Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

Future Society took all of these situations upon themselves and did not pass the pressure on to him.

Editor Noguchi said, "One of our editorial responsibilities is to allow manga artists to fully immerse themselves in their creative work."

Keiji Nakazawa was very grateful to the editorial department for protecting him.

At this awards ceremony, he once again felt the respect that Mirai Publishing Group has for manga artists.

Regardless, the cartoonists were very satisfied with the awards ceremony.

Ordinary cartoonists received an unexpected bonus, while top cartoonists also felt the attention from the editorial department of Weekly Young Future.

"All the promises made by Mr. Oikawa on the program 'Talking with This Person' have been fulfilled."

Keiji Nakazawa remarked with emotion.

He also gave up Jump, which is known for nurturing new talent, and chose Future because of that show.

In hindsight, this choice was the right one.

"Thank you so much for your recognition, Nakazawa-sensei." Fushimi Kawa, dressed in casual clothes, approached the group.

"The establishment of Future Publishing was also due to this reason. Magazine was full of sports manga, Sunday only valued well-known manga artists like Osamu Tezuka, and Jump? It was canceled if the results were not satisfactory, which squeezed the inspiration of manga artists."

"I hope to provide everyone with a relaxed creative environment and better benefits. We are not doing enough now, and we will give back more benefits to everyone in the future."

20 is actually not enough; the prize money for the "Fuji Prize" is tentatively set at 50. This is because by the time the "Fuji Prize" is announced, it will be one or two years later.

At that time, Future Society's finances will be more relaxed, and it will be able to attract more talent to join.

“Teacher Oikawa,” Hirokane Kenji quickly greeted.

“Teacher Oikawa.” Ryo nodded.

Other cartoonists all stared in awe.

As soon as Fushimi arrived, he became the absolute center of the crowd.

"The new plot of Parasyte is really interesting. I didn't expect there to be someone in the same situation as Shinichi Izumi. Mamoru Uda's chin is parasitized. It's hilarious to watch."

"Yu begins to understand human nature, while Shinichi Izumi gradually becomes more rational because his body contains cells from a parasite. The mutual transformation between humans and monsters is truly interesting. As expected of Oikawa-sensei."

"The scene where Shinichi Izumi fights the parasitic beast that killed his mother is drawn much better than before. Teacher, are you studying battle storyboarding?"

A jumble of sounds arose, and Fushimikawa responded to each one.

"Uda Mamoru possesses the potential for 'peaceful coexistence between humans and parasites.' To lighten the tone of the story, I designed him to be soft-hearted, prone to tears, and possess extremely strong empathy."

"Izumi has lost his humanity, but that doesn't mean he's lost his humanity. From the perspective of the parasite, I think he can think more deeply."

"As for the battle scenes? Yes, I've been studying 'Ashita no Joe' and Go Nagai's 'Devilman'. If I don't study more, I'll fall behind."

He communicated with others in a clear and articulate manner.

Compared to before, Fushimikawa has grown a lot.

It took him about ten minutes to finish his conversation with everyone.

Fushimikawa finally had time to talk to Nakazawa Keiji.

"Teacher, your 'Barefoot Boy' has really opened my eyes. I never thought comics could be drawn like this."

Even in the future, there will be very few works like "Barefoot Boy".

Similarly, "The Burning Nation" was also completely banned due to the public opinion environment in Japan in the early 2000s, following numerous complaints.

There are too few cartoonists who can stand on the side of the aggressor nation and believe that the people's suffering is their own fault.

“I was also influenced by you, Mr. Oikawa,” Keiji Nakazawa replied. “After reading ‘Confessions,’ I learned about the more infectious style of realism, which enabled me to draw ‘Barefoot Boy.’ Otherwise, I don’t know how much longer it would have taken.”

“I’m truly honored,” Fushimikawa said with a smile.

"actually……"

He said, "Before becoming a cartoonist, I also created similar stories. But because of my limited personal abilities, or because I couldn't empathize with the characters, the stories I wrote were mediocre and probably not many people liked them. Also, because I submitted them to a small publisher, I couldn't withstand the pressure and ended them hastily."

Fushimi River... no, Namu San became famous and earned his first fortune by writing freehand brushwork that was popular in Europe and America while criticizing Japan.

By the time they reached junior high school, Japan's economy was booming, and the 64 Tokyo Olympics reshaped the national mentality and boosted national confidence.

Just like the positive impact of the 08 Beijing Olympics on the Chinese people, it's no longer easy for Nanwu San to make money from writing freehand forest-style articles.

Therefore, he chose to write serious articles criticizing the wartime government.

As we all know, his subsequent works sank without a trace, and he became like Fang Zhongyong of the Industrial Middle School, forced to change course.

"Huh?" Nakazawa Keiji asked curiously, "Was Oikawa-sensei a writer? What was his pen name?"

