“It’s okay not to think of ideas that are very rare or strange. Drawing things that are close to daily life is also a good choice.”
About SMA
How does it feel to receive a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award? 非常開心漫畫作品受到了肯定，感覺又能繼續努力下去了。
I’m incredibly happy that my manga has been recognized. It makes me feel like I can continue to work hard.
What was the inspiration behind your awarded work? 突然腦中閃過一個念頭，如果雨男碰到晴男會發生什麼事呢？
如果是出現閃閃發光的太陽雨應該很有意思，就朝這個方向創作了這篇漫畫。
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind: What would happen if a “rain man” met a “sun man”? I thought it would be very interesting if a sparkling sunshower appeared, so I created this manga in that way.
What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them? 我從來沒畫過下著雨的田邊風景，所以有點困擾。
I had never drawn a rainy countryside landscape, so that was a bit of a challenge. Later, I took many photos of the fields near my home and found one common feature: everyone was planting banana trees. So, I added this detail into the panels, hoping to give it a sense of realism.
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? 我從小就喜歡畫圖，總是在圖畫紙上塗塗畫畫，大概小學三年級的時候第一次閱讀漫畫，一眼就喜歡上這樣的藝術風格，彷彿陷入熱戀般，從那時開始我的夢想就是成為漫畫家。
一開始構想的內容很複雜，可能會無法動筆，如果先選一個自己喜歡的東西當主題，試著完成一篇簡短的漫畫，先體驗一次整個繪製漫畫的流程，總是比在腦中模擬來的有幫助。 I’ve loved drawing since I was a child and was always doodling on drawing paper. I read my first manga around third grade, and I instantly fell in love with the art style. It was truly like falling in love. Since then, my dream has been to become a manga artist. I used to finish a piece and never show it to anyone, which I now feel is a bit of a pity. If I had mustered the courage to ask for more people’s opinions, even at the storyboard stage, I could have improved my work even more. If the initial concept is too complicated, you might not be able to start drawing. It’s more helpful to first choose something you like as a theme, try to complete a short manga, and experience the entire manga-creation process once, rather than just simulating it in your mind.
Do you draw your manga digitally or by hand? What are your go-to digital or analogue tools? 我目前都是數位作畫。
電腦使用的軟體是Clip Studio Paint。功能非常地齊全，從分鏡到完稿都在同個軟體內就能搞定。 I currently draw everything digitally. The software I use on my computer is Clip Studio Paint. It has very complete functionality; I can handle everything from storyboarding to final touches using the same software.
What was the first manga you picked up? Is it easy to access manga where you live? 第一次閱讀的漫畫是《BLEACH死神》。那時看到的是第10集，說實話突然從中間看，劇 情與設定都似懂非懂，但光看圖畫我也是津津有味。
臺灣很容易就取得漫畫，即使是我小時候網路不如現在發達的時期，也可以在租書店 租到最新一期的連載雜誌與單行本。 The first manga I read was BLEACH. I picked up volume 10 and started there. To be honest, starting in the middle meant the plot and setting were confusing, but I was fascinated just by looking at the drawings.
Manga is very easy to access in Taiwan. Even when I was little and the internet wasn’t as advanced as it is now, you could rent the latest serialized magazines and tankōbon at rental bookstores.
Which manga changed your life? 每次閱讀完一部漫畫作品，都會得到不同的觀點，作者的想法會流入我的腦海中，所以每本看過的漫畫都在無形地影響著我，這也是我覺得漫畫的樂趣所在。 Every time I finish reading a manga, I gain a different perspective, and the author’s ideas flow into my mind. So, every manga I’ve read has subtly influenced me, and this is what I find to be the fun part of manga.
Which manga character do you most identify with? Why? 《藍色時期》(ブルーピリオド)中的矢口八虎。對於創作的糾葛與痛苦讓人感同身受，挖掘內心並定義屬於自己的藝術，這一難題我也還在尋找自己的答案。 Yatora Yaguchi from Blue Period. The struggles and pain he experiences in creation deeply resonate with me. The challenge of digging deep into one’s heart and defining one’s own art is a dilemma for which I am still searching for an answer.
What kind of manga do you want to make next? 我想創作看看以怪異生物為題材，但本質是溫暖人心的人情劇。
我們通常是一個人畫漫畫，有多名助手的工作室是很少見的。所以漫畫家一個人的產量有限，作品的數量不夠多，或是隔了幾年才出一部新作，很難牢牢抓住讀者的心。 I want to try creating a human-interest drama that features strange creatures but has a fundamentally warm and touching core. We usually draw manga alone and studios with multiple assistants are rare. Therefore, the output of a single manga artist is limited, and it’s difficult to firmly capture readers’ hearts if you don’t produce a large quantity of work, or if a new work is only released every few years.
