Full-time comic artist

Someone raised their hand, "If it's interesting, I'll come in the spring too!"

"Welcome!"

……

That evening, Nanase and Akemi Akemi were on the phone for a long time. Higashino Hibiki had been waiting for a long time, and if they didn't hang up soon, they would miss the evening's activities.

"Mingmei-neechan, thank you so much!"

Nanase was talking about her work today; she had been busy for a long time, but it was also very fulfilling.

Akimiya smiled and agreed.

Before she knew it, Nanase started snoring.

"Is it over?" Higashino asked.

Without waiting for a reply, he pressed down on her.

Chapter 252 Kubo and his little apprentice, and "Save me, Teacher Toriakino!"

Editorial Department of Weekly Shonen Jump.

After finishing his phone call, editor Takanori Asada leaned back and stretched languidly.

"What's wrong, Asada-kun?" Yoshihisa Heiji asked casually as he was organizing documents.

Takanori Asada covered his forehead and replied, "I was discussing the short story with Kubo-kun. That guy is so difficult to deal with, incredibly awkward."

Bottle nodded in realization, "It's Kubo-kun, the author of the canceled manga 'Zombie Fan'."

He finished organizing the documents, put them in a folder, picked up a chair, sat down next to Asada Takanori, and joked, "You're in charge of the very popular 'One Piece' now, and you're still trying to contact other people. That must be hard work."

Currently, the only manga in Jump with the potential to become a "Slam Dunk" is "One Piece".

Oda has a bright future ahead of him.

Takanori Asada swallowed hard, cautiously turning to the side to glance at Kazuhiko Torishima, who was working, and whispered, "Oda-kun is such a quirky person. Because his work failed to pass three consecutive serialization meetings, he made the editor-in-chief say 'I was wrong' and stuff like that. It's really scary."

That year's New Year's party really gave him a fright.

Relieved to find that Torishima Kazuhiko wasn't paying attention to him, Asada Takanori continued, "However, Oda is very talented in creation, so he doesn't actually put much effort into this aspect."

"So, how should I put it, I'm not having a hard time."

Bottle Yoshihisa nodded, patted him on the shoulder and praised, "As expected of Editor Asada, who is highly regarded by the editor-in-chief."

"Not at all," Asada waved his hand.

Bottle continued, "Kubo-kun, you met him back in '96, right?"

At that time, Tite Kubo was still called Nobuaki Kubo. In August 1996, he serialized the short manga "ULTRA UNHOLY HEARTED MACHINE" in a supplement of Jump magazine.

The comic has a complicated title and is a very ordinary work.

What made the bottle so memorable, besides its tongue-twisting name, was that issue also featured Eiichiro Oda's manga, "ROMANCN DOWN".

Thus began One Piece, and Kubo Tite, who ranked after Oda, was also remembered in Aquarius's mind.

Asada Takashi shook his head and said, "In the summer of 1995, Kubo submitted a piece to 'Hop Step.' Although he didn't win an award, it made me notice his talent."

Asada said with a hint of pride, "Back then, Kubo's manga plot was mediocre, his drawings were terrible, and even the dialogue was just pasted on with sticky notes. He was quite unprofessional. However, the lines he wrote were very elegant, like poetry, which impressed me."

Learning to draw using comic techniques is only a matter of time, but talent cannot be learned.

So he contacted Tite Kubo and taught him how to draw manga.

"Kubo is talented; it would be a shame if he couldn't continue drawing manga."

Bottle Yoshihisa nodded.

He's doing that kind of work too.

Discover the talent of someone who wants to become a cartoonist; perhaps their next comic will become a hit.

"How is the work you conceived this time, Kubo-kun?"

“It feels like it will be great,” Asada said. “The initial title of the manga is ‘BLEACH.’ Rukia, the Shinigami, passes her powers to the boy Ichigo Kurosaki… Shiori Inoue is killed by her father, who has become a Hollow. Ichigo and Rukia kill the Hollows with their Zanpakuto, and finally, Inoue and Rukia return to Soul Society together.”

……

The two of them were chatting away.

Looking at the report, Torishima Kazuhiko muttered in surprise, "The sales of Slam Dunk Volume 26 are 435 million copies."

This result shocked him.

After breaking sales records, the Slam Dunk manga continues its rapid growth, and its limits are beyond the sight of Kazuhiko Torishima.

"It would be great if Akino Tori didn't finish Slam Dunk."

Thinking of this, he lost interest again.

"Even with a sales figure of 435 million copies, it won't last long. It's a real pity."

……

"Why did we suddenly gain 20 more viewers?"

