The story of Volume 32, when my editor-in-chief yelled at me, 'This cover is so dark, it won't sell!' 😭

😱💦 【I faced my biggest crisis during my long serialization】

Osu!! Karate Bu After I started serializing at 23,
I was always,

'Getting 1st place in the popularity polls!'
'Selling volumes!'

I kept running recklessly with only that in mind.

Weekly serialization is, above all, 'brutal'.

Whether I was feeling good or bad, whether my heart was
calm or sinking, whether I could
see what I wanted to draw or nothing was coming to mind.

The deadline came every week.

And, the reader survey ranking, which is the
"evaluation of the work", came out every week.

I understand it now. During a long serialization,

'It's okay if there are 2 or 3 episodes that don't go well.'
'It's fine to recover in the second half.'

I can see objectively now that it would have been healthier to have that mindset and not put so much
pressure on myself, but

But I back then couldn't think that way💦

【I was still young back then】😅

I just looked straight ahead, and whenever my popularity was low, I would get depressed and try even harder! Use my brain more! and

sprinted at full speed💦

The result—

When I was 30,
I finally reached my mental limit.

Looking back, there were various reasons, but
at the time, I couldn't judge things calmly,

I just,
felt miserable whenever I sat at my desk.

My body felt heavy.
My head wouldn't work.

When I tried to draw manga,
it felt like I was carrying lead on my back.

In that state,

Thinking, 'I'm done for,'

I called the editor-in-chief while crying.

'I can't draw any more.'

'I'm putting down my pen.'

The editor-in-chief's response at that time was divine, and I still remember it well.

Over the phone, the editor-in-chief sensed that I was serious,

and listened in silence for a moment...

'Understood. I have urgent work to do right now, so I'll call you back in 10 minutes. Can you wait a little?'

he said calmly.

That '10 minutes' really helps a person calm down... After hanging up,

'I said I'd put down my pen...'
'Whatever happens, happens.'
I was able to calm down a little too.

That act of hanging up once to create a 'pause'.
That quick thinking was truly worthy of an editor-in-chief 🙏😭

10 minutes later he called back, and the editor-in-chief said gently,

'For now, just rest.'
'I'll wait until you're better.'
'We can think about whether or not to put down the pen after that.'

He said that, and I also calmed down a bit and said,

'I'm sorry for the trouble, but if I'm able to draw again, please take care of me.'

I said that and hung up,

and I remember feeling a sense of 'relief' the moment I did.

And so, 'Osu!! Karate Bu,' which had continued for 7 years, missed the deadline for that issue's manuscript, and it was decided that it would suddenly go on

indefinite hiatus
.

In the end,
I ended up taking about half a year off before returning,
but even while I was on break,
the work for the collected volume still remained.

What I drew at that time
was the cover for Volume 32 of 'Osu!! Karate Bu'.

And this, too! Even looking back at it now,

it's so dark it surprises even me!! (lol)

Anyway,the atmosphere is heavy.

Perhaps,
my mental state at the time
just came out in the drawing like that.💦

Later, when I had recovered,
the editor-in-chief told me, almost like a joke,

'A book with a cover this dark won't sell!'

and scolded me (lol).

Hahaha... (lol)
I think about it now.

For an artist,
it really shows in the art.

No matter how much you try to hide it,
yourmental stateseeps into the lines and the atmosphere.

That's why lately,
even when I look at other artists' work,

'Ah, this person is feeling a bit down...'

I can
sometimes tell, in a way.😅

Conversely,
when someone is on a roll, you can tell the moment you see their art.

There is power in the lines.
There is heat in the panels.
The characters jump off the page.

'Ah, this artist is on fire.'

I can tell.😉

In the end,
manga isn't just about technique,
it also carries

the 'heart' of the moment, doesn't it? 😆

🙌 [Main Topic❗]

This time, I've included inVolume 32, which holds such bitter memories,

'The Best Trick!?' 🔥

'Takagi-san Cries?!' 🔥

I have listed these two original manuscripts that were actually used
on Yahoo! Auctions‼️

Back then,
I was drawing these while feeling like I was dying every week,
the actual manuscripts 💖

Traces of white correction fluid.
Uneven ink fills.
Ink splatters.

Over 30 years ago,
on the front lines of a weekly serialization,
these are the 'raw manuscripts' that were actually used.

Looking at them now,
I feel like my passion from when I was young,
and even my struggles,
are still left on the paper 😆

I would be happy
if these manuscripts could reach someone who will cherish them 🙌

※The Yahoo! Auction linkis posted at the end of this article.
I would be happy if you could at least feel the atmosphere of the weekly serialization from back then just by looking at them.

*I plan to write about this period in more detail in 'My Life as a Manga Artist' at some point. 😀

[Postscript]
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I would be happy if you could support me with a like or a tip. 🥰
One tip is fuel for my creativity 👊
I will burn it, burn it, and keep writing! ❗
Thank you for your continued support. 💖

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