Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

This is an era where fun comes first, and nothing else matters.

You shouldn't look for anything like education or profound meaning in comics.

This left the old-school cartoonist Morimoto exhausted and in a sorry state.

He's resigned to his fate now.

"Even Fujiko, a country bumpkin, relies on children, and I'm constantly chasing after them... what am I supposed to do?"

He submitted his work several times, but it was rejected each time. Even after he revised it, he couldn't recognize the comic.

When I learned that Fujiko's "Doraemon" was not popular with readers and that newcomers needed to be brought in to please them, I was filled with a sense of confusion.

"Although she was from the countryside, Fujiko always drew very well... how could this be..."

"I'm going to take a good look at the new Doraemon."

……

Fushimikawa must be under a lot of pressure.

Countless people were watching him, waiting for him to make a mistake, and then they would take advantage of the situation to kick the screenwriter Takei as well. However, Fushimikawa remained completely calm.

“It’s no big deal,” he told his assistant. “Everything will be fine once Doraemon is published.”

Hirokane Kenji greatly admired his teacher, who was five years younger than him. The teacher had a strong heart and exuded the aura of a powerful person in every gesture.

She's just a newcomer who's about to start serializing her work.

Shouldn't it be about not being able to eat or sleep well?

He's still saying, "President Fujiwara told me there's a really good yakiniku restaurant near the school. Let's go there together when we're done. It's on me."

Arima happily said, "Thank you, Kawa-san."

He's clearly the senior, but he keeps calling me "Brother Chuan".

Hirokane Kenshi didn't take it seriously. Although Fushimikawa was young, he was more mature than a college student in terms of both temperament and ability.

“Great!” Hirokane Kenji said with a smile. “I’ve been looking forward to that yakiniku restaurant for a long time.”

Encouraged by the barbecue, they painted quickly and finished their work early, around 7 p.m.

They quickly washed their hands and went out.

……

About ten minutes later, they arrived at the barbecue restaurant.

I also saw an acquaintance at the store entrance.

"It's President Fujiwara!"

Arima was startled and kept tidying up his messy hair.

“Teacher, you too…” He looked at Fushimikawa, only to see that the man with a bird’s nest on his head was walking towards Fujiwara Maki.

"President Fujiwara! You're here too."

He even waved to attract Maki Fujiwara's attention.

"This is terrible." Arima closed his eyes; his image was ruined.

……

Drawing comics is a very demanding job, and it's perfectly normal not to be able to take care of your personal image.

As long as you're not too sloppy and take time to shower every day, Fushimikawa thinks that's fine.

As for what others think? He doesn't care.

"President Fujiwara, good evening. Have you eaten yet?"

Fujiwara Maki shook her head: "Not yet."

"Let's go together then," Fushimikawa casually offered.

Fujiwara Maki smiled, her eyes narrowing, "Thank you very much."

"Good evening, Arima-kun and Hirokane-senpai." She then greeted the two people behind Fushimikawa.

"Everyone's working so hard, let's have a good drink later."

……

"cheers!"

"cheers!"

Four glasses clinked together, splashing beer.

After clinking glasses, Hirokane Kenji decisively took a large gulp and then let out a long sigh.

"Ah~ a beer after work, it really makes you feel refreshed and clear-headed."

“Yes, yes,” Fujiwara Maki nodded, holding her beer mug, taking small sips, and then letting out a silly laugh, “It’s so delicious.”

Fushimikawa was involuntarily drawn to her and looked over.

Like Hirokane Kenshi and Arima, the three of them stared at the foam on Fujiwara Maki's lips.

"W-what's wrong?" Fujiwara Maki looked at Fushimikawa, feeling uneasy. "Is there something strange about me?"

Chapter Twenty-Seven, "The Clever Ikkyu," is published.

Fushimikawa waved his hand, looking nonchalant, and said, "It's nothing, it's just that your outfit today is kind of cute, President."

Maki Fujiwara wore a cream-colored short-sleeved collared shirt on her upper body and a smoky gray pleated skirt that reached her knees on her lower body. Although the outfit was simple, it was paired with her fair and rosy complexion, giving her an overwhelming sense of youth.

