Punished

I still regret nothing.... 25. raven guard
profile art by: @101ho_

[Punished @PunishedWasd]

I need all my followers to know. I would sleep with her if given the chance

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

Today marks the 250th anniversary of one of humanity's brightest, strongest, and most influential dreams – the American Dream of an independent, free, and prosperous nation that defends people's freedom, faith, and the pursuit of happiness.

That dream has endured many trials. It did not merely survive – it has, for two and a half centuries now, served as an example for other nations and helped the entire humanity stand firm and become freer. This was especially important in the 20th century, when America helped save the world from the rule of tyrants and built the alliances and partnerships that, for the first time, gave a large part of humanity lasting peace and the opportunity to develop in freedom.

Now, in the 21st century, America's influence and importance are certainly no less. And we see that particularly clearly in Ukraine, which is fighting for its independence, freedom, and our people's right to happiness with much the same hope, the same purpose, and the same determination with which Americans won and defended their own independence.

We deeply value the support of the United States, especially now, during Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. American weapons – from the Javelins that President Trump decided to give to Ukraine to the Patriots that most reliably protect the lives of our people – everything the United States has provided to help us defend our country demonstrates the strength of the American spirit, American resolve, and American technology.

And we know the value of all these words better than anyone. When we ask America for Patriots, we believe that the values of respect for life and for people that prevailed 250 years ago will prevail again today. The world needs the kind of leadership that guarantees protection for freedom and for life.

I wish America a happy Fourth of July, the President of the United States and all Americans every success, and all of us around the world who value America – fruitful cooperation. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." That is what unites all of us – all who respect America and thank America today.

May the dreams of free people always triumph over the evil and hatred of those who seek to destroy freedom. America, thank you! I am confident that if we're in it together, we'll definitely achieve peace! Congratulations on your Independence Day!

[meeeds @meeeds23]

What amazon money does to morals is fascinating.

[meeeds @meeeds23]

I put up with ai from Amazon for a while. But using one of the best artist to push this in a desperate attempt to give it credibility was a bridge to far.

[☠️ Lilith Lovett ☠️ same @ on 💙☁️🦋 @LilithLovett]

“uhhh you srsly don’t think xi jingCHAD should invade taiwan broh??? like why don’t we send you to IRAN rn then???”

[Boichi @Boichi_Bo1]

Hello!
I had planned to stop writing about the manga industry on X for about half a year.
However, over the past few days, the posts I shared received an unexpected and remarkable response.
I’m not referring to the reactions here.
Of course, I’m grateful for the responses here as well—but I’m talking about what’s happening elsewhere.
Because of that, I’ve decided to set aside my plan to stop writing about the manga industry and instead write about it from time to time.

So this time, I’d like to add a bit more explanation about “diversity”.
First of all, when I say “MANGA(漫画) must be diverse,” I am not referring to Japanese manga.
Japanese manga already possesses the kind of diversity that the rest of the world should aspire to.
Of course, it would be even great if it became more diverse still.

My message about diversity is directed at those around the world who dream of and are planning to build their own manga industries.
“The essence of Japanese manga is diversity. Aim to become as diverse as Japanese manga.”

And once that diversity and scale are achieved, someday, your own version of Shōnen Jump will naturally emerge.
(Your own Shōnen Jump—I am not referring to the exact level of the existing one.)

[Boichi @Boichi_Bo1]

At last, after three months of intense thought, effort, and reflection—since last Christmas—I have shared my ideas about the future of global manga, and now this chapter has come to an end.

This is something I have dreamed about for the past 30 years, and something I have been working toward for over a decade.
But these past three months… I truly gave it everything I had.

Yesterday, I felt overwhelmed with many emotions.
Steve, our Japanese manager, and I went together to Shōnan(湘南).
Our minds were so full that the only thing we could do was go and look at the ocean—all three of us.
When your thoughts are heavy, sometimes you just need to see the wide, blue sea.

For reference, Steve came to Japan for the future of global manga.
He has invested his time and effort, and I have spent over ten thousand dollars to support his stay in Japan.
So far, we have not yet found the answers or rewards we hoped for.
But we have continued because we love comics—and because we care about aspiring creators around the world.
For a long time, Steve and I have been thinking about many ideas for the future of manga.

For manga to truly grow, an education system is necessary.
Japan may not need it as much, but globally, manga education is essential.
This is also an important truth that I came to realize through my research.
That is why I began designing a manga education system.

