Generation Z Artists

Chapter 364 A Deadly Scheme, A Poisonous Plan in Disguise

In fact, right now is the height of popularity for the three major migrant worker comics.

However, when Fang Xinghe announced at a celebration banquet on Japanese TV that he would develop a manga adaptation of "The Primordial Era", the entire Japanese manga industry quietly cracked.

Eiichiro Oda and Tite Kubo, who were present, went from laughing to not laughing in an instant.

Meanwhile, the presidents of various publishing houses are frantically pushing forward, eager to seize this opportunity.

Originally, what they wanted most was the manga adaptation rights to "The Return of the Condor Heroes." This book was a sure way to make a fortune, and the existing audience was enough to create a "Fullmetal Alchemist"—the most popular manga after the three major ones.

But now that Fang Xinghe is willing to release "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era," "The Return of the Condor Heroes" suddenly loses its appeal.

Kodansha's president, Shonobu Noma, widened his eyes: "Really? Mr. Fang, you're actually willing to stay in Japan for such an opportunity?"

"of course it's true."

Fang Xinghe spread his hands: "China is not good at handling these kinds of literary-to-comic projects. Only by cooperating with Japanese manga artists can the deep charm of 'The Primordial Era' be truly released."

Wow! You have such a broad mind and great vision!

"Thank you for your praise of Japanese manga. We are truly honored!"

A chorus of flattery erupted around them, and the group of club presidents nearly grinned from ear to ear.

A single, high-sounding official phrase made them feel as if they were being praised by their American "daddy"—that's Fang Ge's status.

However, the reason given as "not being good at it" is not the core reason.

In 2006, China did lack cartoonists, but it did not lack illustrators.

Fang Xinghe's real reason for wanting to adapt the popular webtoon "Primordial Era" for Japan was twofold: commercial factors, namely the market, and cultural factors, namely, united front work.

If a comic is adapted from a Chinese comic and then distributed to other countries, it will face three major market challenges.

Firstly, there isn't enough time to cultivate a domestic animation system from scratch.

Secondly, they still need to rely on distribution channels in various countries to divide up the majority of the profits.

Thirdly, it is difficult to penetrate the heartland of manga works, Japan, and it wastes the potential for peripheral development.

Japanese readers have a deep-seated national pride when it comes to manga, and they almost never read foreign works. Even during the golden age of American and Hong Kong comics, the audience was still pitifully small.

Therefore, the advantage of adapting comics into works in China is the establishment of a system, and Fang Xinghe can promote the development of Chinese comics from scratch.

The downside is that it's difficult to unleash the full potential of "Primordial Era".

The popularity of fantasy novels in Japan does not mean that comics can also be popular in Japan, and in fact, comics would have to be wary of being shut down by the Japanese government.

The current Japanese government has disliked Fang Xinghe for quite some time.

There are many left-wing figures in the literary world who highly recognize Fang Xinghe's identity as a writer, thus protecting his literary works from political interference.

In contrast, the pride of the comic book industry is entirely based on nationalism. If the comic book industry and its readers collectively reject the Chinese version of "The Great Wilderness," it could very likely generate a destructive force from top to bottom.

However, if you were to give "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era" a Japanese twist, the situation would be completely different.

First, the partners will fully support "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era" due to their own interests, which will cause an internal split in the comic book industry and create new camps with different stances.

Secondly, Japanese manga audiences will view it as a local work, enthusiastically buying and discussing it.

Secondly, Japanese manga has an extremely mature global distribution channel and its sales capabilities far surpass those in mainland China. Japanese manga fans worldwide will become loyal fans of "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era," complementing the novel.

Finally, develop surrounding markets and expand into related industries.

In the cultural product development industry chain, text is the most basic and fundamental pillar, the most important, but the audience is the narrowest.

The thoughts, emotions, and cultural influence conveyed by written words are the most essential yet also the most challenging aspect.

The reason why the Harry Potter novels can sell 2000 million copies in the UK and the US every year is because the audience in the UK and the US with the habit of reading text is only so large. After being adapted into a movie, the audience expands more than tenfold.

