"Joint promotion?"
Jensen, CEO of Hoshimori Group, frowned slightly as Editor-in-Chief Han finished explaining the proposal during their briefing.
Just past forty, Jensen had been placed at the helm of the group four years earlier. Under his leadership, Dream Comic Journal had climbed from 16.7 million weekly circulation, fourth place in Japan, to 20.7 million, now second only to Monogatari Comic's 26.2 million.
The company's market value had soared. His position was stable.
Mostly.
There was only one blemish, one decision so stupid it still made his stomach churn.
When Shirogane had first proposed serializing one-punch man and Hunter × Hunter, Jensen hadn't even attended the meeting himself. He'd delegated it to his deputy chairman, who promptly rejected both proposals.
That deputy had since been dismissed.
Everyone in upper management understood the truth.
He hadn't been fired for incompetence, he'd been sacrificed.
Now Shirogane wanted a joint promotional campaign between one-punch man Season Four and the Hunter anime.
Jensen felt faintly nauseous.
If he agreed, it would look like he was crawling back, having once rejected these works, now promoting them together at full force.
If he refused, it would look even worse.
A crossover between Japan's top animated phenomenon and Hunter × Hunter's long-awaited adaptation was a textbook power move. Blocking it would be indefensible.
Either way, he'd look foolish.
Still, Jensen was a professional. He swallowed his discomfort and replied evenly.
"Understood. I'll convene a meeting this afternoon. If there are no objections…"
His tone was grim.
"Hunter premieres in two weeks. If we're doing this, it has to be fast."
He knew the truth well enough.
Hunter's opening ratings would inevitably trail one-punch man. But after the summer season, one-punch man would enter hiatus. No one knew when, or if, Season Five would arrive.
If Hunter could siphon even part of that audience, it might dominate the slot once one-punch man stepped aside.
Anime boosts manga.
Manga boosts the journal.
That feedback loop mattered far more than his pride.
"Understood," Han replied, wasting no words.
The meeting itself was little more than formality. Everyone knew the decision rested with the CEO.
And it appeared Jensen had chosen the least stupid option among two stupid ones.
Han left the office smiling faintly and dialed his niece.
"Misaki," he said. "Your proposal with Rei has reached the top."
"Uncle Han, what did they say?"
"They'll discuss it this afternoon," he replied.
"But you and Shirogane can be… cautiously optimistic."
Misaki understood immediately.
The next morning, both the editorial and marketing departments were informed. By noon, Misaki received her assignment: Liaise directly with Shirogane on the one-punch man × Hunter crossover campaign.
With less than two weeks before the summer season began, both sides moved at breakneck speed.
Legal drafted contracts.
Rei reviewed them, signed, and stamped his seal without hesitation.
Beyond being the writer and investor behind the anime, Japan had worked with Hoshimori Group for four years as a manga artist. Trust had long since been established.
On June 24, Rei's personal account and Hoshimori Group's official site simultaneously released the crossover visuals.
One color page would grace the next issue of Dream Comic Journal.
The anime community exploded.
The image was simple and devastatingly effective,
Gon, dressed in green, smiling brightly. Saitama, expressionless as ever. Their fists lightly touching.
The reaction was instant.
Although the two fandoms overlapped, many fans knew only one of the works.
Just as Bleach fans had ignored Kubo's earlier zombie manga, or skipped Burn the Witch years later, casual audiences often missed "sister works" unless something dramatic dragged them in.
This did.
"Hunter and One-Punch crossover? For real?"
"Why not? They're both by Teacher Shirogane!"
"Wait, Shirogane's a manga artist?"
"You didn't know?"
"I only watch anime. Had no idea. If his new show's starting, I'm in. Is Hunter good?"
"Incredible. Not as meme-heavy as One-Punch, but the Yorknew arc, Kurapika, Uvogin, Chrollo, Hisoka, Pakunoda, absolute gods. Watch it. You'll thank me."
"No fandom wars, both are masterpieces, just different flavors. One-Punch fans, don't skip Hunter. Trust Shirogane."
"Hunter volumes average 15.2 million, fifth among concurrent Japan titles. Numbers don't lie. July 4th, 9 p.m., Capital TV."
"I'm tuning in. I skip manga, no sound, no color, but anime? I'm there."
"Anything with Saitama gets my vote."
"I'm the opposite, a manga purist, but if they're crossing over, I'll finally buy the One-Punch BDs. Everyone raves. I just hate invincible MCs… but fine, I'll bite."
"First time realizing Shirogane writes anime too. Guess I've been living under a rock."
"Most people don't read credits. If you like Shirogane, binge One-Punch, three seasons, 36 episodes."