Master of the Machete Style Manga

Will there be a knife in Chapter 52?

"The style is indeed different from 'Chainsaw Man,' but it's not that scary. You'll see when you take a look, editor." Ken Sakamoto sat to the side, waiting for Keiko Kaji to flip through it.

She continued flipping through the pages, and when she got to the second page, her eyebrows rose.

"Is it a manga with a girl as the main character? And... it's a manga about drawing manga."

As she turned the pages, Keiko Kaji's expression changed from casual to serious as she carefully read the lines in each panel.

The two female protagonists cleared up their misunderstanding and debuted together with a short story. When I read this part, Keiko Kaji still had a smile on her face.

But when she turned to the next page, the editor suggested that the two female protagonists try publishing a serialized novel after graduating from high school. However, when graduation was approaching, the two separated due to their different ideas.

"Kyomoto, you're only in charge of drawing the backgrounds, right?"

"That can be left to the assistant to do..."

Keiko Kaji read her lines softly, gazing absently at the two figures' backs in the panel.

"Huh? That's it?" Keiko Kaji was about to turn the page when she realized that what she was holding was the last sheet of manuscript paper.

Ken Sakamoto remarked from the side, "We've only completed about half of it so far."

“Sakamoto-sensei, I never expected you to try this style…” Kaji Keiko flipped through the manuscript and said slowly, “If I were to evaluate Chainsaw Man, it would be imaginative, youthful, and passionate… but this film, Looking Back, is about delicate youthful emotions.”

"Although there wasn't much conflict in the plot, the emotions between Fujino and Kyomoto were portrayed very realistically, especially their love for manga..."

"To be honest, it reminded me a little of myself." Keiko Kaji held the manuscript, slightly lost in thought.

"Editor Sang has also drawn comics?" Ken Sakamoto asked curiously.

"Haha, that was when I was a kid. I came from a small town in Yamagata Prefecture. Back then, my monthly allowance was just a 1,000 yen bill. After buying the weekly JUMP magazine, I only had enough money left for two popsicles."

"Then, my best friend and I made a pact to each buy different magazines and read them in rotation. After reading so many, I started thinking about drawing some myself..."

She flipped to the front of "Looking Back Suddenly," pointed to the four-panel comic that Fujino had published in the school's annual newsletter, and said, "To be honest, when I saw this, I thought that Sakamoto-sensei had referenced me when I was a child. I also published four-panel comics in the school magazine back then, and they were also made with such rough lines."

“My friend saw that I was publishing four-panel comics and started publishing them in the school magazine too, so we started competing with each other…” Keiko Kaji smiled as she recalled the past.

"And then what?" Sakamoto Ken was also a little curious.

"Later... we didn't collaborate on any comics. After she graduated from high school, she stayed home to help with the fish shop business, while I went to Tokyo for university."

As Keiko Kaji spoke, her eyes welled up with tears. She moved the sketch further away, worried that her tears would drip onto it.

“If I hadn’t come to Tokyo, I probably would have been dealing with her every day. My family runs a ramen shop, and our specialty is our specially made seafood broth. We get all our fish from her,” Keiko Kaji said with a touch of emotion.

"Did the editor come to Tokyo for the sake of the manga?"

“That’s right.” Kaji Keiko nodded and said, “When I was taking the college entrance exam, I thought that even if I couldn’t become a manga artist, I would at least do a manga-related job. Actually, there weren’t any major setbacks, and I became a manga editor smoothly after graduation.” Kaji Keiko looked at the illustration on the original manuscript and suddenly asked, “Sakamoto-sensei, is there some kind of angst coming up?”

Ken Sakamoto shrugged and said, "I'll show it to the editor-san once it's all finished, and then you'll know."

“Phew…” Keiko Kaji let out a breath and said, “Then let’s not spoil it. I’m really looking forward to it. I can’t say whether this manga is suitable for shonen manga, but it’s perfect for this call for submissions. The first half of the story is like watching half a movie.”

"Editor, do you know how this essay contest is judged?" Ken Sakamoto asked.

Kaji Keiko said, "The announcement only said that it would be divided into two parts: public voting and expert selection. The voting part is easy to understand; after receiving the manuscript, the work will be made public for a period of time, and all readers can vote. As for the expert selection..."

"After all, it's a call for submissions led by Netflix. They have screenwriters, directors, scriptwriters, art experts, and several senior editors from our comic book industry." Keiko Kaji thought for a moment and added, "If it were the Campus Star competition, some teachers from clubs at well-known universities and professors in their respective fields would also participate. In short, it's not an easy competition to get selected."

This essay contest sounds like it's being taken quite seriously, which makes Kenjiro Sakamoto think it's more reliable.

Especially the bonuses in US dollars; if I could win them, that debt would be completely resolved.

If "Looking Back" can't win an award, what other works can?
Keiko Kaji tidied up the manuscript she had just looked back at and put it back on her desk.

She then took out a small notebook from her bag and flipped to a page to look at it.

"Alright, Sakamoto-sensei, let's leave the manuscript here for now. I have some other matters to discuss with you today."

Keiko Kaji said, "We had a meeting all afternoon yesterday, so I won't go into details, but the conclusion is that we will make Sakamoto-sensei's work the flagship work of JUMP+, serializing it simultaneously in weekly magazines and on the web, but focusing primarily on the web."

"Oh?" Kenji Sakamoto was a little surprised to hear Keiko Kaji's words. "JUMP is going through a digital transformation?"

He knew about this outcome last week, but the specific change came later; the publication of "Fire Fist" was the catalyst.

"Sakamoto-sensei also thinks that digitalization is the future trend, right?"

"Of course, Weekly Shonen Jump's sales are now 2 million copies per week, which is only a third of its peak of 6 million copies. It would be normal for it to be down to only 1 million copies in another ten years," Ken Sakamoto said.

“The business department isn’t as pessimistic as you. They think that sales will drop by 5 copies per year for the next ten years…” Keiko Kaji waved her hand and said, “Never mind the specific numbers. In short, thanks to the editor-in-chief’s efforts, JUMP+ has secured better resources.”

"So, we're officially starting a series of promotional activities around 'Chainsaw Man,' and the one that will require Sakamoto-sensei's personal involvement is this Friday night's YouTube live stream," Keiko Kaji said.

"Is that the routine live stream from the official JUMP account?" Ken Sakamoto said.

Kaji Keiko smiled and nodded, saying, "They just hadn't been able to build up their account before, but in the next few days the operations department will be doing a series of animation collaborations on the official account, and they'll also be placing ads on social media. Their popularity should increase significantly by then."

“I have no problem with that,” Ken Sakamoto agreed immediately. “Is it like the author of the manga ‘Young Lady’ did, where you chat with the host and answer a few questions during a live stream, like that?”

When Ken Sakamoto suddenly mentioned the manga "The Young Lady," Keiko Kaji's facial muscles stiffened slightly, but she maintained her smile and remembered the editor-in-chief's instructions that Mikazuki-sensei's attendance should be kept secret from Sakamoto-sensei, so as to create the sense of surprise of a meeting between rivals.

Keiko Kaji nodded slightly and said, "Yes, it's all about the work and creation. Sakamoto-sensei, don't feel any pressure. It's a very relaxing live stream."

(End of this chapter)