#kohske
I hope all of you GANGSTA. fans are taking care during this difficult time. This is just a quick note to let you all know that at this stage, we will not be continuing with FYG though we do still remain firm fans of the series and its creator.
Why will we not continue with this blog?
Kohske has asked very clearly that people do not reupload her work without her explicit permission. Kiel and myself both feel that continuing to mirror her updates and art posts here on Tumblr would breach her wishes, something that we personally do not feel comfortable doing.
If you want to keep up-to-date with what Kohske, simply visit her official Japanese channels below:
Twitter: Kohske posts regularly here about her health, her birds, and her addiction to FGO. If you want to see the art she has been working on, this is the place to visit.
Pixiv Fanbox:Support Kohske with a monthly donation (like Patreon) and get access to images and explanations of her pre-GANGSTA. work.
Booth: Kohske sells her work directly via the Pixiv Booth service (kind of like RedBubble or TeePublic). She has a variety of java finch-themed designs available on merchandise. Utilise a proxy service when buying internationally.
Homepage: Kohske’s official website. Not regularly updated, but a good resource for those interested in her work.
Please do not write to Kohske in English on social media. She is not fluent in any language other than Japanese and cannot respond in a manner in which she is comfortable.
Kohske does not know if the anime is getting a second season (mangaka have no control over this) nor does she know about your local, non-Japanese releases. Please be polite and respectful of her as she tries her best to communicate all important notices to international, as well as local fans.
You can also visit the Comic Bunch homepageto see what’s in the latest issue of the magazine (there’s a lot of great non-GANGSTA. titles running) and the site also offers Japanese chapters online here.
Thank you for understanding our stance and may you all continue to remain safe during 2020. <3 Remember to pick up licensed copies of the GANGSTA. manga and anime in your region and support Kohske if you can!
The May 2019 issue of Monthly Comic Bunch is now on sale in Japan with GANGSTA.55 in tow! Kohske’s earlyteasers for the new chapter note that the Corsica Family, Emilio, and Worick will have their respective spotlights, while Shizu & Haru (feat. Benriya) recount their adventures during the Hokkaido blackout last year. Readers who purchase physical copies of the issue will also be treated to a Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyorireversibledust cover. Welcome back, GANGSTA.!~
- Currently in stock at these trusted stores: Amazon JP/Mangaoh/HMV/eBookJapan (digital) -
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Kohskeshares a sketch from around five years ago of Striker-san eating a StrawberrySundae.
– Please properly credit Kohske if you post or edit her content without her permission. (@go_kohske/kohske-works/pixiv fanbox) –
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Benriya (mostly) wishes everyone a happy new year!
– Please properly credit Kohske if you post or edit her content without her permission. (@go_kohske/kohske-works/pixiv fanbox) –
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Following several suggestions from fans over the past few weeks, Kohske has now opened a personal Pixiv Fanbox! Fanboxes work similarly to Patreon, allowing fans to offer pledges to creators through an automated monthly subscription system (see here for Pixiv’s introduction to the program). Kohske has set up the following six-tier pledge system, noting that any locked content she posts will be available to her patrons equally regardless of which tier is chosen:
- 300 yen / mo. (USD/AUD/CAD/EUR/GBP)
- 500 yen / mo. (USD/AUD/CAD/EUR/GBP)
- 1,000 yen / mo. (USD/AUD/CAD/EUR/GBP)
- 3,000 yen / mo. (USD/AUD/CAD/EUR/GBP)
- 5,000 yen / mo. (USD/AUD/CAD/EUR/GBP)
- 10,000 yen / mo. (USD/AUD/CAD/EUR/GBP)
Fanbox subscriptions can be made internationally via credit card or Paypal and can be cancelled at any time. All you need is an active Pixiv account to begin and Pixiv provides an FAQ in English if needed along the way. The hard URL to Kohske’s Fanbox is: https://www.pixiv.net/fanbox/creator/35519806
Pledges Kohske receives from her fans will be put towards buying work-related materials for her and her assistants, help keep Haru & Shizu happy and fed, and, though she didn’t mention this officially, hopefully relieve some of the stress from her oncoming medical bills.
Although no GANGSTA. content will be posted to the Fanbox, Kohske is likely to begin offering exclusive personal content to patrons (such as her older works, news bits, and behind-the-scenes peeks) within the upcoming months and as her health permits from there.
Pledging is entirely optional, of course, but this is a perfect opportunity for fans to help support Kohske and the continuation of GANGSTA.directly.
The January 2019 issue of Monthly Comic Bunch is now on sale in Japan! GANGSTA. is again absent from the reading list due to Kohske’s ongoing medical needs (and will likely continue its break through the rest of the year), but fans of Shogisasu Kedamono can enjoy its blazing turn on the cover and those who purchase physical copies of the issue will be treated to an original Artiste dust cover.
