Bakuman 74

Chapter 74

01

Editor: We know you are all fully enjoying the party, but, unfortunately, it is time for it to end.
Editor: Any mangakas wishing to have an after party should tell us and we will prepare seats for them.
Text: On this day alone they can forget about manga...!?
Title: Page 74 Same Age and Fighting Spirit
Guys: There are some things you can't talk about with the editors so let's go somewhere on our own.
Guys: Yeah, let's go, Arai-sensei.

Hiramaru: Fukuda-sensei!
Hiramaru: What are you talking with Aoki-san about!? No fair. Let's have a Fukuda Group after party!

Fukuda: But Ashirogi-kun are minors. And isn't Master Niizuma, too?
Aoki: So is Akina-san.
Hiramaru: Then let's have it at a family restaurant. That's fine with me.
Fukuda: I doubt Akina-kun would come even if we invited her...And where's Master Niizuma, anyway?
Hiramaru: I'll go get him.

02

Hiramaru: Niizuma-sensei. Let's go have an after party with Ashirogi-sensei and Fukuda-sensei.
Eiji: No, I want to go home to do some work.

Hiramaru: Wha-!? Work!? Don't be so cold, Niizuma. We're here at the New Year's party to forget about work!
Yuujirou: Well, Niizuma-kun has 2 serializations so he doesn't have the time to spare.

Eiji: Oh, I have time to spare, but I want to finish the next chapter of "Crow" and finish through Chapter 3 of "Natural".
Hattori: Eh?

Hattori: Natural, too? You hadn't told me that. You only have to do Chapter 1 for now.
Hiramaru: That's all the more reason to join in on the after party, Niizumaaaa!
Eiji: To me right now...

Eiji: drawing manga sounds way more fun!!
Eiji: I didn't even want to come to this party at all, but, when I heard everyone else would be here, I restrained myself from drawing any more.

03

Eiji: Well, then, see you later.
Text right of Eiji: Daaaah!
Yuujirou: Ah, Niizuma-kun. If you're finishing a chapter of "Crow", I'll go get it.
Hattori: And I'll see how your progress is going.

Hiramaru: W-wait. You're Akina-san's editor, right, Akira-san? Where is that beauty?
Hattori: She already got a driver to take her home.

Mashiro: We can go home and work on "Tanto".
Takagi: Yeah, we won't lose to Niizuma Eiji.
Fukuda: Yeah, same here.
Aoki: Me neither.

Hiramaru: Hmph. They sure are cold.
Hiramaru: Then all the remaining members can go to the after party!
Hiramaru: Huh?

Yoshida: Okay, everyone's left. Hm? Hiramaru-kun, what are you doing here alone?
Hiramaru: Yoshida-shi.

Hiramaru: I think I'll give you the necklace back.
Yoshida: So you didn't give it to her. Why do you have it with you today? It'd be weird to give it to her at a New Year's party.
Hiramaru: ...Is that so? Then I'm kinda glad I didn't.

04

Miura: See you. Oh, Mashiro-kun. I was thinking of bringing over your new assistant tomorrow. Is that okay?
Miura: It'll be around 4 PM.
Mashiro: Takahama-san's off tomorrow, but, if you're fine with that, then okay.

Mashiro: Instead of putting him to work all of a sudden, I think it would be better if you just introduced him.
Miura: Understood.
Mashiro: Well, see you tomorrow.
Miura: Thanks for coming.

Takagi: Eiji's amazingly motivated.
Mashiro: Yeah. For him to be that on board with "Natural", he must really think it's good.

Takagi: Speaking of "Natural", wasn't its editor, Hattori-san, being awfully cold to us?
Mashiro: He definitely was.
Takagi: Why?

Mashiro: We're rivals over the new serializations.
Takagi: Yeah, but I thought he was going to cheer us on saying we should both do our best or something. It was a bit of a shock. I know people think their own work is the best...

Takagi: but I really don't want to lose to Hattori, Eiji, and Iwase.
Mashiro: I'm sure they don't want to lose to us either.
Takagi: Is that why he acted like that even though he actually wants to talk with us?

05

Sign: Niizuma Eiji Limited Company

Yuujirou: Niizuma-kun, you don't have to work this hard...Are you getting your sleep?
Eiji: I don't like having to take time to sleep, but I sleep when I have to.
Hattori: He's drawing both "Crow" and "Natural" amazingly well. This is a good thing.
SFX: *draw*
SFX: *draw*
Eiji: Byah!
Eiji: Byah!

