I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema

Chapter 116 This is Doraemon! Weekly Shonen Jump's Request!
In August, the scorching summer sun turned Tokyo into a huge teppanyaki grill, and even the air seemed to be sizzling with anxiety.

However, in this drowsy summer, the seventeenth floor of the Tokyo TV production headquarters building is like a new kingdom independent of the season, full of excitement and vitality.

Ever since Iwata's classroom was moved to the worst-lit corner on the seventh floor, this entire half-floor open space has been filled with the flag of Nohara Hiroshi.

The beechwood doorplate with the words "Nohara Hiroshi·Independent Production Department" written by Director Sakata himself gleamed brightly under the bright lights of the corridor, like a medal of honor announcing the ascension of a new king, making everyone who passed by unconsciously slow down their pace and cast awe-inspiring glances.

The fact that it was inscribed by Director Sakata himself speaks volumes!

Within the department, the cramped feeling of the makeshift team has long since disappeared.

Nearly thirty elites from three core classrooms, like precision gears injected with new fuel, ran at an astonishingly high efficiency.

The ringing of telephones, the tapping of keyboards, and the occasional heated discussions over some brilliant ideas merged into a symphony full of vitality, playing an exciting melody belonging to the victors on this once lifeless territory.

Nohara Hiroshi's ministerial office, located at the deepest part, is so exaggerated that it looks like a small private club.

The huge space of nearly 80 square meters is separated by an elegant screen. On one side is the work area with a huge mahogany desk and a whole wall of bookcases, and on the other side is the reception area equipped with top-notch projection equipment and leather sofas.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see the magnificent view of the entire Tokyo.

It felt as if the whole world was lying at his feet.

Nohara Hiroshi was also moved.

No wonder leaders like to have offices in high positions!

"minister."

A clear and pleasant voice sounded, and the office door was gently pushed open.

Beichuan Yao, the girl who now serves as both secretary and office manager, has long lost her youthfulness.

She was wearing a well-tailored professional suit, with her long hair neatly tied behind her head. Her pretty face, which always had a bit of vitality, now had the competence and composure of a workplace elite.

She gently placed a cup of freshly ground Blue Mountain coffee on Nohara Hiroshi's desk, her movements elegant and precise, and reported:

"There's a guy outside claiming to be Mr. Masato Tadokoro, the editor of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump. He says he's an old friend of yours and wants to meet you."

"Mr. Tadokoro?" Nohara Hiroshi looked up from the planning document for the second season of "Super Mutant Mutant Mutant Mutant" and smiled gently. "Please invite him in."

Soon, a slightly embarrassed figure appeared at the office door.

The person who came was none other than Masato Tanado.

He still had that signature look, with messy hair, a pair of thick black-framed glasses, and a white shirt that seemed never to be washed clean and had a slight smell of ink.

However, when his eyes fell on this overly spacious office and he saw the young man standing up from behind the huge desk with a smile, an undisguised shock emerged in his eyes uncontrollably.

He felt as if he was not meeting a cartoonist, but an audience with a young king who had just ascended the throne.

This is such a big change.

When he first met Hiroshi Nohara, he was just an intern who had just joined Tokyo TV.

We haven't seen each other for just half a year now.

He has already become a powerful minister at Tokyo TV!

This is so surprising and awe-inspiring!

"Nohara... Minister..."

He subconsciously bowed and the address became a little dry due to nervousness.

"Mr. Tansho, do we really need to be so polite to each other?" Nohara Hiroshi walked up to him with a smile, patted his shoulder affectionately, and led him to sit on the sofa in the reception area. His posture was so casual as if they were not in the power center of the TV station, but in a cafe on a street corner.

This kindness, which did not change with the change of status, made Masato Tadokoro's already anxious heart fall back into his stomach.

He looked at the young man in front of him, and an unprecedented feeling of emotion surged in his heart.

A few months ago, he was just a new cartoonist who was talented but still had to rely on his editor-in-chief.

But now, he has become the ratings god known to everyone in the entire Japanese television industry.

This rocket-like speed is even more magical than the protagonist of any hot-blooded comic he is responsible for!
"Teacher Nohara, I..."

After a brief greeting, Masato Tadokoro finally plucked up the courage to explain his purpose.

He pulled out a report on the latest sales of "Yu Yu Hakusho" from his bulging briefcase. A hint of bitterness emerged from the bone marrow on his face, which always looked a little tired.

"The Dark Martial Arts Tournament arc of Yu Yu Hakusho will officially conclude next month. The sales of the single volume have officially surpassed the ten million mark. This... this should be a fantastic thing."

He paused, a flicker of awkwardness flashing across his eyes hidden behind thick lenses. "But... to be honest, we've had some issues in the editorial department lately."

"Hmm?" Nohara Hiroshi raised his eyebrows.

