Full-time comic artist

Full-time comic artist

Author: Huang Tian Dafa

Summary:

In 1993, Japan was in the midst of the bursting of its economic bubble.

The economy is in ruins, people are suffering, and social values ​​are spiraling downwards.

Hibiki Higashino, who has been transported to the present day as an art student, begins to change herself, studies hard, strives for excellence, and works towards Musashino Art University.

He also started by submitting his work to Weekly Shonen Jump, becoming an assistant to the legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama.

The first serialized manga, "Hikaru no Go".

The second serialized manga, "Slam Dunk".

Adapted from the short manga "The Garden of Words"

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

5 Centimeters Per Second

Millennium Actress

Red Pepper

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Hanzawa Naoki

Bakuman

Chapter 1 The Era of Bubble Collapse

"What can we do in this era?"

“Our predecessors were snapped up by big companies as soon as they graduated. They could live in hot spring hotels, eat seafood and steak, and earn high salaries.”

"Go out and scramble for a taxi to go to the ski resort, to play golf, to Ginza, to Kabukicho... build a champagne tower, embrace a hostess, watch singing and dancing, and enjoy a splendid life."

"And what about us? We're clearly an economic powerhouse, claiming that Tokyo could buy the United States. How come we suddenly have this wicked economic bubble?"

"The country is teetering on the brink of collapse, and there are unemployed people everywhere. Countless people have committed suicide by jumping off buildings, and parks are crowded with homeless people."

"Some of them are company executives, some are top university graduates. Even if they get into a good university, what can they do?"

"This country has lost hope."

"I've lost hope too..."

Higashino Hibiki had a splitting headache; he had drunk a lot of alcohol last night for business, and the pain of the hangover was hitting him again.

But there was nothing he could do. Because he hadn't focused on his studies in high school, he could only make money by overworking himself after graduating from university.

He propped his head up with his hand, afraid to move.

"I feel like I'm dying, my mind is filled with flashbacks."

The frantic voices roared in my brain, all the words of a Japanese man who had lost faith.

"Why are my memories someone else's?"

He opened his eyes angrily.

"Ah, an unfamiliar ceiling..."

……

In the bathroom, Higashino bent over and looked in the mirror, then vomited into the sink.

A pungent, sour smell hit him, and Higashino Hibiki quickly turned on the tap to flush away the vomit.

My headache has eased a bit.

only……

"Why a mohawk?!"

Aside from her hairstyle, the person in the white tank top in the mirror actually looks quite good.

He had a high, straight nose, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding both solidity and sharpness.

However, the single golden hair standing upright in the center of his head, extending from the top of his forehead to the back of his head, made him look particularly silly.

"This is terrible!"

Hibiki Higashino clutched his head, his headache returning.

After a while, Higashino Hibiki, sitting on the toilet, gradually sorted out everything.

This person, like his name, is Hibiki Higashino. He was mature and sensible from a young age.

Suppress your natural instincts, go to tutoring classes, get into a good school, meet more people, and become popular.

So, while others were playing, he was mostly studying.

As the saying goes, hard work pays off, and Hibiki Higashino was eventually admitted to the Art Department of Enhiko High School.

This is a class with an extremely low acceptance rate, only a small number of elites can attend, and there are only about 20 members in the entire grade.

It can be said that as long as they don't go astray, they will be the future social elites. If they go even further, they might easily earn 200 million by simply designing logos for other companies.

Just when it seemed that all the hard work was about to pay off, things took a turn for the worse in recent years. The once-thriving country, like a dazzling bubble, quickly dissipated and collapsed after being exposed to the sun.

By 1993, the people, indulging in a life of luxury, were still paying the price for their past overspending. It was not over yet, and sustainability was at its lowest point.

One year, two years, three years later, society has become a murky pool, and the vibrant, thriving world is gone forever.

Seeing no hope left, Hibiki Higashino, who had always encouraged himself with a bright future, finally went astray.

With his strong physique and good looks, he began to associate with some biker gangs.

