Xia Guo is vast, but the comic book industry is basically concentrated in a few first-tier cities like Shanghai and Beijing.
More than 80% of the country's comic book companies and industry professionals are gathered in these few business districts.
Although Aoba only finished Hikaru no Go last month and announced that he would release a new work after the college entrance examination, many of his peers didn't believe it.
This kind of thing is like the release date of a game; you dare to say it, but others may not believe it. Those who keep their promises are extremely rare, and delays are the norm.
A top-tier comic book artist in Xia Guo, releasing a new comic book after two months?
How is that possible?
The public's expectations for Aoba's new work are definitely equal to or even higher than Hikaru no Go. Can you conceive a comic book comparable to Hikaru no Go in two months?
If it was conceived in advance, that's even more impossible. During the serialization of Hikaru no Go, there were more than four thousand pages of serialization per week. Aoba also had to attend school every day, and he also had to prepare for the college entrance examination in these two months. Where would he have time to conceive in advance?
Unless Aoba is going to make up a third-rate comic book, it is absolutely impossible for there to be news of a new work in June. Next June is more likely.
However, during this period, a rumor circulated among the comic artists in Xia Country: Aoba's new comic would be participating in the April new comic series launch meeting of the Huanmeng Comic magazine!
Once everyone knew this, they understood: unless Aoba's new comic had any glaring flaws, this opportunity to participate in the launch meeting was virtually impossible for other comic artists to win…
In terms of past achievements, potential, popularity, and fan base… which of the other comic artists preparing to launch their series at the same time could compare to Aoba?
The editorial staff at Huanmeng Group weren't stupid. They wouldn't create such a scandalous industry joke about Aoba's new comic being rejected.
Originally, this information was only kept secret by a small group within Huanmeng Group.
But Aoba's popularity and fame were too high; with so many people in the group, there were bound to be some big mouths. And so the information spread through various channels. On
the Huanmeng Group's official website, the Hikaru no Go fans, who had previously focused most of their energy on the Hikaru no Go TV series and anime after its conclusion, suddenly couldn't sit still.
"Aoba-sensei... has a new series coming out?"
"So soon? It's only April! Hikaru no Go ended in March, and a new series is already at the serialization meeting in April?"
"But didn't Aoba say his new series might not be released until June or later? If it gets delayed, we might not see his new manga until July, August, or even October." "
A manga released in June will definitely be at the serialization meeting in April! You don't think the manga magazines you bought today were drawn by the artist in their living room yesterday, do you? Magazines with tens of millions of copies sold need to be typeset, printed, and distributed to various sales channels weeks in advance!" "No
, that's too outrageous! Hikaru no Go only ended a month ago!"
"Is there any manga artist in Xia Country more hardworking than Aoba-sensei? Tears...
"
"Tears my foot! The manga industry is about skill, not hard work. If Aoba's new manga has a tragic ending like Hikaru no Go, then I'll truly become a hater!"
"Speaking of which, the leaker revealed that Aoba's new manga will be featured at the serialization meeting in late April, but didn't reveal what genre it will be?"
"Hopefully it'll be another sports manga."
"Aoba's romance manga is pretty good too! His two romance works, '5 Centimeters Per Second' and 'Tonight,' are being adapted into live-action movies, expected to be released in theaters next year. It's clear his romance works have a strong market appeal."
"I'm so lucky! I just started reading 'Hikaru no Go' last week, and I'll be able to see Aoba-sensei's new work in two months!"
While Xia Jing was busy finalizing the first three chapters of 'Hunter x Hunter' for the serialization meeting, related news was already spreading rapidly online.
Although the Huanmeng Group hadn't yet started promoting it, Aoba's new work had already become a focus of attention in the Xia Kingdom's manga industry this month.
Would this young genius's fourth work be a further step in his career, solidifying his position in the manga world, or... would
his manga career take a different path, with his new work flopping, his fans fading, and his popularity just a flash in the pan?
Mid-to-late April. Xia Jing immediately took leave to fully focus on creating the Hunter x Hunter manga and making changes to the plot details.
99 % of the original Hunter x Hunter manga is fine, but some things need slight alterations. For example, in the first chapter, Gon's reason for searching for his father is slightly out of step with mainstream values. When his foster mother, Mito, reveals that his father, Gin, abandoned his wife and children to become a Hunter, Gon, as a ten-year-old, not only doesn't get angry but also retorts, "But even if you have to abandon your own child, you still have to continue working. Doesn't that mean it's a noble job?" In fact, this kind of thinking in the manga might not have seemed problematic in Xia Jing's earlier years, but in Xia Country today, it's definitely unacceptable. The mainstream thought is that no profession or job can be more important than family. However, these are mostly minor details and don't affect the main storyline. Moreover, the original manga is at least a classic in its early stages, with high-quality artwork and panel layouts. Xia Jing will try his best to stay true to the original. As for Yoshihiro Togashi's overly casual attitude later on, using draft paper and blacked-out manga sketches to write long passages of dialogue and leaving the readers to imagine the plot and scenes themselves, that's a separate matter. They'll discuss it slowly once Hunter x Hunter reaches that part of the story. The time came to April 22nd... Su Mingxi personally went to Xia Jing's house. She spent two whole hours reading through the first three chapters of Xia Jing's Hunter x Hunter.
Closing her eyes, Su Mingxi finally let out a long breath.
