Full-time comic artist

……

July arrived quickly.

"After our team's selection process, 22 manga works were shortlisted for the Akatsuka Award."

Koji Yoshida arrived at the Higashino residence and spoke to Hibiki Higashino.

"Tori Akino-sensei, do you have some time lately?"

Hibiki Higashino stopped drawing his manga and looked up. "I only have weekly serialization work to do, so squeezing out half a day is no problem. When Toriyama-sensei and the others are free, we can start the review."

He had been looking forward to the Akatsuka Prize judging panel for a long time, hoping to see manga with novel settings and to have his ideas collide with those of other judges.

"Okay." Yoshida nodded.

Soon, the dates for the "Tezuka Award" judging panel were confirmed.

When the weekend came, Hibiki Higashino came to Shueisha.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Toriakino." Koji Yoshida was waiting for him downstairs.

"Don't be so polite," Hibiki Higashino asked him, "Has Toriyama-sensei arrived yet?"

"He's on his way."

Akira Toriyama lived in the countryside, which wasn't as convenient as Hibiki Higashino's lifestyle.

"Then I'll go in first."

"Take care, teacher."

Hibiki Higashino took the elevator to the second floor, near the entrance of Shonen Jump.

He was taken aback when he saw the tallest signboard in the city.

Despite its mediocre performance, "Bakuman" still managed to get a standee.

The posters on the wall were becoming increasingly similar to the era Hibiki Higashino was familiar with: Luffy, Naruto, Ichigo Kurosaki, Gintoki Sakata, Tsunayoshi Sawada...

Among these people, Mashiro Moritaka really has no standing.

He shook his head and entered the editorial department of Shonen Jump.

Many editors stared at the entrance, and when someone came in, they started whispering among themselves, "It's Mr. Tori Akino this time."

"The 'Red Jade Palace Prize' is really going big these days; all the teachers of extraordinary status are here."

"How scary!"

The cartoonists who arrived early waited in the conference room for the judging session to begin.

Hibiki Higashino met Kazuki Takahashi again.

Kazuki Takahashi was writing and drawing on the conference table with a notebook in hand.

Hibiki Higashino stood behind him, looking at what he was drawing.

“That’s interesting,” he said after a long pause.

Kazuki Takahashi was startled. He turned around with displeasure and couldn't help but smile when he saw Hibiki Higashino. "Oh, it's Akino-sensei. You really scared me by being behind me."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Kazuki Takahashi wrote a game setting that only required playing cards.

A through 9 are designated as power cards, 10, J, Q, and K are designated as dragon cards, and the Jokers are discarded.

After deciding who goes first, both players draw 5 cards to start. When it's your turn, you draw 1 card and can then perform actions such as placing power, summoning and special summoning, attacking, and recycling in any order.

At the end of the round, your hand must contain 5 cards or less. The player who summons 4 different suits of "Dragons" first wins, and the second player has one turn to catch up. If the second player also succeeds, the winner is determined by comparing whether the dragon is a solid suit and its rank; otherwise, the winner is determined by the sum of the scores of the dragon's parts.

It looks complicated, but it's actually very simple.

"Haha, I haven't decided yet."

Kazuki Takahashi, who is in her forties, said with a shy smile.

Chapter 382 Review Committee

Kazuki Takahashi hasn't changed much. Whether he earns hundreds of millions a year or has become a national-level manga artist, his inner world remains the same.

A person who writes and draws, immersed in the creation of games.

Masashi Kishimoto, standing to the side, looked somewhat dejected.

Although the transition to "Shippuden" went very smoothly, and "Naruto" even surpassed "One Piece" in popularity, the Jump editorial department believed that Yahagi was too old to be an editor for shonen manga.

This mentor who accompanied Kishimoto for nine years eventually left Naruto.

Kishimoto, who has a weak grasp of the plot, is very uneasy and now appears depressed.

"Teacher Toriakino".

He stood up, greeted Higashino Hibiki, and then sat down dejectedly.

Nobuhiro Watsuki nodded to Higashino Hibiki, without exchanging many words.

And so, the meeting room fell silent once again.

……

Much later.

"When I arrived, the sample copies of the new issue of Jump also arrived, so I took a few copies in."

Oda entered the meeting room and handed out Jump to everyone. He smiled and said, "Toriyama-sensei hasn't arrived yet. Everyone, please take some time to polish Jump."

Hibiki Higashino accepted Jump and thanked him. He noticed that Oda didn't seem too upset.

