Full-time comic artist

“It’s nothing,” Soma Satoru replied.

If I say I want to become like Tori Akino, my friends will laugh at my delusions.

My friend sat at the table in front of Satoru Soma, looking out the window. "That's strange, there's no swimming lesson right now."

"Pfft!" Soma Satoru had just taken a sip of water when he heard this and spat it out. His face turned red. "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"There must be something wrong with them acting so urgently."

……

The two of them sat together chatting, while a young girl next to them sighed helplessly, "Boys, really, they still haven't grown up."

Her companion laughed and said, "Xianghui sounds like an adult when she says that."

“Right, right!” Xiang Hui’s eyes lit up, then she added, “But the boys… they’re all talking about Death Note and stuff, it’s so boring.”

In an effort to fit in, she watched "Death Note," but didn't really understand it. It was basically about cults and violence, and the monsters scared her.

"Death Note is really interesting," his companion said gently. "It's a rare gem of a manga, and the animation is also excellent. It's a work that you won't want to put down."

"If..." She stopped there, her head drooping, her eyes lost in thought.

"Eh! Is that so?"

“Of course,” my friend said. “Manga like Death Note is quite rare.”

"Then I'll try again." Xianghui nodded earnestly, having made up her mind.

……

After school, Soma Satoru went home. He said goodbye to his best friend and went to his uncle's studio.

Soma Ichiro was still painting.

This was a look that Soma Satoru was extremely familiar with; his uncle was always drawing comics, yet he never achieved anything.

After more than a year of hard work, I have gained nothing.

Since the contract fee income from Shueisha stopped, my uncle has become an unemployed vagrant with no income.

He is 34 years old and has devoted all his energy to the industry, which is like a black hole. He is unmarried, has no social life, and has become an outlier in his family and a case study of how mothers educate their children in the neighborhood.

"Don't become like Uncle Soma."

Soma Satoru's mother also had objections. This younger brother, Kimi, was idle and listless, and had even corrupted her own child.

"Don't follow your uncle's example."

His mother always said that.

Will my future be like my uncle's?

Soma Satoru thought to himself.

He looked at his uncle's expression; he was so engrossed that he wasn't bothered by the sound of him entering the room. It was as if the pen and the drawing in his hand were his entire world.

"It feels pretty good."

Soma Satoru said with a smile.

……

"What's not bad?"

Soma Ichiro put down his pen and asked.

"To become a focused person like Uncle." Soma Satoru, carrying his schoolbag, jumped onto the sofa.

"I shouldn't become myself for now." Soma Ichiro shook his head. "Right now, I'm a loser."

Even though I used to have serialized my work and had it animated, I'm just a newcomer starting over after being eliminated.

I'm so pathetic that I'm still trying to submit articles at 34.

“It’s fun to work hard,” Soma Satoru said with a smile. “But it would be even better if I could become a popular manga artist like Tori Akino-sensei.”

"Your goal is Akira Toriyama, that's too difficult." Ichiro Soma gave him a thumbs up. "But having a lofty goal gives you more motivation to strive. My goal is Akira Toriyama, but it still seems out of reach right now."

"Uncle, let's cheer each other on!"

"Ouch!" Soma Ichiro cried out, raising his arm. "It...it hurts so much..."

His excited expression froze, sweat streamed down his forehead, his open mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Uncle! What's wrong?" Soma Satoru rushed over and helped Soma Ichiro sit down.

"No...it's nothing, I just twisted my waist." Soma Ichiro gasped in pain. "Let me rest for a bit."

He spends all his time drawing comics, and maintaining the same posture for so long has caused him to develop a host of health problems.

Normally, the energy-saving mode is fine, but the "big move" just now really exceeded the body's capacity.

He can't draw comics for the time being.

"I haven't read this week's Jump yet, Satoru, could you get it for me? It's right by the door."

Soma Satoru retrieved Jump, and Soma Ichiro, enduring the pain, began to read it.

Jump is a must-read for any comic artist, as it provides inspiration and insights into current market trends.

Learning from other comic artists' storyboards is also an essential course.

"The Jaya Island arc in One Piece is still as interesting as ever. Oda-sensei's imagination is just too rich."

