Full-time comic artist

It turned out that Kiyota Nobunaga's efforts had not been in vain; his fingertips touched Mitsui's shot.

"Yes, it's not just Shohoku that's working hard; Hainan is giving it their all."

Bearing the honor of being champions for sixteen years, they cannot afford to lose.

"Huff...huff...inhale."

Hana took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

The ending of this chapter of "Slam Dunk" stirred his emotions, leaving him feeling overwhelmed and lost in thought, his mind buzzing like a little monk striking a bell.

My chest was also overwhelmed by emotions, it felt terribly swollen.

He watched as Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes lost focus, watched as Akagi Takenori finally calmed down, patted Sakuragi Hanamichi's fluffy head to comfort him, and watched as Sakuragi Hanamichi burst into tears.

He clenched his teeth, tears streaming down his face, his whole body trembling, enveloped in resentment and regret.

"It's my own fault that Akagi Takenori's dream of the past three years has been shattered; it's my own fault that everyone else's efforts have been wasted." Sakuragi Hanamichi must be thinking this...

Hua Chao thought to herself.

He had had this idea before.

That was when the Donghai basketball team lost to the Japan Sport University basketball team in the finals of the university basketball league.

"But there's still a chance!"

This is their last year; Yagami and the others are about to graduate.

"Seize this last chance and win the national championship!"

He became highly motivated!

"it hurts!"

My sprained back is protesting.

He just needs to rest.

"Shohoku still has a chance; even the runner-up can qualify! As long as they beat the other teams, they can still compete against Hainan."

He stared intently at the comic book.

"Shohoku! Go for it!"

……

"Shohoku! Go for it!"

Readers are looking at the latest chapter of "Slam Dunk".

"We lost at the last minute again."

"It's really uncomfortable."

"But it's impossible to defeat Hainan from the very beginning, isn't it?"

"Shohoku still has room for adjustment."

Countless people are debating this online.

The Hainan battle scene was so well-done, and with the popularity of the anime, Slam Dunk's popularity continues to rise.

Few people criticize it; readers of this era are quite tolerant.

After reading this chapter, their love for Slam Dunk grew even stronger, with the most common comment being:

"Shohoku! Go for it!"

Chapter 196 How pitiful, Teacher Toriya Akino

The plot of "Slam Dunk" caused a sensation.

Akira Toriyama's comeback project caused a stir, but the discussion was completely overshadowed by the topic of "Slam Dunk".

Akira Toriyama was delighted with this.

Hibiki Higashino was also very moved at this moment.

In recent reader letters, very few people criticized him; most were moved by his work and expressed their gratitude.

"They even thanked me," Higashino Hibiki said, pointing at the letter and showing off to Akemi Akemi.

"Ah, I'm so envious." Akemi Akemi looked longingly at the reader's letter.

She wants it too.

The feelings and gratitude of readers after creating a comic are extremely precious to a comic artist.

Some people treasure these letters and even set aside a room specifically for their storage.

Akemi Akemi also fantasized about reading readers' feedback after her manga was serialized in the future.

"Want to see it?" Higashino Hibiki handed her the letter.

“Yes!” Akemi Akemi nodded.

As an assistant, she contributed a lot to the creation of "Slam Dunk" and could feel the readers' feelings.

"Shohoku lost, what a pity. I hoped Sakuragi and the others could have won, and even become the national champions! But I can understand, the beauty of regret is also beautiful. I heard that serializing a manga is a very hard job, Mr. Toriakino, please take a rest."

A very thoughtful reader.

Akimiya Akemi took out the next letter.

"I was really moved by Akagi Takenori's storyline. When his teammates were just giving up, he was determined to compete with Shohoku and Hainan and win. That's the charm of competitive sports! Although we lost this time, I think we can definitely win next time!"

Another letter, Akimiya Akemi read carefully:

"I always thought Rukawa was too aloof, but after watching the recent episodes, I felt the passion of this basketball prodigy. I really like the Hainan game."

As readers shared their feelings, Akemi Akemi smiled as she read.

She smoothed her long hair, her smile unusually gentle, and her usual sillyness was barely noticeable.

Higashino Hibiki rarely saw her with this expression; it was a little sour.

"Do you really enjoy drawing comics that much?" Hibiki Higashino asked.

"Why are you suddenly saying that?" Akemi Akimiya asked, somewhat puzzled, but nodded nonetheless. "Of course."

She was so happy to see the readers' feedback.

"Phew," Higashino Hibiki let out a long sigh and fell silent.

……

If you only think about creating storylines that you like, you're bound to go nowhere.

By the second episode, COWA!'s ranking had dropped to fourth place.

"I started serializing 'Dr. Slump' in 1980 and achieved all sorts of successes, but now is the happiest and most relaxed time for me. I am enjoying the pleasure of creation."

Higashino Hibiki didn't grasp Akira Toriyama's level of understanding; he was only focused on making money.

Perhaps in the future I will have such thoughts, but it is impossible now.

Time passed slowly, and December arrived.

Suddenly, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, landing one by one on Higashino Hibiki's shoulder.

"It's winter," he belatedly realized.

Jump organized an event about the Slam Dunk manga volumes.

After a long period of busy work, it's finally over.

The organizers had originally planned to take him home, but Higashino Hibiki suddenly felt restless and wanted to walk home, so they declined.

The venue wasn't far from his dormitory, and he gazed at the scenery with a sense of wonder, suddenly becoming quite excited.

It wasn't until snowflakes began to fall that his mind, which had been dulled by the long comic strip serialization, finally cleared up.

Nearby, a couple wrapped scarves and gloves around each other, their noses red from laughing in the swirling snowflakes.

On the other side was a group of male high school students who had changed their style. They were playing a game of heroes defeating demon kings, using tree branches they had picked up from the ground.

"Behold my holy sword!" a high school student wearing glasses shouted as he leaped and slashed.

The branches of the tree were unusually dry in winter, and they fell violently to the ground, breaking in two.

"My holy sword! My holy sword!"

He cried out in grief.

Another high school boy shoved him, saying, "As a fellow swordsman, I, Roronoa Zoro, am deeply ashamed."

It's a character from One Piece.

"I've seen this before! I've seen this before!" someone shouted.

Hibiki Higashino nodded. "One Piece has been serialized for more than three months, and Eiichiro Oda's work is becoming more and more influential."

As an unconventional shonen manga, One Piece captivated readers from the very beginning, unlike other newcomers who experienced the fear of being canceled.

The high school students started talking about the plot of One Piece, from Luffy meeting Coby to saving Zoro.

"Zoro looks so cool when he eats rice balls!"

"Yeah! It gave me the same feeling as watching 'Slam Dunk,' and it moved me deeply as well."

"Hey, how can One Piece be compared to Slam Dunk?"

They started arguing.

Hibiki Higashino shook his head. It's only natural that serializations on the Jump platform would cause controversy.

He didn't care, walked past the high school students, and headed into the distance.

Such a beautiful snow scene shouldn't be disturbed.

……

There is a forum online where comics are compared.

The largest group on this forum is Dragon Ball readers, and they are also the most targeted group.