Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist

So I helped her decide that the main storyline would be a gentler Tanjiro growth story, and I also helped the author, Koyoharu Gotouge, insist on making the manga 20 volumes instead of the original 15 volumes, and I also helped her come up with a long-form structure that she wasn't very good at.

The subsequent strengthening of the Demon Slayer Corps, bonds, and various tear-jerking storylines were all determined by Tatsuhiko Katayama for the author, Koyoharu Gotouge, from the very beginning.

It can be said that Tatsuhiko Katayama is almost like a mentor to the author of "Demon Slayer" and a second author of the series.

Especially Demon Slayer, the only good thing about it is the plot, because the artist, Koyoharu Gotouge, is really bad at drawing...

Without Tatsuhiko Katayama, it's not certain that Koyoharu Gotouge's "Demon Slayer" would have become a huge hit, but the chances were slim.

This clearly demonstrates how much a professional editor can enhance a comic.

After Masaya Sakurai finished drawing, he handed the paper to Eri Aragaki.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Super Creation

"Of course, this is just a simple idea of ​​mine."

Masaya Sakurai then politely added, "If you have any ideas, feel free to draw them later, and we can discuss them further."

He paused, then said, "The artwork ultimately belongs to the teacher. Your thoughts as a cartoonist are more important than mine. The storyboards don't need to be drawn like this now. Optimize them as much as possible. The ones I drew for you are just to briefly explain my thoughts."

Eri Aragaki took the paper and read it carefully.

Masaya Sakurai's storyboard is very clear in its concept.

From the appearance of the Colossal Titan to that classic line, and then to the overview of the battle situation in Trost District.

Then it transitions to Ellen's memories, and then into the new story she drew.

This approach effectively connects to the chapter about the Tezuka Award and allows new readers to quickly understand the preceding plot.

"Mr. Sakurai, thank you."

Eri Aragaki was somewhat impressed and said, "Your idea is excellent. I will revise the storyboard according to this approach when I get back."

Masaya Sakurai said, "You're welcome, it's my job."

He picked up his coffee cup, took another sip, and then put it down.

He glanced at his watch and said, "Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Eri Aragaki asked, "What is it?"

"Please don't forget the awards ceremony, teacher."

Masaya Sakurai said, "At 2 PM on June 20th, in the Shueisha Auditorium, we have already ordered several headgear for the teachers to choose from."

Eri Aragaki's expression changed, and she said awkwardly, "I'll remember that."

Even with the hood on, it was still very difficult for her, as someone with a bit of social anxiety and camera phobia, to bear.

Masaya Sakurai smiled when he saw her embarrassed expression.

"Teacher, I've seen people with your personality before."

He comforted her, saying, "Many cartoonists are like this, but you have to get used to it. Gradually, you'll get used to this kind of scene and won't care anymore."

Eri Aragaki said, "Okay... thank you."

She stood up and put the storyboard and the paper drawn by Masaya Sakurai into the folder.

Then put the folder into your backpack and zip it up.

"Mr. Sakurai, I'll head back now."

Eri Aragaki said, "I'll contact you again after the storyboard is revised."

"Okay, no rush."

Masaya Sakurai also stood up and said, "There's still some time before the official serialization. Take your time revising. Quality is more important than speed."

Eri Aragaki said, "I understand."

She slung her backpack over her shoulder, walked to the bar, and paid the bill.

The old gentleman accepted the money and said, "Thank you for your patronage."

Eri Aragaki pushed open the wooden door and walked out of the cafe.

The door bell rang again.

Masaya Sakurai stood by the window, watching Eri Aragaki's departing figure.

She walked slowly, but her steps were steady.

The backpack swayed gently behind her.

As Masaya Sakurai watched that figure retreat, he suddenly uttered a sentence with emotion.

"It seems that another genius cartoonist is about to emerge."

He sat back down in his chair, picked up his still-warm coffee, and took a sip.

Although he seemed calm and collected just now, he actually thought the storyboard provided by Eri Aragaki was excellent.

I didn't really feel anything when I talked to Eri Aragaki about the setting and plot of Attack on Titan.

But now, when he sees the storyboards that represent the approximate finished product after the official serialization of the comic... he is truly amazed.

Eri Aragaki's storyboard is really well done.

Moreover, even from the storyboard, one can see how captivating the comic's plot is; even from the storyboard, he couldn't help but keep looking at it.

In fact, if we really consider it as a manga that was serialized entirely from scratch, Eri Aragaki's storyboards are flawless.

And it will be quite exciting.

In other words, the thought process wasn't comprehensive enough.

But after his reminder, Eri Aragaki immediately understood the problem.

This shows that she not only has good drawing skills, but also a strong comprehension ability.

Masaya Sakurai is now convinced that Eri Aragaki is definitely a genius manga artist.

And... who knows, she might even become the next popular manga artist for Weekly Shonen Jump.

He put down his coffee cup, picked up his briefcase, and walked out of the coffee shop.

……

Eri Aragaki then went to buy some fresh ingredients before returning home.

Erina started working, so she didn't go home so soon.

Because Eri Aragaki recently took a leave of absence from school, she's not as busy as usual, except for her regular part-time job at the convenience store.

After all, once she was confirmed to have won the Tezuka Award's top prize of 200 million yen, she no longer needed to work several jobs.

So she could replace Erina in cooking dinner.

However, Erina insisted on sharing some of the other housework as well.

It's still early, so there's definitely no need to make dinner so soon.

"Then let's think about how to draw new storyboards first."

Eri Aragaki immediately prepared to draw a new storyboard based on the ideas given by Masaya Sakurai.

Masaya Sakurai's approach was very clear.

The problem, however, is that she needs to conceive of scenes depicting Ellen's memories while she is imprisoned during her trial.

The scenes that flashback to later parts of the story can be directly copied from the original work.

However, the flashback scene requires a few storyboard shots of Eren.

Although Masaya Sakurai also provided a rough storyboard.

However, as Masaya Sakurai said, he was just giving a simple idea: optimize these storyboards as much as possible.

Eri Aragaki sat at the dining table in her rented room, with a sheet of white paper and a pencil spread out in front of her.

She stared at the blank paper for a long time, thinking about how to draw the storyboards of those memories.

such as……

Allen was in prison, and light shone in from outside the iron bars of his cell.

He lowered his head, reminiscing about the past...

The day the Wall of Mary was destroyed, the scene of my mother being eaten by the giant...

The basement where his father, Grisha, injected him with the drugs.

Those images were very clear in Eri Aragaki's mind, but it wasn't easy to draw them into storyboards.

She needed to seamlessly weave these flashbacks into the plot of the trial.

It shouldn't be too abrupt, nor too lengthy.

Eri Aragaki picked up a pencil and drew a few strokes on the paper, then stopped.

She sensed something was wrong, crumpled the page into a ball, and threw it aside.

She made a few more strokes, then stopped.

Still not right.

She drew it several times, but was never satisfied with it.

Some storyboards are too crowded, some speech bubbles are in the wrong place, and some characters' expressions are not quite right.

Eri Aragaki is somewhat troubled.

She put down her pencil and rubbed her temples.

Then she suddenly thought of something...

"Yeah, I have a cheat code!"

Eri Aragaki had a sudden inspiration, then summoned the control panel and looked at it...