Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

"The 'What If Telephone Booth' is truly a brilliant prop, capable of creating countless different timelines—it's terrifying! Teacher, your imagination is truly boundless."

"What if a phone booth?" What is that? I have amnesia.

The reader's assertions were so convincing that they made him somewhat insecure.

Flipping through the other letters, some said that "Try to Say Goodbye" was very interesting; others said that "Gian and Suneo actually take good care of Nobita, and always take Nobita, who often makes mistakes, out to play."

Some people say, "Shizuka is so kind; she genuinely takes care of Nobita."

Although their sentiments were largely consistent with Fujimoto Hiroshi's character concepts when he wrote "Doraemon," Fujimoto Hiroshi still couldn't understand it.

What on earth is this "Try to Say Goodbye" song?

Why do you want me to publish this in a magazine?!

"Try to Say Goodbye is so hard to find! Everyone says it's interesting, but I can't find it. Fujiko-sensei, please don't keep it to yourself! Publish it soon!"

He finally found the answer in other letters.

"Fujiko-sensei, at the Comic Exhibition I saw a Doraemon fan comic called 'Trying to Say Goodbye.' Unlike the original work, this fan comic is very suitable for teenagers and young adults. It helped me understand the charm of Doraemon. I will always support you."

……

A few days ago, Yuka Higashino sent out a letter.

She never imagined that the comic her friend casually tossed to her would be so ridiculously beautiful.

She became so obsessed that reading fanfiction wasn't enough, and she even went to read the original work.

Although the overall concept is different from "Try to Say Goodbye", Fujiko Fujio gave "Doraemon" unparalleled imagination, which made her, a college student, fall in love with this children's manga.

So she unusually sent a letter to the author, Fujiko Fujio.

"It would be even better if there were more Oikawa versions of Doraemon," Yuka Higashino fantasized, "but how is that possible? It's just a dream."

……

Upon hearing his assistant's words, Fushimikawa belatedly realized that he had not yet sent "Try to Say Goodbye" to Fujimoto Hiroshi and the others.

So after a brief period of getting to know Hirokane-senpai and Arima-senpai, he hurriedly went to Fujiko F. Fujio's studio.

"Fujiko-sensei!"

He pushed open the door and heard Fujiko Fujio's puzzled voice.

"Editor Wuju, is your arrival related to 'Trying to Say Goodbye'?"

Chapter Twenty-Three: I drew Doraemon!

Fushimikawa walked into the studio, completely bewildered, not understanding how they ended up together and were still discussing the doujinshi "Trying to Say Goodbye".

Could it be...?

His heart skipped a beat.

"Fushimi-kun, you've arrived." Fujimoto Hiroshi greeted him. "Please sit down, I have some things to do right now."

Upon seeing Fushimikawa, his worries eased somewhat.

“Editor Takei,” Fujimoto Hiroshi turned to look at Takei Toshiki, only to find…

Takei Toshiki stared at Fushimikawa in shock, his eyes wide open!

"Oikawa!"

……

After about three minutes of confusion, Fushimikawa explained the situation to everyone present.

"You didn't even tell me you were working as an assistant for Fujiko-sensei," Takei said irritably.

If he had known this earlier, he would have been more confident in connecting the two parties to facilitate cooperation, instead of suffering under Watanabe's torment.

Fushimikawa spread his hands: "I didn't expect you, Editor Takei, to go this far. Thank you for your high regard."

In fact, their conversation on the day of the CM exhibition was not very in-depth; they hadn't reached that point yet.

Even if Fushimikawa had Fujiko Fujio's assistant status, it wouldn't have mattered if Takei hadn't made up his mind.

"You're amazing!" Suzuki Jiro patted Fushimikawa on the back, exclaiming in admiration.

He quickly accepted the fact that the renowned editor would go to great lengths to help his junior with his serialization.

After all, he was already amazed when he saw "Mothers," and he realized that Fushimikawa was born to be a manga artist.

"This must be Mr. Oikawa." Editor Kawai looked Fushimikawa up and down. "He's so young."

Takei Toshiki suddenly contacted him, saying that he had found a young genius who had the potential to resist the invasion of magazine.

They said the other person's Doraemon fan art was excellent and suggested they try collaborating with Fujiko F. Fujio.

