Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

But after arriving at Waseda University, he realized that he was just an ordinary person.

This made him feel down for a while, but luckily he had a big heart and soon cheered up again.

“A true genius is someone like you, Fushimi-kun,” Onishi Naoya said enviously as he ate fried tofu. “No matter what environment you’re in, you’re always the most conspicuous one.”

"You flatter me." Fushimikawa thought to himself as he munched on a radish, "Only something steaming hot like this can be called food."

"Thank you again, Daishi."

"What's the big deal? It's just oden," Onishi shook his head nonchalantly, almost getting dandruff into the oden. "There's something I'd like to ask you."

"What? Tell me."

"When do you plan to visit Fujiko-sensei's studio?"

"I don't have class tomorrow." Fushimikawa said, glancing at his finished drawing. "So it's tomorrow. Can you let the manga club know for me?"

“No problem,” Daishi patted his chest. “The thing I asked you to do is related to this.”

He explained the situation, and it wasn't difficult. Onishi really liked Fujiko Fujio's *The Laughing Salesman* and hoped Fushimikawa could help him get an autograph.

"The Laughing Salesman is a work by Motoo Abiko, a member of the Fujiko Fujio duo. I was invited by Hiroshi Fujimoto to visit his studio. I wonder if I'll be able to meet Mr. Abiko..." Fushimikawa hesitated.

"It's okay, it's okay if we didn't meet. I can only blame my bad luck," Da Xi said quickly.

"No problem, leave it to me."

"Fushimi-kun! Oh! No, Kawa-san, thank you so much! I'll kneel down and kowtow to you."

“It’s not that bad,” Fushimikawa said, half-laughing and half-crying. “I just wanted to get your autograph.”

"You have no idea how much I love 'The Laughing Salesman'! This kind of comic is perfect for adults!"

"The Laughing Salesman" is a dark work that may even make many readers uncomfortable, making it a very rare type of comic today.

The protagonist, Fukuzo Mukuro, is a devilish salesman who manipulates people's hearts. He uses "wish transactions" to stimulate people's negative desires such as emptiness, greed, vanity, lust, and laziness, pushing them into the abyss and making them pay a huge price.

It's not surprising that alternative comics attract a loyal audience.

"You, an optimist, actually like 'The Laughing Salesman'?"

"Hobbies have nothing to do with personality. I like works that expose human nature, but such comics are too rare."

“Understood,” Fushimikawa nodded.

……

The next day, we took the subway and then a tram, and in just over an hour, we arrived at Tama Ward in Kawasaki City via the Fushimi River.

Fujiko F. Fujio's studio is surprisingly close to Waseda University, which surprised Fushimikawa, but it's a good thing, as he can come here more often in the future.

Passing by a bookstore, Fushimikawa went in and browsed the history section, buying a book he had never seen before that explained the Muromachi period.

Afterwards, I bought some desserts at the market as souvenirs before arriving at Fujiko Fujio's studio.

A four-story building, entirely Fujiko Fujio's studio, which Fushimikawa greatly envied.

His business had not yet taken off; he had neither employees to rely on nor a large studio to accommodate dozens of people, so many of his ideas could not be implemented.

……

Upon entering the studio, Fushimikawa discovered there was no reception desk, leaving him to search for Fujimoto Hiroshi on his own.

Good child, kindergarten, first grade, second grade... until the room marked with the fourth grade sign, the sound came from inside.

"Knock knock." After a gentle knock on the door, and an invitation to "come in," Fushimikawa entered the room.

"Who are you?" asked a middle-aged man with a beret, bright eyes, a friendly face, and a tall, thin build.

Before Fushimi could answer, someone excitedly stood up, "Fushimi-kun, you've come!"

That's Suzuki Jiro.

Fushimikawa breathed a sigh of relief when he saw someone he knew there, and began to introduce himself.

"I am Fushimikawa from Aichi Prefecture, and I came here at the invitation of Professor Fujimoto."

"Oh! It's you!" The middle-aged man stood up. "Suzuki-kun didn't tell me that the genius Fushimi is so handsome. This reminds me of Akatsuka Fujio."

Fujio Akatsuka is a very handsome man. After his manga was published, many female readers came to visit him and asked to take photos with him.

This made Osamu Tezuka extremely envious.

"You must be Fujimoto Hiroshi-sensei?" Fushimikawa didn't refute the handsome aspect: "You flatter me too much by calling me a genius."

“It’s me,” Fujimoto Hiroshi nodded. “The plot of Mothers is very well conceived. I couldn’t have drawn a manga like this when I was a teenager.”

Under Fujimoto Hiroshi's guidance, Fushimikawa saw many original manuscripts.

The series includes "Little Ghost Q-Taro," which is loved by countless children, as well as "Little Superman Permon," "21 Emon," "Plum Juice Prince," and "Cosmic Little Fur Ball," which failed to meet readers' expectations.

"Teacher," Fushimikawa couldn't help but ask, "where is the original manuscript of 'Doraemon'?"

