Full-time comic artist

"Haha, don't worry about such trivial matters," Higashino Hibiki said seriously after laughing, "Congratulations on completing the serialization. It's really not easy. You've worked hard for so long."

"Teacher Toriakino... thank you."

One of the most popular shonen manga, Naruto, is about to start serialization again; the next era is almost here.

Whether or not there was a ship big enough to carry him, Higashino Hibiki didn't care; he just kept drawing as planned.

After achieving financial freedom, his passion for drawing comics gradually evolved from something he did for money into a hobby.

Because it's fun to draw.

"Only those who keep pursuing things will never grow old."

……

The manga "Millennium Actress" is being serialized, and the reality in the story is intertwined with the movie, making it impossible for readers to tell whether they are watching reality or a movie.

I can't tell them apart, I really can't tell them apart.

The camera constantly shifts between the Warring States period, a time of conquest, and the late Edo period, a time of constant sacrifice for patriots; from the Taisho era, a time of reform and persecution of those who advocated for equality, to Tokyo, a time of bombing raids.

In her quest to find that painter, Chiyoko Fujiwara continued to make films.

She grew up and became more and more beautiful and charming.

Chiyoko Fujiwara's films come in various genres, but some of the content remains the same.

"Firstly, it's anti-war," Hiroshi Motomiya concluded, looking at "Millennium Actress." "Chiyoko Fujiwara made so many films, always focusing on Japan's darkest periods. Against a grand backdrop, she depicted the sorrow of the people and the rise and fall of the era."

"The comic has always been shrouded in darkness and oppression because of the disasters brought by war. Civilians are unable to live the lives they want."

"Secondly, in every film, Fujiwara Chiyoko is searching for someone who is the embodiment of the painter in the film, but no matter how much she struggles, she cannot be with the painter. As long as the war continues, the two of them cannot be happy."

"Tori Akino Mirai's work is really well drawn."

Such artistry is something that Hiroshi Motomiya could not achieve.

His comics are simple and realistic. Works like "Millennium Actress," which intertwine reality and fantasy and have many stories, are truly rare.

Hiroshi Motomiya has watched "Millennium Actress" several times, and each time he discovers new points and gains new understanding.

……

After World War II, the world was completely changed, and Chiyoko had no clue whatsoever about the painter.

She was thinking about more work, and that person would see the movies she made.

During filming, Chiyoko met director Otaki, who was pursuing her.

She had been pursuing the painter for a long time, and for a moment, she almost agreed.

However, because she had the painter's key, she ultimately refused.

When Eiko, who has always acted alongside Chiyoko, first appeared in the manga, she was a charming beauty. Now, while Chiyoko remains as beautiful as ever, Eiko has become a middle-aged woman and is playing roles that are Chiyoko's elders.

During filming, she stole Chiyoko's emotional anchor—the key.

So, Chiyoko and Otaki got married.

She cleaned the room and became a housewife.

"Huh?" Naoko Takeuchi's heart skipped a beat when she saw this.

I don't know if it was because Chiyoko gave up being a painter, or because she gave up her film career.

Naoko Takeuchi then thought of a manga she really liked, "5 Centimeters Per Second".

Takaki Tono and Akari eventually parted ways due to the separation of space and the passage of time.

Once the love was over, it eventually faded away and became nothing more than a memory.

In the face of time, love is nothing.

"Is Tori Akino Mirai trying to pull the same trick again?"

In "Millennium Actress", Fujiwara Chiyoko is always pursuing the painter, and she never gives up on him even after she has achieved fame and success.

This deep love moved Naoko Takeuchi.

Before disappearing, the painter also painted Chiyoko during her student days on the wall where she was hiding.

They fell in love with each other after just one meeting, which Naoko Takeuchi thought was incredibly romantic.

So, has Chiyoko let go of it now?

Naoko Takeuchi's expression twisted.

“Think about it carefully, Naoko,” Togashi said, lying on the ground, painfully drawing storyboards.

