Full-time comic artist

Higashino Hibiki's heart skipped a beat. What did those words mean?

He asked, "Teacher, are you going to draw comics?"

“Yes,” Akira Toriyama replied, “Looking at your manga, Slam Dunk and Go Revolution, the passion and emotion in your works remind me of my original passion for drawing manga.”

To create freely, unaffected by others—that's what Akira Toriyama has always wanted to achieve.

“Congratulations, teacher,” Higashino Hibiki replied.

He didn't know whether Akira Toriyama actually had a new series. As for Akira Toriyama, Hibiki Higashino only knew about "Dragon Ball".

So perhaps it was his own influence that led Akira Toriyama to continue creating.

Understanding this, Higashino Hibiki felt even more pressure.

Even "Slam Dunk" couldn't maintain its dominant position against these monster works.

Hibiki Higashino hung up the phone; Oda seemed to have heard about it.

Is Toriyama-sensei about to create a new work?

"Yes." Higashino Hibiki nodded.

"Great!"

Oda, who is likely to continue the series, has Toriyama Akira as his competitor, but Oda is not worried and cheers excitedly.

Higashino Hibiki was stunned when he saw him.

Chapter 182 Enlightenment and the End of an Era

Hibiki Higashino then realized that he had been influenced by his current position without even realizing it.

He admired Akira Toriyama's achievements when he was serializing "Hikaru no Go".

Xiao Zheng always wanted to be number one in his academic rankings.

That's why, before Dragon Ball ended, the pace of the manga was changed to quickly draw the climax of Hikaru no Go – the battle between Sai and Touya Kouyo.

It's ridiculous that they still cling to the title of Jump's most popular manga artist.

His initial motivation for drawing comics was very vulgar: it was for money.

Having understood this, Higashino Hibiki felt all the pressure go away and could face the situation with ease.

"Oda-san, I'm really looking forward to your work."

"Yes, Akino-sensei!" Oda said proudly.

The journey of One Piece is about to begin.

A new era is dawning.

Yoshii Yamahisa stood up to congratulate Oda. Although it was still unknown whether he could pass the serialization meeting, it was a pity that Higashino Hibiki's manga assistants had not produced a single serialized work even after four years of operation.

Now Eiichiro Oda is about to do it, and Hisashi Yoshii Yamaha is very happy to hug Oda.

"After more than three years of hard work, you are finally about to succeed. Congratulations, Oda-san."

"Thank you, Yoshii-kun." Oda was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

He abandoned his studies and embarked on the path of a comic artist. Although he forged ahead without hesitation, he would always wonder in the quiet of the night if he had been too reckless. What would happen if he couldn't continue his serialization?

With a sense of oppression and worry, this day has finally arrived.

Only one level remains.

Akemi Akemi looked at Oda with envy; her short manga, once again, had not been approved by the editor.

Akemi Akimiya, now 28, has not given up on her manga career, but she is somewhat exhausted.

Seeing talented people emerge one after another while she remains stagnant is very disheartening for her.

Hibiki Higashino walked over, patted her on the shoulder, and silently comforted Akemi Akemi.

That's how comics are; talent is the most important thing.

Good drawing skills and hard work are not the decisive factors for becoming a cartoonist.

Creativity is the most important thing.

Seeing Higashino Hibiki's concerned gaze, Akemi Akimiya nodded slightly, indicating that she was fine and that she was already used to it.

"Teacher Toriakino".

Oda suddenly said.

Higashino Hibiki subtly withdrew his hand. "What's wrong?"

"After I finish drawing the storyboard for my serial, I would be grateful if you could give me some guidance!" he said, bowing deeply and very sincerely.

“Of course,” Hibiki Higashino replied.

Oda rubbed his hands together, suppressing his excitement, and started drawing "Slam Dunk".

He expressed his passion for One Piece in a drawing of the background of the Shohoku vs. Shoyo match.

Higashino nodded in satisfaction, then looked around the studio. Only one person remained silent: the quiet Tanaka.

He couldn't help but ask with concern, "Tanaka-san's last work was... 'The Lodger,' right? It was a very creative work. It's been so long, don't you have any thoughts of painting a new work?"

