Full-time comic artist

Owada was completely defeated. Would he remember the day Hanzawa knelt down and kowtowed to him?

All the board members remained silent, and the members of the Owada faction accepted the situation quietly.

Owada was panting, his expression pained.

everything is over.

“It’s not over yet,” Hanzawa Naoki walked up to Owada, a smirk playing on his lips. “Managing Director Owada, you haven’t forgotten the promise you made with me, have you?”

"What? A deal!" Kitamoto blinked, suddenly feeling a surge of excitement that made his scalp tingle.

He remembered the agreement between Hanzawa and Owada: if Owada was the mastermind, he would have to kowtow to Hanzawa!

Hanzawa Naoki hasn't changed; he's still as vindictive as ever.

An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth!

Hanzawa remained resolute, and he refused both the minister's and the bank president's attempts to mediate.

"No, this can't be allowed to end like this!" Hanzawa stared directly at Owada, his lips trembling, his facial muscles tense, but tears still streaming down his face.

"Those who lay face down, clinging to your legs, belittled and despised by you, yet still gave it their all. For their families, for their companies, for everything they cherished..."

His mouth was agape, his expression a breakdown, yet he still managed to maintain his accusation.

"I want you to experience the pain, anger, and resentment of those who have been bowing to you all this time!"

"Please kowtow..."

Owada's lips trembled.

Hanzawa Naoki's emotions finally reached their peak; his eyes were bloodshot, and he roared:

"Kneel down before me, Owada!"

The desperate roar, the countless huge exclamation marks, and the emotions contained in the comic completely struck Kitamoto's heart.

He clutched his chest, breathing heavily.

This emotion, built up layer by layer, was awe-inspiring, exciting, and made him... incredibly happy!

Owada looked around blankly, his gaze finally settling on Hanzawa.

His expression was contorted in pain, a mixture of crying and laughing, his fists clenched, and his body instinctively stiffened.

In the end, he knelt down before Hanzawa and kowtowed!

……

This is a blatant example of a successful underworld coup, with the bank's second-in-command kneeling before the mere vice minister, Hanzawa.

But the feeling it evokes in readers transcends mere subversion of authority.

This is Hanzawa Naoki's reflection on adhering to his principles, the emotion of completing his revenge, the excitement of successfully realizing his ambitions, and finally...

The realization of this in Owada represents an overwhelming sense of excitement.

Hanzawa Naoki left peacefully, and the manga here transitioned from turbulent waves to calm seas.

All the turmoil remains in the reader's heart, unforgettable for a long time.

The blank space after the climax is what makes it most memorable.

Kitamoto didn't immediately read the follow-up; he closed Weekly Young Jump and shut his eyes to calm himself down.

……

"I'm so annoyed. Owada wasn't fired, he was just demoted to a director."

"The bank manager is essentially accepting someone as a lackey. It's not difficult to transfer Owada out of the bank, but there will be a second and a third Owada. In the end, the factional struggle will never end. The bank manager's efforts to win over the Owada faction are a sign of maturity."

"But in the end, Hanzawa was transferred out, while Owada remained in high spirits. How ironic."

"There's nothing we can do about it; that's just how reality is."

The ending of "Hanzawa Naoki" left some readers feeling unsatisfied.

"Isn't 'Hanzawa Naoki' a commercial manga? Then let's go all out for pure enjoyment!"

"That's the kind of storyline that people like; it's grounded in reality. There's no other way."

They were making a ruckus and arguing incessantly.

Miura has some opinions on this.

He doesn't mock young readers who are dissatisfied because they believe justice hasn't been fully served; it's precisely because of people like him that society hasn't become stagnant.

He wouldn't be unhappy about the ending of "Hanzawa Naoki" either, because that's very realistic.

If Hanzawa were to be promoted and become a hero of the Tokyo Central Bank, rising to great heights from then on, that would be truly unrealistic and boring.

Works must be based on reality; if they transcend reality, Miura will lose his sense of immersion.

Hanzawa had a good time at the board meeting, where he spoke his mind, berated each of the directors, and even ignored the president's pleas, strongly demanding that Ōwada dogeza (a traditional Tibetan kowtow).

