Full-time comic artist

This newcomer is getting more and more outrageous.

Why did Mr. Torishima, who dislikes comics, become a comic editor?

"Just to make a living."

"Me too."

Seeing Higashino Hibiki engrossed in eating, Torishima Kazuhiko realized, "So you came to see me just so I would treat you to a meal."

"Of course not, I've been starving for a long time. I endured the hunger so I could see you sooner, and now I can't wait any longer." Higashino Hibiki chewed on his fried rice, a grain of rice stuck to the corner of his mouth, looking very convincing and "serious".

Torishima Kazuhiko's brow twitched, and he asked unwillingly, "Then what about Dragon Ball? You must know about that, right?"

"Oh! Wukong! Of course I know that!"

Kakarot, the "Hairy Demon," was his favorite cartoon character when he was a child.

A wide variety of animals and unusual vehicles, brimming with boundless imagination.

The first and second World Martial Arts Tournaments were filled with exciting battle scenes.

There are also seven Dragon Balls from which you can make a wish.

Every single one of them was a boy's dream when he was a child.

“Yes, I’m talking about Dragon Ball,” Kazuhiko Torishima sighed. “That’s how I discovered Akira Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball.”

He pointed at Hibiki Higashino and said, "After reading your manga, I think you are the Akira Toriyama of the past! You have that potential."

Facing the earnest Kazuhiko Torishima, Hibiki Higashino calmly said, "Please let me take a look at 'The Battle of Gods and Men'."

At this moment, less than three minutes later, Higashino Hibiki had finished eating his fried rice. He stretched out his hand, his eyes fixed on the brown paper bag in Torishima Kazuhiko's hand.

Although it was very strange that the person in front of him was so calm, Kazuhiko Torishima still handed the manga manuscript to Hibiki Higashino.

Hibiki looked around, took out a tissue, wiped his hands clean, took the manga with both hands, and then began to read it carefully.

After a long while, when Torishima Kazuhiko had finished his tonkotsu ramen and was feeling rather bored.

“I think you’re manipulating me,” Hibiki Higashino said.

The plot of "War of Gods and Humans" is very simple: 800 gods sacrifice humans, and in the face of crisis, a village called Kamishiro Village retains the ultimate weapon to fight against the gods.

The protagonist, Kurata Issei, is the chosen one.

A very formulaic and boring story.

Moreover, the storyboarding is terrible, making it impossible to connect it to the battle content.

Often, the battle has just begun, and the outcome is decided within a single shot.

There was so much text that Higashino Higashino was overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin.

His only advantage is that he is very good at drawing.

It's not like a comic that a high school student could draw; it has a strong personal style and is on par with comic artists who are currently serializing their works.

Even so, it's impossible to see any potential to rival Akira Toriyama.

"You have to believe me!" Torishima Kazuhiko looked at him sincerely. "As the editor-in-chief of the manga, I'm definitely not here to fool a little kid like you for no reason."

Higashino Hibiki rested his chin on his hand, watching the high school girls coming and going outside the window; it seemed to be the end of the club activities.

These students, brimming with youthful energy and dashing beauty, captivated Higashino Hibiki.

It's definitely not because of the whiteness and smoothness of the Absolute Territory.

Hibiki Higashino, who was thinking that it would be nice if a breeze came, said to Kazuhiko Torishima, "Being the editor-in-chief of VJUMP must be boring, so you have to screen submitted manga."

"Hmm." He nodded subconsciously.

Chapter 5: Becoming Akira Toriyama's Assistant

Higashino looked at Torishima Kazuhiko's face, which went from black to ashen, and finally to bright red.

However, being the editor-in-chief, he maintained his composure and changed the subject, saying, "Your drawing skills are very good, already at the level of being suitable for serialization. You have extraordinary talent in the comics industry. However, your understanding of the basics of comics is only very rudimentary."

Higashino nodded; the editor before him was indeed a talent scout.

Even as the editor-in-chief, he still pays attention to the selection of newcomers.

Even though he acted recklessly, he still didn't give up.

He is very responsible and is the best candidate to enter the comics industry at this stage.

Hibiki Higashino thought about it carefully for a long time. He had no special abilities, but he wanted a good life.

One option is to get into a good university, but even after graduation, there are no opportunities, and one remains only middle class.

Secondly, there is literary creation, and cartoonists' income is among the highest in this category, without much emphasis on literary style.

Furthermore, given that Hibiki Higashino possesses exceptional drawing skills, it would be a waste of his talent not to choose to draw manga.

He has classic comic book material in his mind.

Once you've mastered your skills and emerged from the abyss, you can become a highly popular comic artist and live a life of luxury.