About You
What do you do when you’re not making manga? How do you relax? 我居住的地方有很多小小的山丘，我有空閒時都會去踏青散步，山上蟲鳴鳥叫景色很好，讓身心都能好好放鬆。 There are many small hills where I live, and I go hiking and walking in my spare time. The sounds of insects and birds and the scenery in the mountains are wonderful. It allows my mind and body to relax thoroughly. What industry do you work in (if manga making isn’t your primary job)? 我目前是自由接案的創作者，除了創作自己的漫畫作品。
也會接一些兒童叢書的插畫和漫畫的工作。 I am currently a freelance creator. In addition to creating my own manga work, I also do illustration and comic work for children’s books.
Where do you see your manga career in five years time? 我想繪製出更膾炙人口的作品，希望有機會能將出版的作品授權至海外。 I want to create more well-loved works. I hope to have the opportunity to license my published works overseas.
What manga making advice would you give to your younger self if you could? 不用想些太稀奇古怪的點子也沒關係，畫畫貼近日常生活的事物也是不錯的選擇。 It’s okay not to think of ideas that are very rare or strange. Drawing things that are close to daily life is also a good choice.
What advice would you give to people entering the SILENT MANGA AUDITION®? 我個人會閱讀歷代得獎的作品，吸收其他作品的優秀之處。
比如我發現跨頁的表現是被鼓勵的，所以我在本次作品中，也試著加入能展現跨頁魅力的畫面。 I personally read the winning works from previous years to absorb the excellent qualities of the other entries. For example, I noticed that the use of a two-page spread is encouraged, so in this work, I also tried to include a panel that would carry the same charm of a full spread.
Thank you, 茜Cian! We’re eagerly awaiting your next manga masterpiece!
“Understand the reason behind the silence and create a story that does not need words to be understood. ”
About SMA
How does it feel to receive a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award? I feel very honored. I did struggle a bit with imposter syndrome, but I am truly grateful for this opportunity. I once gave up drawing, so I joined SMA with the hope of creating something I would not regret. Receiving this recognition means a lot to me and is very encouraging. What was the inspiration behind your awarded work? It came from a funeral I once attended. Because I could not understand the language being spoken, the entire experience felt like a silent film to me. What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them? Self-doubt was my biggest challenge. The story takes place within less than a minute, with no dialogue or internal monologue, so I ended up cutting many panels (about four pages worth). Another challenge was expressing the theme of “smiles.” I kept questioning myself during the process, and at some point, I became so absorbed in the story that I could no longer smile. Taking a break helped. I went outside to get some sunlight and treated myself to good food, and I gradually returned to a better state.
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 discovered that drawing manga allows me to communicate with others, as well as with myself. I believe everyone is born with the ability to create a sequence of images that tell a story. So I encourage anyone who wants to try to just start drawing. Draw the world that belongs to you and only you.
Do you draw your manga digitally or by hand? What are your go-to digital or analogue tools? I work digitally using Clip Studio Paint. I switch between an iPad and a drawing tablet depending on what feels more comfortable at the moment.
What was the first manga you picked up? Is it easy to access manga where you live? The first manga I picked up was Fullmetal Alchemist. When I was a child, I lived in the mountains, so it was not easy to find manga. Now, with the internet, it’s much more accessible.
Which manga changed your life? Rather than a single title, I feel that many manga have changed small parts of my life in different ways. Reading them makes me feel less alone, as if someone out there understands the feelings I couldn’t put into words. Which manga character do you most identify with? Why? Tomohiro Nagatsuka from A Silent Voice.He created something that connected the people around him, both for his own sake and for the sake of his friends.
What kind of manga do you want to make next? Next time, I’d like to create a story where no one dies. In Taiwan, the manga scene has been growing and becoming more diverse. For commercial manga artists, it is important to constantly adapt to this diversity and to consider who their target audience is.
About You
What do you do when you’re not making manga? How do you relax? I watch baseball and draw. In Taiwan, we often say, “Drawing is exhausting, so we rest by… drawing.”
What industry do you work in (if manga making isn’t your primary job)? Supply chain management and logistics.
