READ A Grand(ma) Dilemma IN ENGLISH HERE!

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! 

What inspired you to create A Grand(ma) Dilemma? 

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 old people.

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) Dilemma here! Also, don’t forget to follow Syoera on social media! You can find her on X at @notsyoera or on Facebook at Syo.era.