INDEX
I got a grade of 2 in art, but became a manga artist.
Takano: After that, you started your own nail salon and nail school, and your career to this point is impressive enough, but Kojima-san, you went on to become a manga artist. What does this mean?
Kojima: Even though I am a manga artist, I draw webtoons, which are vertical-reading manga that you can view on your smartphone. Ryoichi Wada, a director and friend of mine, called me over to a cafe one day and told me that the era of webtoons was already here, that the market was growing in Asia, and that by 2028 it would be a 3 trillion yen market worldwide. That made me decide to become a manga artist, so I bought an iPad and started drawing manga.
Celeina：Did you have any experience drawing before that?
Kojima: No. I had a grade of 2 in art.
Takano: How old were you when you decided to become a manga artist?
Kojima: Two years ago, so I was 37. From there, I won a contest held by Shogakukan and Bandai together with Mr. Wada, and until recently, I was also working on a series of Line Manga as a draft artist.
Takano: Your light footwork and the power to take something from 1 to 100 after you start it are truly amazing.
Celeina: I asked Kojima-san to choose a song that we would all like to listen to together on the radio at this time. What song would it be?
Kojima: Actually, my next ambition as a manga artist is to become a radio personality, so I came up with a song introduction, may I do it?
Takano: Of course! Kojima-san, please introduce the songs.
Kojima: Let me introduce a song here. For those of you listening to “GRAND MARQUEE,” how are you doing at the turn of the day, just before 5 p.m.? This is the time when I am pedaling my bicycle to pick up my child from school. This is an up-tempo song that I like to hum at such times.
Whether you are in the second half of your working day, picking up your children from school or putting them to bed, or just lounging around on your day off, I wish you a wonderful and good day. Two Door Cinema Club“Wonderful Life”.