Where do you see your manga career in five years time? I would love to see my work printed and sitting on a bookstore shelf someday. But honestly, being able to continue drawing is already enough for me. What manga making advice would you give to your younger self if you could? Buy a decent chair. What advice would you give to people entering the SILENT MANGA AUDITION®? Since it’s manga without dialogue, I think it’s important to ask yourself why this story is “silent”. Understand the reason behind the silence and create a story that does not need words to be understood. For example, I chose to depict a funeral, where there was only a brief moment for a solitary expression. Even in the scene of meeting a dear friend within one’s heart, any spoken words would likely be drowned out by the sound of waves. I wanted to convey that feeling.
Thank you, Ciwaz! We’re eagerly awaiting your next manga masterpiece!
HELLO, SMA TAIWAN ROUND AWARD WINNER, Leopard Gecko!
PROFILE Pen Name / Name:Leopard Gecko Age: 30 Favorite manga: Haikyu!! / Doraemon Favorite movie: Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951) Favorite quote: “You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.” – Alan W. Watts
“Think of it less as a place to prove yourself, and more of a chance to find out what you do and do not enjoy about the manga making process.”
About SMA
How does it feel to receive a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award? It’s very exciting! It is encouraging to know that I was able to reach this level of professionalism with my manga.
What was the inspiration behind your awarded work? The characters and their emotions were very much taken from my own experiences in art school, where there was this constant tension between skill and style. Of course, now that I’m older and have more experience with art and storytelling, it’s easy to see that those two things are merely two sides of the same coin. But, back then, it all felt like such a struggle to navigate. What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them? Expecting too much from myself, especially when it comes to how much work I can realistically do in a day. I always want to be able to do more, draw faster, and get more pages done. But just forcing myself to sit at my work desk for 15 hours a day isn’t really all that effective. The much more realistic way to cut down on time is to work at the level my speed and energy allows and to adjust the complexity and level of detail according to the amount of time I have.
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 became interested in creating manga when I was in 3rd grade, when I read the first volume of D.Grey Man. Though I had read other manga series before that one, it was D.Grey Man that made me think, “I want to do this, too.” However, it wasn’t until I graduated college and went into the workforce that I really tried making short comics. The first 30 page short I made was for a competition here in Taiwan, about four years ago. The biggest thing that helped me get better was simply finding a topic to obsessively make manga about. Telling yourself, “I need to practice drawing and hone my story-writing skills to make good manga!” will never be as motivating as asking yourself, “How can I make my two favorite characters profess their undying love to each other in five hundred different ways?” LOL
Do you draw your manga digitally or by hand? What are your go-to digital or analogue tools? A bit of both. I find that it’s much easier for me to think when I’m working traditionally. So anything that requires heavy thinking, like story writing, concept design, storyboards, etc, I do on paper. Anything that requires a higher level of completion, like detailed sketches and the final manga pages, I do digitally in Clip Studio Paint.
What was the first manga you picked up? Is it easy to access manga where you live? It’s very easy to access manga in Taiwan. Manga and anime culture is huge here! My earliest manga was probably Doraemon. My mother would get me a couple new volumes every time we went to visit my grandparents, and I’d spend the whole trip reading and rereading them.
Which manga changed your life? Haikyu!! because it’s what pushed me to finally start making my own manga in earnest. If it wasn’t for that series, and how hard I fell in love with those characters, I’d probably still be dreaming about making manga, instead of actually making it. My overwhelming obsession with Haikyu!! forced me into a fancomic creation frenzy, and I came out of it four months later having learned more about making manga than I did in the previous four years. (LOL) Which manga character do you most identify with? Why? Eliquo from Tower Dungeon. There’s something about him being not quite the main character, but still having to navigate a world that’s going crazy, all while struggling with very realistic biological issues that aren’t exactly dignified, but still have to be dealt with, that really makes me think, this man gets it.
What kind of manga do you want to make next? I want to practice character-centric story writing. The stories I write tend to lean too heavily on plot and world-building. The stories that stay with me the most are invariably the ones with the most interesting and engaging characters. I want to be able to create those types of stories, too.
I’m not very familiar with the manga publishing industry in Taiwan, which may in itself show how that industry is struggling. Even in a country that’s so in love with Japanese manga, the domestic manga publishing industry doesn’t leave much of an impression.
About You
What do you do when you’re not making manga? How do you relax? I either read books or play video games. More recently, I’ve started learning Japanese. That may sound like work instead of relaxation, but I find studying the language to actually be quite fun.
What industry do you work in (if manga making isn’t your primary job)? Up until last year, I was working as a storyboard artist for 2D animation. Since the show finished and the team all went their separate ways, I’ve been joining manga competitions in hopes of starting a new chapter in my career. I’m happy to say I’m making good progress (^ ^).
Where do you see your manga career in five years time? Hopefully, I’ll have a couple volumes of published manga under my belt!
