Full-time comic artist

What hasn't changed is Chiyoko's pursuit of the painter.

Finally, on the grey moon, there was only boundless desolation.

In the distance, there is a painting.

The painter is in the snow, with his back turned.

The lifeless moon blends into the snowy landscape, appearing both close at hand and impossibly far away.

The painter's figure gradually disappeared.

So, Chiyoko decided to take a lunar rocket and fly into space.

This is exactly the scene at the very beginning of the comic.

“This…” Naoko Takeuchi was moved; she understood Akino Tori’s future thoughts.

At this moment, Chiyoko displayed an unparalleled will to pursue her goals.

The story reaches its climax here.

An earthquake then occurred in the studio, and Chiyoko left the prop rocket.

She lost her keys in the earthquake and then retired from acting.

Chiyoko's search has come to an end.

Then comes the beginning of her comic book, thirty years after she retired from acting.

Even the devoted fan, Tachibana Gen, couldn't help but ask, "Why did you disappear from everyone's sight?"

Chiyoko was determined to follow the painter to the ends of the earth, but after that accident, she discovered that she was no longer young.

"I am no longer the person I remember."

She didn't want the painter to see her aged appearance.

Naoko Takeuchi remembered what Eiko had said.

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

So, did Chiyoko give up her pursuit because she grew old, or did she grow old because she pursued it?

Perhaps it's the former.

"Does Chiyoko harbor any resentment towards herself for having let go?"

Naoko Takeuchi didn’t understand.

Another earthquake struck, and Fujiwara Chiyoko fell seriously ill as a result.

Genji Tachibana also told the photographer something else.

The painter was killed by that policeman back then.

Chiyoko has always been searching for the shadow of the deceased.

This is truly sad news.

Naoko Takeuchi was also saddened by this, saying, "The person I've been searching for is long dead. Chiyoko must be very sad to hear this news."

Togashi shook his head. "Don't make decisions based on your own assumptions. Didn't I say before, does Chiyoko really still like the painter?"

She had long forgotten about the painter.

"Then why! Why would Chiyoko..." Naoko Takeuchi asked, puzzled, "Why would she go to such lengths to find the painter?"

Togashi placed his hands on Naoko Takeuchi's shoulders and said seriously, "Keep reading, the answer will be there later."

Even without reading the manga to the end, Togashi had already guessed what the final chapters would be like.

Fujiwara Chiyoko is dying, but she is happy.

"I can go after that person again."

She held the key in her hand as if she were holding onto her beliefs.

Tachibana Gen also sobbed uncontrollably, "This time... I'll definitely see... see that person!"

Chiyoko said, "What will happen? But maybe it doesn't matter no matter what."

"Because I..."

Everything returned to the moment of rocket launch. This time, there was no earthquake. The rocket rose high into the sky, and she set off.

"Because I like the version of myself that is pursuing that person."

Chiyoko became light.

In the final moments of her life, she finally found fulfillment.

This insightful remark made Naoko Takeuchi understand.

Even though Chiyoko's life is like a shattered painting, like a mirage, her pursuits are unattainable.

But achieving the goal is not important; what matters is the self that pursues that goal.

Her life became extraordinary because of her pursuit of the painter.

And because he gave up pursuing the painter, he ended up spending thirty lonely years.

This is the power of searching.

“She has become her most radiant self again,” Naoko Takeuchi murmured to herself.

"Chiyoko is truly radiant."

Chapter 232 I've Become Very Mature Now

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

"Because I like the version of myself that is pursuing that person."

Torishima Kazuhiko shook his head, savoring the title line from "Millennium Actress".

The profound meaning contained in the work lingered in his mind for a long time.

After a long pause, Kazuhiko Torishima remarked, "Millennium Actress is very well made, with a strong sense of connection between the beginning and the end. The moment Chiyoko boarded the rocket and flew into space, I was so moved that I wanted to cry."

"This is the value of being human."

"While reading 'Millennium Actress,' I came to understand the joy of Chiyoko Fujiwara."

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a wonderful comic."

"Millennium Actress" captivated him immensely. When he wasn't working, he would quietly sip tea and savor the manga.

Correspondingly, as he grew older, Kazuhiko Torishima gradually lost his ability to appreciate shonen manga.

We can only choose serialized works based on past experience.

The unique "One Piece" was almost rejected because of this idea.

If it were to actually happen, it would certainly be a devastating lesson.

At the New Year's party in 1998, Eiichiro Oda asked him to apologize in person.

Although he apologized without batting an eye, he was still disappointed inside.

It wasn't the disappointment of being proven wrong, but rather the realization that reality had shown him he wasn't suited for the editor-in-chief position.

His past glory became a mirror, making him clearly aware of his current desolation and incompetence.

Torishima Kazuhiko stopped talking, and Sasaki nodded beside him. This was also his feeling when he first saw the storyboard of "Millennium Actress". After that, he decided to serialize it as a short story without hesitation.

Sasaki said, "It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call 'Millennium Actress' an art manga."

Torishima Kazuhiko looked up at Sasaki and suddenly asked excitedly, "What was the newspaper's rating for the final episode of 'Millennium Actress'?"

Torishima Kazuhiko immediately snapped out of his inner world and started to care about the viewership of "Millennium Actress".

If "Millennium Actress" ranks in the top three of the popular manga series, then it can be released as a standalone book and made into a movie.

While Millennium Actress's previous performances weren't great, the final episode was exceptionally brilliant, elevating the work's overall quality and attracting countless viewers, which is quite understandable.

At this moment, Torishima Kazuhiko looked at Sasaki expectantly.

Sasaki adjusted his glasses and calmly replied, "It's 7th place."

"Huh?" Torishima Kazuhiko was stunned. "Only 7th place?"

His low ranking was something he hadn't expected.

According to Kazuhiko Torishima, this manga is more exciting than most works in Shonen Jump, and even though it was serialized in Shonen Jump, it should be ranked third.

After all, Jump has a large readership and is a long-established magazine with decades of history, so it's reasonable for it to have accumulated a group of older readers.

They will understand "Millennium Actress" and like the work.

That's what Kazuhiko Torishima thought.

"I thought the lowest I'd get would be third place..."

He felt utterly powerless.

Sasaki lowered his head. "After all, Jump is a shonen manga, and if Millennium Actress wasn't Tori Akino's work, this ranking would be even lower."

If Millennium Actress were the work of another manga artist, its ranking in the minor anime category would be around 15th.

“Sasaki-kun,” Torishima Kazuhiko said calmly, “I may not be suited to be the editor-in-chief.”

……

"Mom, I'm home!" Akane Nakajima returned home carrying her schoolbag, waving enthusiastically and shouting loudly.

In the past, Mrs. Nakajima would greet her with a smile.

But today, Akane Nakajima didn't see her mother.

"That's so strange."

After putting down her schoolbag in the entryway, Akane Nakajima cautiously walked towards the living room, where she faintly heard someone sobbing.

She rushed over and found Mrs. Nakajima's eyes were red and swollen, and she was constantly wiping away tears with tissues.

Akane Nakajima immediately asked with concern, "Mom, what's wrong? What happened?"