Chihiro Howe - The Stories I Come Up with Are the Ones I Wish I Could Read as a Reader (Manga Artist for Webtoon, United States)

Chihiro Howe

Born and raised in Japan, Chihiro Howe is a manga artist with a passion for drawing that has grown since she was young. She attended Brigham Young University Hawaii while working at the Polynesian Cultural Center, where she was inspired by their culture. She now works for WEBTOON creating their original content "Raven Saga". She currently lives in Oregon with her husband and two kids.

Tell us about your background and journey.

I'm a Japanese American manga artist currently based in Oregon, USA. I was born and raised in Japan, where I grew up reading and drawing manga.
My career as a manga artist started back in 2014 when I was hired by Imagination International Inc. (iii) to make a how-to manga about Copic markers, crafts, and manga making. During my time working with iii, I had the opportunity to meet and get to know animators and concept artists, which got me interested in the animation industry, but I realized then that what I wanted to do after all was manga. I worked with iii until 2018, after which I became a freelance artist, doing odd illustration jobs here and there.

I wanted to get back into doing manga as a job, so I started uploading a personal hobby series with short episodes on WEBTOON. That got their attention, and from around the end of 2019, I started up the manga career again at WEBTOON, creating an exclusive series “Raven Saga” for them.

When did you decide you wanted to be a manga artist?

I've always loved drawing, ever since I could hold a pencil. I knew since when I was young that the only job for me was the one where I get to draw something. I started to read manga when I was in elementary school, and I was fascinated with how you can tell a story with drawings. I've always been an avid reader too, so I thought manga artist was a perfect job for me as I get to make a story and draw at the same time, so since then my dream was to become a manga artist.

How do you come up with the story and illustrations of your manga? What makes your work unique?

 

Credits - @chihirohowe

Typically the stories I come up with are the ones I wish I could read as a reader. I have the “If I can't find it then I'll just make it myself” type of mindset, so if I see a theme/topic I like or if I draw a character I like, I imagine a story that goes with it. I usually have an idea of how I want the characters to end up, with some ideas on what I want it to happen in the middle, so I just think up of things in between those events so the story and the characters make sense.

I am basically just illustrating what the characters are doing in my head when I make the manga into shape, but at the same time think of how to show the story so it flows well and is easy to read, and so I can convey the mood and the emotion effectively (Or at least try to).

I think my manga “Raven Saga” is unique in a way that because it is written in a vertical scroll format rather than a traditional page format, I use the spacing and the panel sizes to my advantage. Before I started “Raven Saga”, I've never read WEBTOON or any vertical scroll manga, so I read some that were popular to prepare myself for the series. I noticed a lot of them had monotonous panels and the overwhelming amount of words (compared to traditional manga that I was used to) which made it hard for me to read even if the story was good, so I try to avoid that with my series so readers can read it as if they are watching a movie.

What are you currently working on? How long does it normally take to complete a project?

I am currently mainly working on two series: “Raven Saga”, a WEBTOON Original series (which is WEBTOON's original series that they have the exclusive rights to publish), and “The Other Day I Met A Bear”, a WEBTOON Canvas series (which are series where artists can freely upload themselves, kind of like uploading art on social media except it's for manga). These are both ongoing projects, except “The Other Day I Met A Bear” update is very random and spaced apart (since I can only work on it when I have some spare time). But if I had the time, I can complete one episode, which consists of four pages, within a week – 1 day for sketching, 1-2 days for inking, 1-2 days for screen tones and touch-ups.

“Raven Saga” is a weekly series, so I complete one episode in a week. It is a fully colored series, so I have to hire some helpers so I can complete the episode in time – 1-2 days for planning, 1 day for sketching, 2-3 days of inking, 1 day for adding effects and touch-ups. My helpers draw the backgrounds and color for me while I ink.

What does your typical day look like?

                 

I have two kids, so my day starts at 7 am so I can take them to school and my husband to work in the morning. Once home, I do some Yoga for stretching and exercising, get my breakfast ready, and start working by around 9 am. Because I don't move around, I don't get hungry enough to eat lunch, so I work straight until 3 pm when I go pick up my kids from school (with some bathroom breaks and little naps here and there). I work again for about an hour, while my kids do their homework, then leave to go pick up my husband. I then work until dinner time, which my husband prepares, then start working again afterward while my kids get ready for bed and go to sleep. Since my job isn't like a typical 8-5 job, I have to work until my quota for the day is finished so I can make my deadline. Sometimes I finish early - before 12 am - but typically I stay up until around 2 am unless I'm behind, then I stay up until 4 or 5 am.

Who is your inspiration? What motivates you to keep going despite the challenges you face?

I have a lot of artists I get inspirations from, mostly from the artists of manga I am currently reading: Aruto Yukimura (Colette Decides to Die), Mizuho Kusanagi (Yona of the Dawn), Kamome Shirahama (Witch Hat Atelier), Chihiro Hiro (Futari de Koi wo Suru Riyuu), among others. My motivation comes from my daughter and my sisters (who are huge fans of my series “Raven Saga”), and my Japanese manga friends. My daughter and my sisters excitedly tell me every week how much they loved the new episode, which is the greatest thing ever to hear, especially coming from my daughter.

My Japanese friends help me stay awake so I can finish my work for that day. We talk almost every night through a voice chat app, and I'm so grateful for the time difference. Some of them are actual manga artists in Japan, so it helps to have people who have the same job working alongside me, so we can share the good and the bad of the job.

Do you have any favorite manga characters? If yes, please tell us why.

Yona of the Dawn

I have a lot, so it's hard to narrow it down, but some of my favorites are Roronoa Zoro from One Piece, Unabara from Heaven's Design Team, Ashiripa and Sugimoto from Golden Kamuy, Yona from Yona of the Dawn, among others. Typically I like male characters that are not male-oriented and are respectful of others even if it's a girl, and I like female characters who are independent but know how to rely on others when she need to (the same goes with male characters).

I liked Zoro because even if the swordsman is a woman he sees their skills instead of who they are, and also his looks are my type. Unabara is this big huge bulky bearded guy, but is very gentle and loves cute little animals, and I love these kinds of characters with gaps between their looks and their personalities. Ashiripa and Sugimoto I like them as a pair – I love how blunt and trusting Ashiripa is towards Sugimoto who is an adult, and I love how even though Ashiripa is a kid Sugimoto respects her as a person and a teacher, and he would risk his life to protect her.

Yona started as a damsel in distress, but I liked the fact that she learns to defend herself and be strong, but instead of being an all-powerful female lead she knows how to also rely on others in areas they are good at.

Is there any manga you would suggest for first-time readers?

Colette Decides to Die

It will depend on what topic they like, their age, etc. but here are some that I liked that I feel are fairly easy to get into, that doesn't include certain topics that some people are uncomfortable with:
If you like romance that is close to everyday romance that kids experience, I quite liked “What An Average Way Koiko Goes!”. Unlike typical shoujo manga, the boy character is pretty realistic, and I think boys can relate to him too. The characters are very relatable, both the boy and the girl are adorable, and it's also a good-paced manga.

If you like animals, I recommend “Heaven's Design Team”. It's about these designers who design animals based on God's requests and is pretty scientific and educational as well as funny and entertaining.

If you like Greek mythology, one of my favorite likable series is “Colette Decides to Die”. It is a romance/fantasy story of a mortal medicine girl and the Underworld god Hades, filled with other gods and goddesses (all written as likeable characters, none of the disturbing bits of the actual mythology) that the girl gets to know and interact through her job and relationship with Hades.

Interviewed By - Anushka