Manga Industry

In Tokyo, Japan, word began to spread about 'Shounen Jump,' along with valuable information on video game tips and tricks. Young manga enthusiasts gradually discovered dedicated pages focusing on video games within the magazine.

In just a matter of days, 'Shounen Jump,' particularly 'The Weekly Shounen Jump Magazine,' saw a notable surge in popularity, leading to a modest increase in sales.

One young man, named Teruo, who was struggling with games like 'Kid Icarus' and 'Metroid,' purchased the tankōbon or 'Weekly Shounen Jump Magazine' from a local manga store. As he delved into the tips and tricks featured in the magazine, he promptly inserted 'Kid Icarus' into his FamiCom.

With great skill, Teruo manipulated the controller, meticulously following the magazine's illustrated instructions. "Wow, how did they figure this out?" Teruo exclaimed in amazement as he put the magazine's tips into practice, finding them genuinely helpful.

However, his journey was far from over, as he had only just begun stage 1. Many players had already discussed the immense difficulty of 'Kid Icarus' stage 1, leaving Teruo to wonder about the challenges that awaited in the advanced stages.

However, the article suggested that the subsequent stages following stage 1 would be comparatively easier.

Teruo found this rather peculiar, as he had been skeptical at first. Nevertheless, since the article had genuinely assisted him in playing the game, he was willing to keep an open mind.

As a direct result of the 'Weekly Shounen Jump Magazine' article focusing on video games, the sales of 'Kid Icarus' experienced a noticeable boost. Many individuals who understood the intricacies of the game were thrilled at the prospect of taking on such a challenging video game, especially 'Kid Icarus.' Players found themselves having more fun than usual while attempting to conquer its difficulty.

[KiShin Headquarters]

Upon learning about the video game article in the manga publisher 'Weekly Shounen Jump Magazine,' Shin's interest was significantly piqued. He had been anticipating the moment when video game enthusiasts would step forward and share their knowledge, and this time, they emerged to contribute to a manga publisher, 'Shounen Jump.'

As for 'Shounen Jump,' Shin suddenly recollected the immensely popular manga series from his previous life, such as 'Dragon Ball,' 'Naruto,' 'Bleach,' 'One Piece,' and many more. Shin was well aware of the manga industry's potential, especially given its strong ties to the anime industry.

Currently, only a handful of manga publishers have ventured into anime adaptations due to budget constraints and the fact that the two siblings, manga and anime, are not yet widely popular.

Shin is well aware that highly popular manga and anime can seamlessly transition into successful video games. If Shin were to acquire both manga and anime properties and combine them with video games, it would create a synergistic triangle that could greatly benefit each other.

A smile crept across Shin's face as he contemplated this concept. He decided to call in Lee Han.

As Lee Han entered the room, he acknowledged Shin with a nod and took a seat in Shin's office.

Shin handed a cup of coffee to Lee Han and asked, "Mr. Han, have you heard of the company 'Shounen Jump'?"

Shin posed this question because, in this new world, he was entirely unfamiliar with manga publishers. His focus had been dedicated to the research and development of their Super KiShin SKT.

The forthcoming console was expected to feature a 16-bit color palette for graphics, 64-bit audio RAM, and it was scheduled to be announced alongside the Gameboy.

Lee Han displayed no surprise when Shin inquired about 'Shounen Jump.' After all, this manga publisher had recently released content related to video games. He responded, "The 'Shounen Jump' company, a privately listed company, generates at least 7 billion yen in annual revenue and operates as a subsidiary of 'Shueisha,' which is also a private company," he conveyed with a nod.

Shin nodded thoughtfully and expressed with a touch of regret, "I understand..."

It appeared that the 'Shounen Jump' of this world was not significantly different from what he remembered in his previous life, Shin thought.

Despite his initial intent to acquire it, his enthusiasm waned upon learning that it was a subsidiary of 'Shueisha.' He sighed in disappointment.

Lee Han, wearing a smile, inquired, "May I ask, are you planning to acquire a manga publishing company this time?"

Shin smiled and nodded, "To be honest, I've contemplated establishing my own manga publishing company, but that would be a formidable endeavor..." Shin admitted. What he truly sought from 'Shounen Jump' were its distribution channels, primarily to publish a select few popular manga series from his past life.

Creating a manga publishing company from scratch would require him to invest billions of yen, which was far from ideal. Moreover, his current focus on video games left him with limited time and energy to create multiple popular manga series simultaneously. Taking it one step at a time was his strategy. Otherwise, a competitive manga publishing company might outpace him. Besides, he was still deeply involved in the development of Pokémon, and his commitment to ensuring the accuracy of the creatures in the real world had led him to hire numerous animal experts.

Lee Han nodded in agreement with Shin and suggested, "Collaborating with 'Shounen Jump' and other manga publishing companies might be the more prudent route."

Shin concurred, recognizing that aside from 'Shounen Jump,' there were other manga publishers in the competitive manga market, even if they weren't as renowned. "That sounds like the sensible choice," he remarked. He understood the importance of not trying to dominate everything too hastily. For now, he had successfully established a foothold in the anime industry.

When it came to the Manga Industry, a partnership with Shueisha seemed to be the optimal choice. Shueisha had been a prominent company in Japan, with its origins dating back to before World War II.

As for reproducing manga series like 'Dragon Ball,' 'Naruto,' and 'One Piece,' Shin was only familiar with the plot of the Dragon Ball series and the early stages of Naruto. 'One Piece' was a series he had been a fan of in his previous life, but he was unaware of its ending.

Hence, Shin planned to search for an Eichiro Oda in this world and introduce him to the idea of 'One Piece.' In the interim, he would likely act as a co-writer for the series, taking a similar approach with other popular manga.

Considering that 'Shounen Jump' in this world didn't seem drastically different from his previous life, there was a possibility that the authors of these manga would exist in this world, or at the very least, there might be individuals with equivalent talent.

---

Meanwhile, in a café in Tokyo, a slender man enjoyed his coffee and cake with little regard for manners.

"This manga is undeniably intriguing... It's centered around a robot girl... It somewhat reminds me of 'Araimon'," remarked a 30-year-old man seated across from the slender man.

"But there's room for improvement," he added, addressing the slender man. When he noticed the thin man wasn't paying attention, he raised his voice, exclaiming, "Kira Toriyama! Are you even listening?"

Hastily, the bespectacled thin man nodded, "Yes!" He then shot a puzzled look at the man and asked, "What is it?"

The man let out a sigh, patiently reiterating his opinion to Kira Toriyama.

"Oh, I see... Make the girl cuter? Perhaps with pink hair?" Kira pondered, stroking his chin. "Though, I still think purple hair might be better," he mused.