The Amangawa Kirei and Amangawa Yudai Siblings Know No Bounds! Episode 2 [Creative Awards 2024 Manga Original Work Category Entry]

2
"Phew..."
Kirei sighs in the classroom.
"Kirei."
Suzuki calls out to her and sits in the empty seat in front.
"Oh, Hanako..."
"What club are you joining this time?"
"Hmm... I think I'm done with sports clubs for a while... *yawn*..."
Kirei lets out a small yawn. Even that looks like a picture.
"You look sleepy."
"My apologies... it's just an excuse, but I've been "a bit sleep-deprived lately..."
"Oh, that's rare. Were you studying?"
""I finished the entire high school curriculum by the end of middle school."
"Oh, i-is that so... Then what? Don't tell me you were just staying up late?"
"I've gotten hooked on manga..."
"So it really was just staying up late."
"No, it's just that it's so interesting... I end up losing track of time..."
"Once you start reading..."
""I end up drawing it."
"!? Oh, y-you draw!?"
Suzuki is surprised.
"Yes, at first I was just a reader, but as I read, the "creativity inside me gradually became stimulated..."
Kirei gently places her right hand on her chest.
"H-huh..."
"Say, would you like to read it if you don't mind?"
"Eh?"
"I brought my tablet device."
Kirei takes the tablet out onto the desk.
"W-well, then, let me take a look..."
"Here it is."
The screen displays a realistic-touch drawing of a dog, a cat, and a rabbit.
"Oh, you're good...!"
Suzuki is genuinely impressed.
"Thank you."
"Are they speaking in human language?"
"It's a conversation that only animals can understand. They're talking about their owners."
"Oh, so it's between pets..."
Suzuki scrolls through the tablet screen.
"What do you think?"
Kirei asks.
"...I think it's interesting. But..."
"But?"
"The conversation is relatively comical, but isn't the art style of the dogs too realistic? Your high level of skill comes across, and I think that creates a gap, but wouldn't it be better to lean towards one or the other... For example, by "deforming the dogs to be cuter..."
"Deforming, you say..."
"Yes."
"Well, there is this character too..."
She displays a drawing of a two-headed, bespectacled middle-aged man with a balding head like a barcode, surrounded by realistic dogs.
"! W-what is this...?"
"That's Mr. Kawamura, the owner of the three animals."
""You deformed that one instead!?"
"Yes, the title is '"Kawamura-san Who Is Just Adorable'."
"Oh, Kawamura-san is the main character!?"
"It's a bit long, so I was thinking of abbreviating it to '"Torikawa'..."
"T-torikawa..."
"I think there's a gap..."
"W-well, I suppose it's fine..."
"Is it!"
Kirei's face lights up.
"Y-yeah..."
"Actually, I'm drawing another one."
"E-eh?"
"It's this one..."
Kirei displays a drawing of a cute boy sitting on a hill with his knees pulled up.
"W-what is this...?"
"It's '"Oka no Ko'."
"O-oka no ko!?"
"This child has incredible eyesight."
"Oh, I see, so he can see far into the distance from the top of the hill?"
""He can even see through people's inner selves."
"Is that what having good eyesight means!?"
"Using that eyesight, he cynically observes the various human dramas unfolding below the hill. And then he lets out an ironic remark."
""A surprisingly socially-conscious work from such a cute drawing!"
"I thought there was a gap..."
Kirei mutters, tilting her head.
"W-well, maybe a little poison, or rather, adding some spice might make it more stimulating and good... I-it's fine, isn't it?"
"Is that so? I'm glad."
Kirei smiles.
"But if you're drawing two works, no wonder you're sleep-deprived."
"...Actually, there's one more."
"Eh!?"
"It's this one..."
Kirei operates the tablet, and four panels are displayed.
"Oh, a 4-koma manga?"
"Yes, I've challenged myself with that, in addition to one-page manga and short manga."
"You have such a vigorous creative drive..."
