Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

"Achuan."

Her words were interrupted as someone walked up behind Fushimikawa.

The newcomer grabbed Fushimi Kawa's arm and rubbed his chest against his elbow.

Being so close, the scent of soap pods emanating from her body wafted into Fushimi's nostrils.

"You're here! I've been looking for you for ages." The person was Asano Megumi. "We agreed beforehand that we would meet here."

She hugged him tightly, as if she wanted to meld Fushimi's arms into her own body.

The soft touch sent a tingling sensation through half of Fushimikawa's body.

Fushimi Kawaka couldn't help but think, "You've been so clingy lately."

"Because it's been so long since we last saw each other," she said, even trying to sound coquettish. "I want to spend more time with you."

She used to be a strong girl who never showed weakness and could do everything by herself, so that Fushimi Kawa didn't have to worry about her.

Now, only a year has passed, and her personality has changed drastically.

She became someone who was so attached to herself.

This made Fushimikawa feel somewhat ashamed, as it was all his fault for not returning, which made Asano Megumi realize the crisis.

"Xiao Hui, I..."

“Um!” Fujiwara Maki’s face turned ugly. She felt that if she didn’t say something soon, she would lose. “Fushimi-kun! We’ve known each other for a long time, haven’t we?”

“Yes, it’s been over a year.” Fushimikawa nodded, feeling his arms being held even tighter. He patted Asano Megumi’s forehead, signaling her to let go, and then looked ahead. “Thank you for taking care of me during this time, President.”

“So,” Fujiwara Maki said sincerely, holding Fumikawa’s hand, “just call me Maki from now on. President is too formal.”

Naturally, she pulled Fushimi Kawa to her side.

Asano Megumi instinctively let go of her hand, then glared at Fujiwara Maki, gritting her teeth in anger.

“Maki…then you can call me A-Chuan too, that’s what my friends call me.”

“A-Chuan,” Fujiwara Maki smiled sweetly, her dimples captivating all who saw them.

She played with Fushimikawa's hand, pinching his fingers and rubbing his palm in circles.

Some parts are too ambiguous.

Fushimikawa suddenly realized: 'Does President Fujiwara like me?'

She's quite cute and has a good personality; she'd be a suitable partner.

But thinking it might just be a misunderstanding, Fushimikawa remained silent.

The two looked at each other, speechless.

"Wait! We're going to be late for work!" This time, it was Asano Megumi who broke the silence.

Fushimikawa left the campus in a good mood.

Chapter Fifty-Two: A Sensation

Not long after Fushimikawa left, a person with bloodshot eyes barged into the manga club.

His hair and collar were damp, and he looked quite disheveled.

Someone joked, "Kurokawa, were you moved by 'Confessions'? You really love manga, you're so happy for the progress of manga."

Hideki Kurokawa pushed him away, glanced at the manga club, and because he had been staring at it for so long, the irritation from the onions filled his eyes again. He closed his eyes in frustration and shouted.

"Fushimi! Where is Fushimi? Looking at onions makes you cry! I even looked at them up close for so long!"

……

It didn't take long for "Confessions" to become a sensation.

The first person to react was Nakano, the editor of Weekly Shonen Jump.

He has more free time than Nagano Nori, so he pays more attention to the manga market.

Before anyone else could react, he was the first to be shocked by "Confessions".

"Isn't this the most suitable style for adults to read right now? It's truly a remarkable work. I never expected that the first to make a breakthrough wouldn't be 'GARO,' but rather Tezuka-sensei's 'COM.'"

GARO's circulation was around 7 to 8 copies, far exceeding that of COM.

The profits are more than enough to sustain our livelihood.

The magazine was also serialized by Yoshiharu Tsuge, whose contributions rivaled those of Osamu Tezuka and represented the pinnacle of Japanese manga art, so the magazine was very well-known.

Comic artists who develop a new style usually submit their work to GARO.

However, the author of "Confessions" chose Osamu Tezuka.

