Bakuman 119

I was planning on translating Ao no Exorcist today... But then this appeared. Oh wells. Since Nurarihyon no Mago scanlations are still catching up, I'll probably put off Mago 141 till after AnE 19.

Also, how wordy can this manga get? o\ Totally late for my front page news post. I hope there's not a lot of news today XD



01
a1: Page 119 Overconfidence and Publicity
a2: Having removed his mask, the boy bares his fangs...
b1a: ...... You wrote "Shinjitsu no Kyoushitsu" on your own, didn't you
b1b: If you're able to write a manga like that all on your own
b2a: Nope
b2b: I got feedback on it from 4 people I found on the internet who had acknowledged my talent
b2c: For example, the bits about the gym attire and the rule that only 5 people would receive food every day? Those came from them
a3: I thought both parts were really outstanding and interesting

02
b1: So you thought they were interesting, but they weren't actually your own ideas...
b2: ! Regardless of who came up with the idea, it was I who put those ideas together into a single piece of work, so it's still my work in the end
b3a: There were other suggestions that were even more intense and interesting
b3b: In the toilet within the classroom... A boy approaches a girl, saying he doesn't want to die a virgin
b4: As you'd expect, I left that out since this was for a shounen magazine, but in the end, the contents were still too extreme for the shounen genre
b5: ......... 4 people is still alright, but a piece of work created with the views of 50 people definitely cannot be called Nanamine-kun's work
b6: .........
b7: It's not like you're writing something all on your own if you have to listen to what an editor tells you, either, are you?
b8a: After all, if the editor is just your everyday salary man, then it's better to get as much feedback as possible
b8b: That's where the 50 people who know their stuff about manga, chosen out of the thousands of people who commented that "Shinjitsu no Kyoushitsu" was interesting, come in
b9: If you think about it, this method does help you come up with interesting stuff, don't you think?

03
b1a: I thought the manga was different in a good way (TN: The word used for "different" was 邪道, which has 2 meanings - one is "different", another is "evil/heretic". When Ashirogi described their "morally ambiguous" manga, they also used this word. I chose the wrong translation when I followed IEM's translation in past chapters - so sorry. From now on I will translate it as "different" ^^;)
b1b: But the way you do things is really what's different.........
b1c: That sort of method just doesn't work
b2: ......
b3a: What a bummer. I'd thought that if it were Ashirogi-sensei, they'd agree with me.........
b3b: I'd thought that you guys were authors with radical views who wouldn't be picky about the methods used if it were to create an interesting manga
b4a: The ones who are bummed are the two of us...
b4b: To think that someone so talented and who calls himself an Ashirogi Muto fan would use such a method...
b5: Yeah. That method simply won't work if you're going to become a pro. It severely lacks pride
b6: What is pride?

04
b1: If you're talking about the pride of a pro, then I think you're wrong
b2a: Using whatever means possible to create a more interesting, more popular manga, is that not pride?
b2b: If that is a "different" pride, then think about it: It just means you're still not at the level of a pro yet
b3: ......
b4a: Isn't "Tanto" a perfect example of this? That was the result of you two listening to everything your editor said, no?
b4b: That is the result of following the rule that "Manga should be written with an editor" which the publishers came up with on their own
b5a: Really capable people wouldn't listen to everything anyone told them, and would do their own marketing and production
b5b: Pardon my saying this, but someone who relies on an editor is nothing more than an amateur who lacks self-confidence
b6: ...... You'd do well not to underestimate pros

05
b1: You're being way too overconfident.........
b2: If you want to write for a magazine like "Jump", then you have to trust your editors to a certain extent or things just won't fly
b3: I thought Ashirogi-sensei were authors who had paved their own paths
b4: But it was really their editors telling them what to do after all...
b5: ......
b6: Just try it. With that method you believe in, with those 50 people you believe in!
b7: But I guarantee you that somewhere along the way you're gonna cop it, and when that happens, all the more will your work come off as amateurish... Because those 50 people are exactly that - amateurs
b8: Sorry I'm laaaaaate
b9: Kaya-chan.........

06
b1a: Ah
b1b: I'm Kaya, the wife of Takagi Akito, who's the story half of Ashirogi Muto
b2: Pleased to meet you~~~
b3: ......... It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance
b4a: I'm really happy to meet the newbie who's a big fan of Ashirogi Muto
b4b: I'm going to show my prowess cooking today, so do stay for dinner
b5: Oh no......... I'm so sorry but I have to take my leave soon.......
b6: Ehhh! But I just restocked the fridge! You don't need to stand on ceremony
b7: Kaya-chan, he said he's leaving. It's not good to keep him back
b8: In that case, I'll be looking forward to which of us ends up on top of the popularity game once I get published
b9a: Eh
b9b: ?

