[Battle Report] Tii-ta Project, temporarily retreat. This weapon (AI) cannot be used yet.
▪A Strategic Retreat
I will state the conclusion first. The 4-panel manga "Cheetah" project is suspended for the next month.
The reason is simple. With the current tools available, it is impossible to create it "easily" at the quality level I demand. If I continue any further, the result will be, "I worked desperately hard and barely managed to finish it."
That completely contradicts the purpose of my practical experiment.
I must be able to say, "If you use the latest technology, it is easy." If I cannot say that, then my core theme—"AI turns 'ordinary people' into 'asset holders'"—becomes a lie.
I do not want to do manual labor as a worker. I am confronting AI as an Asset Holder who builds systems.
👇(Declaration to practice and broadcast the process of creating "Assets (Business)" using Generative AI)
Just as Caesar reported not only his glorious victories but also his struggles and failures to the Senate in his Commentaries on the Gallic War, I intend to record the unvarnished truth in this Gallic Wars of the Reiwa Era.
▪What Happened on the Frontline?
I will report the specific "Cause of Defeat" that occurred on the ground.
To maintain character consistency, Canva's Magic Media apparently has a solution called the "Reference Image" feature. It was my excellent secretary, Gemini, who investigated and proposed this function.
By using this, the AI should be able to forcibly inherit the characteristics (character design, art style, color scheme) of the first image. In other words, it should have been possible to call up the "Original Character Design" created last time and simply change the pose.
However, the conclusion is: I could not use it. The feature had not yet been rolled out to my specific environment.
Without this function, the "Character Design" process I struggled to create last time becomes wasted, and I am forced back to the "Manual Labor" of fine-tuning prompts from scratch.
👇前回、苦労してキャラクターを生み出した記録
▪What I Want to Prove in This Experiment
Why did I refuse to "work hard" at this juncture? Because unless the following conditions are met, it cannot become a "Success Model" usable by everyone.
1. Zero Labor Cost: The process must be completed solely by myself and the AI.
2. Zero Desperate Effort: No time spent on acquiring new skills or tedious manual corrections.
3. One-Click Results: Deliverables must be produced with a single button press or instruction.
Only when these are achieved can ordinary people without capital possess a reproducible success model.
Do not misunderstand me. I am not a manga artist. In fact, I have absolutely no artistic talent. However, I have "Written Words (Philosophy)" that I want to convey, and I am challenging myself to express them in the form of "Manga" to make them easier and more enjoyable to understand.
Professionals who live by design and art naturally spend time honing their skills. Shohei Ohtani is world-class precisely because he stoically dedicates himself to the path of baseball.
But this initiative is different. It is an experiment to see if "a person without sharp talent (Me)" can become an "Expressor" by borrowing the power of AI.
Can someone with no talent for drawing create "Intellectual Property (IP)" in the form of manga, as long as they have a philosophy to convey? I want to prove this.
And I want to verify and tell you whether the currently trending AI can truly help with that.
If I have to do detailed correction work on behalf of the AI, the story changes. That would just be a tale of hardship: "A person with no talent worked desperately hard and somehow managed to draw a picture."
▪The "Good Parts" Are Becoming Visible
While I hit a wall in tasks involving "Hands" (manual execution), I am achieving significant victories in the domain of the "Brain."
1. Function as a "Strategic Staff Officer" (Replacing Consultants) In other business projects currently underway, tasks such as business model construction, risk assessment, and strategic planning are being completed solely through dialogue with AI. These are tasks for which I would normally pay high fees to specialized consultants.
2. Function as "Legal Counsel" (Reducing Legal Costs) "Preliminary preparation of contracts to ensure no legal disadvantage." By having AI check this, I have established a system to perform legal checks—which usually cost hundreds of thousands of yen—for "Zero Yen" and at "Lightning Speed."
(※ I will report on these ongoing projects in detail at a later date.)
▪Current Conclusion
The summary of this battle (experiment) at this moment is as follows:
⭕ Success: Extension of the Business Owner's "Brain" (Stass Officer / Lawyer) This is usable right now. It is already realizing major cost reductions and speed improvements.
⏳ Pending: Substitution of the Business Owner's "Hands" (Manga Artist ☞In reality, I aim to be a Copyright Holder = Asset Owner) This depends on the evolution of technology. Currently, there is still too much room for human intervention required.
▪Summary
Our company's purpose is to "Show the ideal way for Humanity and AI to coexist."
It does not mean letting AI do everything blindly. Nor does it mean humans should desperately cover for what AI cannot do. We must discern "What humans should do" and "What AI can do (and what it cannot do yet)."
Through this experiment, I believe it was valuable to present the evidence that "Human hands are still necessary for image generation (meaning it is currently unsuitable for automated asset creation)."
Until the technology catches up, I will focus on expanding my "Brain" and make my next strategic move.
(Text by Julius)
[Profile]
About the Author Kenji Kamioka
CEO, Julius Inc. / FIRE Practitioner
Kenji Kamioka is a former IT executive who spent 30 years in the corporate world, with over 10 years working across Asia. His life changed when he read Rich Dad Poor Dad. Realizing the trap of the "rat race," he started building assets in real estate and stocks while still working. It took him 10 years, but he successfully achieved Financial Freedom and graduated from the salaryman life.
He established his own asset management company to optimize tax efficiency and now dedicates his time to teaching others how to escape the corporate cage. His advice is not theoretical but based on the gritty reality of achieving FIRE.
AFP (Certified by the Japan Association for Financial Planners), Licensed Real Estate Transaction Specialist
[My Doctrine of Success (The Laws of the Universe)]
Guiding principles for life and wealth, derived from 11 years in Asia and decades of investing.
- Life is meant to be enjoyed: Don't grind at 100%. Success comes when you operate with 30-40% reserve power.
- Give to receive: Always ensure the other party gains. True success is a "Four-Way Win."
- Bless others' success: Jealousy blocks wealth. Celebrating others brings fortune back to you.
- Adversity is Opportunity: When things go wrong, look closer. That is where the hidden clues for success lie.
- Nothing is wasted: There is no such thing as "working for free." All experiences connect to your future success.
Book
❶『令和のサラリーマンの為のFIREのススメ』(Amazon電子書籍）
❷『FIRE Recommendation for Office Employee』(Amazon Kindle）
