PETALING JAYA: Building a creative career in Japanese manga or graphic arts is possible with persistence, passion and the right mindset, says Sanpo Yokoi.
The Japanese manga artist, known for his work on the visual effects for the 2022 film Chibiham, Juicy & Me, gave this advice while sharing his experience with students at the Nippon Designers School Malaysia College recently.
For Yokoi, his dream of becoming a manga artist did not begin early.
“Before my 20s, I never thought of becoming a manga artist,” he said, recalling how his interest was sparked by his university club and a senior who had won manga awards.
Although living in a cramped apartment and having to share meals while discussing manga, Yokoi said he went on to discover works such as Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, which left a lasting impression on him.
“That moment made me feel like I wanted to do this too,” he said, adding that breaking into the industry proved far from easy.
“The hardest part is consistency, coming up with ideas and continuing to practise. Creativity is not a one-time spark but a discipline built over time,” he said.
Yokoi believes Malaysia holds untapped potential for the Japanese art.
“The platform is already here and people just need to realise it and put in the effort,” he said, adding that he hopes to collaborate with more local talent in the future.
Meanwhile, present at the talk was student Joselyn Choon, 23, who said she was introduced to manga through family influence.
“I started reading manga from a young age because of my sister.
“Growing up, I was surrounded by anime and manga,” she said.
While aiming to become a concept artist in the gaming industry, she said the fundamentals she learned from manga would remain helpful.
“I want to turn my ideas into a story and manga is the way to do that,” she said.
