Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

“Don’t worry too much about what other people think,” Yoko Kondo waved her hand, leaned close to Takahashi’s ear, and said mysteriously, “I once read something in a small magazine that said Oikawa, the author of ‘Confessions,’ knew his path when he was in high school and didn’t care about other people’s ridicule. He used his three years of high school to improve his abilities, and that’s how he became a world-renowned manga artist not long after entering university.”

That's when he started drawing Doraemon, which was Rumiko Takahashi's favorite character.

"Really?!" Rumiko Takahashi was very interested in the gossip about Oikawa. Forgetting her earlier embarrassment, she couldn't help but say, "Oikawa-sensei is really amazing."

"To be honest, I don't know if it's true or not. The magazine only said that the person who revealed it was Mr. Oikawa's high school classmate. But it didn't give that person's specific name, so it's not very convincing. But... hehe!" With her hands on the table, Kondo Yoko jumped down. After regaining her balance, she turned to look at her fellow enthusiast and gave him a bright smile.

"Whether this is true or not, it's very instructive, isn't it?"

“Hmm,” Rumiko Takahashi nodded blankly, “Being that confident person seems pretty good.”

"All right."

Yoko Kondo extended her hand.

Rumiko Takahashi asked timidly, "What?"

Yoko Kondo explained, "Since you don't like discussing your desire to become a manga artist in public, let's go find Kato-sensei and ask him to help us establish a manga club."

Takahashi exclaimed with surprise and anticipation, "Like the Waseda Manga Club?!"

Kondo Yoko shook her hand and said helplessly, "It's not that exaggerated. It's just about finding a place where we can exchange ideas and improve our skills."

Two girls who had only known each other for a short time became friends just like that.

A week later, together with another classmate named Masako Goto, the new high school's manga club was established.

Three girls, all passionate about comics, gathered in the activity room to discuss different comic works.

For example, this episode of "Doraemon".

"Doraemon's Long Day is similar to Rumiko's Dog Adventure, depicting a romantic story of a villainous prodigal son turning over a new leaf."

Holding a copy of Weekly Shonen Sunday, Yoko Kondo began her opening remarks.

“Well…” Rumiko Takahashi scratched her cheek awkwardly, “Let’s not compare me to Oikawa-sensei, shall we? It makes me feel incompetent.”

“No,” Yoko Kondo retorted, crossing her arms. “Only through comparison can you discover your shortcomings more quickly. Rumiko, you’ve felt powerless, so you must have discovered your weaknesses in the manga’s plot, right?”

“That’s not wrong…!” Rumiko Takahashi perked up.

"The comic opens with a story about a robot named Dai Enga robbing a bank in the future. He could have easily escaped capture, but he was arrested by the police after a car accident caused by his sudden braking while trying to avoid a small dog running into the middle of the road."

She analyzed, "Although Dai Enjia is arrogant, his subconscious reactions still show that the character has a conscience. Readers will not be too resistant to him, which also increases the complexity of the character."

“From the very beginning, Mr. Oikawa was considering the overall structure of the story, but I couldn’t do that. I just wanted to draw an arrogant and cold-blooded villain, which made the character’s redemption later seem very far-fetched. Even I felt awkward reading it myself.”

“This is it,” Yoko Kondo patted Rumiko Takahashi on the back and said with a smile, “The effect is quite remarkable.”

"Next."

She took out her original drawing, which was a young adult comic.

"I failed to win the first monthly award of Weekly Youth Future. Please help me see what is lacking in me and my shortlisted work."

She unfolded the magazine "Youth Future," and the comic that won her the 20 yuan prize was called "Gunshot," and the author was just a young man who had just come of age.

"To be honest, I think I'm quite a failure. Whether it's the drawing skills or the storyline, there's a world of difference between me and Katsuhiro Otomo."

……

At the same time that Future Publishing launched the "Fuji Prize", the monthly prize of "Youth Future" also began.

If all goes well, Shonen Future will follow suit soon.

The annual "Unparalleled Award" is too far in between; publishers need to use a finer net to sustainably exploit the resources available.

As for the results of the "Monthly Award" of "Young Future" magazine, as expected by Oikawa Ji, Tomokatsu Hiroshi won the award.

"Bang! Congratulations, Otomo-san!"

Eiko Ueda fired the salute, her face beaming with a happy smile.

"It's nothing, just the monthly bonus..."

Although Katsuhiro Otomo said this, he couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

He could feel that he was very happy.

Although he told himself that this was just a small award and insignificant compared to Mr. Oikawa's achievements, he was still a little giddy with the joy of success for the first time.

"congratulations."

Akira Toriyama's words were dry and uninteresting.