It was not only for teaching students, but also for supporting manga educators around the world.
(This is why I said that I support and care about manga educators.)
There were even people willing to invest in these ideas.
Some offered between 10 million and 20 million dollars.
However, their condition was that I must take charge of the school, so I declined.
I have chosen a path of giving, not taking.
I do not seek any position, power, or share of the profits.
I was even offered shares worth more than what I have earned from my most successful works, but I refused.
What I have created is something I wish to give as a gift.
That was the decision I made last Christmas.

Of course, in this world, if you work, you deserve to be paid.
If you create intellectual property, royalties are necessary.
If you enter a contract, an advance is expected.
That is how the world works.
Beyond that, I do not need anything more.
I also had plans to go to the United States and stay for a month to teach.
Originally, I was invited to give a short lecture, but I suggested something different:
“A short, one-time event(like a longer Q&A session or panel at Comic-Con) would not truly help North American students.

If it is for them, I would rather teach for a full month.”
I also thought about creating a manga textbook for North America based on that experience.
If I were to teach there, I would receive many questions from students.
Those questions would reflect their real concerns and perspectives.
By incorporating them, it could become a truly meaningful guide for North American manga creators.
For that one month of teaching, I said I would accept only $2,000.
In reality, I would likely spend tens of thousands of dollars myself.
I do not believe it should be free.
Work deserves compensation—that is a basic human principle.
But I do not need to make a large profit.
It does not need to be financially rewarding for me.

“Education should be as affordable as possible.”
Someone has to make that choice, so that aspiring creators in North America can access learning at a lower cost.
That was the idea behind my plan.

As you may have guessed, I am sharing this because that plan has now been set aside.
There are several reasons, but over the past three months, I have already spent too much time, energy, and money on thinking about the future of manga.
I want to draw my own manga.

Of course, even during these past three months, I continued working on my own projects.
I completed around 100 pages of manuscript and about 100 pages of nēmu(ネーム: storyboard)
However, producing only 100 pages in three months is, for me, an unacceptably low output.

Now, it's time for me to go to my table and focus on my manga again.

[Kamen America (仮面アメリカ) @kamenamerica]

Some visual storytelling:

When we first meet Nano, she has sanpaku eyes. However, in the final panels of Volume 8, the pupils start getting bigger.

By Volume 9, they are at a “normal” size. But in Volume 12, they split the difference as she vacillates between good & evil.

[Boichi @Boichi_Bo1]

My message about the future potential of the global comics market is quite simple.

Currently, the global comics market is estimated to be around $16 billion.
(Well... there is no perfectly precise data, but according to reports that Steve and I have reviewed, this is a reasonable estimate.)

Within this:
American comics account for about $400 million,
North American manga about $1.1 billion,
The total North American comics market about $2 billion,
The global manga market about $11 billion,
And the Japanese domestic market about $5 billion.
Wth a few successful efforts—and a certain amount of luck (which is necessary for anyone building the future)—this market can grow to the following scale:
North American manga: $10 billion
Total North American comics: $20 billion
Japanese domestic market: $10 billion
Global comics market overall: $50 billion
I believe that at least this level of growth is achievable as a short-term goal within 5 to 7 years.

However, the domestic markets for Korean webtoons and Japanese manga face long-term challenges due to declining birth rates.

In Korea, the impact is likely to begin in the education sector within the next five years.

That said, both markets still have the potential to grow up to twice their current size before that happens.
This growth is not just about increasing revenue—it is a crucial tool for preparing for and mitigating future challenges.

To reach this scale and achieve these goals, one thing is essential: the growth of the North American market.
For that to happen, at least 10,000 manga artists must be cultivated in North America alone.
Do you think that number so large?

Korea has a population of about 50 million, yet it already has 16,000 to 20,000 active serialized artists annually.
North America, by comparison, has a population of around 650 million.

If the North American market grows, investment will begin to circulate, and with that capital, we can design and support the global ecosystem.

This will enable us to achieve another important goal:
to create manga markets and industries in regions where publishing-based comics industries have not previously existed.

To create a manga market—and a manga industry—in places where none currently exist.
I truly believe this is a “something wonderful” idea.
There may be countries with small film industries, but there are almost no countries without a film industry at all.

However, there are many countries without a comics market.
This does not mean limitation—it means limitless potential.