The board of directors felt a sense of shared fate, and Owada's subordinates were furious. The bank president made the decision to transfer Hanzawa to another post in order to protect him.

He wasn't discarding Hanze after he had served his purpose; rather, he was letting Hanze lay low for a while.

Everything was perfectly balanced.

"As expected of the bank manager, and as expected of Mr. Tori Akino."

"only……"

One strange thing about Miura is that he likes "Hanzawa Naoki" so much that he also looks up information about Akino Mirai.

Although this person is 30 years old, he has been drawing comics since he was in school and has never formally entered the workforce.

They won't experience the hardships and joys of the workplace.

Where do the insights gained from "Hanzawa Naoki" come from?

"That's so strange."

……

"Congratulations, Higashino-kun, 'Hanzawa Naoki' has come to a perfect end."

"Thank you for your help all this time, Yoshii-kun."

Higashino Hibiki smiled and thanked Yoshii Yamahisa for his congratulations.

He had watched "Hanzawa Naoki" before, but the pacing of "Hanzawa Naoki" was so fast that he couldn't remember all the plot details, let alone the difficult banking jargon.

The success of "Hanzawa Naoki" was largely due to the assistance of Yoshii Yamahisa.

"I didn't." Yoshii Yamahisa glanced out the window. The bank employees were working diligently, and no one was paying attention to him, so he calmly made the phone call. "It's all thanks to your hard work."

“No,” Hibiki Higashino said seriously, “Some of the plot of ‘Hanzawa Naoki’ is based on the stories you told me. Without you, it would be difficult for me to understand the situation in the banking industry. ‘Hanzawa Naoki’ would have remained superficial and unable to delve deeper.”

"Really?" Yoshii Yamahisa asked, puzzled.

He scratched his head, realizing he had indeed shared some information he knew, but it probably wasn't important.

Those are all very ordinary things, just topics for casual conversation.

"Yes!" Higashino Hibiki said confidently.

"is it?"

"Yes!"

"Oh." Yoshii Yamahisa nodded. "I suppose so."

After finishing "Hanzawa Naoki", Hibiki Higashino finally had some free time.

He was only responsible for storyboarding for "Bakuman," while Akemi Akemi was in charge of the animation.

Akemi Akemi felt sorry for Higashino Hibiki, who had been working too hard for so long. Since she had an assistant to help her, she didn't ask Higashino Hibiki for help and gave him a break.

With some free time, Hibiki Higashino started appearing on TV shows to promote his dramas.

The host asked, "Mr. Tori Akino, where did you get your inspiration for drawing 'Hanzawa Naoki'?"

"He's a friend of mine in the banking industry!" Higashino Hibiki's tone left no room for argument.

Chapter 398 The Strongest Comic Ranking

"Hanzawa Naoki" is doing very well, Xiaozheng is doing well, and the collected volumes are also selling well.

Driven by the popularity of "Hanzawa Naoki", Weekly Shonen Jump reached an all-time high in weekly circulation, with 203 million copies sold.

It surpassed its previous peak of 113 million copies, by a total of 90 copies.

Tanaka Jun is greatly pleased; he is worthy of being named a historical figure by Shueisha.

It also brought many new readers to the manga serialized in Weekly Young Jump.

Manga volumes such as "Gantz" and "Elfen Lied" also began to sell very well.

Hibiki Higashino's editor, Go, was promoted to deputy editor-in-chief because of his contribution to "Hanzawa Naoki".

Having gained experience this time, the two assistants' value increased, and their assistant fees rose accordingly.

They looked somewhat wistful in front of Higashino Hibiki.

"It's time to part ways. I still want to study with Teacher Tori Akino for a while longer. Maybe I can even start a serialization."

Me too.

"The teachers here are treated very well. They receive a meal allowance and their taxi fares are reimbursed. I really hate to leave."

Me too.

"When I told my family that I contributed to the creation of 'Hanzawa Naoki,' they found it hard to believe but also acknowledged my work. I am very grateful to my teacher for that."

Me too.

The assistant, who had been giving a long speech, stared in shock at the other person.

"You really have it easy."

The other person looked at him with a stern face and a puzzled expression.

"If there's a chance to collaborate next time, please don't forget me, teacher." He could only add, "Please let me know in advance, and I'll make time for it."