Ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a manga creator? I talked to amateur mangaka Totou (Brad Mesina), an artist who’s worked in games and films but never lost his love for manga.
From his early inspirations (Soul Eater and Oyasumi Punpun) to his deep thoughts on storytelling, culture, and even food, this interview gives a glimpse into what drives him to keep creating.
He also shares details about Walking Kitchen, a manga that mixes travel, cuisine, and mystery into one unique journey. Whether you’re an aspiring artist or just love a good story, this one’s worth a read.
Who is the amateur mangaka Totou
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where you’re from?
First of all I want to say thank you for preparing this interview ReadManga
My pen name is ToTou, and Brad Mesina is the name I use for my professional work ahaha.
I work as an Art Director & concept artist for games & films, currently based in Dubai (although my birth right is Philippines)
All about Totous up and coming manga project
Can you tell us a bit about the current story you are working on? What is the main plot or premise?
So the current Manga I’m working on is called ‘Walking Kitchen’.
It’s about a nomadic chef and her sentient Bonfire companion who venture on journeys until they stumble upon a fallen “Angel” together they experience different cultures, foods, and people in this world and slowly unravel the mystery behind so called “Angels”.
Painting finally complete
— ToTou (@BradMesina) August 29, 2024
'Friends of another Realm'#illustration #mangaart pic.twitter.com/XfCb41GpzU
How did you come up with the idea? Was it a sudden inspiration or something that developed over time?
It was both actually, Originally this was two separate scripts. I wanted to create two mangas that were about fictional food & recipes, and the other about lesser gods that depend on material resources (not much of a god in that sense ahaha).
Overtime I couldn’t choose between the two so I decided to merge them together. I think concepts and production took over 7 months?
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced while creating this story, and how have you dealt with it?
Who are the characters?
So each of the characters represent different parts of my individuality.
The nomadic chef represents my love for diversity and food, and the respect we put towards our food.
Bon-Bon is a sentient bonfire that can reconstruct itself into a home Kitchen, whom becomes the perfect partner for our chef, although it’s origins are still a mystery..
The Angel is someone who loses his sister, making his confidence brittle and weakens when left alone. A pretty timid character that represents my Childlike ignorant views, sometimes oblivious of his surroundings
What role does symbolism or metaphor play in your writing? Are there hidden layers to your story that readers might not catch at first?
Definitely, I made it so primary information is obvious but background information that is important in the plot is subliminal or symbolized. I hope many readers catch them ahaha.
What kind of journey do you want your readers to experience when they follow the story? Are there specific emotions or thoughts you want to evoke?
I’d enjoy seeing people absorb it in their own way, but the experience I do want to provoke in people is the importance of food, and how integral it is in our life. Food Gathers people, it satisfies people, it gives us life and it provides a connection with other humans of varying backgrounds.
And it also tastes so goddamn good.
What do you hope your readers take away from your stories? Is there a specific message or feeling you try to convey through your writing?
I feel generally my stories are always about people, it’s less indulgent and about oneself, and more about the people you’re surrounded by. There are billions of people on this earth, thus billions in character. As a social creature like Humans, it’s our responsibility to understand each other regardless of differences in opinions & culture, I believe this is true Harmony.
I also prefer to convey this feeling through grittier and serious themes. I feel all humans have something dark in them that they feel and can relate to, rather than sunshine and rainbows which can disconnect us from relating to it.
Do you have a clear ending in mind for your current series, or are you letting the story evolve as you write?
Sort of, I have a rough idea but it may change in the future.
How has your story evolved from the first draft to where it is now? Have there been any major changes along the way that surprised even you?
Many many many changes, it was honestly really boring before so I’m glad I took the time to develop it more.
Is there anything else that you would want people to know about your book or story?
Although the themes look wholesome at first, it’s actually quite a dark and relatable story, same for the Food aspect. It delves into the different views on food, like how it’s not as important to some which is a completely understandable opinion.
Advice from a professional artist of 5 years
How long have you been drawing/ creating art?
Seriously for 12 years, and professionally for 5.
What advice would you give to aspiring mangakas who are just starting out and want to improve their skills?
Never forget about improving your storytelling capabilities, sure hold off on storytelling and improve your technical skills. Art quality will always improve and is easier to evolve since it’s a more technical topic, But Manga will only be as good as its story. Use your technical skills to further support the story and immerse your audience .