The sales of the first volume of "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era" were not significantly higher than those of "Harry Potter".

According to the first-month sales figures released on May 2nd, the sales figures were as follows: 8 million copies in China, 3 million in South Korea, 6 million in Japan, 4 million in Southeast Asia, 5 million in Europe and America, and 1 million in the Middle East.

You see, actually, after removing the Chinese cultural sphere, overseas sales are only 600 million copies.

Moreover, strictly speaking, the 1300 million sales in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia did not come from the story itself, but rather from Fang Xinghe himself.

The sales figures for "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era" are highly inflated; it doesn't actually have that many readers.

In South Korea, Lee Yoon-hyung casually purchased 1 copies; in Japan, Miss Yuki gave each Shiseido employee a copy.

After removing duplicate purchases, those bought solely for collection, and those hoping to win a spot at a meet-and-greet... how many people actually read books?

Japan and South Korea may have to cut two-thirds, and China will also have to cut half.

The high sales volume is because Fang Ge is popular, but no matter how popular Fang Xinghe is, it cannot change the semi-literate people's habit of only looking at pictures and not reading words.

Especially in Europe and America, which have a consumer base of over a billion people, sales were only 500 million, which shows how poor their reading habits are.

These days, Yilin Laozu (a popular online literature platform) boasts every day about how Europeans and Americans have high cultural literacy, with everyone reading books and newspapers on the subway. But after entering the Internet age, the highest sales of best-selling books are only 20 to 30 million copies, and they are still mostly inspirational literature. Where is the high quality?

Fang Ge remained clear-headed: the text version of "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era" had limited reach, but if it were adapted into a comic book version, the audience could be expanded by at least three to four times.

The combination of text and comics builds the depth of the "Primordial Era" IP, laying a solid foundation for future film, television, and games.

The core of manga adaptations lies in Japan's artists, market, distribution channels, fame, and global influence.

Essentially, Fang Xinghe's goal was to launch a cultural counterattack that "wears the skin of Japan, undermines Japan's influence, and splits the Japanese comic book industry."

Therefore, it cannot be produced domestically.

Doing this will definitely get me scolded again. This year is really weird; it's a year of being scolded.

He was criticized when writing "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era", criticized when selling his shares in Xingwang, and criticized again for collaborating with Japan on a manga adaptation. After three rounds of criticism, the new fans he had built up for "The Return of the Condor Heroes" might all disappear, but he had to do it.

Rather than promoting a bunch of hopeless scoundrels in China, it would be far better to recruit another traitor to Japan within the Japanese manga industry.

For this reason, Kadokawa Shoten was excluded from the plan from the beginning.

Shueisha's president, Marue Horiuchi, looked on warily and probed Kadokawa Tsutohiko: "Kadokawa-kun, don't you plan to participate in manga adaptations? Why would you let such a good opportunity slip away?"

He wondered if there was some kind of conspiracy involved.

Congratulations, Brother Wan, you guessed right.

However, Kadokawa Tsutohiko had already had in-depth discussions with Fang Xinghe, and upon hearing this, he replied calmly, "Of course I don't want to, but unfortunately Kadokawa Shoten doesn't have a suitable unemployed manga artist. It would be difficult to satisfy Mr. Fang if I just randomly recommended someone, so I can only ask for help from everyone."

"Is that so?" Masahiro Aiga looked thoughtful. "It seems everyone has a chance..."

In Japan's manga industry, there exists a "private contract" system.

Top-tier magazines like Weekly Shonen Jump inevitably include exclusivity clauses in their contracts with their core authors.

During the contract period, the author cannot publish works with other commercial publishers and must remain deeply bound to their "master publisher".

Even if individual cartoonists are not subject to contractual restrictions, that's still not acceptable.

The Japanese publishing industry has a strong vertical relationship and a culture of "favor and obligation." If a publisher makes an author famous, then you cannot "betray" them, otherwise you will be despised and rejected by everyone, ruining your reputation.

