Anime rating game

This unwavering and intense will, like countless sharp blades, rushed towards him, deeply shocking him.

As a celebrity in the calligraphy world, he is not particularly skilled at painting, but he is not completely ignorant of it either.

This level of painting completely surpasses that of the younger generation. Even established painters over 40 years old can only barely compete with it in their best works when they are fully focused.

"Great! No wonder he was admitted to Tokyo University of the Arts through a special admission process. If he had continued to study in high school with this level of ability, he would have been wasting his time."

After speaking without thinking, Handa's father realized he had become somewhat agitated. Calming himself down, he smiled and said:

"I've accepted this commission."

Beside him, Handa Kiyoshi stared intently at the painting for a long time before finally asking:

"Hayase, could I keep this photocopy of the painting?"

"After looking at this painting, I feel like I've gained some insights."

"Of course. I'll forward the photos to you later; they'll be clearer on your computer."

Masamune smiled and then asked:

"Mr. Handa, could you tell me the approximate cost?"

"This time it's free. Thanks to the animation you produced, Qingzhou has improved a lot. Consider this a token of our gratitude. Besides, it's been a long time since I've collaborated with such an outstanding artist."

Upon hearing this, Handa Kiyoshi couldn't help but ask:

"Father, do calligraphers and painters often collaborate?"

"It is common, especially for paintings like this, that adding text can really elevate the whole painting."

Handa's father withdrew his gaze from the painting and said with a smile:

"If you don't mind, just call me Uncle. With Shiina's level of expertise, there may be many opportunities for cooperation in the future."

"Thank you very much, Uncle Seimei." Masamune bowed slightly.

Seeing Masamune secretly gesturing behind his back, Tomoyo immediately realized what was happening and gently tugged at Mashiro. The two of them then bowed in greeting.

"Thank you, Uncle Qingming."

"You're welcome. It's a delightful experience to be able to put pen to paper on such a piece."

Looking at the smile on his father's face, Handa Seiichi was momentarily stunned.

He knew all too well how great the gap was between father and son.

Shiina Mashiro, who is younger than her, has already left her far behind; the gap between them is greater than the sky and the sea.

It seems I need to work even harder.

Since Kiyoaki Handa claimed he needed to make many preparations and practice writing in advance to get a feel for the style, the group agreed to start writing on Sunday morning, the day after tomorrow.

……

Since there were no drawing competitions this week, and Mashiro continued her routine of creating a new piece of artwork every week as required by her teacher.

After his new work on the theme of life was reviewed by the school, Takao Kawafuji immediately began framing and promotional work upon receiving the painting.

For him, Zhenbai's calligraphy and paintings were the biggest money-making machine.

Not only is the quality outstanding and its reputation growing steadily, but its speed is also exceptional.

Therefore, the entire company attaches great importance to the cooperation with Mashiro.

Although Mashiro herself is very famous, this painting, which surpasses all her previous works, could definitely fetch more money in the eyes of Kawato Takao.

Television and the internet launched an even larger-scale propaganda campaign.

That morning, Masamune suddenly received a phone call from Kawato Takao.

"President Hayase, the latest offer is out, and it's truly eye-opening! This painting is Mashiro's best work in recent years. Are you really not going to keep it?"

“Mashiro believes she can create even better works. This painting has nothing to do with life and doesn’t hold any memorable moments, so there’s no need to deliberately preserve it.”

"So, it seems that all the works preserved in the studio have their own significance."

"Don't keep me in suspense, how much?"

"The latest offer is 4500 million yen, but there are several parties vying for it, and I think there is still a lot of room for appreciation."

"Yes, I believe your prediction."

Wow, that's amazing! A painting is worth so much money, far exceeding the previous works. And you only worked on it for a few days, right?

However, Uncle Qingming's calligraphy should also account for a certain proportion.

Thinking of this, Masamune said again:

"After the painting is sold and the money arrives, after deducting 30% from your company's share, including taxes, we will give Uncle Qingming another 30%, and Zhenbai will only need the remaining 40%."

"I understand. But Uncle Qingming probably won't want it, right?"

"Then think of a way. If all else fails, just drop the money and run."

