Full-time comic artist

All of this is for the purpose of selling individual volumes more effectively.

How much money can a magazine make?

But now, my income has been affected.

“When a work is published in a business magazine,” Nobuhiko Horie said, “the work no longer belongs to the author alone, and you should understand that.”

Sasaki didn't try to deny it. "What I see is Akino's future. He will become a pillar of Jump."

“What I see now is this!” Nobuhiko Horie slammed his hand on the table and said, “Hikaru no Go’s ranking has dropped to 7th place for 4 consecutive seasons. Now it seems to have become a second-rate work.”

"I'm so sorry," Sasaki said, bowing his head in apology.

Horie Nobuhiko's expression softened. "You know I value you highly, so don't let me down. You did a great job with Togashi-sensei and Watsuki-kun, so keep up the good work."

Sasaki nodded. "Yes, Chief Editor."

Nobuhiko Horie waved his hand, and as Sasaki turned to leave, he added another sentence.

"It seems that Tori Akino Mirai is also a troublemaker. If he makes any bad decisions, you should tell me in time."

"……Yes."

Sasaki closed the door and went out.

……

As the latest chapter of the manga unfolds, Hikaru's longing for Sai and his own frustrations have finally led some readers to begin to understand Hikaru Shindo.

Their anger at a child for being ignorant is itself a ridiculous thing.

Compared to other fifteen-year-old students, Xiaoguang is already quite mature.

Thinking back on what happened, he didn't do anything wrong.

Ogata Seiji, a 9-dan professional Go player, got drunk, and Hikaru risked his life to let Sai, one of the strongest players of the time, play a game of Go.

After the "two days and one night" event ended and he returned home, Hikaru was very sleepy. Sai insisted on playing Go, and Hikaru played against Sai despite being sleepy.

Very few people can do that.

Moreover, judging from the manga's portrayal, Hikaru was even more heartbroken by Sai's departure than the readers.

All of this finally made the reader rational.

"Tori Akino-sensei's drawing is very reasonable, isn't it?"

"I still want to watch 'Hikaru no Go'."

"The fateful showdown between Hikaru Shindo and Akira Touya should happen soon. Who will win and who will lose?"

When will the "divine intervention" occur?

The groundwork laid in the past has piqued the reader's curiosity.

Therefore, thanks to the powerful release of the latest chapter of "Hikaru no Go," Horie Nobuhiko was surprised by the following on Friday:

"Hikaru no Go, fourth in the junior series?"

His eyes widened. "Could Hikaru no Go really be brought back to life?"

……

The second season of "Hikaru no Go" has already aired its third episode.

It is indeed a hit. Tetsuya Endo thought that the ratings would decline, but they remained stable at 14%, making it the highest-rated anime of the season.

They've won so many times they're practically ecstatic.

He believes that readers want to see what Sai looked like when he was still alive.

So they didn't give up on animation.

This relieved him.

The huge weight on my heart can finally be lifted.

He turned around and continued working on the second season.

Upon arriving at the recording studio, he watched the simplified script animation playing on the screen.

He said to the production manager next to him:

"Please come in, voice actors for the characters Asumi Nase, Yoshitaka Waya, and Shinichiro Isumi."

"Yes."

These three are the main characters in the Go Academy of "Hikaru no Go".

Nase, a tall and beautiful girl, has relatively little screen time. Ayaya and Isumi are powerful and will appear multiple times later in the story.

The production manager notified the three voice actors.

Soon, three people, one woman and two men, walked in.

They first bowed and greeted the staff.

Then someone else was arranged to go into the recording studio.

"Huh?" Endo Tetsuya exclaimed in surprise, "Nase Asumi's voice actress, Higashino Mei... has the same surname as Tori Akino-sensei."

However, it is very common to have the same surname in Japan, so he didn't pay any attention to it, shook his head, and moved on.

Chapter 111 "EVA" and the Pre-Award

Hibiki Higashino was reading "Evangelion" over the weekend.