Suzuki nods, looking impressed.
"Oh, I also drew a cover before looking at the 4-koma, so please take a look at that."
"...!?"
What Kirei displayed was a drawing of three cute high school girls wearing large traditional Mexican hats called "sombreros", standing with smiles while holding guitars, violins, and the like.
"The title is '"Trio de Mariachi!!!'."
"A-a cheerful vibe!"
"I thought it would be better if it looked fun..."
"W-well, that's true... but why are high school girls in a Mexican style?"
""I read that having high school girls engage in niche hobbies is a genre of manga and anime."
"E-even so, that seems too niche... But I think the girls themselves are drawn cutely, so this might actually work..."
"What do you think?"
"Yeah, including this one, aren't all three good?"
"Then, let's upload them to "EX right away!"
"Well, I wonder if they'll be reasonably well-received..."
Suzuki watches Kirei's profile with a smile as she happily operates the tablet. A few days later...
"Hey, hey! Kirei-chan's manga is totally buzzing!"
Sato talks to Yudai. Yudai nods.
"Yeah..."
"Looks like you've been left in the dust by your sister~"
"..."
Yudai remains silent with his arms crossed. Sato panics.
"D-don't get mad..."
"Look at the post carefully..."
"Eh? ...Ah!?"
Sato is surprised after checking his smartphone.
"I'm also collaborating on the art."
"S-so that was it..."
"I'm also thinking of some of the stories."
"It's true, my name is also listed as a story collaborator..."
""These manga are a collaboration between us siblings."
"Wow... but it's impressive that you're making them buzz."
"...This isn't the end."
"Eh?"
"Well, just watch carefully to see what happens..."
"O-oh, okay..."
"Hehe..."
A few days later, videos animating the three works were released on "YouBroad" and became a huge topic.
"H-hey! This anime!?"
"Things are convenient these days, since even individuals can produce anime of quite high quality."
"Don't tell me, this too...?"
"Yeah, it's a collaboration between my sister and me."
Yudai nods to Sato's question.
"S-seriously... "The characters are moving super smoothly?"
"What I aimed for was the battle scene from 'Demon Arm: Endless Train Arc'."
"All three works are more of a slice-of-life genre, aren't they? It feels like you're putting effort into the wrong places..."
"It's fine since it's becoming a topic."
"W-well, that's true, but... still, to think you had prepared such a trick..."
"Not yet."
Yudai quietly shakes his head from side to side. Sato tilts his head.
"Not yet?"
""I have a second and third arrow prepared."
"E-eh?"
"Well, just watch..."
A few days later, "a video with an opening theme song added to the anime was uploaded. The song, which combined lyrics filled with unique wordplay and an easy-to-listen-to melody, also became a topic. Furthermore, Kirei and Yudai also uploaded a '"tried singing' video. Not only did the creators themselves sing it, but their "high singing ability and simple good looks" also greatly attracted the public's attention.
Furthermore, a video of the characters dancing cutely was also uploaded. Kirei and Yudai themselves also uploaded a '"tried dancing' video. The sight of them dancing with serious expressions, a bit relaxed, yet hitting the moves where it counts, also became a topic, and on "TikTak" and other platforms, young people of the same generation as Kirei and the others imitating this dance became a worldwide trend, a major phenomenon.
"In just about ten days, you've sparked an '"Amangawa Siblings Boom' all over the world..."
Suzuki mutters while looking at her smartphone in the hallway. Sato, standing next to her, asks.
"Don't tell me... did they also do the lyrics and composition?"
"Yes, although it seems they asked a "major American artist" for the arrangement."
"...And the dance?"
"It seems they invited a "major K-pop choreographer" from Korea."
"Y-you'd go that far..."
Sato raises both hands in a pose of surrender.
"Going that far is just who those two are..."
Suzuki smiles as she presses 'like' on the new video of Kirei and Yudai uploaded to "Instagraph".