Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

"Mr. Oikawa, I've seen the storyboard for the latest chapter of 'Ikkyu the Clever.' Is the prototype for 'Two Mothers' based on the Yuan Dynasty Chinese zaju play 'The Chalk Circle'?"

On the road, a horse asked a question.

Fushimikawa looked at him with surprise: "You're right, it seems you've read quite a few books."

"I just happened to have seen it; I'm still far from it," Arima shook his head.

"That's very good. Arima-senpai, you have a lot of ambition. Please keep this habit."

Arima nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

Chatting, they soon arrived at the studio and found that Kenji Hirokane was already there, drawing manga.

"You're really working hard." Fushimikawa turned on the air conditioner, took off his coat, hung it on the coat rack by the door, and then remarked, "We're always later than you."

Hirokane Kenji laughed and said, "You all still have to go to school, but I have nothing to do, so of course I have to work hard."

He looked up at the air conditioner and took off his coat.

In 1970, air conditioning ownership in Japan was not high, roughly equivalent to the ownership rate of air conditioning in Indian households in 2026. Only the middle class could afford it, and it was considered a luxury item.

Hirokazu Kenji never expected that his junior would be so generous before even receiving royalties.

He spends money without hesitation; he must be from a wealthy family.

"I heard there's a really good crab sukiyaki place on East Street. Let's all go try it after work, it'll warm us up."

Sitting at his desk, Fushimikawa spoke enthusiastically to his assistants.

He didn't eat well at the company's annual party that day; he was too busy chatting and got to know a senior cartoonist.

This time, we're going to eat to our hearts' content.

Feeling the warm air from the air conditioner, Arima shook his head. With this, why would he need to warm himself up?

However, having known each other for a while, he knew he didn't need to be overly polite with Fushimikawa, so he nodded and said, "Winter is when crab meat is at its fattest. Thank you for your hospitality, teacher."

Hirokane Kenji rubbed his hands together and said, "I won't stand on ceremony."

Encouraged by the crabs, everyone painted very quickly, and by 7 p.m., they were in the final stages of finishing.

At this point, there's no need to rush.

"Final exams are coming up soon, teacher, are you okay?" Arima asked with concern after finishing a drawing.

He had heard from Fushimikawa that Oikawa Studio was planning a continuous drawing project during the winter break, and it wouldn't be good to fail his course and get distracted.

"Don't worry," Fushimikawa said, "You might not get a scholarship, but you should be able to pass."

“Yes,” Hirokane Kenji nodded in agreement, “How could anyone fail a course? Just flip through the book before the exam and you’ll understand everything.”

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with mutual approval.

Arima was speechless. In order to pass the exam, he worked as an assistant during the day and stayed up late at night in his dormitory to study. He had only gained a little confidence and was even thinking about whether to teach Fushimikawa. But now he decided against it.

“Let’s talk about comics instead of studying,” Hirokane Kenji said, shaking out the panel. “This story is very well designed. Two middle-aged women are fighting for custody of a five-year-old child, both claiming to be the child’s mother. Ikkyu has them hold the child’s arms and have a tug-of-war. Whoever lets go first is the child’s real mother.”

"That's true. What mother wouldn't let go when her child cries out in pain? Brilliant, truly brilliant."

He was so engrossed in the story that he clapped and cheered repeatedly.

Arima seized the opportunity and sneered twice: "Even if you have good talent, you still need to read more books. This story comes from 'The Chalk Circle,' which is very famous."

Hirokane Kenshi glanced at Arima, and a war broke out between the two.

When eating sukiyaki, it's inevitable that people will fight over it, which is a good thing for Fushimi Kawa.

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Elephant and Uncle

"Ah, this is..."

On this day, in the library, Fushimikawa saw a news article from the past.

"So there's such a cruel and callous story behind the Doraemon episode where 'Japan was defeated!' The Japanese wartime government really doesn't disappoint when it comes to being inhuman."

He copied down the news articles, roughly wrote a story outline, and decided to take it to Fujiko F. Fujio's studio to discuss it with Fujimoto Hiroshi.

He could put aside his planned serialization and decided to start drawing "The Elephant and Uncle" first.

……

When he arrived at Fujiko Studio again and looked up at the four-story building that occupied a considerable area, Fushimikawa wondered when he would have such a day.

It will probably take several more years, right?

By then, I might have already become a renowned cartoonist.

"Yo, Fushimi-kun... oh, no, it should be Oikawa-sensei!"

Someone came out of the studio and greeted Fushimikawa.

"Master Anson, you can just call me Fushimi."

Fushimikawa rummaged through the paper bag he was holding, took out an orange, and handed it to the other person, saying, "I've tried it, it's very sweet."

