Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

This person is a perfectionist and has obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Similar to Hayao Miyazaki, the works he is responsible for must be constantly polished to achieve perfection.

Instead of rejecting Katsuhiro Otomo's idea, he said, "For weekly serializations, 20 pages of manuscript need to be completed in a week. If you are nitpicky, then 7 days is far from enough."

Katsuhiro Otomo nodded upon hearing this and remained silent, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

“If you have artistic aspirations, then draw short stories,” Fushimikawa further suggested. “Short comics are different from long ones. You can finish the work first and then publish it, which gives you more time to create.”

Katsuhiro Otomo's eyes lit up as he recalled Fushimikawa's "Confessions," a work that had opened the door to realism for him.

There were very few minor issues with "Confessions," and he hadn't even noticed them.

Because it is a short story, Oikawa devoted more time to this manga.

What Katsuhiro Otomo should learn is not "Parasyte", but the creative method of "Confessions".

Use the narrative logic and camera work of film to create your own short stories.

Katsuhiro Otomo, who loves watching movies and aspires to be a director, suddenly realized something.

He has figured out what he needs to do in the future.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Oikawa!"

That's where the teacher's usefulness lies. They can answer questions and provide guidance to assistants, not only on comic techniques but also on creative direction, because they have been drawing comics for several years and can offer some pointers.

This is much better than blindly forging ahead alone.

The manga artists signed with Future Publishing all hired newcomers who submitted their work to Weekly Young Future as assistants, based on the editors' recommendations.

The manga artist assistant system is a way for Future Publishing to cultivate new talent.

Most cartoonists wouldn't refuse.

Seeing that Katsuhiro Otomo had broken free of his predicament, Fushimikawa nodded with satisfaction: "So..."

"I'll finish correcting these mistakes under my command first," Katsuhiro Otomo said, bowing his head again.

Fushimikawa, feeling helpless, returned to his seat and began to ponder the storyboard for episode six of Parasyte.

It's good to have someone with you late at night.

……

The next day, with no classes, Fushimikawa simply spent all his time drawing manga.

He paid his assistants a decent salary, and adjusting their working hours was no problem for him.

He wants to finish the original drawing sooner so he can relax a bit more.

Yesterday, Katsuhiro Otomo kept him there until 10 p.m., saying that if he stayed any later, there would be no more subways running.

Without this factor, he could have stayed even longer.

With that in mind, Fushimikawa did not bring up the matter of reimbursing the taxi fare.

The next day at work.

“Mr. Oikawa,” Adachi Mitsuru said, somewhat puzzled, “your manga hasn’t been published in any volumes yet. Although Miraisha has a bright future, it’s not time to start making money yet. There’s something I’m very curious about.”

Fushimikawa looked up, raising an eyebrow at him: "Go ahead and say it."

“Exactly,” Adachi Mitsuru swallowed, “Are you a rich kid? You seem to have more money than you can spend. You pay us high salaries, have great benefits, and keep investing in Mirai Corporation. Where does all this money come from?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Asano Megumi looked at Fushimikawa, and the two smiled at each other.

Fushimikawa asked, "Do you know Honda?"

"Of course I know, this is a star car company in our country. Could it be!" Adachi Mitsuru was suddenly startled.

"Yes, I bought a large amount of Honda stock in 1965, before Honda was officially qualified to manufacture cars."

Two years later, Honda launched the K-car N360, which was designed for the Japanese domestic market. This completely ignited the family car market, and its new strategy was a great success.

Fushimikawa also caught this wave, and the value of the stocks he held for the long term has increased several times compared to his initial savings.

Anda's face was full of envy: "How much money did you invest back then? You must have made a lot of money."

Fushimikawa remained calm: "Several million is possible."

"Several million seven years ago!" Adachi Mitsuru exclaimed, his mouth agape in disbelief. "If that were today, it would be worth 20 or 30 million, right?!"

"These are still available."

“There must be even more!” Adachi Mitsuru forced a groan from his throat. “Great, choice is more important than effort…”

Listening to their conversation, Katsuhiro Otomo raised his head in confusion.

In 1965, Mr. Oikawa was probably only in junior high school.

He didn't ask, keeping the question to himself, and continued drawing comics.

Adachi Mitsuru's voice was still ringing out: "Tens of millions! I couldn't earn that much even if I drew comics my whole life!"

His worldview was shaken by the fact that the people around him were millionaires, and he needs time to adjust.

Asano Megumi remained silent. In fact, she had also made some money at Fushimikawa's suggestion.

