This boring world without comics

Cherry Blossom Daily launched a new four-frame manga again!The difference from before is that this time it is a continuously serialized story.

Each issue of the manga will appear on the last page of the newspaper.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, the response this time was surprisingly good!

The manga is called "Spirited Away", written by Hayao Miyazaki.

A creator who has never heard of it has appeared with a brand new work. This seems to be the first time that a serial manga has achieved such a high response.

Jiang Hao nestled on the bed and flipped through the official website of Sakura Daily on his mobile phone.

Yes, you read that right, he has a mobile phone!

It is the kind of mobile phone that can make calls, surf the Internet and take pictures!

Since the manga began to be serialized, he has been receiving royalties from the newspaper every day.

A normal serial comic is [-] yen per page, but because Jiang Hao is a novice, and this is a four-panel comic, the manuscript fee is [-] yen.

Judging from Spirited Away's market price, Jiang Hao must have lost the deal, but the matter definitely won't end like this.

Audience feedback is what counts.

The newspaper is updated every day. Although the manga is also updated daily, the progress can be called a slow pace. It has been nearly half a month, and the plot has just reached the point where Qian Xun finds Grandpa Boiler.

What Jiang Hao is looking at now is the feedback and messages from readers to the newspaper.

Because the serialization is in newspapers, many young people no longer read paper newspapers, so there are not many discussions on the Internet.Fortunately, the Times will update the letters from readers on the official website every period of time.

Almost all of the letters in the recent period are about the manga Spirited Away——

[There are stories and pictures, it feels easier than reading novels, I hope to publish some such content in the future. ]

[Super looking forward to the follow-up plot, my husband and children will watch it every night before going to bed]

[I have cut out all the contents of the published manga, so it is more convenient to read]

[I really hope that there can be colored ones, black and white are really not realistic enough]

Almost all speeches of this type.

Judging by the traffic of a newspaper alone, the response is already very good, but it still wants to be better.If you want to really publish a comic book or have a long-term serial work like Naruto, the current publicity is not enough.

But Jiang Hao believed, and believed that this opportunity would come soon.

****

The story of Spirited Away is still being serialized, and now the story has entered into Granny Tang allowing Chihiro to work in the soup house.

I don't know who took the lead, but some fans created a dedicated Twitter account for Spirited Away, where they updated the content published in newspapers every day.

With the help of the Internet, the popularity and topic suddenly increased.

When the story and the artistry are impeccable, what else do people pay attention to?

Yes, the amount of updates.

Four grids a day is really too little!

In the case of too many character dialogues, the dialogue in a scene may have to be updated for several days, which makes it really difficult for readers who are waiting for the update.

News came from the newspaper today saying that he hoped Mr. Hayao Miyazaki could go there, and Jiang Hao, as an assistant, naturally had to go there instead.

On the way, he already probably knew the reason for asking him to go, but he didn't expect to meet that familiar person in the newspaper office.

"Oda-kun?" Jiang Hao saw a familiar figure standing in front of the counter from outside the glass door.

Oda Sakunosuke turned his head and found that it was Jiang Hao, and greeted him cordially: "Hi, long time no see."

"Long time no see, you... seem to have grown taller again?" Jiang Hao stretched out his hand and gestured at the height of the two of them.

Because the first time they met, the two were sitting, so the gap was not so obvious, but now they were standing face to face, Jiang Hao wanted to look into Oda Sakunosuke's eyes and talk, but he had to look up!

It's really unfair, why is he so tall? !

"Pfft——" Oda Sakunosuke was amused, "I'm already an adult, it's impossible to grow taller."

"Ah... that's what I said..."

It's because I want to grow taller and go crazy.

When the living conditions improve in the future, he will drink milk every morning, noon and night!

"What is Oda-kun doing here? Is there a new novel about to be published?" Jiang Hao asked.

As soon as the novel was mentioned, Oda Sakunosuke's expression became happy: "Since I was approved to be published in the newspaper last time, I went back and wrote another one. I want to try again and see if I can succeed."

"I see, Oda-kun's dream should be to become a novelist, right?"

"Yes, it is my dream to be able to write my own story." Oda Sakunosuke knew that he was still a long way from his dream, but at least he had taken the first step.

"It's definitely possible!" Jiang Hao encouraged him, "As long as we are still on the road of hard work, we will definitely get there!"

"Okay, thank you."

for sure.

***

"Good afternoon, editor-in-chief." Jiang Hao pushed open the door and saw the familiar editor-in-chief of Sakura News.

"Well, come in and sit down." The editor-in-chief didn't even lift his head when he saw Jiang Hao coming in.

Jiang Hao said that it doesn't matter, after all, he is really a small assistant in their eyes.

Besides, Mr. Hayao Miyazaki is the one who should be respected. He is a worker himself, so he knows the difference.

"The work Spirited Away has received a very good response from the masses. This is the credit of Mr. Hayao Miyazaki. I hope you can take me to convey my greetings to the teacher." Nod and bow.

Jiang Hao followed suit and bowed: "Definitely."