Oikawa Ji debuted as a manga artist at the age of 18 and is only in his early 20s now. Surprisingly, he had another identity before that!

Keiji Nakazawa was greatly surprised.

When exactly did this young man in front of me develop a creative mindset?

“Haha,” Fushimikawa chuckled dryly, “Let’s not delve into this topic any further. Let’s wait until everyone finds out before we talk about it.”

Keiji Nakazawa was still curious, but since his relationship with Oikawa was so-so, he didn't press the matter further.

In fact, as Fushimi's reputation grew, his identity as Nanmu San couldn't be kept secret for long.

Whether it's a gossip reporter or a nosy classmate from junior high or high school, they could all expose this.

If he weren't a cartoonist, but an actor or an idol, this secret would have been out in the open long ago.

Fushimikawa didn't care, but he didn't want to betray himself.

It would be best if this name could disappear over time.

“I’ve also been influenced by other people,” Keiji Nakazawa suddenly said.

"That was an article that described an American senator."

That senator had a severe stutter since childhood. When facing strangers, his words would get stuck in his throat and he would repeatedly stutter, causing his facial muscles to distort.

Speaking in public is his greatest shame.

To change this, he practiced his speeches repeatedly in front of the mirror, memorized poems and prose, and read articles aloud with pebbles in his mouth.

In the end, he succeeded.

He overcame his inner weakness and shame, and became a senator at a young age.

It is clear that Keiji Nakazawa was deeply impressed by this article; he wrote down all of its contents and explained them clearly to Fushimikawa.

This made Fushimikawa even more embarrassed.

Having someone recite your own writing to your face is definitely not a pleasant experience.

"Although I don't know if this senator really exists, his story has certainly inspired me a lot."

The atomic bomb has always been a nightmare for me. On that day, I lost my father, my siblings, and my infant sister. I saw human bodies melting, skin peeling off, charred corpses everywhere, the screams of the wounded, black rain... it was more terrifying than hell.

"Why was it me who survived, and not someone else?"

"So, naturally, I chose to escape. I sealed away these painful memories, avoided Hiroshima, and came to Tokyo."

Fushimikawa remained silent, unsure how to comfort him, so he chose to be a quiet listener.

Keiji Nakazawa didn't need anyone's comfort. After decades of suppressed anger, he had already exploded, and "Barefoot Boy" was the product of that explosion.

"Avoidance will never solve the problem. If you feel at ease being a weakling because of psychological or physical deficiencies, you will never be able to overcome yourself."

After my mother's death, I wrote "Under the Black Rain," confronting my own trauma. Although it was very painful, it finally helped me alleviate my pain.

Keiji Nakazawa did not cry. He analyzed his inner thoughts, and his expression relaxed considerably.

Fushimikawa patted him on the shoulder, offering his respect to the fighter.

"I have to go to Kanagawa tomorrow to give a speech at the invitation of Kawakita University, telling the students the truth about Hiroshima."

"Thanks for your hard work."

He repeatedly reopened his wounds, simply to vent his inner anger and tell the truth to the young people.

Only someone like that could draw "Barefoot Boy".

……

Two weeks later, "Barefoot Boy" went on sale.

Sales were not ideal; it took a long time to sell 7 copies.

After all, comics are bought by readers for entertainment, and such heavy works that bring psychological burden are not the choice of the general public.

Fortunately, libraries and schools throughout Japan have purchased this manga, ensuring that "Barefoot Boy" has a stable customer base and is not difficult to sell.

Chapter 106 The Arrival of the Sino-Japanese Honeymoon Period

Mirai-sha's awards ceremony for manga artists has had a certain impact on the industry.

Many of the journalists who participated wrote articles about the event, which drew widespread praise.

"Isn't this equivalent to a company giving its employees a six-month bonus? I never expected that society would take the initiative to reduce its burdens and improve the treatment of cartoonists."

"Companies and employees are employed on an employment basis, while cartoonists are freelance entrepreneurs under contract with publishing houses, so in theory they shouldn't need to pay this money."

"President Fujiwara is such a kind person."

"Mirai-sha treats manga artists very well."

This impression began to be attached to Mirai-sha.

Nagano Nori expressed his envy.

"Such a great idea, how come I didn't think of it?"

The amount of money Jump spends on the Monthly Award, the Newcomer Manga Award, and the Tezuka Award is much more than a few million.

This led them to discover a lot of talented people.

But Nagano Nori never thought of awarding prizes to manga artists whose works are still being serialized, simply because of their hard work.

After all, these people are already serializing their works and enjoying the benefits of Jump's platform, so is it necessary to give them more perks?

Of course not, they should be the ones giving me the money.

This single misstep led Mirai-sha to be the first to try something new, leaving Nagano Nori feeling conflicted.