5 [5] The Editorial Department
"Hmm... hehe..." Iwamoto Yu began to chuckle slowly.
"What's wrong?"
"No... nothing, I'm just delighted," Iwamoto Yu took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and continued, "It's amazing, no, it's too amazing! Leaving the story aside, just the drawing speed, the craftsmanship, that alone is incredible!"
"Hmm? Are you saying you don't like the story?"
"Well... no, not at all," Iwamoto Yu quickly waved his hand to deny, "I just haven't had the chance to look at the story. Who has the time to read the story when I'm so blown away by your artwork?"
He had initially thought of Kurokawa Kazuya as a promising newcomer, but after witnessing his incredible drawing speed, his perspective had changed drastically.
Kurokawa Kazuya was not just a newcomer; he was a manga industry phenomenon, surpassing everyone's expectations.
Receiving the Tezuka Award on his first submission, and subsequently gaining a serialization offer on his second, he already considered that to be extraordinary. Very few people had achieved such success since the establishment of JUMP. When Kurokawa Kazuya mentioned not needing any assistants, it had taken him by surprise. He had thought that was the limit, but it seemed there was room for even more improvement. No, this was beyond superlative! It was indescribable!
The term "genius" couldn't do justice to this man. Iwamoto struggled to find the right words to describe him.
With someone like this, becoming a team leader or a chief editor in the future was not an impossible feat. He felt like he had discovered a goldmine!
He had initially considered replacing Kurokawa Kazuya as his editor due to his uncooperative nature, but now, there was no way he would do that.
"Could I take a look at this manga now, Kurokawa-sensei?" Iwamoto Yu asked, referring to the manga he had brought with him, the second and third parts of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure."
"Sensei?" Kazuya fell silent for a moment. The form of address had changed, but he let it slide. "Sure, go ahead."
"Thank you very much!"
Iwamoto began flipping through the manga pages.
And then...
The captivating plot drew him in, even though he had been an editor for three years and had seen a wide variety of manga. He felt like he was immersed in a strange and fascinating world.
The first part introduced Ripple Energy and Vampires, while the second featured Stand users and Utlimate life beings. Iwamoto couldn't help but be captivated by it all.
"I'm back—"
Kazuya, listening to the sounds outside, put down his pen and checked the time. It was already 3:30 in the afternoon. "Iwamoto-san, my sister is back. Are you planning to have dinner here tonight?"
"No, it's okay..." Iwamoto Yu shook his head, smiled, and said, "I'll be leaving in a bit, Kurokawa-sensei. Can I come back tomorrow?"
Looking at the stack of manga manuscripts on the side, which was several times thicker than what he was currently reading, he expressed some anticipation. That was for the third part...
He hadn't finished reading the second part yet, but he was already looking forward to the manuscript for the third part.
"Ah, of course."
Iwamoto Yu nodded, "Then please take care of your sister, and I'll finish up here shortly. I'll leave when I'm done."
"Alright..." Kazuya thought for a moment and nodded. "By the way, when the tankobon for this manga is released, I'd like to replace the first half of the first part with the part I'm currently re-drawing."
"Sure, that should be much better than the previous content, and I don't think the editor will object."
After saying this, Iwamoto Yu watched Kurokawa Kazuya, who had left, and focused his attention on the manga. Now—this was the most exciting part, where the protagonist confronted the Ultimate Life Being, Kars!
With such an invincible existence, how would the main character respond?
...
"Is that Kurokawa-sensei?" Iwamoto Yu answered the phone.
"Yes, it's me. What's up?"
"Did I disturb you?"
"No, I have some free time."
"Alright, the results for the Award are out this time," Iwamoto Yu said, listening to the silence on the other end of the line. "This time, you've secured third place."
"I see, I understand. Thanks. Is there anything else?"
Kazuya sighed with relief. It seemed that his improved artwork had also made the manga stronger. He had gone from twelfth place to third place in a single jump.
Of course, there were significant plot factors at play. Even if his art hadn't improved, he felt confident that he would have ranked around sixth or seventh now.
"Actually, there is something else. It's about the New Year's gathering. Will you be attending this year?"
"The New Year's gathering..." Kazuya hesitated. He knew about it from watching the anime "Bakuman." He remembered that if mangaka didn't attend, the editorial department would come up with humiliating activities as punishment for the editors. Activities like shame play...
"Yes, that's right. Will you have time to attend, Kurokawa-sensei?"
"Hmm... let me think about it. I'll get back to you with an answer by tomorrow," Kazuya replied. He wasn't particularly inclined to attend, but the thought of editors being punished for his absence bothered him. On the other hand, the idea of seeing what kind of bizarre punishment they would come up with was oddly intriguing.
"Alright, I understand," Iwamoto Yu said, relieved. "If you can, please consider attending. It wouldn't be great for the editors if you don't."
"But... looking forward to the punishment they'll come up with," Kazuya muttered to himself.
"What's wrong? Your tone has changed since the last time you went to Kurokawa's house to pick up the manuscript," One of the editors nearby said, looking puzzled.
"I'm just showing the respect that someone who deserves it should receive," Iwamoto Yu said. "He'll become a super popular mangaka one day. I have that feeling!"
He hoped Kurokawa Kazuya would attend the gathering. With his speed in drawing, there was no excuse of not having time. Besides, the content he had already drawn for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was enough for several years of serialization. This manga was so outstanding that it was bound to avoid cancellation.
There was no way he didn't have the time.
But... if he didn't attend, he couldn't help but think about the punishment that would befall the editors who were left out. It made him feel uneasy.
"However, there are so many amazing manga in these issues..."
"Yeah, and Akira Toriyama-sensei's new work, 'Dragon Ball,' seems promising."
"Iwamoto, come over here," The chief editor called Iwamoto over.
"Yes, sir."
Iwamoto got up and walked over.
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