Bengaluru Comic Con 2023

Watch Manga Creator Terako Shima Share Her Thoughts and Techniques at Bengaluru Comic Con

Manga Planet India's presentation at this year's Bengaluru Comic Con gave us a front row seat to the creative process of manga creator Terako Shima. The India Calling Me Now manga creator took to the stage on Saturday to talk about her art, her journey as an artist, and her relationship with India, while in a live drawing session.

She started off with some line work for her character Ruby, stating that she has just begun her digital art journey. Having worked with only pen and paper all her life, she started working in the digital medium just six months ago.

When asked what thoughts go through her mind as she draws, Shima stated that she only thinks of her timeline and whether she is enjoying working on the piece. Punctuality being a very important thing in Japan, she says she's often pushed by her timelines. Her dedication put together with her inability to plan often leaves her drawing for over 24 hours at a stretch. But thankfully, she normally works in a locked room with no distractions.

As her session progressed Shima spoke more about how her drawing comes together from a rough sketch. As she moved on to shading Ruby's eyes she detailed how she captures the gradients. The eyes being one of the most important parts of a shout-out character, she went on to further reveal that she finds Indian women to be so beautiful that she has to put a lot more effort into drawing her Indian characters' eyes than she does with her Japanese ones. The crowd began cheering as she went on to say that Indian eyes look more “truthful.”

As the session came to a close, the presenters announced the artist will continue drawing the same piece for the audience at the Manga Planet India booth, which is giving out free copies of the first chapter of Shima's India Calling Me Now (Ima, Indo ni Yobarete) manga. The manga will launch in English on Manga Planet India in spring 2024.

Shima is attending Bengaluru Comic Con from November 17 through November 19 and signing copies of her manga. She will make her last set of appearances for a live drawing and autograph session on November 19 at 3:00 p.m. IST and a live autograph session at 5:00 p.m. IST on the same day.

Manga Planet India's booth is also giving out merchandise such as event-exclusive magazines at Bengaluru Comic Con.

Kodansha and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) launched Shima's manga on Kodansha's Palcy app. Japan airline ANA is collaborating on the manga. Shima is updating new chapters of the manga on the third Wednesday of every month. The manga project also got an accompanying television segment in Japan.

The manga follows the life of 28-year-old manga creator Natsume Kanazawa. Natsume has been a manga creator for five years, but her career has yet to take off. One day her boyfriend tells her he intends to marry her, so he asks her to go to India with him. Even though she doesn't want to quit her job as a manga creator, she takes the chance and goes with him. However, once in India, her boyfriend tells her that she'll be handling all the housework after they're married. Just as Natsume becomes frustrated as to why women have to do housework, she meets a woman from India named Ruby who also is frustrated that it's normal for women to quit work once they get married. Despite cultural differences, the two share the same concerns in life. The manga follows Natsume's travels in India, a country that changes her life.

Shima launched her Babyun to Kareshi manga in Kodansha's Hatsu Kiss magazine in 2017. The manga won the Tomoko Ninomiya Award and the Hatsu Kiss Award at the 2nd Otona Shōjo Manga Awards.

Manga Planet India launched on Wednesday. The company is attending the Bengaluru Comic Con event, which is taking place from November 17 through November 19, and the Delhi Comic Con event, which will take place from December 8 through December 10.

Source: Bengaluru Comic Con