Vantan Co., Ltd., which operates KADOKAWA Manga Academy with the vision of "Creating the world's most socially connected school" and offers practical classes taught by active creators, and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd., part of the MS&AD Insurance Group, have implemented a joint industry-academia project to create manga depicting the challenges of para-triathletes Satoshi Yoneoka and Coach Kohei Tsubaki, both affiliated with Mitsui Sumitomo Marine. In collaboration with students learning manga, novels, and scenarios (hereinafter referred to as "members"), this project aims to contribute to sports promotion and the development of sports culture by producing and disseminating manga content based on the real-life stories of athletes.

1. Objectives of the Initiative By expressing and disseminating the challenges, efforts, and human appeal of athletes in the form of "manga," which is loved by many, we aim to widely convey the charm and value of sports and athletes to society, deepen understanding, and enhance the overall value of sports. Furthermore, for the members, this initiative provides an opportunity to improve their creative skills for the future and enhance their social perspective through the experience of structuring scenarios based on true stories and creating manga.

2. Manga Overview

(1) Number of participating members: 14 (2) Number of completed works: 5 (3) Publication location of works: Published page within "MS&AD×SPORTS" *Scheduled for sequential publication on the Instagram account "MS&AD SPORTS" (@msad_sports) as well. (4) Future developments: To enable visually impaired individuals to enjoy this work, a voice comic adaptation is planned, to be produced by members of the KADOKAWA Anime & Voice Actor Academy.

【Synopsis and Character Introduction】 In 2016, Kohei Tsubaki of the Mitsui Sumitomo Marine Triathlon Club developed an illness. After recovering from his illness and returning to competition, he was confronted with the reality that he would not make it in time for the selection for the Japanese national team for the competition, which was the biggest goal of his athletic career. Meanwhile, Satoshi Yoneoka, also a para-athlete affiliated with Mitsui Sumitomo Marine, was competing in both para-triathlon and blind marathon. In 2019, these two individuals, facing different circumstances, teamed up as athlete and guide to aim for the world in para-triathlon.

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  • Source: PR TIMES
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