"Thank you." Abiko Motoo reached out and took the orange, playing with it in his hand. "Do you have time to chat?"

Fushimikawa nodded: "Of course, it would be my honor."

They sat down in the lounge area of ​​the studio lobby, and Abiko Motoo said bluntly, "In the last two months, Hiroshi's Doraemon has been doing better and better, and I have to thank you on his behalf."

"I just moved up the timeline. Doraemon is bound to be a huge hit and become a manga no less popular than Q-Taro." Fushimikawa scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "It's my honor to be involved in such a great work."

If the author of "Q-Taro" hadn't been right in front of him, he would have said that "Doraemon" is a masterpiece that far surpasses "Q-Taro" and will never be outdated in 100 years.

Even in Japan, a major comic book country, there is only one Doraemon.

“Being too modest is not good,” Abiko Motoo peeled the orange and took out a segment. “I have read your ‘Grandma’s Memories.’ Although A-Hiro is the original author of this story, you adapted it very well, infusing it with extremely delicate and relatable emotions. It’s almost perfect.”

Fushimikawa said earnestly, "I am standing on the shoulders of giants."

“Indeed,” Abiko Motoo carefully tore off the orange pith, “standing on the shoulders of this ‘giant,’ Hiro, I’ll just say it as you think. Here you go.”

He handed Fushimikawa a segment of orange without the white pith, his eyes filled with unquestionable authority.

"Th...thank you." Fushimikawa accepted it, feeling Abiko Motoo's gratitude on behalf of Fujimoto Hiroshi.

"Then that's settled."

After finishing the remaining oranges in a few bites, Anson Tsuneo patted his bottom and stood up.

"Don't be complacent, please continue to work hard."

"Thank you for your guidance," Fushimikawa nodded, savoring the sweetness of the orange. "But that's only natural."

……

Passing by the rooms of first- and second-grade elementary school students, Fushimikawa almost thought he had accidentally wandered into an elementary school.

He heard voices coming from inside the doorway of the third-year students' classroom.

"Doraemon is ranked third this time, above Ikkyu-san."

It's the voice of Hiroshi Fujimoto, the editor of Kawai.

Fushimikawa felt somewhat helpless; he had actually lost to himself.

Moreover, it is foreseeable that this pattern will continue in the future, only changing from third and fourth to first and second.

"Bang bang."

He knocked on the door, then pushed it open and went inside.

“It’s Fushimi-kun,” Fujimoto Hiroshi said with a hint of surprise upon seeing him, then reminded him, “It’s your assistant’s day off today.”

“Editor Kawai,” Fushimikawa nodded to Kawai and said to Fujimoto Hiroshi, “Fujiko-sensei, I have a new idea.”

“Oh,” Fujimoto Hiroshi said, intrigued. He walked to a table and swept the pile of things aside. “Let’s talk over here.”

Fushimikawa noticed that this was Suzuki Jiro's workstation, and thinking that he probably wouldn't have any objections, he didn't say anything.

Please take a look.

He showed news articles from 1943, as well as story outlines he had written.

……

In August 1943, Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Shigeo Ōtachi ordered the implementation of the "Outline for Emergency Response to Zoos" under the pretext of preventing wild animals from escaping during air raids.

Twenty-seven wild beasts were executed as a result; some were poisoned, some starved to death, and some were strangled with ropes!

The incident quickly spread, and throughout Japan, more than 300 captive wild animals were killed for political reasons.

Therefore, it is also known as "wartime execution of wild beasts"!

Given the situation in Japan at the time, it shouldn't have come to this.

There's no need to specifically target wild beasts.

As for the implementation of government orders, it probably stems from the morbid psychology of the Japanese.

The real reason was to force people to kill their favorite wild animals to make them realize the urgency of the war, to make them hate the enemy, and to carry out militaristic brainwashing propaganda at the "memorial service" that followed.

After reading the news and Fushimikawa's outline, Fujimoto Hiroshi showed no emotion.

Japan has done far worse things than this, so there's no need to be surprised.

Of course, this doesn't mean he doesn't want to draw "The Elephant and Uncle".

"Your plot has some deviations; you can revise it like this."

"Yes, the teacher is right."

……

"The most important part, 'Japan was defeated,' how should we phrase it? Should we use a flat tone?"

"Of course we should cheer! That's what makes it exciting."

"Fushimi-kun, just as you said, it's better to cheer."

……

Half an hour later, seeing their enthusiastic discussion, Kawai sighed, "There's no way to stop them. Let Sunday's editor-in-chief worry about it."

After all, "The Elephant and Uncle" is going to be serialized in Sunday magazine.