What manga making advice would you give to your younger self if you could? What you are struggling with isn’t style, it’s skill. Get better at figure drawing, perspective, and proportions, then the pretty style will follow.
What advice would you give to people entering the SILENT MANGA AUDITION®? Think of it less as a place to prove yourself, and more of a chance to find out what you do and do not enjoy about the manga making process. Take the prompts and really deep dive into how you can create something that you yourself would love reading.
Thank you, Leopard Gecko! We’re eagerly awaiting your next manga masterpiece!
SMA20 Grand Prix Runner-up, Syoera, Wins an Honorable Mention in the 30th Manga Taisho!
Syoera, who was a Grand Prix Runner-up Award in SMA20 with her adorable and humorous piece On the edge, has now won her second award! Her new story A Grand(ma) Dilemmawon an Honorable Mention and was the second highest awarded work in the 30th Comic Zenon Manga Taisho Award.
From On the edge by Syoera
A Grand(ma) Dilemma is a deep, moving, and silly story about two very different people both experiencing the hardships of taking care of a loved one at the end of their life. Duy Khôi has never liked his grandmother. He has bad memories of her from his childhood, when he witnessed her behavior at his grandfather’s deathbed. Even when his parents go on vacation, and his grandmother comes to stay with him, he’s determined to avoid her. However, when Duy Khôi’s cat starts to show signs of illness, Duy Khôi finds that he and his grandmother may have more in common than he thought.
As an honorable mention award winner, A Grand(ma) Dilemma was also introduced in the October 2025 edition of Monthly Comic Zenon!
To commemorate her award, we interviewed her about the process behind her award-winning manga. Read on to learn more about what inspired Syoera to create this moving work!
Honestly, when I first pitched the idea to my editors, I was totally lost. I didn’t really understand how to present a manga concept properly, and the idea I had back then was kind of silly and unclear. After that, I spent one or two months thinking and experimenting, and somehow it came together… Maybe it’s because I just couldn’t stop thinking about it in my daily life, but the idea came to me when I combined two separate things together: cats and oldpeople.
What do you think is the best part of this piece?
I’d say the best thing about this piece is what I learned from it. Before this, I used to think about stories and characters separately. I’d imagine worlds and people, but I rarely managed to weave them into a single narrative. This time, I think I finally succeeded in expressing a personal story that carried meaning without sounding moralizing or preachy (which was something I always tended to do before, *crying*).
What did you struggle with when creating this piece?
Definitely the script. Once I got past the name (storyboard) stage, everything else went pretty smoothly. Well, except for the lettering for the sound effects. I’m really bad at those.
What kind of manga do you want to draw next?
Recently, I think I’ve found my creative direction. I want to make stories that spark something in the reader. Ideally, something that helps them see the truth about their relationship to the world, their relationships with others, or even with more abstract things.
So, I guess it could be anything, really (lol). I’m terrible at choosing when put on the spot, but once I find the right idea, I’ll see it through to the end, no matter what.
What have you been interested in lately?
I don’t usually follow current events unless they affect me directly, but recently, while doing some research, I started learning about what’s happening in Gaza. It’s honestly horrifying. The stories of children and families trying to live some kind of ordinary life amidst all that destruction, or even just survive… It’s painful to realize that so much of the world keeps moving while others are suffering. The more I read, the closer it feels to me. They’re people, just like us, who are trying to exist where existence itself is under attack. It feels devastating to see such immense suffering happening in real time, while those with the power to stop it simply… don’t.
Do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thank you so much for reading my work. Being able to share my perspective and imagination with others is a truly wonderful thing. I hope I can keep connecting with people through stories as long as possible.
By the way, I’m creating some side stories that feature the characters from A Grand(ma) Dilemma!I’ll be posting them on my social media accounts in the future, so if you’re interested in seeing what happens to the characters afterwards, please make sure to follow me! <3
You can read additional stories about the characters from A Grand(ma) Dilemmahere! Also, don’t forget to follow Syoera on social media! You can find her on X at @notsyoera or on Facebook at Syo.era.
Do you want to be published in Japan as well? Submit to SMA24!
“Street Fighter Ranking”, a Webtoon Created in Collaboration with the Artists Village MasterClass, Began Serialization on Major Japanese Manga Platforms on September 30, 2025!
COAMIX Inc. is pleased to announce that, starting from September 30 (Tue.), the new webtoon series, 『喧嘩番付最弱の俺が絵を描くだけで喧嘩最強ランキングを駆け上がる』(lit. “Street Fighter Ranking”) has been serialized on LINE Manga and eBookJapan!
