You would be correct to guess that the story of Aoi Tsubasa seems to be out of a shonen manga, but it is quite real. His journey from the moment of picking up his pencil to now the mature artist is indeed mesmerizing. Let’s delve into the awe-inspiring narrative of this amazingly talented artist.

The year is 2020 – the world has come to a standstill as a result of a certain rogue genetic strand… or has it? Beneath the veneer of stagnancy was a universe of potential expanding through the means of humanity’s drive to improve, to keep moving forward despite the odds: such was the case of Aftabul Alam, an aspiring illustrator who capitalized on the liberty of time offered then in exchange for the liberty to move around and meet people by revisiting an old venture of his.

Since we have winded the clock back three years already, what’s two more? Let’s return to 2018. Aftab certainly did, remembering his first foray at picking up a pencil and attempting to draw Goku following a YouTube tutorial by YairSassonArt – it was not his finest endeavor but to his credit, Aftab would try again during the coronavirus pandemic and succeed where he once failed.

Downloading a reference image of Jōtarō Kūjō, the beloved protagonist of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders by Hirohiko Araki, via a Google search to create his first complete artwork since 2019. Going on to share it in a group chat, Aftab would find the motivation to continue after receiving praise from his peers, birthing the alter ego of Aoi Tsubasa – his artist persona – who then took the community by storm.

A Gainful Ascent

As much as the appreciation he earned was encouraging to Aoi Tsubasa, equally discouraging was the bullying he had been subject to during the early days of his pursuit to learn the craft. Nonetheless, valor was victorious when Aoi mustered the courage to overcome the challenge and upon witnessing the fruit of his labor, Aoi Tsubasa’s older brother pushed him to post his Jōtarō illustration in Alter Bangladesh Anime Community.

Afterwards, an admin of Pinnacle – Bangladesh Anime Society would ask him to participate in one of their contests. Although he did not win it, he was pleased to have been invited anyway and later victories would go on to reward his efforts in the coming months, achieving three People’s Choice certificates for his entries in competitions hosted by AE Bangladesh, Boxmic – hitherto known as Cartoon Box BD – and Qrio The Curious Shop in respective order alongside an honorable mention in THE ANIMEVERSE’s Artcon throughout 2022, ending the year with a feature in AnimeCon Dhaka’s Yuki Matsuri for which he created the banner of their mainstay attraction – the ever so popular goldfish scooping game!

The High Hopes of Aoi Tsubasa

“I want to be the number one anime artist in Bangladesh,” says Aoi. Currently, he is part of a collaboration hosted by Abrar Islam and Falguni Shikder, having previously worked on similar projects with the former in the past as well as Animesthetic Artist Zone which he considers to be his breakthrough piece in terms of fanfare.

His proudest work, however, is a portrait of his idol Shakib Al Hasan – he dreams of a career in art as legendary as that of the phenomenal all-rounder and we of Deshi Geek certainly believe Aoi has what it takes to conquer the covetous summit he so dearly yearns. Below are a few glimpses of the greatness awaiting us…

Soaring in the Shadows…

Let us not forget in the midst of recounting and celebrating Aoi Tsubasa’s stellar accomplishments that behind the moniker sits a boy of fewer than sixteen years who is yet to graduate high school, secondary school certificate (SSC) examinations still a couple of years away. “I don’t think I have developed a particular style of my own thus far,” he tells me when questioned about the matter, “even though people who have seen my work seem to know which ones are mine, so maybe there is something distinctive about them?” Indeed, there is: Aoi’s illustrations tend to be meticulously inked with intricate details highlighting the features of the characters via gritty speed lines and shading.

“Mostly,” he elaborates, “I tend to gravitate towards the artistry of Kentaro Miura and Sui Ishida,” naming the mangakas of Berserk and Tokyo Ghoul as some of his influences prior to adding another many of you may be able to recognize if you have been keeping up with my entries here to his list – “Oh, and Tatsuki Fujimoto has also been a major inspiration lately!” Avid readers of our site might recall him as the genius behind Fire Punch, Look Back and Chainsaw Man.

Aoi Tsubasa Gliding Beyond Horizons

“At this moment,” states Aoi, “I do have youth on my side, so I am not limiting myself in terms of what I am willing to attempt. From digital to traditional medium, pen and pencil sketches as well as colored drawings, portraits and landscapes – I do it all and I am not expecting to stop any time soon. I have even begun to venture further than fan arts, initiating the early stages of a comic series authored by myself which dramatizes the story of our national cricket team.”

Asking for a glimpse of the project, the request led me to contribute, helping Aoi determine from a catalogue of samples how the hairstyles of the players would look once they were stylized as characters in a manga. “There was a contest hosted by Comics Ghor,” he mentions upon inquiry of his recent endeavors.

“At their Spooktober event last year. The prizegiving ceremony was held before the start of Ramadan. I took part in the competition, but unfortunately, I could not make it among the winning participants who were all given the opportunity to be featured in their latest publication titled আতঙ্ক ১. However, I am not letting the setback keep me down and I will keep working harder than I have so আতঙ্ক ২ has my name on it whenever the title is out. I wish the platform great future success.”

And we wish Aoi Tsubasa the same because the interview certainly made a fact clear throughout its course – the kid has an undying spirit and deserves every favor of Lady Fortune coming his way! Catch his first-ever art-related YouTube video now and stick with us for more updates.