PROFILE
Pen Name: Lufty Adam
Age: 21
Social network profiles: Instagram: @sgt.boisketcher, X: @adam_lutfy
Country: Singapore
Favorite manga: One Punch Man
Favorite movie: Back To the Future
Favorite quote:“What’s the deal with airplane peanuts?”~Jerry Seinfeld

Entry title: “Don’t Be Cruel”
Round: SMA20: “Memorable Smile”
Award: Grand Prix Runner-Up

“How dedicated you are is how far your art will improve.”

About SMA

How does it feel to receive a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award?
It’s a huge deal for me. Not only because I rarely win anything, but because getting Grand Prix Runner-Up was something truly unexpected. After a failed attempt from entering the previous round and coming out with not much, I’m glad the effort put in for this story paid off.

What was the inspiration behind your awarded work?
At the time, I was watching a lot of ‘kaiju’ movies. Watching two giant monsters fight it out was really cool to me, and I wondered why there wasn’t any recent manga with a kaiju lead in it. But looking at the previous SMA works, the idea seemed too conflicting with the normal fluffy deep emotional meaningful stories that seemed to be the winning factor in the competition. Nevertheless, I liked the challenge, and in the end I came up with a fairly simple prompt for the story: “A cute, touching story with a ‘kaiju’ in it!”

What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was juggling the time for work, family and drawing. I was also serving my national service (it’s mandatory for Singapore boys) as a military driver so there were times where I had to stay several nights in the camps. Luckily, I could bring my laptop in so I could work on my manga some more in my free time.

READ Lufty Adam’s SMA20 ENTRY HERE!

How and when did you start making manga? Any advice for beginners?
I took an interest in the art form in secondary school as I had just gotten into anime and I wanted to make my own stories. But I only really started seriously making manga after getting my diploma. I was studying animation and also found storyboarding lessons to be very useful when making manga. As for the advice…I’m a beginner myself but, all I can really say is: draw what’s cool to you. Drawing lessons can also be very helpful and there’s lots of them online. How dedicated you are is how far your art will improve.

Which manga changed your life?
Saguri-chan Tankentai. It taught me to appreciate the outdoors more and go outside every now and then.


Which manga character do you most identify with? Why?
I would say Akira from Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. I admire his outlook on life, and how he stays positive. There’s a point in the story where he tries to give back as much as he can to his parents, which I find relatable. You gotta give back to your folks at some point in your life after all. I guess he reminds me to think about family every now and then. Also, much like Akira, I can be dumb and enjoy stupid humor as well.

What kind of manga do you want to make next?
I enjoy stories with comedy and action so probably something like that. I would also like to write a story that takes place in my hometown. Local flavors make things interesting after all. More shōnen manga that’s as original as possible is what I am aiming for, I guess.

I dream of getting published by “Weekly Shōnen Jump.” But realistically, I would either quit all together or find a smaller international publishing magazine. I do love making manga though so hopefully my manga career takes a good ending.

Thank you, Lufty Adam! We’re eagerly expecting your next manga masterpiece!

There’s time until July 1st to join SMA21 and have a chance to develop your potential as a manga creator with us in Japan!