Ishida’s afterword part 5
Please feel to correct me if there are any mistakes. Ishida’s handwriting is hard to read at times so I may have gotten some words wrong. (source of the afterword)
Edit 1: Proofread for grammar and wording.
Lastly
I’m truly glad that I was able to finish Tokyo Ghoul.
Once I let go of it, I was able to think a lot about what I had done by drawing this work. I thought a lot about myself, being creative, and the creative industry. I was also able to meet lots of great people.
During the last half year, I really enjoyed drawing Tokyo Ghoul. I discovered and learned to appreciate many things.
“Why am I drawing manga?”
If I ask myself that now, my answer would be: “Because it was necessary.”
Tokyo Ghoul is a crude, unpolished work, but I love it nonetheless.
Those who have been involved with the series, those who have been reading the series. I have nothing but gratitude to whoever is reading this sentence right now.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
While I’m At It
This is a diary entry I wrote 9 years ago. I discovered it recently.
I want to bring this immature young man out here and bring shame upon him.
Amen to myself of 9 years past.
July 7, 2009
I’ve arrived in Tokyo. I am living alone.
Looking back at my diary, I can see just how rough around the edges I was. I was so foolish, short-sighted, naive.
From around 2nd year (of technical college was it) I was such a giant brat who couldn’t stop laughing.
Compare him to now and I sure have grown a lot! Looking back at the recent diary entries, it occurred to me, why didn’t I write a lot...
I want to grow as a person, even a tiny bit...
Why do the diary entries from my technical college days have nothing but dreams written in them?
I must’ve been asleep for quite some time...
Right now I’m creating storyboards that I can bring to Shueisha. I’m bringing them in tomorrow at 17:30.
It’s a story about war. Though I’m not sure whether I can draw a sci-fi with my skills as they are now.
There have been times where I’ve been at a loss, when I’ve had regrets.
Like, what was the point of me going to technical school for 5 years?
Or, would you be living a better life if you tried harder? Stuff like that.
But everything in the past is connected to the present.
Every mistake, every bit of suffering, every little success is creating the person that I am today.
If I can acknowledge myself now, that will acknowledge everything in the past.
All my failures are a part of who I am today.
If I’m happy now, I owe it to my past (and of course to my present) self.
I can’t acknowledge myself 100%. But I kinda like who I am.
Then I can’t be that bad, right?
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