Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

She turned to Fushimi Kawa and said.

"Huh?" Fushimi Kawa looked puzzled, pointing at her and then at himself. "Is it something shady for the two of us to meet?"

“Of course!” Fujiwara Maki answered instinctively.

Fushimikawa was even more puzzled: "Huh?"

“Of course not,” Fujiwara Maki said, her hands behind her back, tiptoeing, and head tucked in as she slowly walked up to Fushimi River. “It’s just…”

She finds it simple to make friends with others; all she needs to do is be sincere and carefully observe what the other person needs.

But the thought of having to please Fushimikawa made him feel a little uncomfortable.

This feeling made her dislike herself, her heart pounding, and she was constantly worried that the other person's response wouldn't be good, making her feel incredibly inferior.

“Fushimi-kun,” Fujiwara Maki walked to the railing, looked at the crowd below, and decided to be truly honest with him.

"I've always had a dream that I've never told anyone. Because it's so hard to achieve, I kept it in my heart and just worked hard in silence. Now I've decided to tell you, just don't laugh at me."

She finished her opening statement in one breath, gathering all her strength: "Actually, I want to..."

"You want to start your own manga magazine, right?" Fushimikawa chimed in.

"Huh?" Fujiwara Maki stared wide-eyed at Fushimikawa, her floral tote bag peeking out from under her hand. "You, how did you know! I didn't tell anyone!"

Fushimikawa sighed: "It's not just me, everyone in the manga club knows. President, your thoughts are too simple, there's no need to guess, they're obvious as soon as they're laid bare."

"..."

"President?"

Fujiwara Maki remained silent for a long time. Her face flushed red, and she considered jumping off the rooftop.

She had been keeping her "secret" in the manga club, but decided to make a name for herself.

But everyone actually knew, no one just told her.

"Ugh~" She covered her face with her hands, making a steam engine-like sound, "Am I being treated like a monkey? You don't need to go to the zoo, just seeing me is enough..."

Fushimikawa, stroking his chin, looked at the beautiful girl who was filled with shame, and felt somewhat pleased.

This is a scene we don't usually see; we can't miss it.

After a while, seeing that the president was still blaming himself, Fushimikawa comforted him, "Alright, what's wrong with wanting to start a manga magazine? I've always believed that this is an era where miracles can happen, and anything is possible. Only by working hard will you not have any regrets in your later years."

Fujiwara Maki had long since finished sobbing, and with Fushimi River as a way out, she immediately quieted down.

The two looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say.

“I…I…” Fujiwara Maki picked up her handbag, took out a scarf from it, and handed it to Fushimikawa. “This is a gift for you. Please accept it to express my gratitude.”

The scarf was bright red, which matched Fushimikawa's black trench coat perfectly.

He looked at Fujiwara Maki with a complicated expression, his tone filled with mixed emotions.

"They're almost seniors and still have time to knit scarves. The club president seems to have no ambition."

Chapter 41 Realistic Style

Fushimikawa believes that instead of wasting time knitting scarves, Fujiwara Maki would be better off buying herself a scarf and using that extra time for more meaningful work.

Anyway, there's not much difference between handmade scarves and industrial products.

Both are warm and look good.

"Knitting a scarf for amusement, really..." Fushimi Kawa shook his head, his face full of disapproval.

"But……"

Knitting you a scarf is the most important job I do.

Winning over one Fushimikawa is better than winning over ten qualified manga artists.

Fujiwara Maki hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

"But I've already finished knitting it, so please accept it."

That was all she could say.

“Hmm,” Fushimikawa took the scarf, touching the fine herringbone stitches and feeling its warmth. “Thank you, President Fujiwara.”

He put on the scarf, and his mood improved. It was a wonderful gift; he had to find a way to reciprocate.

"President Fujiwara, where do you usually go during spring break?"

Fujiwara Maki blinked: "At home."

She left her home address and phone number.

"I'll visit when I have time," Fushimikawa said earnestly, holding the business card in his hand.

