Tokyo: The Manga Begins with the Funeral of Frilian

Ryota Onodera stubbed out his cigarette and said, "Are you going to find him?"

Yuma Kamiya shook his head and said, "No need to look, he has already found the answer he needs."

He stood up from his seat and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window.

Then I just looked at the night view of the bridge outside.

"When I was painting Frilian, I thought about a question: why would an elf who has lived for thousands of years, who has traveled to so many places and witnessed so many people's lives and deaths, continue to move forward?"

He turned around and said.

"Later I realized it wasn't because she could let go, but because she learned to move on with regrets. Frilian did cry, she just cried where no one could see her."

Hoshino Rin put the bowl down and then picked up her sketchbook.

She turned to a brand new page in her sketchbook and then quickly sketched some things on it with a pencil.

Shiori Shirakawa strode forward.

Then he stood next to Yuma Kamiya.

"Then Okita."

"He cried, which means he understood."

Kamiya Yuma glanced back at the photo on the table and said.

Those who understand this will not truly fall.

When Onodera Ryota left, he paused briefly at the entrance.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention the important thing. The first edition of the tenth volume of the manga is one million copies. It's not a reprint, it's the first edition."

He smiled and said.

"While the entire publishing industry was declining, only one manga was seeing its sales rise," Editor-in-Chief Tanaka said. "That's probably what they call..."

"What you call it."

"I asked Kamiya Yuuma."

"The answer of our time."

The door slammed shut with a "bang".

At that moment, Hoshino Rin lifted her head from the sketchbook.

"Master, I just came up with a new composition. Frilian is standing on the ruins, all the buildings around her have collapsed, and only a patch of crimson grass is blooming behind her. Is this metaphor obvious enough?"

"It's too obvious."

Yuma Kamiya said.

"Then let's try another one. She stood on the ruins, said nothing, and just squatted down to water a Crescent Moon Grass that was buried under the rubble."

"Can."

Hoshino Rin lowered her head and continued drawing.

  

Shiori Shirakawa went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, while Rin Hoshino stayed at the small table in the corner, sketching.

Yuma Kamiya continued drawing storyboards at his easel in the master bedroom.

This residence reflects an ordinary life.

The world outside the window is on the verge of collapse, as if an invisible barrier separates the two.

.........

When the tenth volume was first printed, it sold one million copies.

In a French restaurant in Ginza.

Editor-in-Chief Tanaka booked the entire floor to host this celebration banquet.

Almost everyone in the Shueisha editorial department who could spare the time came to the scene.

Ryota Onodera walked around the banquet hall with a champagne glass in his hand.

Whenever he meets someone, he says, "I knew this kid would succeed."

However, he completely forgot about the time when he first read the original manuscript and accidentally dropped some cigarette ash on his pants.

Takahashi chose to sit in the corner.

The plate of foie gras in front of him remained untouched.

Taro Yoshikawa did not appear at the celebration banquet, reportedly because he was at the board meeting dealing with the layoff lists of other magazines under its umbrella.

Yuma Kamiya sat near the window, not even touching the glass of champagne in front of him.

Shiori Shirakawa sat next to him, wearing a dark blue dress.

She was listening attentively as Hoshino Rin explained why French-style baked snails were considered "low-grade ingredients" in the demon race's diet.

"Snail shells are too brittle. Demons prefer prey with shells, like giant stag beetle larvae," Hoshino Rin explained.

"Hoshino, don't talk about anatomy while we're eating."

Shiori Shirakawa interrupted her, pushing a plate of untouched dessert in front of her.

Hoshino Rin lowered her head and looked at the strawberry mousse.

Then she looked up and glanced at Shiori Shirakawa.

"Senior, the lipstick color you're wearing today is very close to the color of strawberries. Was it specially chosen to match the atmosphere of the celebration banquet?" she asked.

"Let's eat," Shiori Shirakawa said, only these two words.

At that moment, Ryota Onodera strolled over, carrying a wine glass.

The smile on his face faded a bit.

"Kamiya, could you please speak to me in private? I have something to tell you."

Yuma Kamiya stood up and followed him to the terrace outside the restaurant.

The night view of Ginza spreads out beneath my feet, only compared to the heyday of the bubble economy.

A third of those neon signs have already gone out.

"There are two things I need to tell you."

Ryota Onodera took a fax sheet from the inside pocket of his suit and handed it over.

"The first thing is about the animation adaptation. Just yesterday afternoon, the head of the planning department of Dongyang Animation personally called the editorial department, wanting to meet with you to discuss the adaptation rights."

Yuma Kamiya took the fax paper.

"Dongyang Animation?"

He asked, somewhat puzzled.

"That's one of the top three studios in the industry. They produced the Dragon Ball anime. Their offer is that if we can get the adaptation rights, they can offer a production budget of 150 million yen per season."

Ryota Onodera's tone wasn't as excited as I'd imagined.

"However, there is a problem here."

"What's the problem?"

Kamiya Yuma pressed for an answer.

"Actually, the problem lies with the sponsors. After the bursting of the bubble economy, the traditional sponsorship model has collapsed by more than half. In the past, the production cost of an animation would be shared by the TV station, the toy company, and the toy manufacturer. But now the toy company is cutting budgets, the toy manufacturer is clearing out inventory, and the TV station's own toy revenue is also declining."

Yuma Kamiya folded the fax paper.

I put it in my coat pocket.

"so."

"So Dongyang Animation's meaning is very clear: they want the adaptation rights, but they need sponsors to fill the gap in production costs. Right now, the entire industry is looking for funding. Whoever offers the most money has the most say. Someone is already willing to provide full funding, but there are conditions."

"What are the conditions?"

"They need to be on the production committee, and the project proposals need to be modified according to their wishes. To put it bluntly, whoever pays the money has the final say."

Ryota Onodera flicked his cigarette butt into the trash can.

"Tomorrow at 2 PM, a representative from that sponsor will be coming to your studio for a meeting. Editor-in-Chief Tanaka asked me to give you a heads-up beforehand so you can be prepared. They are a big spender, so their attitude might not be very polite."