Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist

"These are the rankings for this period."

Ibaraki Masahiko placed the statistics table on the table, glanced at the editors present, and said, "The editors of the bottom-ranked works should communicate with the professor as soon as possible to adjust the direction. Meeting adjourned."

"Yes!"

The editors stood up one after another.

The chair legs dragged on the floor with a series of thuds. Some people went to get water, some walked straight out, and some huddled next to their colleagues to whisper about the rankings.

Lin Shiping walked over from the side, patted Sakurai Masaya on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Masaya, congratulations, Attack on Titan has made it into the top ten."

Another editor chimed in, saying, "For a new author's serial to break into the top ten so quickly, Sakurai, you've really struck gold this time."

Sakurai Masaya closed his notebook, shook his head, and said, "This is all thanks to the efforts of Ms. Fuchiriko herself."

He wasn't just being polite.

He genuinely believes that.

Anyway, he hasn't been of much help lately, except for offering some minor suggestions when he thought there was a problem with the storyboard arrangement for Eri Aragaki's opening scene...

After that, he was basically no longer of any help.

Because Eri Aragaki's storyboarding and plot were so good, they gave him a feeling of being impeccable.

What he didn't know was that after Eri Aragaki was reminded by him that there was a problem with the beginning of Attack on Titan, she tried using that super creation.

Eri Aragaki is a little addicted to it.

The Super Creation skill is so addictive that it makes her feel like she can transform into Hajime Isayama himself and draw Attack on Titan, or even more so.

Given that she's a plagiarist to begin with, coupled with her super creative talent, the subsequent plot and artwork will be even less of a problem.

But in Masaya Sakurai's eyes, that was... genius!

A truly genius manga artist born for manga!

Even from the moment he submitted his work for the Tezuka Award, he felt that this newcomer was different.

The artist's drawing skills are solid, the paneling is skillful, and the pacing of the plot is just right, but these alone are not enough.

What truly impressed him was the quality of Eri Aragaki's subsequent submissions.

Apart from that one instance where the manuscript almost fell through, all subsequent manuscripts were delivered on time every week, sometimes even ahead of schedule.

Moreover, the quality has always been consistent, and the standards have not been lowered due to time constraints.

For a newly debuted comic artist, this kind of self-discipline and stability is more valuable than talent.

He recalled how pale and bloodless Eri Aragaki looked when he went to collect the manuscript that time.

Then... later he realized that he had misunderstood the newcomer, thinking that she was late with her work because she was playful or lazy.

Looking back now... she was probably feeling unwell and rushing to finish her manuscript during that period, which caused the delay.

This kind of thing is very common among cartoonists, especially newcomers who are not yet used to the pace of weekly serialization, and it is common for them to have some health problems.

His feelings have become even stronger now that the Giants' popularity has soared.

This is similar to how teachers view good students in school.

If a high-achieving student doesn't hand in their homework once, the teacher will probably think... "Maybe something's wrong or they're not feeling well." Even if the student doesn't say anything, the teacher will be understanding.

However, if a poor student dares to miss handing in homework even once, it's because of laziness or being playful.

There's no real logic to it; it's just a matter of first impressions.

Eri Aragaki has a very high opinion of him now.

And now, the good students are achieving excellent results again...

That deserves a big compliment!

After returning to his seat, Masaya Sakurai picked up the phone on the table, found Eri Aragaki's number in his contacts, and dialed it.

The phone rang a few times.

"Moshi moshi, Mr. Sakurai? This is Eri Aragaki!"

Eri Aragaki's voice came from the other end of the phone.

She sounds much more energetic this time, like a vibrant young girl.

"Teacher Aragaki, I am Sakurai."

Masaya Sakurai was very friendly and said, "The results of this week's popularity poll are in, and you're ninth... Attack on Titan made it into the top ten this time, congratulations!"

Chapter Forty-Eight Assistant

"???"

On the other side, Eri Aragaki, holding her phone, was stunned.

Yes, she was indeed stunned.

The TV in the living room was still on, showing some variety show. Erina was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine, while Ayane Takeda was pouring water in the kitchen.

She could hear all of these sounds, but they all seemed to be coming from a very far place.

All that remained in her mind were the words Masaya Sakurai had just said.