"As you know, several of our JUMP mainstays, such as Yoshiyama-sensei and Inoue-sensei, have recently taken leave due to health reasons. And the newcomers' works are currently unable to catch up. This has resulted in... a huge gap in our series lineup for the second half of the year."

As Masato Tadokoro spoke, his face almost flushed to his ears. He almost didn't dare to look Nohara Hiroshi in the eye, and his voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz:
"So... the editorial office wanted to... shamelessly ask you. Do you... do you have any... new ideas? Of course! I know you're very busy! Very busy! I never imagined you'd become a director at Tokyo TV. I'm truly sorry... to have caused you any trouble... I... I'm simply... completely shameless in asking this!"

The more he spoke, the more incoherent his words became. The humility and helplessness of an adult seemed so real and so pitiful in the face of the absolute gap in strength.

However, just as he was about to apologize for his "shamelessness", a calm yet powerful voice interrupted him.

"Yes." Nohara Hiroshi said.

"Huh?!" Masato Tadokoro suddenly raised his head, and a look of disbelief and horror instantly appeared in his eyes, which had long been filled with embarrassment.

Nohara Hiroshi just looked at him calmly, with a faint smile on his lips.

"Mr. Tadokoro, what kind of story do you want?"

“…” Masato Tadokoro felt as if his brain was struck by a bolt of thunder, and it went completely blank.

He...he just...agreed to it?

Didn't even discuss the terms? Didn't even think about it?

Just like that... so casually, you agreed?!
"Well... what the editorial department means is... they hope... they hope it can be a work aimed at children, with some... some science fiction elements." He stammered and expressed the request that he thought was absolutely impossible to achieve.

"Children, friends and science fiction?"

Nohara Hiroshi touched his chin, and a knowing smile flashed in his clear eyes.

This request seemed to be tailor-made for him.

"Mr. Tadokoro, have you ever heard of... robots?"

"Robot?" Masato Tadokoro was stunned for a moment, then answered instinctively, "Those toys...that kids play with that move with batteries?"

"That's right." Nohara Hiroshi turned around, his clear eyes burning with a fire that could ignite the entire world: "But what if this toy is no longer a simple toy?"

"What if it has a cute appearance, a brilliant IQ, and even a pocket from another dimension filled with all sorts of amazing gadgets?"

"What if it could take the little friends on all kinds of wonderful adventures during their childhood, have all kinds of wonderful experiences, and have a wonderful life full of childlike fun?"

He paused, and then painted a grand picture for Masato Tadokoro, who was already stunned by his words, which was enough to make any young man's blood boil.

"A child who is average in academics and a bit clueless suddenly gets a childcare robot from the future."

"They are not cold machines, but are well-educated and have their own unique thinking abilities. They can even help inspire children's interests and hobbies, and help them grow better."

"That robot also has a dimensional pocket, which contains countless props from the future world, a bamboo dragonfly that can fly into the sky, a dimensional door that can pass through anywhere, bread that can remember all knowledge, and so on and so forth..."

Tanaka just stared blankly at the young man in front of him.

His face became more and more shocked.

He didn't expect that the young man would confidently tell him a complete story just by his casual remarks.

His heart, which had long been numbed by reality, began to beat violently again uncontrollably!

"Then...then what is the name of this work?" There was an uncontrollable tremor in his voice.

Nohara Hiroshi turned around and looked at the sky outside the window that was dyed golden by the setting sun. The corner of his mouth curled up into a confident and brilliant smile that was enough to attract the attention of the entire era.

"Just call it..."

""Doraemon"." (ドラえもん)
A huge wave of emotion was stirred up in Masato Tanosho's heart.

"Doraemon...?"

Masato Tadokoro subconsciously repeated this name that was full of childishness and wonder, and felt his tongue was a little tied.

However, Nohara Hiroshi did not give him much time to think.

"Mr. Tadokoro, please wait a moment."

He stood up, walked to his huge mahogany desk, and casually pulled out a stack of brand-new A4 drawing paper and an ordinary 2B pencil from the side.

Then, under the astonished and puzzled gaze of Masato Tadokoro, he sat down.

No ideas, no drafts, not even the slightest hesitation.

The moment the pen tip fell, it seemed as if the whole world had quieted down.

Only the pencil was left moving across the paper, with the rustling sound like spring silkworms tirelessly gnawing on mulberry leaves, or like the spinning wheel of fate weaving a brand new legend that was about to be born.

Masato Tadokoro stared blankly.

He looked at the outline of the bespectacled, cowardly yet kind-hearted boy "Nobita Nobi", which was smoothly sketched out by the pen.

He looked at the chubby, blue, earless cat-shaped robot "Doraemon", with its iconic warm smile full of healing power, jumping out from the empty paper alive.