"Who is this amazing manga artist? Could he be one of the manga artists at Tokiwa-so?"

He looked at the author's name.

"Wait! Wait a minute!"

Startled, Nakano sat up abruptly from his stool, his eyes wide with disbelief: "Oikawa... Oikawa Ji!"

As if in disbelief, he rubbed his eyes and checked them again and again before realizing that he had not seen wrong.

"It really is him, the ace of Sunday magazine! He's even getting serialized in other magazines!"

"No, we can't delay. I need to tell the editor-in-chief this message right away."

He hurriedly set off for the editor-in-chief's office.

He hurriedly walked halfway, then turned back to his desk, rolled up "COM," and left immediately.

"I almost forgot about this."

……

"Oikawa has been serialized in other magazines!"

Like Nakano, Nagano Noriichi was also filled with doubt upon hearing the news.

"What's wrong with Watanabe? How could he let his ace slip by? Or does he think we're too stupid to notice?"

Go Nagai was initially attracted by Osamu Tezuka's reputation and had the idea of ​​contributing articles to "COM".

Upon learning of this, Nagano Nori immediately established a rule: an exclusive contract system would be implemented, and manga artists serialized in "JUMP" would no longer be allowed to contribute to other magazines.

This is to prevent the talented people we've worked so hard to cultivate from leaving.

Even when no new works are produced, they still have to pay to support those cartoonists.

Unless their talents are exhausted.

"Let me take a look at that comic book first."

Nagano Nori pondered for a moment, then picked up the "COM" magazine on the table and began to read it carefully.

Not long after, only about ten seconds.

"Please contact Mr. Oikawa immediately. I need to talk to him about something."

He said this to Nakano, his tone filled with urgency.

“The cheap deals on ‘SUNDAY’ must not be taken advantage of by outsiders.”

"A genius like Oikawa is one in a million, only one like him appears every few decades. He represents the future of the magazine's sales, we absolutely cannot let him go!"

……

The style of "Confession" was so amazing that it spread like wildfire within just two days, becoming a hot topic on university campuses and among professionals in the field.

"Was this drawn by Oikawa? So he wasn't just dependent on Fujiko, he had his own abilities too."

"It's gentler than theatrical animation and more realistic than cartoons. Apart from being complicated to draw, it's good in every way."

"If I learn this drawing style, I should be able to create a serialized work, right?"

Everyone had different ideas; some immediately started learning, while others were disheartened.

"I'm way behind the times; I can't understand the latest trendy comics."

"If this comic had appeared in the past, I might not have become a comic artist."

"It's getting harder and harder to get started, but there are comics like this."

In the past, it could be said that comics had no barriers to entry; anyone with interest and a dream could give it a try.

But if it's a comic like "Confessions," it's completely different.

Beginners simply don't have the basic skills to draw realistic styles well.

People who don't know how to draw don't even know where to start.

The editors were in a real bind.

Many people don't consider their own abilities; they only see the trend and can't help but want to try it.

In the end, it will only waste time and erode confidence.

Nagano Nori, who was busy contacting Fushimikawa, couldn't stand it anymore and held a meeting with all the editors, finally determining the direction.

"Veteran comic artists can give it a try, but newcomers are definitely out of the question. Let them get into the industry first."

This temporarily calmed the situation.

There were quite a few people eager to take action, and many were also moved by the outstanding contributions made to the Fushimi River.

Previously, the manga era could be divided into Osamu Tezuka, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, and Yoshiharu Tsuge; now we can add Oikawa Ni.

In the distant Dark Ages, it was through the sacrifice of one wise man after another that the heliocentric theory was preserved and developed.

They sacrificed their lives, burning like flames, all for the advancement of the times.

Although the development of comics is not that great, no one will shed blood or sacrifice for it.

But it is thanks to the outstanding contributions of one cartoonist after another that Japanese manga has come to be what it is today.

They deserve our respect.

"That rural area... Oikawa-sensei is truly amazing. His growth rate far exceeds my expectations, and he has actually produced such a manga."