Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 124 The Essentials of Management (Seeking monthly votes~)

It was already evening when Ken Sakamoto left Shueisha.

He held several copies of newly signed contracts in his hand, which together represented at least tens of millions in future income.

Ken Sakamoto hailed a taxi at the entrance of Shueisha and returned to his studio.

Sitting in the car, he briefly considered his next steps.

Starting next month, the first consulting fee of 200 million yen will be received, and subsequent copyright fees will be paid in stages after the animation project is officially launched.

As for what exactly an animation consultant does, to be honest, he's not entirely sure right now.

It probably involves regularly going to the production company for meetings to confirm character designs, plot adaptations, and so on.

The Bone Society is looking for suitable screenwriters, directors, and professional illustrators. Ken Sakamoto felt that he just needed to cooperate with them and it shouldn't take up too much of his creative time.

Tomorrow, several assistants will come to the studio to officially begin their collaborative creative work.

Ken Sakamoto has now delegated these physically demanding tasks, and aside from the upcoming start of the school year, he is actually thinking about starting new projects.

Regarding his new work, he's considering more than just the royalties.

During the publication of Chainsaw Man, he discovered that both Haruna and Mio were influenced by the plot of the work.

Even Mio, that girl, directly projected herself onto Machima, as if she wanted to become my heroine.

Then, regarding Denji's personality, they would also think of him as the author, feeling that he used himself as a model and drew himself into the manga, making him the protagonist.

They projected their slightly scumbag-like thoughts onto Denji, but since these thoughts originated from the manga character, they couldn't get angry at all.

So, is it possible to consider this approach?

My next project will be a real harem romance manga, where the characters can immerse themselves in it themselves?

In this way, all the risks of a chaotic battlefield or a woodcutter's axe are directly eliminated.

Kento Sakamoto couldn't help but applaud his own thinking; this was the essence of managing a chaotic battlefield that he had grasped in his two playthroughs.

The taxi drove smoothly all the way through the streets of Akihabara and soon arrived at the studio located in Taito Ward.

……

As Ken Sakamoto returned to his studio, a black Lexus sedan slowly came to a stop in front of a luxury villa in Matsutō-cho, Shibuya Ward.

Dressed in a business suit, the capable-looking Hanabe Kyoko stepped out of the car, carrying a heavy briefcase full of documents.

As soon as I stepped into the villa’s yard, I saw the sliding glass door open from the inside, and Mikazuki Haruna, dressed in casual clothes, quickly came out to greet me, her face showing a hint of urgency.

"Hanabe-san!" Haruna strode up to Hanabe Kyoko and said, "You're finally back. How did the talks go?"

Hanabe Kyoko gave a professional smile and nodded slightly: "Everything went smoothly, Miss."

"Great!"

Haruna's eyes lit up, and he turned to walk inside. Several assistants were still there. He waved to Kyoko Hanabe and said, "Come on, let's talk in the tea room!"

……

An hour later, Haruna and Hanabe Kyoko came out together. Hanabe hurriedly left the villa because she had to go to the company.

Mikazuki Haruna walked towards the studio with a beaming smile.

"Mikazuki Haruna-sensei, what's making you so happy?" Forty-hara asked curiously, seeing Mikazuki Haruna's cheerful expression.

Several assistants also turned their gazes toward her, and Mikazuki Haruna realized that she had been hopping and skipping along without even noticing.

She quickly suppressed her smile and said, "It's nothing, just some work-related stuff."

She didn't elaborate, and her assistants didn't ask any further questions.

Mikazuki Haruna walked to the drawing table and suddenly said, "By the way, let's treat everyone to a big meal tonight. I'll have Aunt Kazuko prepare Wagyu beef barbecue for everyone."

"Great!" Forty-one was the first to cheer.

Haruna Mikazuki herself was somewhat surprised, because she found herself genuinely happy, even happier than by any achievement of "Young Lady, Sniper Rifle, and Pantyhose!"

The memory in her mind was no longer just hidden in her subconscious; it felt like she had actually experienced it, influencing her thoughts.

Moreover, since it was confirmed that "The Young Lady" was indeed the work of Ken Sakamoto, and that she was simply replicating the manga drawn by Ken Sakamoto in her memory of the future, rather than receiving a dream from Bensai-ten, she actually lost some of her own creative pleasure while drawing.

Of course, it's not that she doesn't want to draw anymore, it's just that her original intention in creating "The Young Lady" has changed somewhat.

Originally, he wanted to draw the comics in his mind, but now that he has started publishing them, he can't let Ah Jian's future works end abruptly.

It felt... like a sense of responsibility. After Mikazuki Haruna and her four assistants finished a sumptuous Wagyu beef barbecue in the yard, she took a bath at home, and her parents didn't return until late at night.

Hearing her parents' footsteps enter the house, Mikazuki Haruna immediately grabbed the briefcase that Hanabe Kyoko had brought that afternoon and went downstairs.

Her father rarely returns to this villa, so there aren't many opportunities to talk to him in person.

In the lobby on the first floor, Mikazuki Souichirou and Mikazuki Aiko entered the house together.

