Full-time comic artist

Only those who have access to the Death Note can sense Ryuk.

As for the price of using the Death Note, it is that when Light is about to die, Ryuk will write Light Yagami's name in his notebook.

Moreover, after his death, Light Yagami could neither go to heaven nor hell.

……

Koji Yoshida choked.

One of the biggest advantages of Mirai Toriyama as a manga artist is the drawing skills he honed on "Slam Dunk".

In the last few episodes before the end of "Slam Dunk", there was even a silent episode without any lines or narration.

It caused a sensation in Japan immediately after it was published and was very popular with readers.

That is, through the drawing alone, the reader can understand the extent to which things are developing.

The dynamic shots of the human body have reached their pinnacle.

However, this Death Note has abandoned this advantage and instead uses a lot of dialogue to advance the plot in a storytelling manner.

It has a style similar to Togashi's "LEVEL E".

Birds in autumn are playing to their weaknesses and avoiding their strengths; are they trying to challenge themselves?

Despite the various problems, however...

"This is so much fun!"

Before even finishing the first episode, Koji Yoshida excitedly shouted it out.

He looked at the close-up of Ryuk in the manga. Although it was just a panel, Mirai Toriaki had drawn Ryuk's ferocity and cunning, giving him a thrilling feeling that made his heart stop.

"I really want to see the original manuscript!"

Koji Yoshida was making a huge fuss when Hibiki Higashino leaned closer and asked, "Finished watching?"

"Not...not yet..."

"Then let's continue."

"Yes Yes……"

……

Ryuk threw the notebook into the human world because he was bored. The notebook couldn't kill Death, so he just came to amuse himself.

Yue was the same; he was also bored, so he decided to kill someone who didn't matter.

It was not someone close to him or someone he had no connection with.

So he wrote down the perpetrator's name in an emergency news broadcast, and 40 seconds later, the perpetrator died.

To verify the authenticity of the notebook, he wrote down the death of a hoodlum, with the cause of death being the same as what he had written: a car accident.

The Death Note is all real!

Light Yagami killed two people with his own hands, the latter of whom was just a thug and shouldn't have been killed.

After a fierce internal struggle, he finally transformed from a model student.

"This world is corrupting, and it's better for rotten people to die!"

Light Yagami wants to create the wonderful world he desires!

In five days, Light Yagami lost 8 pounds as he wrote down the names of criminals in his notebook through news and the internet.

He did not write down the cause of death; all of them died of cardiac arrest. So many criminals died from the same cause, which is a loophole, but it was also something that Light Yagami did on purpose.

He hopes that people will become aware of his existence, know that he is fighting criminals, and thus feel awe, and the world will move in a better direction.

And he...

He will become the god of the new world!

At the end of the comic, a clue was left: Interpol had become aware of Yue's actions and began a meeting.

End of episode one.

……

After reading it, Koji Yoshida had many things he wanted to say, but in the end, he couldn't say them.

Because he only had a lot of feelings to express, but no advice to offer.

The story is already perfect, and there's no need to make any changes in the short term.

The level of completion was so high that editor Yoshida couldn't immediately get into character.

“Death Note is an evil manga,” Hibiki Higashino said first.

He learned about this term from the manga series "Bakuman," which is known for its dark, cruel, and mind-bending plots.

The Promised Neverland and Kaiji are examples of this.

However, Death Note took it to an extreme.

"Heretical comics? Yes, that's right!" Yoshida nodded, quickly understanding the point.

Death Note differs from mainstream manga like Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball, and One Piece; it deviates from them and, as a general term, should be called a heretical manga.

“Light Yagami’s character design is excellent,” Yoshida said, his mind racing, uttering some unnecessary words.

"If Death Note were to be serialized, there would be a hidden worry: readers would be influenced by Light Yagami and think that what he did was right, which would be too dangerous."

"He wanted to become the god of the new world, and he even killed thugs who didn't deserve to die, which shows that he wasn't pure; he was a hypocritical murderer."

As he spoke, Koji Yoshida's pace quickened. "When Yagami first met Ryuk, he was terrified and embarrassed, which shows his inner weakness."

"Light Yagami killed someone out of boredom, which shows that he has an antisocial personality!"

"He will definitely be admired by readers, but there will also be readers who realize this."

