Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

"I feel much more at ease now that Oikawa-sensei is here." Utsunomiya adjusted his glasses expressionlessly.

He was an office clerk at Future Publishing House, handling tasks such as proofreading and typesetting for the magazine, and also responsible for administration.

That's how it is in the early stages of starting a business; one person has to do the work of several.

Utsunomiya can only lead short-term workers to take on this job for now.

"Teacher's new work is very interesting, but I didn't expect that the subject matter of your work this time would be horror."

Shinsuke Kitahara, a Waseda graduate who had worked as an editor, said that he had once visited Fushimikawa.

He was also the one who later became the editor of Fushimikawa.

My job title is editorial team leader.

Then there were people from Fushimikawa that he didn't know very well.

He nodded to everyone, and finally looked at Shinsuke Kitahara.

"To gain recognition and a place in the comics industry, you have to do what others can't. Novelty is more important than exciting content."

Among the horror works currently on the Japanese manga market, Shigeru Mizuki's "GeGeGe no Kitarō" stands out as the most outstanding.

It tells folk tales and Japanese monsters.

Tomie is a work by Junji Ito that further expands the horror manga genre based on Kazuo Tomo's style of modern Japanese horror manga.

It will bring the audience an unparalleled sense of novelty.

Combined with the fact that Fushimikawa was the author of "Doraemon", the two exaggerated contrasts will cause a huge reaction.

In other words, Fushimikawa chose "Tomie" for the sake of creating hype.

After this short comic, he will go on to draw another long-form work.

This will allow Future Publishing's seinen manga magazine, Weekly Seinen Future, to firmly establish itself.

As for shonen manga, he has other plans.

“Truly remarkable,” Shinsuke Kitahara exclaimed. “His ability to adapt to a situation and produce a masterpiece is unparalleled.”

That's really what he thought.

Even Osamu Tezuka, known for his wide range of subject matter, could not have easily drawn "Tomie".

Oikawa is a true all-rounder.

“Alright,” Fujiwara Maki clapped her hands and stood in front of the head of the table. “Everyone, please sit down.”

Fushimi Kawa sat down beside her.

“Although our Future Club is simple, the necessary framework has been established. Kitahara, Utsunomiya, Ryo…” She read each person’s name, looking at them one by one with approval on her face. “And Oikawa-sensei, everyone is an excellent person. I am not worried about our future.”

"Just like our name suggests, we are the people who will create the future of Japanese manga!"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone applauded.

After she finished speaking, she continued, "My only concern is that the position of editor-in-chief has not yet been finalized."

Other positions can be dealt with halfway, but editor-in-chief absolutely cannot.

Just imagine the damage that Mirai-sha would have suffered if they hadn't brought in Nagano Nori instead of Watanabe Shizuo.

It's possible that Mirai-sha died before it even began.

After Fushimikawa, he had no choice but to work hard drawing manga, becoming a drawing machine to earn money to pay off his debts.

I feel so hopeless.

The editor-in-chief wields too much power; we must find a reliable person.

"Does anyone have any thoughts? Feel free to speak your mind."

Everyone looked conflicted, exchanging bewildered glances, at a loss for what to do.

Shinsuke Kitahara was also troubled. He couldn't very well ask Teruo Miyahara, the editor-in-chief of magazine, to come over, could he?

Fushimi River is stronger than them.

In an effort to uncover his past, many editors gave him their business cards.

These editors who dared to contact Oikawa are no small fry; many have been immersed in the comic book editing industry for over a decade and are capable of serving as editors-in-chief of small magazines.

In the past, Fushimikawa would have contacted them and tried to poach their talent.

But now, he doesn't need to.

"Bang bang."

There was a knock on the conference room door.

Everyone looked confused, and before Utsunomiya could ask, Fushimikawa smiled and said, "Please come in."

The door was opened, and a young man nervously appeared under everyone's expectant gaze.

"Who is this?!" Liang couldn't help but complain.

Fushimikawa was greatly surprised: "Adachi-kun, what brings you here?"

The visitor was Mitsuru Adachi, who had been in the industry for two years but was still completely unknown.

"When he heard that I was going to leave Sunday, he started making a fuss about coming with me."

A middle-aged man stepped out from behind Mitsuru Adachi.

