Why Manga Matters To Me
Manga and anime have been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. Dragon Ball introduced me to Son Goku, a Saiyan warrior raised on Earth who never stops pushing his limits and protecting the people he loves. Hunter × Hunter gave me Killua Zoldyck, a kid born into a family of assassins who fights to choose his own future instead of the one forced on him. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood showed me what a truly complete story looks like, where every character has a purpose and power always comes with a price. These series did more than entertain me. They helped shape my values, my imagination, and my desire to tell stories of my own.
- Dragon Ball Z taught me about perseverance and training past my limits.
- Hunter × Hunter showed me how friendships can pull you away from a dark path.
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood inspired me to give every character a meaningful role.
Learn more about some of my inspirations: Dragon Ball Z | Hunter × Hunter | Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Creating My Own Manga: Seishin Geijutsu
My manga, Seishin Geijutsu, takes the idea of spirit arts and builds an entire universe around it. In this world, different races wield spiritual energy called Prana, and powerful spirit users can bend elements, space, and even reality itself. The story is heavily inspired by real-world mythologies and pantheons from around the globe such as Greek, Egyptian, and Japanese gods that are reimagined as cosmic forces that shape the universe. Just like the series I grew up with, I want Seishin Geijutsu to mix intense battles with real emotional stakes, tough choices, and the idea that power is meaningless without a strong heart behind it.
Who Is Tatsunori Ishii?
The main character of Seishin Geijutsu is Tatsunori Ishii, a young spirit artist who, like me, struggles with expectations and the weight of his family name. He starts as a kind but determined kid whose life is shattered when his father, Youta, betrays their people in a quest for god like power. Tatsunori channels his pain into training, learning multiple spirit arts instead of specializing in just one. Over time he becomes an Omni-Artist, able to control elements like fire, lightning, and cosmic energy while still fighting to protect the people he cares about. He reflects the side of me that wants to grow stronger without losing my empathy, even when the world feels unfair. The illustration above is my own design of Tatsunori in his modern outfit, which mixes streetwear with subtle references to the spirit arts he controls.
- We both value loyalty and hate when people abuse their power.
- We are driven by a desire to fix the damage caused by the previous generation.
- We hide a lot of our emotions but still want to protect others.
Spirit Beasts and Pantheons in Seishin Geijutsu
One of my favorite parts of Seishin Geijutsu is the concept of spirit beasts. These are powerful creatures formed from Prana itself that bond with spirit users and fight alongside them. Tatsunori’s spirit beast is a massive dragon like entity that reflects both his rage and his desire for balance. The world they live in is shaped by ancient gods and dragons from many different pantheons, each ruling over aspects like creation, destruction, time, and memory. This idea was partly inspired by how Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood uses alchemy, the Gate, and the homunculi to represent deeper themes like sacrifice and the consequences of human ambition. I want my story to carry that same feeling, where every power has a cost and every character’s choice echoes across the entire universe.
In the future, I plan to expand Seishin Geijutsu into multiple arcs that explore different realms, from divine heavens to chaotic voids, while still keeping the focus on Tatsunori’s growth and relationships with his friends, rivals, and spirit beasts.