Why draw money? What manga artist Satoru Hiura wants to convey with his latest work, "Bijin to Kaneko"

What manga artist Satoru Hiura wants to convey with his latest work, "Bijin to Kaneko"

The protagonist is Kaneko Kasane, a 40-year-old divorced tax accountant. She lives a modest life until a beauty influencer named Binan appears before her. Through an unexpected turn of events, Kaneko, a financial expert, and Binan, a beauty expert, team up and begin broadcasting their advice on money and beauty concerns. Hiura Satoru's manga Binan and Kaneko, currently serialized in the manga magazine Feel Young, depicts the relationships, love, and various aspects of life surrounding beauty and money. Why did he choose the theme of "beauty and money"?

"Around two years ago, I wanted to draw a story about beauty and money, and I submitted a proposal, but I was told that 'manga about money don't become very popular.' But I couldn't give up, so I interviewed beauty influencers and worked on the story's structure, and while I was doing that, I hit it off with the editor of Feel Young, and here we are today. I've always liked talking about money, but I realized that there was an image that it was difficult to talk about money in public."

Hiura, who speaks with a laugh, was not originally good with money either. In 1984, when he was a high school student, he won a manga award and moved to Tokyo, where he quickly became independent as a manga artist. Until he was 25, his parents managed his bank account and he lived off the money they sent him. It was when he was in his early 30s that he became conscious of money and began studying about it. This was when he bought his first piece of real estate.

"At the time, I had some money to spend on myself, and my friends around me were starting to buy apartments, so I knew it was about time. It was also a time when I had to have an assistant stay overnight when drawing manga, so I ended up buying two small rooms, one for myself and one for my workspace.

I had no knowledge at all, so I took out a 35-year loan as instructed by the real estate agent. I continued making payments without thinking about it for a year, and when I checked the repayment schedule, I was shocked. It hadn't decreased at all. So, when I thought about how much I would have to pay if I paid a 35-year loan, I got chills (laughs).

Then I started studying. I read every book I could find and tried so-called saving techniques, but I realized that it wasn't the right way. First, I decided to start by understanding the fundamental situation, so I separated my bankbook into two accounts: one for savings and one for income and expenses. After monitoring my finances regularly, I realized that as a freelancer, my monthly income isn't stable, but my expenses don't change that much. I put any money left over after my card payments were overdue into savings. Once I had saved up a certain amount, I rolled over my loan repayments. That's how I paid off my debt in six years!

I was so happy that I even engraved the date I paid off my loan on a plate on a piece of jewelry I bought at the time (laughs). During those six years, I read a lot of books and learned more about the subject, and it was fun to see the numbers go down as I made deferred payments. So, I stopped being afraid of money, or rather, I started to like it."

I took out a 35-year loan without any prior knowledge, but after studying, I developed a money circulation system for myself that circulates income and expenses. I paid off the loan and my fixed expenses dropped significantly. After that, I started investing in real estate and using NISA and iDeCo. Asset management started to become fun.

The similarities between beauty and money. They may cause anxiety, but they're not scary if you know about them.

The story of "Beautiful Man and Kaneko" begins when a very popular beauty influencer, a handsome man, comes to the tax accountant's office where Kaneko works to ask for financial advice. Kaneko senses something when the handsome man says, "...Doesn't money just disappear without you even realizing it...?" Even if you have an incredible income, if you don't manage it properly, your money will disappear.

Kaneko then tells Bijin about the importance of "understanding the current situation," which involves knowing what you currently own, how much you earn and spend, and how much money you need to be satisfied. He then introduces a household accounting app that allows you to easily see everything at a glance.

Meanwhile, the handsome man wanted to show his appreciation to Kaneko, who is unconcerned with beauty and fashion, prefers a rational lifestyle, and is devoted to her work. He takes her to a department store concierge and gives her a gift of clothes that fit her body type and image based on the latest bone structure analysis. For both of them, the door to a new world they had never even considered before in their lives was opened.

I was once told that a work with the theme of "money" is difficult, but this manga is not just about money; it also discusses "money" and "beauty" simultaneously. I asked her why she chose to draw these two together.

"I think there are a lot of similarities between money and beauty. First of all, they stimulate people's anxieties and desires. In the case of money, they stir up anxieties such as, will I be able to pay my loan? Do I have enough money for my education? What about retirement? They then stir up desires like a mansion in the city, designer goods, travel... The same goes for beauty. Also, beautiful and wealthy people often seem like they're cheating in some way, don't they?

I wondered if these people knew the shortcut to becoming beautiful (rich), or if I was the only one who didn't know the method. I thought that money and beauty have very similar structures, with emotions fluctuating between anxiety and desire. So I thought it would be interesting to create a story that intertwines these two themes, such as "household accounting apps and bone structure diagnosis," by using keywords from each of money and beauty in the manga."

By learning each other's knowledge, Bisou and Kaneko feel a sense of openness and begin to communicate together. The story has just begun, but at the end, Hiura tells us what he wants to convey.

"Both beauty and money have a scary image, and I don't really understand it. But I think they're not difficult if you study them, and both can be used effectively to make life more enjoyable. What's important isn't money or beauty, but the person's own happiness, right? I hope I can convey that through my manga."