Yuujirou: Well, it doesn't look like falling behind is going to be a problem, but it's not good to draw too far ahead. We'll have our meetings on Thursdays like usual.
Eiji: Roger! I'll draw the next part to "Natural"!

Yuujirou: Okay, I've got the manuscript, so I'm going.
Hattori: You have plenty of time. You don't have to push yourself.
Eiji: Oh, Akira-san.

Eiji: I'm about to make the storyboard for Chapter 7. Do you want to see it?
Hattori: Oh, okay. It should only take you half an hour, so I'll wait for you.
Yuujirou: Well, I'm going.

SFX: *close*

Eiji: Akira-san.
Hattori: Hm?

06

Eiji: Why are you going this far to support Ashirogi-sensei?
SFX: *draw*
SFX: *draw*

Hattori: Niizuma-kun, it's not a very good thing to support mangakas when you aren't their editor. If it looks like I am, don't tell anyone except for me. Even to Yuujirou-san.

Eiji: Understood. That's why I'm telling you now.
SFX: *draw*
SFX: *draw*

Hattori: I believe that Ashirogi-kun will become authors that support "Jump" in the future.
Hattori: Just like you.
SFX: *draw*
SFX: *draw*

Eiji: I believe so too. I hope they do so soon.
Eiji: That's why I'll help you however you want to support them. And if it's by doing something like this, it makes me happy, too!
Eiji: But...
SFX: *draw*
SFX: *draw*
SFX: *draw*

Eiji: I won't lose!!

Hattori: Okay. As usual there's nothing for me to comment on.
Eiji: Then, I can ink it, right?

Hattori: Can "Tanto" defeat Niizuma-kun?

07

Box: The next day

Mashiro: This Orihara Ichiriki guy Miura-san's bringing by today has pretty good art. This is some of his work.
Miyoshi: Let me see.
Miyoshi: Let me see.
Takagi: I've been working on the Chapter 4 storyboard for 20 days now and I still can't think of an invention or any gags. This is bad...

Mashiro: Shujin, are you listening?
Takagi: Hm? The assistant? His stuff looks fine.

SFX: Ding dong
Text: It's Miura.
Miyoshi: Here they are.

Orihara: Nice to meet you. I'm Orihara. I look forward to working with you.

Mashiro: Oh, I'm the artist, Mashiro.
Text: He looks bright and easy to work with.
Takagi: I'm the writer, Takagi. Nice to meet you.

Miyoshi: I'm Takagi's wife, Takagi Kaya.
Miyoshi: I do some assistant work, too.
Miyoshi: Nice to meet you.
Orihara: Eh?
Orihara: Eh?
Orihara: His wife!?

08

Miura: They entered their names in the family register at the end of last year, but they're not living together yet.
Orihara: Ehh!? You're a 1st year in college...and you have both a serialization and a wife!? Amazing...Too amazing. You've got me beat.
Orihara: There sure are a lot of crazy mangakas. I'm moved. I guess it's hopeless for a normal person.
Miyoshi: Please don't talk about him like he's a freak.
Orihara: Oh, sorry!

Orihara: Oh, Mashiro-sensei. I heard you're Kawaguchi Tarou-sensei's nephew, so I made sure to have read all of his works by yesterday.
Mashiro: Y-you didn't have to do that...
Orihara: They were really good. Personally I thought Super Hero Legend's "Ta-chan Version" and "Otanko Mask" were the best.
Mashiro: Oh, is that so...?
Orihara: Yes! And since I'm also going to get to work with BB Kenichi's Takahama-sensei, working here is like a dream come true.

Mashiro: He sure talks a lot. But I guess it's fine since it'll make the studio a lively place.
Text above Mashiro: *exhausted*
Miyoshi: Yeah, he even outdoes me.
Takagi: Don't worry, Kaya-chan. You outdo him in brute strength.

Box: And we finished Chapter 1 with no problems.

Orihara: All right! Chapter 1 is doooone!
Mashiro: Okay.

09

Box: At our meeting on February 12th, Miura-san brought the sample version of Issue 11 that had the new serialization "+ Natural" in it.
Miura: So we could all read it at once, I brought three.
Mashiro: Okay!

Mashiro: "+ Natural" has front color pages and "Crow" has center color pages...It's pretty much the Niizuma Eiji issue.
Takagi: He's drawing both of them, so it's set so one of them draws more attention.

Takagi: Anyway, on to "Natural".
Mashiro: Right.
SFX: *flip*
SFX: *flip*

Mashiro: This is good...

