Mata yume kara sameru, nureta mabuta o akeru
Kuruoshii hodo omoinokosu, tooi hi no muryokusa o norou
Mi o yakareru youna zetsubou mo kate niwa narou ka
Akogare ni kogareru mama moyashi tsuzuketeiru
Kirakira ohoshisama yadoshita anata no eyes
Karakara kawaite kawaisou na lack of ai?
Subete o kodoku kara sukuu mabushii hikari
Boku ni dake ochiru kage wa anata no sei?
Chimeiteki na ketsuraku o kureta ne
Migatte na kyosei, kuruwasareta sei
Onegai, koe o kikasete, koe o kikasete
Karamatte yugandeshimatta kizu sae
Kureta no wa anata dake, anata dake (Anata dake, anata dake)
Onegai, boku o miteite, boku o miteite
Shukumei ni kizamareta itami sae buki ni shite
Itsuka no koukai sura teraseru youni
Anata ga inai to ikiteikenai
Nanimokamo sasageteshimattemo ii
Anata no ai ga mada taranai
Kaketa mono wa nani de umetara ii?
Chimeiteki, chimeiteki, chimeiteki na ai
Unmeiteki, unmeiteki, unmeiteki na I
Hitsuzenteki, hitsuzenteki, hitsuzenteki na ai
Boku o miteite ne, saiai no fatale!
Saiai no fatale
Check this out!
B Komachi
We're in Playboy!
Salad
Roll
Plus, we now sometimes get asked
to appear on U Station's idol show.
I finally fit in with everyone in class!
I can call myself a proper entertainer now, right?!
Ya were still worried 'bout that?
You bet I was!
Pin-Up Girl
In-Demand Actress
Idol
I feel left out whenever everyone
talks about their show-biz jobs,
Someone who
doesn't do anything
and it's hard for me to join the conversation!
For me, it might be more awkward talking
to people in the same line of work.
Oh, I know what ya mean.
Really?!
If ya bring up work 'cause ya wanna grumble,
people in the same trade can take it as braggin'.
For example, I'd like to casually mention how yesterday
this actor, Douyama-kun, DM'd me an invite to dinner.
Now, that is braggin'.
Busted, huh?
Frill-chan, your stories are on another level...
Green
Tea
So, ya goin'?
I dunno. Besides, I've heard
from multiple people he's a player.
Oh, now that ya mention it,
Nanami, who was on that mornin' TV drama,
also said she got a DM from Douyama-kun.
That guy's been busy, huh.
Miyaemooon! Find us some more jobs!
I wanna work enough that I'm able
to complain to fellow entertainers!
I don't really get what you mean...
Then, should we see if Pieyon-san wants to do a collab?
Yeah, that's fine and all,
but I wanna do another concert and stuff!
You won't be able to do any concerts
until Arima-san's play is over.
It seems that might be a while yet...
What?!
Your rehearsal is over already?
Strictly speaking, they've been put on hold.
The original creator and the staff started fighting.
If things don't go well, rehearsals
could be suspended for several weeks.
Seriously?
Wait, where's my brother?
Oh, him...
This place is packed.
I'm glad we managed to get tickets.
This play's pretty popular.
So this...
Just wait, you'll see soon.
What's the...?
Is that... wind?
4DX...?
No, it's not that.
Is this... for real?!
A fizzy
explosion!
How was it?
Well, to be honest...
it was 50 times more entertaining than I thought it'd be.
Right?!
First off, I was surprised the curtains were monitors.
That makes it so film direction
can be used extensively in the play.
What shocked me the most was the audience seating
rotating 360 degrees.
That makes it possible to prepare several stages in
advance, enabling quick and seamless scene changes.
Yeah! They've used a physical approach
to solve the structural limitations of theater.
I liked more than just the venue.
The play itself was excellent.
The direction was chock full of ideas that
someone from the film world wouldn't conceive of.
And that moved me, so strangely enough,
I got into the performers' acting as well.
The story was well-executed, too.
Frankly, it was good. Very good.
I now know what you meant
when you said it's immersive.
You're right that it's an experience
you can't have with movies.
There goes your composure. Why're you so worked up?
Well, I was worried that maybe
you wouldn't enjoy theater...
