Full-time comic artist

"This film, Paprika, is an adaptation of Yasutaka Tsutsui's The Dream Detective."

"Tsutsui-sensei is a senior I have always respected. This film, 'Dream Detective,' is no less impressive than his 'All Outside Japan Sinks.'"

"The Dream Raiders is very complex. While maintaining the characteristics of the original work, Paprika has refined the content and written new plots. Even outside of literature, it is a rare masterpiece."

The female reporter nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Even Mr. Miura admires shonen manga."

Miura looked up and glared at the female reporter.

Can't this woman grasp the key point?

Am I talking about this? I mean that there are classic literary works in shonen manga, not that shonen manga is worthy of admiration.

Don't misunderstand.

His heart was churning with emotions, but he still had a smile on his face. "Comics are also works of literature."

Mr. Akimiya didn't care about Miura's embarrassing moment.

The mention of "Paprika" by Miura just now surprised him slightly.

The day before, he went to visit his daughter and brought back a stack of comic magazines. He heard that his son-in-law Hibiki Higashino's new work, "Paprika," was in the magazines and asked him to give his opinion.

Mr. Akimiya was very reluctant.

The words on the jump sign were so small that it was torture for him, so he didn't bother to look at them.

"After all that, it turns out he was praising Higashino's work."

Mr. Akimiya couldn't help but laugh; he now had the right to show off in front of Miura.

Although my old friend Miura cares a lot about fame, he doesn't lie.

So, does that mean Paprika is indeed a top-notch comic?

Thinking this through, Mr. Akimiya finished watching the interview, then pulled out the stack of manga magazines, put on his reading glasses, and began to examine them carefully.

……

Hibiki Higashino spread the newspaper on the coffee table, and he and Akemi Akimiya stared intently at the article by film director Shusuke Kaneko.

The article is titled "Reflections on Reading 'Paprika': An Unparalleled Masterpiece of Genius".

It's clear from his feelings about "Paprika".

"On August 5th, I unexpectedly saw a manga on my son's computer, adapted from Yasutaka Tsutsui's 'Dream Raider'."

“I didn’t care at first. After finishing ‘The Great Monster Battle’ in 1996, I couldn’t resist the urge to turn ‘The Dream Detective’ into a movie.”

"It was a momentary impulse, but also a firm goal."

"My idea to adapt 'The Dream Detective' was readily accepted by Mr. Tsutsui."

"But in the end, I had to abandon this project."

"The reason lies in the unique nature of *Inception*. Although the novel's content revolves around 'dreams and reality,' dreams play a larger role. This necessitates extensive use of special effects, and the exorbitant production costs are a major obstacle."

"Of course, the more important reason is my own lack of ability. First, I cannot perfectly express the dream in the novel on screen. This is not my strength, and if I cannot do this, the film will inevitably fail."

"Secondly, Yasutaka Tsutsui's 'Dream Raider' leans towards stream of consciousness, with a disorganized and scattered writing style. Without careful reading, it may be difficult to understand what it is about. When adapting it into a film, it is necessary to summarize the main plot of the novel and also to conceive new content that runs through the entire story in the dream representation, so that the film can be twisted into a cohesive whole, unlike the novel which is chaotic."

"This is really a very difficult thing. Many filmmakers like me were interested in 'Inception' but ultimately gave up."

"We gave *The Dream Detective* a fancy nickname—'a novel that can never be made into a movie.'"

"So when I see a shonen manga adaptation of 'Dream Raiders,' I don't actually have much expectation."

"Can a cartoonist unravel the core of 'Dream Detective'?"

"But after watching it carefully, I was shocked by Paprika."

"This comic is so wonderful, it's like the masterpiece of a film master."

"The problems I raised were all perfectly resolved. I felt both ashamed and excited."

"My views on comics as a form of literary creation have changed."

"In the last two years, I haven't seen any movies that surpass Paprika."

"That's right. If an animated film were made using the storyboard of Paprika, it could rival Miyazaki Hayao's Spirited Away. That's what I think."

At the end of the article, director Shusuke Kaneko said he would recommend Paprika to his friends.

After reading the news, Akemi Akimiya and Hibiki Higashino looked at each other in bewilderment.

This is actually a film director's expression of admiration for Hibiki Higashino.

To be honest, Akemi Akimiya herself was also confused about "Paprika". She thought this manga was Hibiki Higashino's Waterloo, but it turned out to be his highest-rated work.

