Kakikomi manga school secures investment to grow and expand overseas

Japanese company MOT has closed a funding round with DBJ Capital as the lead investor and participation from Shochiku Ventures. It was announced on October 2, and the money will be used to strengthen its online manga school Kakikomi and its artist representation service.

MOT focuses on two things that often fly under the radar: managing the schedules and business affairs of manga artists and animators, and teaching storytelling and drawing to anyone who wants to pursue this career. It is neither a publisher nor a studio, but a management company designed so creators can focus on creating.

What MOT does for creators

Its management division handles schedule management, inquiries from companies and from abroad, support in meetings, and assistance with social media. The idea stems from a real problem: there are more and more anime, video game, and international event adaptations, and creators end up taking on a ton of work that has nothing to do with drawing.

It's an approach similar to a talent agency, but applied to manga. Instead of the manga artist negotiating alone with each production company or answering emails late at night, a team filters and organizes everything. That way, the studio work and the creative process don't suffer.

Kakikomi school, from zero to professional

Kakikomi offers video courses on storyboarding (name), drawing, and character design, plus small seminars where professional manga artists review students' work. There is also a community to talk with instructors and other students.

It doesn't stop at teaching technique. It organizes events where students show their work directly to editors from publishing companies, and according to the company, some students have already secured an editor at one of those sessions. Since its launch in April, the school has surpassed 1,200 free members, and some of its seminar students have been finalists in awards for new creators.

Students range from complete beginners to those who already publish and want to polish their style or seek new opportunities. That dual approach is unusual: most schools focus only on beginners.

What the money will be used for

The investment will go toward improving the educational content of Kakikomi, strengthening the management team, preparing for international expansion, and hiring staff. With DBJ Capital, they hope to leverage the group's nationwide network to create manga projects with companies and local governments.

With Shochiku, the historic film and theater production company, the collaboration aims to tap into its experience in entertainment and intellectual property. They mention possible partnerships in audiovisual and theatrical works, which opens the door for creators represented by MOT to see their stories adapted into other formats.

It remains to be seen how that expansion outside Japan will take shape and whether Kakikomi will eventually offer courses in other languages. For now, the school remains in Japanese, and there are no dates for those steps.

Source: The Bridge