Full-time comic artist

After speaking, Tada Banri retreated to the back of the crowd.

"Thank you." Higashino nodded.

He watched as these people stormed into the classroom, his mind racing as he considered what to do.

did not expect……

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Torino Akino!"

The members of the Go club bowed together and said this.

Higashino Hibiki wasn't panicked at first, but after hearing those words, he started to feel flustered.

"Hikaru no Go has ended!" Some people shed tears.

"I want to see what happens next."

"Hikaru no Go is my favorite manga."

"I started learning Go because of 'Hikaru no Go'."

After they finished talking all at once, they added another sentence.

"You've worked so hard to serialize 'Hikaru no Go' for two years without a single break!"

The college students in the art classroom watched this scene in awe.

They just felt it was a bit of a pity that "Hikaru no Go" ended, but they didn't expect the reaction from the Go club to be so amazing.

"We've finished speaking," the leader said. "Excuse me for interrupting."

They left the classroom.

Higashino Hibiki didn't say a word, just stared in astonishment as they left.

"That's right. No matter when, Hikaru no Go will always be admired and loved by many people. Because the emotions it expresses will never go out of style."

What I need to do now is to surpass "Hikaru no Go" and achieve even greater success with "Slam Dunk".

Higashino clenched his fists, feeling immense pressure.

……

After a class.

Minami Chiharu walked over, patted Higashino Hibiki on the shoulder, and sat down next to him.

"So, have you come up with any ideas for a new project?"

Hibiki Higashino looked at her and asked, "Minami-san, do you like playing basketball?"

"Basketball?" Minami Chiharu was a little confused. "Why bring this up all of a sudden? Could it be... a basketball-themed manga?"

In her mind, basketball was not popular in Japan and was a niche sport.

Musashino also has a basketball club, but I heard it only has 6 or 7 members and they've never even participated in a basketball game.

On the other hand, the baseball team is always training hard, with thirty to fifty members every day. They always manage to make it to the third round in the university baseball league.

Then they were brutally beaten by universities like Keio and Tokyo University.

“Yes,” Hibiki Higashino nodded. “My goal is to get more people to like basketball.”

Minami Chiharu gave a thumbs up, "A very impressive goal. Higashino's basketball manga must be great."

Higashino Hibiki hadn't had a chance to thank him yet.

"A basketball comic!" a classmate behind me exclaimed in surprise.

Seeing Higashino and the other person looking over, he quickly raised his hand to apologize: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Hibiki Higashino shook his head. "It's nothing."

His voice was not lowered when he spoke to Nan Chiharu, so it was normal for others to hear it.

"You're Takasugi-kun, right?" Minami Chiharu asked hesitantly.

Even this cheerful and sociable young woman was unsure of this classmate's identity.

"Yes, I'm Kazuya Takasugi. I really enjoy watching basketball games, so I accidentally disturbed you," Kazuya Takasugi explained softly.

This person is very introverted; Higashino Hibiki has never seen him speak to anyone on his own initiative.

If he hadn't suddenly spoken up, Higashino Hibiki would have almost forgotten that he had such a classmate behind him.

Perhaps due to his height, Kazuya Takasugi is only 1.65 meters tall, which is below the baseline in present-day Japan.

So I guess I might have some low self-esteem and be introverted.

Thinking of this, Higashino Hibiki said kindly, "You know a lot about basketball, right? Then I'll leave it to you. If there are any problems with the new manga, you can give me your suggestions."

"Yes! Yes!" Kazuya Takasugi nodded vigorously.

……

After school, Higashino Hibiki went home and used his computer to look up information.

After getting the desired result, I entered the black-and-white webpage of Weekly Shonen Jump.

The cover features Kenshin Himura, Kankichi Ryotsu, Haruya Hino, Josuke Higashikata...

Since "Hikaru no Go" has ended, Hikaru Shindo, who was originally at the top, has disappeared and been replaced by a tall delinquent.

Once you click into the page, many readers are discussing which manga Jump's new character comes from.

"The art style is somewhat similar to that of Akino Mirai. Could this be a new work after the conclusion of 'Hikaru no Go'?"

