Tinnitus in overdrive today.

His name is just Tom now, get it right.

Dead Ringers (1988)

I always wonder what my life would have been like if I had been a stronger person around Christmas nine years ago.

In 2016, I received an email from an aspiring manga artist in Morocco. It began like this: “I want to become a mangaka, but there is no manga publishing industry in Morocco.” Many people around the world love manga and read it, but when you look globally, there are many countries where manga is simply not published at all. In some places, there is not even a publishing system(including publishing, translation, and distribution) in place. Even where books exist, the infrastructure for printing, distribution, and bookstores is often lacking, making it very difficult for a true industry to develop. Telling manga fans in those countries, “Your country has a relatively high GDP per capita, so you should buy manga,” is meaningless if there is no actual way for them to buy it. That is something I find deeply painful. Why is it that the manga industry has not been able to properly serve those regions? Even in countries where publishing exists, manga books are often too expensive. The price of a single tankōbon book is $ 15 to $ 20, which is high even in the United States, especially when today’s digital entertainment offers so many alternatives at much lower prices. So, this is why I believe the future of manga is clearly not limited to print publishing, but must include digital services—manga that can be enjoyed in a reasonably accessible and affordable way. If such systems are established globally, I believe the manga industry could grow dramatically. In North America alone, a tenfold expansion would not be unrealistic. Even countries without any publishing tradition could develop sustainable manga industries. Once official digital services exist in each country, they can generate tax revenue, and governments can more seriously address piracy. At that point, creators and aspiring manga artists can also demand proper enforcement and protection. Most importantly, it would create opportunities for local aspiring manga artists. And those opportunities would, in turn, strengthen the global industry as a whole. When a country’s manga ecosystem develops properly, it becomes a cultural export industry. From a government perspective, piracy then becomes something that can and should be actively addressed. The first people to pay for legitimate manga services will, in many cases, be the very readers who once relied on piracy. They are not enemies of the industry—they are its earliest supporters in waiting. Pirated manga readers are not our opponents. They are our future audience. They are proof that demand already exists. In late 1990s Korea, manga piracy was widespread, and attitudes were often very hostile toward paid content. Many believed that paying for manga was unnecessary, or even that the industry itself should not exist. At the time, Steve and I did not fully understand this. We were wrong in many ways. But later, when proper legal services were introduced in Korea, readers were more than willing to support them. They paid for content gladly, and the Korean webtoon industry grew stronger, eventually becoming a major source of IP for film and television. We learned, through experience, that the joy of not paying cannot compare to the deeper satisfaction of supporting and sustaining the culture you love. Piracy users were never the enemy. They were simply manga fans. And all manga fans, in the end, are on the same side. Through our mistakes, Steve and I came to understand this more clearly. What needs to be done is simple: build proper digital manga services. Ensure fair pricing. And most importantly, help each country develop its own manga ecosystem. Because only then can a truly global manga industry exist. And only then can the works we create truly reach the world. To be continued...

The FUCK you mean Supporting Actress?? She's literally one of the two main characters.

Having BJH but not PCW is some kind of blasphemy. Same with Lang but not Murnau.

Copped it for 80, my only investment this month. I'm a bit confused by these seemingly not including HOX/POX, X Of Swords or Inferno, that's kind of weird.

Connor Storrie, get yourself cast for the Nightmare on Elm Street film that I'm willing into existence.

lol the last person I called my best friend. Ended in being gaslit about every moment of closeness.

It makes sense he looks like Eminem because “Won’t the real Cloud Strife please stand up, please stand up” is literally part of the plot of Final Fantasy 7

#Onionアート moon/主人公のレンチキュラーアクキーを作りました

RT @kamapon: Isekai kind of stopped to be cool when they started to target men as their audience.

止まり木にするには あまり向いていないのかもしれません　 #ニフレル #オニオオハシ #ポンズ

It's insane how Grok's English "translation" changes 高畑勲 to Hayao Miyazaki. People need to stop trusting this shit.

The single lone phallic structure looming over the lesbian gradient... Unintentional symbolism

出会いは突然

You know someone's an American when they can't deal with unmelted cheese on bread.

the girls are obsessed with my wife’s pond they’re like we’re sooo proud mommy dug a big hole !!!

Postponing my Japan plans for another year really sucks. I home my Japanese oomfies don't run away til then.