With the release of the 5 Centimeters Per Second manga collected volume, the series—which had concluded two weeks prior and whose discussion had begun to wane—once again reached the peak of its popularity.
Previously, discussions about 5 Centimeters had been largely confined to fans of Sakura Weekly, with the 5 Centimeters fandom concentrated within the magazine's readership.
However, collected volumes target all manga fans across Japan.
Although the distribution efforts, due to the series' importance, might not have ensured that every bookstore in every prefecture carried the volume, a vast number of new readers across Japan were drawn in by curiosity, recommendations from friends, endorsements from manga critics arranged by Hoshimori Publishing Group, and social media posts from moderately popular manga artists.
And it was the emotional impact these new readers experienced after binge-reading the entire manga in one sitting that proved most overwhelming.
Weekly serialization allows readers time to process their emotions between chapters. But a collected volume containing five chapters could be read in just one or two hours, leaving these readers completely numb.
The resentment they felt far surpassed that of the magazine's regular readers.
After purchasing the collected edition of 5 Centimeters Per Second, a flood of new readers swarmed the official Sakura Weekly forum and followed mangaka Shirogane's verified accounts across various social media platforms.
Then...
The long-dormant resentment and vitriol directed at Shirogane resurfaced.
"Author, are you even human? How could you write such an ending?"
"A high school girl mangaka? Don't think your age will protect you from criticism. I'm a middle school reader, and I'll roast you just the same!"
"It's Sunday, I was in a great mood, and my mom gave me a thousand yen for allowance. So I went to the bookstore and bought thirteen manga volumes to enjoy over the next two weeks. Of course, the first one I picked up was 5 Centimeters Per Second. Now I'm so miserable I can't even eat. Damn you, Shirogane!"
"Takaki and Akari just... vanished into the crowd? That final parting on the train tracks was the last time they'll ever see each other?"
"This is so heartbreaking! My stomach actually hurts. 2:?@8]/. Read ̈a\ Book×Net?` ?Free*?Read%?{′"
"Hahaha, two weeks ago I was just like you guys, feeling miserable. But why am I so excited seeing all these new readers suffering now?"
Seeing others fall into the same pit I once stumbled into is undeniably satisfying.
Hehe, a smile unconsciously crept onto my lips.
Originally, the increased buzz generated by the interaction between new and veteran readers, while helpful, would have taken time for word-of-mouth to spread and boost sales of the 5 Centimeters Per Second manga.
But unexpected events always arise. On Sunday evening, July 27th, Hoshizaki Aira, a renowned manga artist in Japan with millions of followers, posted a comment on her account:
I recently read a manga by a new artist called 5 Centimeters Per Second. It's fantastic!
She offered no further promotion, didn't mention the genre, and simply left the comment.
Within the Japanese manga community, the impact of her words spread like wildfire.
Who was Hoshizaki Aira?
A contracted artist for Monogatari IC, one of Japan's Six Major Manga Magazines. Her work had been serialized in Monogatari IC since her third year of high school. Over four years, she had created two series, and the combined global sales of her manga volumes approached a hundred million copies.
At this stage, her works might not yet match the absolute sales figures of the industry's evergreen veterans.
At just twenty-one years old, with her striking beauty and status as a third-year university student, she had already risen to fame as a manga artist. Her frequent appearances on television variety shows had made her even more popular and well-known than many veteran top-tier manga artists.
Her sudden declaration, though simply worded, was a clear message to her fans and the entire manga industry in Japan:
I really love this manga.
Such endorsements weren't uncommon in the manga world. Renowned artists often publicly praised outstanding works by their younger peers.
For example, in Rei Kirishima's previous life, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, had openly stated in a television survey that the manga he envied most was Your Lie in April. He praised its delicate storytelling, which made readers truly feel the allure of music through the panels.
Similarly, Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of Hunter x Hunter, publicly expressed his admiration for Demon Slayer during its early, struggling serialization when it faced cancellation. Togashi's support at that critical time significantly boosted the manga's flagging popularity.
Shortly after, Demon Slayer's collected volumes surpassed one million copies in total sales.
Two years later, the anime adaptation of Demon Slayer premiered, its overwhelming popularity surpassing even established giants like One Piece to claim the top spot.
A country with a population of only one hundred million had achieved the astonishing feat of selling over eighty million copies of a single manga volume in a year.
This figure far surpassed the second-highest annual sales in history—the thirty million copies sold during the One Piece Marineford War arc—by an overwhelming margin.
Normally, the top-selling manga volume of the year would only reach around ten million copies.
The explosive popularity of Demon Slayer was truly unprecedented. Its global IP value had soared from near cancellation to rivaling The Big Three (Naruto, One Piece, Bleach), exceeding ten billion US dollars.
However, it was highly unusual for a popular manga artist like Hoshizaki Aira to publicly endorse a work serialized in another manga magazine.
This led many industry insiders to speculate whether the newcomer manga artist, Shirogane, might be a close friend or confidante of Hoshizaki Aira.
Even Miyu Yukishiro herself was surprised.
If Hoshizaki Aira were a contracted artist with Hoshimori Publishing Group, Miyu might have assumed it was a company-orchestrated promotion.
But after consulting her elder sister, Misaki Yukishiro, she learned otherwise.
Misaki Yukishiro frowned and shook her head.
"I don't know her. Besides, she's a serialized manga artist for another company. There's no way our company could have hired her for something like this," Misaki said.
"So, she just couldn't resist trying to trick more ordinary manga readers into getting hooked after reading 5 Centimeters Per Second?" Miyu Yukishiro asked, her expression odd.
"What do you mean 'trick' and 'hooked'? Watch your language," Misaki said, her clear eyes turning stern as she looked at her sister.
"Still, Hoshizaki Aira is known for her outgoing and outspoken personality. She's always been unfiltered during TV interviews, so it's not surprising she'd do something like this."
A faint smile appeared on Misaki's lips.
"This is actually good news. The sales of the 5 Centimeters Per Second collected edition will definitely be much higher than originally projected. A big-name manga artist like Hoshizaki Aira has tremendous influence. Even if only a fraction of her fans check out 5 Centimeters, it will significantly boost the collected edition's sales."
That night, while browsing the internet on his phone, Rei Kirishima stumbled upon public remarks about 5 Centimeters made by the renowned manga artist Hoshizaki Aira, whom he had never met.
"Could this be some kind of backroom deal orchestrated by executives at Hoshimori Publishing Group to promote my work?" Rei wondered, utterly perplexed.
But if he couldn't figure it out, he decided not to dwell on it. After all, no harm had come of it.
Later that night, in an upscale residential district of Tokyo, Hoshizaki Aira, the celebrated manga artist, glanced at the comments section of her social media accounts. Her legions of followers were declaring their intention to buy the 5 Centimeters manga volume the next day.
A faint smile curved her lips as she gazed at the 5 Centimeters Per Second volume on her desk.
"Shirogane, was it?"
Her public endorsement of the manga wasn't driven by ulterior motives. She simply loved the work itself, and perhaps, by a perverse desire to share the emotional torment it inflicted.
"I'll remember you."
Hoshizaki Aira studied the author's name, "Shirogane," printed on the cover of the 5 Centimeters Per Second volume. She then reread the letters from Akari and Takaki, included as bonuses with the volume.
With a soft sigh, she turned off the lights and went to sleep.