Key information
The results of the Bahamut 2026 ACG Creation Contest were recently announced alongside an award ceremony tea party. To highlight the participants and winners, Bahamut GNN conducted a special interview with the gold prize winner of the manga category, Nori, who created the winning entry Love Coach Shohei.
Judges praised the work for its mature character performances, visual expression, and overall balanced execution. They noted that the author maintained a clear, mature perspective with a light and smooth narrative rhythm that invites readers to comfortably immerse themselves in the story.
Discussing the creative process, creator Nori explained that the inspiration largely stems from personal life experiences and diary entries, though the characters differ from the author and real-life acquaintances. The inclusion of reversed quotes from athlete Shohei Otani originated from a period when Nori experienced a low point and read his books for encouragement, leading to the entertaining idea of inverting the motivation to cause humorous mishaps instead.
Nori utilized a hybrid workflow for the manga, executing storyboards, line art, and black fill by hand to maintain better control over line work, while applying digital software for screentones during post-production. Although the initial script was overly long and chaotic, a thorough revision starting from the ninth page helped trim unnecessary plotlines. Nori spent roughly four to five months on the project, which ultimately secured recognition in the competition.