He drew with exceptional care; the figures, backgrounds, and spatial perspectives were all very clear, to the point that they could be directly serialized.

"What kind of artist did Chiyoko remember in the manga?"

Naoko Takeuchi quickly flipped through the pages and exclaimed in surprise, "There's no front view!"

Togashi lamented, "Perhaps over the long course of time, Chiyoko has long forgotten the painter's face. Is she searching for the painter, or for herself who is 'searching for the painter'?"

Naoko Takeuchi didn't understand, and Togashi wanted to explain further, but she refused.

"Please let me continue watching."

……

The subsequent storyline of "Millennium Actress".

Chiyoko discovered Eiko's actions and retrieved the key.

It was her husband, director Otaki, who sabotaged her marriage to get Chiyoko, which led to their divorce.

Eiko had her own reasons; she envied Chiyoko.

"You'll always be this young when it comes to chasing a man."

Compared to Chiyoko, who had aged and lost her beauty, Eiko no longer felt jealous of Chiyoko.

This line deeply moved Naoko Takeuchi.

She always understood that it was Chiyoko who made sacrifices for the painter.

But think about it, because of the painter, Chiyoko had the courage to become an actress, and she worked hard, made movies, and eventually became a famous actress.

Because of her status as a painter, Chiyoko possessed a firm belief that filled her with vigor, preventing her youth from fading with time.

Chiyoko, who is pursuing the painter, shines with her own light, so dazzling that she attracts director Otaki and Genya Tachibana.

“Ah,” Naoko Takeuchi recalled that the last time she was sad, it wasn’t just because Chiyoko had forgotten her love, but also because she had lost her vibrant self.

"If Chiyoko doesn't pursue the life of a painter, what's the difference between her and other actresses?"

After watching six episodes of "Millennium Actress," she finally understood another core aspect of the work—the pursuit of beauty.

Just like in "Hikaru no Go," the players in the game are all pursuing the divine move.

Even if you don't achieve it, the pursuit itself is valuable enough.

“What an amazing manga,” Naoko Takeuchi exclaimed.

“Yes,” Yoshihiro Togashi nodded, “After drawing Slam Dunk, Akino-sensei was not satisfied and is still pursuing more possibilities in manga.”

“I think I see another person in him.”

Naoko Takeuchi asked curiously, "Who?"

Togashi paused, then slowly said, "The God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka."

"This mindset of constantly pursuing, breaking through one's own limits, and never being satisfied is just like that of Tezuka-sensei."

Osamu Tezuka passed away in 1989, saying "Give me a pencil" before his death.

Even until the moment of his death, he still couldn't let go of comics.

Yoshihiro Togashi had met Osamu Tezuka at the previous Tezuka Award ceremony.

Osamu Tezuka said, "Please be sure to create works that give children dreams!"

This master of comics maintained his original passion for drawing comics even in his later years. He was still a person who kept pursuing his dreams and was not defeated by old age.

"Tezuka-sensei was truly amazing."

After Yoshihiro Togashi finished speaking, the room fell silent.

"Yes."

After a long pause, Naoko Takeuchi sighed.

……

The Special Higher Police officer who had once hunted down the painter came to find Fujiwara Chiyoko, leaning on a cane.

He had aged considerably; he was blind in one eye and had lost a leg.

His clothes were disheveled; his life was not good.

"Before the war, I did all sorts of heinous things as a lackey of power, and now I travel around like this in order to atone for some of my sins."

He knelt down and apologized to Chiyoko.

Most importantly, he brought a letter that the painter had left to thank Chiyoko years ago.

Painting in my hometown, the snow country of Hokkaido.

They had made such an agreement.

And so, Chiyoko began to run.

The scenes from a thousand years of time are constantly being spliced ​​together.

From the very beginning of filming, Chiyoko, who was searching for the painter, began her search once again.

as always.

As you run, obstacles will inevitably arise.

Chiyoko gritted her teeth and persevered, overcoming one obstacle after another.

Time begins to flow.

The new movie features Godzilla and space, transforming a historical drama into a science fiction film.