After finishing the manuscript, Yoshihisa felt his heart pound and couldn't help but look at the artist who had submitted such a story.
The young man, Akiyama Satoru, had a well-proportioned physique and well-defined muscles. His clothes were faded from repeated washing, showing that he had endured hardship and was struggling financially.
But under Yoshihisa's gaze, Satoru wasn't reserved at all. Instead, he met his eyes openly, as if he were certain he would earn his approval.
What confidence, Yoshihisa thought, when a sudden sound came from a nearby desk.
"You haven't understood what the readers are thinking. This content is only meant to please yourself. I'll pretend I never saw this original manuscript. Think it over and try drawing another one."
"Thank you… thank you."
It was a conversation between an editor and an artist whose work had been dismissed as worthless.
Yet in the same situation, Yoshihisa looked at Satoru, who showed no sign of panic.
How could Death Note possibly be overlooked?
"Do you want me to submit this manuscript to the Tezuka Award?" Yoshihisa asked. The manuscript in his hands was only a one-shot, unfit for serialization.
"That's exactly my intention." Satoru smiled.
The Tezuka Award, presented by Shueisha, is a newcomer award for shonen manga. It has been held twice a year since the first half of 1971.
Created to commemorate Osamu Tezuka's outstanding contributions, the award has attracted many talented individuals to Shueisha.
Daijiro Moroboshi, Tsukasa Hojo, Hirohiko Araki, Masakazu Katsura, Yoshihiro Togashi, Nobuhiro Watsuki…
These stalwart manga artists of Weekly Shonen Jump had all received the Tezuka Award.
It was the most prestigious newcomer award in manga, with a prize of two million yen.
It could be considered the highest-paying newcomer award.
Satoru could really use that money, considering his less-than-ideal financial situation. He also needed a bonus that could improve his life and support future serialization.
It wasn't enough for a mangaka to make money just by publishing weekly chapters. Most of the royalties went toward paying assistants' salaries.
Saving tens of thousands of yen a month was already a remarkable achievement.
If you really wanted to make money, you had to rely on collected volumes.
But it was still a long way from a successful serialization to the release of those volumes. It would take at least three or four months.
**
Yoshihisa grew to love Death Note more and more, and he couldn't bear to put it down.
He suddenly realized that the young man in front of him might be his trump card.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, into which he had poured his heart and soul, had shown mixed results, with its popularity constantly fluctuating.
He desperately needed a hit manga to rise higher and eventually become editor-in-chief.
Yoshihisa stood up and asked gently, "What would you like to drink? Coffee or orange juice?"
"Coffee, thank you."
His previous cold, businesslike expression shifted into a warm and friendly demeanor that made Satoru uncomfortable.
Not long after Yoshihisa left the reception room, he returned with two cups of coffee. He placed one in front of Satoru, sat down, and leaned forward, as if he wanted to have a long conversation.
"Death Note is very interesting. Although it's a rare subject in Jump, it has a wildly imaginative story."
"The plot, especially the mystery aspect, is also very good. It's logically consistent, and the illustrations are simple and easy to understand, without getting bogged down in a long and complicated mess."
"It might stand out among a sea of action-packed comics."
While Death Note might not seem suitable for Jump, manga is fine as long as it's interesting.
When a comic is good enough, the market will have to make room for it.
Ordinary mangaka observe the market and create works that will be popular with readers.
A genius mangaka can succeed simply by drawing what they like.
According to Yoshihisa, Satoru was the latter.
"You're right." Satoru ignored the editor's praise and calmly took a sip of his coffee.
The editor looked up at him, somewhat surprised.
How arrogant… No. Since his work is truly brilliant, it should be called confidence.
He cleared his throat.
"However…"
Satoru put down his coffee, sat up straight, and realized that what Yoshihisa had said earlier was unimportant. The important part was coming.
"Your drawing sense is very average. You only have a basic foundation. You draw the characters from the same angle too often, as if they're speaking directly to the readers."
"You also need to learn how to convey emotion through your drawings."
"For example, here."
He flipped through the storyboard of Death Note to the scene where Ryuk first appeared.
"Kagami had been tense for a long time and had just breathed a sigh of relief when Ryuk suddenly appeared behind him."
"Ryuk has bulging eyes and a beast-like face. He should give readers a feeling of horror and terror."
"But Satoru, what you drew was terrible."
"Ryuk's body proportions were off, and the shadows on his face were misplaced…"
Yoshihisa pointed out a few more flaws, and Satoru made sure to listen carefully.
He took out his pen and notebook, turned to a brand-new page, and wrote down a list of books.
"You can buy these professional books to study. They'll be effective. Especially the book Japanese Paper Animation Techniques, which explains space and perspective very thoroughly."
"Thank you. I will," Satoru replied.
"Yes," Yoshihisa nodded. "Then there's paneling, which is very important. The narrative rhythm of a manga is conveyed through paneling."
"No matter how interesting a story is, if the storyboard is drawn in a nonsensical way, it still won't be welcomed by readers."
Japanese manga panels are like shots in a movie. Each panel is treated as a camera angle, and those shots are combined to build a story and convey emotion.
A few shots put together can tell an entire story.
"So, should I revise the manuscript?" Satoru asked, realizing his art might lose him a few points during evaluation.
"There's no need." Yoshihisa shook his head. "As a newcomer, the judges won't be too strict with you. Besides, there's only one week left before the deadline. I doubt you could improve much in that time."
"I see…" Satoru felt he could still fix a few things, but since the editor knew better, he chose to trust him.
They continued talking for another half hour before Yoshihisa led him to the reception desk and handed him a form.
After filling it out, Satoru officially submitted the manuscript. He and Yoshihisa exchanged numbers before parting ways.
"Yoshihisa looks like a reliable editor." Satoru looked at the paper filled with recommended books and sighed in relief.
An editor and an artist were partners. They could either help each other rise—or fall.
Although Satoru was confident in the works he drew, it wouldn't be bad to have an editor who saw eye to eye with him and didn't interfere too much.
"I can't afford to buy all these books at once."
There were more than twenty books recommended, but Satoru didn't have the time or energy to read them all.
Aside from improving his drawing skills, he also needed to start preparing the storyboard for serialization.
After all, he had absolute confidence that Death Note would never be rejected, unless those editors were blind.
Just as Satoru prepared to leave the building, a nearby voice stopped him in his tracks.
"I'm sorry, Oda. But One Piece didn't pass the serialization meeting."