Ai Yasumi learned how to interact with people by reading manga. The characters came to life for her and gave her advice on what to say and when to say it. Ai gradually made friends over time, but she never lost her love of manga. Her first visit to Comitia (Comiket) inspires her to draw her own manga. We’ll see how far she gets in the world of manga when the award-winning Draw This, Then Die! (Kore Kaite Shine) premieres sometime in July 2026.
It’s a very special time for us at J-List, because 30 years ago this week, we started the first anime and hentai shop selling to fans around the world. And we’ve been able to make it this far thanks to our wonderful customers. We’re celebrating with a huge 20% sale on all in-stock Japan products, through October 7th. Start browsing now!
Minoru Toyoda released the original Draw This, Then Die! manga series on November 12th, 2021. Shogakukan has since published eight volumes in Monthly Shonen Sunday.
Draw This, Then Die! Cast
The budding mangaka, her imaginary friend, and her teacher are as follows:
- Ai Yasumi — Akira Sekine (Maryu Reage from Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?). Ai’s love of manga pushes her to create her own book.
- Pokota — Noriko Hidaka (Shiny Chariot / Professor Ursula from Little Witch Academia). Pokota is Ai’s imaginary friend, based on a character from Robota and Pokota.
- Rei Teshima — Saori Hayami (Yor Forger from Spy × Family). Rei is Ai’s teacher and the creator of Robota and Pokota.
Liden Films maintains a home page, a TikTok page, and a Twitter (X) page to promote Draw This, Then Die!. You can find more information about the series and the key visuals at those sites.
The Path of a Mangaka is Difficult. Draw This, Then Die!
Ai Yasumi loves reading manga. She has read most of the manga at her local shop and continues to visit it daily. Manga has helped her navigate different social interactions, allowing her to make friends. Ai is especially fond of Rei Hoshino’s independent manga, Robota and Pokota. The robot character Pokota remains her imaginary friend, helping her navigate the world around her.
Ai quickly bought a ticket to mainland Tokyo to attend Comitia (Comiket) after finding out that Rei Hoshino would be selling a new book. The indie mangaka all explain that they both wrote and drew their series, which both surprises and inspires Ai to create her own manga. She’s also surprised to discover that Rei Hoshino is her strict teacher, Rei Teshima. Ai sets out to fulfill her dream of becoming a manga creator, despite Rei constantly warning her away from that path.
Will you set off fireworks when you watch the premiere of Draw This, Then Die!? Have you read the manga series? Will Ai and her friends successfully create a manga book? Let us know in the comments below.
Let’s Chat
You made it to the end of this post! Thank you! As a token of our appreciation, enjoy an extra 5% off your next order with code BLOG at checkout. Also, don’t forget to follow J-List on all our platforms!
- Twitter/X, where Peter posts anime booba for you.
- Megumi Channel is our new YouTube channel, where Megumi-chan discusses all things anime. Please give us a follow!
- Bluesky, where we post several times a day.
- Facebook, where you can find our blog posts… though the site has become hostile to anime memes and other fun content.
- Discord, if you want to chat with other J-List customers of culture.
It’s a very special time for us at J-List, because 30 years ago this week, we started the first anime and hentai shop selling to fans around the world. And we’ve been able to make it this far thanks to our wonderful customers. We’re celebrating with a huge 20% sale on all in-stock Japan products, through October 7th. Start browsing now!
