Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist.

Meanwhile, at Shueisha, the company that Eri Aragaki longed for, the preliminary round of the Tezuka Award had already been completed.

The manuscripts that were initially screened were less than 30.

This is actually Shueisha's style: better to have nothing than something bad.

If a work does not meet the standards, it will not be promoted, even if it has not won an award.

Even Eri Aragaki was unaware that, in her previous life, the Tezuka Award would face a nearly eight-year gap after 2007, with no final nominees selected for that position.

The judges felt that no work deserved the Tezuka Award's final prize.

After the initial screening selects the works that meet the standards, the next step is naturally the second review.

However, the review process may be a little different from what you think. It's not like all the judges gathered in one place in a serious manner like in a meeting, watching one work, giving a score, and then passionately speaking up for the works they like on the spot.

Instead, the selected manuscripts are bound together into a single review candidate manuscript, which is then sent to the judges individually so that each judge can review the manuscript and score it independently according to the standards.

Eri Aragaki's submission is currently among the candidates for review.

The drafts for review were being sent to the renowned judges.

"Hello, Toriyama-sensei, this is the entry for the 73rd Tezuka Award's final review. Thank you for your help."

The editors at Shueisha handed the manuscript to Akira Toriyama.

"Okay, you've worked hard too."

He was quite polite, and said with a smile.

"Okay, I still have work to do, Mr. Toriyama, I'll head back now."

Shueisha's editors come and go quickly.

Akira Toriyama looked at the thick stack of manuscripts and, without saying a word, immediately prepared to read the entries for this year's Tezuka Award, just as he had done before.

He had been a judge for the Tezuka Award many times before. Every time, he would send the shortlisted entries to his home or studio, read them in his spare time, score them according to the criteria, and then send the score sheets back.

Akira Toriyama leaned back on the sofa and opened the first manuscript.

The article is titled "Dreams Come True".

This is a comedy comic set in a school. The drawing skills are fairly neat, but the paneling is a bit stiff, and the timing of the jokes is not very good.

"And it's not quite the best; it's only passable, and we still need to work harder."

He shook his head, wrote down a few numbers on the rating sheet, and then turned to the next one.

The second manuscript, titled "Fool's Magic," is a fantasy adventure work. The setting is somewhat interesting, but the plot progresses too slowly. Half of the 31 pages are dedicated to introducing the world-building, with almost no actual plot development.

"It's okay for longer stories, but it's a huge weakness when it comes to short stories..."

Akira Toriyama sighed; he had seen this kind of mistake, a common one among newcomers, far too many times.

But he thought it was alright; if it were to be serialized as a long-running comic, it might actually have potential.

So he gave it a fairly high score, which was about the level of a masterpiece in his mind.

He read several more manuscripts. Some had good drawing skills but boring stories, and some had interesting settings but rough execution. In short, none of them impressed him.

There wasn't a single work that he was certain would win the Tezuka Award, but he did see a few that could be considered contenders, with "Fool's Magic" being one he thought was quite good.

Akira Toriyama picked up a teacup from the coffee table, took a sip of tea, and turned to the next manuscript.

This is a sports-themed comic that tells the story of basketball.

After reading a few pages, he discovered that the author of this work was clearly influenced by "Slam Dunk," with Inoue Takehiko's influence evident in both the character design and the way the game scenes were handled.

Unfortunately, the imitation wasn't quite right; the key action scenes lacked the heart-pounding tension they'd create.

Akira Toriyama put down the manuscript and gave it a passing grade on the evaluation form.

He continued flipping through the pages and read several more works, including horror, romantic comedy, and science fiction.

The science fiction setting was quite interesting, about a war between humans and robots in a future world, but the author's handling of it was too bland, and many scenes that could have been very exciting seemed rather lukewarm.

Akira Toriyama filled out the evaluation form and turned to the next manuscript.

The title of this work is "Attack on Titan," and the first letter of the Romanization is "S," so it is listed quite late in the list.

He initially thought this was just another unremarkable work by a new author, but when he turned to the first page, he stopped in his tracks.

The first page is a huge overhead view of a city surrounded by towering walls, the height of which is so exaggerated it's suffocating, and beyond the walls lies endless wilderness.

The opening composition was very impactful, and Akira Toriyama was immediately drawn to it.

He continued scrolling down.

The plot unfolds layer by layer, showcasing the world view and basic settings of this comic.

