Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 133 Judge Ai Hoshihara (2nd update)
Traffic was still slow, but Ken Sakamoto drove very smoothly.

A few minutes later, he spotted an opening, decisively turned the steering wheel, and the car moved smoothly to the outermost lane, then turned into the adjacent residential alley.

After driving a little further, there were almost no other vehicles, so Ken Sakamoto increased his speed slightly.

Soon, we arrived at the parking lot next to the studio.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Mikazuki Haruna eagerly pushed open the car door and rushed out, slamming the door shut behind her and running towards the studio.

Ken Sakamoto and Mio Natsume got out of the car at a leisurely pace.

As Ken Sakamoto walked to the studio door, he saw Keiko Kaji opening the door for Haruna Mikazuki.

"Kaji-san, you're here!" Mikazuki Haruna's voice was filled with relief at surviving the ordeal. She didn't have time to say anything more and squeezed in sideways.

Haruna Mikazuki kicked off her little leather shoes and rushed quickly toward the bathroom.

"boom!"

The bathroom door was slammed shut.

Five minutes later, Mikazuki Haruna finally emerged looking relaxed.

She leaned against the wall by the bathroom door, let out a long sigh, and looked somewhat shaken.

Keiko Kaji sat at the table at the far end of the studio, with her laptop and some printed documents on it, clearly working there.

When Tatsuyuki Ryuko, Tomoharu Kaku, and Tatsuya Endo saw Ken Sakamoto return, they all stood up to greet him.

"Sakamoto-sensei!"

Kajieko waved to Sakamoto Ken and said, "Sakamoto-sensei, the results of the short story contest you submitted are in. The official announcement will be released soon."

Ken Sakamoto immediately asked, "How did it go? Did you get a place?"

Kaji Keiko's smile widened, and she nodded vigorously: "It's more than just winning a place!"

"Sakamoto-sensei is the first place winner in the School Star category! Moreover, thanks to the judges' strong recommendation, he also achieved the highest score in the entire Reality category!" Kaji Keiko said. "If nothing unexpected happens, Sakamoto-sensei, you will be the gold medal winner in the Reality category of this competition!"

Tatsuya Endo immediately clapped his hands: "Congratulations, Sakamoto-sensei!"

The three of them have been in the studio the whole time. They had just heard Keiko Kaji mention it, so let's all applaud and congratulate Ken Sakamoto.

Ryuki looked at Ken Sakamoto with admiration. "Sakamoto-sensei, we've already read that short story... To be honest, it's amazing! The paneling, the emotional impact—it's textbook-level!"

Yuji Kaku nodded vigorously in agreement, clearly deeply moved: "Yes, I got goosebumps watching the end! Winning the gold medal is well-deserved!"

Mio Natsume proudly raised her chin, as if she were the one who had won the award: "When I first read Ken's short story, I knew I would definitely win the gold prize!"

Haruna Mikazuki then joined in, asking in confusion, "Huh? What short story? I don't know anything about it. Which manga is it from?"

Natsume Mio glanced at her and said, "I knew you didn't care about Ken at all! You didn't even know about the writing contest Ken participated in! Besides, Ken mentioned it during your last live stream together! You just ignored it, didn't you?"

Mikazuki Haruna paused slightly, then thought back carefully.

It seems... that's indeed the case?

At that moment, her attention was completely focused on Ken Sakamoto himself, and her mind was entirely on her "dream lover." She didn't pay any attention to what he was saying at all...

Damn it! This guy beat me to it again!

Haruna Mikazuki hurriedly went to Keiko Kaji's side and said eagerly, "Kachi-san! Can I see which manga it is?"

Keiko Kaji smiled and nodded, turning her laptop screen towards Haruna Mikazuki. On the call for submissions website, she clicked on the page for the manga titled "Looking Back Suddenly".

"Here it is, Ms. San Yuechun, please enjoy it as well."

Ken Sakamoto sat back down in his seat, but his mind was still on what Keiko Kaji had just said.

"Highly recommended by the judges..."

This judge...

Is that Ai Hoshino?

……

Meanwhile, Netflix's Japanese branch office is located in Minato Ward.

Several key figures were seated around the long conference table.

Leading the group were two Netflix executives, one of whom was the vice president in charge of global content acquisition, a typical Silicon Valley elite white man, dressed in a suit and tie.

The other is the newly appointed head of content for Japan, a shrewd and capable-looking Japanese woman in her forties. Netflix plans to officially enter the Japanese market this year; prior to this, Japanese users could only subscribe to other regions and then unlock IP restrictions through technical means.

In order to quickly establish a foothold, they plan to launch some original or adapted film and animation works.

The "Future Film and Television Stars" comic book contest is part of this strategy.

Also seated at the conference table were representatives from the partners of this call for papers event, Horiuchi, president of Shueisha, and several invited judges.

