Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

The two were somewhat surprised. Then they saw Ryota Onodera push open the door and come in.

His expression is off.

"What's wrong?"

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka asked, puzzled.

"I ran into the board member in the hallway just now."

Ryota Onodera's expression was rather unpleasant.

"The board heard that the top prize winner of the Newcomer Award is here today to submit his storyboard, and they want to come and see him."

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka knew this manga wouldn't be accepted by everyone, especially the old fogies on the board. They only wanted commercial manga. Some even went so far as to encourage other authors to plagiarize Dragon Ball and release it.

"You showed it to him?"

Ryota Onodera nodded.

"He felt it didn't align with our principles."

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka frowned.

Like those editors, they don't know how to be flexible.

Ryota Onodera's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

He also said that if it were to be serialized, the fifth chapter must include a plot about the resurrection of the Demon King's remnants, forcing Frillie to fight monsters and level up.

"Leveling up by defeating monsters?"

Kamiya Yuma couldn't help but speak up, wondering what kind of idiot could make such a request.

"Yes. What the director means is that shonen manga must have battles, must have enemies, and must have a sense of crisis. If Frilline keeps traveling and reminiscing about the past, readers won't want to read it after a couple of chapters."

At that moment, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

The man who walked in was in his fifties or sixties, with his hair neatly combed.

Dark gray suit, gold-rimmed glasses.

Taro Yoshikawa, one of the directors of Shueisha.

"Onodera, you were too loud just now."

Yoshikawa Taro walked straight to the conference table and sat down.

"Tanaka, you're here too. Perfect timing."

He glanced at Yuma Kamiya.

"You're the newcomer?"

  

"it's me."

I've looked at your storyboard.

Yoshikawa Taro slammed the storyboard outline onto the table.

"They're all pretty good."

He paused.

"But that's not what Jump wants."

"What does Jump want?"

"Kamiya Yuuma asked."

"Passion. Battle. Victory."

Yoshikawa Taro said, enunciating each word clearly.

"The readers of shonen manga are teenagers. Teenagers want to see the protagonist defeat enemies, become stronger, and climb higher. Nobody wants to see a thousand-year-old elf slowly reminiscing about the dead on the grasslands." The transparent panel reappeared in front of Kamiya Yuuma's face.

[The convergence point of the world lines has been triggered: a crucial choice for the serialization.]

[Fork in the road 1: Compromise and revisions to meet higher-ups' demands, adding a scene of the Demon King's remnants reviving and fighting in chapter 5. Reward: Top-tier promotional resources from the editorial department, a color cover for the first chapter of the series, and confirmation for the Jump cover.]

[WARNING: This option will cause the core narrative logic of "The Burial of Frillian" to collapse, resulting in its soul dying. Ultimately, sales plummeted, critical reception was polarized, and the series was forced to abort before completing two years of serialization.]

[Branch Two: Stand firmly against higher-ups, refuse to budge an inch, and refuse to make changes. Reward: A "workaholic" cartoonist from the Golden Age, and expert coloring skills for the first volume of "Frilian".]

[Warning: This option will anger Shueisha's top management, creating significant obstacles to the serialization meeting and potentially limiting future resources.]

Yuma Kamiya looked at the two options.

The consequences of compromise have been clearly explained in the system.

Knowing the popularity of "The Burial of Frillien," how could he possibly choose to destroy his own foundation by adding battle scenes?

The reward for hard work is a "liver-obsessed" physique.

This is exactly what a weekly serial needs.

As for the consequences, once they see the sales figures for *The Burial of Frillien*, these guys will naturally shut up. "I choose option two."

Kamiya Yushin silently murmured to himself.

He raised his eyes, looked at Yoshikawa Taro, and spoke.

"Director Yoshikawa."

"What, you've figured it out? I knew you were smart..." "I won't change."

Yoshikawa Taro stood there, stunned.

"What did you say?"

I said I wouldn't change.

Yuma Kamiya met his gaze.

"People in this era are already exhausted enough. They squeeze onto trams to go to work every day, work overtime until late at night, get scolded by their bosses, and are harassed by their clients. They can't even catch the last tram and can only lie in the underpass waiting for dawn."

He took half a step forward.

"My readers are already struggling with their own lives, so why should my elf have to fight monsters and level up like a corporate slave?"

Yoshikawa Taro couldn't help but sneer.

How old are you this year?

"Twenty-two."

"Twenty-two years old, fresh out of school, no work experience, and after only drawing one comic that won a newcomer award, does he think he can teach the editor-in-chief and board members how to run a magazine?"

Yoshikawa Taro slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"I have thirty years of publishing experience. I've handled more shonen manga than you've drawn original manuscripts. And now you're telling me readers don't need to fight?"

"I didn't say readers don't need to fight."

Yuma Kamiya raised his eyes.

"What I'm saying is that readers don't need to fight in every comic. If readers want to fight, they can go to Dragon Ball or Seiya."

"So what do they look for in your comics?"

"Look at yourself."

Yuma Kamiya pointed to the first page of the storyboard outline on the table.

"See how someone who has lived too long faces those who can never come back. See those words spoken too late, those words left unsaid. See regret, see loss, see those things they dared not think about during the day."

"and then?"

Yoshikawa Taro's voice turned cold.

"And then make them even more desperate? Let them know that life is a constant process of loss?"

"no."

Yuma Kamiya shook his head.

"It's to let them know that loss itself has meaning."

The two were locked in a tense standoff in the office.

"young people."

Yoshikawa Taro stared intently at the boy in front of him.

"You're incredibly talented, overflowing with talent. But talent is one thing, the market is another. You can draw your regrets and losses in artsy magazines, no one's stopping you. But this is Jump, Jump is the temple of shonen manga. Shonen manga has its own rules."

He stood up.

"Add a battle scene to episode 5. This is a strict requirement. Without it, the serialization meeting will not approve it."

"I've thought it through very clearly."

Yuma Kamiya picked up the storyboard outline in front of him.

Put it back into the file bag.

"I painted an elf who has lived for a thousand years. She has witnessed too much life and death, too many battles, and too many victories. She no longer needs to prove that she can defeat anyone. What she needs is to understand what those who are no longer here have done for her."

He tucked the document bag under his arm.

"If Jump requires battles to be serialized, then I'll find another platform."

He turned and walked towards the door.

"stop."

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka, who had remained silent until now, stood up.

He walked up to Yoshikawa Taro.

He took a cigarette from the cigarette pack on the table and put it in his mouth.

"Director Yoshikawa."

His voice was calm.

"I vouch for this comic."

"You'll vouch for me?"

Yoshikawa Taro turned around and stared at him.

What guarantees do you have?

"I vouch for it with my sixteen years as editor-in-chief of Jump."

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled the smoke.

"If the sales of 'The Burial of Frillian' fall below the top three in Jump within a year of its serialization, I will resign."

Ryota Onodera also stood up.

"I'll vouch for you too."

Yoshikawa Taro turned to look at the two of them.

"You're all insane. You're all crazy."

The door slammed shut behind him.