New manga school Kakikomi has begun accepting applications for its Kakikomi Zemi service, which will begin with courses from manga artists Reiji Miyajima (Rent-A-Girlfriend), Hiroyuki (), and Kyosuke Maruyama (Tsuyoshi Dare mo Katenai, Aitsu ni wa). Visuals from Miyajima, Maruyama, and Kuroko to Akuyaku-kun‘s Tina Yamashina, who will lecture next spring, were released with the launch.
The first wave of courses will begin in early February 2026, with the first application wave’s deadline being December 21, 2025 at 11:59 PM JST (applicants will also need to go through a meeting before the results are finalized). The general idea is to allow participants to receive direct guidance and individual feedback from active manga creators, and meet with editors from publishers through the network of Kakikomi’s operator MOT (MOT is a manga production and manga-based advertisement company that Miyajima co-founded in 2023).
Intake is on a small scale, with a maximum of between two to five students depending on the lecturer. There are other variations between the courses, such as duration (Miyajima’s runs for 12 months, divided into two six-month cours, whereas Hiroyuki and Maruyama’s run for six months) and whether the seminars are conducted as a group or one-on-one.
Miyajima’s course, which includes a monthly offline group seminar that can also be attended online, is targeted at those who have complete a manga and leans towards romantic-comedy (while each course has specifically named genres that reflect the lecturer’s output, “all genres” is also mentioned afterwards). It also lists futsal fans and those who’d like to be treated to a meal by the manga artist as part of its target audience, which isn’t entirely a joke as futsal sessions and meal gatherings are part of the program’s offerings.
Overseas applications are accepted, but knowledge of Japanese is a requirement.
Eventually, Kakikomi Zemi will be just one of three services provided by Kakikomi. In spring 2026, the manga school plans to launch Kakikomi Doga, which offers educational manga videos covering techniques and more from people in the industry, including editors. Meanwhile, mid-2026 will see the planned start of Kakikomi Personal, where users are matched up with editors who will accompany them until their works’ completion and their commercial debut.
According to the press release, Kakikomi was created due to the lack of guidance that matches the individuality and unique goals of each aspiring artist, as well as a lack of hands-on opportunities that lead to a debut.
Sources: @kakicomi_mot, press release, Kakikomi website