'Friends of another Realm'
— ToTou (@BradMesina) August 8, 2024
First part of this painting is done in watercolor, will finish it off digitally soon as well 🙂 #wipart #illustrationart pic.twitter.com/bP1OKtubnr
What is the most important skill or technique you think every aspiring mangaka should master?
The art of tertiary information. Plainly explaining and leaving large speech bubbles just to explain your story and information ruins the immersion, learn to master passive information to feed your audience information naturally. An example would be villagers murmuring about recent local tales, signifying something recently happened in town whether true or false.
What was the biggest challenge you faced when you first started creating manga, and how did you overcome it?
Coming from an Illustrator & concept artist background, I was absolutely horrendous at creating Panels that flowed naturally ahaha, many times I would create frames that were too large or too packed. I decided to purchase physical copies of Manga in my backlog, both favourites and new and study the compositions of them.
Advice for aspiring artists and possible mangakas from a professional artist
Read Manga: I really like your art! In fact, it reminds me of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko—check out Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin if you haven’t already. He also combines watercolor and manga in his work.
ToTou: Thank you so much Readmanga, I’m very much inspired by our golden age artists for manga and anime, two such figures would be Yoh Yoshinari and Miyazaki’s conceptual work for Nausicaa: the valley of the wing (manga). In fact I usually do this conceptual style of mine with my professional work like below (Enci’s Solution). I remembered this piece since you mentioned Gundams ahaha I love mech’s too.
For someone starting from scratch, what resources (books, courses, exercises) or daily habits would you prioritize to build a strong artistic foundation?
I feel it really depends on what the artist wants to achieve. For any medium of artist, be it a sculptor, painter or drawer, a foundational skill that benefits all is solid drawing skills. To learn and break down their shape details into 3D and store into our mental visual library goes a long way.
Mindlessly drawing the same thing over and over again without reference I feel can actually negatively impact our habits. I worry sometimes beginners close off their imagination too early by wanting to learn fundamentals of Anatomy, but really there is so much more to explore and find beauty in.
I would recommend Proko’s Youtube channel as a starting point. Once intermediate in skill I really recommend Bridgeman’s books. It pushes you to understand gestural forms rather than just blocky shapes. But honestly this is only for those interested in Anatomy. I also recommend Stonehouse’s anatomy drawing book for painters.
Honestly the best thing you can do is not worry about resources, tools, or fancy things once starting. A pencil, paper, and a curious mind to draw is all you need to start. From there you will improve your foundational drawing skills and find your own path in an artform, be it a painter like me or others.
Many beginners struggle with feeling ‘stuck’ in their progress. What strategies helped you push through creative or skill-based plateaus?
I noticed for myself that I tended to actually stop art all together for awhile. Maybe a month or more. I would still consume art but just not make any, until I stumble across something that really excites me.
I would learn and dissect it in every form, just studying, not even drawing or painting it but I would later find out that I had improved greatly from the last time.
I think the combination of both rest & taking the time to enjoy & study is what pushed me over hurdles.
How do you recommend balancing time between drawing and other responsibilities, especially for those juggling art as a side pursuit?
There really is a large part in sacrificing time. If you want to become good you need to allocate hours to complete focus, see what hours during the day you are most energy & focus efficient.
Then use those hours for your practices, even 3 hours is enough if spent completely focused and undisturbed. Complete your responsibilities beforehand if possible so that you may study in peace without having the worries fog your brain.
But If you wish to become the greatest in your world, you have to sacrifice even more. You may skip meals, you may ignore friendships, and you may even forget your health alltogether to achieve the “greatest” level of art, if that even exists.
What practical steps would you advise for transitioning from drawing as a hobby to pursuing it professionally (e.g., building a portfolio, networking)?
Learn to create context and story behind your work. Many times I would hire artists in my studio (in the Film & Video game industry, even manga).
The strongest applicants were always those who didn’t create work from trendy themes, but instead created characters & worlds that belonged to a story, be it their own or an existing IP.
This shows that you are capable of manifesting lifeforms, animals, & ecology in a world that doesn’t exist. It feels immersive and believable. It saves time & budget in orienting new hires in their IP. Be a fan of their worldbuilding. Art teams want this, not another person that can only draw well.
What initially drew you to drawing as a form of expression, and how did you sustain that passion when facing early challenges like self-doubt or technical limitations?
I always liked drawing my favourite Cartoons & Anime as a child, maybe 7 years old or so but I never really took it seriously. I think it really started as an expression for me when I found comfort in the silence at 14 in my schools atelier.
