𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗻 ʚ༏ɞ

“Boundless Gratitude for Your Incredible Response — and Hope” I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has shown interest in, shared, and responded to the posts I've been writing about the manga industry on X. Thank you all—truly, from the bottom of my heart. The response we received was beyond anything we had imagined. And it gave me hope. A powerful hope. Hope that our manga industry can overcome the challenges ahead. Hope that it can grow into something far greater than it is today. Hope that we can achieve remarkable things all around the world. And hope that readers and aspiring creators everywhere will one day realize the dreams they long for. To me, everyone who has read these posts and taken the time to think about the future of manga is proof that there is hope. Because you are that proof, everyone involved in building the future of manga should be paying attention to you. Among all the posts I've written about the manga industry, the one about piracy manga issue probably received the strongest response. We stepped into a subject that could easily divide people and leave everyone hurt. Many people who care about me were worried when I chose to write about it. But the outcome was completely different from what they expected. Steve, who translated the post, and I were absolutely thrilled by the response. Words can't express how proud we felt. He was so happy that he celebrated with a huge sushi boat.^^ I wanted to go out and celebrate too, but unfortunately I happened to catch a cold and was stuck in bed. If we had been in the same place, I'm sure we would have rushed out together to celebrate somewhere. Haha! How could we not feel proud? The love and conviction we've carried for manga over the past several decades—and, above all, our love for all of you—had finally reached people. Our posts were shared, quoted, and reported on by media outlets in many different countries. I believe the message reached well over ten million people. Hehe. Steve showed me several of those articles, and I was deeply grateful for every one of them. One of them was published by Anime Sugoi. anmosugoi.com/en/boichi-dr-s… As I read it, I felt that they had completely understood both my message and my feelings. Their commentary wasn't just accurate—it came from the heart. And that's what matters most. To me, the most important thing in journalism is the heart behind it. Through those articles, I could feel the journalists' genuine love for the future of manga. I believe this is the kind of journalism that changes the world and helps create a better future for manga. Not me. I'm far too imperfect, and my abilities are limited. The future of manga will be built by journalists and critics who loves manga and comics, aspiring manga aritsts and creators who keep striving, and readers who are ready to support it. That means all of you. "Readers of piracy sites are the consumers of tomorrow. The real problem isn't them—it's that our manga industry hasn't provided them with proper services." I've been sharing this message with people across the manga industry for the past five years. But I didn't just talk about it. The world doesn't change through words alone, and neither does the future. Whenever possible, I've tried to make concrete proposals and take concrete actions. What aspiring creators who have almost given up on hope need isn't comforting words. They need a real opportunity—even if it's only a small one. That's the mindset I've tried to follow, and over time I'd like to share some of those experiences with all of you. Perhaps I could have done much more by now if I had abandoned my career as a manga artist and devoted myself to business. But remaining a mangaka is the most important thing to me in my life. That's why I won't become an entrepreneur, seek investment, or build a business myself. Because of that choice, I've had to let many opportunities pass by. But that's simply something I have to accept. The reason I value your dreams and care so deeply about the future of manga is because I value my own dream. I believe there's an important truth in life: If we want to be respected, we must first respect others. Because my own dream is precious to me, your dreams are precious to me as well. And my dream is simply to keep living as a mangaka, drawing manga for as long as I possibly can. So if anyone offers to invest in me or asks me to build a manga business for the future of the industry, I'll continue to decline. Instead, I'd ask you to think about something. Am I really the right person to build that business? I don't believe I am. Those of you who dream of creating the future of the manga business—you are the ones who should build it. You are the right people. That's why my message has always been the same. "I have ideas and I'll gladly help you. So you should do it. You should seize the incredible opportunities that lie ahead. They belong to you!" When I think about the future of manga, one truth becomes unmistakably clear. Aspiring manga artists around the world are our greatest hope. For the same reason that aspiring manga artists are Japan's hope. Readers "EVERYWHERE" who love manga are also our hope. They already love manga. They are the readers of today and the supporters of tomorrow. That's why I believe we're all friends. We're one big manga family.

#DrSTONE 皆さん、本当にありがとうございます！ Thank you so much!