Tokyo: Earth Online Manga Artist.

Chapter 89 Good News (Seventh Update! Please Subscribe!)

Eri Aragaki also didn't hesitate at all—

My super intelligence tells me to use super creativity!

Hack! Open it now!

She immediately began the process of developing storyboards.

It turns out that "Fog Hill of Five Elements" was originally an animation, and the storyboards and other visuals could be referenced from the animation.

On the screen, she could compose the composition based on the stunning ink-wash style of director Lin Hun that she remembered.

She can draw the dynamic lines of fighting figures, the ink treatment of flames and water, and the brushstrokes of mountains, rocks and trees in a super creative state.

However, you'll have to figure out the grid layout yourself, since animation is a continuous flow of images.

Comics are static panels; how do you break down a smooth, long fight shot into individual panels?

She had to figure out herself what size frame to use for each panel, and which actions to place in double-page spreads to enhance the impact.

It was Sunday afternoon when I finished the storyboard for "Fog Hill of Five Elements".

Eri Aragaki put the storyboard into a transparent folder, rubbed her sore wrist, and then picked up her phone to dial Lin Shiping's number.

I answered the phone after it rang twice.

"This is Lin Shiping, Ms. Li Zi. Why are you calling?"

Lin Shiping's voice came from the other end of the phone, with the sound of typing in the background; he was still working overtime in the editorial department on the weekend.

Eri Aragaki said directly, "I've finished the storyboard for the new short manga I mentioned before. Mr. Hayashi, when do you have time to come out and take a look?"

The keyboard clicks on Lin Shiping's end stopped, and then his voice rose noticeably, "How about this afternoon, teacher? What do you think?"

Eri Aragaki thought about it and felt there was no problem, since she wasn't sleepy at the moment.

So she replied, "Okay, see you this afternoon, at that same coffee shop?"

Lin Shiping immediately replied, "Yes, it's that coffee shop from before. I'll get ready and head over right away."

In the afternoon, Eri Aragaki went out again.

Soon after, she arrived at the coffee shop and pushed open the door. Warm air enveloped her face. Lin Shiping was already sitting in the same window seat as before, with two cups of coffee on the table, one of which was a mocha.

Eri Aragaki walked over and sat down. Lin Shiping pushed the mocha towards her, saying, "I'll order this for you first, teacher. I saw you order this last time."

Eri Aragaki thanked her and then took the transparent folder out of her backpack and handed it over.

Lin Shiping took the folder and opened the first page.

He quickly got into work mode and focused intently on the storyboard in his hands.

However, this time there are no plot twists like in "Sayonara Erii", no narrative that interweaves reality and illusion, and no blurred boundaries between film and memory.

Instead, what he saw was a very orthodox shonen manga opening.

Fire-wielding youth Wenren Yixuan attempts to break the seal to save his mother—

The other five attendants arrived and a great battle ensued.

The demons' conspiracy and hidden plot —

The plot is clearly set in the culture of the Republic, with the Five Elements Envoys, the Qilin Seal, and the ink painting style; every page carries an intense and pervasive flavor.

Lin Shiping is from Taiwan, so he naturally understands the culture of the People's Republic of China.

He could understand the monster designs reminiscent of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Taoist concept of the five elements and their interactions, and Wenren Yixuan's impulsiveness imbued with Eastern chivalry.

It's safe to say that it's absolutely delicious!

The plot doesn't start off amazing; it's not the kind of story that makes you gasp and exclaim, "You can draw like this?" after reading the first page.

Instead, he is a dignified and upright king, a young man who caused a great disaster to save his mother and then took the blame himself.

This kind of opening has been seen by JUMP readers for decades, but it is precisely because it is a classic that it remains popular.

This is clearly different from "Goodbye Eri". "Goodbye Eri" is the kind of work that will leave you silent for a long time after you finish reading it, while "Fog Hill of Five Elements" is the kind of work that will make you want to punch it after you finish reading it.

After reading it, Lin Shiping turned to the last page of the storyboard, then looked up at Aragaki Eri and said, "It's a pity, teacher, your story 'Fog Hill of Five Elements' is a short story."

He even felt a little regretful at this moment that Eri Aragaki didn't debut with "Fog Hill of Five Elements".

"Fog Hill of Five Elements" has such a pure JUMP shonen style, and the group setting of the five elementalists is naturally suitable for long-term serialization.

The backgrounds of the five major families can be developed into several storylines, and the types and levels of monsters can also be drawn episode by episode.

Moreover, with its hardcore ink-wash style, he believed it was bound to become a huge hit, and he even thought it was no less popular than Giants.

In the Japanese manga industry, you won't find another manga artist who can draw such intense battles in this style. This is a visual style that belongs only to Bu Chi Li Zi in this era, and no one else can imitate it.

However, Eri Aragaki debuted with Attack on Titan, which is still ongoing.

Judging from the current situation, Attack on Titan is consistently in the top ten in popularity, and the first print run of 150,000 copies of the collected volumes sold out more than half in two weeks, which is quite an impressive achievement.

As long as it doesn't cause any major problems and end up being canceled, Attack on Titan will be finished for several more years.

At that time, "Fog Hill of Five Elements" was nowhere to be found.

After all, a genius manga artist like Eri Aragaki has endless inspiration. She may have drawn several new works in the past few years, and there might not be enough time to list them all.

"So Mr. Lin thinks it's acceptable?"

Eri Aragaki picked up her mocha and took a sip.

"Of course you can."

Lin Shiping neatly put the storyboard back into the folder, placed his hands on it, and said, "Teacher, your 'Fog Hill of Five Elements' is amazing. It's the most authentic hot-blooded shonen manga in the JUMP series."

To be honest, my first reaction after reading the storyboard was to ask the author if this could be expanded into a feature film, but I also knew the author was drawing Titans.

Eri Aragaki immediately smiled and said, "You flatter me. I'll draw according to this storyboard from now on."

1

"Okay, no problem."

Lin Shiping said, "If you finish before the deadline at the end of the month, please let me know at any time and I will come to pick it up in person. It doesn't matter what time it is, even on the weekend. Please contact me anytime, teacher."

After chatting for a while, Eri Aragaki said goodbye to Shihei Hayashi and left the cafe to go about their own business.

In the days that followed, Eri Aragaki spent her time drawing the manuscript for Attack on Titan.

Although the storyboard for the short story is finished, the final artwork will have to wait until the end-of-month deadline. Right now, the most pressing task is still the weekly Attack on Titan serialization.

She placed the storyboard of "Fog Hill of Five Elements" on the shelf next to the worktable, spread out the giant's artwork in front of her, and picked up a G pen to start sketching.

Just as Eri Aragaki began drawing the new week's draft for Attack on Titan, some good news suddenly arrived.

The cell phone on the worktable rang; the caller ID showed Masaya Sakurai.

Eri Aragaki put down her G-pen and answered the phone with her uninked hand. "This is Aragaki."

-

Masaya Sakurai's voice came through the receiver, "Congratulations, Riko-sensei, I have some good news for you."

Eri Aragaki shifted her grip on her phone, looking somewhat surprised, and asked, "Mr. Sakurai, what's the good news?"

News from major bookstores indicates that the stock of the first volume of Attack on Titan is running low.

Masaya Sakurai immediately said, "The publisher is already arranging a reprint, and the publication plan for the second volume has also been started ahead of schedule."

After hearing this, Eri Aragaki leaned back in her chair and stared at the fluorescent light on the ceiling for a long time.

Then she held the phone between her shoulder and ear, clenched her fists, and silently waved them at the air.