For this New Years Party, although there were some troublesome parts, overall it was quite satisfactory.
At least for Akira, not only did he get to see the real faces of many famous Manga Artists and their everyday sides unknown to readers, but he also made some new friends, such as Masashi Kishimoto.
However, it was a slight pity that he didn't win any prizes in the raffle.
Regardless, life had to return to its normal track, and the serialization and work for the new week followed immediately.
However—
"It was so great, the New Years Party—!"
Hayato looked emotional, as if he were reminiscing about the atmosphere at the time.
The moment he arrived at the studio today, Hayato eagerly asked him about the situation at the New Years Party.
He naturally didn't shy away and gave a rough account of what he saw and heard.
Yet afterward, Hayato acted more like someone who hadn't yet emerged from the atmosphere of the New Years Party, which was somewhat amusing.
"You didn't even attend, what are you sighing about?"
Shota, who was on the side, turned his head in confusion. Hearing this, Hayato showed an expression of 'hate that iron doesn't become steel' and said, "It's precisely because I haven't attended that I yearn for it! That is the proof of being a serialized Manga Artist!"
"By the way, has Tanaka-san ever attended the Shonen Jump New Years Party?"
"Of course not."
Daisuke's face stiffened, and he gave him a sideways glance, saying, "I have never serialized a manga."
"Uh—"
Seeing this, Hayato realized he had said the wrong thing again and immediately shut his mouth, pretending to be a wooden statue.
Daisuke found it both annoying and funny, and in the end, could only shake his head helplessly, saying, "Alright, anyway, it's about time to get serious about work, right?"
"Yes!" x2
Seeing the show end, the bystander Akira also looked away, his mind returning to the work at hand.
Of course, having said that, he didn't really have any work that needed to be done right now.
So, as he thought about it, he unconsciously thought of what Oda Eiichiro had said to him yesterday.
If that situation really happened—
Suddenly, the phone rang, interrupting his train of thought.
It was unsurprisingly a call from Hisashi, after all, today was the day the shōsei rankings came out.
So he naturally answered the phone, but immediately after, Hisashi's statement made his eyebrows twitch slightly: "—Come out and talk?"
On the other side, turning the time back one night.
The Shonen Jump New Years Party belonged to the 『First Party』, which was a gathering of members of the entire Shonen Jump system, belonging to an official company event.
For editors, this kind of gathering was actually a derivative of the work scene and was not an occasion where one could easily relax.
The subsequent 『Second Party』 was different.
After the New Years Party ended, the editors of the Shonen Jump main magazine and the veteran authors moved to a private room in an affordable izakaya.
Because the Second Party was a voluntary form, compared to the formal New Years Party, it had more of a private nature, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
Especially for the editors, this could be considered a real gathering.
"Cheers—!" x n
After the opening drink, the editors who were on good terms gathered together and chatted, and the topic inevitably mentioned the New Years Party just now.
Among them, one name appeared quite frequently in the editors' conversations.
"That Mochizuki-sensei, although I knew he was very young, I was still shocked to see him in person tonight."
"Yeah, and the stir he caused last year was truly exaggerated—"
"Drawing manga is one thing, but publishing a light novel—where on earth did he get so many ideas and energy?"
"Is this what a genius is?"
"Genius? I think he's a monster!"
Regardless, the terrifying talent and ability displayed by Akira were unquestionable.
Putting aside where he could go in the future, at least for the moment, Akira was undoubtedly a hot, super-popular new star of Shonen Jump, with no one else stealing his limelight.
And mentioning Akira naturally meant mentioning his editor— "Tsk, that guy is really lucky!"
A drunken editor in the corner spat out sour words, casting envious and jealous glances at Hisashi under the lights.
Although the competition between editors was not as naked and intense as in many commercial companies, as long as competition existed, it was impossible to guarantee complete harmony, and it was highly likely that he was not the only editor with this feeling.
However, these remarks could not affect Hisashi now, and furthermore, the situation around him was different.
"As expected of Mr. Sasaki, just finished the editorial work for Rurouni Kenshin, and immediately discovered a genius manga artist like Mochizuki-sensei!"
"Having achieved such excellent results, I'm afraid becoming Vice Editor-in-Chief is just around the corner, right?!"
