Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist

Two works with completely different styles, two male protagonists with completely different worldviews, but they share the same unyielding spirit.

Kawa Ayano carefully placed the magazine on the seat next to her, picked up her phone, and scrolled to the contact list to find Aragaki Eri's name.

She stared at the name for a few seconds, hesitated, and then put her phone down.

They weren't very close yet; they'd only met once at most...

Although they are landlord and tenant, this kind of relationship doesn't seem like anything special...

that……

Or should she find an opportunity to get to know Eri Aragaki?

Ayano Kawakami seemed to be deep in thought.

……

Meanwhile.

It wasn't just Ayano Kawa who was moved by "Wu Song," a short manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump this week.

The fact that the plot of this manga could resonate with so many people, even breaking out of its niche and sparking heated discussions, proves that its plot and panel layout are impeccable and flawless!

In particular, this comic was originally a very special type of doujinshi, and it was initially circulated in a specific small circle.

However, it was this revenge storyline that broke into the mainstream and reached ordinary netizens, resonating with many people.

Moreover, it's completely different from that tragic love story, which only became popular because it was an example of internet memes taken to their extremes.

However, "Wu Song" became popular because of its excellent storyboarding, art style, and plot.

It's even been jokingly said that the comic artist was taken over by the original author halfway through the drawing.

This just goes to show how important a compelling plot is, and how classic revenge stories are. No matter the era or country, the power of a good story is universal.

At first, no one paid attention to the short comic strip "Wu Song".

Readers, when they open this week's JUMP, habitually read Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece first, then Gintama, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, and Exorcism at Lightning Speed, and only turn to the short story section after reading all the serialized stories.

After all, it's a waste not to watch it.

However, after readers finished reading other comics and decided to give this one a try...

But one by one they were infected, first immersing themselves in the story of the comic.

Wu Song's return from tiger hunting, deep brotherhood, Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian's secret affair, Wu Dalang's murder, his niece's weeping...

These plot points quickly build the reader's emotions, making them clench their fists without even realizing it.

Then, finally, Wu Song drew his sword and left, and the quest for revenge began...

They clenched their fists, feeling an unusual sense of exhilaration.

As Wu Song swung his sword, someone shouted in their mind.

All the pent-up frustration and anger from those many pages finally exploded at this moment, leaving one feeling completely refreshed.

Initially, nobody paid much attention to the short comic strip "Wu Song," but... after readers finished reading other comics and decided to give this one a try...

But one by one, they were all infected, first immersing themselves in the story of the comic, then gritting their teeth as they read, and then finally...

"Wu Song did a good job! Blood feuds must be avenged in blood!"

"Only then can I live up to my elder brother's cultivation and kindness towards you!"

"Those two bastards, Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian, truly deserve to die!!"

"Brother Wu Song is never coming back! What a pity! If only he had come back sooner, or had never gone out at all!"

"Having a brother like Wu Song is already incredibly valuable!"

"Wu Song is really too strong!"

"I wish I could be as strong as Wu Song."

"Revenge has been avenged! Now that's a real man!"

……

After reading "Wu Song", readers expressed quite emotional sighs and reflections.

Japan places great importance on loyalty and righteousness, as it is part of the East Asian cultural sphere and values ​​loyalty, brotherhood, and the like.

Therefore, Wu Song's story of avenging his brother naturally received praise.

Unexpectedly, Wu Song's portrayal in Eri Aragaki's short comic book sparked a considerable trend in Japan!

Chapter Sixty-One: The Aesthetics of Violence

"That's amazing!!"

In Akita Prefecture, Fujimoto Itsuki, who was lying on the floor of his room reading a manga, was expressing his amazement.

When he got to a certain page, he suddenly flipped back, stared at the image for several seconds, then flipped back again, and then flipped back again.

His eyes gleamed as he stared at the images that were nothing short of violent aesthetics: flesh and blood churning, heads falling to the ground... pure violence and gore!

"That's right! That's exactly how it looks! And the storyboarding is amazing!"

"Fujimoto Itsuki shouted excitedly, "Especially this scene, it's really powerful! It's a bit like the storyboard of Gin Ichimaru in 'Bleach'!"

He was referring to the panel where Gin Ichimaru suddenly pierced Rangiku on the hill of Sogyoku. Kubo Tite used an entire page of vertical composition to depict the speed and penetrating power of that strike as the long sword extended.

