The collaborative manga Nanbanjin tells the story of a 16th-century Portuguese sailor and the people living on a Japanese island, drawing from historical records of early European contact with Japan. The idea came from the book The Discovery of Japan by Europeans, which includes Portuguese writings about ships that took shelter on Tanegashima, Japan, during a storm. The author, Simon, was fascinated by the different viewpoints in the book — one from the European side and one from the Japanese — and decided to tell the story from both perspectives. Simon first imagined a story about a Portuguese sailor named Fernando, who, after a life filled with hardship, finds a chance at redemption on the island. He reached out to Japanese manga artist Taiyō Matsumoto, whose work he greatly admired. After meeting in Japan, the two agreed to work together. Matsumoto, along with his partner Saho Tōno, focused on the Japanese side of the story, portraying the islanders and their experiences with the foreigner. The storytelling was done collaboratively, with Simon writing the Portuguese perspective and Matsumoto and Saho writing the Japanese side. They stayed in close contact through emails and video calls to make sure their stories worked well together. The main challenge was to create two different narratives that, when read side by side, formed a unified and complete story. Visually, Simon used a mix of traditional paper techniques and digital tools, giving him more freedom and precision in his work. Matsumoto's style, known for its spontaneous yet detailed brushwork, had to be adjusted to fit the Western reading direction, which required some changes to the artwork. The team paid close attention to details like character design and setting, with Matsumoto handling the Japanese characters and Simon the Portuguese ones. The project also included research trips to Tanegashima, where the story is set, to gather inspiration and ensure historical accuracy. Their work was influenced by Japanese painting and films, but Simon aimed to keep his own unique visual style. The manga ends with a single image spanning two pages, where the two stories come together, symbolizing the meeting of the two cultures. The story concludes with the idea that both Fernando and the Japanese fisherman Shōbei save each other, emphasizing the theme of mutual support and personal growth.