He even saw how the imaginative bamboo dragonfly he pulled out of his four-dimensional pocket carried the two teenagers toward the azure sky that symbolized freedom and dreams...

Time seemed to have lost its meaning at this moment.

Masato Tadokoro felt as if he was not watching a painting, but witnessing the entire process of the birth of a miracle that was enough to drive the entire Neon world crazy.

This is such a brilliant idea! This is so sci-fi!
When Nohara Hiroshi put down the pen in his hand and gently pushed the dozen or so drawings that still exuded the fragrance of graphite in front of him, Tadokoro Masato felt that his breathing had completely stopped.

It was a sketch that hadn't been fully colored, with simple, even rough, lines.

But the precise storyboards, the childlike art style, the words that reveal an unparalleled warmth and power that stems from friendship, dreams, and the purest yearning for the future...

It was like a bolt from the blue, striking deep into his soul!
"God...a masterpiece..."

He stretched out his hand tremblingly, his eyes hidden behind thick lenses already filled with ecstasy. "This...this will definitely become, no! I've never seen such a lovely style of painting! Such an interesting subject! It's a short drama! It's the short drama that Mr. Nohara Hiroshi is best at! That's it! That's it!"

He knew too well the value of this drawing!
Youth, friendship, science fiction... this is simply the trump card tailor-made for their "JUMP"!

This is indeed the trump card.

Hiroshi Nohara did not draw Doraemon using the original drawing method, but used the mature drawing method of later generations to draw this classic children's comic.

And the content is the same as when I first drew it.

Of course it creates an ace effect!

"Teacher Nohara, I... I will take it back to the editorial office immediately! No! I will call Editor-in-Chief Torishima now! This... this is perfect for us! Especially the children from first to fifth grade of elementary school, they will definitely go crazy for it!" Masato Tadokoro was very excited.

"Not just children." Nohara Hiroshi shook his head. His clear eyes shone with a wisdom that saw through everything. "Mr. Tadokoro, have you forgotten that we were also children once?"

"In the heart of each of us lives a self like Nobita, cowardly, lazy, yet incredibly kind. We have also fantasized about having an omnipotent friend like Doraemon, who would accompany us to face the world's difficulties and malice."

"This comic is a fairy tale for children, but also... for us adults, whose edges have long been smoothed by reality, it's a most tender love letter from childhood."

These words completely stunned Masato Tadokoro.

He looked at the young man, and there was a lot of emotion in his eyes, but in the end there was still a hint of brilliance.

"I... I understand..." He let out a long breath, and that breath seemed to take away all the confusion and bewilderment of his half life.

"I'll leave the coloring to you," Nohara Hiroshi's voice sounded again, with an unquestionable calmness. "Doraemon is blue, Nobita's clothes are yellow, Shizuka is pink... Now that these main colors are decided, let your editorial assistants complete the rest. After all, I don't have time for simple coloring work like this."

This is full of the absolute confidence that belongs to a top author.

Masato Tadokoro nodded repeatedly as he listened, his posture as respectful as a believer who was listening to an oracle.

"Hey! Hey! I understand! I understand everything! Don't worry! Our editorial department will definitely use the top team to present the most perfect colors for this great work!"

He carefully put the drawing into his briefcase as if he was holding a rare treasure, and then bowed deeply to Hiroshi Nohara.

"Well then, I'll take my leave now! Minister Nohara!"

……

When Masato Tadokoro's back, full of excitement and enthusiasm, disappeared at the office door, Hiroshi Nohara finally let out a long sigh.

He leaned back on the soft leather sofa, feeling every part of his body groaning under the heavy burden.

Advancing on three fronts simultaneously is indeed... a bit tiring.

'Beep! Beep!'

At this moment, the brand new Panasonic P100 once again made a buzzing sound at an inopportune time.

He picked up the phone and saw the familiar name on the screen. The fatigue on his face that belonged to work was instantly replaced by tenderness.

It’s Meiya.

"Hello? What's the matter?" His voice softened unconsciously.

"Hiroshi-kun~" From the other end of the line came Koyama Misae's energetic voice, as warm as the sun, with a hint of coquettishness in her nasal voice: "When are you getting off work? I...I suddenly want to eat the yakitori from Toriko in Ginza~ Especially the grilled chicken skin, it's so crispy and fragrant, I even dream about it!"

"Okay, as you say." Nohara Hiroshi chuckled, his voice full of doting: "Get ready, I'll pick you up at home in half an hour."

After hanging up the phone, he stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the steel city below him, which seemed to be coated with a layer of gold in the afterglow of the setting sun.

He suddenly felt that Mei Ya's call came at the right time.

She seems to have been staying at home alone lately.

Although she doesn't say it, how could a young girl's curiosity and yearning for the outside world be confined by a small apartment?

It's time to take her out and relax.