07
b1: 50 PEOPLE?
b2: Don't tell anyone
b3: Anyone? Ah, you mean the assistants and Hattori-san, right?
b4: And anyone else apart from them, too!
b5: Okay......
b6a: I felt that since he was a fan of ours, it would have been like we taught him stuff, but I was naive...
b6b: If it were me, I wouldn't tell anyone.........
b6c: I didn't wanna hear about it either
b7: ...... If word got out, it'd spell trouble
b8: Since it's 50 people on the internet, you wouldn't even know who might leak it, would you?
b9: You may be right. In any case, we're not going to be the ones leaking anything
b10: ......
b11: But it does seem like that method could help one come up with something interesting, doesn't it?
b12: It's not about whether the final product is interesting or not! Like Saikou said, it's not professional!

08
b1: Well, he did mention that the one-shot he wrote with the help of those 50 people was going to get published, so I do want to read that as soon as I can
b2: Eh!? He already has his next work done?
b3: ......
b4: We wouldn't want it ranking above "PCP", would we......
b5: Even if he took his ideas from elsewhere, Nanamine-kun does have talent
b6: If it's a one-shot, it'll get center color and extra pages, so if it's at the level of "Shinjitsu no Kyoushitsu", then it'll rank above "PCP" for sure
b7: You're acknowledging him just like that?
b8: This is a calm, cool and composed analysis
b9: More importantly, we mustn't lose to Nanamine-kun if he gets serialized
b10a: Yeah
b10b: Well, I think that even if the method he's using works well, it'll only work at the start
b11a: It'd be good if that were the case
b11b: But the rule of this world is that "you don't know 'till you try"......
b12: ......

09
b1a: If it's Nanamine-kun.........
b1b: Or should I say "Nanamine-kun and co"...
b1c: As long as he gets good reviews for his one-shot, he'll definitely be able to get a serialization name passed around for consideration right away...
b2: Yeah, probably at the serialization meeting immediately after the one-shot gets published
b3: How 'bout you guys come up with an interesting serialization name for that meeting, and challenge him head-on!
s1: *scratch*
b4: Not so long ago, we might have passionately thought of the exact same thing, but there's no need or meaning in meeting Nanamine-kun head-on. We'd come up with something better if we don't rush head-first into things
s2: *scratch*
s3: *scratch*
b5: Wow, you guys really are calm, cool and collected......
b6: A different battle manga, you said? Have you thought that one through?
b7: Nope, we're going one level above that... Saikou suggested...
b8: A different, yet typical battle manga!
b9: Eh!? What's that? (small text: Who're you trying to be?)
b10a: How's it different from a "different battle manga"?
b10b: More importantly, isn't this becoming more and more complicated?
b11: ...... It is.......

10
x1: 6th July
b1: Where's Kosugi?
b2: He's downstairs having a meeting with Nanamine-kun
b3: I see... Or maybe not?
a1: Fuu....
b4: What's wrong?
b5a: We don't have anything to fill the one-shot slot for the combined issue that goes on sale on the 10th of August...
b5b: We were wondering if we could use the one Nanamine-kun brought in a while back......
b6: Impossible... If it's the 10th August issue, then he'd need to submit his manuscript within the month, wouldn't he?
b7: If he's having a meeting with Nanamine-kun, then that's just perfect. I'll ask
b8: Calling him even though he knows he's in the middle of a meeting... Aida-san is really...
s1: bububu
b9: Ack, I've got a call, sorry
s2: bububu
b10: Oh no, I know editors are busy people. Don't feel sorry

11
b1a: Eh! Nanamine-kun's "Kinchou to Sore ni Tomonau Kitai", you mean....... (TN: Kinchou to Sore ni Tomonau Kitai - Nervousness and the Farts that Accompany it)
b1b: We did mention it, but I don't think it's going to be possible at this point......
b2: ......... They asked if you could have this one-shot done within the month...
b3: If I finish it, you'll publish it for me, you mean!? I'll do it!
b4: But you need to work on parts of the name, so wouldn't it be too much of a stretch?
b5a: It'll be fine! I'll show you that I can make it in time!
b5b: I have a ton of friends who can help me with the manuscript, so if it's 45 pages, then I can finish it in 2 weeks!
b6: ...... Friends? ....... 2 weeks? .......
b7: Yes! Please let me do this!
b8: Well, in any case, we'll talk about this again after you've fixed the parts I mentioned earlier
b9a: I'll have it done in a day!
b9b: (1) Make the protagonist more outstanding! (2) Make the art leave a more favorable impression! (3) Change the vulgar expressions!
b9c: Right?!
b10: In that case, thank you for today
b11: ♪
b12: ......