The editor-in-chief took out a new contract from the drawer: "Because the response is very good, we want to sign a long-term serialization contract with the teacher, and increase the weekly serialization content, from the current four grids to six grids. Details It's all written in the contract, if there is any problem with the teacher, you can let us know."

Jiang Hao carefully read the contents of the contract.

What the editor-in-chief just said about signing a long-term serialization contract means that after Spirited Away is finished, I must continue to draw the next work for them to serialize. The contract is two years. Of course, the manuscript fee has also been adjusted. From the current Three thousand has become six thousand, fully doubled, plus one of the employees who signed the contract and belonged to the Sakura Newspaper, and will also enjoy bonuses and dividends, and the newspaper will also be responsible for the publicity and distribution of the work before and after the completion of the work.

It seems that there is nothing wrong with the contract.

——But Jiang Hao won't sign it.

"Before I came, teacher Hayao Miyazaki had already ordered that there is no problem with adding serialization. I will take the rest of the contract back for the teacher to read in person."

In fact, he will definitely not sign this contract, but for the sake of long-term consideration, even if he refuses, he can't just say it outright.

The editor-in-chief also expressed his understanding: "If there is no problem, please ask Mr. Hayao Miyazaki to have a look, and then give us an answer."

"Ok."

That's the end of the conversation.

The editor-in-chief didn't mention anything about the increase in the manuscript fee. According to the rules, four panels became six, and the serial content increased, so the manuscript fee should also increase.

If Jiang Hao guessed correctly, if he didn't sign the two-year contract, there shouldn't be any change in the manuscript fee.

Damn capitalists—

But in a short period of time, he really didn't have the confidence to start his own serialization.

Difficult...

When Jiang Hao came out of the newspaper office, his expression was very bad. He is a person who can't hide things on his face.

"What's wrong? You look so bad?"

Jiang Hao suddenly heard someone talking to him very close to him, he turned his head suddenly, and almost accidentally bumped into that person.

"Oda-kun? Why are you still here?" Jiang Hao looked up, and found that the person he spoke to just now was Oda Sakunosuke.

"I just finished my work inside, and I met you as soon as I came out." Oda Sakunosuke lied, in fact, he had already finished his own affairs, and he was standing here just to see if he could wait until Jiang Hao came out.

"That's it, then I won't bother you." Jiang Hao was really depressed now.

Oda Sakunosuke naturally noticed that since Jiang Hao just walked out of the newspaper office, his face was pale at first, but now it is almost bloodless.

"It just so happens that it's dinner time, do you want to have something to eat together? You don't seem to be in a good mood. If you don't mind, I, a loafer, can listen to you." Oda Sakunosuke sent out to have dinner together Invitation, after finishing speaking, he was also secretly looking forward to the other party's acceptance.

Jiang Hao came to this world and lived in a house surrounded by woods. The only person who can talk to him on weekdays is Hanhan System. The invitation of Oda Sakunosuke is indeed full of temptation.

He agreed.

***

Because Jiang Hao was not familiar with the surrounding terrain, Oda Sakunosuke acted as the leader, and they came to a ramen restaurant on the street.

"The response to the manga serialization has been very good. Are you starting to get busy as an assistant?" Oda Sakunosuke asked.

Jiang Hao nodded with a guilty conscience: "It's okay, I'm just an errand runner, and I can't do much work."

But it's really busy!

"It's really beautiful, and I'm chasing updates every day."

"Thank you for your liking, I will pass it on to the teacher."

Jiang Hao knew that what Sakunosuke Oda praised was the original author of this manga, but Jiang Hao was very happy that the things he liked could also be liked by others.

The boss served the ramen. The soup base is rich, the char siew on top is fat and thin, and the green onion floats on the soup. The contrast of colors makes people particularly appetizing.

This is the first time I have sat in a restaurant for more than a month since I came to this world.

He was alone, this kind of restaurant was so lively, he would feel very sad when he came back to his deserted home.Fortunately, the half-price discounted bento in the supermarket is also delicious, which makes up for it a little.

"It's started."

Jiang Hao picked up a small willow noodle with chopsticks and inhaled frantically: "This is too delicious!"

Oda Sakunosuke introduced: "This is a long-established store nearby, and I used to come here often. I wanted to take you to an izakaya, but I thought you seemed to be underage, so I came here instead."

"..." Jiang Hao suddenly felt that the noodles in his mouth were a bit unsavory, "Do I really look like a minor?"

"Yeah.... I think you are almost like high school?" Thin and small.

Of course, the latter sentence was not uttered by Oda Sakunosuke.

"I, I'm already 21 years old!" Jiang Hao said the truth helplessly.

He is not only 21 years old, if he is in the original world, he will graduate next year and enter the society, okay? !

Oda Sakunosuke was really surprised when he heard that, and even his expression changed: "You seem to be one year older than me? I'm twenty."

Hearing this, Jiang Hao broke down even more: "It's not fair! Why are the children's development so good now? No, it should be said to be supernormal development, right? You are too tall!"

I originally thought that the other party was about 30 years old, so it was understandable that he was tall, but it turned out that he was one year younger than him, really......

The clown is me?

