"Goodbye."
In Sendai City, after more than ten minutes of queuing, Hiroshi and his daughter waved goodbye to several high school students from Saitama County.
"Run faster or the teacher will scold you!"
"Why are you in such a hurry? We bought your copy of 'Mirai Manga' and he'll turn a blind eye!"
Several students left laughing. Seeing them leave, Hiroshi couldn't help but sigh: "How good young people are!"
"Hey! Are you going to buy it or not?"
The person behind him patted Hiroshi on the shoulder. He turned around and apologized, then turned his head to look at the stack of magazines in front of him. They were very thick, thicker than "Weekly Boutique", and looked very carefully produced.
"Do you want to buy it?"
Since it was wrapped in plastic film, Hiroshi couldn't see the content, so he hesitated. There were test samples on the other side of the bookstore, but the queue was longer than for buying magazines, so he didn't go near it.
"Mirai-sensei's new magazine only has one manga." The bookseller looked at Hiroshi, aware of his hesitation, and said: "You can consider it a single volume. The price of 800 yen is very economical."
"800 yen!"
Hiroshi was surprised. It was more expensive than Weekly Shōnen.
"Don't hesitate, isn't it just 800 yen? I tell you it's definitely worth buying!" The person behind him urged: "I just asked someone who has read it. It's a very interesting and exciting manga."
"Dad, buy it!" The girl squeezed Hiroshi's hand. He pinched her nose and laughed: "Okay, I'll buy it."
That's right, it only costs a few hundred yen. There's no need to hesitate. Hiroshi bought the magazine. Then he took his daughter back home.
"Dad! I want to read a book! Read it to me!"
His daughter ran excitedly to the sofa with "Mirai Manga". He removed the protective film, but she understood the pictures, although she didn't know many words, so she needed Hiroshi to help her read.
"Okay, okay, I'll read it!"
Hiroshi poured himself a cup of tea, sat on the sofa, and took a sip. Then he picked up his daughter and placed the magazine on the table.
"The cover isn't bad," he looked at the cover of the "Mirai Manga" manga and subtly nodded. The cover is well-made, very delicate, and also waterproof. When he opened the pages, the paper quality was also very good. 800 yen to buy this magazine is, at least, a good deal for the book itself.
That's why Hiroshi devoted himself to manga. Whether it's Hinotori Publishing or Kanto, their manga paper is not cheap. It makes readers feel comfortable. Placing beautiful manga on the shelf is a pleasure, very collectible.
Mirai-sensei's manga have always been known for their elegant style. Unfortunately, "One Piece" did not surprise Hiroshi. The characters in "One Piece" cannot be considered attractive or beautiful, at least not unlike the current dominant style, and the straw hat boy from the poster does not meet the definition of a handsome man.
This is one of the reasons why Hiroshi had no hope at first. He felt that Mirai-sensei's work was not as good as his previous works in content and style.
However, as he read the lines to his daughter while flipping through the manga, he began to be surprised. As time passed, he began to think that this drawing style was very good; the story of "One Piece" needed it.
"Hehehe... Dad, this brother's hands have gotten so long..."
"Dad, what is rubber?"
His daughter looked at the manga with bright eyes, laughing non-stop with the characters and content, and asked questions from time to time. Hiroshi answered her questions as he read, and couldn't help but laugh several times.
This manga is really interesting. The characters are drawn a bit exaggeratedly, and their chins drop to the floor at any moment. At first, I wasn't used to it, but after reading two chapters, I gradually got used to it. Hiroshi could also understand why Mirai-sensei chose this drawing style.
The plot presented in this somewhat exaggerated drawing style is extraordinary and interesting, and both father and daughter are very happy to read it.
Hiroshi explained some of the manga's plots to his daughter, and gradually he immersed himself in it. This pirate's story is different from the pirates he imagined. They are affectionate and just, but they are like heroes, and the story takes place in a fantasy world, which makes Hiroshi feel very strange.
