PROFILE Name: Federico Brunetti Age: 36 Country: Italy Favorite manga: “Worst” Favorite movie: “Inception” Entry title: “A STARLIGHT SMILE” Round: SMA15 “Moments of  CRYING, SMILING, or LOVE” Award: Honourable Mention

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“…Work hard on the emotions of your characters and don’t be afraid to fail!”

About SMA

• How does it feel to win a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award? It feels incredibly good. Joining SMA was a big challenge for me and it was my goal to be among the winners of this round. In the last few years I tried to improve and grow as an artist, so I studied a lot. This victory gives me the confirmation that I improved and above all it motivates me to continue to work harder and to improve even more!

• What was the inspiration behind your winning work? The main characters of my manga are kids, inspired by my nieces. Just watching them playing and joking inspired me to create manga.

 

READ FEDERICO’S SMA15 ENTRY HERE!

• What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them? Mainly the storyline and time. I kept looking for new ideas until I got the right one, but the pieces got stuck in my mind only later and I had to work nights to meet the deadline. Another big challenge was the creation of the first page. It didn’t convince me at first, so I drew it again a few hours before the end.

 

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About your Manga

• How and when did you start making manga? Any advice for beginners? In 2014 I decided to take part in a manga competition for the first time and I think that was the real starting point. At that moment I realized how many things I didn’t know and how much more there was to learn. So my advice for beginners is: draw and try to make a simple short story or a 4-panel manga first.

• What was the first manga you picked up? It was one of the volumes of “Dragon Ball”…unforgettable!

• Which manga changed your life? I grew up with “Dragon Ball,” “Ranma ½,” “Fist of the North Star” and “Saint Seiya.” But the manga that I love the most is “Video Girl Ai” by Masakazu Katsura-sensei. I was very young…but at that time it influenced me greatly and it has made me change my drawing.

• Which manga character do you most identify with? Why? I don’t know, probably Kazuya Hiramaru or Bakuman. Sometimes I’d like to escape from my busy days!

• What kind of manga do you want to make next? Actually, I’m working on shonen manga, but I would also like to work on manga based on some historical Italian figures all seasoned with a hint of fantasy!

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About Federico

• What do you do when you’re not making manga? How do you relax? I go out with my friends or with my wife for a drink, watch films, or play video games.

• What industry do you work in (if manga making isn’t your primary job?) Unfortunately, making manga isn’t my primary job yet, so in the meantime I work in the graphic and printing industry. Sometimes I work as an illustrator freelancer.

• Where do you see your manga career in 5 years’ time? I will do my best to make manga my primary job.

• What advice would you give to people entering the SILENT MANGA AUDITION®? Keep on studying and developing your skills, work hard on the emotions of your characters and don’t be afraid to fail. You can learn from your mistakes!

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Thank you, Federico! We’re eagerly expecting your future masterpieces and hope that you’re using all your daily frustrations or RAGE to join us by entering SMA17! You have time until 31st January to WOW the readers and have a chance to develop your potential as a manga creator with us in Japan!