So today I got a colorful propaganda comic in the mail from Austria's leading right wing party, just in time for the upcoming EU elections. 60 pages (!), the art isn't entirely horrible for it's purpose, says "volume 1" on the cover, they really went to town. There are no imprint details as to who had a hand in it's creation, the 'editorial' page (disclaiming with "this is not propaganda! It's just FYI :-)") bears an illustration with a very professional style.

I'm still young enough so they sent it to me! Btw in Austria you're already allowed to vote at age 16.

A scan just to show I'm not making it up, though I don't really want to translate this garbage.
( page 38 of this issue )

I've been on a roll with making colorful pix! I'd nearly forgotten how fun copic markers are.

( Cut for images, they may be a bit large. )

I drew a Phoenix Wright fanart! My first non-doodle pic in Open Canvas too!

( It is very gen. )

Naoki Urasawa has lauched a new series titled Billy Bat [info here]. I am most pleased with the story's setting.

( some panels (spoilers ch1-3) )

Historie: This manga deserves it's own pimpin post so all I'm going to say for now is that this is awesome and must be read.

Eyeshield 21: I marathoned this and the first 100 chapters or so ARE AMAZING. I like sports manga and this is one's so fun with all the ~making friends~ and yay forming the team and strategies. [This is forever] my single most favorite panel of Hiruma btw, he looks like a Junji Ito character.

Ashita no Joe: Prison Boxing anime. The first ten episodes are tearjerkers, the next ten are good and the rest had such abysmal subtitles I stopped watching. I liked the post war setting.

MW (by Tezuka): This. Pushes all my right buttons mjkfdjkj /swooning x 10000000
I wrte about this once when I had the French edition, which I can't read. Now I have the English book and I'm definitely not disappointed. Centeres around a serial killer's (monster's) path of destruction and his gay relationship with a right-doer. 10/10

Vinland Saga: Askeladd is da man but... where has Thorfinn been left off to?

Jup that's all I have to say, my taste is the same as ever.
Oh I've started one of those [Manga Reading Lists] (8 is a very good rating).

Recently I've been waking up real early entirely on my own even if I don't have to – now this doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary for the usual citizen, but this is something I've never, ever managed during my school days!! Since I was always staying up all night drawing animays or reading novels about Persians attacking Hellas. This is so unfamiliar I don't even know what to do with myself this early in the day LOL j/k, I've actually been working towards breaking my nocturnal lifestyle for the past two months, but this happened kind of suddenly. Pretty sweet.

___
One simple truth about me is that deep inside I'm an oldtimer that enjoys listening to melancholic tango music. I like (watching) the dance too; here's some art on that subject:

( Tango pic )

I finished and sent in my comic just fine, though it was lacked some background details (which I added afterwards). I can't with a good conscience show the whole thing online so here are a few pages. Japanese reading direction since it was drawn for a Japanese based competition:

( Rated G )

Oh god the last episode of One Outs was so hilarious I just have to make a post about it. I'm usually amused by the ~intensity~ but this time... it really was reminiscent of something.

( Detailed spoilers for One Outs 14, spoilers for Kaiji! )

THIS/NEXT WEEK IS GUNNA BE HARSH. I've been marathoning manga having an art-block and moping about which story to draw, so hard to find something I want to do for eight pages.

In a similar, perfectly timely fashion here's a recent Christmas card I've done:
( The Magi )

It's (going to be) the year of the ox!! Being born under that sign I'm pretty pleased; I've seen tons of cow-related Japanese fanart though I wonder if there are at least some tough bulls roaming around somewhere...? Man I've gotten bad at delivering myself...


I'm watching One Outs. Baseball + mind games; it took some episodes to get into, but now that the matches are in full session with the cool calculations, gamblers wills and moments of ~intense~ zawa Akagi-esque atmosphere (accompanied by the obligatory gasping bystanders, in this case swooning manly men :D), how can I resist...?


Toua is just too cool.

Some original art (some are voluntary work):

( Mostly girls )

Third International Manga Award – International manga competition organized by Kodansha

I'm in!! Who else cares to join? 4 or more pages need to be sent in till January 31st! Now to find out how long it takes for a letter to arrive in Japan...!

PS. artdump soon

I wanted to go to sleep since I had to get up early but then I stayed up till 5 AM when the election result was confirmed and I don't REGRET IT ONE BIT! I don't even feel sleepy right now must be the excitement aside from coffee.

Voted via absentee ballot and had another first-time voter to do the same. Right now I want to re-visit the states so, so much, last time was over eight years ago before I could vote and that's way too long a gap.

