Excerpt: The Tale of Kenji Uematsu

When Kenji Uematsu was just five years old, a revolution took place in Japan. It was the sort of event that only happened once every ten or so years. It shaped to country, changed the merchandise on shelves and advertising campaigns for just about everything. For in the year 1996, the very first chapter of Avast! was printed in the even popular Jump magazine.
Avast was the tale of an audacious young man who dreamed of sailing the world and becoming the wealthiest man alive. Unfortunately, the hero, Kaimera, was not the most honest of men. He quickly resorted to piracy to obtain his dreams. He became a sort of Robin Hood who stole from ninjas and gave to other pirates. His silly antics but honest intentions quickly gave him a place in the hearts of millions. As many competing stories in the magazine dropped out after fifteen weeks or less due to a lack of interest, Kaimera and his crew, week after week, were voted the most popular tale in the magazine.
One of these dedicated fans of Avast was little Kenji. Never before a dedicated Jump reader, fate brought him to read a friend’s copy when the pirate story appeared. The quirky characters, gripping plot, and tasteful art grabbed hold of him like a scared child grabs his mother’s leg, and he began buying the magazine week after week just to follow that one story. It consumed him like nothing before. A year or so passed, and Kenji began religiously watching the TV adaptation of his favorite manga.
But the attraction went much deeper then just rabid fan following. For you see, as young Kenji read and watched Avast, an idea formed in his mind. It was a silly and crazy idea. But Kaimera had shown Kenji that crazy ideas almost always work. The more Kenji thought about it, the more the idea solidified. For the first time in his life, he discovered what it was to be driven. Nothing was about to stop him.
He was going to write a manga.