Around some point in time before that, humanity's natural enemy... the giants appeared, and the surviving humans built massive walls to survive, hiding behind layer upon layer of walls, which brought them more than a hundred years of peace.

"A good setup."

Akira Toriyama sat up slightly, with a serious expression that said, "No, I have to sit up and watch."

This setting is very interesting; the oppressive feeling of being trapped in a cage is directly conveyed to the reader through the visuals.

He continued reading.

The main character is clearly Eren, a young human soldier in the Training Corps who has undergone three years of soldier training. The other two characters who are also part of the main group are his two childhood friends, Mikasa and Armin.

As the plot unfolds, the three characters' conversations reveal their aspirations, past, and other background information.

Akira Toriyama looked at the panel layout for the dialogue in the manga and couldn't help but nod in approval.

The composition of the picture is very layered. The sunlight shines down from above the city wall, symbolizing hope and the unknown.

This technique of conveying emotions through visuals has already surpassed the level of novice cartoonists.

Akira Toriyama continued turning the page.

This scene inserts a flashback to Eren, showing how Wall Maria, where he was located, was destroyed by a suddenly appearing Colossal Titan three years prior.

The composition of that page was incredibly striking. The face of a colossal giant peered out from above the city wall, its body taller than the wall itself, its muscles devoid of skin, and heat emanating from its form. The oppressive feeling almost overflowed from the page.

It looked down at Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, who were looking up at it, while the narration beside it read—

"That day... humanity finally remembered... the fear of being dominated by giants!"

……

"sharp!"

Akira Toriyama couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.

He continued reading.

The plot of this work is very fast-paced; after all, there are limitations on the number of pages in a manuscript.

The key point is that this newcomer has a very good grasp of the plot and setting.

From the establishment of the world-building to the outbreak of the crisis, and then to the tragedy of the protagonist, every page drives the plot forward without any unnecessary words or scenes.

This is what is most precious and rare.

He turned another page, and new settings kept emerging, and the plot continued to advance.

What interests him is that the way humans fight against Titans in this manga is also very special. They use a weapon called the 3D Maneuver Gear to dodge and weave around using tall buildings or trees as fulcrums to attack the Titan's only weak point, the nape of its neck.

Then the story moves to the Battle of Trost District.

The giants have invaded again, this time the Wall of Rose has been breached, and humanity is once again facing a desperate situation.

Akira Toriyama turned the pages faster and faster, but he didn't miss a single page; the handling of those battle scenes was simply brilliant.

The use of 3D Maneuver Gear in combat allows soldiers to move between tall buildings, using the traction of ropes to change direction and carry out decapitation attacks on the back of the Titan's neck.

This combat system is ingeniously designed, giving humanity a theoretical reason to defeat giants, while also increasing the tension and entertainment value of the battle.

Even so, humanity still failed.

Eren's squad, 34, was wiped out. In anger and despair, Eren charged at the Titans, but was devoured by one while trying to save Armin.

Akira Toriyama frowned as he read this; the plot was taking a much crueler turn than he had anticipated.

And... isn't Allen the main character?

Could it actually be Mikasa, or Armin?

Driven by this curiosity, he continued scrolling down.

He didn't realize at that moment that he had unknowingly become completely engrossed in it.

After learning of Mikasa's death, she did not collapse. Instead, she displayed great strength, stabilized the battlefield, and was actually determined to fight the Titans until she was exhausted and died.

But what followed was the real turning point.

Suddenly, a special giant with strange medium-length hair appeared on the battlefield. Unlike other giants, this giant had a clear goal and fighting style, specifically attacking other giants to protect human soldiers.

Akira Toriyama, upon seeing this, vaguely guessed the giant's identity, but instead of stopping to think, he continued to scroll down.

The plot revealed the answer: this strange Titan was Eren.

Then came the scene of Commander Pik, the garrison commander, making that bold decision.

Standing on the city wall, facing the doubts and objections of his generals, Pixis uttered the crucial line: "We must use the power of this giant to reclaim the Trost district."

Akira Toriyama was completely immersed in the story by this point.

Pixis's mobilization speech was excellent. He didn't try to persuade the soldiers with grand theories, but with simple logic: since they were going to die anyway, they might as well die in a meaningful way, since humanity had nothing left to lose.

He even resorted to reverse psychology in the end—

"Then!!"

"Anyone who wants their parents, siblings, or loved ones to experience the terror of giants!!"

"And get out of here as soon as possible!!"

