Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

“I will go,” Miyuki Nagai nodded, her eyes narrowing. “I want to see how Asano-san is progressing.”

……

August 4, 1971, was an exceptionally hot day.

It was only 9 a.m., but the sunlight was already making people's skin feel hot.

Outside the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, the stairwells and plazas were packed with people, and Iwasaki couldn't see a single gap in the crowd.

Wow, everyone's enthusiasm is so high!

He should have considered this situation when he saw the subway line to Yoyogi was packed with people.

"Isn't it said that the Japan Manga Convention will draw away popularity from CM Comic Con?"

Many of his fellow journalists have abandoned CM Comic Con and opted for the "Japan Manga Convention".

However, Iwasaki, who works for Weekly Bunshun, felt that there would definitely be big news at CM Comic Con, so he came here quietly today, with his camera twitching in his arms.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the line behind me.

It felt like a pleasant surprise, yet also somewhat unbelievable.

"Tezuka-sensei! Is that Tezuka-sensei? Please give me your autograph!"

Similar sounds kept ringing out. Yanqi turned around and saw a group of people walking towards the venue through the fast lane.

The person in charge was a beautiful college student wearing a work badge, and behind her was the famous manga artist Osamu Tezuka.

Subconsciously, Iwasaki picked up his Nikon camera and took a picture of Osamu Tezuka smiling and waving.

Only then did he begin to observe the others.

"Ryoichi Ikegami, the artist of Spider-Man."

“Takao Saito, the creator of Golgotha ​​13.”

"Is that Kazuo Koike?"

He counted them, and there were more than a dozen well-known cartoonists among them.

"Wow, that's amazing! What are all these big shots doing at the comic convention?"

He squeezed the camera, trying to hide his excitement. Iwasaki lowered his head, worried that the intense gaze would give him away.

'I knew I came to the right place! There must be some big news happening here!'

……

Inside the stadium, 167 doujinshi (fan-made comics) booths filled the space.

Some people were attending a comic convention for the first time, looking around excitedly, chatting with fellow enthusiasts, and exchanging their hard-earned artwork.

"I'm so sorry, your drawing is so good, while mine is a mess and can't compare to your comics at all."

“It’s nothing,” the boy waved his hand. “This is my first work, and there are still many problems.”

"Is this your first time drawing? 'The Little Match Girl.' Although it's an old story, it's drawn really well. I can't believe it."

The other person's tone was full of praise, but the boy was bothered by the word "old-fashioned".

"Old and outdated?"

"Don't you know? The most popular style in Tokyo right now is Oikawa's realistic style, and many manga artists are learning from it. Tezuka's cartoon style is almost outdated."

“Oikawa’s realistic style,” the boy said, his head bowed, pondering the words. “I really want to see what it looks like.”

"Huh? You don't know?" The other person paused, then pointed into the distance, where a large crowd of people were gathered, seemingly doing something.

"Oikawa-sensei is selling his own 'Confessions' over there. You can buy it and take a look."

The boy's eyes lit up, and he bowed, saying, "Thank you."

Although somewhat introverted, he still brought his work and quickly walked to Oikawa's booth, standing in line behind many others, waiting to see the splendor of "Confessions".

“If it weren’t for Oikawa-sensei coming,” the stall owner sighed, watching his retreating figure. “I wonder how many people would still be attending CM. I really don’t want this kind of comic convention to disappear. Only CM can give us ordinary people a platform to perform.”

He picked up "The Little Match Girl" and began to read it attentively.

……

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

Fushimikawa accepted the doujinshi from the authors one by one, and presented his own "Confession" with both hands.

He printed a total of 2000 copies of "Confessions" for today's comic convention.

Before any tourists even arrived, hundreds of our colleagues came to visit.

He carefully packed away their comic books, preparing to have them moved to his studio. After all, these were gifts from others and shouldn't be treated carelessly.

"Oikawa-sensei, this is my manga."

The childish voice made Fushimikawa take a closer look.

"You're so young, and you've already started drawing comics?"

The other person looked like a high school student.

"Yes, I really like Tezuka's Astro Boy, and I've always wanted to become a manga artist."

Fushimikawa nodded knowingly; this kind of thing was all too common. Many manga artists were drawn down this path by Osamu Tezuka.

He truly deserves the title of God of Comics, with countless followers.

With a bit of interest, Fushimikawa picked up the comic book titled "The Little Match Girl".

He paused for a moment when he saw the name on the title page.

"Katsuhiro Otomo?"

Is he the author and director of Akira?

"What's wrong, Oikawa-sensei?" Katsuhiro Otomo asked worriedly.

“It’s nothing,” Fushimikawa shook his head and put away “The Little Match Girl.” “You drew it very well. Please keep up the good work.”

"Thank you!" Katsuhiro Otomo was very happy to be praised by the famous cartoonist until he saw the cover of "Confessions".

She was a female teacher with her back to the students, her face full of indifference.

The content itself wasn't anything special, but the visuals shocked him.

"Can comics be this exquisite? It's almost like a real person."

*Splat*

The string in his mind snapped; compared to this style, the expressiveness of cartoon style is indeed much worse.

This is the style he should pursue, one that expresses his inner thoughts and feelings.

"200 pages!" Holding the thick comic book, he was very glad that this way he could study for a long time.

only……

"My manga is only thirty-something pages long, but Oikawa-sensei's is... I can make up the difference. Such a precious manga must be worth over a thousand, right?"

He was a little nervous, rummaging through his pockets looking for money.

“No need for that,” Fushimikawa said with a smile. “Consider it a gift from me, a senior in the world of manga, to you as we meet.”

Chapter Sixty: The Past, Present, and Future of Japanese Manga

Katsuhiro Otomo carried "Confessions" back to his stall as if it were a precious treasure, and then began to read it carefully.

Even the arrival of tourists did not affect his concentration.

About an hour later, he heard a gasp.

"Tezuka-sensei is here!"

This made him lose himself in thought. He quickly looked up and found that everyone's eyes were on the direction of Oikawa's second stall.

Come again?

He frowned.

But it was his manga idol, Osamu Tezuka, so he had no choice but to go.

He was inconspicuous in the crowd. He looked toward the center, where several people were gathered around Oikawa, marveling at "Confessions" and full of praise.

"The drawing is really good; it completely removes the violent atmosphere of the theatrical animation."

"Compared to our symbolic theatrical animation, Oikawa's 'Confessions' is much more precise. It restores the real person's skeleton, muscle undulations, and fat layers, making it look more natural. Even the dynamic light and shadow under micro-expressions are different, which is really amazing."

"This is practically an evolution."

The veteran cartoonists discussed the topic amongst themselves, offering generous praise.

This is indeed an evolution. Fushimikawa's art style comes from ten years in the future. It is the result of many geniuses standing on the shoulders of those in front of us and working hard to complete it.

This art style can be described as progressing from simple to complex, elevating the expressive power of comics.

"We have to learn this art style, or we'll fall behind."

"This is what I've been looking forward to for a long time."

The masters pointed at "Confessions" and discussed it, just like ancient Chinese scholars sitting and discussing philosophy, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

The tourists on the periphery kept quiet and gave them space.

Katsuhiro Otomo craned his neck to look inside, his face filled with longing to join in.

Upon seeing this, Iwasaki had an idea and picked up his camera to capture the moment.

At this point, he had already come up with a title.

The Past, Present, and Future of Japanese Manga.

……

Fushimikawa was talking with Ryoichi Ikegami and other manga artists, and the matter of selling the collected volumes could only be entrusted to Megumi Asano.