Takagi: It isn't just good...
Takagi: This is as good as going the hard way for a first chapter. It destroys the pattern of first chapters used these days, but I can tell it's still using the easy way in a big way.
SFX: *flip*
Miyoshi: Hard way? Easy way? What do you mean?

Miura: It doesn't have an enemy defeated giving a nice ending to the first chapter, but it still really feels like a "Shonen Manga"...and a "Jump Manga". That's Hattori-senpai for you.
Takagi: Yeah. I haven't read the 2nd chapter yet, but this is going to go the way of having a lot of them hatch. It's going the Pokémon route.
Miyoshi: Ah. That's the super easy way. Even I could do that!

10

Miura: The cap and vice-cap said they anticipate it will get an anime, a video game, and a card game.
Takagi: Yeah, a work that you can easily make a game or a card game out of would be easy to make an anime out of, wouldn't it?
Miura: Even if you ignore whether that was in their calculations, the manga is good and it doesn't look cheap.
Mashiro: You can tell Niizuma-san was working hard on this.
Takagi: But I really don't want to lose to this...

Miura: Speaking of animes, "Otters" is officially getting an anime.
Mashiro: Eh?

Mashiro: Otters is finally getting one too...
Takagi: The "Crow" anime is on its 2nd year and "Kiyoshi" and "Fresh Leaves" are doing well.
Miura: Yeah. Both of them are definitely in the top 10.

Yoshida: Well? Isn't it good. Don't get careless.
Hiramaru: I didn't think it would be this good...We're definitely going to fall a place this week.

Hiramaru: It'll be nice if it's just this week...but this is bad, Yoshida-shi.
Hiramaru: I-I should take some time off to come up with a plan...

11

Yoshida: Don't joke around. Why do you always try to head in the direction of taking time off?
Hiramaru: I really have no motivation left. I didn't even get to talk to Aoki-san at the New Year's party.

Yoshida: Don't get so down, Hiramaru-kun.

Yoshida: "Otters" is getting a late night anime.

Hiramaru: You're kidding!
Yoshida: Not even I would kid about this.

Hiramaru: Yoshida-shi!

Hiramaru: I'm so glad you stuck with me. You used all kinds of bait in front of me to get me to draw. I'm a horrible person for thinking you were a long haired narcissistic bastard.
Yoshida: That's what you thought of me? Well, you're not wrong.
Hiramaru: So, why late night?
Yoshida: Hm? Oh...Because the content is a bit negative.

Yoshida: Actually, we've had a late night offer for quite a while now, but the editor-in-chief wanted an evening anime. But it seems like no matter how long we wait an evening offer won't come, so...
Editor-in-chief: Late night is fine for "Otters".
Yoshida: Yes, sir.
Yoshida: But maybe I shouldn't tell him. Yeah, I shouldn't tell him.

Yoshida: We're announcing it in Jump this spring and the anime starts in the fall! Got it, Hiramaru!?
Hiramaru: Understooood!! I won't tell you I want to take time off until the end of fall, no until the end of the year.

Yoshida: He should be fine for a while now. What a pain.
SFX: *draw*
SFX: *draw*
SFX: *draw*

12

Takagi: "Otters" and "Crow" have animes and "Kiyoshi" and "Fresh Leaves" are doing well.
Takagi: And I'm sure "Natural" will do well. If we don't do our best, we'll be left behind.
Miura: Chapter 1 of "Tanto" has already been sent of too be printed and the storyboards for Chapters 2 and 3 are set. Now we just have to wait.

Miura: Oh, Takagi-kun. Have you come up with an idea for the "invention" for Chapter 4?
Takagi: Eh? Oh, I was planning on seeing how Chapter 1 did before doing Chapter 4.
Miura: You need to at least come up with some ideas. We need to keep moving forward.

Takagi: Then I'll come up with an inventions list by tomorrow.
Miura: Okay. That's it for today.

Mashiro: ...Shujin.
Mashiro: He seems stuck on the storyboard. Is he okay...?

Takagi: Oh, Miura-san. When the results for "Natural" come out, tell us what they are.
Miura: "Natural" and "Tanto" are two different things. You don't need to worry about it too much. Just focus on your own work.

Miura: Fine, fine. The Hon-chan comes out on the 22nd, the same time as I'll be coming to get the manuscript for Chapter 3 of "Tanto". I'll tell you then.
Miura: See you.
Takagi: Yeah.
Takagi: Thanks for all your work.