Kawai did not immediately refuse, but instead went to see "Try to Say Goodbye" and learned about the impact of the film during that time.

In less than a week, this fan-made comic has become a sensation in the fan community.

People were secretly making copies of the printed book so they could see it for themselves.

"If Doraemon were to be made in a similar style, would you watch it?"

Kawai conducted a small-scale survey, and the results showed that 90% of the respondents expressed strong support.

Even Shogakukan was affected, with readers who hadn't had enough writing in, urging Shogakukan to take action.

Considering the positive influence of "Try to Say Goodbye" on "Doraemon", Kawai brought over the relevant letter, supporting Toshiki Takei's actions.

“Hello, editor Kawai,” Fushimikawa nodded to him.

"Oh, right," he stood up, took five comic books out of his bag, and placed them on the table.

"I'm here to deliver this today. Does the teacher want to see it?"

……

Do you want to see it yourself?

Fujimoto Hiroshi was filled with mixed emotions.

He had assumed the reader's letter was to praise him, but it turned out not to be; it was simply because of a fan-made magazine written by his assistant.

Even the editor sided with him, implying that they should cooperate.

'Can't I draw interesting comics?'

He glanced at the excited Fushimikawa and felt much relieved.

In any case, the reason this genius was able to draw "Trying to Say Goodbye" was because he was attracted to his own "Doraemon".

After being serialized in six manga magazines for eight months and having already released 48 chapters, Doraemon finally has its fans.

"Let me take a look."

Fujimoto Hiroshi reached his hand onto the table.

How could the original author, who has received so much praise for this fan fiction, not read it?

……

The clock ticked away.

Everyone waited patiently.

Unable to resist, Suzuki Jiro also started watching.

During this time, his expressions were very varied, and his previous composure vanished completely.

"It's much more exciting than 'Ikkyu-san'..." he muttered to himself, "Is this still 'Doraemon'?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized he had said the wrong thing. He glanced at Fujimoto Hiroshi in a panic, and when he found that the manga artist was not paying attention to him, he quickly pursed his lips and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Try to Say Goodbye” truly deserves its reputation,” Fujimoto Hiroshi suddenly said.

This startled Jiro Suzuki, and the comic book fell to the ground with a "bang!"

Fujimoto Hiroshi ignored him, his refined face filled with admiration.

"Unlike children's comics, 'Try to Say Goodbye' creates a cinematic atmosphere, with some shots being quite sophisticated. The emotional progression is also very delicate; Shizuka's journey from endurance to breakdown, and then to her inevitable relief, is very convincing. Fushimi-kun, you are truly amazing for creating such a mature work."

Fushimikawa remained silent, but Toshiki Takei stepped forward first: "So, what are your thoughts, teacher?"

Fujimoto Hiroshi nodded: "Of course, it would be a shame not to publish such an interesting manga."

He agreed.

Takei Toshiki's face was beaming with joy, his mouth stretching all the way to his ears.

Kawai nudged his arm: "You're laughing so hard."

……

The matter was thus settled.

If the serialization meeting is approved, Fushimikawa will serialize a shonen version of "Doraemon" in Weekly Shonen Sunday.

Apart from the content he drew, the overall copyright of "Doraemon" belongs to Fujimoto Hiroshi, while Fushimikawa only has limited usage rights based on the proportion of content.

The serialized stories also had to be approved by Fujimoto Hiroshi first.

This is somewhat demanding.

But just being able to draw "Doraemon" is enough. Putting aside childhood dreams and such, just being one of the original creators would make Fushimikawa famous throughout history.

That's how exaggerated it is.

Moreover, even with only a small portion of the copyrights, the profits are still quite staggering.

Fushimikawa really hit the jackpot by getting involved when Doraemon was still relatively unknown.

"I am delighted to be able to work with my teacher."

Fushimi River shakes hands with Fujimoto Hiroshi.

“I am happy for your happiness,” Fujimoto Hiroshi said with a smile.

……

The next day, Fushimikawa and Fujimoto Hiroshi quickly signed the contract. Afterward, the two talked for a long time about the future development of "Doraemon". Suzuki Jiro did not know the specific details, but he knew that Fujiko-sensei was very happy.