But I did think you would understand the appeal of this!
Of course, this is one of the
most lavish theaters in Japan,
and most other plays are the
traditional type you had in mind.
But the fact they solved a physical challenge
with originality and ingenuity is also alluring!
I'd be glad if this experience teaches
you how to enjoy theater!
Well, I've got a bit more positive view of it.
I think that's fine.
You're a film guy to begin with, after all.
Hey there, you two.
Raida-san...
Why are you here?
Why? I'm heading up this show too, you know.
When I'm feeling down, I watch the looks
on the audience's faces as they leave.
That was so fun!
Their faces tell the truth.
It was simply awesome!
When they enjoyed it, they're smiling.
And when it wasn't up to par, they're straight-faced.
Seeing them motivates me.
You had a great look on your face, Aqua-kun.
You made this old guy happy.
Oh, I wish I could've seen!
What kinda face were you making? Do it again!
Not happening.
I spotted you two, so I followed you hoping to say hi...
but am I intruding?
No, no, not at all!
Raida-san, are things going okay with the script?
Hm, I had a heated discussion with the publisher again
today, but, sure enough, the original creator is stubborn.
She's demanding the scriptwriter, GOA-kun, step down.
She says she'll rewrite the script herself.
She can't pull it off.
That's my feeling after seeing today's play.
Tokyo Blade's script was devised
to make full use of the venue's strengths.
Even the long, hammy lines will work nicely here.
Takumi Nishimatsu
played by Shouta Maeyama
Tetsuya Itou played by
Yousuke Kawamura
I suspect the original creator doesn't know
the first thing about the stage or its equipment.
She'll submit a script based on the premise
the play will be in a high-school gym.
Today's play was the work of a pro who integrated
the script and equipment at a high level.
Now matter how popular of a manga artist she may be,
there's no way a novice in play scriptwriting
could produce something of that caliber.
Well, we'll try to remedy any shortcomings.
Did you notice?
Script:
Director: Tanimoto
The script for today's show was also written by GOA-kun.
He's brilliant, I tell you.
He loves theater from the bottom of his heart,
he's studious, and he perseveres
through the rewriting process.
SMASH
over here!
When a play he's scripted is shown,
the audience always leaves with smiles on their faces.
The truth is...
I didn't want to remove him.
There's not anything that can be done?
It's a toughie! We don't wield enough power
to boss around a major publisher.
Still, you are the only one
who can do something, Raida-san.
Well, I suppose that's true.
Do you think GOA-san will really
be taken off the project?
Looking at it with the source manga in mind,
I'd be lying if I said I also didn't have
any problems with GOA-san's script...
but on the whole, I believe it's good,
which is why I went along with it.
What can I say?
The original creator and the scriptwriter
each have their own opinions.
The problem is the failure in
communication between them.
If that alone could be cleared up,
the entire play might end up being better.
Well, I did see a good show today thanks to him.
As a token of my appreciation,
I'll give things a little nudge.
Yoriko Kichijouji
Thanks for having us!
Welcome, everybody!
Please excuse me. I know
I wasn't involved with Sweet Today...
Oh, don't worry about it. I'm happy you came.
Wow, this is my first time in a manga artist's home!
It's also my first ti--
I've visited a number of times when I was filming.
Wow, isn't that so very special.
How do you draw?
This is called a graphics tablet,
and I can draw directly on the monitor.
The whole process is digital, huh?
That's how most of us do it these days.
Manga artists are pretty amazing.
I mean, you guys do both the art and the writing.
Hm, yeah, I guess.
Sure enough, she's giving me the cold shoulder!
Well, she must think you've got some nerve to show up.
I was thinking we'd start with a toast...
but how old are you guys again?
I'm 16.
Seventeen.
Sixteen.
Seventeen.
Young'uns...
Jeez, I wanna die now.
Sorry, I guess it'll just be me, then.
So she's a heavy drinker...
I know a place with great sake.
And the fish there is delicious, too.
I love fish!
Hey, I thought you said you were
gonna lend GOA-san a helping hand,
Then, let's go drinking the minute you're all 20! Let's booze ASAP!
That's a promise. Please don't forget, even if you are drunk.
so where does heading to Sensei's place fit in?
Don't worry. For me, this isn't drunk!