13

Sign: Shizuka

Editor: This is the sample version of next weeks issue.
Editor: The author is the same age as you and the artist, Niizuma-kun, is a bit older.
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*

SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*

Editor: And the new serialization scheduled the following week is by Ashirogi Muto who is also your age.
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*

Editor: Ah, I lost...
Editor: Damn it. And I was doing pretty good.

Editor: Well, I'll be going.

SFX: *close*

SFX: *flip*

14

Box: Monday February 18th. The release date of Issue 11 with the new serialization "+ Natural".
Orihara: Good morning. This is bad.

Orihara: The kiosks and convenience stores are out of this week's "Jump"!!
Orihara: Haa
Orihara: Haa
Takagi: No way.
Takagi: ...It's only Monday at 3.

Takagi: Is this the Niizuma Eiji effect.
Miyoshi: It's gotta be a coincidence.

Takahama: No, he's right.
Takahama: There was a lot of talk online about how the new manga "Natural" is really good. It really is good. It's like a novel being shown entirely through art and it's really exciting.
Orihara: Yeah, exactly like that!

Box: The next day

Editor: Sorry, but we sold out yesterday.
Editor: Well, there might be some left at a bookstore in your area...
Yuujirou: We did it.
Hattori: Its preliminary ranking is first!

Box: Friday the 22nd.
Yuujirou: The Hon-chan.
Hattori: It got 1st by a wide margin.

15

Yuujirou: "Crow" is 4th. All that happened was "Natural" got put in at the top. It's perfect.
Hattori: I'd rather have had both of them in the top 3 though.

Miura: "Natural" got first... I have to tell Ashirogi-kun.

Miura: I'm going to pick up a manuscript at Ashirogi-kun's place.

Takagi: So "Natural" did get first...
Takagi: We need to make sure Tanto's first chapter isn't below Natural's 2nd.

Miura: Like I said before, there's a difference between story mangas and gag mangas. Getting in the top 3 will be a great success and the top 5 will mean you did well.

Takagi: I understand the reasoning saying there's a difference between getting third with a story manga and with a gag manga...

Takagi: but that doesn't matter. "Natural" got first, so "Tanto" will get first too!
Takagi: Right?
Mashiro: Right.

16

Box: Monday February 25th. The release date of Issue 12 containing the new serialization "Run! Daihatsu Tanto".

SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*

Editor: You even nicely line up "Jump" on your bookshelf, huh?

Editor: I didn't bring the sample version and today's the release date for Issue 12. He must be interested if he went and bought it himself.

Editor: Well? What did you think of "Run! Daihatsu Tanto" which is written by two guys your own age?
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*

SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*

Editor: He hasn't spoken so far, so I guess he won't say what he thought of "Tanto"...

Shizuka: I wonder...
Editor: Eh?

17

Shizuka: I wonder if I can do it too...

Editor: Yes!

Editor: Don't rush things...

Editor: I doubt it.
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*
SFX: *press*

SFX: *press*

Editor: I said before that you have talent.
Editor: But the teams working on "Natural" and "Tanto" are the further chosen of those who have talent. If you had really good luck, things might be different...
SFX: *press*

Editor: but the world isn't so easy a place that a hikikomori can get a serialization from whatever he draws.

18

Editor: Scary!

Editor: I-if I look away now, I lose.
Editor: If I don't say something else harsh making him give in...

Editor: What should I say...?
Editor: If I screw up here, he's done for!

Editor: Yeah. There's no easy job.

Editor: If you don't want to get beaten down by reality, then just keep being a hikikomori.

19

Takagi: Good morning. Last week's "Jump" sold out, so we went and checked at the convenience store...
Miyoshi: but they had plenty of this week's...
Orihara: Y-you don't need to worry about that! Last week was just a fluke!

Takagi: Oh, I've got a call.

Takagi: It's Miura-san...

Miura: I only told you what "Natural" got in Hon-chan on Friday, but "Otters" got 5th, "Fresh Leaves" got 6th and "Kiyoshi" got 7th. Everyone in the Fukuda Group moved up. Hattori-senpai told me to tell you because you would be glad to know.

Takagi: I see. Thanks for telling us. I think it's because of the Niizuma Eiji effect. None of us wants to lose to "Natural"...no, to either of his works. We'll do our best.

Mashiro: ...It isn't Eiji.
Takagi: Eh?
Mashiro: The one causing all the young authors to rise up in the ranks is Hattori-san.

Takagi: H-he couldn't be thinking it through that far. If he was thinking about the future of "Jump" his behavior at the New Year's party doesn't make sense.
Mashiro: Well, I don't think he's thought that far.
Eiji: He's the stubborn shining star.
Text: What is Hattori's true motive!!?