>>205491
"There's this tracing table tool manga artists use. It's called a light box. It's a box with fluorescent tubes in it. You draw the original art on top of it. You put a photo or drawing underneath [the paper], and you can trace its lines—very convenient.
"Manga original art is a big B4 size, so a bigger tracing table makes for a better experience. My studio uses A2-size tracing tables. It takes two light tubes.
"The other day, the bulbs stopped working in my assistant's tracing table. Apparently, some part inside was broken. We fiddled around with it, but that didn't fix it. I thought things would work out if I took it to an electrician, but it couldn't be fixed. So I figured it was time to buy a new one.
"Then it struck me, "It's 2010 already. Don't they have LED A2-size light boxes now?" So I searched for one. Nothing. There were smaller ones, but not A2-size versions. Making my own would be a pain, so fine, I'd get a light tube version. For all their simple construction, those things are expensive. ¥50K on Amazon and at Uchida.
"Then I got an idea: Try measuring the A2 tracing table. It's 75 cm diagonally. TVs are about 30 cm. "Mebbe I should use one o' them LCD TVs as a tracin' stand!" I checked Amazon again, and a 32 cm model costs ¥50K. The same price. The results of mass production are amazing.
"I felt I could use a TV as a tracing table if I had it show an all-white screen. Then I could do work while watching TV. Whooo!
"Well, the idea's there, but right now, I'm not in the mood actually to do it."
So yeah, pretty much what Ralen said.