Full-time cartoonist - #121 - Chapter 120

This is exactly what Torishima Kazuhiko wants to say.

There were not many people who could listen to what he had to say, so after many choices, Torishima Kazuhiko chose Toriyama Akira.

“You are really brave to bet your future on Toriyama.” Akira Toriyama sighed.

“Of course it’s not just Tori Akino,” Torishima Kazuhiko said bluntly, “There will be other strategies to increase the importance of questionnaires; to discover new people and give opportunities for valuable works; to increase the competitiveness in comics magazines and cultivate the abilities of authors… …Anyway, it depends on God’s will.”

The sales volume of “Weekly Shonen Magazine” is about to surpass that of “Weekly Shonen Jump”.

In 1992, “Weekly Shōnen Magazine” began to serialize “Kindaichi Shōnen Incident Book”. This work has a huge influence, changing the impression that magazines give people marginal comics. The recent circulation reached 4.3 million copies.

The gap with jump is only 200,000 copies!

Such a small gap was unimaginable before.

Torishima Kazuhiko had a strong sense of crisis, and he had to solve the problem quickly.

Otherwise, Jump’s crown, which has been in the leading position since the serialization of “Fist of the North Star”, will fall from his hands, and he will be upset to death.

…

“Soul of Chess” only has one episode left to end.

Oda has been in a bad mood recently. He has learned a lot from Higashi Hibiki, and he has new knowledge every day.

And Hibiki Higashi also values ​​him very much.

Think he can be the backbone of the jump.

No one has ever recognized Oda’s talent so much.

This gave Oda a romantic feeling that a scholar would die for his bosom friend.

During this year at Higashino Hibiki Studio, although the work was heavy, Oda was happy every day.

Unfortunately, as the comic is coming to an end, it’s time for him to start looking for his next job as an assistant.

“This is the pudding from the one at the subway entrance. Mr. Sasaki brought it. Mr. Akimiya said he wanted to lose weight. I’ll leave it to you.”

Hibiki placed four pieces of pudding in front of Oda.

He himself doesn’t like sweets, but the pudding of this restaurant has always been highly rated. Hibiki Higashikata once saw the happy and soft look of the paralyzed Asahina after eating the pudding of this restaurant.

“I don’t have much of an appetite…” Oda said.

“Eh?” Hibiki Higashikata was stunned, and he asked anxiously: “How could you have no appetite, Oda-san? Are you sick? Are you feeling dizzy?”

“I just…” Oda was silent for a while, then subconsciously took out the pudding, took a bite, and tasted it carefully, “﹋o﹋I’m not in a good mood.”

Higashikata was speechless. He was eating so happily and even said he was in a bad mood.

He patted Oda on the shoulder and asked what the real situation was.

Oda was a little embarrassed and scratched his head to tell the truth.

He didn’t want to leave Tori Akino Mirai Studio and wanted to continue working until serialization started.

Higashino Hibiki only found it funny, but he was also touched by his heart.

I told him that after finishing “Soul of Chess”, the serialization of “Slam Dunk” will begin.

There is only a two week gap at most.

“It will be even harder in the future, just don’t dislike it.”

“Yes.” Oda nodded happily and ate the pudding with peace of mind.

“(つヮ) It’s delicious.”

He covered his mouth happily and couldn’t see his eyes.

Hibiki Higashino brought up the topic of “Slam Dunk”, so he simply took out the manuscript paper and brush, sat in front of the TV, dug out NBA videos, and began to learn details such as lines and muscles, the rationality of movements, etc.

“However,” Hibiki Higashika suddenly thought of NHK’s toll collector, “I have started using NHK’s channels and am ready to pay. Why doesn’t the toll collector come to my door?”

“Call Tanaka. Next time he comes to visit, I will pay him the fee.”

…

On Friday, Sasaki came to visit with a suitcase full of things.

“It’s number one,” he said.

“Ah?” Hibiki Higashi was confused.

“Xiao Zheng ranked first in “Soul of Chess”.” Sasaki said in detail.

