Full-time comic artist

For other comic artists, making it into the top 10 would be quite an achievement.

The story hasn't really unfolded yet, and the protagonist hasn't drawn a single comic. It can only be described as a very ordinary inspirational comic.

“Hmm,” Sasaki said calmly.

He thought of "Hikaru no Go".

When "Hikaru no Go" first started serialization, it ranked around eighth.

After more than a decade of twists and turns, Bird Autumn has returned to his original aspirations.

“However, editor-in-chief,” Yoshida Koji said, worried that Sasaki might look down on Akino Karutori, “I have compiled some data from the reader surveys. Among the readers who like Bakuman, 5.6% want to become manga artists, and 3.2% said that Bakuman has been very helpful to them.”

“I understand.” Sasaki nodded.

"Bakuman" hasn't had much impact since its initial serialization, but a kind of energy is brewing.

In the future, it might have an amazing effect, just like "Hikaru no Go" changed Japanese Go and "Slam Dunk" changed East Asian sports.

"Alright, that's all." Sasaki waved his hand.

Koji Yoshida bowed slightly and withdrew.

……

The manga by Yujiro Sakamoto, the author of the runner-up in the 2004 Golden Future Cup, was published today. The manga is titled...

TAKAYA -Flash Martial Arts Academy: Fierce Battle -.

The manga features an art style that Hibiki Higashino doesn't particularly like, and the content is rather ordinary.

I don't know where I'll end up.

There has been no news about the first-place finisher, Teppei Fukushima.

Ryo Tasaka, who came in third, seems to have become Kishimoto's assistant.

Yoshiyuki Nishi, who ranked fourth, had a manga series published last year, but the results were mediocre.

The fifth-ranked novel, "Kirihoshi" by Nakajima Yuuki, is about to be serialized.

The results of this session are far inferior to those of the first session.

That year, there was a remarkable event with five comics being serialized simultaneously.

It's a miracle that these five comics haven't been canceled yet.

"Was the first one too costly in terms of luck?" Higashino murmured.

“That’s already very good.” Akemi Akemi rolled her eyes at him. “Of the five shortlisted people, three of them got the opportunity to be serialized and became the cornerstone of Jump. That’s a very high percentage.”

Holding the "Golden Future Cup" once a year is enough to discover so many talents; they've already made a fortune.

“That’s true.” Higashino nodded. Sometimes he stood too high and forgot the hardships of most people.

"Thanks for reminding me, Akemi."

If the mindset is wrong, then the panel layout of "Bakuman" will also be wrong. The hardships of becoming a manga artist need to be depicted.

"It's nothing..." Akemi Akemi twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, looking a little embarrassed.

"No, no, no, thank you so much."

Higashino Hibiki walked to her side with a smile on his lips.

“Akami…let me thank you properly.”

……

"Tori Akino-sensei!"

"Tori Akino-sensei!"

"Great news!"

Koji Yoshida appeared at the Higashino residence in a flurry of activity.

Higashino Hibiki's face fell. "There's no good news. Your appearance is the worst news ever!"

"Huh?" Yoshida was puzzled.

"Speak, and then leave quickly."

"Teacher, really... okay, okay."

Koji Yoshida informed Hibiki Higashino about the matter of becoming the chairman of the "Akazuka Prize" judging committee.

Every year, Shueisha holds a banquet for the "Akazuka Prize" and "Tezuka Prize," and the judges usually attend, enjoying the glory.

They can guide and advise the new generation of cartoonists, and their status has obviously been elevated.

Moreover, the two chairpersons before him were both very famous figures, so being able to succeed them was already a rare recognition.

Profits and prestige came rolling in.

This is indeed fantastic news.

Higashino hesitated.

He neither had the time nor was he willing to deal with so many things.

The burden of jumping was placed on his shoulders, and he didn't want to accept it.

In the future, manga magazines will become increasingly weak, and only Weekly Shonen Jump will have a circulation of over 100 million.

This is simply because One Piece hasn't ended. When One Piece ended, Weekly Shonen Jump also fell from its pedestal.