Looking at Torishima Kazuhiko, who was desperately trying to change the subject, he realized that Toriyama Akira was very capable and that learning under him would be the best thing to do.

“Yes, Mr. Torishima, I want to draw manga!” Hibiki Higashino looked at him sincerely.

"Huh?" Torishima Kazuhiko was taken aback.

The person who was just a moment ago was so indifferent, but now he is suddenly so passionate, his gaze seemingly able to burn into Torishima Kazuhiko's heart.

He thought reality was just like a typical action-packed manga.

"I'm not young anymore."

He shook his head, feeling saddened by his lack of understanding of young people's thought processes.

"Mr. Bird Island, please teach me."

Faced with Higashino Hibiki's expression, Torishima Kazuhiko maintained a stern face, exuding the powerful aura of a professional.

“You are different from Akira Toriyama and Masakazu Katsura. Your strengths and weaknesses are very obvious.” He picked up “The War Between Gods and Men” and turned to the second page. “Look here, everyone only shows half of their face. Too much uniformity will lead to aesthetic fatigue.”

Also, there are too many sentences; it reads more like a novel than a comic.

He then turned to the battle scene and explained, word by word, "The use of storyboards is chaotic, the movement trend is not drawn, and the use of movement trajectory lines is very bad."

"The worst part is, the content is so boring!" He slapped the manga manuscript, spitting all over Higashino Hibiki's face. "Any interesting manga can be serialized even if there are other problems. But your manga is completely uninteresting!"

"To be honest, that's true." Higashino Hibiki nodded in agreement.

The boy, Hibiki Higashino, decided to draw manga not because he was particularly passionate about it.

But he also knew he was falling into depravity, and comics were the ropes he had prepared for himself to climb back up.

Or rather, it's a final effort, channeling one's regrets and hopes into an unfamiliar territory.

I don't know if it's a do-or-die situation or just giving up.

His plot creation was really bad.

Having countless memories of classic works, I can perfectly make up for this deficiency!

"As expected of the editor-in-chief of VJUMP, his words are thought-provoking. A single conversation with him is worth more than ten years of study."

Torishima Kazuhiko glared at him. "Pay attention when you're listening to the lecture."

He felt somewhat helpless, looking at Higashino Hibiki's attitude, which showed no resentment whatsoever, as if he were just an observer.

I don't know if it's because they're heartless or simply indifferent.

“In general,” his gaze softened, “your problems are twofold: first, you haven’t created any excellent content, and second, you have a very low understanding of comic drawing.”

Higashino nodded obediently, quietly waiting for him to continue.

"The first point is something you need to overcome yourself."

"As for the second point," Torishima Kazuhiko smiled slightly, "in today's manga industry, the person with the deepest understanding of the forefront of manga is probably that guy."

……

With storyboarding skills comparable to those in film, and a solid foundation in coloring and framing in comics, Akira Toriyama, the author of "Dr. Slump" and "Dragon Ball," has been creating comics day after day for ten years.

Finally, Torishima Kazuhiko suggested that since it was currently a holiday, he could help Higashino Hibiki obtain an assistant position from Toriyama Akira.

There will also be a salary, including meals and accommodation, at 8000 yen per day.

"That guy called me recently, saying he's having a hard time drawing comics all by himself," Torishima Kazuhiko said with a smile.

Higashino Hibiki agreed without hesitation.

This is a great opportunity.

After saying goodbye to Torishima Kazuhiko, Higashino asked the waiter for directions and went to a nearby internet cafe.

In 1993, computer monitors were still bulky, and Hibiki Higashino hadn't seen one in a long time.

The computer was a PC-98, which was different from the Windows operating system. After studying it for a while, Higashino Hibiki finally managed to use it.

Moreover, without a convenient search engine, one can only search for useful websites from URLs.

So it wasn't until half an hour later that Hibiki Higashino learned more details about Kazuhiko Torishima.

Just as he said, Akira Toriyama was excavated.

With keen insight, he discovered Katsura Masakazu's talent for painting young girls.

Based on the photo information on the computer, it is indeed the same person.

"We really have to thank Mr. Kazuhiko Torishima."

Then, with 20 minutes remaining, I even found a game on the computer.

However, it's a text adventure game, which Higashino Hibiki isn't interested in, and there's not enough time left to play this type of game anyway; it would be over before it even started.

Driven by an interest in exploring "antiques," he then began searching for other functions on this "outdated" computer.

"IGS? What's that?"

After clicking through, it turned out to be an online Go (Weiqi) battle platform.

"Twenty minutes is enough."