Great Mangaka

Shiori spent a day tricking her two roommates into going back to school.

On Sunday, Hinotori Publishing had a collective holiday. Some departments had worked two weeks straight, and no matter how high the overtime pay was, it didn't compensate for the employees' resentment.

Takumi also didn't have to go to work, which made Shiori happy. She planned to do something, but right after breakfast, Takumi put on his coat and went out.

"What are you going to do?"

asked Shiori behind him.

"See an NHK director." Takumi turned around and replied: "She wants the copyright to Detective Conan animation, and I have to see her."

To prove it, Takumi took out his business card, showed it to Shiori, and asked: "Do you have anything else to do?"

"No" Shiori looked very disappointed.

She felt like she had been hit, but even though she knew Takumi was deliberately avoiding her, Shiori couldn't stop him from working and didn't want to make Takumi angry.

"Have a good trip."

Shiori stood at the door with a forced smile and watched Takumi leave.

She was very sad. Although she could ask for leave from school, it was actually very difficult to take two days a week to be with Takumi.

Shiori's life was very busy. In five working days, she took one day off to do dubbing at Hinotori Publishing, and she had to learn singing with Hirano-sensei every day. To avoid falling behind in her studies, this girl usually slept less than five hours.

But Shiori never felt that life was bad. As long as she could be with Takumi during the holidays, she would be willing to be busy no matter how busy she was. Unfortunately, they hadn't had much contact in the last two days, which made Shiori feel empty. She wasted two days in vain.

She was going back to school in the afternoon. But, obviously... Takumi wouldn't be back.

Hinotori Publishing. Except for some security guards and the receptionist, the entire building was silent.

Takumi met Reika, NHK's animation director. She was a strong-willed woman. She wore glasses and looked to be in her 30s, but she could actually be over 40.

After greeting each other, they talked about animation.

"First, I want to ask." Takumi asked: "Is Detective Conan animation your idea or NHK's animation team's idea?"

Reika looked at Takumi unexpectedly. "Although Mirai-sensei is young, his way of thinking is very similar to an adult's. Frankly, Detective Conan animation was the decision of the entire animation team".

"At first, Mirai-sensei's Pokémon was treated unfairly. This is our mistake. We want to apologize by making a new animation this time."

Reika's words sounded very comfortable.

But Takumi couldn't fully accept this statement. 'Why didn't NHK apologize directly to him or express it in another way, but instead wanted to adapt his animation?'

It seems obvious, but Pokémon's popularity has led thousands of media outlets to question NHK's animation. They want Detective Conan's copyright, perhaps to clean up their own stains.

However, Reika's attitude remained polite, so Takumi didn't dwell on it too much. Whatever NHK's purpose, it wasn't bad for them to ask for cooperation.

"How do you plan to buy Detective Conan?" asked Takumi.

"150,000,000 yen per episode. A one-time purchase". Reika quoted a figure. The price of 200,000,000 yen is very good for an ordinary manga, but it's too little for Detective Conan.

"Can we share the profits?" asked Takumi.

"Share the profits?" Reika immediately refused: "We don't accept profit sharing. How about 200,000,000 yen? It's the maximum price. We also need to adapt and produce animations. The budget is not enough".

Her expression was solemn. The next step was the most important. The price was not fixed at 200,000,000 yen. Reika proposed a lower price at first, and then Takumi would definitely raise it.

This is a process of negotiation and compromise, which would have been very problematic in the past. However, Reika hadn't expected Takumi's response to be: "Okay, the price is fine, but I have conditions."

Upon hearing this, Reika shook her head. 'After all, he was a child. He believed the figure when someone said it.'

"Tell me, what are the conditions?"

"Let me be the assistant director..." Takumi slowly said. "And I'll take care of the soundtrack. If you accept these two conditions, I'll give you Detective Conan."

He didn't care how much money Detective Conan would make. 200,000,000 yen was an acceptable figure for Takumi, but he was very worried that NHK would make a bad animation.

The best option, of course, was to participate and see it himself.

"Assistant director?" But after hearing the conditions, Reika's face turned cold: "Mirai-sensei, the position of assistant director at NHK will not be left to others lightly; retract what you said...".

"As for the soundtrack, we have an exceptional music team, and you don't need to intervene."

Reika looked at Takumi's slightly furrowed brows and added: "I think you've misunderstood. We want Detective Conan animation's copyright, including the subsequent value of the animation, music, live-action films, etc."

