Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist

When my favorite anime is airing, I naturally watch it.

When there are no anime episodes, he goes online to read various comics.

I took out my math homework first and did it, and then I copied the English words three times.

Just then, his dad came home, and he stopped doing his homework and ate with his parents.

After finishing your meal, go back to your room to continue doing your homework.

After finishing his homework, he ran to the living room and cautiously told his mother, who was watching TV, that he had finished his homework. After receiving permission from his parents to turn on the computer and play for a while, he...

He immediately ran back to his room, turned on his computer, and it took him almost two minutes to get to the desktop. He couldn't wait to open QQ and start typing in the group chat.

"Thank you all for your hard work! Has the JUMP Chinese translation been updated this week? I'm requesting the resources!!"

After he finished typing, he felt it wasn't good to directly ask for resources like that, so he added a kneeling penguin emoji at the end.

However, at this moment, the localization group's administrator, Xiyang, posted a document in the group.

The file is named "《武松》Chinese version.zip".

[SOS Brigade - Sunset: This week's translation isn't out yet, but we've translated this short story first, so everyone can take a look.]

[SOS Brigade - A-Qiang: This short story is amazing! The boss highly recommends it!]

Chapter Sixty-Six: Final Fantasy

Someone immediately chimed in the group.

"Wu Song? The Wu Song who killed the tiger?"

"Water Margin? Japanese anime has something to do with Water Margin?"

"How come there's a manga like this in Japan? Is it just a copy of the same name or fan fiction?"

"Did you translate this short comic into Chinese this week?"

"Brother Orange said it looks really good? Then I have to try it."

"Where's Orange? I haven't seen him in ages."

"Isn't Orange Bro studying in Japan? I heard he's been quite busy lately."

"Is studying in Japan fun? My family is asking me to consider where I should study. If studying in Japan is a good option, then I'd like to study there too."

"Envious...yet another rich guy."

"If you have the means, go to North America for studying abroad. If you don't have the means but have good grades, go to Germany or France. Why go to Japan..."

"Well said. Germany is the best choice because the three years you spend studying in Germany will be the best seven years of your five-year study abroad experience."

"People are asking if studying abroad is fun, so they're definitely going there to enjoy themselves. Why go to Germany?"

……

The chat group gradually started to go off-topic.

Xiao Nanliang couldn't join the conversation either, since he was only a junior high school student and his family couldn't afford to send him abroad to study in high school.

So he looked at the short comic strip, and then curiously clicked on the file.

The decompression software on his computer popped up. After the progress bar finished, dozens of image files appeared in the folder. He double-clicked the first one, and the image reader opened.

The first thing that catches the eye is a double-page spread illustration: a tall, disheveled figure holding a knife, the blade sweeping across the entire page.

The way the ink was used to depict light and shadow was something he had never seen in Japanese manga before. The color page felt like he was looking at a comic strip, or a traditional Chinese painting, but the overall style, the rhythm of the panels, and the character designs were definitely manga.

Then he flipped down.

Wu Song, the tiger-slaying hero who returned home...

To repay the brother who raised him...

However, later the elder brother was murdered, and the person who killed him was still living a carefree life...

The elder brother's memorial tablet, the weeping figure of the niece...

He flipped through the pages one by one, the mouse wheel spinning slower and slower.

He stopped when Ying'er asked, "Will Father come back after we avenge him?"

Although he just started junior high school this year, he can understand what the sentence means, and such words are even more infuriating.

Then Wu Song took his knife and went out.

He flipped through all the remaining pages in one go.

Wang Po, the steward, Pan Jinlian, and Ximen Qing—one after another, without any unnecessary embellishment or lengthy explanations.

I finally finished watching it. I was so engrossed that I sat in front of the computer for a long time without moving.

Then he returned to the group chat, only to find that everyone had already shifted their focus from studying abroad back to the short comic strip "Wu Song".

Clearly, many people have read this short comic and were deeply moved by it.

"This art style is amazing! This depiction of Wu Song is truly incredible!"

"Now I understand why the original novel described Wu Song as 'like a demon lord descended from heaven, a true god among men'! If this comic version of Wu Song were the same, who could stop him!"