Ai Hoshihara is among them.

At this moment, the meeting is in the final discussion stage regarding the gold award winner.

The scoring results are already on the table, but the final gold award is not only determined by the score, but also by whether the work has the potential to be adapted into film or animation.

"For the Reality category, here are the highest-rated works so far," said Maki Watanabe, the content manager for the Japanese region, pointing to the list on the tablet in front of her. "What are your opinions, judges?"

A retired senior comic editor spoke first: "In terms of completion, 'Looking Back' is undoubtedly the best. The story structure is complete and the use of paneling is very mature. I nominate this work."

An animation director standing nearby agreed: "The visuals are very strong, and the composition of many scenes has a cinematic feel. Moreover, this author is currently serializing a work in JUMP, so you can see his talent."

"That's right, future adaptations can also leverage the popularity of his serialized works for promotion."

The Netflix global vice president of content glanced at the translator beside him and said in English, "You all know the Japanese market better than I do. What are the market prospects for this work? Regarding the audience and the subject matter."

Shueisha's president, Horiuchi, said, "The coming-of-age genre has always had a stable audience base, and this work has a very strong emotional impact. In particular, the story of a manga artist being murdered by a random killer is reminiscent of the 2007 Kyoto Seika University murder case, which was a case of a manga student being murdered that attracted nationwide attention. I think it has the potential to become a topic of discussion."

The animation director sighed and said, "Moreover, this is an unsolved case. The culprit has not been caught to this day, and the public's discussion about the capabilities of the Japanese police has not stopped. If this work is adapted, it will definitely cause a lot of discussion."

He paused, then turned his gaze to Hoshino Ai: "As a judge in the Campus Star competition, and one of the first judges to give a perfect score, why don't we hear your opinion?"

Ai Hoshihara nodded and said, "I think the core value of 'Looking Back' lies in its profound exploration of the themes of loss and creation."

"It touches on the universal emotional core that everyone can feel, and it can resonate widely not only with the Japanese market, but also globally."

She looked at the two Netflix executives and said directly in fluent English, "Netflix's goal is the global market, and I believe that this work, whether adapted into animation or live-action film, will be highly recognized internationally."

She knew that the final decision-maker was this global vice president of content, and the phrase "international recognition" clearly hit the nail on the head.

That's what these Americans were thinking from the very beginning.

She frequently interacts with foreign universities and institutions in the fields of scientific research and teaching, and is very clear about their ideas.

The fact that the communication didn't require a translator made the Global Vice President of Content feel very comfortable. He smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Professor Xingyuan's analysis is very insightful."

Seeing that her boss had spoken, Maki Watanabe immediately agreed: "Indeed, the universality of emotions is something we value very much."

After some discussion, the other judges also agreed with Ai Hoshihara's point of view.

The main problem was that the translator didn't translate what she said in English into Japanese, so most of the people present didn't understand it. They just saw Ai Hoshihara talking enthusiastically with the global vice president.

Finally, Maki Watanabe looked at President Horiuchi: "So, President Horiuchi, what's Shueisha's opinion?"

President Horiuchi smiled and nodded: "We fully agree to award the Gold Prize in the Reality category to 'Looking Back'."

The decision has been made.

As the meeting drew to a close, discussions were held regarding the upcoming publicity and follow-up matters.

At this point, Ai Hoshihara spoke up again, offering a suggestion: "I think that in addition to announcing the results online, we could also consider holding a formal awards ceremony."

"An awards ceremony? Are you inviting everyone to participate offline?" Maki Watanabe asked.

“Yes,” Ai Hoshino said. “I have published works and was a writer myself, so I understand the thoughts of these writers quite well. Offline award ceremonies are very encouraging for them. In addition, we can invite some industry experts, directors, and producers to attend, which will increase the exposure and influence of the event itself. It will also create a platform for subsequent film and television adaptations. Maybe a producer will take a liking to other works and we can discuss adaptation collaborations?”

"As for the budget for offline events... that shouldn't be a problem, right?" Ai Hoshihara looked at the global vice president.

Upon hearing this, President Horiuchi immediately expressed his agreement: "Mr. Hoshihara's suggestion is excellent. The awards ceremony is also a promotional opportunity, and Shueisha is very happy to cooperate in organizing it."

Finally, the offline awards ceremony was confirmed to take place, and the relevant staff were tasked with making the arrangements.

After the meeting ended, Ai Hoshihara got up and walked out of the office building.

Arriving at the parking lot and getting into her car, Ai Hoshino's lips curled into a slight smile.

You will come, won't you?

Ken Sakamoto.

　I got up early this morning to start writing, and two chapters are done!
　　I'll continue writing this afternoon, and there's more tonight!

　　Please vote for me with your monthly tickets! It's almost the end of the month, and they're about to expire!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)