"The Chunin Exams are here in Naruto. I wonder what abilities the ninjas from the other villages have."

"Teacher Shancun's 'Blind Football,' a story about chasing dreams, is still very inspiring. People with disabilities also have the right to pursue championships."

"Hunter x Hunter is still on hiatus."

"The Prince of Tennis... I don't quite understand it, but Takeshi Konomi's ability to evoke emotions in the audience is something to learn."

With a thirst for knowledge, Ichiro Soma carefully studied Jump, learning from the strengths of different manga artists.

"Death Note's performance has declined, now ranking fifth. It seems that readers don't quite approve of the murder livestream plot."

"Is Tori Akino-sensei also not in good condition? That makes sense. The storyboards for Death Note are difficult to write, and it's too hard to maintain a high level of storytelling."

Detective and mystery manga is difficult to draw, and fast-paced manga like Death Note is even more difficult.

It's truly remarkable that Death Note has maintained its quality for 24 episodes.

"After reading this episode, Uncle, your opinion will change."

Hearing Soma Ichiro's mutterings, Soma Satoru couldn't help but speak.

"Oh, looks like this 'Shield' chapter is going to be exciting," Soma Ichiro glanced at his nephew, his anticipation rising. "Then I'll start reading."

……

The masked police forming a human wall to protect the nameless hero Souichirou Yagami is a rare and thrilling scene in "Death Note".

The plot here is perfectly arranged, and Soma Ichiro kept nodding in approval.

He wondered, "Why can't I draw something like this?"

However, Soma Ichiro still had some doubts, and this part of the story couldn't explain Yagami Light's actions.

The protagonist's character deterioration is a very bad aspect of the comic.

As a god who claims to be creating a new world, Light Yagami has not yet stooped to the point of threatening the police.

"First, it will take the lives of high-ranking police officers or the commander, L."

"If L doesn't show up, he will start by killing off the top police officers around the world one by one."

Soma Ichiro pondered Kira's threatening words from the manga.

This is something Light Yagami would do, but Light Yagami also cherishes his reputation and wants to protect Kira's glorious image. This is like a murder warning that only a terrorist organization would make. Unless he is driven to the brink, Light Yagami would not do it.

Killing high-ranking police officers worldwide means that Yue has obtained the "Grim Reaper's Eyes." Why did he suddenly obtain the "Grim Reaper's Eyes"?

In short, it's very strange.

“Is it really true that conflict is prioritized over the plausibility of the plot?” Soma Ichiro sighed.

He couldn't quite figure out how to make the plot believable.

However, this chapter is not over yet, and Soma Ichiro continues reading.

His eyes widened in astonishment.

"A second Kira! So that's what happened!"

……

Besides Light Yagami, another Death Note owner has appeared; he is a supporter of Kira and is the one who did this.

Light Yagami laughed triumphantly.

Upon seeing this, Yoshihiro Togashi suddenly realized, "I knew it was a bit strange... Oh, I see... What a clever design."

When conflict diminishes, introducing a third party increases the possibilities.

"Great idea! That kid, Tori Akino, is really shrewd."

“Tori Akino-kun is 26 years old, isn’t he?” Naoko Takeuchi glanced at him.

"Twenty-six years old is still my junior," Yoshihiro Togashi glared back, looking at the last panel of Death Note with envy. "That's amazing! I wish I had drawn it, damn it!"

……

The mountain village resident, Shoudao, is riding high on the spring breeze.

"Blind Soccer" made a late but decisive move. After an initial period of transparency, the characters gradually became more fleshed out, and it finally took off.

In the 2002 rankings, "Blind Football" consistently ranked in the top three.

It's just not as good as Naruto, One Piece, or the occasional Death Note.

Even better, it seems that Tori Akino has run out of ideas and is resorting to drawing randomly.

"The character designs were changed for the sake of the plot. Was this really drawn by Tori Akino?"

"He threw himself into disarray. Does this mean I've surpassed Tori Akino?"

Thinking about this, Yamamura Morimichi hesitated. He had been chasing after such an unattainable figure for so many years, and now he had suddenly surpassed it.