His success is uncertain; whether his debut work will be recognized by editors and cartoonists remains to be seen.

Feeling uneasy, I could only forgive him for not being able to empathize with Katsuhiro Otomo at that moment.

"Thank you, Toriyama-kun."

Seeing Akira Toriyama's envy, Katsuhiro Otomo was finally able to let go of his self-control and laugh heartily.

Although that wooden stick, once treasured by everyone, is now ignored and lies in some unknown corner.

But that failure still left Katsuhiro Otomo with a considerable sense of disappointment.

"I won this time."

Akira Toriyama understood this sentence through Katsuhiro Otomo's eyes.

"Damn it!" he gritted his teeth, but being outmatched, he couldn't even speak with any real force.

He turned his head away and briefly conceded defeat, which pleased Katsuhiro Otomo quite a bit.

Then Katsuhiro Otomo looked at Ji Oikawa and said sincerely, "Mr. Oikawa, thank you for your guidance all this time. Without your instruction, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to receive the 'Monthly Prize'."

“Don’t underestimate yourself,” Oikawa shook his head. “I’ve always said that you, Otomo, are a genius, just like Toriyama. You were born to draw manga. Whether you’re a little earlier or a little later won’t have a big impact on your life.”

Despite what he said, Katsuhiro Otomo was still deeply impressed.

The person who rescued him from his life's difficulties was none other than Mr. Oikawa, who appeared out of nowhere at that moment!

Regardless of his future achievements or status, he will never forget the respect he felt at this moment.

Katsuhiro Otomo didn't say much, keeping those words to himself.

He took a deep breath, looked at his colleagues, and said heavily, "Well then, it's time to say goodbye."

Being an assistant to a cartoonist is a very tough job.

Moreover, many jobs are meaningless, mechanical labor that not only lacks growth potential but also kills time and inspiration.

At just 20 years old, Katsuhiro Otomo felt that time was of the essence. After proving his abilities, he decided to dedicate his time to creating short comics.

Akira Toriyama opened his mouth, once again feeling the helplessness of parting.

"Don't put down your comics!"

He said this.

"Yes, I understand."

“Otomo-san…” Eiko Ueda said with great reluctance, “It’s so annoying, there’s always to have to go through separation.”

Fushimikawa comforted her, saying, "This shows that everyone is very capable, which is why people come and go. An assistant who stays in a manga artist's studio for a long time must be a mediocre person, right?"

For example, senior Suzuki Jiro.

"Okay, I understand." Ueda Eiko nodded dejectedly.

As Katsuhiro Otomo was about to leave, Fushimikawa stopped him.

"There's something I'd like to ask you."

Without asking what it was about, Katsuhiro Otomo patted his chest and said, "It's my duty."

“It’s not that serious,” Fushimikawa waved his hand. “Toei Animation is currently producing an animated film called ‘Nobita and the Tetsujin Corps.’ Could you keep an eye on it for me and see how the production is going?”

“Teacher…” Katsuhiro Otomo was speechless with emotion.

He understood, of course, that Oikawa-sensei was helping him.

Katsuhiro Otomo, whose dream is to make animation, certainly understands how precious this opportunity is.

With Oikawa's name attached to him, he was able to learn a lot at Toei Animation, preparing for a future career change.

Animation director, production manager, chief animation director...

Understanding their working logic would be of great benefit to him.

Even after he left, Oikawa-sensei continued to do his best to help him, and Katsuhiro Otomo will never forget this kindness.

"I will always miss you all."

He glanced at the Oikawa studio one last time before resolutely leaving.

"I will contact Editor Fukuda and ask him to find me a new assistant."

In the end, Fushimikawa said this.

……

Today is Doraemon's birthday. Nobita is kneading a lump of unformed clay while rubbing Doraemon's red marble nose.

"You're going to make a Doraemon statue out of clay, right? This is a very thoughtful gift."

In the new high school's manga club, three high school girls once again discussed "Doraemon's Long Day".

Nobita's good intentions were ruined when he accidentally crushed Doraemon's deluxe dorayaki, leading to an argument between the two.

Doraemon, accompanied by his sister Dorami, returned to the future to get his regular check-up.

But this time, something unexpected happened.

The criminal, Dai Enjia, was seriously injured in a car accident, and even his speech function was damaged. The police escorted him to the hospital for treatment.

By chance, Dai Enjia swapped bodies with Doraemon using a swap rope.

He thus escaped punishment, but the innocent Doraemon bore the blame for him.

Chapter 162 Poor Doraemon

"Although this guy is bad, he's so handsome. He reminds me of Samurai Santa."

Looking at Dai Enjia in the comic, Rumiko Takahashi sighed.