Full-time comic artist

It's not just the conflict that arose because he wanted to end "Slam Dunk".

However, the situation is much better in this world.

Coach Inoue Kaede was efficient and decisive. The competition was completed flawlessly, with a substantial budget and high-quality production.

The Slam Dunk manga has sold 390 million copies, and a large part of the credit should go to the animation production team.

Hibiki Higashino is really lucky; he's had a very smooth journey in the world of manga.

The production teams of both "Hikaru no Go" and "Slam Dunk" worked very hard, and the results they achieved were amazing.

The excellence of the original work has attracted many new readers.

Just as Higashino Hibiki was moved, he heard his cell phone ring. The caller was none other than director Inoue Kaede.

"Teacher Akino, do you have time? I'd like to discuss the follow-up production of the Slam Dunk anime with you."

"Of course I have time."

So they agreed to meet the next day; he seemed to be in a hurry.

Meanwhile, at the editorial department of Weekly Shonen Jump.

The preliminary results are out.

In a survey of 100 readers, the order of ranking was: *Slam Dunk*, *The Prince of Tennis*, *Millennium Actress*, etc.

Sasaki's eyes widened in disbelief.

"The Slam Dunk competition hasn't even started yet, has it? They actually got first place." Yoshihisa Pingzi walked over with the report, adjusting his glasses, equally shocked.

"It's because of Akino-sensei's meticulous depiction of Sannoh," Sasaki explained.

Sannoh is the strongest basketball team in high school.

This year's students, in particular, easily defeated the previous year's seniors.

Every player on the Sannoh team is a top-tier, star-level player.

In the previous tournament, they won by more than 30 points against the reigning champions, Hainan, resulting in an overwhelming victory.

So even before the match actually started, readers could feel the immense pressure from the undefeated Sannoh Industrial.

Moreover, they were facing Shohoku, who had a C-level rating.

Every player on Sannoh remained focused, relentlessly searching for the weaknesses of every player on Shohoku.

Mitsui Hisashi had a two-year hiatus and lacked stamina; Miyagi Ryota had a low shooting percentage; Akagi Takenori's offensive style was limited and his shooting range was restricted; Rukawa Kaede was too willful and easily targeted.

As for Sakuragi Hanamichi, this newcomer to the industry is full of flaws.

Sannoh's analysis is very reasonable.

Countless readers have reconsidered the plot, and it is indeed true.

Everyone on Shohoku has flaws. Sannoh, on the other hand, is flawless.

In addition, this serious attitude makes it completely unlike the typical sports comic story where the champion team throws a game and the protagonist team gets a free win.

There wasn't a single gap.

Facing Sannoh, Akagi and the others lost their composure again. Aside from Rukawa, the others were under immense pressure.

No one had high hopes for Shohoku; all the spectators had come for Sannoh.

They would cheer for Shohoku at first, but when Sannoh fell behind, they would wholeheartedly support Sannoh.

This unequal lineup is like throwing an egg against a rock; it's a do-or-die match.

Dark clouds loom over the city, threatening to crush it; this aura has already enveloped the readers of "Slam Dunk".

They are increasingly looking forward to the official competition.

They wanted to see the faint hope that Coach Anzai had mentioned.

So even now, as a transitional chapter serving as a prelude, "Slam Dunk" has still secured first place in the preliminary rankings.

To Sasaki's surprise, "Millennium Actress" only ranked third.

From his professional perspective, this work is truly excellent; it is Tori Akino Mirai's most stunning manga.

While it was expected that teenagers wouldn't be interested in "Millennium Actress," it's still surprising that the first episode only ranked third, especially considering the color cover.

“When Tori Akino first debuted, he achieved better results than he does now,” Sasaki muttered to himself.

“I find that strange too,” the bottle said.

……

This ranking is really strange. The works that the editors highly praised were met with a cold reception from readers.

"That's the significance of the ranking of Xiaozheng," Kazuhiko Torishima concluded.

