PROFILE
Pen Name / Name: Bayu Harditama
Country: Indonesia
Age: 34
Favorite manga: Blade of the Immortal, Halcion Lunch, One Piece, Dandadan, Versus, One-Punch Man, Delicious in Dungeon, A Bride’s Story, Fullmetal Alchemist, Ozanari Dungeon, KING OF BANDIT JING, The Big O, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Cyborg Kuro-chan
Favorite movie: The Hobbit Trilogy, 1917, Mad Max: Fury Road, Pulp Fiction
Favorite quote:

“If the path to what you want seems too easy, then you’re on the wrong path.” –Luffy, One Piece 
“Stop counting only those things that you have lost!” –Jinbe, One Piece
“Apes… together… strong.” –Caesar, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
“Monke.” –Master Oogway, Kung Fu Panda

Entry title: “Mr. Crow of the Forest”
Round: SMA22: “Seized With Rage”
Award: Excellence Award

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“There was a time when I thought competing was pointless unless I won. I was wrong. Even if I didn’t win, each competition helped me improve, even if just a little.”

About SMA

How does it feel to receive a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award?
I was shocked! I never expected drawing a “birb” would win me a prize. More than anything, I’m thrilled. This wasn’t the first time I’ve participated, but this is the first time I’ve won. I think I’ll be able to survive my quarter-life crisis this year.

What was the inspiration behind your awarded work?
Actually, I didn’t mean to create this work because I had already submitted a different one. One day, I saw a post on the Silent Manga Audition Facebook page. It was about how to draw rage, featuring Kenshiro. I realized I hadn’t done it right, so I created Mr. Crow of the Forest. At that time, I was working on a manga for another competition. One of the characters was a crow demon, and I loved drawing him, so I included him in a new story. And there’s a short animation on YouTube, titled “Mori no Ando”, that I’ve loved since I first saw it in high school. This was the second time I’ve created a fable and won a prize. Maybe I love fables more than I thought.

What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge was juggling my manga with my day job. I’m no longer on my own. Back when I was young, single, and clueless, I could survive eating fog and drinking dew. Now that I have a wife, a kid, and a cat, I have to provide for them properly. So, I worked harder, saved as much as I could, and eventually took a break from my job to focus on drawing my manga.

READ Bayu Harditama’s SMA22 ENTRY HERE!

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About Your Manga

How and when did you start making manga? What do you wish you knew as a beginner? What advice would you give to someone who wants to start drawing manga?
I’ve done various things for a living, but I’ve never been able to stop drawing since I could lift a pencil. Only, I wasn’t very good at it. However, I kept on drawing until I could make money as a freelance illustrator. Since then, I’ve already made so many manga pages. Now, my dream is to make a living solely by drawing my own manga.

As a beginner, I wish I had known the key skills needed to become a professional mangaka or a global comic artist. Honestly, I’m still figuring that out.

My best tip is probably to start soon and not to stop drawing, even if you don’t know a single thing about it. We’re so lucky to have the internet today. You can open YouTube and find some artists sharing fundamentals, even some big mangaka like Hiro Mashima-sensei.

Do you draw your manga digitally or by hand? What are your go-to digital or analogue tools?
I don’t like my paper getting soggy from sweat, so I choose to draw digitally. I use CSP Pro and Wacom Intuos.


What was the first manga you picked up? Is it easy to access manga where you live?
I remember borrowing the Doraemon manga from my friend when I was a kid. When I saved enough pocket money to buy it from a bookstore, my friend’s older sister tricked me into buying Sailor Moon instead.

I’ve moved around often since I was a kid. Some places didn’t have any bookstores, but, somehow, I managed to find manga to bring home.

Which manga changed your life?
Probably all my favorite manga titles, which I mentioned above, but especially One Piece. The scene where Franky runs around the city in just a shirt and nothing else warmed my heart.


Which manga character do you most identify with? Why?
Usopp, I guess? The only thing I’m confident about is my negativity. I wish I could be like Luffy, though, with his boundless energy and unstoppable drive to chase big dreams.

What kind of manga do you want to make next?
I’m working on a fantasy manga right now, but my dream is to create a wild, absurd series like Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo or a super genius manga like Halcyon Lunch or FLCL.

My biggest challenge here is electricity. Blackouts are my archenemy – they’re always disrupting my workflo

About You

What do you do when you’re not making manga? How do you relax?
I love playing Elden Ring and Nioh 2 so much. Even more, I enjoy lazing around, lounging while re-reading my manga collection, or dozing off in front of the TV, but that’s nearly impossible now that I don’t live alone anymore. There will always be at least one entity that hits my gut with various pro-wrestling moves.

What industry do you work in (if manga making isn’t your primary job)?
I’m a freelance illustrator. I draw illustrations and manga based on my clients’ requests.

Where do you see your manga career in five years time?
In five years, I hope to be working on my own original manga series, which would be published and loved by readers worldwide.

What manga making advice would you give to your younger self if you could?
Draw more weird animals! That’s also a message for the future me.

What advice would you give to people entering the SILENT MANGA AUDITION®?
There was a time when I thought competing was pointless unless I won. I was wrong. Even if I didn’t win, each competition helped me improve, even if just a little. I’m still not where I want to be, but I’m getting better. Isn’t that good? So don’t hold back! Give it your all! You’ll gain something valuable, and anything extra is just a bonus. The bonus is nice, though. I can buy Elden Ring DLC with it.

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Thank you, Bayu Harditama! We’re eagerly awaiting your next manga masterpiece!

The deadline to join SMA23 is October 1st. Enter for a chance to develop your potential as a manga creator with us in Japan!