The editors surrounding Hisashi were members of the group he was responsible for.
For the excellent results achieved by their group leader, they, as team members, also felt honored, and most of their faces were filled with joyful radiance.
"Where, where, I'm still far off."
Hisashi waved his hand, but his face wore a glowing smile. It was unknown whether it was because of the alcohol or because he enjoyed these words very much.
Of course, he was indeed full of confidence regarding the position of Vice Editor-in-Chief.
The personnel system of Japanese companies emphasizes the'seniority system', where salary increases and promotions are based on age and length of service, which is to say, seniority.
In terms of seniority, as a group leader in the editorial department, he was not inferior to other group leaders, and he also had the achievement of discovering Rurouni Kenshin, which in itself was a significant advantage.
Now, with the appearance of Akira, it was even more like adding wings to a tiger for him.
"However, Mr. Sasaki must have been very tired during this time, right?"
The youngest editor, Murata, suddenly sighed: "Apart from Fsn, Mochizuki-sensei also created two one-shot manga, especially Weathering with You, I really can't imagine how much effort must have been spent during the creation process."
"Indeed."
Another person nodded in agreement: "Speaking of which, I almost haven't seen Mr. Sasaki's figure in the editorial department at night during this time."
"He must have gone to Mochizuki-sensei's place to discuss the plot, right? After all, his creative desire is so strong, and he even writes light novels."
"That's really exaggerated—looking at it this way, it's really hard work—"
"Uh—"
Looking at the emotional editors, Hisashi's face suddenly stiffened, and he stopped mid-sentence.
At this point, the fact that work had become easier than before, allowing him to leave work on time to go home and accompany his wife and children, seemed unspeakable.
So, he had to pretend to be steady and nodded slightly: "It's nothing, this work is the responsibility of us editors."
"Is it the responsibility of an editor? As expected of Mr. Sasaki!"
The newcomer editor, Nakano Hiroyuki, who didn't know the truth, was immediately filled with awe upon hearing this, and his gaze towards Hisashi carried a trace of respect.
At the same time, because of their remarks, Hisashi suddenly realized one thing: although Akira's talent and ability seemed sharp and brilliant to outsiders, the vast majority of people's understanding of him was still just the tip of the iceberg.
The only people who could truly recognize Akira's talent at present, besides him, were probably only Kazuhiko.
It's just—
Is everything they understand all of Akira?
Recalling the various deeds of Akira so far, he couldn't give a definite answer to this point.
While thinking, suddenly, Hisashi noticed that the conversation of his colleagues around him seemed to have quieted down instantly. Just when he felt a little strange, he heard someone call his name: "Sasaki, you're here."
"editor-in-Chief Torishima!"
Looking at Kazuhiko walking over with a wine glass, Hisashi was surprised and puzzled, not knowing why the other party would seek him out.
"Let's have a drink."
Kazuhiko didn't explain his purpose, just smiled and shook his glass.
Seeing this, the others looked at each other, then tactfully left their seats, leaving a small space for them.
Kazuhiko sat down beside him and gestured with his glass again. Hisashi then hurriedly filled his own glass and clinked glasses with the other party.
"Ah—"
After downing a glass of wine, Kazuhiko let out a long, refreshing breath, then smiled at him: "In this past year, whether it's the situation on Watsuki Nobuhiro's side or Mochizuki-sensei's side, you've worked hard."
"Where, I just did the work an editor should do."
Hisashi responded modestly while raising his vigilance to the maximum in his heart.
This old rascal is offering favors for no reason; it looks suspicious. Is he up to some trick again?
"'Work an editor should do', huh? If other editors could do as well as you, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
Kazuhiko sighed and raised his glass to signal him again. Hisashi had no choice but to accompany him again.
Draining the remaining half of the beer, Kazuhiko finally got to the point: "Actually, there is something I want to ask of you."
I knew it!
Hisashi cursed inwardly, feeling something was wrong, but on the surface, he could only put on an expression of listening attentively.
Kazuhiko brewed for a moment and said slowly: "You also know the situation of Shonen Jump in the past few years. Although the situation has improved a lot so far, it is not as optimistic as most people imagine."
