Title: Drawing Dreams: Meet Kanna, Singapore’s Rising Mangaka
If you’ve walked through the alleys of Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) or scrolled through the Kult Manga anthology, you might have stumbled upon the delicate, emotive art of Kanna—one of the few full-time mangakas based in the Lion City.
While many assume manga artists are exclusive to Japan, Kanna proves otherwise. Her breakout series, "Red Dot Reverie," follows a student who discovers a hidden spirit world beneath the Esplanade’s durian-shaped roof. "Singapore isn't just a backdrop," Kanna shares. "The heat, the humidity, the void decks—they shape how characters interact."
Upcoming: Kanna will be hosting a digital inking workshop at Brainwave Studios (Bugis) on Dec 15th. Limited slots for 20 aspiring artists. mangaka kanna singapore
Follow her journey: Patreon: kanna_manga_sg IG: @kanna.draws.sg
Kanna’s most popular series, Tembusu Protocol, is set in a futuristic 2099 Singapore. In her panels:
This localization has made her a darling of the Singapore National Arts Council, which partially funded her 2023 exhibition, "Kanna’s Lion City Chronicles." Kanna’s most popular series, Tembusu Protocol , is
For international fans searching "Mangaka Kanna Singapore," the appeal is threefold:
This paper examines the emergence of Singapore-based digital manga artists, using the pseudonymous creator “Kanna” as a representative case study. While Singapore lacks a traditional mangaka industry comparable to Japan’s, a new generation of self-published artists leverages global platforms (Pixiv, Tapas, Medibang) and local government support (National Arts Council, SG Manga Festival). Through analysis of Kanna’s reported artistic style, audience engagement, and hybrid cultural identity, this paper argues that Singaporean mangaka exemplify a post-national, digital-first model of manga production—balancing Japanese stylistic influence with Southeast Asian themes and multilingual narratives.
Keywords: Manga, mangaka, Singapore, digital comics, cultural hybridity, indie publishing This localization has made her a darling of
One of the biggest challenges? Dialogue.
In traditional manga, you write in Japanese vertical text. But Singapore’s soul is in Singlish and code-switching. In "Merlion Rain", characters switch between Mandarin, English, broken Hokkien, and Japanese.
"The publisher was confused," Kanna admits. "But I added footnotes. Now my Japanese fans are learning 'lah' and 'can or not'."
A two-page spread from her upcoming volume shows a kaya toast breakfast scene where an obaa-san (grandma) yells, "Eat first lah, don’t be so kancheong spider!" The Japanese translation guide at the bottom became a viral Twitter thread.
The Ngee Ann City branch now hosts a dedicated "Mangaka Kanna" shelf. In August 2024, she partnered with the store for "Manga Nite," where she sketched based on Singaporean street food (drawing a battle shonen protagonist powered by Hainanese chicken rice).