For example, in Africa, there may not be a strong publishing-based comics market, but there are already 650 million mobile phone users—and likely even more today.

If those 650 million people freely read comics on their phones and each spends just $3 per year, that alone would create a $2 billion annual market.
That’s only $0.25 per month.

In fact, readers wouldn’t even need to pay directly—just watching a few ads per month would be enough to make this model work.
If users were to spend just $1 per month, the market would grow to $8 billion—
that’s 1.6 times the size of Japan’s manga market.
This would mean the creation of jobs for as many as 400,000 people.

That is why investment into the African comics market is not only justified—it is necessary.
It is a continent of immense potential.
And I would also like to emphasize that there are already many talented comic creators there.

Recently, I received an African comic book as a gift, and I showed it to many manga editors in Japan, as well as editors in the United States.

They all said it was excellent work—and some responded with even greater enthusiasm.

"Do we really need any more proof?" 4/5

[notch @notch]

People replying that "ai's not dying!!!" either didn't read what I said, are AI (which kinda proves my point. Zero reading comprehension), or are shilling for these companies.

[notch @notch]

I'm so happy AI is dying.

Not the idea itself, just the current iteration being shoved down our throats by the same people who Sweet Baby Inc and Planned Obsolescence and CNN us over and over again.

AI's not ready, but they're pushing it to market to be a loss leader.

Over us.

[Boichi @Boichi_Bo1]

1997年から2000年初頭にかけて、私は24歳から27歳の若い漫画家でした。

その頃、漫画を描き、漫画を愛する人々の夢や純粋さ、そして同時に外の世界から与えられる痛みについての作品を描きました。

その作品のタイトルは『TOON』です。
そして、現在私が公に使用している名前「Boichi be TOON」は、その作品を覚えていてくれた友人が、『TOON』から取って名付けてくれたものです。

本当に、本当に未完成な漫画です。
しかしその中には、当時の私自身、苦しんでいた漫画家や志望者たち、そして私たちが生きていた世界の記録が残されています。

ここ数日、私はこの記録を、たとえ一部であっても皆さんにお見せするべきではないかと思うようになりました。
つらい記憶であるため、この作品を再び開くことは、私にとって苦しく、痛みを伴う行為です。
それでもなお、今のこの世界には、ほんの少しだけ必要なのではないかと信じています。

カナダの友人と相談し、いくつかの場面を翻訳して公開する予定です。
英語のみでの公開となることを、心からお詫びします。

準備が整い次第、その一部をインスタグラムで公開します。
また、この作品は友人への贈り物として渡すつもりです。
私以上に、この作品を大切にしてくれた友人だからです。

会えたときには、原稿の原本を手渡します。
それらが友人のもとで大切に保管されることを、心から願っています。

これから私は、自分が持っているものの一部を、愛する人たちと少しずつ分かち合っていこうと思います。
なぜなら、私は彼らを愛しているからです。

誰かを愛するなら、与え、分かち合わなければなりません。
しかし、どれほど正当化されようとも——それが公益であれ、多数の意思であれ——
力ずくで奪うことは、決して愛ではありません。

分かりますよね……
愛とは、心と魂から生まれる、最も根源的な善なのです。

誰もが、それを知っているはずです。

[Punished @PunishedWasd]

You guys don't have any more original ideas... do you?

[The Elder Scrolls @ElderScrolls]

Hunt the dragons of Skyrim, become a master thief, and wield arcane magic, now on Switch 2!

[meeeds @meeeds23]

All i want for Christmas

[赤いまりも@サイバーポトレの人 @marimorumarim]

Cosplay

Dr.STONE

もうギュってしてとかはお願いできなくなっちゃたんだよ

#島コス笠岡
#dcst併せ1108島コス笠岡

[meeeds @meeeds23]

A more realistic animal girl drawing would have the ears start at the side of the head where the actual ear canal is... most times the ear is to far up

[sanmeii 𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ @sanmeii_]

Artists show your most popular work

Lunar Spider Princess 🕸️
...and she actually has a really touching story behind her, too 🖤

[meeeds @meeeds23]

Soooo... this got a discord warning... I am at a lost for words...

[Punished @PunishedWasd]

Just stop oil energy

[Dr. Maalouf ‏ @realMaalouf]

He left his house, the mosque, and even the sidewalk, choosing to pray instead in the middle of a busy road!

What do you even call this?

[meeeds @meeeds23]

@The_Eggroller 3 sprite. Please