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Kakukaku Shikajika (Manga)

Kakukaku Shikajika

  • Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey
  • かくかくしかじか
Manga8.58098 votes5 volumes · 34 chaptersFinished
Award WinningSlice of LifeMemoirOtaku CultureVisual ArtsJosei

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About this title

Synopsis

Akiko Hayashi has soaring but strangely specific dreams: to make a successful manga debut while still in school, have her favorite actor star in its adaptation, and end up marrying him. However, she is far from having the motivation or skills to realize these hopes. When a friend introduces her to an unorthodox, backstreet art class taught by the strong-armed Kenzou Hidaka, called simply as "sensei," Akiko decides to enroll, expecting an easy ride and an automatic improvement in her art skills. To her chagrin, what she gets is something else entirely—a tough, demanding, and uncompromising teacher with absolutely no interest in manga. But when Akiko takes up Sensei's challenge of an intense schedule, she comes to recognize how much he cares about his students and forms a close bond with him. With Sensei's guidance, Akiko learns what is necessary to become a successful mangaka as well as what it means to be an adult. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Publication notes

Kakukaku Shikajika is an autobiography detailing the life of author Akiko Higashimura. It consecutively ranked in the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! for the Female Readers division from 2013 through 2016. In 2015, it won the eighth Manga Taisho Award and the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards Grand Prize. The series was published in English as Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey by Seven Seas Entertainment from May 21, 2019, to July 14, 2020.

Published

Nov 28, 2011 to Jan 28, 2015

MAL rank
#176
Members (MAL)
30,412
Favorites (MAL)
1,144

Main characters

  • Kenzou Hidaka
    Kenzou Hidaka72 fan favorites
    External profile

    The teacher of the extramural art class which Akiko attends, known for his rough, pragmatic teaching style. He treats all of his students the same, whacking them with a bamboo sword when they mess up and making them repeat sketches until they get them right, in some cases for years. He is usually referred to as "sensei." No voice actors have been added to this character. Help improve our database by searching for a voice actor, and adding this character to their roles .

  • Akiko Hayashi
    Akiko Hayashi20 fan favorites
    External profile

    At the start of the series, Hayashi Akiko is a third-year high school student whose dream is to become a shoujo mangaka. No voice actors have been added to this character. Help improve our database by searching for a voice actor, and adding this character to their roles .

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