. 6 • Vol. 7 • Vol. 8 • Vol. 9 • Vol. 10 • Vol. 11 • Vol. 12 • Vol. 13 • Vol. 14 • Vol. 15 • Vol. 16 • Vol. 17 • Vol. 18 • Vol. 19

English version by VIZ Media:

Vol. 1 • Vol. 2 • Vol. 3 • Vol. 4 • Vol. 5 • Vol. 6 • Vol. 7 • Vol. 8 • Vol. 9 • Vol. 10 • Vol. 11 • Vol. 12 • Vol. 13 • Vol. 14

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Other SakaDays-related Materials

Sakadays Movie References

Sakadays Trivia

Suzuki-sensei's Weekly Comments

Suzuki-sensei's Oneshots

Compilation of all Sakadays Volume Covers & Info

Compilation of all Sakadays Colour Pages from WSJ Magazine

Compilation of Sakadays Featured on WSJ Magazine Covers

Sakadays Official Lockscreen Wallpapers

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Others/Misc

About this blog

My replies to your asks

[khepiari]

Some really don't understand what editors do!

Came across this snippet of Gege's interview about his editor on Twitter! And I have words: How dare an editor do an editor’s job? God, he is insufferable. I am aware Jump Editors are not the best people to work with, but dear idiot, it’s the job of editors to make your opening chapter a banger so that you last long! “I will do whatever I want” has landed you in this mess!

I didn't hone my editing skills for Gege Akutami's cult to diss his editors on social media! A lot of you have this grand idea that the muses bless authors/artists/comic-book creators/mangaka, and they create things without human intervention. Behind every professional creative work is a critical human eye!

It's a job. Writing/Illustrating is a job that needs evaluation and correction at every step of creation. That's why storyboarding exists so that corrections and suggestions can be made before the final version is created. Creative differences between editors and writers are the reason why the best works happen!

Trust me, no writer or mangaka wants a yes-person who agrees to them blindly! It is an editor's job to pick out the nitty-gritty of your story and make it a smooth reading experience. If you are a newbie creator, listen to the oldies who have been in this profession, even if it's a pain in the ass. If you are an oldie creator with a new editor, listen to the feedback of the young because it will bring a new perspective! Editors are your first critics and audience. Remember if your story is great no one will care who edited it, similarly if your story is terrible no one will still care who edited it as it is your aka the creator's name that will be identifiable in both cases!

Even if you are the most popular author on the planet like dear scum Gaiman, you listen to your editor. Writers have the right to accept and refute suggestions, but it has to come from a logical place and not pride. I can understand why Gege's first editor suggested the changes: To Save it!

Some of you, including Gege don't understand the concept of Kill Your Darlings still and it shows. The job of the editor is to find unnecessary things and chuck them out or make them relevant by gently parenting the author to connect them to the main plot.

Read this:

[aurora-313]

You know that I love WH40K, I also grew-up with 80' action movies, love them and their testosterone macho-over -the top feel. I do not mind even zero female characters in my reading, movies etc, it depends.

But every time I criticize shonen someone jumps me and tells me it's for boys. AND? To stuff for boys should not have good their girl characters well written?

I know, it's not about that it's about the narrative contract, when you put in fighting women, and no one is making you, and you give them promising starts, then they are lucky if they can beat some fodder latter on, feels like a broken promise. Then the author says he's not good at writing females, even if people just ask why aren't they winning any battles, not why they don't talk about their feelings.

So if the mangaka don't use the ''it's for boys'' but ''I can't write women'' excuse now, why is the fandom using it? Boys literally asked for decades for Sakura to stop being trash in battle, and they were ignored. The target audience wanted her a useful fighter and not a primarely a healer, and still teenagers today are treated as if they want exactly want their grandparents wanted? It's insulting to boys. As a teacher I can confirm that even in non-occidental countries there are changes.

Make all the women healers, non-combatants, support fighters from the beginnig write them well, make it explicit that in universe they are important, just don't sell horse manure. It is ok if you have zero women on the front lines. Just don't make them go there and suck. Or maybe they are cautionary tells for girls to not even try, let the men do the protecting.

Not even in a war series everybody has to be a fighter to be important, but it has to be well-written. I actually appreciate that Orihime doesn't have a warrior's heart, like you said she and her feelings for Ichigo not being explored it's one of the biggest mistakes of Bleach.

Even newer manga that are lauded are victims of this trope.