“Ah?” Higashikata was shocked.

“That’s right, the one who said this is the first one.”

Sasaki said that he was not joking and that this result was correct.

The result of the previous episode was only fifth place.

“Why is this?” Dong Yexiang was a little flattered.

It’s been a long time since “Chess Soul” got Xiaozheng’s first place, not to mention first place, not even the top three.

The sudden first place brings not excitement, but confusion.

“Take a look at these letters. They are all letters from readers of “Soul of Chess”.”

Higashino Hibiki took the cardboard box, which contained dozens of letters.

He sat on the sofa, took out a letter from a reader, and read it quietly.

…

“Hello Tori Akino-sensei, I am a reader of “Spirit of the Game”, and if I want to say my favorite character, it is indeed Fujiwara Sawei.”

“At the beginning of 1994, I saw “The Soul of Chess” and was instantly shocked. It turned out that Go could be so interesting to draw.”

“As a thousand-year-old soul from the Heian Kyo period, I really like the innocence and “childishness” of Sa Wei. These two temperaments blend well with his powerful aura of Honinbo Shusaku, making me feel very real and cute. “

“I’ve been looking forward to when he will show his “hand of God” and surprise everyone. “

“Waiting…waiting…”

“Until my favorite plot, after Zuo Wei and Taya Yuhiro won the battle, the foreshadowing of Zuo Wei’s disappearance was laid.”

“After that, I continued to read the comics anxiously, thinking that such an important character should not disappear.”

“However, more and more this possibility was foreshadowed, and it even came out directly from Zuo Wei’s mouth, so I had to accept this fact.”

“It’s not that I can’t accept Zuo Wei’s disappearance…well, there are some things that I can’t accept, some.”

“But if Zuo Wei must disappear, why not let him say goodbye to Xiaoguang properly?”

“When I had this idea, I became extremely disappointed. I no longer read “The Soul of Chess”, and even the single volume that I once cherished was hidden under the bed.”

“”Soul of Chess” just disappeared from my life.”

“I started going to school, playing with my classmates, playing video games and baseball. I just don’t know why, but I always feel empty in my heart.”

“It wasn’t until I heard my classmates discussing that “Soul of Chess” was coming to an end that I finally realized that I had never put “Soul of Chess” down.”

“So, continue watching “The Soul of Chess” to see what the teacher wants to express.”

“Shindo Mitsuhata suddenly came to his senses and found Sawei in Go. He became more and more mature and grew into a qualified professional chess player and the future star of Japan.”

“At this time, I understood that in addition to inheritance, “Chess Soul” also has growth.”

“Hikaru Shindo experienced the pain of Sa Wei disappearing and searching for him, and only after he came out did he truly grow up.”

“It turns out that these are valuable, and the author did not force them to be sentimental just for the sake of sentimentality.”

“After crying a lot, I want to write a letter like this and hand it to you, teacher, to reflect on my journey. If I’m lucky, I hope the teacher can know that there is a reader who deeply likes your works. .”

“PS: I really want to know the outcome of the battle between Shindo Hikaru and Taya Ryo!”

After reading it carefully, Hibiki looked at the reader’s identity. He was a high school student in Shimokitazawa.

The writing was very profound, and Hibiki Higashikata was very moved.

“So that’s it,” he nodded. “People who used to like “Soul of Chess” couldn’t put it down because of the ending of “Soul of Chess”, so they came back to continue watching it.”

“After seeing the new content of “Chess Soul”, I understood the plot of Zuo Wei’s disappearance.”

“Is that so?” Higashikata raised his head and asked Sasaki.

“There are reasons for this.” Sasaki replied.

“The sales volume of the single volume of “The Soul of Chess” has also recovered, and the fifth volume has begun to be reprinted.”

Another good news, Higashino Hibiki read the next letter with this joy.

There was a name written on the cover, it was Mura Shigure.

His content is relatively concise.

“After reading my teacher’s cartoons, I was deeply moved, so I decided to become a cartoonist and become a cartoonist like my teacher!”