Therefore, Fang Xinghe cannot approach the painter directly; he must collaborate with the publishing house.

Of the current seven major publishing houses, Kadokawa Group has already taken the shape of a galaxy, while the remaining ones are Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan, Akita Shoten, Hakusensha, and Houbunsha.

The largest is Shueisha, the most internationally-minded is Kodansha, and the most adventurous and innovative is Hakusensha. These three are the targets that Fang Xinghe wants to win over.

Kazuhiko Torishima, the new president of Hakusensha, was the first to be interested.

"Do you have any specific requirements? Hakusensha is very willing to cooperate fully." Fang replied casually, "At the very least, you need to understand the Chinese mythology system, right? Secondly, you need the ability to produce manuscripts quickly. Art style isn't that important; we can make up for that with a team approach."

Shinya Hatano, president of Akita Shoten, immediately frowned in displeasure: "Isn't that just a tool for an illustrator? How could a writer with aspirations agree to such a request?"

"I have not restricted personal creation."

Fang Xinghe responded calmly, "If you can complete the monthly workload by yourself, that would be best. You can also use the team's resources if you want. I only care about the results; the conditions are very lenient."

Kadokawa Tsuyoshi chimed in at the opportune moment: "Mr. Fang is also willing to sell the copyright of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' to the partner. It's like whoever wins this project will get two high-grade gold mines. Gentlemen, this is an opportunity not to be missed, so please hurry!"

This time, even the most conservative Masahiro Aiga couldn't help but be shocked and moved.

"The Return of the Condor Heroes" is a fantastic project with extremely low adaptation difficulty, extremely low cost, and extremely high returns.

You don't need to create the storyboards yourself; just copy them from TV series.

The plot is further developed based on Japanese culture, and the difficulty is not high.

Publicity requires minimal investment; simply writing a few articles is enough to garner maximum attention.

The sales ceiling won't reach the level of Naruto, Bleach, or One Piece, but the floor won't fall to the level of The Prince of Tennis either.

Most importantly, we don't need to hire famous artists; any newcomer with decent drawing skills in the studio can handle it. Isn't that like making money for free?

Add to that a novel with an undefined lower limit and an extremely high upper limit, "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era"...

This deal is worthwhile!

In an instant, the presidents of the six major publishing houses bent their backs, which were as straight as iron bars.

"Mr. Fang Xinghe, when would you be available? We very much hope that you can come and inspect our work in person!"

"Lord Fang, I dare not trouble you with your time. I will personally lead the writers to visit you!"

"Baka! How dare you waste Lord Fang's time like this? Lord Fang, give me five days, and I will bring at least ten sample manuscripts for your review!"

The club presidents, who suddenly became so arrogant, have lost all their integrity.

Seeing this, the group of esteemed brand ambassadors couldn't help but sneer: Ha, bootlickers!

Then when they came up to us, their faces lit up with joy: Dad, hurry up and film the new drama! We want to work with you again next time!
They've already made back all the money they risked their lives to invest back then.

There's only one drama series since the beginning of the new century with a viewership rating exceeding 30%.

Initially, they estimated a 20% small loss, a 25% break-even, and a 30% huge profit. In the end, the daily rate was close to 35%, with 7 advertisers splitting the four months of popularity and making a fortune.

A group of foreign businesses are making waves in Japan, rapidly increasing their market share, and now they have a strong incentive to bet on Fang Xinghe's next drama.

"Mr. Fang, what are you planning to do next?"

Unfortunately, Fang Xinghe did not intend to reveal it.

"I haven't decided yet. Adapting 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' and 'The Primordial Era' into comics will take up a lot of my energy, and I also need to personally negotiate the global distribution of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'..."

"Comics...you probably don't make much money from them, right? It's such a waste of your time."

Publishers glared at the endorsers.

Kadokawa was stuck in the middle, comforting those on either side, his smile never fading.

Today, Fang Xinghe's business empire is beginning to take shape.