A person I'm indebted to once told me something.
Beyond just manga artists, most any creator who's
made it big believes their ability is second to none.
They stop listening to their editors,
they become surrounded by brown-nosers,
and they grow unreceptive to advice.
The only ones they'll listen to are those in the same field.
And better yet if it's their senpai or mentor.
"If you want to shoot the general, first shoot their horse."
This woman here is the only one
capable of persuading Abiko Samejima.
Makes sense...
Sensei, thanks for making time in your busy schedule.
Well, I'm published monthly,
so when I'm free, I have quite a lot of time.
Is it looking like Abiko-sensei won't be able to make it?
Well, she has a weekly manga, after all...
Even to come to that rehearsal, she took pains
to carve out some time between chapters...
Fundamentally, doing a weekly manga
isn't a job suited for humans!
You have to be a soldier whose brain's
been tuned up to handle weekly publication!
Terrifying...
The only ones fit for it are the type who
think of storyboards even while on a date.
Sounds awful...
Abiko-sensei is probably especially busy right now.
With the anime adaptation and everything,
she must have tons of things to handle,
like color illustrations and product supervision.
Have you and Abiko-sensei been friends for a long time?
Hmm... She worked as my assistant on Sweet Today.
She's always been eccentric.
She wasn't good at making friends, and she didn't
socialize much even with her fellow assistants.
But, she's a chatterbox when it comes to manga.
When one manga artist reads the work of another,
they can get a pretty good idea of
what kind of person the author is.
What part tips you off?
Mostly the drawings.
Like, what parts they obsesse over
and what parts they're lax about.
I understood straight away after
reading Abiko-sensei's manga.
That girl wants to connect with others.
But she's unable to, which pains her.
That's why after I began to engage with her more,
she became pretty attached to me. She's a cute kid.
Tokyo Blade
I'll Go With Sweet Today
Yoriko Kichijouji
Abiko Samejima
Well, after that, she soon got serialized
in Weekly Jump and rapidly shot to popularity.
She surpassed me in the blink of an eye.
She made it big without any setbacks on the way,
so it's like she believes her opinions are always correct.
Doesn't her editor or the like ever caution her?
Editors have two jobs, you see.
What do you think they are?
Get authors to create manga that're big sellers.
Correct. That's the first one.
What could the second be?
Adding the dialogue and stuff?
Doing publicity?
The correct answer is...
not letting a popular manga come to an end!
Terrifying.
Letting a serial moneymaker end
will affect their evaluation.
Can I wrap it
up soon?
For a manga with an active media franchise,
nooooo waaaaay will they let you end it.
Whoa,
easy now!
At least wait until
the anime is over!
And to that end, looking after the author's
mental health is part of their job.
I can't keep drawing!
I just can't!
Editors find themselves in the difficult position
of being like babysitters for spoiled authors.
Easy now.
As a result...
I'm busy, you know!
I won't do it!
popular manga artists get increasingly arrogant.
But, if you do an interview with a women's magazine, your work will
become known to a segment that doesn't usually read manga.
Using how busy they are as an excuse,
they become prone to erratic behavior.
Besides, it's a good opportunity.
What's wrong, Arima?
I know all too well what she's talking about,
and now I wanna die.
Being surrounded by yes-men really ruins you.
Making it big inevitability boosts your confidence
and it goes to your head.
Our scriptwriter is on the verge
of being taken off the project.
Sensei, can't you persuade
Abiko-sensei to change course?
I have so many feelings toward Abiko-sensei myself.
Those theater folks were in a tight spot.
Couldn't you consider their circumstances a bit more?
I think you're overly considerate, Sensei.
Huh?
You trusted the crew and left it in their hands...
and look how Love Today ended up.
I believe that 90% of the creative works
in this world are trash.
Which is to say that 90% of
the world's creators are third-rate.
The only thing you can believe in is your own wit.
You depend on others too much.
Next time, you should be more assertive.
Well...
the reason you can say that...
is because you're gifted.
Sensei!
My manga's getting an anime!
That was quick. Congrats.
I've also sold over 10 million copies, and
I got word I'm gonna get some impressive award.
I saw her popularity surpass my own in a flash, and
I can't say I didn't feel anything as a fellow manga artist.