Title:
『喧嘩番付最弱の俺が絵を描くだけで喧嘩最強ランキングを駆け上がる』 ‘Kenkabanzuke Saijaku no Ore ga E wo Egaku Dake de Kenka Saikyō Rankingu wo Kakeagaru’ (lit: Street Fighter Ranking: The Extremely Weak Me Climbs to the Best Fighting Rank Just by Drawing Pictures)
Story / Manga: 葉月唯 (HAZUKIYUI) Art: monotone_ink・Vanilla・Roberto F.・Kevin Chen This webtoon was written and drawn by Hazuki Yui. SMA MasterClass members working at the Artists Village Aso 096k were in charge of the art. The backgrounds are by monotone_ink, Vanilla and Kevin Chen did the base coloring, and Roberto F. did the shadows!
Summary:
Kosuke Jinno was used to enduring relentless bullying day in and day out. One day, he catches the eye of Sakata, the charismatic leader of the school, and becomes the target of even more brutal bullying. Beaten bloody by his bullies and at the brink of despair, Kosuke is saved by Kongo, a former top-ranked fighter from the popular combat show “Fighter Ranking”! In a world where strength alone decides everything, witness the exhilarating rise of a fighter clawing his way to the top from the very bottom!
Published on the Following platforms (Exclusive to Japan):
Turkish Creator Rakuyou Takes the Top Prize in the 13th Kyushu International Manga Award!
We are excited to introduce the young, Turkish creator Rakuyou, who tied with monami for the top prize in the 13th Kyushu International Manga Award! Her award-winning manga, Blank Canvas, is now available in English!
Blank Canvas tells the story of Asahi, a young boy who loves to draw, but fears the vulnerability of bearing his heart to the world through his creations. He believes that, because not everyone appreciates his art, it is worthless, a struggle his friend, Danno, recognizes. With Danno’s encouragement, Asahi finally begins to see the value in his work. This powerful story about the creative process by the Turkish creator Rakuyou won the top prize in the 13th Kyushu International Manga Award!
To commemorate her award, a Q&A article with Rakuyou was published in the magazine alongside Blank Canvas. Read on to learn more about what inspired Rakuyou to create this award-winning manga!
What inspired you to create Blank Canvas?
I believe that all art is born from the creator’s heart and soul. However, creating something can be painful at times. Experiencing that inner struggle made me want to tell a story about a character who is wrestling with that same conflict.
What do you think is the best part of this piece?
I love the scenes where the protagonist transforms into the sketch version of himself. I spent a lot of time experimenting with how to visually express his emotional turmoil, so drawing those pages was especially enjoyable.
What did you struggle with when creating this piece?
I struggled a lot with how to clearly express what I truly wanted to say while still providing entertainment. Thankfully, with the help of my editor, I was able to organize the chaos in my head and shape it into a short story. Also… backgrounds. I still have a long way to go when it comes to backgrounds!
What kind of manga do you want to draw next?
I want to create works that move people like the ones that moved me. I want to create stories that, even after just a few chapters, can transport readers to other worlds and let them live other lives. I want to create stories that overwhelm readers with emotion so powerful it defies words. That’s what I want to make.
What’s your dream for the future?
I used to think I’d be happy just drawing. However, the more manga I read, the stronger my desire to create manga becomes. Now, my dream is to keep drawing manga for the rest of my life!
Do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thank you so much for reading! I know I’m not yet at the level where I can truly touch people’s hearts, but if this story reached even one person out there, or if you simply enjoyed it, that alone makes me incredibly happy.
Follow Rakuyou on X here: r4kuy0, and on Instagram here: Rakuyouu__!
Do you want to be published in Japan as well? Take the first step and join SMA23!
HELLO SMA22 AWARD WINNERS, Pearlyn M. x Anzuarden_Art!
PROFILE Pen Name / Name: Pearlyn M./ Yuki (Anzuarden_Art) Country: United States/Indonesia Age: 25/27 Social media: Instagram: @anzuarden_art X: @anzuarden_art Favorite manga (Yuki): Solo Leveling Favorite movie (Yuki): The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of The Ring Favorite quote (Yuki):“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
“For those who want to start drawing manga, my advice is to utilize the internet; study your favorite manga, learn anatomy to create dynamic poses, observe how dynamic panels are created, and keep drawing!”
About SMA
How does it feel to receive a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award? Yuki: It was thrilling! It’s the first time I collaborated on a piece that won an SMA award, and at first, I doubted I’d ever win. I’m really happy that I did at least get in the honorable mentions, it was exciting!
What was the inspiration behind your awarded work? Pearlyn: Personal experience with getting angry whenever I kill bugs.