After feeling exhausted, Kazuhiko Torishima checked the sales figures for the previous volume of "Slam Dunk" on his computer and was surprised to find that volume 26 had sold 20 more copies than volume 25 in a short period.

He thought and thought but still couldn't figure it out.

"Could that kid, Tori Akino, have cheated on his grades? Did he commission someone to buy 20 copies of the manga?"

An absurd idea popped into Torishima Kazuhiko's mind.

Upon hearing this, Sasaki's face contorted into a "囧" shape.

To avoid giving Torishima Kazuhiko any reason to think too much, he explained, "They were viewers of the Slam Dunk anime that stopped airing, and because they really wanted to know what would happen in the later parts of the manga, they couldn't resist buying the collected volumes."

"There's even this benefit?" Torishima Kazuhiko remained expressionless as he pondered, "In that case, after 'Slam Dunk' finishes airing, we can grant Toei the right to rebroadcast 'Slam Dunk'..."

Sasaki cleared his throat twice. "But we've already reached an agreement with Toei to start airing episode 127 of Slam Dunk in early October. And Toei won't agree to the request to rebroadcast Slam Dunk after the manga has ended."

Now that the manga is finished, who will still watch the anime?

The viewership ratings will be significantly reduced.

"Hehe, I was just joking." Torishima Kazuhiko stuck out his tongue.

Sasaki turned away speechlessly, adjusting his glasses and thinking to himself, "How old are you...?"

……

Hibiki Higashino quickly learned about the high sales of the "Slam Dunk" manga. He took a sip of water from a mug printed with Sakuragi Hanamichi's image and nodded in satisfaction.

"That's so great, I'm so envious of Akino-sensei," Omori whispered.

The little boy, Soma Satoru, raised his hand, "I bought one too!"

"Thank you," Hibiki Higashino said to him.

“Me too! I bought two!” Middle school student Akane Nakajima and elementary school student argued back and forth.

Higashino Hibiki was both amused and exasperated. She patted her little head and said gratefully, "Thank you too."

In mid-July 2000, Hibiki Higashino was still living at the "Higashino House" in the Akimiya family home and had not moved back to his villa.

That villa has been vacant for over a year since it was renovated, and it's ready to move in long ago. Higashino Higashino has been urging Higashino Hibiki for a long time, as she really misses her daughter-in-law.

It also makes it easier to urge your grandson on.

The highly respected Mr. Akimiya would never stoop to doing something like this.

However, after Akemi Akimiya's manga began serialization, Hibiki Higashino also became busy, and neither of them could find the time.

So we decided together to stay here for now.

Higashino Shio's fervent desire could only be postponed for the time being.

……

July is the time when students are on summer vacation.

Soma Ichiro contacted Higashino Hibiki, apologetically explaining that his nephew wanted to study with Higashino Hibiki for a few days.

He said that Satoru Soma was a good boy and wouldn't bother Hibiki Higashino's work.

If anything goes wrong, you can contact him immediately.

Higashino told him not to be so reserved and readily agreed.

So for the past few days, Soma Satoru has been at Tori Akino Studio, writing and drawing along with the others.

Hibiki Higashino couldn't teach him much, but he could cultivate a heart that yearned to become a manga artist.

It just made him more determined.

As for Akane Nakajima, she was only envious of Hibiki Higashino's bookshelf.

She treasured the numerous manga volumes on the cover and kept flipping through them in Higashino Hibiki's studio.

At this moment, Akane Nakajima was lying on her side on the floor, propping her head up with her arm, just like Nobita Nobi, leisurely reading a comic book, with Akemi Akemi pouring her some frozen orange juice next to her.

Soma Satoru glanced at Nakajima Akane with disdain. This degenerate middle school girl made him lose all his former longing to become a middle school student.

If growth means decline, then he is unwilling to grow.

“Tori Akino-sensei,” Soma Satoru said, raising his hand as he watched Hibiki Higashino relax, “excuse me, why is this area blank?”

Hibiki Higashino leaned closer to look and saw that it was an original manuscript from the "Slam Dunk" manga. After Mitsui Hisashi made a three-pointer, there was a blank frame before the cheers and applause of the audience.

"This is white space," Higashino explained, pointing to the manga. "Its purpose is to give readers time to imagine. It can also create atmosphere and build up emotions."

"Soma-kun, think about it, if the plot is continuous, wouldn't it be too fast-paced? Wouldn't it make people feel breathless?"

Soma Satoru thought for a moment and then suddenly realized, "It really is just as the teacher said!"

"Oh!"

He looked at the comic book as if he had entered a new world.

This was something his uncle had never taught him.

“You still have a long way to go,” Akane Nakajima waved her hand lazily. “There are countless techniques in manga, and there’s much you need to learn.”