The money wasn't much, but it was enough to cover university expenses.

……

Mitsuru Adachi was a laid-back person, and he quickly returned to his usual self, drawing manga with a calm mind.

At 4 p.m., the fifth episode, "Parasyte," was successfully completed.

After Fushimikawa finishes drawing storyboards, his assistants can enjoy a relaxing weekend.

It was still early, so instead of leaving, everyone chatted.

Mitsuru Adachi kept asking questions, curious about Katsuhiro Otomo's hometown. Otomo responded briefly, somewhat annoyed by Adachi's enthusiasm.

Asano Keishi didn't say a word, only propped his chin up and watched Fushimi Kawa organize the manuscript.

Everyone in this studio has their own things to do.

Just then, the sound of a key turning came from the front door.

Fushimikawa raised his head in confusion.

The person arriving at this time should be Kitahara Shinsuke, who collects the original manuscripts. He always arrives a few hours early and quietly waits for the manuscripts to be completed.

But Fushimikawa did not give him the key.

Only the assistants and Toshiki Takei can directly open the door to Oikawa Studio.

"Is this Editor-in-Chief Wu Ju? What's up?"

"I've come to fulfill a promise I made," the newcomer was indeed Toshiki Takei, accompanied by a beautiful young woman with dark skin. "This is Eiko Ueda, a new member of the Waseda Manga Club. Haven't you always wanted an assistant? I brought one for you."

Eiko Ueda, who had met Fushimikawa once before, looked around the studio with curiosity.

Waseda Manga Research Club is deeply integrated with Mirai-sha, serving as a training ground for new talent for Mirai-sha.

As the most talented newcomer, President Hideki Kurokawa recommended her to Mirai-sha, and Shinsuke Kitahara then placed her with Oikawa Studio, which had been asking for an assistant.

Mirai-sha now has four assistants.

The usual heavy workload suddenly decreased.

It seems that Fushimikawa can now double-open again.

However, he had no such thoughts at the moment, and was just looking at Ueda Eiko with amusement.

Since entering the studio, this junior student's eyes have been constantly darting around, scrutinizing them as if she were curious about which one of them was the manga artist, Oikawa Ji himself.

"I'm Eiko Ueda from Kagoshima. I'm quite confident in my ability to depict family relationships. Hello, seniors."

She bowed and introduced herself while waiting expectantly.

"I'm Mitsuru Adachi, and I haven't been here long. Let's all get along well from now on."

"I'm Megumi Asano, a second-year student at Waseda University. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about school."

"Katsuhiro Otomo".

This person is not Mr. Oikawa.

Eiko Ueda sighed as she looked at Katsuhiro Otomo.

This disheartened Katsuhiro Otomo. 'She really thought my self-introduction was perfunctory.'

But that's just who he is; he can't change it, and he doesn't want to change it.

There's only one person left who hasn't introduced themselves.

Ueda Eiko waved her hand and said, "So Fushimi-senpai is also Oikawa-sensei's assistant. No wonder you see each other every day."

Her overly familiar words made Asano Megumi feel a chill, and she looked directly into Fushimi's eyes with sharp eyes.

Seeing the look on her daughter's face as if she'd discovered her father's bad behavior, Fushimikawa spread his hands: "Ueda and I only met once at the manga club, and she also..."

"What?" Eiko Ueda blinked.

"Idiot!" Takei Toshiki exclaimed helplessly at her. "Fushimi-kun is sitting in the main seat, can't you recognize him? Fushimi is Oikawa, and Oikawa is Fushimi!"

"Ah!" Ueda Eiko was stunned, her mouth agape, revealing her tonsils. "How is this possible?"

The artist of "Confessions," Ji Oikawa, was not a gloomy, cynical person at all; on the contrary, he was a handsome guy from Tokyo.

Recalling her own assessment of him to his face, Eiko Ueda felt ashamed and covered her face, squatting down on the ground.

"I am guilty, I'm sorry."

This intriguing look made Asano Megumi even more nervous.

Adachi Mitsuru's eyes lit up; he became interested.

Katsuhiro Otomo is suffering from depression.

……

The work area was a mess, so Fushimikawa and Takei Toshiki went to the study.

He sat on the sofa, leisurely reading the manuscript of the fifth chapter of Parasyte.

"Oh, a parasite that's infested the teacher's body has infiltrated the school! And she's a real beauty," Takei Toshiki exclaimed excitedly. "This is getting more and more interesting!"