Yuki: I couldn’t really say that there was any particular inspiration, since the story was written by Pearlyn, but I do have referenced some ideas and funny expressions from memes and pop cultures, as well as some comedy manga.
What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them? Pearlyn: Admittedly the hardest part was deciding whether I wanted to be risky or play it safe. Unlike my other entry, this one was simpler and focused on one specific scene of killing a roach. Ultimately, both entries received honorable mention, so I’ll be sure to get even more creative next time.
Yuki: Starting was the hardest part, I guess. Working with the script, trying to figure out the best way to arrange the panels and poses, while trying to figure out how to convey the story without a single word is quite challenging, this is the first time that I did it. In the end I just kept going and slowly built up my confidence and finally managed to finish it.
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?
Yuki: The first time was when I was a kid, I did try to make some silly Pokémon comics. I wish I had known more about paneling and how to angle my perspectives better as a beginner. As for advice, I think learning the fundamentals like how to make a great paneling, poses, and character expressions are very important! Don’t be afraid to try, you will inevitably look back at it and cringe in the future, but that’s a clear sign that you have improved and got better knowledge of how to make a manga!
Do you draw your manga digitally or by hand? What are your go-to digital or analogue tools? Yuki: I do it fully digitally. I use an iPad Pro M2 and an apple pencil as my main hardware and Sketchbook (I know, not procreate or CSP, weird) as my sole drawing software, whether for manga making or art commissions.
What was the first manga you picked up? Is it easy to access manga where you live? Yuki: I think it was a Kung Fu Boy manga. Not really, I had to travel for hours to get a physical copy back then. Which manga changed your life? Yuki: Probably Fire Punch. Reading it made me decide to start learning how to draw manga and make cool stories.
Which manga character do you most identify with? Why? Yuki: I haven’t really thought about it that much really haha Probably Origin from a manga with the same name by Boichi. He’s an android that learns what it means to be human. I guess I kinda feel the same way.
What kind of manga do you want to make next? Yuki: I’m developing my own webcomic series, an action fantasy manga, Stranger’s Shell. Though it will take a while since I also had to work on commissions, since I couldn’t really earn anything being a manga creator by myself here in Indonesia.
About You
What do you do when you’re not making manga? How do you relax? Yuki: I game on my laptop or watch movies, YouTube too.
What industry do you work in (if manga making isn’t your primary job)? Yuki: Currently still at digital art, as a freelance character artist and concept illustrator.
Where do you see your manga career in five years time? Yuki: Not sure, but I will try my best to see my first manga continued and finished!
What manga making advice would you give to your younger self if you could? Yuki: Draw everyday if you can, even just a little. Practice and keep practicing, and learn to manage your time. It’s a limited currency that you can never earn again.
What advice would you give to people entering the SILENT MANGA AUDITION®? Yuki: Keep it entertaining! Don’t rush, try being creative in the ways you convey the story and character’s thoughts and feelings through their expressions, movements, and interaction with others! And most importantly, don’t give up, no matter how hard it gets.
Thank you, Pearlyn M. x Anzuarden_Art! We’re eagerly awaiting your next manga masterpiece!
HELLO SMA22 AWARD WINNERS, Pearlyn M. x Cyrus Romanes!
PROFILE Pen Name / Name: Pearlyn M./ Cyrus “Tarotski” Romanes Country: United States/ The Philippines Age: 25/35 Social media: Pearlyn’s Instagram: @pearlyn.m Cyrus Romanes’s Instagram: @tarotski Favorite manga (Pearlyn M.): PandoraHearts, Kowloon Generic Romance Favorite manga (Cyrus Romanes): Kyou Kara Ore Wa!! Favorite movie (Pearlyn M.): Train to Busan, The Great Gatsby (2013), Ring (1998) Favorite movie (Cyrus Romanes): The Hangover Trilogy Favorite quote (Pearlyn M.):“All the bright, precious things fade so fast…and they don’t come back.” – Daisy Buchanan
How does it feel to receive a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award? Pearlyn: It feels amazing! I received the news at 3AM and couldn’t sleep after reading the results. It was especially shocking to find out both my entries received recognition from Japanese professionals. Winning the honorable mention keeps me motivated to continue to aim for higher awards, as I know I can do better in the next round.
Tarotski: It feels great! It was my first time winning an honorable mention (I won two editorial awards in past rounds). Hopefully the excellence award is next lol!
What was the inspiration behind your awarded work? Pearlyn: My partner attends a venue located behind an art studio. It’s full of gaming cabinets and he and his friends play games like Street Fighter, Tekken and more. Sometimes they host tournaments. The environment and community inspired me to make a story based on my observations.
