"What's the release date?"
"June 16th, Wednesday!"
"The second week after the college entrance exam? Shirogane-sensei is insane. He chose this timing to release a new manga, doesn't he care that it might affect his exam results?"
"You're the insane one. Most people go to school so they can make money. Shirogane-sensei makes tens of millions a month drawing manga. You should be saying he shouldn't let the college entrance exam affect his serialization. You've got it completely backward. Serializing a manga one month earlier to earn ten million yen more, or studying that month to score twenty extra points on an exam, if it were me, I'd pick the manga every time."
"Same."
"Me too."
"But why is Hoshimori Group being so secretive? They haven't even announced the title or genre of Shirogane-sensei's new manga. What's wrong with them?"
"Exactly! What's the harm in revealing the name and genre? Why all this mystery?"
"Hope Shirogane-sensei's new manga becomes a massive hit and surpasses Hikaru no Go!"
"You Shirogane fans are way too optimistic. You're still talking about surpassing Hikaru no Go? Let's just hope this one doesn't flop and die a humiliating death."
"Exactly. Do you really think any manga genius can keep producing smash hits? Last year, two former top-tier manga artists in Japan launched new series, and both got canceled this year due to poor popularity. Statistics don't lie, 90% of top-tier manga artists rely on a single work for their entire career."
"I work at Hoshimori Group. To be honest, I've read Shirogane's new manga. It's nowhere near Hikaru no Go. The group is just giving him face by letting it serialize. Fans shouldn't get their hopes up."
"A new work just two or three months after the previous one ended? You can already imagine the plot quality. Hikaru no Go ended so ambiguously, do you really dare to read his new manga?"
After Hoshimori Group officially announced the serialization date of Rei's new work, loyal fans weren't the only ones discussing it enthusiastically online. A wave of trolls, appearing from nowhere, also began spreading rumors and slander against Shirogane.
Most Hikaru no Go fans dismissed them as idiots, but Rei and insiders within Hoshimori Group understood the truth.
These were almost certainly paid commenters, hired by one or more of Japan's six major manga groups, to deliberately stir controversy and sour public opinion.
The explosive success of Hikaru no Go had made the other five groups deeply uneasy.
During its serialization, Hoshimori Comic's weekly circulation rose from 17.2 million copies to 18.22 million copies.
That data alone was enough to make competitors nervous. At such a sensitive moment, targeting Shirogane's upcoming new work and manipulating public opinion with money was the obvious move.
As for the results;
They were… mediocre at best.
Rei paid attention to the online discourse, but at the same time...
On the very day Hoshimori Group announced the serialization date of Shirogane's new manga, Rei, under Editor Misaki's guidance, met Himari, chairperson and producer of Illumination.
Illumination was highly regarded within the Japanese animation industry. Many popular anime had episodes produced or assisted by the company, with several outsourced episodes earning exceptionally high praise from viewers.
However, after the company gained momentum, it became less willing to accept commissioned projects, preferring instead to produce original animations.
Unfortunately, those original works flopped badly.
The resulting capital chain break plunged the company into a serious financial crisis.
It was at this moment that Misaki introduced Shirogane to her old friend, explaining that he had an original script and wanted it adapted into an anime.
Himari initially refused.
But when she heard that Rei intended to invest over two hundred million yen into a single season of the project…
The refusal on the tip of her tongue disappeared.
A few days later, during her call with Misaki, those words were replaced with:
"I'm actually a fan of Shirogane-sensei too, and I'm very much looking forward to working together."
After all, in Japan's animation industry, an investment of one hundred million yen per season is considered acceptable, and two hundred million is considered excellent.
Rei's proposed investment placed the project firmly in the top tier of seasonal anime funding.
It was the kind of budget that made even struggling studios feel… hopeful.
Himari's teasing thoughts earlier were just that, idle thoughts.But after meeting Rei in person, her attitude became unmistakably enthusiastic.
She was, after all, extremely eager to secure Rei's investment.
"One-Punch Man?" Himari picked up the file folder Rei had handed her.
Inside were the world settings for One-Punch Man and several character design sketches for key characters.
"A hero… who fights for fun?"
Any enemy defeated with a single punch. If one punch wasn't enough, then two.
Since Rei did not intend to serialize it as a manga, what he presented were storyboard drafts of several classic gag scenes from the first two episodes of One-Punch Man.
Himari's very first reaction upon reading the material was simple.
"Interesting."
A faint smile appeared on her lips without her even realizing it.
Unlike Misaki, who hadn't sensed a strong hook when reading the first three chapters of Hunter x Hunter, Himari immediately picked up on how One-Punch Man consistently subverted conventional narrative tropes.
Misaki, who was reading alongside her, wore a complicated expression.
Purely from an opening standpoint, she even felt that One-Punch Man was more immediately engaging than Hunter x Hunter.
"Shirogane-sensei, your requirements are reasonable," Himari said after taking a deep breath.
"Animation production is different from other industries. Spending one yen doesn't guarantee a return of one yen. Rather, only by spending that yen does the possibility of a return even exist."
She met Rei's gaze seriously.
"What I can guarantee is this: if One-Punch Man is produced by Illumination, the final quality will absolutely not be inferior to any anime airing in the same cour with a budget under three hundred million yen."
"No matter which company produces it."
Although Illumination was not large, its core team consisted of highly capable industry veterans. With sufficient funding, Himari had complete confidence that her studio would not lose to the major animation companies.
Rei took a sip of coffee before responding.
"I'll need to visit your company before making a final decision," he said calmly.
"Of course," Himari replied with a smile. "That's completely reasonable."
Rei had already done extensive research on the animated episodes Illumination had previously participated in producing, and it confirmed that Misaki hadn't exaggerated.
In terms of production capability, the company was genuinely strong.
Their original animated works had solid overall quality. The problem was simply that they never became popular.
Sometimes, an anime just doesn't take off. Even if the plot is good, the quality is high, and viewers who watched it give glowing reviews, the market response can still be lukewarm.
Whether in Rei's previous life or in Japan now, there were countless examples of critically praised but commercially unsuccessful animations.
Otherwise, this meeting with Illumination's chairperson wouldn't be happening at all.
"Then, if I may ask," Himari continued, "if we do reach a collaboration, when would you like to see the finished product?"
"It's April now," Rei paused briefly before answering. "If possible, I'd like to see the completed first episode by October."
"October?" Himari's expression turned serious.
Under normal circumstances, an anime typically takes about a year from planning to broadcast.
But that timeline assumes prolonged meetings, repeated revisions, investor interference, and constant adjustments to the script and setting.
If Rei could ensure timely funding, refrain from arbitrary mid-production changes, and allow the project to proceed smoothly;
Then producing a high-quality first episode within five or six months was not impossible.
After all, once the anime begins airing, subsequent episodes can be produced concurrently, effectively extending the production cycle beyond half a year.
"That's right," Rei nodded.