"Thank you for the compliment." Fujiwara Maki smiled, revealing her dimples. "It's quite strange to be praised by Fushimi-kun."

"I'm just telling the truth," Fushimikawa said seriously, "it's just not really suitable for eating barbecue."

"Ah, the familiar Fushimi-kun is back. But I'm pretty good at eating, so I won't spill any grease on myself."

The two of them chatted as if no one else was around.

Arima and Hirokane Kenshi could only bury their heads in their yakiniku (grilled meat).

"Fushimi-sensei, Fushimi-sensei..."

Fujiwara Maki moved her stool a little closer to Fushimi River, nudged his elbow, and whispered, "I heard that Doraemon is going to be serialized in Sunday."

Fushimikawa himself had only just learned of this news, and he hadn't expected that President Fujiwara would also know.

He asked in surprise, "Where did you hear that?"

"It's all over the Tokyo manga artist circle," Fujiwara Maki said, her face grim. "It's not good stuff."

"Hmm?" Fushimikawa became interested. "Please tell me in detail."

Maki Fujiwara counted on her fingers.

"Out-of-towners come to Tokyo to beg for food, people with connections use back channels, Sunday is in disarray and is doomed, it will be cut short soon, etc..."

As she spoke, she carefully glanced at Fushimi Kawa's face and, finding his expression normal, breathed a sigh of relief.

Fushimikawa simply chuckled: "That's all? Nothing much, just some idle gossip."

"How generous!" Fujiwara Maki gave a thumbs up. "I'm sure Fushimi-kun's Doraemon will surprise them."

"Thank you."

"By the way," Fujiwara Maki asked, picking up a piece of beef chuck, putting it in her mouth and chewing gently, "did you sign a one-year contract with Sunday?"

“Annual contract fee?” Fushimikawa frowned slightly. “What is this? I only signed a serialization contract. It’s 1500 yen per page for black and white manuscripts and an additional 1000 yen for color manuscripts. Based on the income of 19 pages per chapter of Doraemon and four chapters a week, it’s just enough to cover the assistant’s fees and daily expenses.”

His income is only slightly higher than that of an average white-collar worker, barely enough to make ends meet.

If you want to make money, you still have to rely on publishing standalone books.

Nowadays, only the top three comic magazines can consistently publish standalone volumes.

Therefore, most cartoonists can barely make ends meet.

As for annual contract fees? Many people have never even heard of them. For example, Fushimikawa.

“Editor Takei didn’t tell you,” Fujiwara Maki explained. “Top manga artists, like Fujiko Fujio. Shogakukan signs a contract with him every year, guaranteeing that Fujiko Fujio will only serialize in Shogakukan’s manga magazines. It’s a way of maintaining the relationship. As for the exact amount, I don’t know, but it’s probably around 100 million yen.”

"What about new manga artists?" Fushimikawa asked.

It's perfectly reasonable for Fujiko Fujio to take this money; they have that kind of value.

Fushimikawa is concerned with his own social class.

“Newcomers who are valued by the Sunday editorial department will probably receive 20 yen,” Fujiwara Maki added. “However, the vast majority of newcomers don’t receive that.”

Fushimi River is one of the vast majority of these.

"Understood." He nodded expressionlessly, revealing neither joy nor anger.

An hour and a half later, he paid the bill, and the dinner party came to an end.

Next, he will focus all his efforts on the serialization of "Ikkyu-san" on September 1st and "Doraemon" on September 20th, leaving him no time for anything else.

……

Time flew by and it was already the end of August.

The day that countless people have been waiting for is almost here.

The release of the new issue of the school year magazine has captured the hearts of many primary school students.

However, the high price made it out of reach for them.

"Sister, sister, give me 200!"

Higashino Yuka lay motionless on the sofa, trying to escape the summer heat.

Her mentally challenged brother was shouting and yelling, disturbing her peace and quiet.

"What's wrong?" she asked lazily. "Why so much money?"

"The fourth-grade elementary school textbook is about to be released! I want to buy it!"

"Huh? Didn't you buy a three-year program before?"