“Change Go, change the world.”

“What I like is shogi. There are probably more shogi players in Japan now than Go.”

“But there is no phenomenal shogi work like “The Soul of the Game”.”

“Teacher, please look forward to it. Maybe one day, I will break into your world.”

“I admire you very much, Mura Shigure.”

…

Such a letter gave Higashikata a hint of joy.

Hibiki Higashino, who was led by himself and embarked on the path of pursuing comics, had to look forward to it again.

If the other party can really succeed, it is what he said, and we will meet in the future.

The subsequent letter about “Soul of Chess” was about being influenced by “Soul of Chess” and learning Go;

There are readers who thank Hibiki Higashino for creating the spirit of chess;

He also expressed his anger towards Zuo Wei becoming a Buddha, but because it was screened by the editorial department, the words were not intense.

These many letters made Higashino Hibiki happy, but also melancholy in his heart.

“The two-year serialization of “Soul of Chess” is finally coming to an end.”

Only the last word is left.

“Soul of Chess” is about to leave his serial life.

“The teacher once talked about AI. Yang Hai from the Chinese Chess Academy also believes that the future of Go lies in computers.”

“Is there any content about this? I’m very curious.”

Seeing this letter, Dongye shook his hands.

I came back from the future and learned about Alpha Dog’s toughness. In the end, AI made human chess players despair, and then I regained my life.

One after another, they are learning AI and using AI to raise the level of Go to another level.

“Why don’t I draw such content? He is born with beauty, a heroic beauty amidst cruelty.”

Higashino Hibiki had also seen Ke Jie cry.

Such a lens must be extremely shocking.

“After “Slam Dunk” is on the right track, we will start serializing the short stories of “Soul of Chess”.”

Higashikata Hibiki had an idea.

…

In the second issue of Jump in 1996.

Odagiri looked at the comic magazine with a serious expression.

This is the work that led him to the path of Go, the final chapter of “The Soul of Go”.

From now on, he will practice his own path as a professional chess player.

There was a trace of reluctance, and he didn’t want to open the comic book.

If time stopped here, then “Soul of Chess” would never end.

After two minutes, Odagiri was mentally prepared, took a deep breath, and looked inside.

…

Shindo Hikari was shocked that Tayashi had seen through all of this.

Ta Yaliang said: “The person I played with twice in the Go club is Sai.”

“Because I know you best, so I know. Only I know that there is another person in your body.”

Shindo Hikaru’s pupils trembled, “Taya…”

Ta Yaliang took back what he just said, “No, it’s nothing, I said something strange.”

Shindo Hikaru was shocked.

“Taya, he noticed sai!”

“Until now, no one except me knows about Sawei.”

“Zuowei, Taya noticed you.”

“Found you!”

At this moment, Shindo Hikaru was shocked and happy.

I am happy that someone knows about Zuo Wei. The imprint of Zuo Wei is not only his own.

There is also a sense of excitement that Taya, you understand me, you understand Zuowei.

Ta Yaliang thought for a while and continued: “No, the Go you play is all you have. It doesn’t change. That’s enough.”

He also felt that having another person was really outrageous and impossible.

He rejected his guess.

Shindo Hikaru looked at their chess game and smiled happily. Not only himself, but Taya also thought so.

“The Go I play is everything I have.”

“Taya, you are right, because Zuowei is in my Go game.”

…

In the subsequent game, Xiaoguang lost.

The result of this important chess game is not important.

Anyway, we can continue to play chess in the future.

In the evening, after washing up, I changed into my pajamas.

Xiaoguang fell asleep, he had a lucid dream, and met Zuo Wei in the dream.

The other person is still the same as before, wearing a robe and showing a sad expression.

Xiaoguang was very happy and told him what happened recently.

Although he lost the game with Xiaoliang, there will be more chess to play in the future.

Listening to his description, Zuo Wei smiled.

Xiaoguang then told what happened to other people after Zuo Wei disappeared.

As he talked, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Angrily, he began to question, why did Zuo Wei disappear?