I wasn’t good at talking and sounded illiterate as a child, but my thoughts are clear and direct whenever I draw or paint, those were the moments when I felt intelligible as a younger individual. People could actually hear me rather than ignore me.
To sustain a passion it itself is hard. It’s mean and it can sometimes change you completely like it did me, but what kept me going is truly believing that this was my purpose on this earth. To share the worlds & stories I manifest in my mind through paint, pencil and paper. That’s what I can provide for humanity.
How amateur mangaka Totou plans to deal with the business side of art creation
Have you thought about the best platform to upload your book for maximum visibility and engagement?
So far I have 3 options, the first is to publish it with an editor on Harta’s magazine since they stories they prefer are similar to mine (works such as Dungeon Meshi).
The second would be Zenon publishing since they work with international artists.
And lastly my third option would be to self publicize and maximise local demography, hopefully selling online too.
How will you approach marketing when you first launch your book? Do you have a specific strategy in mind?
I’ve always wanted to actually cook the fictional dishes in the Manga and show them on social media ahaha, eventually making a cookbook but with real ingredients.
I’d also like to work with my friends and push out other medium such as music, anime trailers, and such. I’ve actually started producing an Album of OST’s with a friend, for people to listen to while reading.
Have you experimented with social media marketing? If so, which platforms have been the most successful for you and why?
I have a bit but I think the heavens cursed me with abysmal marketing skills, I’m absolutely terrible at it but try. Although I have noticed the Japanese demographic enjoy my work a lot, so platforms like X (formerly Twitter) are great for sharing still works. Instagram as well but mostly just for reels (BTS stuff).
What marketing challenges do you think you will have to overcome?
I’m mostly worried about the 1st chapters release, I’m not sure how to maximise views to potentially find my readers. Which is why I was thinking about commissioning animators to create a Manga trailer for me.
How do you plan to release the manga—self-published online, through a publisher, or another platform
Preferably through a publisher so I don’t have to worry about finding an audience, but if all else fails then self published with physical copies distributed through online platforms.
Tools and strategy’s used by the professional artist and amateur mangaka totou
What tools or software did you use to create your manga?
Cigarettes and Coffee to warm me up ahaha.
CSP for all the Page creations, Photoshop & Traditional paints for Concepts & Illustrations, Sonovel for Writing and storytelling, and Pomotroid for keeping me focused in finishing pages.
Could you share a bit about your creative process—from initial sketches to final inking?
I tend to go overboard with it. I start off my absorbing art in other forms like Films, galleries or experience in day to day life. From there I use that as material to create my pre-production framework for worldbuilding; concepts, illustrations, writing. Once that’s all ready I can create meaningful and immersive drafts, from drafts I go straight to “inking” since my inking is actually just polished drawings with grey values of watercolour.
How do you stay motivated during long drawing or writing sessions?
I take short breaks between 25 or 45 minutes of straight focused work. It’s called the pomodoro technique but sometimes I have good days where I just draw/paint for 6 hours straight. It’s great.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone wanting to start their own manga, what would it be?”
Write Manga that you truly believe in, that you truly relate to, because if you don’t it will fail and it will fail you in wanting to complete it. You need to create something that you know is good regardless of what others think because at the end of the day, it is your story and there will be people who will read it, as long as you have faith and evidently know it’s good.
When designing characters, do you start with their personality traits, their physical appearance, or some other defining element?
I think I base them on what story I’m trying to portray, if it’s a story about struggle and food then I need a character that is resourceful and shows expressiveness in enjoying food. From there I add traits that hook readers into loving the character. The character design & fashion always follows after, much like form follows function.
Thank you again for the interview ReadManga! It was thorough and I hope I didn’t bore the audience with my nonsensical rambling ahaha, but hopefully people can know more about how I am now.
Check out amateur mangaka Totou’s new manga on his socials
I want to thank totou for his time, It’s always inspiring to hear from creators like ToTou, who pour so much passion into their work. Walking Kitchen sounds like a fascinating blend of adventure, culture, and food, and we can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
Whether you’re an aspiring creator or just a manga fan, there’s a lot to take away from his insights.
If you want to follow ToTuo’s journey, be sure to check out his work here, you can watch his drawing live streams here or follow him on x and Instagram, keep an eye out for updates on his manga. Big thanks to him for taking the time to chat with us!
If you enjoyed this conversation, check out our other interviews, “Puppet Blood manga” amazon self publishing and drawing with your finger! Interview with the mangaka or Q&A with the author of Black Noblesse.
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