The more Jiang Hao thought about it, the more angry he became, he waved his hand and called the clerk: "Serve the wine! What are you looking at? I'm already 21!"

Although the clerk looked suspiciously, he still brought two glasses of cold beer.

Seeing that Jiang Hao seemed to have regained a little energy, Oda Sakunosuke's mood was also moved a little.

It is very likely that he is tall because he has been trained to cultivate killers since he was a child, so his physical fitness will be better. This is not something to be proud of.

"By the way, I haven't asked you yet, what's the result of the submission?" Jiang Hao recalled what Oda Sakunosuke said earlier that he went to the newspaper today to submit a manuscript.

"Hey, I didn't say whether I can pass it, but I just gave me this, so I can think about it." Oda Sakunosuke took out a document from his coat.

Jiang Hao glanced at it casually and saw that it seemed to be something like a contract.

"Actually, I... No, they also asked me to hand over a copy to the teacher..." Jiang Hao put the contract he just got from the editor-in-chief on the table.

After looking at each other, the two decided to exchange glances.

What Sakunosuke Oda got was also a signing contract with a two-year period, requiring him to publish a short story every week, but the remuneration was based on salary, not on manuscript fee.The same is true for the restrictions. You cannot submit your work to other platforms within two years, and there are regularly designated KPIs to be completed.

The content of the contract received by Jiang Hao himself is similar.

Sure enough, Oda Sakunosuke had the same idea after reading it.

"Is that why I saw you with a bad face when you came out of the newspaper office?" Oda Sakunosuke asked, thinking that the answer should be pretty much the same.

Jiang Hao asked back: "If you didn't sign the contract immediately, you must be dissatisfied with the contract."

"For me, a fixed monthly salary should be a pretty good condition, but I always feel like I've lost something." Oda Sakunosuke is alone now, with plenty of time, and he doesn't have any big expenses as a bachelor In this place, it seems that it is indeed a good contract.But if you have to create non-stop every day in order to earn the necessary expenses for living, is this really what you want?

When liking becomes a necessity of life, liking seems not so simple anymore.

Oda Sakunosuke told Jiang Hao what he was thinking in his heart, which contained a trace of confusion and uncertainty.He kept the fact that he was once a killer, because he really didn't want to see the slightest rejection in the other person's eyes, it would make him feel like he was stabbed by the sun.

"...Sorry, I let you hear so much about me." After finishing speaking, Oda Sakunosuke realized that it seemed that he had proposed to talk to Jiang Hao on his own initiative, but now it turned out that he himself said that he had a big talk. Do your own thing.

"It's okay, it's okay," Jiang Hao responded with a good temper, "Creation is a simple thing, it's better not to think so complicated."

Oda Sakunosuke said: "Yes, it may be the first time I have achieved some achievements since I wrote the novel, so I don't know what to do next."

"Follow your inner choice, never forget your original intention, and don't lose yourself no matter what the situation is, at least you won't regret whatever choice you make."

Jiang Hao took his own contract, put it on the table and nodded: "I may not know what the teacher thinks, but... If it was me, I would definitely not sign such a contract."

If he is a creator, he must hope that each of his works can be recognized by the public, not because a contract is like a working machine without emotion.

Jiang Hao said to himself: "Is there any meaning to things that have lost their souls?"

Oda Sakunosuke was stunned.

Although the person in front of him is not very old, he has a very clear self-understanding and cognition of the creator.

Very mature and rational.

Oda Sakunosuke often asks himself, can he really become a novelist someday in the future?

Maybe a certain part of my heart hopes to become it, but my reason tells me that this is a goal with no end in sight.

"You are really amazing." Oda Sakunosuke sighed sincerely.

"I always feel that Oda-kun thinks about too many things. You don't know if it is the past experience that made you like this, but... what is more important is the present, the future."

"my past?"

I don't know if he was under the influence of alcohol, Jiang Hao began to speak less and less marginally: "The things I create are my own children. How can you despise your own children when you are a father?!"

Jiang Hao's voice was getting louder and louder, and some guests who didn't know what to do heard it and looked at Oda Sakunosuke with disdain.

Oda Sakunosuke didn't know what happened, anyway, he was suddenly given the image of "irresponsible father who dislikes his own children".

"Jiang Hao, you're drunk, where do you live? I'll take you home—" Oda Sakunosuke looked at the beer glass in Jiang Hao's hand, the beer in it was actually less than half down, and this person was already a little drunk Looks drunk.

Jiang Hao waved his hands indiscriminately: "Drunk, we have to go to the second scene later, okay? Izakaya! I want to eat skewers!"

Well, it looks really drunk.

Oda Sakunosuke said that the words of a drunk person cannot be trusted. After he paid the bill, he helped the person out with the suppression of his height and strength, and threw his contract into the trash can when he passed by the trash can.

——Dreams and the like, naturally cannot be restricted by these few pieces of paper.

"Where does your family live?" Oda Sakunosuke hoped that Jiang Hao could retain the last trace of sobriety and tell him where is his home?

"Izakaya..." Jiang Hao muttered softly, "I want to eat lamb skewers!"

Oda Sakunosuke looked confused.

What kind of food is kebab?