But...
Sensei... I'll always think of you as my mentor.
I have to be her ally.
I'm sorry... but Abiko-sensei doesn't like having her work
tampered with, and I keenly understand how she feels.
I'm not good at criticizing how others do their jobs,
and though it's my policy to mostly let people
do what they want with adaptations of my manga...
in my heart, I feel the same way Abiko-sensei does.
I'll Go With Sweet Today
Whenever possible, I want people
to handle my characters with love.
After all, they're like my own children.
Really, I am sorry. I know you're under
pressure with the play's schedule,
but I just don't think I can help you out with this.
No, I'm sorry for making an unreasonable request.
I understand. But just one thing...
Could you...
give this to Abiko-sensei, please?
Abiko Samejima
I'm waiting at the entrance.
Thank you for today.
Good day.
There's something I want to give you -
Can I head over there now?
There's something I want to give you -
Can I head over there now?
The door's unlocked,
so please just come in.
Abiko-sensei, I'm coming in!
Sorry for not coming over there,
but I'm working on a chapter.
Huh? Wasn't the deadline for it yesterday?
You missed it?
Yes.
I'm sorry about my room being messy.
This is far beyond just "messy."
You gonna call an assistant given the situation?
I don't have any at the moment.
Huh?
No matter how often I directed them,
they wouldn't match my art style.
Besides, they failed to convey emotion
through the backgrounds.
Rather than correcting their work time and again,
it was faster to do it myself, so I fired them.
When was that?
Last month?
No, it was back on chapter 163,
so two months ago, I guess.
Have you been sleeping?
Well, I sleep two hours a day...
so I'm managing.
But I'm on a deadline, so I haven't today.
That'll kill you, you know.
More realistically, you'll get depressed and stop working.
You'll never again be able to draw at the same pace.
Well, I already feel like dying.
Plus, next week, I have color pages. I also have
to make original illustrations for the volume release.
What about the script for the play?
Oh, right, there's that too.
I've gotta get to it after I finish this chapter.
I'll help.
I'll start filling in the backgrounds.
No, it's alright.
Please just take a seat.
You're in no position to refuse help.
Aw, jeez, why's this so detailed...?
This level of detail is too much for a weekly series,
especially all on your own.
Hire an assistant pronto.
I've put in a request with my editor,
but he hasn't sent me anyone suitable.
I bet he sends all the good talent to the big shots.
That guy's useless.
Sure you're not just being overly picky?
Assistants need to be trained, right?
I don't have time for that.
Even if I think they're promising and try to train
them, they quit as soon as I'm a bit harsh on them.
I'm sure it's more than "a bit."
I know you're very particular about your work,
but you can't live like this.
Even if it means making some compromises,
you need to live like a human.
If I make compromises, my work will be done for.
The readers will forsake me in an instant.
Now, that's not true.
You're just doing things the wrong way.
What would you know, Sensei?
At the very least, I can say you're making a mistake.
Aren't you just holding the quality of your work hostage
and running away from proper communication?
It sure looks like you're blaming
everyone else for you not doing well.
You know, in the long run,
you're just digging your own grave.
Save it until after YOU sell 50 million copies!
That's the level I have to contend at!
High expectations abound,
I bust my butt week after week!
I don't wanna hear this from someone who
works comfortably on a monthly series!
I see you're not holding back anymore.
After being hit with that, there are hardly any manga
artists in the industry today who could level a response.
It's truly the ultimate retort.
It's true my work doesn't sell as well as yours.
Even so, sorry, but my manga
is more entertaining than yours!
Your manga that relies completely on your instincts
feels novel, and I'm sure it seems fresh to readers!
But that's it!
On a fundamental level, it's not entertainment!
WHAT?!
Oh, there it is!
The self-professed professional who mistakes plot
turns that pander to readers as entertainment!
The old way of doing things where a plot full
of cliched twists is seen as tried-and-true!
Sure sounds like Tokyo Blade as of late to me!
Ever since you started pandering to readers
in Volume 12, it's frankly not been great!
What's with the Touki and Tsurugi pairing?!
You bowed to what's popular with readers
and halfheartedly forced it in, didn't you?!
Don't be making a slipshod manga!
Th-that's mean.
I was trying to live up to reader
expectations in my own way...