- Currently in stock at these trusted stores: Amazon JP/Mangaoh/HMV/eBookJapan (digital) -
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I’m sure you all knew this post was coming. First off, let us apologise for taking so long to respond to questions regarding Kohske’s now rather viral comments on Twitter on the subject the overseas piracy of her works. Kiel and I live the world apart (I’m Down Under and he’s in the US) and we both have mounting personal obligations that don’t allow us as much time to post these days. This is a very important matter, though, and we absolutely have opinions on the issue – especially with the backlash Kohske has been receiving. Please read on.
Kohske has frequently stated in the past (in both Japanese and, to the best of her ability, in English) that she doesn’t want her work shared illegally through scans or scanlations because of the impact it has on her earnings. This time her plea, in English (above), went viral and has been met with some considerable nastiness. Comments telling her she’s only complaining because her work is bad and doesn’t sell (it’s consistently a best seller for Shinchosha and has been for years), that she took a huge hiatus and therefore doesn’t care about her series anyway (she suffers from a chronic autoimmune disorder and has been very open about how it continues to affect the status of the series and her life in general), right through to the suggestion that it is only her responsibility to ensure international publishers do the right thing by her title (if you’ve had experience in the publishing field, particularly when dealing with foreign releases, you’ll know how incredibly difficult it is to exercise any manner of control over your work when two publishing houses have all the power in the matter – Kohske has touched on this in the past as well). And, of course, the usual “if you don’t like it, then don’t be a mangaka”, and so on. Most of these comments seem to have come not from fans of the series or of Kohske, but from people who followed links to the tweets seeking an argument on the topic.
But even if one doesn’t agree with Kohske’s personal stance on scanlations, the abusive messages she has received are vile. No artist should be bombarded with harassment or lectured like a child for simply expressing the desire that their work be consumed legally.
Others noted on the massive gap between the legal release of GANGSTA. in English (and some other languages) and the legal Japanese release of the title. The most recent volume won’t be available in English from Viz until next year, and the main story is now several chapters ahead. Fans looking to enjoy these most recent chapters in English have no legal options to turn to yet. Such a gap is fairly common and by no means limited toGANGSTA.,however, in this day and age where titles in, for instance, powerhouse publications like Jump come out the same day in multiple languages, fans are struggling with releases for series that don’t “keep up.”
If fans genuinely want to read legally available chapters of GANGSTA. in English without having to wait for a volume release, we need to let the companies involved know. Viz Media is unlikely to pursue something as time-consuming and expensive as fast digital releases for a series like GANGSTA. (which is from a smaller publisher and not with the same audience or sales league as, once again, much larger publications) unless people are vocal about wanting it. Companies are willing to investigate ways of getting you to pay for titles if they know they’re viable – so they need to know it’s viable. Tell them you want digital releases of GANGSTA., be it in an email, a tweet, a hashtag, a letter, whatever works for you. (Our master licensing post is always available if you’re unsure who publishes GANGSTA. in your country.)
Does that mean they’ll start doing it? No, there’s no guarantee they’ll listen, but the best way to get what we want as consumers is to be vocal and consistent about the content we love and want to purchase. It was the “pre-built fanbase” that GANGSTA. had at the time of its licensing that helped Viz market it initially – we’re all still here and we still love the series, so why not let them know?
As for whether or not it’s moral to consume scanlations when an artist has explicitly asked you not to do so, well, at the end of the day that really is down to each of us as readers. All Kiel and I can say is that we respect and support Kohske’s wishes on this issue and hope those reading this will do the same. Please purchase legal copies of her work when possible and let Kohske know that her appeals to manga fans (especially this one) are not in vain. - FYG
PS: For those newer to this community, please note that we have a list of trustworthy stores that supply Viz’s English volume releases, and our Monthly Comic Bunch posts generally include shopping links.
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Kohske is back to sketching for Twitter after taking a few weeks off to address her continuing medical needs. (Slight spoiler alert in the third panel!)
– Please properly credit Kohske if you post or edit her content without her permission. (@go_kohske/kohske-works) –
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Kohskesketches Theo & Nicolas 21 years ago and then cuts directly to Nic’s reaction to chapter 53 21 years later.
– Please properly credit Kohske if you post or edit her content without her permission. (@go_kohske/kohske-works) –
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Kohskeshares an illustration of Nicolas and Betty for Black Cat Appreciation Day.
– Please properly credit Kohske if you post or edit her content without her permission. (@go_kohske/kohske-works) –
Kohske“fulfills“ a recurring request that the inner cover illustration for volume #3 be recreated with adult Nic.
– Please properly credit Kohske if you post or edit her content without her permission. (@go_kohske/kohske-works) –
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Kohskesketches a pair of full rim glasses on Theo, though still prefers his usual rimless Swissflex set.
– Please properly credit Kohske if you post or edit her content without her permission. (@go_kohske/kohske-works) –
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Some time ago I decided to make a special design for my and my friend’s shoulder bag. And yup! It’s two our favorite gangsters. It looks pretty good live, and I’m glad that she loves it!