It’s also a chance for me to relax!
……

Ginza, Toriko.

It is still the same intimate Japanese-style private room, the same top-grade Binchotan charcoal, and the same top-grade yakitori that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with overflowing juicy meat.

Meiya ate with great satisfaction, and her pretty face, which always looked a little cute, was filled with a kind of happiness wrapped in food and love.

However, after a few glasses of sake, the slight drunkenness evoked the subtle, small sense of loss in her heart.

"Alas..." She held her cheek, looked at the bright neon lights outside the window, and sighed softly: "Guangzhi-kun, tell me, am I useless?"

"Hmm?" Nohara Hiroshi was leisurely sipping the sake in his glass. Hearing this, he raised his eyebrows.

"Look at you, you do so many great things every day, filming TV series, drawing comics, and now you're even doing variety shows... and I just stay at home, cooking, cleaning, like... like a useless idler." Her voice got smaller and smaller, and a layer of gray mist covered her beautiful big eyes.

Nohara Hiroshi put down his wine glass, reached out, and wrapped her soft, boneless little hand in his palm.

"Silly, what are you talking about?" His voice was gentle, yet it carried an undeniable strength. "I told you, wait a little longer. Right now, all the funds have been invested in my eldest brother's agricultural company. Once that company is back on track, I'll support you in whatever you want to do."

"I know..." Mei Ya pouted, her voice full of grievance: "But I just feel... so idle."

"Then wait a little longer and let me find a good way, okay?" Hiroshi Nohara chuckled.

"Yeah~" Of course Meiya would agree.

Looking at her pitiful appearance, Nohara Hiroshi had an idea and remembered what Tanaka Masato had said today about the scarcity of new comics.

He had an idea.

"If I bring all the comics from my previous life to this world, copy the original sketches myself, and then find some new cartoonists to fill in the colors and expand the content according to my requirements..."

"That way, maybe I can own a lot of comic book copyrights!"

"If TV Tokyo wants to remake these comics, I can let Misae approach TV Tokyo in the name of the studio, and even sell them for more money, and then I will produce and shoot them."

The more Nohara Hiroshi thought about it, the more he felt that there was a way.

After all, the comics of Neon in the previous life...

That's a treasure!
It's a gold mine!
There are comics of all levels, not just children's comics, but also hot-blooded youth comics, even crime comics, and so on.

Everything is available.

If only these treasures could unfold in the neon of this parallel world.

"Then send it!" Nohara Hiroshi's smile became even brighter.

He had indeed found a way to keep Mei-sae busy.

So the two of them had a simple meal.

Just as Misae suggested that she wanted to lose weight and not eat too much, the two began to act like an ordinary Tokyo couple, holding hands and strolling in the luxurious and hazy night of Ginza.

Even though it was already past nine o'clock, the security in Tokyo was still very good, and the city was bustling with people.

The two of them walked slowly, leaning on each other.

We talked about our embarrassing moments and happy things from our youth, forgetting a lot of the nastiness in the workplace.

I feel more and more comfortable.

At this moment, they crossed the brightly lit main road and turned into quiet alleys full of life.

Finally, in the depths of an inconspicuous, even somewhat shabby alley, Nohara Hiroshi stopped.

"Hmm?" Nohara Hiroshi frowned slightly.

In front of him was a small restaurant with only a solitary lantern hanging at the door.

The dim light makes the three hiragana characters “めしや” look full of story.

"What's wrong?" Misae looked at this ordinary and somewhat shabby little restaurant curiously, not understanding why Hiroshi Nohara would stay here.

"It looks a bit familiar and quite strange." Nohara Hiroshi looked at the familiar scene, and a trace of nostalgia flashed in his clear eyes.

"Look familiar?" Mei Ya was puzzled.

"Let's go in and take a look." Nohara Hiroshi chuckled, then pulled the curious Misae and pushed open the slightly old wooden sliding door.

"welcome."

A hoarse, steady, and magnetic voice came from behind the bar.

I saw a man wearing a blue kimono, with a shallow scar on his face, but his eyes were as calm as the deep sea. He was wiping the plate in his hand slowly with a white towel.

There were a few customers sitting scattered in front of the bar.

There were the office workers in suits, drunk and constantly complaining about their bosses; there were the bar dancers in fancy costumes, but with a look of loneliness on their faces; there were the three "Chazuke Sisters" who always gathered together, chattering about men and always ordering chazuke; and there were the nightclub security guards in black suits, looking menacing, but now arguing fiercely over a plate of octopus sausages...

This place seems to be a forgotten corner in this bustling city.

A warm harbor after nightfall.

"Wait? You are..."

"Nohara Hiroshi!?"

But when Nohara Hiroshi pulled Misae in, everyone present, including the boss, widened their eyes.

(End of this chapter)