Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

Chapter 110 Fushimikawa, will he feel the pressure?

There are still two months until the launch of Weekly Shonen Future.

Readers, competitors, and comic artists of all sizes are all waiting for the release of Naruto.

However, at this time, some minor changes occurred at Oikawa Studio.

After Arima and Hirokane Kenshi, another assistant is about to leave Fushimikawa's side.

He is Mitsuru Adachi, the baseball romance manga artist.

From this moment on, the king of Japanese sports manga will be born.

Mitsuru Adachi was unaware of Fushimikawa's caution regarding "Touch".

He had no competitive spirit whatsoever; he just felt that it was great that he was able to serialize the story and that he had not let his brother down.

As for the ranking? Being in the middle is fine.

Surpassing Naruto? He didn't even have that idea.

That's Oikawa-sensei's most heartfelt new work, with the goal of using it to help Weekly Shonen Future reach a million circulation.

This is not a war that ordinary people can participate in.

As for the magazine's mainstays, Mr. Oikawa is enough.

"Waaah," the thought of leaving Oikawa Studio was unsettling for Adachi Mitsuru, who preferred staying in his comfort zone. The rather artsy man felt a little like crying.

"I really hate to part with you, Mr. Oikawa, but I have no choice. I have to spend all my time on Touch."

Compared to the short comics that had previously required him to put a lot of effort into, "Touch" was in his comfort zone, and Mitsuru Adachi was particularly happy and successful in drawing it.

He felt he could leave Oikawa Studio before the serialization next year, but his brother Adachi Tsutomu wouldn't allow it and told him to focus all his energy on creating.

He could only say goodbye.

"Okay, goodbye." Fushimi Kawa thought for a moment, then added, "Just draw according to your own ideas, don't let others influence you. If they are adamant, you can tell me, and I'll figure something out."

Current baseball comics focus on the game, the struggle, the passion, and the magic ball special moves.

The themes of unrequited love, regret, and emotional ambiguity in "Touch" are completely unrelated.

In this situation, the editor, or even the editor-in-chief, might raise objections and put pressure on Mitsuru Adachi to change the style of his manga.

"You're a genius, draw according to your own ideas."

Fushimikawa emphasized this again.

"Yes, I understand!" Adachi nodded emphatically, feeling the confidence that Fushimikawa gave him.

When a well-known genius says you are a genius, the credibility and impact of his words are enough to change a person's mind.

"I will produce good results to show editor Kamei Osamu."

Mitsuru Adachi became full of confidence.

He said goodbye to each of his other assistants.

“Otomo-kun’s drawing skills are amazing. It’s as if he’s trying to completely replicate people and buildings in the manga. I can’t compare to him at all. But the point of manga is the story. Please consider that aspect.”

Katsuhiro Otomo nodded, neither agreeing nor refusing.

"I will continue to read your comics."

Thank you very much, I hope you are satisfied.

He then found Eiko Ueda.

“I learned a lot from Mr. Oikawa, including drawing skills and market judgment. If someone as lazy as me can become a manga artist, Ms. Ueda can too if she works hard.”

“Yes! With all my heart!” Ueda Eiko nodded emphatically. “I really value this opportunity to be Oikawa-sensei’s assistant.”

Looking around the studio, the last person he chatted with was Megumi Asano.

"When it comes to dating, you have to break the other person's perception of you. If you always treat them as a friend, they will always ignore the fact that you are a woman of the same age."

Asano Megumi certainly understood this, but she was too hesitant and overthinking.

If you confess your feelings and are rejected, you can't be friends anymore.

However, even an outsider like Adachi Mitsuru understands his own feelings of love, while Akawa, the person involved, seems to be acting foolish every day. What is he thinking?

Asano Megumi couldn't understand.

She decided to find an opportunity to test the waters.

……

A month later, Weekly Shonen Jump beat them to the punch by starting to serialize a ninja manga in its own magazine.

The protagonist, Danzo, dressed in an Edo-style kimono, possesses a powerful body through cell modification. He can also become invisible, breathe fire, and scatter stones, treating everyone else as nothing. Wearing a bird-beak mask, he easily takes the head of a merchant.

As soon as it was published, this ninja manga, which is similar in style to "Kamen Rider", quickly became popular with readers.

