Engaging Young Talent: HR Conference Keynote on 'Manga Thinking' for Management

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Manga Drive Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo; CEO: Tatsuhiko Kakimoto) delivered a lecture at the "HR Conference Spring," organized by HR Vision Co., Ltd.

The speakers were Akihito Hotehama, the founder of Manga Thinking and advisor to the company, and Naoki Yamaguchi, a certified master instructor at Manga Drive. The theme of the lecture was "What Kind of Manager Creates a Team Where Young Talent Stays? – Sharpening Communication Skills to Sense Psychology and Move Hearts through 'Manga Thinking'."

Addressing workplace challenges such as failed dialogues with young employees and a lack of motivation, the speakers explained practical methods for managers to establish a 'self-core' and interpret the psychology of others through the 'Manga Thinking' framework.

### Background and Significance of Manga Thinking During the lecture, Akihito Hotehama shared his personal journey that led to the creation of Manga Thinking. He spoke of his past struggles with academics despite a strict educational upbringing, eventually passing the University of Tokyo entrance exams. He also shared a painful experience where his founding members resigned simultaneously due to his self-centered behavior. He recounted how he used manga to reflect on himself and achieve a remarkable comeback from rock bottom.

### The Importance of Corporate Training Using Manga While corporate training on psychological safety and communication skills has increased recently, the complexity of psychological concepts often makes it difficult for participants to achieve 'true understanding' through traditional text and lectures alone. Manga Drive provides training that uses the concrete expressions of manga to share psychology, emotions, and relationships—elements often hard to grasp via text—thereby fostering memorable dialogue and communication skills.

### Introduction of Cost-Benefit Theory At the HR Conference, the "Cost-Benefit Theory" for understanding subordinate psychology was introduced. Manga was used to provide context, followed by Instructor Yamaguchi developing the theory further. Feedback from participants included praise such as "The overall session was wonderful" and "Using manga for case studies to promote self-acceptance and acceptance of others is catchy and friendly."

### Opportunities to Experience Manga Thinking Manga Drive will begin distributing information via email starting in late May. For information on monthly online seminars and the application of Manga Thinking in business, please register on the Manga Drive website.

### About Manga Drive Co., Ltd. Manga Drive provides corporate training and educational content based on Manga Thinking. It supports programs in themes such as manager development, Z-generation management, improving 1on1 quality, and young talent retention, enabling participants to learn as if it were their own concern and practice it in the field.