Full-time comic artist

He bowed deeply to Asahina Yuko, whose face was flushed.

……

Yuko Asahina's interview caused a sensation as soon as it aired.

There are too many unkempt people in the animation industry, so a beautiful animation director is enough to attract the attention of otaku.

Images of shy girls holding up blank sheets of paper have suddenly become popular online.

There are real-life younger sisters and two-dimensional girls.

On the blank paper, some wrote "I love you"; others wrote "Baka, hentai, urusai".

Diverse and varied, it has become a trend.

Everyone at Mirai-sha, except for Asahina Yuko, was overjoyed; it was like a windfall.

Including Hibiki Higashino.

"Yuko, you're a hero!"

Kiko Takagi patted Yuko Asahina on the shoulder, "As expected of the director, you attracted everyone's attention as soon as you appeared."

Even Akino Mirai could not achieve this effect.

Yuko Asahina looked dejected and exhausted. "I never want to do any more publicity."

During her lunch break, while she was taking a nap, her body suddenly trembled and she began to talk in her sleep: "Please don't...don't look at me!"

……

Besides the online images, there's also that meme...

"I will definitely go see 'Your Name'!"

"Why are you looking at my name? What have I done to you, Hoshino Akira?"

"Akira Hoshino, this prosperous era is just as you wished!"

"Hahaha."

Netizens had a blast making memes and jokes, and with this online trend, "Your Name" reached the ears of millions of people.

A few days later, everyone started to get curious.

What exactly is the story behind "Your Name"?

"Didn't you see that interview?" someone explained. "It's a romantic anime like '5 Centimeters Per Second'."

"Is '5 Centimeters Per Second' a manga by Akino Tori?"

"The screenwriter of 'Your Name' is also Tori Akino, so it's pretty much the same."

……

"Hey! Hey!!!"

Upon seeing this comment, Matsumoto Hanami exclaimed in shock.

She is 24 years old and works as a kindergarten teacher. Not long ago, she was obsessed with using the "Your Name" meme.

Today, when Matsumoto Hanami suddenly discovered that "Your Name" was a romance film written by Tori Akino Mirai, her heart started pounding.

"Is '5 Centimeters Per Second,' 'The Garden of Words,'... or 'Your Name' this kind of anime?"

She slumped over the desk, her eyes becoming unfocused.

She was about 11 years old when "The Garden of Words" was serialized. At that time, she was flipping through her brother's magazine and reading the manga.

The scene was as calm as water, and the view was beautiful. This was the only feeling I had at the Matsumoto Flower Field. Before I knew it, the view was over.

Years later, when "5 Centimeters Per Second" was published, she finally understood similar works and felt a sharp pain in her heart.

Two middle school students who were deeply in love with each other could no longer recognize each other when they met again as adults because they lived far apart.

Only in my dreams can I vaguely recall the moment we embraced under the snow-covered tree.

Most of the works have told Hua Hai that love is unforgettable and shines like a diamond, but in "5 Centimeters Per Second", she read a different experience.

On a scale of time and space, human emotions are too insignificant.

The comic was terrifyingly realistic, leaving her feeling empty and sad. She didn't realize she was crying until tears fell onto the pages.

After that, she bought the standalone volume of "5 Centimeters Per Second" and carefully kept it, but she never dared to read it again.

It possesses a terrifying, almost demonic quality that surpasses even Junji Itoh's manga.

Out of boredom, Hana read "The Garden of Words" again, and her mood improved considerably.

In schools, the vast difference in status between students and teachers means that even two people in love cannot be together.

Once this identity was removed, the two protagonists were finally together.

The Garden of Words healed her deeply.

Both comics left a deep impression on her, and she still remembered the plots many years later.

Hanami looked forward to Tori Akino's future works, but after Tori Akino drew "Millennium Actress" and "Paprika," his ideological level improved, and it seemed that Tori Akino no longer cared about painting love.

"Finally... finally this day has come..."

She will definitely go see it, even if it makes her sad and heartbroken, she won't give up.

……

"Your Name!, the animated film meticulously crafted over seven years by the director of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day! You absolutely must see it!"

