From Five Centimeters per Second to Tonight, then Hikaru no Go, and now Hunter x Hunter and One-Punch Man.
Although the works Rei had produced so far were not long in length, and although many Japanese anime fans felt that he favored open-ended conclusions, there was one undeniable fact.
Rei's works were consistently excellent.
Even though Five Centimeters per Second and Tonight were far less popular than Hikaru no Go, both possessed extremely high reputations and were regarded as classics among fans of melancholic romance manga.
As for Hikaru no Go, although its ending left readers with regret and lingering emotion, it was still far better than countless popular manga that completely collapsed in their later stages.
Now, Hunter x Hunter went even further.
Although its storytelling style differed from Rei's earlier works and did not rely on sudden emotional devastation, it became more engaging with every chapter.
As the stories of the four main characters gradually unfolded.
Gon, becoming a Hunter to find his father.
Kurapika, driven by vengeance for the annihilation of his clan.
Leorio, choosing the path of a Hunter in order to earn money, become a doctor, and save lives.
Killua, the heir to a family of assassins.
At the same time, the images of characters such as the Chairman of the Hunter Association, Hisoka, and Tonpa grew clearer and more vivid.
The manga Hunter x Hunter had begun to steadily reveal its appeal to fantasy battle manga fans on the Hoshimori Comic platform.
Each week, large numbers of readers actively discussed character development and plot progression in the comment section of Rei's account.
Under these circumstances, the One-Punch Man anime that Rei was preparing to air in October naturally drew widespread attention within Japan's animation industry.
It did not matter that Illumination was not a famous studio.
History had already proven that large companies were fully capable of producing terrible anime, while small studios could create masterpieces.
As a result, many media outlets began reporting on One-Punch Man with increasing frequency.
"The author of Hikaru no Go and Hunter x Hunter, Shirogane, launches a new anime. One-Punch Man will air on Capital Television Station at 9:30 p.m. on Friday, October 1st."
"A genius manga artist and now an anime screenwriter. Can Shirogane's new work continue the popularity of his previous hits?"
"It is extremely rare for manga artists in Japan to serve as anime screenwriters. Shirogane's attempt has sparked industry curiosity. Without the promotional backing of a magazine platform, can a manga artist and a small studio create a hit purely through storytelling?"
"What is appealing about a battle anime where enemies are defeated with a single punch? Shirogane did not even establish a basic power system. This new anime is destined to fail."
"One-Punch Man. A cheesy title. The project is self-invested by Shirogane himself. The clues are obvious from the trailer. This may simply be a self-indulgent work."
Rei read through these reports online after the One-Punch Man trailer was released, and he felt genuinely satisfied.
A work is never afraid of criticism.
What it fears is being ignored.
Those who anticipated the work would be rewarded with even stronger emotional impact.
As for the detractors, Rei did not mind letting One-Punch Man's actual performance speak for itself when the time came.
If this were another adaptation airing in Japan, Rei might still have doubts about its reception.
For example, a Go-themed work like Hikaru no Go would struggle greatly if removed from the asian cultural sphere.
But One-Punch Man had achieved global popularity in his previous life.
That alone suggested that the concept was not culturally restrictive, and the risk of rejection was significantly lower.
Early one morning, Rei was walking across campus on his way to class.
While thinking about these matters, he noticed more and more curious students gathering around him.
News that the animation department had recruited a genius manga artist that year had already spread throughout the academy.
Students from other classes and even other majors had long been curious about him.
Rei had been admitted entirely on merit.
Although local applicants enjoyed certain advantages, his exam scores were more than sufficient to gain admission to Vocational University from any region.
Coupled with his fame in the manga industry, and in an era where information was completely transparent, it was easy to estimate how many volumes he sold each year, how many copyrights he licensed, and how much money he earned.
With a classmate who was already a top manga artist earning tens or even hundreds of millions annually, Rei quickly experienced what it meant to be famous.
Male classmates were friendly and enthusiastic.
Female classmates often approached him using manga or animation as conversation starters.
Running into fans on the way to class became an almost daily occurrence.
Students frequently took photos of him without warning.
Still, compared to the hundreds of people who used to wait for him outside his high school every day, this was far more manageable.
When Rei entered the classroom, he clearly felt the previously noisy space quiet down.
Many classmates looked at him with complicated expressions.
They were all freshmen.
