Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

Fukuda Tomoyuki recalled the Naruto setting book and organized his thoughts.

"An arrogant good person, huh...?"

“From the very beginning, Oikawa-sensei had planned the character design for Itachi Uchiha.”

“A good person? So he was a spy,” Takei Toshiki, who had been listening, nodded. “No wonder, ever since Jiraiya told Kakashi about Akatsuki, the S-rank rogue ninja group, characterized by their red cloud-patterned clothing, has had their character illustrations in black. But ever since Itachi pulled Kakashi into the Tsukuyomi space, the concept of Akatsuki in Kakashi’s mind has become clearer.”

Fukuda Tomoyuki counted on his fingers: "Pain, Uchiha Itachi, Kisame, Konan, Sasori of the Red Sand, Zetsu, this is the information Kakashi has gathered."

Kakuzu and Hidan from Akatsuki would be added later; this was a plan that Oikawa-sensei had already set up before serializing "Naruto."

Toshiki Takei marveled at this: "The opening of a long story, all the characters and their futures are already complete. Oikawa-kun truly deserves to be the most popular manga artist among teenagers today."

The title "Fushimikawa" was given to him by Toshiki Takei himself, just as a joke in private.

But even if other cartoonists were informed, no one would object.

The incredible record of one million copies sold for the first volume is something even veteran comic artists can only dream of; they would be grateful if they could reach 40 copies.

When it comes to appealing to readers, if Fushimikawa claims to be second, no one dares to claim to be first.

“But,” Toshiki Takei hesitated again, “can such a complex setting really be utilized in every aspect of the creation?”

As we all know, when creating a work, no matter how meticulously detailed the outline is, if the author has a sudden inspiration, they will choose to change the outline and deviate from the intended direction.

All the subtle details combined meant that the story's final outcome deviated considerably from the initial plan.

The more complex the design, the more difficult it is to achieve the desired effect.

"..." Fukuda Tomoyuki hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know. However, I choose to believe in Oikawa-sensei, and I hope he can do it."

After Naruto pursued the defector Sasuke, he underwent three years of training, followed by Akatsuki capturing the One-Tailed Beast, then the Tenchi Bridge incident, and finally Asuma's death...

With so many complex plot points, one after another, all of them had to be added within just one month, including the story of Akatsuki capturing seven tailed beasts. Any slight deviation would result in plot holes.

It is difficult to complete within the planned scope.

Moreover, there are external influences as well.

"Itachi Uchiha only appeared once or twice, yet his popularity is ridiculously high," Toshiki Takei said. "How did Oikawa-sensei handle him?"

In the "Homecoming in the Morning Mist" arc, Orochimaru, the biggest villain who had just killed the Third Hokage, was used to highlight Itachi, as Orochimaru believed that his strength was inferior to Itachi's.

Konoha's Special Jonin, Kurenai Yuhi, was powerless against Itachi, and Kakashi was also defeated by Itachi's Tsukuyomi.

At this moment, unlike the previous way of drawing with black lines on white paper, the black and white are reversed, with black as the base and white lines outlining the characters, to highlight the extraordinary spiritual world of Tsukuyomi.

Readers who get to this point are immediately stunned. It's not just the story, but also the visuals, all of which tell the reader how powerful Itachi Uchiha is.

Kakashi endured three days and three nights of agonizing torture in the mental world, while only a moment passed in the outside world. Kakashi's wailing made Itachi's cruelty and ruthlessness reach the hearts of readers.

Powerful, ruthless, and handsome, with distinctive deep nasolabial folds, Itachi quickly became a favorite among readers.

Judging from all the data, he even quickly surpassed Iruka and entered the top five most popular characters in Naruto.

Most comic book artists wouldn't be willing to give up such a popular character.

Unless he is Hirohiko Araki.

External influences test the author's control.

Masashi Kishimoto did this for the sake of it, which is why Itachi was never defeated in Naruto.

Every time he appears, he is showered with praise.

Zetsu, Obito, Orochimaru, Kabuto...

The most classic comment is from Hiruzen Sarutobi: "At the age of seven, he already possessed a way of thinking like a Hokage."

Since Itachi is not the problem, the only possibilities are the Third Hokage or Danzo.

The various contradictions in Naruto stem from the manga's inaccurate portrayal of Itachi.

Whether or not Fushimikawa can disregard the readers' votes and give Itachi the character he deserves is a huge test for him. Takei Toshiki thought.

“This shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Fukuda Tomoyuki waved his hand. “Although Oikawa-sensei draws the most popular works, he’s not someone who’s easily swayed.”

"The editor's unreasonable suggestions have no effect on him; I think you, editor-in-chief, should know this all too well."

Takei Toshiki gave a bitter smile: "...It's been a long time since I've worked with him, I'd forgotten about that."