I've been playing mahjong (the 4- or 3-player kind, not solitaire) for about a year now, occasionally IRL but mostly online, so here're my most memorable screencapped wins just to have 'em all in one place!

( These are my sweet trophies. in order of appearance )

ETA:

Didn't get any hands quite as neat as the ones posted above here, but I won 8 times in a row and the points just... skyrocketed...

Today we got a new rabbit companion for our lonely rabbit boy, whose friend died two weeks ago. We got her from a rabbit shelter. She is plump and timid and will hopefully warm up to everyone soon.

The past six hours have been a continuous repeat of him trying to get close to her, she bolting away a distance, grabbing a bite to eat whenever she passes the food bowl/hay pile, until he tries to get close to her again (eat & run). He seems to be getting frustrated and she just wants to sleep (or eat).

My mom is proud of my drawings. Of all things I've ever did, she just HAD to show the spokeswoman of the rabbit shelter (who has about 50 animals living in her house) that one old story in which rabbits get butchered. I even unlinked it temporarily from my page so that they won't see it and what does she do!?? IT TRULY WASN'T FALSE MODESTY OR WHATEVER WHEN I DIDN'T WANT TO BE SHOWN OTL

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-24/manga-creator-naoki-urasawa-debuts-music-cd-single

"Naoki Urasawa, the manga creator behind Yawara, Monster, and 20th Century Boys, has sold his first CD single as a rock musician on June 4. To promote the single "Tsuki ga Tottemo…," he will hold two live concerts on June 27 and 28 at the Tokyo Kinema Club. The CD single also contains the songs "Karasu" (Crow) and a live 1994 version of "Kanashimi no Hit Parade" (Sad Hit Parade). Although this is his first CD single, he (under the stage name "Bob Lennon") wrote, composed, sang, and played guitar and blues harp on a piece called "Kenji no Uta" ("Kenji's Song") for a CD extra on the first printing of 20th Century Boys volume 11 in 2003. He is planning to release his first album in the fall of 2008. (...)"

I was wondering whether he was going to start a new series alongside his current Pluto, but if he's working on an album, that may not be anytime soon... (unless he's that much of a monster)

In case anyone hasn't seen yet, here's the trailer to the coming 20th Century Boys live action movie.

Vienna has been transformed into soccer paradise. At first I found it a bit annoying at how local advertising manages to make absolutely everything – I'm now expecting to see that ball in every store I pass – related to soccer for the past months, but I guess I realized extremely late that the hype is not just limited to a few sports fans and individual companies' marketing strategies. Vienna is known to be a clean city, but recently, it appears to be... even cleaner? Mom jokes that it won't take much more and we'll see street cleaners scrubbing the pavement cracks with old toothbrushes. There's more greenery than what you usually see around this time of year. Of course that has to do with the renewed train system leading to the stadiums. And suddenly the streets offer FREE DRINKING WATER; sure, everyone here can drink Alpine water from the faucet, but wow, these new large attractive fountains will certainly be quite hospitable for our guests. I'm used to costs being cut everywhere (esp. in education) so I'm marveling at this unexpected luxurious public feature among other things.

This is the largest event the country is ever organizing; also for Switzerland, the co-host. Once in a lifetime opportunity, EVENT OF THE CENTURY, first time I feel this dominant atmosphere of anticipation and vitality. I've just decided that I will support the Austrian National team even if they lose (zawa zawa zawa...)


--random related fanart--
Kaiji! Fight!!

Dammit I was spoiled about the end for Kaiji already, but I didn't expect watching it would sadden me so much. I'm contemplating on whether I should forgive the author, depends on whether the start of the second series is really good, otherwise I'll just pretend the first series ended with the E Card arc. :(
Because sometimes, I don't think a story should be extended when it becomes successful. Then again maybe I just feel too much with the main character ...


The show is still definitely worth watching so I recommend it to everyone who likes a good psychological drama. Episodes here or here !

For those of you who do not know what the show is basically about, here is a very telling, non-spoilery screencapped scene from my favorite arc.

Next week is the book fair of Leipzig where the Subway to Sally-Storybook will finally be presented! I'm excited that I'll be attending.

Here is a sample page of the story I illustrated, with a side picture:

( cut for morbid )

Akagi & Kaiji are both easily my favorite shows from 2007; I've been meaning to pimp them ages ago but somehow I never get around to it... Anyway here is some fanart that's been building up:


Kaiji is cute.

( more )