I hit the mark, did I?! Did Miss Big Shot Manga Artist
waver due to reader opinion?!
Did you forget who drilled the ins
and outs of entertainment into you?!
I can see right through you, okay?!
Isn't it you who's lost her fangs, Sensei?
I saw that Sweet Today drama!
Boy, did it suck!
Letting them do that... Have you no pride?!
Nothing makes me angrier than hearing
that from someone outside the project.
Autumn
Campaign
Complete
Collection
of Swords
Tokyo Blade
Abiko Samejima
Everybody's working hard at their own job!
Sure, it would be ideal if everyone fully succeeded...
Maybe you've forgotten since you're praised
as a genius or wizard or whatever...
I'll Go With Sweet Today
Yoriko Kichijouji
Rejected Storyboards
but if you or I create three manga series, two of them
will be dull!
When your own batting average is around .300 but you
always demand masterpieces from others,
you're asking too much!
Still, you entrusted your TV drama with them too much!
Well, that much is true!
I, too, have plenty of things I can't do well!
I'm an introvert at heart, after all!
If you're an introvert, what the hell does that make me?!
Without manga, I'd be a shut-in who's unfit for society!
I heard, you know! You had the cast over
to your place for a dinner party!
No fair! Little Miss Extrovert!
You could do that much, can't you?!
Like hell I could!
I can't get along with other people the way you do.
The truth is, I wish-
Jeez, enough whimpering! Shut up and get inking!
Sensei, how long has it been
since you drew backgrounds?!
If the perspective is off, I won't use them, okay?!
Don't mock me! How many years do
you think I've been a pro?!
Motorbike Delivery
I have my doubts every time...
I always think, "This is the week I won't make it," but I
somehow end up getting it done in time. Why, I wonder...
Because, even if we're down in the dumps,
we're still commercial manga artists. We have our pride.
Things were awful at your place
on the verge of deadlines, too.
It was common to start at 9 a.m. and
not wrap up until 4 in the morning.
I'm so sorry about your time on Sweet Today.
Things are a good deal better these days.
I'm sorry, too.
I was sleep-deprived, multi-tasking,
and my head was all mixed up.
I said so many horrible things...
It's okay. I also went too far.
But, if you say that stuff to someone else,
they'll cut ties with you straight away, so be careful.
How are you able to get on well with others?
Meet them halfway.
Volume 14 now on sale!
Conclusion
of the
Shibuya
Conflict Arc!
Over 50 million copies in circulation!
Media franchises are collaborative works.
They're a collection of tasks
that you can't accomplish alone.
Original Work: Abiko Samejima
Script: GOA Director: Toshirou Kindaichi
No matter how one might turn out, it doesn't
mean my manga suddenly became boring.
If it turns out well, you should consider yourself lucky.
Even so...
I hated that Sweet Today drama.
Sensei, your manga is so much better than that.
I'll Go With
Sweet Today
I'll be working under you starting today.
I'm not that good at backgrounds,
but I'll try my very hardest.
I'm a huge fan of yours, Sensei,
and my dream is to become a manga artist like you.
Sweet Today is the most
entertaining manga in the world!
It's unbearable seeing a work you love tarnished.
I understand that better than anyone.
Good grief...
It's not good to immediately
say whatever you're thinking...
you awkward girl.
I'll Go With Sweet Today
TV Drama
I'll Go With Sweet Today
Episode 6: "The Stalker Finally Bears His Fangs! The One Who Saves the Solitary Girl Is..."
The truth about that TV drama...
is I'm glad I went ahead with it.
Touki's actor, Aqua-kun, wanted you to have this.
If you're going to write the play's script,
this might be a good reference.
Episode 14
Rewriting
Tsugou yoi risou bakka narabetatte genjitsu wa kurai
Kizutsuku no ga kuse ni natteru
Dare o yurusenai no?
Aishitai mono kara kowashite
Ushinau mae ni tebanashite shimaeba ii to omotteita
But I'm cryin', ima mabushii hikari no naka de
Donna itami sae kagayaki ni kaenagara inochi o moyasu no
Lyin', kanpeki na butai no ura de furueru kotoba o kamikoroshitemo
(Kono kimochi wa dare nimo ienai)