Ninth place... The Titans have made it into the top ten!

She held her phone, speechless for a long time.

Sakurai Masaya waited a few seconds on the other end of the phone before tentatively calling out, "Aragaki-sensei?"

Eri Aragaki snapped out of her daze and said, "Ah, I'm here."

She took a deep breath and said into the phone, "Thank you, Mr. Sakurai."

Sakurai Masaya smiled and said, "You're welcome. This is also your own ability, teacher. There's not much help I can offer."

"No, that's not true... Mr. Sakurai has helped me a lot too."

Eri Aragaki said politely.

Then she leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

She really didn't expect that Attack on Titan would suddenly break into the top ten in this week's popularity poll.

And it was only ninth place...

Some might ask, why didn't you think of that?

Didn't Eri Aragaki dream of becoming a giant on the 15th or 10th rank in the very first episode?

That's absolutely true. Based on her peak performance in Attack on Titan in her previous life, Eri Aragaki did indeed fantasize from the beginning about what if Attack on Titan made it into the top ten in the very first episode?

But that was at the beginning; later on...

For some time now, the Giants have consistently ranked outside the top ten...

I'm climbing higher every week, but I always fall just short.

Eri Aragaki also calmed down completely, realizing that she had indeed been too ambitious too early.

As mentioned before, Attack on Titan's popularity will truly surge after its anime adaptation.

Well... all I can say is that the influence of comics is really very limited.

Even though Attack on Titan had achieved considerable success before its anime adaptation, such as strong sales of its manga volumes, it still paled in comparison to those popular masterpieces.

Let alone comparing it to Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece, it would be exhausted even compared to Hunter x Hunter, which is on hiatus for years.

So Eri Aragaki has completely relaxed her mindset during this period.

Eat and drink as you please, and don't worry about popularity. As long as you stay in your current ranking and avoid the risk of being cut in half, that's enough.

I submit my work on time every week, and after finishing it, I relax on the sofa playing games and watching anime. Occasionally, I go out shopping and eating with Natsume Akane and the others. I live a very comfortable life.

But just as she relaxed, she heard the news that the popularity of Attack on Titan had climbed into the top ten.

She lay on the sofa for a while, then suddenly sat up, clenched her fists, and shouted, "Whoa!!"

"Teacher Aragaki..."

Sakurai Masaya heard Aragaki Eri's cheers, but he just smiled and didn't find it strange. However, he suddenly remembered something and said, "Actually, I have a suggestion..."

"Now, teacher, you could consider hiring an assistant. After all, given Giant's current popularity, your monthly royalties are quite high. Hiring an assistant would allow you to submit your work more consistently and would also reduce your personal burden."

Eri Aragaki held her phone, not answering immediately.

Masaya Sakurai then said seriously, "If you have this idea but don't have a suitable candidate yet, I can provide some suggestions."

Generally speaking, comic artist assistants can be divided into three categories.

The first category is the most common, usually consisting of newcomers who dream of becoming professional cartoonists.

Some are like Eri Aragaki, manga artists who choose to submit directly to the newcomer award. However, unlike Eri Aragaki, they may have good drawing skills, but if the story or style they submit is not good, they will be rejected.

If these people have really good drawing skills, the editor will usually take a look and then recommend them to comic artists who are already able to serialize comics regularly as assistants.

Some of these are students currently studying or have graduated from comic schools. They have a very solid professional foundation and also choose to work as assistants to build connections and gain experience.

In addition to this, there is a second category...

That's a professional cartoonist's assistant, someone who fully understands that they're not cut out to be a cartoonist and can only be an assistant, so they make a living as an assistant for life.

These assistants can even reliably match the styles of different comic artists, focusing on imitation and solid comic skills.

And then there are the third type of part-time assistants, but these assistants are generally very cost-effective, though their skills are extremely poor.

As an editor who has worked in the manga industry for many years, Masaya Sakurai also has the contact information of more than a dozen manga assistants with varying salaries.

Eri Aragaki smiled and said, "No need, Mr. Sakurai."

Sakurai Masaya's side has become quiet.

"Actually, I had already asked a few friends to help me."

Sakurai Masaya was silent for a moment, then spoke.