"Haha...that's true."

Chapter 173 Long Time No See, Mashiro

"Thank you very much for your contributions to our school and the art world, President Hayase."

Around 2 PM, as usual, when Masamune went to pick up Mashiro from school, he met a female teacher from Tokyo University of the Arts in a coffee shop.

She was a petite young woman with a rather cute appearance; however, perhaps due to her status as a teacher, she possessed a very mature demeanor.

"What are you talking about, Nekoyashiki-sensei?"

"Thanks to Mashiro's outstanding performance, this year's students are highly motivated and their level far exceeds that of previous years."

Nekoyashiki glanced at Mashiro sitting opposite him, then winked mischievously.

"How should I put it? It's similar to the catfish effect."

“In the past few years, including when I was in school, the content taught by the school was mostly technical knowledge, creative concepts, basics, and so on.”

"Now, Mashiro is performing so well and is so young that it has forced many students who are unwilling to admit defeat to take the initiative to learn various painting knowledge in their spare time and increase their painting time significantly."

"You should be able to understand this statement, right? Not every student has lofty ambitions. For some students, getting into university and graduating normally is the end goal."

"But they are all elites selected from a large number of candidates across the country. There are only a few dozen people each year, sometimes only a dozen or so. Their quality and talent are quite high."

"No matter what they say, they can never admit defeat in their hearts, or acknowledge that they are far inferior to a minor girl, even if that is the truth."

"Perhaps only one or two out of those dozens of people will become professional painters, but even so, I think... that's a future that's not so bad compared to what they originally had."

"Of course, Mashiro's own talent is the treasure that we all value."

"If she originally only had that possibility, now I believe that, with the guidance of all of us teachers, she can definitely become a painter who will be remembered in history. Hmm... it's not impossible for her to be the best in history."

Masamune stared at her blankly, then couldn't help but laugh.

I don't know why, but even though I wasn't the one being praised, I felt very happy, as if I were the one being praised.

"how long will it takes?"

"After forty?"

Is this considered fast or slow?

"That's already quite fast. Many painters only became famous after their deaths."

“That makes sense.” Masamune chuckled.

"By the way, I heard from Ema that you've been helping Mashiro's painting career?"

“This is what I should do. I don’t want her to be tied down by trivial matters. I’m using myself as a reference because I hate trouble.”

"Hmm...that's great. If I had this kind of living environment, my paintings would definitely sell even better now."

"Oh."

"Sigh... She's clearly a painter, but she has to sell her paintings based on her looks. Isn't that really terrible? That's what I envy about Mashiro. I hope she never has to encounter such troubles and can always maintain her purity."

? ?

Masamune instantly realized that she was referring to him.

Perhaps, deep down, she always felt that this was wrong, but she was powerless to change it, and the pressure was immense?

"Yes, we will. If there's nothing else, Mr. Nekoyashiki, we'll be going now."

"Wait a minute, there's one more thing I haven't mentioned."

Nekoyashiki's smile faded, and he said very seriously:

"One painting a week is a special treatment for Mashiro's class because we have found that Mashiro is making rapid progress in this way."

"Compared to a year ago, her paintings are completely different, like night and day."

"Last week was about such a big question about life, and we thought it would trouble her for a while, but unexpectedly, we gained such a wonderful insight."

"Her submitted painting, 'The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains,' already possesses the style of a master artist and is suitable as teaching material for students to appreciate."

"This week is also a big project, and I'm really looking forward to Mashiro submitting her work next week."

On the way to Musashino after leaving the coffee shop, Masamune asked curiously:

What is your homework this week?

“Happiness.” Mashiro said softly, then muttered to herself in a slightly ethereal voice, “What is happiness? Although I often hear people talk about this word, I don’t understand what it means.”

"Happiness, that is indeed a great topic."

How to explain it?

Because he was driving, Masamune was not in a position to think things through, nor did he want to gloss over the matter with something like a cat eating fish or Ultraman fighting monsters.

"Ema, you explain."

"Why……?"

Yasuhara Ema paused for several seconds before speaking, still thinking:

"I think happiness means truly feeling joy and happiness."

"However, this is different from ideals and wishes."