12
b1: 34 people out of 50... Everyone's so free, huh... Just this many is enough
s1a: *tap*
s1b: *tap*
s2: *tap*
b2: "I'll start the conference now, then"......
b3: I was told to change the character design, the distortion of the art, and the vulgar expressions
s3: *tap*
s4: *tap*
webpage top, starting from half cut-off line at the very top: Message || Smileys | None | Text Color | Green | Reload | 5 seconds | Number of Lines | 100 | Leave the Chat Room | Clear All
webpage stuff:
nobuo: Character design again!? Is that editor an idiot? That's totally not the kind of manga this is! Bet he's just some asshole who didn't know what else to say, so he just decided to go with "character design"
kenchan: What a useless editor. Doesn't he understand that the art is better when it looks realistic... He should just go and die
haru: What does he mean by "vulgar expressions"? Fart and shit? Shit is shit, so what the hell is he talking about?
taka: More importantly, I'm wondering if it might be good to flip the roles of the protagonist and the heroine. What do you think?
SUGI: Ohh! I see! taka-san, you're a genius!
bottom of the page: Done (TN: @Muda: that's what Firefox on my Mac says at the bottom of a page, what does an IE running on Windows say at the bottom? Might want to change it to that ^^)
b4: He's right!
b5: Let's ignore what the editor says and do things our way!
s5a: *tap*
s5b: *tap*
s6: *tap*
b6: Well, I need to finish fixing the name by tomorrow, so please continue the discussion about how to improve this for serialization
s7: *tap*

13
x1: The next day
b1: ...... This is totally different from the edits I told you to make......!
b2: But it's become more interesting, hasn't it? Calm down and read it properly before judging it
s1: *flip*
s2: *flip*
b3: .........
b4: If you can't make a judgment, then please let the higher-ups have a look. I think this can make it
b5: If this can't make it, then I'll give up on getting it published in that combined issue
b6: I understand... I'll let them have a look......
b7: Thank you very much
b8: I knew Kosugi-san would understand. I'm so lucky to have such a talented editor in charge of me

14
b1: So this is how he changed it...... It's become really, really interesting......
b2: This is amazing.........
b3: At first glance, the set-up looks like something straight out of a gag manga, but with the way he's portrayed the characters' mentalities so realistically and deeply, one actually ends up reading this as a serious story
b4: ......
b5: Kosugi, you're really lucky. This is just your first year... No, it hasn't even been two months and you're already having a one-shot like this published
b6: ...... But I don't get the feeling like I did this on my own
b7: Well, for things to go this swimmingly well just two months after getting assigned here, it's only natural to say you've simply got luck on your side
b8: Alright, we'll go with this. The higher-ups are sure to give this the green light
b9: Can he really make it in time if he starts drawing now?
b10: Yes, he said that he could do it in two weeks
b11: Two weeks!? Seriously...? He's a genius...
b12: But
b13: Personally, I can't really bring myself to like this piece of work.......

15
b1: Why? It's really, really interesting...
b2: ......
b3a: Yeah...
b3b: It is interesting indeed...
b3c: So much so that it's hard to believe an 18-year-old came up with that
b3d: It's skillful, but lacks an air of youthfulness, or should I say, it doesn't feel like something a newbie could do...
b4a: Exactly! It's nothing like what normal newbies come up with. This is far more than that......
b4b: He said that he already has the rough structure for serialization if this gets good reviews...
b5: Amazing!
b6: Speaking of which, Kosugi... If you get something serialized in the August of your first year here, you'd really become a legend
b7: Eh... Really?
b8: In their first year, it's normally just all-out doing odd jobs and learning the ropes...
b9: ......
b10: Nanamine Tooru... If he gets serialized, it would be quite a blow to Shizuka-kun...
b11: Hiramaru-kun and Aoki-sensei would be in danger too... They're aiming for the August serialization meeting too. They're really giving their all for it
b12: ......... If Aoki-san's "Kami-sama ga Kureta..." doesn't get serialized, the one who'll bear the brunt of the secondary impact will be me, won't it... (TN: Kami-sama ga Kureta... - What God Gave Me...)
b13: Not to mention that name had quite a bit of romance elements in it
b14: This is bad...... I've got to have more meetings with Aoki-san...
b15: Mmhmm, me too. I've got to have some strategy meetings with Hiramaru-kun too... Especially since he's lost his touch for negative gags as of late

