Tokyo 1970: I'll draw Doraemon?

As a result, Weekly Shonen Future's circulation skyrocketed, although it was still far from the top three shonen manga magazines.

But it has the potential to catch up.

"Thanks to you."

Fujiwara Maki sighed deeply.

Success came so easily that it took her by surprise.

With proper management and supervision, magazine sales will rise rapidly.

She was thrilled that her efforts would be rewarded, without having to consider any other factors.

Maki Fujiwara is full of energy every day and wishes she could live at the company.

Even her younger sister, Chiko, who's in junior high, is complaining. She says that although they live together, she rarely sees her older sister.

Maki Fujiwara could only feel apologetic and continue to contribute to the company.

"No matter how wonderful my ideas were, I never imagined that the company I founded would develop so smoothly."

She couldn't help herself and stood up to kiss Fushimi Kawa.

With a "pop," a red mark appeared on Fushimikawa's cheek.

He casually touched his cheek: "With only Naruto, the results are unreliable. Perhaps one day Naruto will lose its appeal, and then Weekly Shonen Future will lose its appeal as well."

Fushimikawa's original plan was for Naruto and Touch to boost the sales of Shonen Future.

However, Touch hasn't really taken off yet, and relying solely on Naruto to carry sales could easily lead to problems.

“Hmm,” Fujiwara Maki nodded in agreement, “Do you have any good ideas?”

"Discovering new talent is a long-term process. Right now, we urgently need support, so we still need to look for experienced veterans."

……

One of the main characters in Parasyte has died.

She is Kana, who can sense the presence of parasites.

Because of her time with Shinichi Izumi, she fell in love with him, but died in the mouth of a parasitic beast.

This made Osamu Tezuka very unhappy when reading Parasyte.

Compared to his son who constantly shouts "Naruto," Osamu Tezuka preferred the more profound "Parasyte."

The parasites have formed a group, and one of them even ran for mayor. Their understanding of the human world is growing rapidly.

Fearing exposure for cannibalism, they even established canteens, perfectly hiding among human populations.

This wasn't a battle of superpowers, but a contest on a societal level, which captivated Osamu Tezuka, making him itchy to draw a rather dark manga of his own.

Just then, someone came to visit.

"Tezuka-sensei, I'm here again."

The man, carrying the gift, walked into the living room with a smug grin.

"What did you bring?" Osamu Tezuka asked.

Tezuka leaned against him, and the scene of fatherly love and filial piety was quite heartwarming.

Of course, this only applies if the person who came is Oikawa Ji. If it were anyone else, Tezuka Osamu wouldn't have been so casual.

"It's the collector's edition of the first volume of Naruto," Fushimikawa explained.

The first volume of Naruto will be released soon, so there's no need to worry about any problems.

Fushimikawa saw nothing wrong with giving something like this as a gift to a manga artist.

“You might as well bring the Parasyte manga.” As he spoke, Osamu Tezuka touched his son’s hair, only to find nothing.

"what?"

When he heard about the Naruto Collector's Edition, Tezuka jumped up and grabbed the manga with anticipation, eager to read it as soon as possible.

"Thank you, Uncle Oikawa. I love this gift so much."

"I'm glad you're satisfied," Fushimikawa said with a smile, then turned to look at Osamu Tezuka.

"Tezuka-sensei, what were you just saying?"

"It's nothing!" Osamu Tezuka said angrily.

Chapter 119 Insects Have Never Been Defeated

"This is so difficult, I don't quite understand it. I'm also in sixth grade. But I know from personal experience that you have to do these kinds of questions yourself, otherwise you still won't understand them."

Why don't you ask your teacher, parents, or classmates?

Osamu Tezuka understood that his son was the kind of stupid child who would only give such answers when asked questions by his peers.

That's why they don't appreciate their own comics and instead watch things like "Naruto"!

"Yay! Everyone in our class loves Naruto. Dad's comics are so outdated."

Holding the collector's edition of the single volume, Tezuka was exceptionally happy.

This gift truly touched his heart.

"I'm so angry!"

Even though he tried to comfort himself, seeing his son's pathetic behavior because of Oikawa's manga made Osamu Tezuka unable to contain his anger.

What brings you here today?

Oikawa only offered to visit without revealing his purpose, but given his style and busy schedule, he wouldn't come looking for me unless he needed something from me.