Tarotski: Pearlyn (writer) made the story. It was heavily inspired by fighting game tournament shenanigans. I just gave my own flavor to her wonderful writing! What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them? Pearlyn: Admittedly, the hardest part is creating a successful twist, but without making the story “convenient” for the sake of convenience. It’s something I’m continuously working on and am hoping to improve as I practice.
Tarotski: Deadlines! You just have to do several all-nighters!
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? Pearlyn: When I was in high school, I created over 50 pages of traditional manga of an old fantasy story. I didn’t have any skills and knew nothing about writing techniques. For those who want to start drawing manga, my advice is to utilize the internet: study your favorite manga, learn anatomy to create dynamic poses, observe how dynamic panels are created, and keep drawing! Also, read Araki-sensei’s Manga in Theory and Practice.
Tarotski: I started making my own manga when I was in third grade. I stopped for a while, but I wish I hadn’t, and had instead just drawn consistently as I grew older. My advice is just to keep working on it, and eventually, if you put your heart fully into it, your hard work will pay off.
Do you draw your manga digitally or by hand? What are your go-to digital or analogue tools? Pearlyn: As a writer, I don’t draw my manga. Instead, I collaborate with manga artists. However, I have drawn digitally on Adobe Photoshop, Paint Tool SAI and Clip Studio Paint.
Tarotski: I draw my manga digitally now. Medibangpaint is what I’m using. It’s ui- friendly! What was the first manga you picked up? Is it easy to access manga where you live? Pearlyn: Keroro Gunso! I was raised in Hong Kong and Cantonese manga was very accessible. Now, I live in a big city in the United States, so manga is still thankfully obtainable.
Tarotski: My first tankobon was Slamdunk Vol. 5! It’s not that easy to find manga where I live, and it wasn’t that popular back then. Which manga changed your life?
Pearlyn: Pandora Hearts left a huge amount of emotional damage for a good few years after I finished it. I had a hyper fixation on Pandora Hearts during high school. I simply love Mochizuki-sensei’s style of storytelling; she “drip feeds” her information and the plot twists were unexpected. I am also obsessed with TheCase Study of Vanitas.
Tarotski: Kyou Kara Ore Wa! It’s the manga that really inspired me to make my own manga seriously!
Which manga character do you most identify with? Why? Pearlyn: Vanitas from the Case Study of Vanitas. His personality reminds me of myself. He loves to banter, tease, is never serious, but gets vulnerable and emotional during moments that trigger him. Dazai from Bungou Stray Dogs is a close second. Both characters also struggle with mental health. I have a history of knowing what that feels like, so their dark humor is relatable.
Tarotski: I’ll say Krillin. I’m not the best, but I can do things well enough lol.
What kind of manga do you want to make next? Pearlyn: A horror or a tragic romance. In my country, a challenge I face is that being a mangaka outside of Japan is still a growing niche, but I’ve noticed more opportunities are slowly coming.
Tarotski: I really want to create an action manga series. The only challenge here in the Philippines is the lack of acknowledgement in the manga/webtoon industry. Also, there is still a heavy bias towards western culture in the community.
About You
What do you do when you’re not making manga? How do you relax? Pearlyn: I enjoy making reels on Instagram, writing short stories and watching anime. I also love being a Connect 4 champion, beating friends in UNO and sleeping.
Tarotski: I just spend quality time with my wife and my two cats.
What industry do you work in (if manga making isn’t your primary job)? Pearlyn: I work as a full-time case manager at a mental health crisis unit.
Tarotski: I’m a full-fledged freelance manga artist.
Where do you see your manga career in five years time? Pearlyn: I hope, in five years, I’ll have already debuted as a mangaka in Japan! I work with an agent, Fukunaga-san, from the Hivemind Literary Agency, which is a service under the Japanese entertainment agency, Qdopp Inc. The goal is to get a manga adaptation.
Tarotski: I’m just hoping to release my own work. I’ve been working on it slowly and steadily.
What manga making advice would you give to your younger self if you could? Pearlyn: Study up on the KI-SHO-TEN-KETSU.
Tarotski: Stop procrastinating! Focus on your work and sit straight! You, stop slouching! Yes, I’m talking to you!
What advice would you give to people entering the SILENT MANGA AUDITION®? Pearlyn: Focus on forming an emotional connection. While beautiful illustrations and a good story are important parts of making manga, creating emotional catharsis through body language, facial expressions and reactions readers feel will make your characters appealing and relatable.
Tarotski: Don’t be afraid to experiment and fail. Enjoy every page and panel you create! It’s a fun experience, no matter the results!