With Sony at its core, Japan has deeply cultivated the internet, Nippon Television serves as its propaganda mouthpiece, Kadokawa Shoten dominates the publishing direction, and it is backed by a group of top businesses. With film and television publishing, monetization of personal fame, and a strong commercial moat, the snowball is growing bigger and bigger.

South Korea is similar, with Samsung at its core, but the commercial market isn't as large, so the corresponding investment is also less.

The truly crucial point is that Fang Xinghe put a lock on the Korean wave—you can develop yourselves, but when you're bragging, remember that you still have a powerful backer.

The expansion of the Korean Wave is unstoppable, but it no longer dominates the forefront of popular culture.

Although "Hua Liu" is not yet worthy of being separated into a concept and is entirely supported by Fang Xinghe, his position is solid as it may be, despite its fragility.

Even if they only had a tiger skin to cover their shame, the Chinese were not naked when they were abroad.

Where are you from?

“Chinese.”

"Fang Xinghe?"

"Yes, yes!"

That's enough; it's much better than the desolation of the previous life.

Fang Xinghe's influence continues to deepen with the implementation of various plans.

……

After spending a week in Japan, on the fifth day, all the major publishing houses presented their manuscripts.

Kohei Horikoshi and Kyohiro Ye from Shueisha, Ryu Fujisaki from Kadokawa Shoten, Yuzo Takada and Katsura Hoshino from Kodansha...

There are so many manga artists in Japan, and even more newcomers who haven't yet made it big and are eager for an opportunity.

Judging from the art style, Fang Xinghe admires Ye Gonghong's gorgeous style the most.

From a cultural understanding perspective, Fujisaki Ryu is the best choice, and he also adapted "Hoshin Engi," making them a perfect match.

In terms of narrative depth, Yuzo Takada is a master at constructing grand and serious mythological epics.

The authors from other publishing houses also possess their own strengths and are highly capable.

Fang Xinghe chuckled and complained to Kadokawa Ryohiko, "Mr. Kadokawa, since your company has such an author, why didn't you bring him out sooner?"

Kadokawa Tsuyoshi bowed deeply: "I'm sorry, Your Excellency, I was afraid of delaying your important matters, so I dared not act on my own initiative..."

Grass!
The other six families were so angry they were practically spitting bubbles, wishing they could drag Kadokawa out and kill him.

In their anger and panic, they also began to lose their judgment.

"Your Highness Fang Xinghe, the cooperation terms offered by our Baiquan Society are absolutely the best!"

With Torishima Kazuhiko's impatient "surrender," the entire scene instantly collapsed.

It's best not to describe the specific negotiation scenes, but in short, there was an insider frantically creating panic, a few poor guys relentlessly sabotaging things, and under immense pressure, everyone was an enemy with no allies, leading to repeated retreats of the bottom line.

The final outcome was quite unexpected—Kadokawa Tsutohiko won "The Chronicles of the Primordial Era" with an absolute overall advantage, Shueisha settled for second best and used Ye Gonghong to get "The Condor Heroes", Hakusensha finally managed to get the "Young You" manga adaptation, and the other four publishers angrily cut ties.

Originally, their relationship was simply internal competition within the publishing industry.

After the online troll leader stirred things up, a huge personal grudge has suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Even so, the three winners were still delighted.

Are you kidding me? The Japanese economy is in such a terrible state, why would they turn down free money?
Seeing that Fang Xinghe's creative peak period is still at least a decade away, let's just tear off the mask and secure our spot first.

And so, the manga adaptation became a done deal.

Fang Xinghe scouted out three of Japan's seven major publishing houses.

Now, no matter how far right the current government or the next government goes, Fang can do whatever he wants.

Against me?
If you piss me off, I'll call you out by name. Do you dare refuse me entry?
Even if there's another complete ban on China, I'll just have the Japanese traitors put all their works in Japanese style!

This ruthless and deadly plan, once executed, completely transformed the global anime and manga culture landscape...

(End of this chapter)