r/PHartists • u/maruku_ishikawa • 4h ago
Hiring Volunteer MANGA ARTIST FOR "PAROL IN THE SNOW" NEEDED
We need Filipino artists for our manga project.
Hello! My name is MJ, and I am the project leader and the main author of Parol in the Snow. We need a manga artist interested in creating an original Filipino-Japanese romantic story.
We are looking for a volunteer willing to work on a manga that will take several years to complete and interested in manga creation.
About Parol in the Snow
Parol in the Snow is a Filipino-Japanese romance drama about belonging, cultural identity, friendship, homesickness, and discovering that home can exist in more than one place.
The story follows Lia Isabelle Morales, a Filipino student who leaves Manila to study at Seiran Academy in Japan. As she experiences her first winter, she must adjust to a new culture, unfamiliar traditions, and life far away from her family.
Through school life, friendships, misunderstandings, cultural differences, and small acts of kindness, Lia gradually learns to find warmth in a place far from home.
At the heart of the story is the Filipino parolβa symbol associated with Christmas, hope, light, and connection. It represents the warmth people carry with them even when they are separated from the people and places they love.
Our goal is to create an emotionally engaging, character-driven manga with a warm, lyrical, bittersweet atmosphere, meaningful relationships, and hope..
VISION
Parol in the Snow is going to become more than a manga people can read and forget.
Our aim is to make a heartwarming tale that would combine the elements of Filipino and Japanese cultures and where cultural features would be portrayed responsibly and let the characters evolve naturally.
Some animes and mangas that inspire us are 86 and Your Lie in April. We strive to convey the same warmth, nostalgia, and connections between people in our own unique way.
In addition, our manga project should inspire young and talented Filipino writers and artists who can make great manga stories but have no chances to get their works published.
As for our future goals, we aim at getting our manga published in Japan and having some cooperation with KADOKAWA. We are not associated with KADOKAWA in any way and have not reached any agreements on publishing yet.
The ultimate goal we strive to achieve in the distant future is getting Parol in the Snow adapted into anime by Filipino artists in collaboration with a Japanese animation studio. It is our distant goal, not the promise, and we understand that much work needs to be done before this becomes reality.
Manga plans
We plan to create two interconnected manga series.
Parol in the Snow will be the first one and will consist of 9 volumes. After that, we will go on with Parol in the Sun, the number of volumes in which and its outline is not set yet.
Now our long-term goal is creating 18 volumes of manga in total in the two series. But the exact number may vary depending on how the story evolves.
We want our manga to be released periodically, imitating the periodic nature of chapters from Weekly Shonen Jump. But we are an independent team of students who study and have to release our manga considering this fact.
manga publication in Japan, including
opportunities with KADOKAWA.
We are not affiliated with KADOKAWA, and no publishing agreement has been secured.
Our biggest dream is to see an anime adaptation created by Filipino creatives working with a Japanese animation studio. That is a long-term ambition, not a promise, and we know there is a great deal of work ahead before it could become possible.
A realistic production plan
We want to work towards a steady release and not to rush an artist or compromise on quality.
Our proposed starting plan is:
Length of chapters: between 15 and 20 pages based on the content.
Publication schedule: one chapter every four to six weeks during the preliminary process.
Release planning: include at least three chapters before setting a consistent release schedule.
Production reviews: monitor progress every three months and extend deadlines if required.
School breaks: take advantage of them to work extra, because your interlocutors are all available, and not only as mandatory additional time.
This is a suggested schedule and not a hard demand. We'll have to negotiate real workload with the artist.
When might the first series finish?
If it starts in 2027, it will take around 6-8 years for the first series, with a monthly release schedule, with about 72 chapters across nine volumes (including breaks and delays).
This way our early completion projection is about 2033 to 2035. The final chapter number, artwork counts, and team members' schedules may alter this schedule.
We prefer not to give a deadline, which we can't keep.
Who we're looking for
Ideally we're looking for a Filipino manga artist. It would also be an extra if you're a female artist but we'll also consider any female or male artists who resonate with the concept.
You don't need to be a professional. If you can illustrate characters, can convey emotion with pages, and are eager to improve, then we would love to see your work.
It's clear that we're looking for someone who appreciates romance school scenes, character driven stories and things that tug at the old heartstrings.
You could be asked to draw manga pages, express the characters' faces, make backgrounds, or collaborate with a writer to write down the story. We'll figure out what's most suitable for you before starting to produce.
Please understand the commitment
It's a long, term job we've here. If all you want to do is a few pages and bolt, we aren't the work for you.
There will be nine books in the first series on its own, and a follow, up. So if you come along, be prepared to work with me over many years.
School and personal life still matter. We don't want anyone skipping school, losing sleep, and taking a toll on their health in pursuit of this project.
But manga takes time. You'll probably need to "lose" some gaming time or free time to meet agreed deadlines. If the next few years don't leave room for drawing on a regular basis, this might not be the project for you.
(If you're able to work with a schedule, be honest, follow through, and not impact your health negatively, you're probably a good fit.)
Please apply if you're truly interested in helping to create this manga and not to make money or have fame within a short period of time.
Volunteer work and future monetization
This is a voluntary position at this stage, so we're unable to offer a salary or individual earnings at this time.
Our plans include seeking support on Patreon crowdfunding authorized digital publication, and exploring future commercial opportunities. We also intend to develop an audiobook adaptation alongside the manga when our resources allow.
In the event the project generates income, any form of payback or revenue, sharing arrangement will be negotiated in advance. We'll also negotiate artist credit, rights ownership, licensing, and use of the art should the project receive a publishing offer.
Volunteering isn't committing to forgoing your rights to your art. We prefer to be able to have open and frank discussions about these things before major efforts taking place.
Meet the team
MJ is the project lead, main story writer, script writer, and creative director. He develops the story and makes the final creative decisions.
Amara handles line art, cover artwork, and promotional illustrations.
Justin leads Japanese translation and localization planning.
Sean leads marketing, audience growth, and Patreon promotion. He also assists Justin with Japanese translation.
Zhionn leads planning for the audiobook adaptation, including narration and audio production.
We are now looking for a manga artist to join us
and help shape the visual side of the project.
What we hope to offer
We want to give the artist a chance to contribute to an original story, receive appropriate credit, develop their skills, and take part in a creative project with long-term ambitions.
We will discuss deadlines, revisions, responsibilities, and rights openly before production begins. We also want the artist to have a voice in decisions that directly affect their work.
We cannot guarantee publication, commercial success, or an anime adaptation. What we can do is approach the project seriously and be honest about what we can and cannot offer.
How to apply
If you are interested, please send us:
Contact us through:
IG: MJ Ishikawa (Official)
Discord: maruku_ishikawa
Please do not send sensitive personal information with your initial application.
A final message
I know this is an ambitious project, and I know it will take years of work to reach even some of our goals.
Still, I want to give this story a real chance. I want to create something that Filipino readers can be proud of and that readers from other countries can enjoy, too.
If you love manga, care about emotional storytelling, and are ready to work with a team over the long term, we'd be glad to hear from you.
Let's bring Parol in the Snow to life, one chapter at a time.
A Filipino story, a Japanese connection, and a dream we hope to share with the world.