Of course, it only looks somewhat similar.

However, Fujimoto Tatsuki still thinks that the version of "Wu Song" is better... When the sword is slashing down, the scene not only shows speed, but also a sense of weight as it hits down.

Just looking at it, you can feel the force of that slash could split the entire picture frame in two.

This further highlights Wu Song's strength and decisiveness, especially... the series of killing scenes that followed, which suited Fujimoto Itsuki's taste even better.

Yes, he loves the aesthetics of violence!

He loved the beauty of this killing, which seemed so real.

It's not the kind of fancy fighting where you shout out the name of a move and strike a pose, but rather the raw violence of knives cutting into flesh, bones breaking, and blood gushing out.

After seeing "Wu Song", he realized even more that this... is the true violent aesthetics of comics!

A single, decisive blow; blood and flesh churning; heads falling to the ground; blood surging – this is the scene that would occur in a real battle.

Instead of a turn-based system where you take turns attacking, the enemy won't give you a chance to breathe.

And you... cannot give the enemy any chance either; a true life-or-death struggle can be decided in an instant!

"I've got it! This is the path I want to take as a cartoonist!"

Fujimoto suddenly shouted as if he were acting erratically.

He sprang to his feet, stood barefoot on the tatami mat, holding the open magazine in his hand, and loudly proclaimed at the fluorescent light tube on the ceiling.

"Teacher Bu Chi Li Zi! Thank you so much! You will definitely become a great manga artist in the future! And so will I! I want to become a manga artist like that too!"

His eyes were filled with fervor, as if he had regarded Eri Aragaki, whom he had never met before, as his manga mentor.

He flipped the magazine back to the color page of "Wu Song" and stared at the image of Wu Song wielding his sword for a long time. For a moment, he felt an irresistible urge to touch it.

Then he carefully placed the magazine on the table, sat down at his desk, and took out a new sheet of drawing paper.

He held the pencil in his hand, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them, the pencil tip landing on the paper, and began to draw the storyboard draft that had just popped into his mind.

……

Online discussions about the short comic strip "Wu Song" have also begun to gain momentum.

"This week's short comic strip, 'Wu Song,' is absolutely fantastic! Have you all read it?"

"Wu Song? Isn't that the character from 'Water Margin'?"

"Yes, that's amazing. Was Wu Song really such a loyal and powerful person?"

"I had never read any of the Water Margin works before, so this is the first time I've read about the story of Wu Song. It's so exciting!"

"The story of Wu Song avenging his elder brother is so inspiring; a true man is nothing more than this."

"When I saw Ying'er ask, 'Will my father come back after I avenge him?', my feelings were exactly the same as Wu Song's."

"Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing are truly scoundrels!"

"What are you guys talking about? Where was the short comic strip 'Wu Song' published?"

"It's a short story serialized in the latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump this week, and it's really good! I highly recommend reading it! Although it's just a short story, the story is very exciting, and the artwork is amazing."

"The painting skills and style are really good; it has a feel of ancient Chinese paintings."

……

Then someone even took a picture of the color page at the beginning of "Wu Song" and uploaded it to the forum.

"[Image] This color brochure is absolutely amazing!"

In the picture, Wu Song stands in the snow, his blade slashing in an arc. The varying shades of ink and the use of white space create an oriental charm rarely seen in Japanese comics.

However, others soon raised the same question.

"It's a bit like Gin Ichimaru's famous scene."

"They're not that similar, are they? That one shows a thrusting motion with the sword extended, while this one clearly shows Wu Song slashing. If you ask me, they're about the same!"

"This Wu Song version is more compelling; I don't even know how I would dodge that slash!"

"Probably only Shadow Clone Technique or Flying Thunder God Technique could dodge it."

"Wu Song is really too strong and loyal. He is the epitome of beauty, strength and tragedy. No wonder so many people like him."

"To be honest, I've watched the NHK version of 'Water Margin.' Actually, I preferred Lin Chong at first, but after watching 'Wu Song,' I actually prefer Wu Song."

"Lin Chong's character is too cowardly. Wu Song is much more impressive. He didn't hesitate at all to avenge his elder brother!"

"Not eating pears is really impressive; the control over the plot is truly remarkable."

"His drawing skills are visibly getting better and better. I had this feeling when I watched Attack on Titan, but I didn't expect that Bu Chi Li Zi (the author) was still holding back. This short story is probably where his true level is shown!"