Even editors can't fully grasp market trends, which is why we need a ranking system that best represents readers' preferences.

"Yes, Editor-in-Chief." Sasaki and Bottle bowed slightly.

Some cartoonists have strong opinions about the ranking of Xiaozheng, but this time it has once again proven the effectiveness of the Xiaozheng ranking.

Even manga artists like Mirai Tori, whose works are full of philosophical ideas, sometimes fail to gain traction in the teen market.

Torishima Kazuhiko nodded and said to Keiji Yoshihisa, "Summarize the readers' comments on 'Millennium Actress' and I'll take a look in a bit."

"I see."

……

Half an hour later, Sasaki called.

Higashino Hibiki was somewhat surprised; it was only Tuesday, and Kosei's grades wouldn't be available until Friday.

He didn't ask Sasaki to inform him of the preliminary rankings; that would be too much trouble.

Even if it's Xiaozheng's ranking, he only needs Sasaki to inform him if his grades drop significantly or if he's in first place.

Higashino Hibiki's heart sank; it seemed that "Millennium Actress" was not performing well.

He answered the phone quickly.

Sasaki said, "Slam Dunk is ranked number one in the preliminary rankings."

"Ah."

Hibino could sense that, perhaps because he had already decided to end Slam Dunk after the Sannoh match, Inoue Takehiko's work before the Sannoh match had a sense of impending doom.

There's also the exhilarating feeling of letting go of everything, ending the pressure that's been building up, and starting the game with a relaxed attitude.

The content right now is incredibly exciting, even without any matches.

Takehiko Inoue's talent was on full display, and he spared no expense in sharing his ideas.

This work has reached its peak.

Hibiki Higashino himself was looking forward to the final match.

That eagerness was almost palpable, like a volcanic eruption about to burst forth.

No wonder that even after a 26-year wait, countless readers still strongly support the Slam Dunk movie.

"And what about 'Millennium Actress'?" Hibiki Higashino asked.

He had already anticipated this.

"Is it third in the preliminary rankings after 'The Prince of Tennis'?" he asked, guessing.

After a long pause, Sasaki replied, "That's right."

Third place in the preliminary report...

Higashino Hibiki guessed correctly, but he was still momentarily lost in thought.

Even the first chapter of a new comic artist's work will almost always get second place; third place is considered too bad.

Moreover, it's a work by Tori Akino Mirai?

Without this title, the results would be even worse.

Higashino Hibiki was somewhat disappointed; he had put in so much effort, yet the results were unsatisfactory.

Suddenly, he remembered Akira Toriyama.

Akira Toriyama's "COWA!" received even worse reviews, but he didn't care because he was drawing what he wanted to draw.

Even though COWA! is the worst performing manga among his works, Akira Toriyama still says that COWA! is his favorite manga.

Chapter 230 Touching Bird Mountain and Crossing the River

Sasaki blamed himself: "I didn't expect 'Millennium Actress' to have such a small audience on Jump..."

"It's okay."

He heard Higashino Hibiki say that.

"It's already pretty good."

After all, "Millennium Actress" is an art film, which is critically acclaimed but not commercially successful. Its box office was not high to begin with, so it is unreasonable to force readers to like it.

It would be great if it could be serialized in Jump.

"Millennium Actress" should have been an award-winning film, but Hibiki Higashino placed it in an inappropriate position.

There are very few animated films like "Spirited Away" that are both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

He only wanted to draw "Millennium Actress" on a whim, and he shouldn't have too many demands. It would be enough to satisfy his momentary desire.

Akira Toriyama truly is Hibiki Higashino's guiding light. Whenever Higashino encounters difficulties in his manga, thinking of that teacher helps him make a decision.

He was learning by feeling his way across the river from Akira Toriyama.

"Hahaha."

Thinking of this, Higashino Hibiki couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at? What's so funny?" Sasaki asked in surprise.

Hibiki Higashino replied with a smile, "I was thinking that it would be great if there were no Hayao Miyazaki in this world, so I could copy his next work."