The manga industry has never been short on talent. Japan alone is home to countless creators, and every year, publishers' manga competitions offer an early glimpse at the medium's next generation of stars.
Spanish cartoonist Oh_miau submitted the one-shot manga A Summer Storm Is Coming! (Japanese title: A Summer Storm Is Coming!; original Spanish title: ¡Se acerca una tormenta de verano!) to the international submission platform MANGA Plus Creators by SHUEISHA, where it took the top Gold Award in the Monthly Awards. A Japanese edition has now officially launched on the manga app Shonen Jump+, making it the first Spanish-language submission from the platform to be published on Shonen Jump+.
Oh_miau is a 21-year-old Spanish cartoonist who began drawing manga at 16. The artist currently publishes manga and illustrations through social media and various submission platforms.
This is the third time a work submitted through MANGA Plus Creators by SHUEISHA has been selected for publication on Shonen Jump+, following Little Monster, which debuted on May 21, 2026. It is also the first selected work originally submitted in Spanish.
A Summer Storm Is Coming! follows two friends sharing a moment together during a sweltering summer vacation, framing an everyday slice of youth with quiet emotional weight. The manga was submitted in Spanish to MPC in June 2026 and received the Monthly Awards' highest honor, the Gold Award.
Along with a prize of 1 million yen, Oh_miau secured publication rights for the work. The Japanese edition is now available on Shonen Jump+, while English and Spanish editions will be released through MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA.
(Click here to read the Japanese edition on Shonen Jump+.)
Below are excerpts from Shueisha's official interview with the artist:
Q: What first inspired you to start drawing manga?
A: I first discovered anime and manga when I was 16 years old. Around that time, I also began taking drawing seriously, and I quickly felt this urge to create and draw stories of my own. Back then, all I could think about was making something new.
Q: How did you develop your storytelling and drawing skills?
A: I gradually improved my drawing skills by coming up with stories and putting them on the page. I believe that drawing manga is one of the most effective ways to learn how to draw. Whenever I think of a story, I feel driven to bring it to life. Then you realize there are countless things you do not know how to draw, but you have to draw them anyway. At that point, there is no turning back. All you can do is keep learning. For me, creating stories is a very intuitive process.
Whenever I find a story I enjoy, whether in a book, manga, or movie, I ask myself, "Why do I like this story?" I do the same thing with stories I dislike. I think that constantly reflecting on those reactions and building up those experiences gradually developed the instincts I now bring to my own storytelling.
Q: What is your favorite manga?
A: My favorite manga is Shogakukan's Goodnight Punpun. I have always loved stories about protagonists growing up, and I am especially drawn to themes of childhood. What fascinates me most about the series is the sharp contrast between Punpun's innocence as a child and the person he becomes as an adult.
The way Punpun grows into adulthood, along with the manga's depiction of everyday life, feels astonishingly real. It is almost as though he could be someone living right beside you. I also think the artwork is among the finest I have ever seen. The rich atmosphere and intricate details make Punpun feel as though he genuinely exists somewhere in the world.
You can probably see Goodnight Punpun's influence on my art style at a glance. It may also be why I became so interested in slice-of-life manga. The series broadened my understanding of manga as an art form and showed me just how many possibilities the medium holds.
Q: Why did you choose to create Japanese-style manga instead of Western comics or vertical webcomics?
A: I have tried all three formats. Vertical webcomics are certainly easier to draw, but I find them limiting in terms of artistic expression. They also do not give me the satisfaction of completing an entire manga page. To me, a finished page is a complete work of art in itself.
As for manga and Western comics, I see them as essentially the same thing. The only real difference is the reading direction, and I do not particularly favor one over the other.
Q: Did you draw on any personal experiences for this story?
A: No, the story is not based on anything I personally experienced. It actually began with the final line. I wanted the story to end on a nostalgic reflection about the past. The final page is the most important part of the one-shot, so that was where I invested the most effort, repeatedly refining every detail to make it as strong as possible.
Q: What did you hope readers would take away from the story?
A: It is about a feeling that blends nostalgia with sadness. Knowing that nothing can last forever makes us treasure the present moment even more. That is the emotion I wanted this story to capture.
Q: What kinds of stories would you like to create in the future?
A: I love creating character-driven stories, but one day I would also like to build a fantasy world that is entirely my own. I am also interested in combining absurd, irrational elements with dramatic storytelling.
Q: Finally, what advice would you give other creators?
A: Enjoy the creative process. The most important thing in life is to enjoy what you are doing. If creating no longer brings you any joy, there is no need to force yourself to continue. That does not mean every stage of the process has to be easy or pleasant. Sometimes it may feel tedious, and you may run into all kinds of challenges. Even so, those experiences can become part of what makes creating enjoyable.
Breaking into Japan's Shonen Jump+ after five years of self-taught work and submissions from Spain is no small achievement.
For Oh_miau, this is only the beginning. More international cartoonists are steadily finding their way onto Japanese manga platforms, offering another sign that manga is becoming an increasingly global medium without borders.