Thank you, Pearlyn M. x Cyrus Romanes! We’re eagerly awaiting your next manga masterpiece!
Artists Village MasterClass Member Mage’s Japanese Manga Debut!!
Our talented MasterClass member, Mage, makes history again, this time with her official manga debut! Her debut has been serialized both in physical form, in the manga magazine Monthly Comic ZENON, as well as digitally on the official Comic ZENON website!
This is the third manga series drawn by a MasterClass member in the Artists Village! Mage has followedSone Amaya and Moritaka Neko’s footsteps in making SMA history!
Fraulina, a highborn and beautiful young woman, never thought she’d live past childhood. Her incurable illness made her as good as dead… until she was miraculously saved by the genius mage, Reynold. It was that moment she fell in love with Reynold and pledged to marry him! Ten years later, at the age of 18, Fraulina is determined to marry Reynold. There’s just one small problem… Reynold has been banished from the kingdom and completely lost his will to live! Fraulina barges into the situation, determined to save Reynold, and soon enough, Reynold’s life has been turned completely upside down by Fraulina’s incredible abilities and infectious personality. This is how Fraulina and Reynold, banished and living at the edge of the world, begin their roller coaster of a married life!
Take your first step towards your own manga debut by joining SMA! The deadline to join SMA23 is October 1st, 2025. Enter for a chance to develop your potential as a manga creator with us in Japan!
HELLO SMA22 AWARD WINNER, abnormality!
PROFILE Pen Name / Name: abnormality Country: Singapore Age: 25 Social media: Instagram: @ab_nor_mality X: @ab_nor_mality Favorite manga: Biorg Trinity Favorite movie: Whiplash Favorite quote: “If you always worry about the past, it’s your loss because you won’t be able to enjoy the present.” – Eikichi Onizuka
“I personally studied a lot of the past winners’ works as references, and I would advise others to do the same.”
About SMA
How does it feel to receive a SILENT MANGA AUDITION® award? It’s honestly an honor! I was quite surprised that I won something, considering the sheer volume of entries this round.
What was the inspiration behind your awarded work? I thought about creating a relatable story and character, and one of the settings that came to mind was the workplace, so I decided to base my narrative on that. What challenges did you face while making your manga? How did you overcome them? This was more or less the first time I tried to properly create a manga, so there were many things I was unfamiliar with, such as layouts, screen tones, etc. I tried studying different types of manga and looking up resources on manga creation, and then tried my best to apply what I saw.
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 been drawing since I was young, but I only tried my hand at manga in the past year or so. Well, I’m still sort of a beginner, so I don’t think I have much advice to give, but there’s quite a few online resources which are quite accessible these days, so I’d direct anyone interested to look those up.
Do you draw your manga digitally or by hand? What are your go-to digital or analogue tools? I draw digitally, with a Huion Kamvas tablet, using Clip Studio Paint. What was the first manga you picked up? Is it easy to access manga where you live? It’s been so long that I honestly don’t quite remember, but it might’ve been a series like Naruto or One Piece. I don’t think it was particularly accessible at the time, but it is a lot more so now. Which manga changed your life? I don’t think there’s a singular work I’d credit as being ‘life changing’. For me, I think many works I’ve read have impacted me in some way or form, even if I don’t realize it. I guess, if I had to pick one of the most impactful overall, perhaps it’d be Tokyo Ghoul.
Which manga character do you most identify with? Why? Probably Oikawa Tooru from Haikyuu!!. His ambition and hunger to succeed in his craft, as well as the insecurity he feels when faced with those inherently more talented than him, are personality traits I find incredibly relatable.
What kind of manga do you want to make next? I would like to try making longer one-shots with more complex narratives next, to further test my skills. The industry for comics here is very small, and there are few opportunities to publish.
About You
What do you do when you’re not making manga? How do you relax? I usually either play games or read manga/books.
What industry do you work in (if manga making isn’t your primary job)? I‘m a 3D artist.
Where do you see your manga career in five years time? I don’t have any strict expectations per say, but I do aim to participate in as many manga contests as I can in the near future. Hopefully, my efforts will bear fruit in some way.
What manga making advice would you give to your younger self if you could? Just start making it! No matter if you think your skills are good enough. Starting is the most important thing.
What advice would you give to people entering the SILENT MANGA AUDITION®? I personally studied a lot of the past winners’ works as references, and I would advise others to do the same. Study different works from different prize categories and understand what made their works good. You can even look at the judges comments for further reference.
Thank you, abnormality! We’re eagerly awaiting your next manga masterpiece!
PROFILE