"Director Kaneko Shusuke wouldn't happen to be..." Akemi Akemi asked tentatively, "someone you hired to flatter yourself, would he?"

Higashino Hibiki stared at her blankly. "Huh?"

"I just can't believe it!" She patted Higashino Hibiki on the shoulder and laughed heartily. "Congratulations, Hibiki."

"Thank you, but..." Hibiki Higashino managed a weak smile, "It hurts so much."

"Sorry." Akemi Akemi awkwardly withdrew her hand.

……

Shusuke Kaneko's article sparked a heated discussion.

Spirited Away is the pinnacle of Japanese animated films, unmatched by any of Miyazaki's other animated works.

A director has now openly stated that Paprika has the potential to become the next Spirited Away.

This morning's interview with writer Miura also mentioned "Paprika".

This writer also praised Paprika highly.

This has inevitably piqued the curiosity of many people.

They bought Jump, read it carefully, and approached Paprika with the mindset of reading a classic novel, and immediately gained a lot of insights.

"The manga isn't finished yet, but just reading the first part, you can feel the amazing imagination of Akino Tori. This imagination, combined with his exquisite drawings, is so impactful."

"It's been a long time since I've seen a comic with such visual effects; it feels like experiencing an adventure."

"This is an unprecedented and unparalleled achievement."

Many media professionals have begun to speak out.

Suddenly, Paprika, which had been disliked in the past, shone brightly and became a popular film.

……

This is the taxi that Hibiki Higashino and Masashi Kishimoto rode in.

The driver glanced at the rearview mirror and said, "Paprika has a very strong visual impact; I was completely engrossed in it."

"That's right!" the passenger replied excitedly, "It's really beautiful!"

The driver smiled.

……

Higashino's house.

He was making a phone call on the balcony.

The person who called was Eiichiro Oda.

"Tori Akino-sensei, you're amazing. So many authors and directors who usually look down on manga are talking about your 'Paprika'."

Oda couldn't get into this manga; he only learned the paneling techniques and skipped it. He never expected that the content would catch the eye of so many arrogant literary figures.

Right now, he's watching TV; it's Tsutsui Yasutaka being interviewed.

“In May, people from Shueisha came to see me to inquire about adapting ‘Dream Raider’ on behalf of Ms. Akino Mirai.”

"I was initially reluctant. I can't just agree to any changes you make; I have to see the results first."

“Shonen comics and ‘Inception’ have absolutely nothing to do with each other, and I never even thought about it. But after seeing the storyboard for ‘Paprika,’ I immediately agreed.”

"Paprika is clearer and easier to understand than Inception."

"How should I put it? It was an eye-opening experience."

……

Eiichiro Oda thought to himself that he still hadn't been able to catch up with his teacher.

While he was drawing mainstream manga, Tori Akino had already started drawing more challenging works.

While these kinds of artistic works may not be as culturally valuable or socially impactful as mainstream comics, they offer readers a deeper level of reflection.

Oda is content with drawing One Piece now and doesn't want to get involved in more fields, but he deeply admires Akino Mirai who keeps exploring.

Hibiki Higashino looked downstairs and saw the neighbor's children returning home from tutoring. He waved to Ken Miyano while responding to Oda's words.

"That's because the original work is so good; I personally didn't contribute anything."

"Teacher, you are so modest, just like Akira Toriyama."

Hibiki Higashino raised an eyebrow. "Have you been in contact with Toriyama-sensei lately?"

“Yes,” Oda replied happily. “With the editorial department’s arrangements, I might have the opportunity to collaborate with Toriyama-sensei.”

"Congratulations," Hibiki Higashino said.

……

Mr. Akimiya finished reading "Paprika" with great difficulty, and his eyes were very dry.

However, he greatly admired Hibiki Higashino's handling of the manga, which gave "Dream Raiders" even greater glory.

"Compared to when he drew 'Millennium Actress,' Higashino has made a lot of progress with 'Paprika.'"

He nodded in satisfaction, and couldn't help but pick up his phone to call Higashino Hibiki, wanting to give him a rare opportunity to praise him.

However, the phone went dead; the other party was on another call, so Mr. Akimiya had no choice but to give up.

He put down his phone and left the room.

After Hibiki Higashino finished his call with Oda, he saw Mr. Akimiya's call notification and quickly called back, but no one answered for a long time.

He could only regretfully give up.