Turning "I'll show them!" into a driving force for self-improvement.

Mr. Seino debuted as a manga artist in 1998 with "Aniki no Kisetsu" (Big Brother's Season), published in the Young Magazine special issue Aobuta. His representative works include "Uhyo! Tokyo Kita-ku Akabane," "Gohansky," and "That 'Obsession'? Give Some to Me!!" Here are the three principles for moving forward cleanly and decisively, gleaned from our conversation with Mr. Seino.

*Based on Chapter 6, "Creating a Way of Life × Manga Artist Toru Seino," from the book " Waiting Won't Start It. — Move Forward Cleanly "

 

Make "I'll show them!" your driving force.

What drives you? Sometimes it's positive feelings—wanting to entertain others or make them happy—that fuel your energy. Other times, though, negative emotions can become a powerful force.

Ms. Seino herself has experienced the powerful drive of "I'll show them!" It happened during her senior year of high school. She didn't get along with an editor at a publishing company, and she was even made to wait nearly two hours during a meeting... Still a newcomer, Kiyono couldn't confront the editor. Instead of giving up, he channeled his frustration—his "Damn it!"—into a manga. He submitted it to a rival magazine and won a serialization deal.

As a copywriter myself, I too have experience turning that "I'll show them!" feeling into powerful momentum to move forward. It happened during my second year as a copywriter. I was struggling to achieve results and attending a copywriter training course hosted by the Advertising Association. Seats were assigned based on performance, with the top students sitting in the front. Results didn't come easily, and while I was really struggling, a classmate said something to me.

"You're from Dentsu Inc., but you're not that great, huh?"

I still vividly remember the cold sweat that broke out on my back. It was true. I had no comeback. But that frustration and humiliation became a powder keg inside me, a driving force propelling me forward. I still remember how my work ethic became even more relentless, fueled by the burning desire to prove them wrong someday, someday, someday.

 

Know when to be unambitious and when to be ambitious.

There was something I absolutely had to ask Mr. Seino. Have any of you read the manga "Woohoo! Akabane, Kita Ward, Tokyo"? In his manga, Mr. Seino almost invariably encounters fascinating people or experiences remarkable events. I wanted to ask him how he manages to attract such encounters.

"When I'm walking around town, I'm not really thinking about anything in particular. It's when I'm just naturally spacing out that something incredible jumps into my field of vision. It's best to walk around mindlessly, spacing out, without any desire, and if something slightly interesting happens, go for it with everything you've got."

"Interesting things! Interesting things!" While straining your eyes and staying alert in daily life might indeed reveal things, above all, I feel like continuing that would just wear me out. Instead, relax and be natural. When something clicks, dive in greedily. Maintaining that balance might be what leads to good encounters.

Personally, the six people I interviewed for my book , 'Waiting Won't Get You Started: Move Forward with Clarity ' (Kobundo), weren't people I went out of my way to meet with the specific goal of interviewing them. First, meet without expectation, and cherish that chance encounter. Then, when you think, "This is interesting!", don't let the chance encounter end as just that; nurture the relationship. They reach out, write letters, go to meet. The reason I could have these conversations with them all was because, like the straw-pulling man in the folktale, they skillfully balanced selflessness and eagerness to draw those encounters closer.

Keep doing it until it becomes second nature.

As the conversation drew to a close, I asked Mr. Seino, who was actively publishing manga, "What challenges do you want to take on next?"

"I'd like to travel, alone. Every single day... I'm just so tired of drawing manga (laughs). But if I don't draw for even half a day, I start to get restless."

While surprised by the unexpected answer of travel, I was struck by what Mr. Seino said next.

"When I see something interesting, I just want to draw it. I want to share it with everyone. Finding something fun makes me happy, and getting reactions from readers makes me happy too."

Ah, I see. For Mr. Seino, drawing manga transcends habit; it's become part of his very being. The surest path to achieving anything is to make it a habit. By weaving it into your daily life, you advance little by little, every day. Beyond that habit, it becomes ingrained in your body, unconscious, even part of your constitution. That's why Mr. Seino, driven by the desire to share with his readers, draws manga one after another—it has become his way of life.
Pursue what you love, in your own way. Keep at it. Eventually, it transcends mere liking and becomes your way of life.

You forge your own path.

This is the copy I wrote for the book jacket of my work, 'Waiting Won't Start It. — Move Forward with Resolve'. Cherishing the will that sprouts within you and continuing on. Through conversations with past interviewees and with Mr. Seino himself, I came to realize that this is precisely what it means to forge your own path.

What did you think? What I learned from Mr. Seino is this: even when something negative happens, turn the desire for redemption into the force that propels you forward; remain naturally unassuming and unambitious, yet be relentlessly driven when the moment demands it; and turn what you love into a habit, persisting until it becomes second nature. That, I believe, is the secret to forging your own path.

I hope you'll experience Mr. Seino's own thoughts and feelings directly through this book.
With Ms. Seino, we conclude the "Three Principles for Moving Forward with Clarity" from the six individuals interviewed in this book.

Please stay with us a little longer for this commemorative column series. So far, we've focused on hearing from writers. Next time, we'll explore how those tackling business challenges have moved forward with clarity.

As a special bonus to the book, please stay tuned for more.