Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2011
Where are you from and what brought you to Japan?
I’m originally from America—Utah, to be exact. My school had foreign exchange students come visit twice a year. Being around hyperactive Japanese high-school girls was enough to pique my interest, so I kicked learning Japanese up a notch and found my way to Japan. Come eight years later, I’m still in love with the country and culture as much as the very first day I stepped foot here.
How were you involved with scanlation?
I founded and ran one of the first and largest fan-driven translation and scanlation sites on the net. People would scan manga and upload or link it, with their own translations or in raw form for others to translate. The amount of time and effort, blood and sweat, drama and passion that goes into each scanlation release is incredible. Of course, there are groups out there that tend to do it for the ego boost or even some that try to earn money via having people click their download links, but I wouldn’t really consider those people fans, and would be really more inclined to say those are the types that are hurting the industry the most. For that reason, I decided to make a site that helps the industry. I aim to bring the passion of those who actually care about manga and give them a legal venue to do what they love. Essentially, it is putting fan labor in the service of the industry.
What are your hopes for the manga industry today?
My hope is that it will be more open, not only to the fans who would love to participate and use their skills in a legal way, but also to give the artists that the Japanese publishers turn away an optional venue to release their work—instead of smashing their dreams and driving them away from their dream job.
What are you up to now?
Aside from trying to get people to read and enjoy manga, as well as building a legal manga distribution site, I also work as a financial advisor helping people earn a better return on their savings to reach their future financial objectives. How can readers contact you? For those that want to talk about manga, are interested in my project, or want help getting a better return on their capital, then feel free to contact me on Facebook or Google+. My email address is teichan.jp@gmail.com.