Sure there are exception, but the big names, the ones that remain for decades like Dragon Ball, drop the ball on women.

tl;dr If you can't handle it, don't write women fighters.

If you can't write woman at all, something is seriously wrong with you as a writer. Improve. Fan-fic writers improve over time by practice and accepting constructive criticism. Is to much to ask from a professional?Are there no writing classes in Japan?

Sorry season 2 of JJK made me bitter. It's not that the girl of the main trio was killed is how she was killed, while a bitch that uses her little brother as a meat shield and maybe more escapes to fight another day.

I wish a shonen author had the balls to say in the prologue, that women in the setting are just not as good as men at using the magic or the tech of the setting, and explore the concept as he wants.

I am so tired when any complaint I bring is treated like I have a feminist agenda, that wants to ruin fun for other people. When all I want is consistent writing.

So authors of all kind, please don't false advertise your girls as being capable to climb the power cliff, if you don't plan to do it. I feel like when Rukia was on all promotional Bleach stuff as the deuteragonist, when she barely appears in the second part of the story.

I honestly don't have a lot to say in response to this semi-rant. Beyond that I agree with the whole 'I can't write women' or 'its for boys'.

I'm sorry, there are plenty of series I grew up with where I was specifically not the target demographic but they wrote magnificent woman characters anyway.

While I dislike a lot of his stories, I think George RR Martin put it best when it comes to writing women: "You know, I've always considered women to be people."

But to play devil's advocate: there's an element of culture clash here. Eastern countries are steeped in traditional roles. This isn't a bad thing. Those roles have inherent value when one takes a balanced approach to them (and frankly I think the West needs to dial its obsessive progressive attitudes back a LOT and return to those more traditional roots).

However that attitude does influence how many writers direct their characters. More often than not, female characters are plot devices.

In most manga, women tend to be plot devices. Even in Bleach, Rukia was a plot device. Thrice over:

To give Ichigo his powers at the start.

To be imprisoned and facing execution so Ichigo would rescue her.

To give Ichigo power AGAIN in the FB arc.

Orihime, another plot device. Kidnapped by Aizen for the sole purpose of playing on Ichigo's various neuroses to get him out of the way while Aizen invaded Karakura.

At the same time, this isn't exactly a universal problem. There's plenty of manga out there where its a predominantly female cast or have strong representation. Like with everything, it comes down to the writer and their style. Two mangas off the top of my head that treat their female cast extremely well are Claymore and Full Metal Alchemist. I'd give them a read if you have the time, I rather enjoyed them.

In regards to JJK season 2. I have to contest you on that one. Nobara's death makes sense, both contextually and thematically. Contextually, Nobara dies because she is both Mahito's natural enemy (like Yuji) and thus a priority target to eliminate, and because it reinforces the theme that acting selflessly in this world is violently, vehemently FIERCELY punished. Nobara selflessly went to aid Yuuji without knowing the full extent of her opponent's capabilities, got outfoxed and paid the price.

That debate of selfishness vs selflessness is a fundamental aspect of that world. Which is why Yuuji keeps getting crushed and ground to dust until he adopted the mentality of being a cog in the machine. The world itself has taken this boy who acted selflessly to save someone else (Megumi, by eating Sukuna's finger) and relentlessly tore him down over and again. His selflessness is punished. Like with Nanami and even Gojo to an extent, no matter the intent behind it, they suffered for their selflessness.

Mei Mei, a borderline narcissist, outright states 'the only value a person has to me is my paycheck'. Her using Ui Ui to escape and for other vile ends makes all of the sense in the world. In this selfish disgusting world, the most selfish and disgusting thrive. Sukuna, the most selfish of all, stands as king of that mountain.

So I have to say I'm not bothered by it. I'm merely annoyed that Gege doesn't outright state if she's dead or not. Is she dead? Is she braindead? Will she come back? Just COMMIT to one, please.

But back to Bleach - yeah, Rukia was the deuteragonist. And it pains me to see how she was shoved away in TYBW.

Bleach was built on Death and the Strawberry... then Kubo removed Death and "tried" to replace it with Beeeewbs, the Oedipus edition.

Although I wish someone would explain to me that out of all the beautiful men in her life, past and present, how the hell did Rukia end up marrying the dog? I've never once see Rukia look at Renji with a single ounce of the admiration, affection or love she's given to Ichigo, or Byakuya, or Kaien. No philia, storge or eros - nothing of that.