He didn't take the poor results from "Water City" to heart.

Hibiki Higashino opened Jump and read silently. Half an hour later, he finished reading all the content that interested him, put Jump down, and took a sip of coffee.

“Teacher,” Oda asked with interest upon seeing his actions, “This issue of Bakuman mentions Takagi Akito’s past. His father was a banker who resigned after taking the blame for his boss. His mother pressured Takagi Akito to study hard and enter the bank’s upper echelons to avenge his father. Is this plot related to Hanzawa Naoki?”

Upon hearing Oda's words, the others also looked at Hibiki Higashino.

They had also read "Bakuman," which they found very interesting.

“Of course not,” Higashino Hibiki shook his head, “It’s just that we need this background story.”

Compared to the hesitant Mashiro Moritaka, Takagi Akito was much more carefree and easygoing.

He dared to set aside his past achievements, step onto an uncertain track, and encourage his teammates who admired him.

This kind of personality requires a process of changing one's mindset.

There are indeed people in the real world similar to Takagi, such as Oda, who draw manga without considering the consequences.

But stories are different from reality; they need a reason.

"I see." Oda nodded, stroking his chin.

“Then,” Kazuki Takahashi asked, “if Akito Takagi accepts his mother’s arrangements, will he become a ‘ruthless Hanzawa Naoki’?”

Takagi Akito erupted from his silence. He refused to be his mother's tool and poured out his voice with all his might, declaring that he wanted to live for himself.

Hanzawa Naoki joins the Industrial Central Bank to avenge his father, but he also remembers his father's teachings and values ​​interpersonal relationships. While fighting, he is filled with a sense of justice, helping others and leaving a lingering fragrance on his hands.

““The ruthless Hanzawa Naoki…” Hibiki Higashino pondered for a moment. This was referring to Managing Director Owada, who, while possessing abilities, liked to assign value to things and decide his actions based on the level of profit.

"Of course not, Takagi Akito... is a very kind person. He cares for his companions, respects others, and would never resort to unscrupulous means. After all, Bakuman is a shonen manga."

"I see," Kazuki Takahashi nodded in realization. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Higashino Hibiki waved his hand, picked up Weekly Shonen Jump, looked at Naruto on the cover, and said, "Speaking of which, Kishimoto-kun's drawing skills have improved a lot."

"The spatial perspective, depth, dynamic composition, and control of light and shadow have all reached a master level."

There are many grand scenes in Naruto, such as when Naruto returns to Konoha from Mount Myōboku and stands on a telephone pole overlooking the entire Konoha ninja village.

The painting contains a great deal of information, yet it is not cluttered at all. The composition is clear, the houses are arranged in a pleasing manner, and the lines are simple and clear. This is already an extraordinary skill.

“Yes,” Morita Masanori said earnestly, “I’ve been secretly shocked while watching Naruto lately. These young people are monsters.”

Kazuki Takahashi added, "I really envy you; you have such great talent."

"Everyone says I fill the pages too much, making the manga look very crowded and uncomfortable." Oda said somewhat dejectedly. "But I get very carried away when I draw manga, and before I know it, I've filled the whole page. I wish I had Kishimoto's drawing skills."

"Haha, not at all," Kishimoto scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly.

With everyone's encouragement, he became more and more cheerful.

"Yes, after all these years, I'm not the same person I used to be! I'm now... Super Kishimoto Masashi!"

……

Akira Toriyama pushed open the door and heard cheerful laughter coming from the conference room.

Sasaki stood beside him, silently nodding as he watched the harmonious scene unfold.

"What are you talking about? You seem to be having a lot of fun."

“Toriyama-sensei, you’ve finally arrived,” Hibiki Higashino stood up. “I was saying that Oda is a top-tier manga artist.”

“What ‘grid enough’…” Akira Toriyama didn’t understand.

"It's the same as the 'diligent Akira Toriyama' at the T0 level."

"Okay, so you're making fun of me."

"Teacher, you're overthinking it."

Higashino Hibiki raised his hands in surrender.

With all the judges present, the "Akazuka Prize" officially began.

Jump's editorial department made eight copies of each of the 22 shortlisted comics and distributed them to everyone present.

The editors have already given their reviews; now it's time to look at it from the cartoonist's perspective.

Editors care more about the market for comics and how well they fit the Jump style, while comic artists value the story's entertainment value; if they find it interesting, they'll give it a high score.

The comic's score is then assessed based on factors such as panel layout and drawing skills, with a final score based on a five-point scale.