"Yes, that person is impervious to both soft and hard tactics."

……

The conversation between Toshiki Takei and Tomoyuki Fukuda took place at the Fuji Award ceremony.

In June, the results of the "Bu Er Shang" competition, which received 438 submissions, were announced.

Akira Toriyama's "Strange Island" was selected for this top award.

Unlike the Tezuka Award, which requires depth of creation in its selected works, the Fuji Award only considers the manga artist's ability.

The assessment includes aspects such as plot, storyboarding, and drawing skills.

Akira Toriyama is above average in all other aspects, and his fight scenes are particularly impressive.

His lighthearted and humorous storyline was also well-received by Fujimoto Hiroshi, which is why he won first place.

The shortlisted winners had met Fushimikawa once before.

He had previously submitted articles to Future Society and, with the help of editors, had published many short stories.

However, it is still quite a distance from being a full-length serial.

Now he has finally won the Newcomer Award, which can be considered as an initial proof of his ability.

His pen name is Shan Zhi, and the title of his work is "Peaceful Bullet Scars," a story based on the Vietnam War.

The story is very profound, but it still lost to Akira Toriyama.

There are two excellent works, one of which is "Technological Samurai" by Shoji Hasegawa.

His comics clearly show traces of imitation of Naruto.

Like many works, it is a classic shonen manga.

His ability to stand out is attributed to his deep and unwavering study of "Naruto".

If you can learn even a little bit from it, it won't be difficult to gain a foothold in today's comic book market.

The editors are very optimistic about Hasegawa Shoji's future, believing that he is the most likely among the four award winners to have his work serialized the fastest.

As for the last winner, he didn't have any special characteristics.

His basic skills were decent enough that he was included in the list of award winners.

Chapter 165 Rising Ambition

Looking at Akira Toriyama, Yamato, Shoji Hasegawa, and Masashi Kobayashi who came in last, Hiroshi Fujimoto nodded in satisfaction.

The comic book industry is thriving, which makes this veteran very gratified.

The prize money was handed out to each of them, and they were given words of encouragement. And so, this small awards ceremony came to an end.

Privately, the award winners gathered together.

"Toriyama-kun's battle panels are so well drawn, I'm completely convinced," Yamazumi said first.

He was not satisfied with being only shortlisted, but after watching Akira Toriyama's "Strange Island", he was captivated by Toriyama's art of action storyboarding.

Cartoonists understand the value of paneling better than readers. It's like the writing style in a novel; even with the same story, different writing styles can create vastly different levels of immersion and atmosphere for the reader.

Akira Toriyama's storyboarding skills can be described as unparalleled.

Yamazuki felt that he would never catch up with Akira Toriyama if he relied solely on his own efforts and worked in isolation.

"Haha, I'm not as good as you say," Akira Toriyama said smugly, scratching the back of his head and grinning.

Through the "Unparalleled Award", he finally proved his ability.

This is probably the peak of his life.

Although it was just...

Akira Toriyama glanced at the industry guests attending the "Fuji Awards" and sighed inwardly.

"They were all gathered around Professor Oikawa, completely ignoring us award winners."

What is the winner of the Newcomer Award?

Ultimately, he was just a semi-professional member who couldn't continue writing.

"I'm just a foil to Oikawa-sensei's brilliance..."

Thinking of this, Akira Toriyama lost interest.

"I heard that Toriyama-kun is Oikawa-sensei's assistant?" Yamazumi asked.

“That’s right.” Akira Toriyama nodded.

"That's great to be able to learn from Mr. Oikawa. Your combat paneling skills must have been learned from Mr. Oikawa, right? I'm so envious of you."

Shan Zhi kept talking.

This left Akira Toriyama at a loss for words.

He can't possibly say that Oikawa-sensei learned from me, can he?

So all he could say was a dry, "Yes, yes."

Even Yamato, who was in the same situation, willingly immersed himself in the brilliance of Oikawa-sensei, which made Akira Toriyama feel somewhat sad.

He didn't want to experience those emotions anymore.

Previously, he earned over 100,000 yen a month, which was equivalent to his parents' combined income. The atmosphere at Oikawa Studio was also great, making it a fantastic workplace. Akira Toriyama felt that he could stay there for the rest of his life.

But now, Akira Toriyama hesitated.

Of the four award winners, one praised Oikawa Ji highly, while another young man named Hasegawa Shoji, overhearing their conversation, couldn't help but say:

"It's such a precious opportunity to be Mr. Oikawa's assistant. To be honest, I'm a little embarrassed to say that I actually applied to Mirai-sha before, wanting to join Mr. Oikawa's studio, but he rejected me because the studio was already at full capacity."

"right."

Yamazumi and Hasegawa looked at each other, the two of them showing a mutual respect.