"We want to buy it all at once."

Takumi was stunned: "What do you mean...? Do I only have the manga's copyright?"

"You also have the game's copyright."

Reika replied lightly, and Takumi almost laughed with anger. 'This is not an animation. NHK took over all the rights. It's a robbery!'

"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't accept your conditions."

"You don't agree?" Reika's face grew even colder: "I suggest Mirai-sensei think carefully. It's an honor for your animation to be broadcast on NHK."

"We have the largest audience and the best channels. As long as Detective Conan is broadcast on NHK, Mirai-sensei will become a household name in Japan."

"Although we don't belong to the same department as NHK News, we are in contact. We can promote Mirai-sensei more."

She looked at Takumi with a smile. 'The last time the news benefited Hinotori Publishing, the boy must have known. How could he resist the temptation?'

"If Mirai-sensei doesn't want to, then we'll have to find a mangaka from Kanto Manga Company."

Reika used soft and hard tactics, which

greatly angered Takumi. 'Was she trying to threaten him?'

Yes, he saw the power of NHK News, but 'could it be broadcast on the news so naturally? If it weren't for Five Centimeters Per Second's sales miracle, how much impact would it have if it were broadcast on the news?'

The Cat and Mouse Couple was broadcast thousands of times on NHK News, but it still couldn't surpass Pokémon. Publicity is important, but strength is even more so. Takumi doesn't like being in the spotlight. There are thousands of NHK News reports, and he doesn't want them.

It only took Takumi half a year to go from nothing to where he is now. He still has a long future ahead. Even if the pace is a little slower, in one or two years, the Japanese manga market will undoubtedly be a blue ocean for him. 'Does he need NHK's support?'

The company has passed through the most dangerous moment, and Takumi now has a lot of confidence.

"You can find whoever you want...", he replied: "If I can't participate in the production and supervision of Detective Conan, I won't sell it."

Reika's words secretly angered Takumi. She reminded the young man like this, but he remained stubborn. 'Should she say he was stupid or naive?' She sneered.

"Mirai-sensei, I don't think you understand the situation yet."

"Do you really think you're the number one mangaka in Japan? If so, you're wrong! If it weren't for the controversy caused by Pokémon, our NHK animation department wouldn't even have chosen your manga."

Upon saying this, Takumi fully understood. Indeed, NHK's starting point was still its own objective.

But Reika's words didn't stop.

"Kanto Manga Company has been founded for a few months now. Mirai-sensei is very clear about its strength, but you, undoubtedly, don't know one thing." Reika raised her eyebrows and said: "Kanto Manga's elite mangaka haven't come out yet. The serialized manga they launched are works by ordinary mangaka."

"The first generation of mangaka graduates from Tokyo University is the highest quality, especially the top ten, all elite. I've seen the works of the fourth mangaka, and his drawing skill is definitely not inferior to yours, Mirai-sensei!"

Takumi was stunned.

A wave washed over him. Reika's words could be true. Takumi had felt this way for a long time. Kanto Manga Company came with great momentum, but strangely, there were no outstanding mangaka.

This was obviously abnormal, and Kanto Manga didn't invest resources in promoting a mangaka. For them, it should be easy to bring a mangaka to fame.

They didn't. Takumi has always wondered if it was because outstanding mangaka hadn't come out yet. The first thing Kanto Manga Company did after its founding was to enrich the library and foster readers' interest in magazines.

Relying on a wide network of bookstores, Kanto has completed this step. If it wants to continue developing, it's time to hire an author-mangaka.

"Don't underestimate those elites. Kanto Manga Company has provided each of them with a studio dedicated to content and marketing research for their manga. The new series will undoubtedly cause a sensation in the market once launched."

"They might not be as good as you in terms of content, but there's a team behind them. Mirai-sensei, you have no chance of winning!" Reika warned.

"If those mangaka come out and we choose their manga for animations, then you, Mirai-sensei, will be in great danger. You're not as good as them in terms of funds, channels, and promotion..."

"Mirai-sensei, think carefully. Only if you hand over Detective Conan to us will you have a chance to survive when they come out!"

But Takumi no longer listened to Reika's words. There were still powerful mangaka in Kanto who hadn't appeared yet. This incident caught his attention.

'What kind of people would they be?'

Takumi really wanted to meet them. He even wondered if influential mangaka hadn't appeared yet in thousands of regions of Japan.

"It seems I still have to work harder...".

Takumi had a new fighting spirit.

- - - - - -

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