Positive Thinking - By Kaoruko

Comic Girls is one of the cutest anime being released this Spring. While we're only two episodes in, there's been a lot of positive representation and diversity amongst the characters that makes it both cute and relaxing to watch. The show revolves around four girls who draw manga professionally and live together in a dorm. The main character, Kaoruko Moeta, goes by the pen name Kaos and is literally the cutest character you will ever see.

As a four-panel manga artist, Kaoruko's readers are highly critical of her story and art design, which pushes her editor to move her into the Bunhousha Dormitory to improve her art work. Kaoruko is cute, but she's also extremely negative about herself and her work because of the comments made to her. And yet, she remains positive! Here's five things we've already learned from Kaoruko about positive thinking.

Tell yourself it's okay, no matter what.

It can be hard when you have intrusive, negative thoughts. We tend to focus on what we do wrong rather than what we do right. In Kaoruko's case, she tends to focus on the negative comments she received on her work and now sees every flaw with her art and story.

But Kaoruko still has people who believe in her. If her editor didn't think she could be good at this job, why else would she encourage her to improve? Once Kaoruko lives with the other girls, she also has a support group of other manga artists who think she has talent. Kaoruko may say negative things about herself from time to time, but she still tells herself that one day she can be as good as everyone else; and that's because she can. If you ever find yourself focusing on the small, negative details, remind yourself what tomorrow might bring you and strive to do your best!

Always learn from your mistakes.

In the first episode, Kaoruko makes a couple different mistakes in her art while assisting Tsubasa. She's extremely embarrassed and begins to spiral into depression and anxiety because of it. The other girls show her that it's okay and to learn from it. She learns that not only can she see how she made a mistake, but that she can also ask for help when she needs it.

Kaoruko makes a lot of mistakes during her assistant debut, but part of her character design is that she's always making mistakes. This isn't a bad thing because the only way we learn is by falling and getting back up. Kaoruko seems to know she's going to keep making mistakes, but that's part of what's going to make her grow as a manga artist and thrive later on in the story. When you feel bad at a mistake, look at it objectively and figure out how you can improve for next time. Don't forget to ask for help either, because there's never shame in getting a second opinion.

Always be yourself.

If there's one think Kaoruko is good at, it's being herself. Even when she doesn't seem to want to be her, she is by default. In this recent episode, we see this more obviously because she's starting at her new school and wants to make a good first impression. Of course, it doesn't really work out like that for her, but she survives nonetheless.

It's always important to be you, because there's literally no one else you can be. Kaoruko is surrounded by three other girls she admires, but is nothing alike. Not once does she think she should switch over to writing shonen or shojo manga; she acknowledges it's not her area and knows exactly what she wants to be doing. If you try being someone else, you won't find the happiness you wanted in the first place. Take a note out of Kaoruko's book!

Never be jealous.

Ruki and Tsubasa already have careers in their respective genres; we even see some of Tsubasa's comics on display in a book store at one point. While Koyume may be struggling like Kaoruko, we also see how charismatic she is with her peers in a high school setting. For Kaoruko, this could be a lot to take in because she's nothing like them. They're all popular and doing things she wants to be doing.

And yet, Kaoruko never gets jealous. She always supports her friends and congratulates them on their good work. That's not always the easiest thing to do, but it's always the right thing to do. She even takes it a step further by looking at how her friends are succeeding and thinking about how she could apply those same principles to improve her own work. Always believe in your friends and be kind to one another; you may even learn something along the way.

Don't give up!

No matter what, you should never give up on something; especially if it's your dream! The future can sometimes be scary because it's unknown and it can sometimes feel extremely far away. We often wonder about how we can make that future one we want to be a part of by being successful and happy.

Kaoruko is so human in this respect because she wants, more than anything, to create manga that people will enjoy reading. It has to be extremely hard for her to think about how she's doing now verses what she wants her future to look like, but we never see her give up hope that she can get better and create what her tomorrow will look like. Never lose hope and always move ahead!