What does it feel like to disappear?

Is it sadness? Still smiling?

If only I were smiling like I am now.

Xiao Guang looked a little disappointed.

At this time, Zuo Wei’s eyes narrowed together, showing that he was very happy.

Seeing his response, Xiaoguang became energetic and told Taiyaliang about the existence of Zuowei.

But Zuo Wei looked at Guangming on the side, and he was about to disappear again.

Xiaoguang wanted to stop him urgently, hoping that Zuo Wei would not disappear.

Zuo Wei handed out the folding fan in his hand and handed it to Xiaoguang.

During this transmission, Xiaoguang woke up.

Tears fell from his cheeks and he looked at his empty palms.

During this Go game, Watani was surprised to find out.

In Hikaru Shindo’s game, he made solid moves, saw through his opponent’s conservatism, seized the perfect opportunity, and made key moves.

His growth is really amazing.

Just thinking about this, he was stopped by Shindo Hikaru.

A folding fan lit up in the other party’s hand.

“The Soul of Chess” is over.

…

“Ah, is it over?”

Odagiri came back to his senses and was immersed in the comics until the end of the content, when he woke up as if from a dream.

He felt a little itchy on his cheek, and when he touched it, it felt wet.

“Why am I crying?”

He looked in the mirror, his eyes were red and there were tears on his cheeks.

I don’t know when I started crying.

Looking at the time, he read this sentence for ten minutes.

“Phew~ It’s over.”

He felt disappointed in his heart.

It was like the departure of a good mentor and friend.

“I’m very grateful to be able to read “The Soul of Chess”, I really appreciate it.”

He sat blankly until the sun reached his head, and then he realized that he needed to play chess and start today’s study.

Odagiri patted his cheek and said, “From now on, a new life will begin.”

…

While Odagiri was reading “The Soul of the Game”, countless people were also reading it.

They are readers of “Chess Soul”.

Some of them were angry because of “Chess Soul”.

But at this moment, all the anger disappeared.

All that was left was a deep sigh.

It is precisely because I like it so much that I am very angry.

Can’t you just serialize it more and let yourself curse more?

“Mirai Tori Akino is truly a unique cartoonist.”

“You can ruin the performance of your work when it is at its peak.”

“When I returned to my peak, I completed the work.”

“These two points sound very strange.”

“Actually, the starting point is the same. For the logic and rigor of the work.”

“Only those who deeply love their works would do this.”

Some commentators made such remarks.

Readers agree.

They understood Higashino Hibiki and “Soul of the Chess”.

He put down the stone in his heart and chose to reconcile with Higashikata Hibiki.

…

On Friday, Sasaki informed Hibiki Higashino.

“Xiao Zheng from “Soul of Chess” came first.”

This is actually very rare. Except for some works, there are only a few works that can maintain high rankings when they are completed.

As far as Hibiki can think of, there is currently only “Dragon Ball”.

“Even the single volume of “Soul of Chess” has generated a wave of panic buying.”

“The sales of volumes five and six exceeded one million copies.”

“Currently, separate volumes of volumes seven and eight are already being planned.”

Sasaki told a lot of good news, but Hibiki didn’t bother to listen.

He recently suffered from a mental illness, a slight depression.

I hid in my room and didn’t go out all day.

I was planning to quickly start the serialization of “Slam Dunk”, but I couldn’t pick up the energy.

“This is a situation where after the work is completed, there is no emotion to put it on.”

Sasaki knows it well.

“If you can, go out with him for a walk.”

Akimiya Akemi chose to take up the matter.

She took Hibiki to the hot springs.

After returning, Higashikata was in high spirits.

Started painting “Slam Dunk”.

“Oda! I told you a long time ago that if there are many people in a picture, their characteristics must be exaggerated, otherwise the readers will look the same!”

It was as if he had been given a shot of chicken blood, and his fighting spirit was high all day long.

Thanks to Platinum Hitomi for the reward.

Thanks to book friend 20171126021739251 for the reward.