Background

Akemistu Ikeda is a complex guy. Ever since the day his father was pronounced dead and his sister was declared missing, he’s never been the same. He’s tried countless ways to uncover anything about his past, but it’s as if his family history has been erased. He’s searched for traces of his family—anyone who might know who he really is. Doctors, foster care workers, other parents, even prayers to the Divine Three—no one has helped him. He’s the last remaining member of his family.He’s accepted his cruel fate: he’s alone. But one thing is finally looking up for him—a promising future. His exceptional talent in art has earned him multiple scholarships to one of the best universities in Japan: Tomidara Heights University. At this point, he’s ready to move on. A new life filled with new opportunities and new friends sounds appealing. A bitter past has left Ake a bitter person, but the days of relying on others for everything are over. He’s in charge of his life now. Little does he know how much he will discover about his new home, along with the new mysteries it will reveal.

Chapter 1 “You Coming Down With Me?” is officially in the works and is scheduled to release in Q4 2026!

Chapter 1 will introduce protagonist Akemitsu Ikeda taking the train to Tomidara Heights. He has to meet with the counsellor of his new school Tomidara Heights University (THU) for his dorm assignment. On the train, he’ll meet someone, Menji, who is coincidentally in the same position as him, and the two will become fast friends.

Official Artworks (WIP)

Tomidara Heights University Courtyard

Art of Aoto, Menji, Akemitsu, Jirachi and Ken

Art of Laila, Jurika, Kamiko, Yori, and Rin

Akemitsu and Menji

Chapter 2 Cover Art

Chapter 3 Cover Art

Chapter 5 Cover Art

Strings & Spirits Jazz Club Poster (Emi Tsukishima)

Strings & Spirits Jazz Club Poster (Yukiko Shimizu)

Characters (Not All Introduced)

Menji Takeharu

Menji is a 21-year-old upcoming Music Performance major at THU. He loves playing the drums and hopes to be part of a larger band one day. He is infatuated with the supernatural, believing in almost every superstition—largely due to major events, both positive and negative, that have affected his broken family. Even though he is a pathological liar and slightly addicted to alcohol, he is very good at making friends.

Rin Aida

Rin is a 22-year-old upcoming psychology major at THU. Although she is very intelligent and excels in her studies, her true passion is cooking. She used to help out at a restaurant in her rural hometown and wanted to work there full-time, but instead decided to move to Tomidara Heights to study abroad. Whoever gets her as a dorm mate will be lucky to enjoy all her great food, even though she can be difficult to work with.

Laila Daidura

Laila is a 21-year old upcoming business major at THU. She is a very cheerful and supportive person with many talents and loves making new friends and including them in the blog she keeps. Even though she is a great person, people do not associate her family name with anything positive in recent times. Although she is excited to move to the grand city of Tomidara Heights, her passion is not in her schoolwork, but rather in her new friends and her waitress job at the jazz bar, Strings and Spirits.

Yori Jukundo

Yori is a 21-year old upcoming Sports Medicine major at THU. Being one of Japan’s most competitive and successful young swimmers, she has built herself a solid reputation, as well as a large ego. Sports and athletics are not her only passion, however. She is an amateur music composer, albeit with a lot to learn. She has a picture perfect family, but over time, she has grown bored of living at home and is eager to move to another place on her own. One can look at her life on the outside and think she may have it all, but it’s what’s on the inside that really matters.

Jurika Watabe

Jurika is a 23-year old upcoming Health Professions major at THU. While being able to attend one of Japan’s most prestigious universities, studies and school are not in her best interests. She would much rather focus on her Internet career, which is, unfortunately for her, is not supported by her parents. They would much rather her study abroad and be successful like her older sister, but Jurika wants to forge her own path. She is already a successful internet personality with over 100k followers on Japan’s biggest social media platform, but is still forced to attend THU. Although she’s excited to move to Tomidara Heights, she has become a bitter and cold person.

Kenyu “Ken” Shimoda

Ken is a 22-year old upcoming Computer Science major at THU. Growing up, he has always been super close to his mom (who is an ex-professional golfer), so much so, that he has become very reliant on her, developing bad social skills. He has always been a very shy kid, from preschool up until his high school graduation. Although he’s very reserved, he’s exceptionally good at everything he does; including school, programming, board games, video games, etc. However, he excels at one thing better than others: golf, just like his mother. Also, him and Jirachi have quite the history together, more negative than positive in recent times.

More characters will come later!

My Manga Journey

I was never really into anime or manga growing up. I occasionally watched a few episodes of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, but that was about it. All my friends encouraged me to watch One Piece, Frieren, Dandadan, and more, but I never caved.That changed one day when I played what is quite possibly the best video game of all time: Persona 5 Royal (which I only played because Joker was in Super Smash Bros.). After a life-changing playthrough, it opened my eyes to a whole new world of entertainment. While I’m not as big of a weeb as some of my other friends, I watched and read a ton of anime and manga afterward. I admitted defeat—and I’m 100% glad I did.I always drew cartoons and video game characters growing up, like Mario, Donkey Kong, and others. After a while, I gave up art because I no longer felt passionate about it. However, after spending over 100 hours with Persona 5, I felt inspired to pick up a pencil again and draw in an anime and manga style. And dear Lord, I fell in love with it all over again! Since then, I’ve drawn Persona characters while slowly improving my skills and developing my own style. Eventually, I decided to create my own characters, which gradually evolved into a full-fledged story—and I’m excited to share it with you all. I’ve spent the past two years studying manga structure, storytelling, character design, and art style, and now I’m excited to say I’m beginning work on the panels!My goal with Vessels of Lost Paradise is, of course, to get it published, but also to inspire others through my story and characters. I want to tell a compelling story centered on trust in the people you love and overcoming life’s challenges—not just on your own, but with the help of others. Maybe you’ll find a connection through Akemitsu or one of the many other characters with deep backstories and unique personalities. Maybe you’ll discover your passion or calling through this story, or simply enjoy the journey I have to tell. Either way, I hope you enjoy my work!I dedicate this work to my dad, who was the hardest worker I’ve ever known, and I give all the glory to God throughout this process!