Currently, Shonen Jump has many popular manga such as One Piece, shaman king, yu-gi-oh!, hunter x hunter, hikaru no go, etc. It seems to have a large quantity, seemingly giving people the feeling of returning to the golden age.
But those who have truly experienced the golden age know that among so many works, the only works that can truly be called pillars, the works that can support Shonen Jump, is only one, One Piece.
It's not just because the popularity of other works can't compare to One Piece, but also because their stability is far from enough.
Especially Togashi Yoshihiro and the hunter x hunter he created, he simply didn't want to mention it.
Admittedly, the popularity of hunter x hunter is not bad, but the mess this guy is making now makes him furious, yet he is completely helpless.
There's no way, who let the person who agreed to the conditions proposed by Togashi Yoshihiro be himself?
He couldn't shift the blame even if he wanted to.
Sigh, painful.
In short, the reason why Dragon Ball, yuyu hakusho, and slam dunk could be called the Big Three back then was that these three works could occupy the top three of the shōsei rankings for years during their serialization, showing absolute dominance.
Other works in the same period might occasionally touch the top three positions, but they would soon be pushed down.
And now, the only work that can achieve such unquestionable dominance is One Piece.
"One Piece—"
Mentioning this work, Kazuhiko's tone paused, as if he was somewhat unwilling to mention it.
In fact, he doesn't like One Piece.
At the meeting to decide whether One Piece could be serialized, he also firmly cast his vote against it.
And he still remembers that after experiencing four fierce debates, the serialization qualification of One Piece was barely passed.
It's just that the facts proved that he had misjudged One Piece. This manga he once looked down upon has now become the only pillar of Shonen Jump.
But perhaps he is really old. Now he still doesn't like One Piece, but looking at the unquestionable results the other side created, he has nothing to say and can only try not to mention it.
Also—
Thinking of this, he looked at Hisashi in front of him.
At that serialization meeting, there were two people who strongly recommended One Piece and eventually persuaded most editors to pass the serialization, one was Vice Editor-in-Chief Ibaraki Masahiko, and the other was Hisashi in front of him.
Although he doesn't like One Piece, he appreciates both Ibaraki Masahiko and Hisashi from the bottom of his heart.
Especially Hisashi in front of him, besides the One Piece matter, he also personally discovered Watsuki Nobuhiro, the author of Rurouni Kenshin, and the genius manga artist Akira who is currently in the limelight.
Such vision and judgment made him think of himself when he was young.
But speaking of Akira, Kazuhiko's divergent thinking converged back.
He steadied his mind, looked at Hisashi, continued the previous topic, and said in a slightly deep voice: "Anyway, although Shonen Jump has One Piece now, having only one One Piece is not enough."
Although the results of One Piece have been very strong and stable so far, and Oda Eiichiro's creative enthusiasm seems to remain high to this day, they must still consider a problem—
If One Piece suddenly fails, are there any other manga that can support Shonen Jump?
"I think there is a manga that has already shown such potential."
Kazuhiko looked directly into Hisashi's eyes, and the moment his voice fell, Hisashi immediately realized what he wanted to express.
Fate/stay night has been serialized for nearly half a year. In these nearly half a year, the popularity and strength it has shown are almost the same as One Piece, and it has been in the top three of the shōsei rankings most of the time.
Exquisite settings, eye-catching characters, superb drawing skills, layered plot advancement, and the visibly super-strong talent of the author Akira—
As long as it continues to serialize like this, Fsn can indeed become the next well-deserved pillar-level manga!
But—
Hisashi opened his mouth hesitantly: "According to Mochizuki-sensei's plan, the content of Fsn only has the volume of a medium-length manga—"
"I know."
Kazuhiko interrupted his speech, stared at him straight, and said in a deep voice: "It is precisely in this situation that it is time for us editors to play our role, isn't it?"
"Just like when I persuaded Toriyama Akira to continue serializing Dragon Ball back then."
"Long-form manga is the way to go in the manga world! Akira's talent, Fsn's popularity, we all know this."
"It's too wasteful to let Fsn end as a medium-length manga. I believe he has the ability to draw Fsn into a successful long-form manga—!"
Looking at the eloquent Kazuhiko in front of him, Hisashi had only one thought in his heart:
You damn bastard, you really don't treat people as human beings!