Manga author Lynn Okamoto, known for titles including Elfen Lied and Parallel Paradise, revealed on X on May 7, 2025, that he created his work Parallel Paradise primarily for financial gain to pay off a mortgage.
However, poor decision making subsequently cost him several million yen through stock investments of the funds intended for the debt.
Okamoto stated that he usually created manga he personally found interesting, avoiding current trends with the aim of creating work that others might wish to copy. But with Parallel Paradise, he jumped on the trends at the time to pay off the mortgage for his house.
“I’ve always wanted to create manga that others would want to copy, rather than copying others myself, so I generally don’t think too much about current trends and always try to draw manga that I personally find interesting. However, with Parallel Paradise, I did jump on the trends at the time because I needed to pay off the mortgage for the house I’m currently living in.“
He said that the creation of the series resulted in him saving enough money to cover the mortgage debt.
Upon accumulating the funds, Okamoto decided against immediately paying off the mortgage, citing its low interest rate. He instead decided to invest the money in stocks.
This proved to be a poor decision as he subsequently lost several million yen. He reflected on the decision, indicating that knowing the outcome, he really should have just paid off the mortgage straight away.
He added that the mortgage still hasn’t been paid back.
“As a result of selling my soul, I did save up enough money to pay off the mortgage. But once I actually had the money, I thought that rather than paying off a mortgage with an interest rate that’s practically nothing, it might be more profitable to invest this money instead. So, I invested it in stocks and, sure enough, lost several million yen. Knowing this now, I really should have just paid off the mortgage straight away (I still haven’t paid it back).“
Parallel Paradise manga recently crossed 5 million copies in circulation.
On Oct 29, 2023, Okamoto also posted on X about his struggles as a creator, despite hits like Elfen Lied and Brynhildr In The Darkness. He revealed early criticism from his rookie days, where he was told he lacked the passion for drawing that other aspiring mangaka had.
Despite becoming financially self-sufficient thanks to Elfen Lied, Okamoto advised aspiring artists that passion for drawing is what truly matters, not the length of time spent doing it.
Source: X