His gentle demeanor surprised many people.

Utsunomiya: "It's that famous editor!"

Liang: "Editor Wuju!"

Shinsuke Kitahara stood up: "Takei-senpai, it's you!"

He entered the industry in 1966 and worked with Fujio Akatsuka to create the masterpiece of comedy manga, "Osomatsu-san".

He was well-versed in the workings of the editorial department, going beyond the duties of an editor, and even managed popular manga series by artists such as Mitsutoshi Furuya and Isamu Ishii.

He was also an editor for Oikawa No. 2.

Of course, what Fushimikawa valued most was that Toshiki Takei recognized Mitsuru Adachi's talent.

This ability is essential for the editor-in-chief, since he holds the serialization rights to the comic.

Kazuhiko Torishima, a future renowned editor, discovered Akira Toriyama, saved Jump, and built Jump's IP system; each and every one of these achievements was a masterpiece.

However, because he misunderstood "One Piece" and repeatedly rejected its serialization, he had a black mark on his life and was looked down upon by many readers.

If Eiichiro Oda were to leave and choose another magazine, it would undoubtedly be a huge loss, and could even threaten Jump's leading position.

Without a doubt, One Piece is the number one manga in Japan after the millennium, and its value is immeasurable.

"Okay, okay!"

Fushimikawa was even more excited than everyone else thought.

Takei Toshiki felt a little uncomfortable.

This guy never treated me with this much respect when we were together before.

Is it to bolster one's image?

Although his gaze shifted to Mitsuru Adachi beside him, Toshiki Takei was still filled with emotion.

'Oikawa is really something else.'

……

Toshiki Takei's arrival undoubtedly filled the final piece of Mirai-sha's puzzle.

Everyone was in high spirits, discussing all aspects.

"The most important thing is still the works, President Fujiwara," asked Toshiki Takei, Mirai's first editor-in-chief. "What manga do you have?"

"What's tentatively confirmed are Oikawa-sensei's short manga 'Tomie,' as well as a series of works in the same style; Hirokane Kenji-sensei's 'Detective Story'; and Ryo's 'The Manuscript of the Tide.' These were all confirmed for serialization after everyone discussed them," Fujiwara Maki said.

"Let me take a look later," Toshiki Takei nodded. "Are there any other manga that are pending?"

"Yes, please follow me."

"Ok?"

Toshiki Takei was somewhat puzzled, but he still followed in Maki Fujiwara's footsteps.

The two arrived at the storage room, where Fujiwara Maki pointed to a wall of large boxes.

“It’s all in here.”

"Wow, that's amazing," Toshiki Takei couldn't help but exclaim. "It's just a startup magazine, yet it has attracted so many submissions from manga artists. How many submissions are there?"

“207 articles,” Maki Fujiwara replied. “153 are shonen manga, and the rest are seinen manga. We did a simple screening and put the ones we found interesting on the left.”

“Very good,” Toshiki Takei said, trying to remain calm despite his excitement. “In the coming days, I will go through it again with Kitahara and the others to find any manga with potential.”

Chapter Seventy-Six: Conversation with This Person

Fushimikawa is the type of person who doesn't like appearing on television. He worries that readers will only care about his looks and ignore his talent.

However, in order to promote Future Society, he had no choice but to accept the interview program "Talking to This Person" on NHK's culture program.

"That's really amazing."

Upon learning of this, Hirokane Kenji's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

Fushimikawa asked doubtfully, "What's so strange about that? It's just a TV show."

"Most of the guests who get to appear on 'Talking to This Person' are legendary figures in their respective fields. Popular celebrities and idol stars are not invited, so it's a very prestigious show." Kenji Hirokane excitedly gestured with his hands. "For example, manga artists such as Sanpei Shirato and Mitsuteru Yokoyama, and film directors such as Akira Kurosawa and Keisuke Kinoshita have all been guests on this show."

Fushimikawa understood that only those who had made achievements and outstanding contributions in their field were qualified to speak on stage.

"I see."

He nodded, not taking it to heart. He only knew that "Conversations with This Person" had a high level of influence.

Two days later, having changed into a new set of clothes, Fushimikawa went to the television studio.

After meeting the host, Keizo Takahashi, and reading the interview content, Fushimikawa did not express any objections.