Osamu Tezuka simply asked him to leave as soon as possible.

Osamu Tezuka was very unhappy that his son disliked his comics and preferred other people's.

He is such a jealous person.

"Teacher, please don't say that. I heard you are a medical doctor, that's really amazing."

Fushimikawa sat down cross-legged opposite him, picked up a cup and poured tea for himself and Osamu Tezuka before continuing, "I never imagined that I could get the highest degree while drawing manga. In fact, my studies will end here after I graduate next year."

Upon hearing his compliments, Osamu Tezuka's initial resistance quickly dissipated.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and let out a satisfied sigh. He smiled and opened his arms, displaying the props used to create his great work.

“When I was 16, because I was thin and weak, I was not considered a Showa-era man and was thrown into a forced training center. There, my hands became infected with a rash and almost became necrotic. Fortunately, with the doctor's treatment, my hands gradually recovered.”

Without these intact hands, wouldn't Japan's manga and animation industries have gone in a completely different direction?

In other words...

"Being a doctor is a very noble profession, and I've had that thought ever since."

“I see,” Fushimikawa nodded, examining Tezuka’s hands until Tezuka Osamu became somewhat uncomfortable.

"Working more than ten hours a day, drawing enough manuscripts to supply a magazine for several years, and still having no flaws, that doctor is truly remarkable."

Currently, a comic magazine typically has a maximum of 300 pages and 15 serialized works.

It has been 27 years since Osamu Tezuka debuted with "Diary of a Little Horse" in 1946.

Given this long period of time and his production rate, he should have accumulated at least 7 to 8 original manuscripts.

A weekly manga typically consists of 48 chapters a year. If all of these chapters were provided by Tezuka's original manuscripts, the manga magazine could be published for as long as 5 years.

It has a longer serialization period than most comics currently available.

Thinking this, Fushimikawa was somewhat moved.

Although Osamu Tezuka had many hobbies, including animation, stage plays, insects, astronomy, and movies, his love for manga was second to none.

"Doctors save lives and heal people, and Tezuka's manga also criticizes current affairs. Leo's Story is very spicy and sharp, making me break out in a cold sweat."

“Ah,” Tezuka Osamu’s masterpiece, Leo, was not very successful.

It only ranked sixth in Jump magazine, and many readers only read it because of Osamu Tezuka's name.

"I'm starting to feel lost. What kind of artwork should I create to appeal to readers?"

His serialization of "The Three Warriors of Linglong" in "Shonen Champion" can be described as a Waterloo, with no popularity whatsoever.

For years, "Phoenix" has been critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful, and other manga have failed to make a splash. They have tried again and again, only to fail once more.

COM lost out to other magazines and was forced to cease publication last year.

His animations were always failures, so he left the Mushi Animation Company.

Having encountered setbacks in every aspect of his life, even the resilient Osamu Tezuka was so exhausted that he wanted to give up.

The key point is that this era is a time of great change and upheaval.

Fujiko Fujio created "Doraemon," Riyoko Ikeda's "The Rose of Versailles" even influenced the Takarazuka Revue, and Go Nagai drew "Devilman" and "Mazinger Z," constantly pioneering new forms of manga.

Even this college student who has only recently come of age draws characters from "Parasyte" and "Naruto," and is very popular among teenagers.

His company has immense potential and is gradually challenging established comic book publishers.

It's not that the market is failing, but rather that Osamu Tezuka has become outdated.

"I've been left behind by this era."

Fushimi opened his mouth, looked at the dejected Osamu Tezuka, and subconsciously said this.

"But the insects have never been defeated."

"what?"

"The teacher probably added the character for 'insect' to his own name, Tezuka Osamu, because he really liked insects, thus creating the pen name Tezuka Osamu, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Throughout history, countless animals have gone extinct. But no matter what methods people come up with—using pesticides, burning, genetic sterilization—locusts still exist, and the problems they bring to agriculture have never disappeared. I think the teacher's belief is the same; it will not be defeated."

This is not the lowest point for Osamu Tezuka. In a few months, when Mushi Productions goes bankrupt and he is personally in debt of 1.5 million yen, that will be the real dead end.

Even at that time, Osamu Tezuka continued to create manga, producing masterpieces such as "Black Jack" and "The Three-Eyed Boy." He not only paid off his debts but also made people realize that Osamu Tezuka would never fall, no matter what.

His animation career continues.