"Land and houses have become worthless, businesses are going bankrupt, banks are closing, and you can see laid-off employees everywhere. Society has entered a period of great depression, and finding a job has become extremely difficult. And the trend is still intensifying. All the hard work of so many years is worthless. Anyway, after graduating from school, you can only be a slacker. So what's the point of studying? Study for nothing!"

Hibiki Higashino, the kid everyone else was talking about, quickly fell into depravity and became a street thug.

……

Having understood the situation, Hibiki Higashino secretly felt sorry for the boy.

Actually, it's not that bad. Even during the period when the economic bubble burst, graduates from prestigious universities like the University of Tokyo and Keio University were still able to live happy lives.

The young Hibiki Higashino is like a spring; when the motivation in his heart is eliminated, he immediately bursts forth with a huge rebound.

He began to indulge in decadence, venting the repression and sacrifices he had accumulated over the past ten years.

And so it turned out like this.

"It's August 1993 now. Back in July, Hibiki Higashino, seeing that the economic bubble was still threatening to burst, grew increasingly desperate and became a mohawk-wearing biker."

So, Higashino Hibiki took off his clothes, looked at his clean and white body, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Luckily, I didn't have time to get a tattoo."

"Hibiki, what's wrong? Are you so engrossed in watching yourself?"

A gentle, smiling voice came from behind.

Higashino was startled and immediately turned around.

With a few strands of white hair mixed in and wrinkles on her face, one can still vaguely see her handsome face from her youth. This is Higashino Hibiki's mother, Higashino Shio.

She was carrying a basket of dirty clothes and smiling as she looked at Higashino Hibiki.

Higashino Hibiki exclaimed in a panic, "That's not how it is!"

Perhaps influenced by the original owner's memories, he felt a sense of affinity and admiration towards Dongye tide in front of him.

"It's okay, I understand," she covered her mouth and chuckled, waving her hand and stepping back. "Everyone is like this at this age."

"I……"

After she left, Higashino Hibiki closed and locked the door before calming down.

He looked in the mirror with a smile on his face, but his hair was still quite an eyesore.

I rummaged around in the bathroom and found an electric hair clipper in the storage cabinet under the sink.

This belongs to his father, Higashino Ichiro, who had a head of white hair in his middle age.

I couldn't bear to go to the barbershop, so I simply shaved my head.

Hibiki Higashino was relieved. "That's great."

I never imagined he would be happy to shave his head.

As the electric clippers operated, his three thousand strands of hair fell away, and Hibiki Higashino understood the meaning of life ahead.

Looking at his shiny bald head in the mirror, he made up his mind: "Since I've been given another chance, I must study hard this time, get into a good university, and reach the pinnacle of life!"

A good university is extremely important for one's life.

Since you're an art student, set a small goal: Tokyo University of the Arts, Tama Art University, or Musashino Art University—just choose one of them.

……

"I feel like that child is different, darling."

In the living room, kneeling on the tatami mat, Higashino Shio smiled gently and said.

Her son suddenly changed into a completely different person, becoming a dissolute and irresponsible hoodlum, which broke her heart for a long time.

Although she felt sorry for the mature boy, Higashino Hibiki was indeed much better than the delinquent who rode a ghost fire, waved his hands, wore capri pants, and had a third eye tattoo.

Higashino Ichiro's voice was low and laced with anger, "Don't mention him to me!"

All that long-term training and countless efforts have only produced a weak person!

Higashino Ichiro is less than 1.7 meters tall, but he has a strong body. His large muscles stretched his short-sleeved shirt tightly, and his sharp eyes exuded a fierce aura. "Temporary success or failure doesn't matter, but he became a clown because of setbacks!"

Thinking back to a month ago, he was so angry that his hands trembled, and the handmade bouquets he was making were scattered all over the ground.

Higashino stroked his rough hands and comforted him, "He's still a child, let's be patient with him."

“Child… When I was his age, I had been hoeing the fields in the countryside for years! You spoil him too much.”