Most of them are fans of ninja-themed content, and they flocked to Jump.

"It's quite interesting," Fushimikawa nodded repeatedly as he watched.

The combination of ninja and Kamen Rider, with the protagonist designed as a modified hero, erases the coldness of the ninja profession, thus breaking away from the portrayal of the original ninja and forging a new path.

Many people will like it.

Fushimi River thought.

He put down his jump and prepared to eat lunch.

“Oikawa-sensei,” Ueda Eiko, a southern Japanese, was completely devoid of the affectations typical of Tokyo women. She chewed her rice heartily and asked curiously, “Is the ninja manga in Jump magazine meant to counter Naruto? Once this manga gains popularity and a loyal fanbase, Naruto’s popularity will inevitably be affected. Aren’t you worried, sensei?”

"What ninja manga? What's it called? Huh?" Fushimikawa was taken aback. He wanted to defend the manga he had just read, but suddenly realized that he didn't remember the name of the manga either.

"What was it called again? But it doesn't matter."

Fushimikawa shook his head: "Don't worry about others, just do your best."

……

Jump's ninja manga is getting better and better.

Nagano Nori's unintentional act turned out to be a resounding success; to his surprise, the manga he had hastily released quickly became a hit.

It was once ranked third.

The letters from readers came in droves, all expressing their approval and praise.

"This..." He was somewhat amused and exasperated. That's how comics are; without the test of the market, you can never judge their success.

This unexpected joy made him very happy.

"With the success of 'Kamen Rider,' maybe 'Naruto' can really be suppressed!"

He began to look forward to it.

"No matter what, Jump has a circulation of 100 million, while Weekly Shonen Future is just getting started. Can Oikawa really beat the widely popular Kamen Rider on a platform with no foundation? I don't believe it."

Overjoyed, he ate an extra bowl of rice at noon.

"I was so lucky, I got a great hand at the crucial moment."

"Oikawa must be very nervous right now facing 'Kamen Rider'!"

……

Before the New Year, snowflakes began to fall outside the window.

The assistants are off today, so only Fushimikawa is in the studio.

He started checking Naruto again.

It's not the first chapter that's already been sent to the printing press, but the content of the following seven chapters.

This is the draft he has accumulated over the past two months, enough to handle any urgent situation.

"The Bell Trial, the Land of Waves Mission... are largely drawn according to the original work, and the minor modifications did not cause any bugs. Hmm, that's fine."

Finding no problems, he put away the draft with satisfaction and turned on the television.

There wasn't anything interesting on TV; it was just live footage of people across the country praying in front of shrines and temples.

Fushimikawa was completely uninterested.

He turned off the TV and heard the happy laughter of his neighbor's family reunited.

"That's strange," Fushimikawa muttered, glancing out the window. "Megumi usually keeps me company, so why isn't she here today? What's she up to?"

The sudden silence made him feel uneasy, and he felt like a lonely old man.

"After finishing Parasyte, Hideo Shimada was splashed with sulfuric acid, which damaged his core and revealed his monster form. He went on a killing spree on campus, clashed with the police, and was eventually killed by Shinichi Izumi, who was hiding 300 meters away, by throwing a stone at him."

"The Doraemon story is finished, and the 'Gian's House Makeover' story is just waiting for the editor to come over so we can hand it over to him."

"There's nothing left to draw."

For a moment, he felt a pang of regret, realizing that he too had times when he had nothing to do.

"There's no one at the company during the Chinese New Year holiday."

"Maki has gone home."

"Where...where did Xiaohui go?"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Fushimi Kawa quickly got up and opened the door.

"Xiao Hui!" He was pleasantly surprised to see her. "Why did you buy so much stuff?"

Asano Megumi has a lucky bag she bought from a nearby shopping mall.

In addition, her hands were filled with badminton rackets, buckwheat noodles, playing cards, snacks, and a lot of other ingredients, so she couldn't open the door with her key.

Fushimikawa quickly took it so that she could free her hands and relax as soon as possible.

"It's Chinese New Year, so we need to create a festive atmosphere."

Asano Megumi rubbed her fingers, which had turned white from being squeezed by the heavy object. Her face was red from the cold, and there were snowflakes in her hair. She looked disheveled, but there was a happy smile on her face.