Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist

"On that day, humanity finally remembered the fear of being dominated by giants."

Feifei translated it and then sent it to the other members.

In this way, the new serialized manga "Attack on Titan" was translated and localized page by page.

It was changed from Japanese to Chinese.

What was once in a magazine across the ocean has become an image file on a computer screen.

This was the first time it had spread within the Republic.

Chapter Thirty-Four: A Little Ambition

"Siguoyi, Naisang's comics are really good."

Erina Aragaki put down her copy of Weekly Shonen Jump and immediately transformed into a member of the praise team, exclaiming in an exaggerated manner, "..."

At this moment, Eri Aragaki looked at her younger sister's exaggerated appearance with a bit of helplessness.

"There's no need to shout so loudly."

Eri Aragaki shook her head and said.

“But Nai-san, I really think it looks great, and I’m not saying that just because you’re my sister.”

Erina Aragaki said it with a serious expression.

Eri Aragaki reached out and ruffled her hair, smiling as she said, "Okay, okay, thank you for your support."

With the official start of Attack on Titan's serialization, summer vacation has arrived.

In the days that followed, Erina spent most of her time at home with Eri Aragaki, except for working at the bookstore.

The two sisters became stay-at-home moms.

Erina is actually doing alright.

But Eri Aragaki really did become a shut-in, and as for her regular job...

She had previously submitted five chapters' worth of artwork!

Furthermore, Masaya Sakurai didn't tell her to submit the artwork for chapter six immediately, which means that it's assumed she would submit the artwork for chapter six after chapter five has been serialized.

So she became lazy.

But in the end, laziness is human nature, and... surely no one really likes working?

Even when a hobby becomes a job, it's still the same. Anyone who has experienced it knows this, such as online novelists who write and create content.

Many online writers start writing out of passion, but once they start writing as a job, they gradually find it very grueling.

Because your hobby has become a tool for survival, and it requires you to start some tedious tasks, such as writing excessive plots, you will suffer a lot if you get writer's block.

Therefore, many people can initially post 10,000 words a day, but later they can only manage 4 words a day.

The same applies to manga. Take Yoshihiro Togashi as an example. This manga artist, whose name was once used in a derogatory sense, was actually a workaholic. During the serialization of "Yu Yu Hakusho," he had a stable serialization almost every week, and the number of times he took a break or took leave was only twice in total.

Both of these hiatuses were due to illness and research, and both were genuine. The research trips were indeed only for a week before publication resumed.

Unlike now, the suspension of publication is calculated in years.

Eri Aragaki wouldn't have fallen so low as to become a manga artist, a term often used to describe someone who is considered derogatory, but after a month of intense drawing...

Right now, she just wants to enjoy the wonderful life brought by the Tezuka Prize's huge prize money and royalties...

Just like now...

The cicadas outside were chirping incessantly.

The sunlight made the balcony floor scorching hot.

The apartment's air conditioning was on all day.

This kind of life is so much better than the days when I had to work several jobs every day and rush to meet deadlines.

Erina no longer needs to work as hard to earn money as she used to.

Just as Eri Aragaki said before.

Her initial intention in agreeing to let Erina work was not to have Erina help alleviate the financial burden.

I just wanted her to get some experience and have some money from her own earnings so she could buy whatever she wanted.

Eri Aragaki's career as a manga artist is now on track.

After receiving the two million yen prize money from the Tezuka Award, she paid off one million yen in installments. The remaining six hundred thousand yen, plus her wages from working at the convenience store, was enough for the two sisters to live on for several months.

Moreover, once the royalties for "Attack on Titan" start to be paid out, the monthly income will stabilize.

So Erina is now working at the bookstore purely because she wants to.

I only work three days a week, four hours each time.

I spend the rest of my time at home.

Eri Aragaki also understands her younger sister's thoughts.

This kind of support for those closest to us is certainly reasonable.

Erina also wanted to give her support.

Although the beginning of Attack on Titan was indeed very exciting.

But this is only the first chapter.

The plot isn't even fully connected yet, so how can it seem impressive from the start?

She remembered clearly that when Attack on Titan first started serialization in her previous life, its performance was mediocre.

To be precise, Attack on Titan's eventual rise to the top was largely due to Wit Studio's adaptation of the anime.

Before its anime adaptation, Attack on Titan's popularity in the manga world was only slightly above average.

It has almost never topped the popularity polls.

They rarely even make it into the top three.

It really became popular after the anime aired.

The ridiculously high production quality of Wit Studio, combined with the fluid and dynamic animation of the 3D Maneuver Gear, makes the show truly exceptional.

In addition, there's the song "Red Lotus Bow and Arrow".

It exploded.

The manga's sales skyrocketed from several million copies before the anime aired to tens of millions.

Therefore, Eri Aragaki has a very clear understanding of her current situation.

Attack on Titan is a work that needs time to develop.

It's impossible for it to become incredibly popular right from the start.

So she humbly said, "It's only the first episode, we'll have to wait and see what happens next."

Erina Aragaki, however, disagreed, saying, "No, in my heart, Natsumi-san's manga is just beautiful, it's my favorite work."

"By the way, don't comic magazines usually have popularity surveys?"

She picked up the magazine again, flipped to the reader survey page at the back, and said, "Let me see where it is. I'll cast my vote for the Titans."

She found that page, took out a pen, and carefully drew a circle next to "Attack on Titan".

Then carefully tear that page out and place it on the table.

"I'll send it out when I go to work tomorrow."

She looked up at Eri Aragaki and said, "And it's not just me, there are definitely many people who like Nai-san's works too."

Eri Aragaki felt a warmth in her heart when she saw Erina's serious expression.

She nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, then I'll take your good wishes."

However, she still had some hope for this matter.

After all, Attack on Titan is indeed a new work.

There was no guarantee of popularity before.

Readers are unaware of the pen name "Doesn't Eat Pears".

She just hoped that she wouldn't be last in the popularity poll results for the first episode.

There are currently about twenty works being serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump.

Apart from some special collaborative projects.

Those collaboration projects are for promoting new games, consoles, and toys, and these works are not included in the popularity survey.

The remaining serious serialized comics number about twenty-one.

Eri Aragaki's current thoughts are...

In the popularity rankings of the first episode of Attack on Titan, it's best to aim for 15th or even 10th; making it into the top 10 is a great achievement.

Just don't fall to the bottom five or six.

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Boss, Natsume Akane

Because if a show ranks at the bottom for several consecutive weeks, the editorial department will judge it as lacking popularity and it will face being cut short.

This is the ironclad rule of Weekly Shonen Jump.

The rankings in the reader survey determine everything.

Works ranked lower, no matter how much effort the artist put into them, will be ruthlessly cut.