16
x1: Two weeks later 20th July
b1: Aida-san, Nanamine-kun has submitted his manuscript. Could you have a look?
b2: Oh, he really made it in two weeks
b3: What do you mean his art is rough? This is more refined than "Shinjitsu no Kyoushitsu"
b4: Th... This is amazing......
b5: And it's even more detailed than "Shinjitsu no Kyoushitsu"... How could a newbie get so far in just two weeks......

Shinjitsu no Kyoushitsu manuscript:
x1: I'm popular with the girls
x2: However, I don't have a girlfriend
x3: People may hate me for saying this, but I'm really popular with the guys
x4: But I don't think I'll ever be able to get a boyfriend
x5: Why, you ask?
x6: When I'm nervous
x7: I fart...

b6: Ah, about that... It seems he had some buddies to help him
b7: Buddies?
a1: ? ...... ... Even so, to accomplish something like this in just two weeks, he must either have had really talented buddies or a large number of them......

17
b1a: And so, this threatening newbie will most likely be submitting a name for the same serialization meeting
b1b: What's more, it comes across very well that the main character has a phobia of relationships
b2: No waaaaaay~~~ That's no good. I even told Yuri-tan "I'll show you I can definitely get serialized hahaha"
b3: Yuri-tan? Ahh, Aoki-san, you mean......
b4: Yes, we're in a relationship where we call each other "Yuri-tan" and "Hiramaru-san"
b5a: .........
b5b: I plucked up my courage just to call her "Yuri-tan", so I wonder why Yuri-tan still calls me "Hiramaru-san"?
b6: Like I care...
b7: !
b8a: Hiramaru-kun, trust me, your love adviser Yoshida Kouji, and answer me truthfully
b8b: How much further have you progressed after that?
b9: How much further? After that, we went out for tea...
b10: I... I see! Just tea, huh!
b11: Wh... What's with you!? You actually look happy...

18
b1: This is bad! This is an extremely dire situation! If you think about it, when you confessed, Aoki-san said: "Please come meet me in just the same way you did today" (TN: @Muda: what Aoki said goes in the bubble)
b2: And she calls you "Hiramaru-san" although you call her "Yuri-tan"......
b3: In other words, Aoki-san sees Hiramaru-san as nothing more than just a tea pal
b4: No... No way...
b5: And if you don't get serialized here, then even this relationship over tea will...
b6: Se... Seriously!? Why!?
b7a: She said clearly that she hated people who don't do work
b7b: If men don't work, they discard them...... Those are the kind of creatures women are...
b8: Noo... I don't want thaaaaaaat
s1: bibibi
b9: Eh?
b10: Yoshida-shi! For some reason, I'm suddenly having a wave of negative ideas...
text near Yoshida's face: Eh? Eh?
b11: Alright! Now is the time, Hiramaru
b12: Write a name right now, in one shot!
b13: I see... So that's how it is... I knew things were going too well to be true... Boohoohoo...........
b14: ... Let's go with this pattern for now.........

19
x1: 3rd August
Webpage: last updated 07:13 | the author of "Shinjitsu no Kyoushitsu" makes his debut in "Jump" next week! NEW! | "Lucky You" tops Box Office rankings for 10 weeks running! NEW! (TN: I made up the title of the movie cuz it's too obscured)
b1: This is amazing! Even though I expected that something like this would happen again...
b2: This publicity is yielding some amazing results
b3: But by doing this, wouldn't he just be setting the bar even higher for himself?
b4: Yeah, but Nanamine-kun seems confident that it's something comparable to "Shinjutsu no Kyoushitsu"
s1: *tap*
s2a: *tap*
s2b: *tap*
a1: A troop of 50 people whose faces are unknown!! Ominous footsteps advance towards the duo!!
On the Jump cover, spiky bubble: Hotshot Newcomer Debut! Center color & 45 pages!
On jump cover, below the image of his manga: "Kinchou to Sore ni Tomonau Kitai" Nanamine Tooru
b5a: He'll spread his own rumors, get himself into the eye of the public, then show them something even better with his next work
b5b: It wouldn't be impossible with those 50 people on the Internet he mentioned... No...
b6: It may even be possible for him to get serialized within half a year from his first submission........