Reshaping Manga: Empowering More Rocal Participants [MANGA 0.1]
I've always strived to create manga that reaches tens of thousands, even millions of people.
And I hope to continue expanding that reach to tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions.
However, recently, I've come to realize that being widely popular isn't the only goal for manga.
I've become increasingly interested in different ways to engage with manga.
One such initiative is the "Machi no Manga Kikakushitsu" (Manga Planning Room) in Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki City.
★こちらの記事は、下記の日本語記事をベースとしています。
■Let's make our town the world's happiest place to draw manga on weekends!
While "holy grail pilgrimages" are a well-known way to engage with manga in local communities, our "Machi no Manga Kikakushitsu" initiative with residents of the Oyama Kaido area aims to empower more participants.
Rather than relying on hit content or popular manga artists, the main focus is on ordinary citizens.
We want to create a culture where people, whether they aim to become professional manga artists or not, can draw manga on a daily basis and share their work with others in the community.
It's similar to grassroots sports like baseball or tennis.
Not everyone aims to become a professional athlete or musician, but everyone enjoys participating, and often, the social aspect is just as important as the activity itself.
I want to create a space where even people who enjoy doodling but have never drawn manga can casually participate.
I dream of a future where drawing manga becomes a way for people in the Oyama Kaido area to connect with each other, making it the best place in the world to enjoy drawing manga on weekends.
This is an initiative to empower more people within the community through manga.
(It goes without saying that this is not a criticism of "holy grail pilgrimages" or comic markets and doujinshi activities. We simply want to create a different kind of initiative with a different purpose.)
■ I want children to learn how to create manga.
As a first step in this initiative, I held a workshop to teach children how to create manga.
It was a long time since I had run an event for children, and I made many new discoveries!
I was truly amazed by how children's imaginations exceeded my expectations.
Unlike events for high school or university students, it's essential to get children to start by drawing.
If they don't start with their hands, they'll lose interest in an instant.
Rather than teaching them specific techniques, it's more important to help them understand how to develop and expand their own ideas.
Even though digital tools are becoming increasingly popular in the manga industry, I was reminded of the joy of seeing children's imaginations take flight as they held pencils, erased mistakes, and got their hands dirty.
■ Let's spread the "Manga 0.1" initiative to inspire more people to become active community members through the power of manga.
I thought about calling this initiative "Manga 3.0," but it didn't feel right. It's not about evolution.
Instead, I want to focus on the basic joy of running a pencil or crayon across a blank piece of paper, something many of us experienced as children.
I considered calling it "Manga -1.0," inspired by "Godzilla -1.0," but it felt like a step backward.
Now, I think "Manga 0.1" fits best.
It's like taking your first steps after crawling.
While I will continue to challenge myself to create content that millions of people love, I also want to foster the growth of "Manga 0.1."
● Check this out: "The Wild Man," a manga that captures the pure joy of creation!
As a side note, I've actually already created a manga called "The Wild Man" that embodies the spirit of "Manga 0.1" and published it as an ebook on Kindle.
It's a manga that my friend and I created when we were elementary school students. It's a masterpiece!