He is a big fan of Doraemon, and after seeing Fujimoto Hiroshi's invitation, he couldn't resist coming over to witness the creation process of Doraemon firsthand.

A robot cat from the future uses all sorts of bizarre gadgets to create hilarious and absurd situations. This manga, brimming with boundless imagination, is a childhood memory for Fushimikawa and his favorite manga.

"Do you like watching Doraemon?" After several years of poor performance, Fujimoto Hiroshi was starting to lose confidence.

The early serialization of "Doraemon" embodied his dreams for the comic book industry, and he didn't want to see readers disappointed.

“Of course,” Fushimikawa said earnestly, “Doraemon is a very interesting manga that will accompany many children as they grow up.”

He also found the first three chapters, which received a lukewarm response from readers, perhaps due to the special plot.

Fushimikawa was happy to see Doraemon.

"Let's take a look at this chapter that hasn't been published yet." Fujimoto Hiroshi took a deep breath and made his decision.

It would be nice to show the latest chapter to this devoted fan and let him judge it.

Considering Fushimikawa's age and status as an amateur, he presented his work, "I Want to Be a Manga Artist," which he had prepared for publication in "Elementary School Third Grader."

In one month, Fujimoto Hiroshi simultaneously serialized his manga in six magazines: Good Boy, Kindergarten, Elementary School First Grader, Elementary School Second Grader, Elementary School Third Grader, and Elementary School Fourth Grader. He also had to draw different types of Doraemon to suit the different age groups of the audience. This is already quite remarkable.

"Thank you so much."

Fushimi River said impatiently.

Chapter Eight: Ikkyu the Clever

The story of "I Want to Be a Manga Artist" is nothing special; it's just that Nobita is confused about the future, and Doraemon dreams of him becoming a manga artist.

After all that trouble, it all turned into a complete mess.

The storyline was so-so, and Fushimikawa didn't comment on it much; he was only curious about one thing.

"Are editors really pushing for manuscripts this hard?"

In the story, the editor stands behind the cartoonist, holding an alarm clock and constantly urging him on, trying to make the most of every second.

“There is some exaggeration involved,” Fujimoto Hiroshi said with a smile, “but there are times that are even more exaggerated. For example, I once saw Tezuka-sensei being urged to update by eight editors at the same time.”

“Eight…” Fushimikawa was speechless. “Tezuka-sensei… he is truly amazing.”

"There are many more legendary stories about him." Fujimoto Hiroshi's face was full of smiles when Tezuka was mentioned.

When a recent college graduate's salary was only 12,000 yen, Osamu Tezuka took out 60,000 yen so that the Fujiko Fujio duo could move into Tokiwa-so with peace of mind.

He is both an idol and a mentor; his personal charm is off the charts.

Thinking of the past, Fujimoto Hiroshi suddenly paused.

He had always admired Osamu Tezuka's fan club, but he almost forgot about Fushimikawa in front of him.

"Fushimi-kun..." Fujimoto Hiroshi asked expectantly, "Is there anything you urgently need?"

"No." Fushimikawa shook his head.

"That's a good option."

“I really don’t have that,” Fushimikawa patted his chest. “I’m quite wealthy.”

Fujimoto Hiroshi sighed regretfully, "That's a real shame."

My experience of not being able to cosplay my idol.

He couldn't give away the money and looked regretful, which made Fushimikawa smile.

"I will contact Ms. Fujiko if needed."

……

Fushimikawa learned a great deal at Fujiko Fujio's studio.

The working methods of professional cartoonists broadened his horizons.

For example, the collaborative efforts of Fujimoto Hiroshi and his assistants, and the original manuscripts with ink hanging on the ceiling to dry.

“I mainly draw the characters, while Suzuki and the others draw the backgrounds, color in the backgrounds, and apply halftone dots. The division of labor is clear, which makes it more efficient.”

"Uh-huh."

Fushimikawa studied diligently, knowing he would eventually need this experience.

He also experienced the work of an assistant, drawing Doraemon. He brought the manga to life according to Fujimoto Hiroshi's requirements.

“It’s a very good drawing,” Fujimoto Hiroshi exclaimed, holding the original manuscript completed by Fushimikawa. “Just as Suzuki-kun said, your basic skills are very solid. It’s just a pity that I can’t see your work.”

When he mentioned this, Fushimikawa went to get his backpack.

Inside were two stacks of original manuscripts he had brought, hoping to hear Fujiko Fujio's advice. The timing was perfect.

""Good morning"?"

After reading this short story, Fujimoto Hiroshi couldn't help but nod in approval.

"You have a great idea for using comics to vividly express the character's morning state. If Suzuki saw this, he would definitely make 'Good Morning' come to life."

"Suzuki-kun?"

"Oh, not the assistant Suzuki. I'm talking about Shinichi Suzuki, a member of Tokiwa-so who is now working hard for the animation industry."

Fujimoto Hiroshi didn't really want to talk about that, and started talking about manga instead.

"The remaining manga is called 'Ikkyu the Clever'... Is it related to the famous Zen master Ikkyu Sojun from the Muromachi period?"