It will be relegated to the same trajectory of the times as Weekly Shonen Magazine and Weekly Shonen Sunday.

The decline of new talent, coupled with the current popularity of unremarkable comics, is an inevitable phenomenon.

"Yoshida-kun, please help me politely decline Editor-in-Chief Sasaki's offer."

He didn't want to be busy with this meaningless job after he retired.

"Why!" Yoshida asked in surprise. "Okay, I understand."

Before Higashino Hibiki could explain, he already had a guess. Akino-sensei was a refined and unassuming person who disliked being in the limelight.

Being the chairman of the judging panel for the Akatsuka Prize is a burden for him.

He already has enough in terms of wealth and prestige.

Having a chairperson of the judging panel is a bonus, but whether or not they exist makes little difference.

"So, does the teacher have any suggestions?"

“We can form a judging committee,” Hibiki Higashino told him. “We can bring in Akira Toriyama, Oda, and the others to judge the shortlisted manga together.”

This is something he learned while watching "Bakuman".

The manga by Akito Takagi and Moritaka Mashiro was praised by these famous manga artists for its touching plot, which he found unforgettable.

"That's a great idea! More judges mean more ideas. And we won't miss any comics! I'll report it to the editor-in-chief."

……

Higashino Hibiki's suggestion was quickly adopted.

After the Jump editorial department asked Oda and others for their thoughts, they all agreed with great interest.

After all, most of these people rose to fame because of the "Tezuka Award." In the past, others reviewed their manga, but now they are reviewing the manga of newcomers.

This is a tradition and a source of enjoyment.

"At the suggestion of Mr. Tori Akino, the editorial department of Weekly Shonen Jump changed the review committee chairman system to a review committee."

"Thank you, Fujio Akatsuka-sensei, for your dedication over the years." Indeed, Mr. Akatsuka is almost 70 years old; such strenuous work isn't suitable for him anymore, and besides…

Eiichi Yamada stopped there, and what he said next was somewhat impolite.

An older person was evaluating his work, and he was genuinely worried that Fujio Akatsuka wouldn't approve of his manga. After all, the age difference was just too great.

The ravines were exceptionally deep.

He used to think about holding back, but now he's going all out!

Soma Satoru, unable to contain his curiosity, leaned over to take a look. "The committee members include Akira Toriyama, Kazuki Takahashi, Nobuhiro Watsuki, Eiichiro Oda, Masashi Kishimoto, Masanori Morita, Mirai Toriyama... Wow! What a grand gesture!"

These are all core elements of Jump.

"The teachers will review every comic and write their comments on the cover... Wow, that's great!"

In other words, their comics will be seen by these people.

"How romantic!"

"Uh-huh!"

Two junior high school students were itching to get back to school.

"The 'Golden Future Cup' appeared; the 'Tezuka Prize' and 'Akazuka Prize' were reformed; and there's also Akino-sensei's serialized 'Bakuman.' He's helped us so much."

"This is all thanks to Mr. Tori Akino's sincere heart."

They idolized Akino Mirai even more.

……

In Masakazu Katsura's studio.

"Tori Akino-kun is not even thirty years old, yet he focuses on the new generation of manga artists. His dedication is truly touching."

Katsura Masakazu is chatting with Toriyama Akira.

They were friends for a long time.

“Where did he get so many ideas?” Akira Toriyama scoffed at the idea. “It was probably by chance, or maybe it was just a matter of a few words, and he just gave it a push. That kid Higashino is too lazy to bother with anything other than drawing manga.”

Katsura Masakazu shook his head. "It's probably Toriyama-san's way of protecting him. I'm not going to idolize him. We were just chatting in private. You don't need to be so careful."

“What do you mean by protecting me? I’m just telling the truth,” Akira Toriyama said. “There’s something you might not know.”

"what's up?"

Are you familiar with "Mirai-sha"?

"It's the animation studio that Kodansha Bunko commissioned to produce 'The Twelve Kingdoms,' right?"