[59] Serialization Meeting

"Phew, that's finally over..."

He had plenty of houses. After all, he had purchased numerous properties in Japan, mainly concentrated in Tokyo. He wasn't sure where the prices would be higher in the future, but big cities should be fine, right?

As for Morioh Town, he had bought some properties there, but relatively fewer...

However, when a nymphomaniac moved in next door, he bought as many properties around him as possible.

Of course, there were a few he didn't buy, but now he owned six properties in Morioh.

He had arranged his sister to live in the nearest one, just a street away from him. He even brought Kohana along, thinking it would be good for her to take care of his sister.

And Kazumi had moved in excitedly, claiming it was to develop her independent living skills...

Fortunately, his sister had always been fearless. Even after being kidnapped and brought back, she was excited and claimed she hadn't been scared at all. If her eyes hadn't been red at the time, he might have believed her.

Of course, she still had to prepare her own meals every day.

Next up, he could start a large-scale renovation here. He intended to turn his current residence into a fortress of ripple. This way, regardless of whether this world had mysteries or not, his sense of security would greatly increase.

...

"Now, let's begin the serialization meeting for Weekly Shonen JUMP's May issue. I'll be hosting the meeting. We have a total of 11 candidate series for serialization this time, and we'll discuss them in the order they're listed in the copies."

Time passed during this process—

Iwamoto Yu took a deep breath, looking at the tightly closed doors of the meeting room in the distance.

Today would decide it.

Whether "Fate/Zero" could pass serialization depended on this meeting.

This manga could be considered Kurokawa-sensei's transformative work... and Iwamoto Yu had no idea what he was planning. But according to him, they could discuss the plot for the next manga together.

Ah, if only that were true.

Once this serialization meeting was settled, he would visit Kurokawa-sensei tomorrow to see what his new manga was all about.

Meanwhile, inside the meeting room:

"Last is Kurokawa-sensei's 'Fate/Zero.' Since this manga was added at the last minute yesterday, it's only natural that we discuss it last."

"This will be handled by our group's Iwamoto," said Yusuke Shoji, holding the prepared manuscript. "The story revolves around seven magus summoning famous historical heroes to engage in a battle royale for the all-powerful wish-granting device, known as the Holy Grail War..."

Although everyone had already seen it last night, Shoji briefly explained the plot anyway.

And it was quite long... because everyone else's manga had only a few episodes at the beginning, but this one was different. They already had the complete manuscript from the start.

Whether it was good or bad, whether it had potential or would collapse, could be seen at a glance.

"Now, please provide your feedback on this work," Shoji said, looking at the others after finishing his explanation.

"It's Kurokawa-sensei's manga again..." Commented Yudai Maruyama, pushing his glasses up and sighing.

"Yes, and this should be the fourth one, right?" Remarked Sotaro Uemura, who was a bit plump, as he flipped through the complete manuscript. "It's the same with the 'Kishibe Rohan Does Not Move' and 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure,' but it's completely different from those and the unpublished 'Battle Royale.' What is he thinking?"

"Well, maybe Kurokawa-sensei has always wanted to challenge himself. His output isn't a problem; everyone knows that, including this time. He submitted the complete manuscript from the start, all the way to the end," Shoji said, trying to convince them.

Yoshikawa Daishi had been silent and was watching the others.

"That guy is a monster," Kazuhiko Toshima said as he looked at the manga. "While everyone else submits about three episodes for the name, he brought the entire manuscript from the start, and it goes all the way to the end, thirty-two episodes! When you think about it, 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' and 'Battle Royale' are serialized too! If only Torayama Akira-sensei had half his speed... no, even one-fifth would be great."

"Not only that, but there were two occasions when the magazine didn't have enough high-quality content, and he filled it in with 'JoJo.'"

"How much has that guy drawn?" asked Aozora Ishida, puzzled, as he looked at Shoji.

"Well... we're not entirely sure over here, but we can say he draws very quickly, and he's not the type who overworks himself. During the spring break at school not too long ago, he went on vacation for a month. Everyone knows about that, right? And during that time, 'JoJo' and 'Battle Royale' updates were business as usual. So don't worry about things like 'Mangaka working themselves to death' happening to him," Shoji once again used the prepared words.

"Well... Regarding Kurokawa-sensei's work, his manga 'JOJO' is quite popular, and its popularity has been rapidly rising since the second installment without any decline despite changing the protagonist. However, did he stray from the path he started with 'Battle Royale'? 'Shonen JUMP' is a manga aimed at young boys, with themes of friendship, effort, and victory. But... I can't see any of that in his recent two works," Said Uemura, denying Kurokawa Kazuya's manga. He also admitted that 'Fate/Zero' was interesting. Even in terms of the plot alone, there's no manga in current JUMP that can compare to this one.

But... editors also have their performance metrics, and this time, he brought up two new manga. And, in the end, only about three works can make it through this serialization meeting.

The more they dismiss other works, the more opportunity there is.

As for saying Kurokawa Kazuya have run out of talent, he can't say that because his recent manga is indeed interesting... it just doesn't fit the theme of JUMP. His goal is to seize upon the fact that it doesn't fit the theme.

"It's true, but this manga is interesting enough, and although the content is somewhat darker compared to the manga currently in JUMP, it's much better than before. And—Kurokawa-sensei also agrees that the next manga can have the editor's input to some extent," Shoji threw out his trump card.

The trump card is simple: "can have the editor's input to some extent." Kurokawa Kazuya's talent is undeniable. But precisely because of that, every time he submit a manuscript, it's already finished.

Making the editor almost invisible. And... if the editor can provide some input, can the magazine company commission him to draw some manga next?

After all, judging by his speed, it shouldn't be difficult to help out with some JUMP without affecting his own manga.

"Well..." Yoshikawa Daishi fell silent for a moment and looked at the others before saying, "Is this manga interesting?"

"It's interesting, I find it very interesting," Said Iwamoto Yu's direct superior, Yusuke Shoji, without hesitation.

"It's interesting, but..." Yudai Maruyama didn't continue, but everyone understood.

"It's interesting, but the art style is somewhat impractical."

"Interesting."

"Feels very interesting."

"That's good, then," Yoshikawa Daishi nodded. "Include it."

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