"No... this art style is really unique, especially the colored page, it really gives me the feeling of looking at an ancient painting."

"I'd believe you if you said this was drawn by Old Shi Dinghao!"

"I felt so frustrated watching the beginning. Those bastards Ximen Qing, Wang Po, and Pan Jinlian, what were they doing?!"

"Perhaps the artist lost consciousness halfway through drawing!"

"That's a damn possession!"

"[Image] This phrase 'old pig dog,' and this image—if it's not the original author using a pseudonym, I'll say whatever I want!"

"Ximen Qing is also a stubborn guy in this comic. Wu Song said, 'It's easy to spare you, but give me back my brother's life,' but Ximen Qing just wouldn't revive Wu Dalang!"

"Okay, okay, so Ximen Qing can be reincarnated, huh? That's quite a wild idea, buddy!"

"I think this comic is really amazing, especially the art style... It's totally my style. This art style feels like it's by a Chinese artist?"

……

Seeing the lively discussion in the group, Xiao Nanliang immediately felt a strong sense of sympathy and joined the chat. He typed:

"I have a feeling that the cartoonist who drew this comic is probably one of our own people."

Then this resonated with others in the group, who all chimed in with similar sentiments.

"This art style feels more like it was drawn by a Chinese artist... like a student from a Chinese art academy, right?"

"I don't think 'Water Margin' is very popular in Japan. There are very few people who can draw Wu Song. Could it be that they are actually from our own country?"

"But didn't Xiyang say this was translated into Chinese ahead of schedule? Does that mean it's a Japanese manga? Could it be that one of our own went to Japan and became a manga artist?"

"No way?"

"I think that no one in Japan could draw this style, or the level of understanding of the story of Wu Song's bloodshed at the Lion Tower."

"And the plot was so exciting and satisfying, Wu Song did a great job killing!"

……

Just as everyone was discussing it heatedly...

On the translation team's side, the member nicknamed "Big Shot" had just finished his part.

Then he checked the group chat and found that the members were discussing the short comic strip "Wu Song".

So he joined the group chat.

[Orange Cat Translation Team - Da Niu: The author of this comic does seem to be Chinese, but that's not necessarily true.]

[Orange Cat Translation Team - Da Niu: Oh right, I forgot to mention, the author of "Wu Song" is also the author of "Attack on Titan," and his name is Bu Chi Li Zi (不吃梨子).]

In an instant, the group chat became even more lively.

"Hey Niu Da, you guys finished the Chinese translation? You're finally showing your face?"

"What did the Ox God say? The author of 'Wu Song' was actually the author of that giant novel..."

"Do you think it's possible that anyone who doesn't eat pears is Chinese?"

"I think it's unlikely. Everyone, stop fantasizing. Even if you are fantasizing, you're already imagining that 'Not Eating Pears' is Chinese. Why not fantasize a little bigger? I think she's actually a beautiful, gentle, and eloquent Chinese-speaking cartoonist who loves the culture of the People's Republic of China."

"Hahaha, Final Fantasy!"

"That's true... but this 'Wu Song' is really very good!"

"I think so too. Oh well, whether the author is Chinese or not, it's good as long as it's good, and it tells the story of the People's Republic of China."

"Yes! I think this manga is really good! But... I didn't expect it to be by the same author as Attack on Titan?"

"The art styles of the two sides are quite similar, except that the main characters on the Attack on Titan side are obviously white. Names like Eren, Armin, and Reiner are clearly white."

……

The translation group was buzzing with discussion about "Wu Song," and gradually, not only in this group, but also across the internet in the People's Republic of China, this short comic was gaining popularity.

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Aragaki Eri Suffers a Loss

On the other hand, Eri Aragaki was completely unaware of this.

Because she will be immersed in writing this week, and after finishing this week's writing, she will also have to do various preparations for the standalone book.

Although she hasn't received any revision notice from Masaya Sakurai yet, she still needs to prepare the cover and color pages for the collected volumes, which are not things that can be done by simply drawing random pictures.

The cover is the first thing readers see in a bookstore, and the color pages are the first surprise after opening a single volume. Whether these two things are drawn well or not directly affects whether readers will reach out to buy them.

So she'll have to... use some special abilities to draw it better!