But that's a rant for another time.

[mi4011uvinduratnakara]

DAY 01:

Assessment 3 : Research on 10 Animators

choose 10 animators that are not too famous and research on their life journey as well as their works as an animator

Top 10 animators***

10.Lemoncholy - A animation student currently on hiatus due to school. Done alot of animations as a animation director , storyboard artist, animator , character designer.

9.Dillongoo - A 3d animator, owns a YouTube channel that has been around for a long time. Does goofy skits and fan animations.

8.Jackie Droujiko- an artist and animator known for digital illustrations and passionate story telling. a professional animator and freelancer.

7.Vincent Chansard -professional animator that has done alot of real life like animations for one piece and other animes. His works have recently reached out a large audience and currently rising in popularity in the industry.

6.Weilin Zhang -professional animator that has done and been working with wide range of animes like one piece, boruto, magical destroyers, Castlevania and game trailer for Hades however not popular enough.

5.Bluesechi -skit/comedy fan animator for blue archive the game. Uploads alot of fan animations using the characters from blue archive and has made animation meme that grow popular in the fanbase of the game.

4.Stealth -stickfigure animator that I've known for years now, has evolved so much through out the years becoming one of the most inspiring animators I've seen right on par with Juny.

3. Marie YASUI

Japanese mangaka,

animator,

illustrator,

character designer,

storyboard artist,

animation director.

Marie YASUI is best known for directing Rico Sasaki: Psycho, Eve: Shinkai, Eve: Inochi no Tabekata, and Aka. Also known for being the director & character design & storyboard of Eve: Fight Song.

Marie Yasui is a underground animator, not well known. Working with the music artist ''Eve''. Marie Yasui's works have been more popularifsed aswell as favoured by a large audience. Based off the work it is quite similar to the tastes that I have in terms of character design and animation. I love animations that have simple designs yet very contrastive and eerie with comedic tension.

Personally Ive seen all of Marie Yasui's works as I am a big time fan of Eve and I know that Eve himself collaborates with much more famous studios and animators.

For the best example, Marie Yasui's directing, character designing, storyboarding for Fight Song was a major explosion as the song for Fight Song was made for the hyped and popular anime, Chainsawman. As fans flood trying to find the song for their youtube playlists they encounter the original music video and the response to the animation was very positive and hyped up.

Below is a small moodboard consisting of Marie Yusui's character designs (there is no colour theme, it is to get an idea of the artstyle)

(check image description to view the role of Marie Yusui in each of the works)

(more works by Marie Yusui) ^^

2. JUNY (the goat)

Juny (born: August 31, 2004 (2004-08-31) [age 19 at the moment of this research]) is a Canadian YouTuber known for his short animated skits.

He worked on alot of short animations in his youtube and twitter page. in 2022 juny abruptly went silent for 2 years straight (at the time i did not know he had a twitter page only youtube page) with his last video being --> ''Its been awhile''

only to find out later that he had worked on some of the major animes in the industry -one piece wano arc and -jujutsu kaisen season 2. Not alot of information about him was available until recently due to his popularity sky rocketing as fans saw his potential and works in the episodes of one piece and jujutsu kaisen which had gotten highly positive results.

Even I was astonished to find out that he finally got to accomplish his dream career as an animator. I still do wish he would make more short animation skits like he used to as it really helped me motivate aswell as inspire me.

^ my favourite video of his work. (mostly because i stronly relate)

His youtube shorts are very comedic and memorable. The way he explored and used different artsyles is mesmerising. MOSTLY his character design is what i can relate to in terms of artstyle and animation with all the appealing effects.

(Go check out Juny)

*He uses Adobe Animate CC to create his animations above.*

1. Ian Zhang

As you can probably guess by now, he too also does funny shorts and skits of animation.

He is a former engineering student , Ian zhang is a underground animator also known well in the industry for his works aswell as being one of the prominent figures for some fantastic and insane scenes in one piece and my hero academia. However he is not well known for some reason.

Most of his memorable moments are when he animates impact frames and smears. The smears are like an art itself when Ian Zhang does it, extraordinary line work with heavy impact frames. The way he panels the camera shakes are just marvelous, very appealing to the context of the scene.

How his animation style relates is the consistancy of the smears in his works. For example

the smears for the scooter were smooth and solid and the consistency of the characters were solid.