After graduating from the animation program, it would likely take years before most of them ever had the chance to lead an anime production.
But Rei.
He was already the author behind the Hikaru no Go anime.
He was also the investor and screenwriter of the One-Punch Man anime.
"Rei, you're here."
"Rei, I saw the One-Punch Man trailer. It looks really interesting. Can you tell me what kind of work it is?"
"Rei…"
After greeting a few familiar classmates, Rei finally took his seat.
There were still five minutes before class started, so he took out his phone.
Earlier that morning, Miyu had already sent him several messages.
'So? Big-shot manga artist. How many girls 'accidentally' ran into you again this morning?'
'Stop with these boring jokes.' Rei replied.
'It's you, though. It's been less than two weeks since school started, and I've already heard that several people confessed to you. The school forum is full of discussions.'
'Ah, that's true. I've been trying my best to hide my identity as the manga artist Saki, but I still don't understand why I'm so popular after entering university, Hehe...'
Rei looked at the screen and snorted softly.
How could someone who had drawn three romance manga not understand this?
He typed back with one hand.
'Maybe they just have bad taste.'
'Can't you just praise me?'
'So many people already praise you. You don't need one more.'
For many people, the older they got, the harder it became to make friends.
At least for Rei, during the first half month of university, he hadn't made any close friends. Based on his experience in his previous life, with his personality, it would probably stay that way throughout university. After graduation, he would likely lose contact with most classmates altogether.
It was different with Miyu.
Even though they had graduated from high school, they still met every few days and chatted almost daily.
Both of them were manga artists, so their conversations naturally drifted toward professional topics.
'Rei, I watched the second One-Punch Man trailer. I really like its theme. It's exciting and suits my taste. But there's something you need to be careful about. In the October time slot, the fourth season of Burning Sin, the second-ranked manga from Monogatari Comic, is also premiering.'
Echoes of the End, Burning Sin, and The Last Dragonborn were the three pillar works of Monogatari Comic.
Each had been serialized for more than three years, and the average sales per volume had exceeded fifteen million copies.
Japan had six major manga magazines, and the number of popular titles was relatively high. Because there were no absolutely dominant works in the same era, sales figures were not as exaggerated as those in Rei's previous life.
In his previous life in Japan, an ordinary popular manga usually sold just over one million copies per volume.
Bleach fell into this category.
Highly popular works such as Naruto or Fullmetal Alchemist sold around two million per volume.
Era-defining classics like Dragon Ball, Slam Dunk, and One Piece reached four to five million per volume.
As for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, a work with strong quality, extraordinary anime adaptation support, and a bit of luck, it stood at the forefront of its era and reached sales of over nine million per volume.
All of this was achieved by a population of just over one hundred million.
In the current Japanese market, there were no such overwhelmingly dominant titles.
Most popular hot-blooded battle manga still had a noticeable gap in quality compared to Bleach or Fairy Tail, and their sales figures reflected that.
However, in terms of popularity and cultural influence, the three pillar works of Monogatari Comic occupied a position comparable to Jujutsu Kaisen or Demon Slayer in Rei's previous life.
They usually released one anime season every six months or a year, extending their lifespan and maximizing commercial value.
In fact, the anime adaptations of all three were undisputed viewership champions during their respective broadcast seasons.
Miyu brought this up with clear concern in mind and continued typing.
'As one of the top manga artists at Hoshimori Comic right now, your original anime is inevitably going to be compared with the fourth season of Burning Sin. When that happens, the media and antis will definitely go all out. You need to be mentally prepared.'
'Don't worry.' Rei replied.
'It's the author of Burning Sin who needs to be mentally prepared.'
Miyu read his reply in the classroom and broke into a smile.
'You think you'll win?'
Others might not know Rei well, but she did.
No matter what he created, his first consideration was always whether it could reach the top.
If Rei had not believed that One-Punch Man could dominate the ratings, there was no way he would have invested two hundred million into its production.
He was always rational and never wasted money.
Rei saw her familiar message, paused, and smiled.
He did not expect to be able to use a phrase from his previous life that no one in this world would recognize.
He typed three words in reply.
"I'll win"
As the class bell rang, another message arrived.
'Good luck.'
'You too. Good luck. At next month's Hoshimori Comic serialization meeting, third time's the charm. You'll definitely secure serialization on your third attempt.'
Rei smiled and quickly sent his reply.