Recently, Japanese cartoonist Akiyama Viewpoint did something very unusual in order to attract foreign readers and allow overseas fans to read his works: he personally used an AI program to translate his comics and uploaded them to the pirated comics website MangaDex.
According to him on social media, his comic "HORIZON" was serialized in a small magazine in Japan, but he hopes to let people in more countries see his work. However, this matter was forced to stop by the publisher of the comic serial magazine due to copyright disputes. Financial pressure also forced him to face reality. He said that the income from the copyright of single volumes of his comics was very low, and he could not even afford a cup of cheap coffee. He even had to rely on funding from others to support himself on Ko-fi, a foreign tipping subscription website.
He said: "The number of overseas comic fans may not be able to grow anymore. Even so, I am still grateful to have met you. I always try my best to draw the comics in front of me, and other things do not matter to me."
However, his move paid off. Readers and fans from different countries were impressed by his dedication. Seeing his impoverished life, they all contributed a little of their own. Currently, on Ko-fi, Akiyama Viewpoint has received 1,301 sponsorships, with a total amount exceeding 1 million yen.