Before Haruna could even speak, her father, Mikazuki Souichirou, said, "Haruna, I've already heard from Hanabe that you want to invest in an anime adaptation of a manga, right?"

“I have high hopes for Haruna.” Her mother, Aiko, said with a smile. “After Haruna told me about it, I felt that she was particularly passionate about anime, so I encouraged her to do it.”

“Yes, but it’s not a small investment,” said Mikazuki Soichiro.

“If it’s well made, it’ll probably cost… 500 million?” Mikazuki Haruna said. “Dad, you said before that if I wanted to start a business while I was in school, you could support me with 500 million.”

"Haruna, are you planning to dedicate yourself entirely to this project?" Mikazuki Aiko asked.

Haruna Mikazuki nodded firmly and said, "I have high hopes for Chainsaw Man. It will definitely be a huge hit in the future. If we acquire the copyright now, we will definitely benefit from it."

After entering the house, Mikazuki Souichirou sat down on the sofa in the living room. He crossed his legs, looked at Mikazuki Haruna, and said, "Five hundred million, is that the number you calculated carefully?"

“Is…is that right?” Mikazuki Haruna said.

Soichiro Mikazuki shook his head and said, "If you choose to be wholly independent, then the cost will include all expenses, such as copyright fees, production, and distribution, with distribution accounting for a significant portion."

Haruna Mikazuki was no longer as smug as before. She sat obediently opposite her father and asked, "How much publicity and promotion will there be?"

Mikazuki Souichirou shook his head and said, "Haruna, don't make such impulsive investments based on personal preferences."

Mikazuki Aiko chimed in, "Your dad is right. It's alright if you lose this money, the main thing is that you don't get too upset."

"I...it wasn't an impulsive investment..." Mikazuki Haruna said, sounding very unsure.

“Although I haven’t actually managed any animation projects, I have made some related investments before, so I know a little about it.” Mikazuki Souichirou held up his index finger and said, “First of all, there’s the core production cost. A budget of 500 million is about right, averaging around 40 million per episode, which is the standard for an S-class project.”

“But you’ve only considered this one aspect.” Soichiro held up his second finger and continued, “Music production costs are a major expense. Since we’re going to produce it to S-class standards, we need a correspondingly high level of music production. Should we consider a different ending theme for each episode, or use the same ending theme from beginning to end? Should we hire a star singer?”

"Idol groups like Arashi and AKB48 are out of the question. National-level singers like Masaharu Fukuyama and Miyuki Nakajima would also exceed the budget. If we were to hire singers like Nana Mizuki or LiSA who are more into anime and manga, or even have them create the opening theme, then the budget for that alone would exceed 100 million yen."

“Dad, you know all this too…” Mikazuki Haruna was somewhat surprised.

Aiko covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "Your dad used to play in a band when he was young."

Soichiro waved his hand and said, "If you need to deal with these things in business, then you should learn more about them."

Then he held up a third finger: "And there are the marketing and distribution costs you haven't considered, such as global trailer releases, voice actor meet-and-greets, outdoor advertising, streaming media... These are all very expensive, and I estimate that 100 to 200 million will be needed."

Soichiro shook his head slightly and said, "Therefore, most animation projects choose to form a production committee. All the projects added up together make up a very large number."

"Hiss..." Mikazuki Haruna gasped, she had only considered the production cost before.

Moreover, her plan was to produce the Chainsaw Man animation to the highest standards.

If the music production is also top-notch, the cost of hiring star singers would be extremely high.

Or she could consider second- or third-tier artists, like Kenshi Yonezu, whom she really likes. Although he has only been in the industry for three years, he is already quite famous, and her style seems to match his. He should be much cheaper, right?
But wouldn't that make him too unknown? Maybe I should have Hanabe ask Ken what he thinks of the opening and ending themes...

Haruna Mikazuki realized that she seemed to be subconsciously placing her hopes on Kenjiro.

It feels like he can provide the best solutions, and even create miracles...

Just like Chainsaw Man, which broke the JUMP+ record within a month.

Soichiro chuckled and said, "It's alright. If you really want to push this adaptation forward, Haruna, I'll support you and double the funding. But you need to learn from this project and grow as a person."

“I will!” Haruna Mikazuki immediately replied. “Having gone through the entire process of adapting Chainsaw Man into an anime, I’m very familiar with the industry.”

"Hanabe is already cramming on his knowledge of the anime industry, so you can't just sit around doing nothing." Soichiro stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said to Mikazuki Haruna very seriously, "As a manager, the worst thing you can do is not understand the project and let your subordinates mess around. If they profit from it, they can even fool you completely."

"These are the key principles of business that your father has summarized after learning lessons over the years."

Soichiro walked to the side of the hall that served as a manga studio, looked at the drawing tables, and said, "Very good, you have a field you are passionate about. Our group is actually trying to transform into the cultural and entertainment field. I hope you can stand on your own in the future. You are my only daughter."

Haruna Mikazuki pursed her lips, carefully considering her father's words, then nodded solemnly and said, "Don't worry, Dad, we'll start with Chainsaw Man!"

　Today's two chapters, each over 3000 words, are actually equivalent to three updates out of a 2000-word chapter!

　　It's almost the end of the month, does anyone still have any monthly votes left?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)