"A new chapter in the love story of Tori Akino!"

When the cherry blossoms were in full bloom in April, "Your Name" was released.

Hibiki Higashino watched the drifting cherry blossoms and twitched his nose.

"Hay fever sufferers can't even be romantic anymore."

When the cherry blossoms bloom, the pollen from the cedar trees also spreads on a large scale. Higashino Hibiki, fully armed with a mask, had no mood to appreciate the flowers.

Akemi Akemi ignored his melancholy and poked Hibiki Higashino's waist, "Look at that!"

She pointed to a poster in the distance, featuring Yuko Asahina in Lolita fashion, shyly holding up a drawing board with the words "Please come and see!"

Underneath the poster, many otaku were taking pictures of it with cameras, their faces flushed with excitement, oblivious to the strange looks from others.

Unexpectedly, Yuko Asahina became an idol.

"To save the company from bankruptcy, the director has decided to debut as an idol...?" Hibiki Higashino said with interest, stroking his chin.

"Going bankrupt?" Akemi Akemi tilted her head.

"Just kidding." Higashino Hibiki waved his hand.

He looked at the poster and thought, "How shameful. No wonder Asahina-kun stopped handling the publicity."

Later, Chiharu Minami ate and drank a lot on the show, which established her adorable "glutton" persona, but she still couldn't compare to Asahina's stunning debut.

Akemi Akemi looked at Hibiki Higashino and asked in confusion, "Bakuman is almost over, and the storyboards have been finalized long ago, so why aren't you going?"

"It's too much trouble. I just want to rest now. I finally understand Mr. Toriyama's happiness." Higashino laughed smugly. "Leave that work to the staff."

He learned from Akira Toriyama along the way, and even when he was semi-retired, he could still learn a thing or two.

“You,” Akemi Akemi patted Hibiki Higashino on the shoulder, her expression serious, but she couldn’t help but laugh after a short while, “In that case, you should get some rest.”

Amidst the gazes of passersby, Hibiki Higashino and Akemi Akemi shook hands and walked towards the movie theater.

Passersby vaguely heard:

"After it's over... Beijing Olympics... Sichuan to see pandas... Italy..."

They remembered they still had to work tomorrow, and couldn't help but feel envious, jealous, and resentful.

……

Hua Hai, suppressing her excitement, plopped down hard on the projection room chair, so hard that even the person next to her swayed.

"I'm sorry..." she said with an awkward smile.

"It's alright," the middle-aged woman sitting next to me nodded kindly.

"You..." Hua Hai's mouth dropped open. "You're Wu! Waaaaah..."

Naoko Takeuchi quickly covered her mouth, "Don't say it!"

Hua Hai blinked rapidly, indicating that she understood.

After Naoko Takeuchi let go, she barely had time to catch her breath and whispered excitedly, "I...I never expected to run into...Teacher Takeuchi!"

How lucky!

Most people who enjoy reading shoujo manga know Naoko Takeuchi.

Sailor Moon is a landmark in shoujo manga, similar in status to Dragon Ball in shonen manga.

"Teacher, what brings you here?"

"Me?" Naoko Takeuchi stared speechlessly at the advertisement on the screen. "What do you think?"

"Oh! Yes, yes, the teacher is here to watch a movie, right?"

"Hmm." Wu groaned wearily. She hadn't appeared on camera for many years, and today she was even wearing a mask, yet she was still recognized...

She's just a moderately successful cartoonist, not an idol star.

"Can I get your autograph, teacher?"

"Of course, but I don't have any paper."

"I have one, and I even have a pen!"

Hanami took out a manga volume from her bosom. Naoko Takeuchi initially thought it was "Sailor Moon," but she was stunned when she took it and looked at it.

"5 Centimeters Per Second?"

"Yes, to commemorate it." Hua Hai nodded naturally.

"Your Name" has not yet been released as a standalone book; it will be sold as merchandise after the movie achieves great success.

She brought "5 Centimeters Per Second" to watch "Your Name" with a certain expectation: that "Your Name" would be as interesting as "5 Centimeters Per Second" and bring her emotion.