"It's really great, a story about dreams and friendship..."
After reading the first few episodes, Hiroshi discovered that Sakura Books was not spreading false propaganda at all. "One Piece" is truly a story about dreams and friendship. The protagonist is named Luffy. He is straightforward, brave, positive, and optimistic. He is the typical passionate male protagonist.
As a child, Luffy was rescued from the sea by a great pirate who sacrificed his left arm. He received a straw hat from the pirate and pursued his dream of becoming the Pirate King. As an adult, he ventured into the sea in search of a companion to form a pirate group.
"An adventure story," Hiroshi praised enthusiastically. This manga emphasizes adventure and friendship. There are battles and smiles in the story, and also touching moments. After reading eleven episodes, he was still dissatisfied.
"It's so refreshing!"
This manga is for men. In his opinion, there has never been such a wonderful adventure manga. Especially the battles in "One Piece", full of explosive and passionate action, are addictive.
At first, the drawing style didn't really catch my attention, but after reading this manga, Hiroshi thought about the battles in other manga and felt a little bored.
"So this is also a high-level drawing...".
He understood that manga doesn't have to be beautifully drawn. Likewise, drawing something that makes people feel like they are in the scene is also high-level drawing.
After reading the eleven consecutive chapters, Hiroshi felt as if he had been caught in the rain in the desert. He felt so refreshed! He suddenly thought of "Weekly Boutique" and couldn't help but smile.
"Mirai-sensei has terrible taste...".
Among Weekly Boutique's manga, three are battle manga, and their scenes are simply horrible compared to "One Piece".
Hiroshi suspected that Mirai-sensei did it on purpose. He launched this issue of Mirai Manga on Friday, so how many people would buy Weekly Boutique on Saturday? Although The Detective's Son is wonderful, it's just a niche work and needs to rely on the contrast of other manga.
And One Piece is a work for the general public.
This is what impacted Hiroshi the most. Under Mirai-sensei's pen, niche pirates instantly became a new profession with dreams and bonds, full of adventure and passion, and it's a fictional worldview suitable for the public.
Men can find the passion of battle in One Piece, women can find touching plots, and even children can have fun with the mentioned characters' performances. Although it only has eleven episodes, Hiroshi considers this to be the most successful manga drawn by Mirai-sensei to date.
"It seems unremarkable, but it's actually the most widely accepted by the public..."
Hiroshi shook his head. Mirai-sensei is a monster. Whoever faces him will have bad luck. Aika's "The Detective's Son" is in serious trouble this time.
"Dad, Dad!"
At that moment, Hiroshi's daughter squeezed his hand: "What's the story behind this, what's the story behind this?"
The little girl looked up into his arms and asked with wide eyes: "The villain Buggy can be smashed. How can Brother Luffy defeat him?"
"This... Dad doesn't know." Hiroshi rubbed his daughter's head and replied with a wry smile: "I'll tell you next week."
He hadn't expected his little daughter to finish reading this manga as well. She usually doesn't have so much patience. Hiroshi also wanted to know the plot's development later, but the manga ended in the eleventh chapter, so he could only wait until next week. He could wait a week.
However, upon closing the magazine, Hiroshi's eyes widened, and he was stunned. He saw a logo in the upper left corner of the cover that he hadn't noticed before.
It was the phoenix brand, Hinotori Publishing's exclusive seal. There's a flaming phoenix in both Weekly Shōnen and Weekly Shōjo Manga, with the word "Shūkan" written inside, meaning weekly magazine.
However, the word on this Mirai Manga's label is...
"Monthly?... Monthly!"
In reality, it's "Monthly," which obviously means that Mirai Manga is a monthly magazine.
"What the hell! Mirai Manga is actually a monthly magazine. I've never heard of that. It's a lie. Do I have to wait a month to read the rest of the story?"
- - - - - - - -
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