Two brothers from India have become manga creators in Japan after being discovered through an international competition organised by one of the country’s biggest publishers.Their journey, which began with a childhood love for Japanese comics and animation, has now led to the launch of their first manga series for Japanese readers.Jivan, 22, and his younger brother Yash, 18, grew up in Amravati in Maharashtra. Working under the name masterlynx, the brothers have made their debut in Japan with ‘Kung Fu Kung Fool’, an action-comedy manga published by Japanese publishing company Kadokawa.
Amravati to Japan
The brothers came into the spotlight after taking part in Kadokawa’s international contest for manga without dialogue or text last year. The competition was designed to attract creators from around the world by removing language barriers.Their entry won a silver prize, opening the door to a professional opportunity with the publisher.In May this year, Kadokawa began serialising their manga, ‘Kung Fu Kung Fool’, on its online manga portal. The story follows the adventures of a notorious thief named Goemon and a young boy called Bao in an action-filled and humorous setting.Speaking in an online interview with Japan Times, the brothers said they were thrilled by the opportunity. “We are really happy; it feels like our dream come true,” they said.
Inspired by Dragon Ball
The brothers’ interest in manga began when they were children. They became fans of the Dragon Ball, adapted from the manga created by the late Japanese artist Akira Toriyama.Watching the series encouraged them to learn drawing. They began practising by tracing and copying anime characters repeatedly to improve their skills.However, learning manga in India was not easy because there were very few resources available. “Actually, in India, there aren’t enough resources for us to learn,” Jivan said.Yash said they relied heavily on the internet to continue learning. He watched YouTube videos created by professional manga artists, including Naoki Urasawa, known for works such as 20th Century Boys. These online tutorials helped them understand drawing techniques and storytelling.
Contest changed everything
Before entering the contest, they earned living by creating illustrations for clients mainly in the United States and Europe. While working on these projects, they came across Kadokawa’s international manga competition.According to the brothers, they always wanted to tell their own stories through manga, even if the work did not earn money.Winning the silver prize not only brought recognition but also led to a monthly manga serialisation in Japan, giving them a chance to work with one of the country’s leading publishers.
A glimplse of Chapter 3 of Kung Fu Kung Fool (Instagram /Masterlynx)
Working across languages
Creating manga for Japanese readers has also brought new challenges. One of the biggest difficulties, according to the brothers, is Japanese onomatopoeia or words used to represent sounds or describe actions and conditions. Such expressions are widely used in manga and play an important role in storytelling.To tackle the problem, Kadokawa’s editorial team works closely with them. The editors translate and adapt the English sound expressions created by Jivan and Yash into Japanese so they fit into manga.This allows them to focus on storytelling while ensuring the final work matches Japanese publishing standards.Looking ahead, the brothers say they simply want to continue creating more stories. “Our goal going forward is to just like make a lot of works,” Jivan said.
Why Kadokawa chose them
Kadokawa believes the brothers bring something different to manga while also respecting its traditions. According to the publisher, their strength lies in “their ambition as artists, pursuing their own unique styles while showing deep respect for Japanese manga.”The company also said the duo has “the potential to win fans around the world, not only in India and Japan.”Kadokawa said finding promising manga creators has become more difficult in recent years because demand has increased as more companies enter the manga business.To respond to this challenge, the publisher created an overseas manga editorial section last year to support international artists and identify new talent.
Manga’s growing popularity in India
The brothers’ success comes at a time when Japanese manga and anime have built a large audience in India. According to a report by the Lowy Institute, India and Japan have recognised the growing role of creative industries such as anime, manga, gaming and films in strengthening cultural ties, especially among young people.During the recent India-Japan Annual Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi highlighted the importance of these industries in bringing the two countries closer.Manga and anime have become hugely popular in India over the past two decades. Series such as Dragon Ball Z, Naruto and Pokemon introduced many Indian viewers to Japanese stories through television and later digital platforms.According to the report, India is now one of the world’s largest anime markets, with around 180 million viewers. The country’s anime market is also expected to grow significantly in the coming years.Last year, India’s first anime and manga school was launched in Hyderabad through a collaboration between IACG Multimedia College and Kyoto Seika University.The popularity has created business opportunities as well. Japanese publisher Kodansha has announced plans to open a printing facility in Mumbai to meet rising demand and tackle the sale of pirated manga copies in India.Experts say manga appeals to readers because it offers a wide variety of stories, from fantasy and science fiction to romance, comedy and action.