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It is a Kohske being a genius post again,also a Worrick being sexy post again,sorry about that but you know me, you know that this stuff is my weak spot
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But I just had to say how much I Fucking love the fact how Kohske shows things by not showing them. She makes you feel them. I mean sex has a big part in Gangsta .Its an important piece of it. And I just love how there is basically no sex in it at all. I mean it is a story about Alex, a prostitute who has been taken by her pimp as a child, Worrick who also started to working as a gigolo when he was a kid and doing it ever since,and also Ginger and Gina has sexual relationship, and basically there is a naked body in every episode /chapter. Also a lot of sex worker is in the story. But Kohske uses nudity more to make her story feel more raw.
And again, sex is an important storytelling factor in this,it could have been basically a porn, but we never actually once see Worrick having sex. Yes we see him after or before it happens,sometimes there is a little hint of it,but that’s it. And it is more myterious that way,it leaves it to your imagination which is just more thrilling, than put a basic porno in your face.
Also in the flashback when we see him as a child,we see him kiss a (grown up!) woman holding money in his free hand. In that way Kohske uses it to make you cringe and uncomfortable, you feel the disgust in it,you feel how terrific and wrong it is. And she didn’t have to put it in your face as how he has sex with older women as a child. One picture enough to make you feel the weight of it all. And the sadness of it all. That he doing it, so he could eat.
And also ,I love how Kohske understand what sexy really means. Sometimes less is more. And sexy is not about seeing his naked parts,but she is just like yeah… show his bare feet.
She is showing you his feet, and you can fight me but it is sexier than if she would draw his “manly” parts. Because we always see him in elegant shoes, so that he is barefoot is unusual,it catches your eyes you feel some kind of vulnelaribity.Also the fact that he took his eyepatches down,also there is a vulneralibity, the fact that he is basically “naked” without them.
Putting his hair down
Little things that makes it feel very private, as how he “undress” himself.
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She builds it all up,show what sexy really means,makes you feel comfortable and uncomfortable in between two minutes.
This is an important part for me why I love this show so much.
GANGSTA is not an epic story. It’s an unusual story. There are no heroes. There is no good or bad. There are reasons. There is pain. There is fear. And after all, there is hope. It’s kind of like life itself.
A tired gigolo after work, who can’t feel his arms.
Worrick/Alex
Kohske is a genius, everything that she draws, has a meaning, there is no accidental. Every storyteller should have learn her “Show don’t tell ” kind of writing.
I could write an essay about her pictures.
Start with this piece where Worrick and Alex talk, and Alex ask him “Have you found your answer ?
And then the next scene is Alex face , all in close up, and we can see about the shading that the light is on her face,and behind her there is darkness. Which makes your eyes narrow at only her,and with that speaks the unspoken.
That she has someting to do with his "answer.”
…Sure you don’t wanna offer up a prayer or two?
Someting that I love about Worrick, is that he is goes against so much the usual main male charachter trend. In these things the main hot, dark haired, bad boy is always a guy who is brooding, always suffering and he doesn’t let anyone near to him. He is cold and never kind ,never smiles,but then xy boring, personality- less, small town girl comes in, and suddenly he falls in love and he only opens up for her, and he only let her see the good side of him,and what’s in his soul….But Worrick is ro realistic to me. He is kind of like the oppposite. When you first meet him he is super kind, he is always joking around ,always smiling, and you would think he is such a happy guy. But if he would really let someone to see inside him, (which he would never do, he keeps his facade up, and strong )they would have found a lot of darkness and pain and he would might actually would have come out as a bad guy. And this thing is kind of life- like to me. I mean when we meet a new person they usually kind, they smiles at us even when they don’t know us . And we play that we are happy and funny. But they don’t know what is inside us, what problems we have, and where we came from. And we don’t know about them. We play ourselfs a lot, we have a lot of secrets. Kohske shows the human personality with him very well.
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I mean yeah considering the latest manga chapters we are worried for worrick’s mental health but im scared for his mental health ever since I saw these pictures in chapter 14.
Oh dear,you have no idea how much darkness I have in me….
The Gangsta guys doing their Gangsta things
Part 2
It is such a beautiful thing ,that both Worrick and Nicolas had horrible parents, but in Ergastulum they found important father figures for themselfes, who watched them grow up and loved them, and never hurt them. There is Chad , even Mr. Christiano , and Monroe. Well I mean….at least they thaught they have him. In that way, that Monroe come out as the biggest bitch I can understand more the pain that the boys must feel. Imagine you have a horrible childhood like they had ,and then they built trust again somehow, and they trust Monroe they love him as they new father figure, Monroe makes them believe that father figures can be nice ,and they are worth for love, and over all they are worthy human beings not those robots that they parents told them they are.
And after all of that….. Thats it. The trust that they got back in human kindness…is gone again. And the person who they taught he cares for them, just betray them.
Well…atleast they had Chad all along.
I love when this is going on
Mr. Christiano was a cute goofy father figure to them, but also this isn’t a little bit a painful flashback/ Déja vu for Worrick?
Or it is just me?
Sorry guys,I had to.
# he alread, got a real father who was putting him in pain # thanks Mr.Christiano we already had enough of that # They are cute tho
