Via The Japan Times: an Indonesian medical doctor turned manga-ka has been picked up for syndication by Shogakukan.

Dr. Vivian Wijaya left a successful but unfulfilling medical practice to pursue her lifelong dream of being a manga-ka. She enrolled in manga school in Indonesia and design school in Japan, as well as apprenticed with Japanese artist Hata Kenjiro of Hayate, the Combat Butler (Hayate no Gotoku!) fame.

She took on the pen name DrVee and started drawing for Indonesian magazines that featured works by local comic artists.

Thanks to her hard work and dedication, her series Campus Dwellers Without Borders (Kokkyonaki Gakuen) has been serialized in Shogakukan’s “Club Sunday” manga website. Kokkyonaki Gakuen tells the story Hajime Tomono, a 15-year-old Japanese boy who gets culture shock while in boarding school alongside students from over fifty countries, and was based on DrVee’s experiences while attending boarding school overseas.

Congratulations DrVee and good job Indonesia! Hope that one of our local artists makes the big leap as well, and soon! 😀