"Hikaru no Go only ended two weeks ago, how could there be a new work so soon?"

"I'm still really looking forward to his work."

"Uh-huh."

There weren't many comments. Jump's website maintenance was terrible; they didn't even include Sakuragi Hanamichi's name, let alone what manga it was.

After all, it was only 1996, and print media was still dominant, so having a webpage like this was already quite impressive.

Three days ago, there was a serialization meeting for Weekly Shonen Jump.

Sasaki is still in charge.

This new comic is vastly different from the previous ones.

Three works needed to be cut short, but after much deliberation, only two were barely acceptable.

The editors present couldn't help but look displeased.

Torishima Kazuhiko said in a deep voice, "This one is rejected. Please tell me about your next work."

“Yes,” Sasaki nodded. “The next project is a new work by the artist I’m in charge of, Akino Mirai. It’s called Slam Dunk. It’s about Sakuragi Hanamichi, a delinquent, who joins the school’s basketball team because he falls in love with Akagi Haruko.”

"The advantage is that Mr. Tori Akino has experience in serialization, so there is no need to worry about him not being able to adapt to the pace of weekly magazines. The storyboards of 'Slam Dunk' are wonderful, and the artwork in the original manuscript is also very suitable."

He had just finished speaking.

The other editors then began to discuss the matter amongst themselves.

"The basketball game footage was truly spectacular."

"Tori Akino is Toriyama Akira's assistant, right? His serialized work is 'Hikaru no Go,' which has almost made people forget that."

"Yes, he has learned the cinematic-level camerawork of Akira Toriyama."

“There’s just one thing…” Editorial team leader Yoshihisa Pingzi pondered, “…the subject matter.”

“Yes,” others chimed in, “basketball isn’t popular in Japan, and there’s very little discussion about it, so it’s really not a good choice.”

Another group leader, Yahagi, said, "No, basketball has one advantage: its intense competition. If we can capture that competition, it's bound to be popular. But, can Mr. Toriakino do that?"

Torishima Kazuhiko remembered the three pages of the original manuscript he had seen, and tapped his fingers on the table a few times, making a sound that drew everyone's attention.

"I have seen his original work, and it is brilliantly drawn; there is no doubt about that."

Yahagi nodded. "Yes, I understand. Then I have no further questions."

Yoshihisa Pingzi said, "Judging from the completion level of 'Slam Dunk,' it has undoubtedly reached the level of serialization. Since it can be drawn to its advantage, I have no objection."

The other group leaders also expressed their approval.

Torishima Kazuhiko glanced at the editors, who had no suggestions beyond his own, and said in a deep voice, "Include it."

He's holding this meeting because it's a necessary part of the process, and it will be included no matter what.

Afterwards, the editors present also came to understand his attitude.

"Sasaki, contact the Yomiuri Shimbun and reserve a prominent spot in the newspaper to promote the serialization of Slam Dunk."

"At the same time, notify the printing plant to synchronize the news of the Slam Dunk serialization to the new issue of Jump."

"Other channels are also being activated one by one to let all readers know that Tori Akino's new work will begin serialization soon."

"As for the serialization time, it will be postponed for two weeks."

"By the way, the color page at the front of the seventh issue of Jump in two weeks will also be offered to Slam Dunk."

The team leaders present stared at Torishima Kazuhiko in shock.

Even Yoshihiro Togashi's serializations haven't generated this much buzz.

It seems that editor-in-chief Kazuhiko Torishima has truly placed his hopes on "Slam Dunk".

"Does he really approve of Tori Akino Mirai?"

For a moment, I didn't understand.

……

On Monday, an advertisement suddenly appeared in the Yomiuri Shimbun.

"The new work by Mirai Toriaki, the author of 'Hikaru no Go,' 'Slam Dunk,' is about to begin serialization!"

The picture in the newspaper was of Sakuragi Hanamichi, holding a basketball, wearing a jersey, looking like a delinquent.

"Huh! A new serialization is starting so soon?"

"Is it a serialized work about basketball? I don't know much about basketball."

"Since it's a manga by Tori Akino-sensei, I'll take a look. After all, I didn't know anything about Go when 'Hikaru no Go' was being serialized."