“Teacher Akino,” Yoshida Koji looked at Higashino Hibiki with bright eyes, his admiration evident in his expression, “You’ve thought of everything, you’ve considered every aspect, you’re amazing.”

"As expected of Akino Mirai! Even with unfamiliar themes, she can draw them with such delicacy! Teacher, your previous long-running manga were all sports-themed, and you're used to the exciting and action-packed plots. Now, even when drawing unconventional manga, you still handle it with ease, clearly capturing Yagami Light's personality traits without any sense of incongruity. Only Togashi-sensei in Jump can do what you do!"

“Yoshida-kun, you…” Hibiki Higashino was taken aback.

This editor is completely different from Sasaki; he showered Sasaki with praise, giving me the feeling of... meeting a brainless fan.

However, Yoshida is very insightful; after reading only the first episode, he has a very thorough understanding of Death Note.

Higashino Hibiki decided to keep him.

It wasn't because Yoshida liked to flatter him.

“You’re absolutely right,” Higashino Hibiki said with a smile and a nod.

Light Yagami is undoubtedly a serial killer who is willing to give up anything to achieve his goals.

When Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba were drawing, they decided that Light Yagami would die a horrible death.

In order to depict the battle of wits, Light Yagami must be portrayed as very charismatic.

So from the very beginning, they depicted the essence of Light Yagami.

"Thank you, teacher!" Yoshida rubbed his hands excitedly as his analysis was acknowledged. "A villainous protagonist who kills hundreds of people right at the start—that's the first time this has happened in Jump!"

He could already imagine that the serialization of this comic would be a thunderbolt from a clear sky, causing a huge stir in society.

Public opinion will be just as strong as it was when Evangelion was released.

"Can Death Note be serialized?" he couldn't help but wonder, feeling uncertain.

However, he did not say anything discouraging to Hibiki Higashino.

This is the editor's job; the editorial department creates the conditions and opportunities.

Cartoonists only need to draw cartoons.

"Teacher, Death Note will definitely be serialized!" Koji Yoshida gave a thumbs up.

The miracle of Tori Akino's future continues.

"Thank you." Higashino smiled and looked at Tanaka, whose assistant had remained silent, as if he didn't exist.

"Tanaka, what's wrong?"

"T-Teacher..." Tanaka stammered, "Are we really going to draw Death Note? I'm scared."

Chapter 269 Exorcism Ritual and the Negative Impact of Dark-Themed Comics

After reading Death Note, Koji Yoshida believed it would be a media bombshell, ushering in a new era for Akino Tori.

Tanaka, however, began to shiver.

Higashino smiled slightly. He was prepared for this. As long as he comforted Tanaka properly, Tanaka would understand that "Death Note" was just a dark intellectual mystery and had nothing to do with horror manga.

We're not drawing manga by Junji Ito.

"The upcoming plot will feature a detective named L, who possesses a genius mind and daring action, excels at reasoning and deduction, and assists various ICPO countries in capturing Light Yagami. Therefore, Death Note is a story of intellectual battles. The dark side and the light side each have their advantages, and through clever plot development, it will determine which side will meet its end."

"This is a dual-male protagonist setting!" As soon as Higashino Hibiki finished speaking, Yoshida Koji excitedly exclaimed, "Like an angel and a demon? The righteous side using the powers of detectives and the evil side using the 'Death Note,' a battle of wits between the two protagonists! That's really interesting!"

Hibiki Higashino spread his hands and said to Tanaka, "That's right, just like what Editor Yoshida said. Tanaka, you don't need to worry at all. This manga isn't scary at all."

Aside from Ryuk's big face...

“Teacher…” Tanaka scratched his cheek, saying awkwardly, “It’s not what you think…”

"Horror comics... I also really enjoy reading Tomie, Head Balloon, and Whirlpool. What I'm worried about is..."

Tanaka blinked his big, innocent eyes, "The Grim Reaper, a notebook that can write about the dead... Won't that offend unknown beings? What if I get cursed..."

"Huh?" Higashino Hibiki was stunned.

……

Before the manga began, contrary to Hibiki Higashino's expectations, the progress stalled at a strange point.

It wasn't the strong public opinion or the editor's opposition, but rather the strange thought process of the assistant, Tanaka.

Hibiki Higashino doesn't believe in supernatural phenomena or curses at all.

"How is this possible?" Higashino Hibiki was speechless.