……

This approach to dialogue is far more powerful than those empty declarations of heroism.

The pages following the mobilization declaration are the most brilliant passages that Akira Toriyama found in this work.

The camera pans across the faces of the soldiers, each with a different attitude toward death, but when these faces are pieced together, they form a portrait of humanity.

In particular, one of the stationed soldiers, who had a daughter and had previously been cowardly, faced death head-on and joined the operation.

"This is the only one that won't do..."

He walked away, trembling with fear, yet he remained resolute, saying, "This is the only thing... Don't even think about it... because my daughter is my... last hope!!"

And this is a hymn to humanity's last courage.

"This is what humanity is all about!"

Akira Toriyama felt his heart racing; this long-lost feeling of exhilaration made him incredibly excited.

He continued turning the page; the battle had begun.

Eren, carrying a giant boulder, charged toward the damaged city gate under the cover of his soldiers. One by one, the soldiers around him fell. Mikasa darted through the air, slaying Titans, while Armin guided the battle from the ground with his wisdom.

Each page is filled with tension, and the feeling of searching for hope in despair is vividly expressed by the author through his brushstrokes.

Then came that classic scene: Eren's Titan blocked the city gate with a giant rock, and humanity finally won a victory in this war.

The image on that page was very simple: it showed the back of Eren's Titan, with a huge boulder blocking the city gate, and sunlight shining from behind him, casting a long shadow on the battlefield.

There were no superfluous lines, no exaggerated special effects, just this simple scene, yet it gave Akira Toriyama an indescribable sense of awe.

Akira Toriyama finished reading the last page of this chapter, remained silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly slammed his fist on the armrest of the sofa.

"Bang!--"

The punch was quite powerful; the sofa armrest made a muffled thud, and the entire sofa shook.

Akira Toriyama looked at the manuscript in his hand, his expression a mixture of excitement and admiration.

"Sri Lanka No. 1!!"

He could no longer contain his admiration and spoke directly in the simplest of words of praise.

He flipped back to the first page and looked again at the stunning images and storyboards.

"Is...is this really a newcomer?"

He couldn't help but ask again, "The drawing skills and storyboarding are really outstanding."

Who exactly is this new artist? Their drawing skills and paneling abilities are beyond what one would expect from a newcomer.

Could it be an assistant to one of the industry peers?

But he'd never heard of that pen name before.

In fact, there are very few truly newcomers in the comics industry. Most comic artists start as assistants to well-known comic artists.

Moreover, one can learn a lot from being an assistant to a famous cartoonist.

The panel layout and drawing skills really made Akira Toriyama start recalling which famous manga artist this style resembled.

However, the storyboard and drawing skills are secondary; the most important thing is the concept...

Giants, walls, 3D Maneuver Gear – every element is interconnected, and none is superfluous.

Akira Toriyama placed the manuscript on the coffee table, leaned back on the sofa, and let out a long sigh.

He recalled that when he was drawing "Dragon Ball," he also found the feeling that made readers' blood boil through constant exploration.

And this author achieved this in his debut work.

Akira Toriyama picked up the rating sheet and gave the highest score to every rating item.

In his mind, this was the best work that had to win the Tezuka Award this time, and he felt it would be an injustice if it didn't win.

He wrote the following in the comments section—

The artwork is outstanding, the panel layout is perfect, the setting is novel and self-consistent, the plot is fast-paced, and the action scenes are handled perfectly. This is the strongest new work I've seen in recent years, and it should undoubtedly be a nominee for this year's Tezuka Award.

After finishing writing, Akira Toriyama glanced at the title on the manuscript cover, "Attack on Titan," and... his pen name was "I Don't Eat Pears."

He remembered the name.

……

Then, different locations and different time periods followed.

One by one, the judges who participated in the Tezuka Award review process began to slowly pick up the shortlisted manuscripts and start reading them.

For example, Masashi Kishimoto, who had just finished the storyboard for this week's Naruto serialization, told his assistant to go and rest first, and then picked up the candidate draft for review during his leisure time at his desk.

In another mahjong room.

"Kenji, when are you getting here? We're one short for the mahjong game, we're just waiting for you."

The famous cartoonist, after hanging up the phone, muttered, "That guy's so slow, I'll have to wait a while... Oh well..."

He looked around listlessly and saw the Tezuka Prize nominee manuscript that had been signed for almost a day but hadn't been opened yet...

"Then let's finish this work while we're at it, honey. Pass me that manuscript..."