He was always busy and missed two episodes in a row.

Fortunately, the TV had a recording function, and it recorded everything.

Now, there are three assistants: Hibiki Higashino himself, plus Asahina and Chiharu Minami. The six of them fill the entire Tori Akino Studio.

Episode 1: The Apostles Attack.

Shinji Ikari, through a combination of seduction and feigned injury, was given a critical mission: to pilot Unit-01 against the Water Angel.

The second episode is a very artistic one.

Asahina's eyes lit up; he had never imagined that animation could be made in such a way.

Shinji Ikari, unfamiliar with Unit-01, was quickly defeated by the Angel, the Water Angel. However, after he fell unconscious, Unit-01 was reactivated and, with an extremely frenzied attack, like a severely wounded beast going berserk, suppressed the Angel, eroded its AT field, and won the victory.

The animation in this scene is exceptionally well done. Higashino Hibiki was immediately struck by its power and vivid imagination.

Finally, we've reached the third episode.

In this episode, Shinji Ikari uses Unit-01's particle blade to defeat the Daybreak Angel, and gets to know two good friends. With their encouragement, he begins to accept his identity as a pilot of the EVA.

This episode is meant to depict the protagonist's inner journey.

In the first three episodes, Hibiki Higashino still couldn't discern Hideaki Anno's true thoughts.

However, Evangelion is exquisitely produced, with excellent battle scenes and an interesting story setting.

Thinking of the praise he would receive in future generations, Hibiki Higashino felt that he could keep watching this anime forever.

After the animation ends.

Everyone applauded spontaneously.

"What a wonderful animation."

"It feels very profound, like it's trying to tell a story."

"The protagonist seems timid; I wonder if that changes later on."

Everyone was discussing the content when Oda suddenly exclaimed, "Rei Ayanami is so cute!"

"Huh?" What's wrong with you, little bro? Everyone looked at Oda.

You're the only one who's being indecent.

Oda shifted uncomfortably. Oh no! He blurted it out!

"A total shut-in."

"This is what a shut-in is like."

He seemed to hear someone making that remark.

Hibiki Higashino became curious, "I wonder how the ratings were for EVA? The quality of the work is good, but if it's airing in prime time, the premiere ratings should be around 10%."

He looked at Asahina, but Asahina Yuko shook her head. They were just student interns, and the production company hadn't called to tell them.

So Hibiki Higashino called Tetsuya Endo to inquire about the situation with "Evangelion".

“It’s a very impressive work,” Tetsuya Endo said in a deep voice. “Hideaki Anno is an animator who came from Studio Ghibli and received praise from Hayao Miyazaki. Later, as a director, he also participated in many works and is very experienced. Evangelion is a reflection of his personal style. He is a very ambitious person.”

Tetsuya Endo spoke highly of Hideaki Anno, saying that he was excellent as both an animator and a director.

"As for the ratings, well, it's probably because the style is rather gloomy. It's not popular these days. I heard it's only 6% to 8%. Even if it airs during prime time, it can't be considered a good result."

Higashino nodded; it turned out to be critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful.

After thanking Tetsuya Endo, Hibiki Higashino waited for him to hang up the phone first.

I shared this result with others.

Asahina lowered her head, looking somewhat regretful.

She felt lost because the works she considered unattainable achieved only mediocre results.

“Gold will always shine,” Hibiki Higashino has the right to say this, “and viewership ratings are not the only measure of a work’s quality.”

“Yes,” Asahina nodded.

Later, Hibiki Higashino learned about Hideaki Anno on his computer. It turned out that he had tried making animations in high school, and Asahina was very similar to him.

However, Hideaki Anno used the art club's funds, while Asahina paid for it herself.

During his university years, Hideaki Anno formed the foundation of the current company's members.

It's similar to the animation club at Musashino Art University, but the animation club is more loosely organized, lacking the mandatory and participatory nature of a production team.

It's more like playing house than striving for the future.