This assistant is also very talented, and Hibiki Higashino believes that he has a good chance of becoming a professional manga artist.

“I feel that my abilities are still insufficient,” Tanaka said, shaking his head slightly after looking up. “I would like to learn more from Mr. Tori Akino.”

"Don't underestimate yourself, but as long as you're happy, Tanaka-san," Higashino Hibiki said with a smile.

“Yes, I’m very happy right now!” Tanaka exclaimed.

……

In mid-May 1997, with the conclusion of "The Great Revolution of Go", the storyline of "Slam Dunk" also came to an end.

The storyline between Shohoku and Shoyo has come to an end.

Sakuragi Hanamichi successfully dunked, but the score was invalid due to a foul, and he was fouled out of the game. However, the cheers from the audience, coupled with the sense of accomplishment from the dunk, made him unable to calm down for a long time. This kind of happiness, tingling and numb, made him dazed and savor it.

Tsunoda enters.

Shohoku has 62 points, two points ahead of Shoyo, with one and a half minutes remaining.

For the first time since his appearance, Fujima visibly panicked and began to act helplessly.

For the remainder of the game, Shohoku's defense prevented Shoyo from scoring a single point.

With only a few seconds left, Toru Hanagata took a shot amidst the intense attention of the crowd, but missed.

The final whistle blew, Shohoku advanced to the finals, and Shoyo's reign ended.

Amidst the cheers and laughter of Shohoku, the sorrow of Shoyo players shedding tears was starkly highlighted.

Fujima, in particular, was the most moving; his lips trembled, and tears welled up and slid down his cheeks.

Fujima's crying was inspired by a drawing Hibiki Higashino made when Hanacho cried after watching Tokai University lose to Meiji University.

It is filled with resentment and sorrow, and is especially imbued with genuine emotion.

"Thank you so much."

Fujima and Shohoku thanked each other.

The end of this era of top golfers is a great pity for readers.

In the Musashino Art Classroom, Kazuya Takasugi quietly watched Hibiki Higashino's retreating figure.

Fujima, a character who had just appeared, brought a lot of regret to Takasugi Kazuya.

The match between Shohoku and Shoyo was full of twists and turns, and the clash between these two strong teams created a storyline that readers couldn't put down.

Therefore, even though Shohoku is their opponent, Kazuya Takasugi still hopes that Shoyo will perform even better.

"If Fujima had focused on being a player from the beginning, and if Shohoku had had a full-time coach, the outcome might have been different."

"but……"

"With their loss to Shohoku, Shoyo's era as one of the two strongest teams in Kanagawa has come to an end. Kanagawa has entered an era of fierce competition among many rivals."

Takasugi Kazuya thought.

Hainan, the strongest team in Kanagawa Prefecture, has yet to make a move; Ryonan, which once defeated Shohoku, boasts Sendoh Akira and Uozumi Jun.

Shohoku has five strong players.

There's also Buri High School.

With so many strong teams joining the fray, the rest of "Slam Dunk" is sure to be even more exciting.

Thinking of this, Kazuya Takasugi's heart was filled with excitement again!

……

After class ended, the teacher left the classroom. Higashino got up to go back, but saw the class monitor walk up to the podium and knock on the table.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother everyone."

Higashino Hibiki had no choice but to sit down.

"The topic we need to discuss now is selecting the most beautiful girl at Musashino Art University. Does anyone want to sign up?" the class monitor said.

"Huh?" A big question mark appeared on Higashino Hibiki's forehead.

He recalled things from areas of his mind that weren't of interest to him, and that's when he came to understand what was going on.

The differences between Japanese and Chinese school beauties are not something people discuss in private.

Instead, only those who win first place in a competition that assesses appearance, talent, and character can be called the school beauty and participate in special campus-level events.

Furthermore, after the campus belle is selected, she will enter the Japanese beauty pageant for the most beautiful female college student.

It's a very formal yet entertaining event.

Chapter 183 Learning to Let Go is Important

There are many pretty girls studying art.