"I look forward to your arrival." Fujiwara Maki felt puzzled.

Although there were problems in the process, the result seems to be good.

Having grown closer to Fushimikawa, it seems she has achieved her goal.

……

Spring break has begun.

Wearing a scarf, Fushimikawa returned to his studio. Before he could take it off, he heard Hirokane Kenji's voice.

"That scarf suits you very well. Where did you buy it?"

Fushimikawa replied, "This was a gift from someone."

"A gift from her? Then it must be a girl." Hirokane Kenji smiled. "She definitely likes you; that's my intuition as a heartthrob."

"She likes me?" Fushimikawa was taken aback, then shook his head, recalling Fujiwara Maki's face. "She probably likes my hands more than me as a person. After all..."

Looking at his hands, which were tied with red ribbons, Fushimikawa said earnestly, "These are hands that can create miracles."

Hirokane Kenshi: "..."

Although I was annoyed, I couldn't argue with it.

"What else should we draw during spring break besides Doraemon and Ikkyu-san?" he changed the subject.

“I’ve already thought of that.” Fushimikawa walked quickly to his workstation, speaking rapidly. “The current art styles in the manga industry are either the cartoon style represented by Tezuka, or the gekiga style with its rough and oppressive feel, like in Asahi no Joe.”

“Cartoon style is suitable for children, bringing them an adventurous and fantastical experience. It is also suitable for comic book publication, since it is simple and quick to draw.”

"And what about gekiga? It evolved to counter the cartoonish style. While adhering to human anatomy, it also has a rough feel. It uses heavy shadows and distorts realistic faces to depict violence and gore. It is suitable for adults."

"I think there should be a space for another style of art to exist between these two."

"I call it a realistic art style."

"It's more realistic, with detailed visuals, clean lines, and soft lighting. It's a genre that both children and adults can enjoy."

Fushimikawa Norizo's representative works include "Cat's Eye", "City Hunter" and "Slam Dunk"!

Tsukasa Hojo's "Cat's Eye" truly delivers a release of hormones for readers with its unique and delicate art style, realistic depiction of the human body, and a variety of charming, pure, and energetic female characters.

This is something that current comics cannot do.

Would anyone get hot for Shizuka?

That's impossible.

“Wow,” Hirokane Kenji exclaimed in surprise. What Fushimikawa said was exactly the type he was good at.

Urban daily life and the workplace are what Hirokazu Kenji is preparing to explore.

If he learns a realistic art style, it will definitely benefit him greatly.

only……

Hirokane Kenji raised his hand: "It's very complicated to draw, several times more work than drawing in a cartoon style."

“So,” Fushimikawa chuckled twice, “I’ll have to trouble you and Arima-senpai.”

……

Fushimikawa had been pondering how to adapt a live-action film into a manga.

He knows so many excellent movies, wouldn't it be a waste to just leave them untouched?

Neither cartoons nor theatrical works are suitable for adaptation into live-action films.

That would lose the sense of realism and blur the most important emotional expression in live-action films.

Later, he found the answer: to use a realistic art style.

This art style has many disadvantages: it is difficult and complex to draw, unsuitable for beginners with weak basic skills, difficult to animate, and loses the exaggerated expressive form of comics.

But suitability is the most important thing.

Since we have the time, let's give it a try.

……

Once Fushimikawa had an idea, his assistants got to work.

Purchase essential books on human anatomy and learn to draw bones and muscles.

Then we make them move, so that it is realistic and not distorted.

Even small details like muscles filling out the folds of clothing need to be considered.

Find someone to make halftone paper with delicate and soft textures.

The experimental art style is gradually approaching the style and goals described by Fushimikawa.

……

Time slipped by unnoticed. The three of them stayed in the studio, working more than ten hours a day. Apart from eating and sleeping, they were all enthusiastically painting.

Until this day.

With a loud bang, the door was flung open, and someone burst in.

"Mr. Oikawa, is the color cover art for Doraemon finished?"

The visitor was Takei Toshiki, carrying high-end snacks.