"How was it? How did you feel?" Xia Jing asked curiously.
"It was quite interesting," Su Mingxi said without hesitation, looking at Xia Jing.
"But it's only interesting!"
Xia Jing understood what she meant.
In fact, most manga artists' works have a certain appeal at the beginning, just like playing Go or chess. Everyone starts with a set pattern, and you can't see much advantage or disadvantage in the early stages. This is
especially true for a medium-length manga like Hunter x Hunter. In the first few chapters, not all the characters have appeared, and the plot is still in a setup phase. The explosive plot that Su Mingxi wanted to see was naturally not going to happen.
However... this manga is the kind of work that gets more and more addictive the more you read it, and the more you think it's divine!
Xia Jing didn't know if Yoshihiro Togashi would ruin the ending, after all, he had a history of doing so, but at least after the Chimera Ant arc was serialized, this manga was worthy of the title of a masterpiece!
In the following period, Xia Jing also started the creation process of One-Punch Man.
In comparison, Xia Jing didn't have much to change about One-Punch Man.
It was originally an isekai (another world) setting, and as the investor, he didn't need to worry about the details. Although the production company wasn't confirmed yet, Xia Jing had already started creating character designs for the work... On
April 26th, the Huanmeng Group held a serialization meeting for Huanmeng Comic.
The result was unsurprising.
Hunter x Hunter overwhelmingly crushed other manga of the same period with a high score at the serialization meeting.
This included Su Qingxiao's new manga.
This was her second time submitting her work to the Huanmeng Comic serialization meeting, but unfortunately, she still failed to be selected, ranking fourth.
"Sigh..." Although she sighed somewhat, Su Qingxiao had a very high ability to adjust.
But since she hadn't succeeded in this serialization meeting, the next opportunity would probably have to wait several months, so her focus would definitely shift to another direction...
the Xia Kingdom's college entrance examination, which was only a month away.
Time passed, and it was the end of April.
After Hunter x Hunter secured its serialization rights, the Huanmeng Group began its promotional efforts.
The official website directly announced that the new work by the signed comic artist [Qingye] of Huanmeng Group will be released in June. This
was no longer the previous online "rumor," but a confirmed official announcement.
Xia Jing's fans were ecstatic.
What they were saying online was actually true!
"What's the release date?"
"June 16th, Wednesday!"
"The second week after the college entrance exam? Aoba-sensei's gone mad. Isn't he afraid that releasing his new work at this time will affect his college entrance exam scores?"
"Hey, you're the one who's crazy! Most people go to school to earn money. Aoba-sensei earns millions a month from his manga. You should be saying, 'Aoba-sensei, please don't let the college entrance exam affect his manga serialization!' How can you put the cart before the horse? Starting the manga a month earlier, earning an extra ten million, versus using that month to study and score twenty points higher on the college entrance exam—I'd choose the former!"
"Me too!"
"Me too."
"But why is Huanmeng Group still keeping it a secret? They haven't revealed the name or genre of Aoba-sensei's new manga at all! Are they crazy?!"
"Exactly! What would happen if they revealed the name and genre? So mysterious!"
"I hope Aoba-sensei's new manga is a huge hit, surpassing Hikaru no Go!"
"You Aoba fans are really optimistic? Still thinking about surpassing Hikaru no Go? I just hope this manga doesn't flop and become a disgrace."
"Exactly! Do you really think any manga genius can become a huge hit just by starting a new work? Last year, two former top-tier manga artists in Xia Guo started new works, but this year, their popularity was too low, and they were both canceled. The claim that 90% of top-tier manga artists rely on just one manga for their entire career is based on statistics!"
"I'm an insider at Huanmeng Group. To be honest, I've read Aoba's new manga, and it's far inferior to Hikaru no Go. The group only allowed this manga to be serialized because of him... Hikaru no Go fans shouldn't have any hope for this manga!"
"The former started a new work only two or three months after it ended, so you can imagine the quality of the plot. Hikaru no Go ended inexplicably, so how dare you read his new manga?"
After Huanmeng Group announced the serialization time of Xia Jing's new work, apart from the die-hard fans passionately discussing related topics,
a bunch of random people who appeared out of nowhere also started spreading rumors and slander against Aoba.
Many Hikaru no Go fans simply considered these people idiots, but Xia Jing and the insiders of Huanmeng Group understood that these people had most likely been paid by one or more of the six major comic book groups in Xia Guo, and were deliberately acting as online trolls to annoy people.
Hikaru no Go's success had deeply alarmed the other five groups.
During Hikaru no Go's serialization, the sales of Huanmeng Comic magazine increased from 17.2 million copies to 18.22 million copies.
Seeing these figures, the other companies were undoubtedly wary, and naturally, they spontaneously chose to spend money to manipulate public opinion regarding Aoba's upcoming new work.
The effect, well, was so-so.
Xia Jing kept an eye on the information online, and on the same
day Huanmeng Group announced the serialization date of Aoba's new work, under Su Mingxi's guidance, Xia Jing met with Qin Siyun, the chairman and producer of Qijing Animation, a well-known animation production company in Xia Guo.
Qin Siyun, Su Mingxi's college roommate, was also a rare beauty, but she paled in comparison to the Su sisters.
The company she managed, "Wonderland Animation," was quite well-known in the Chinese animation industry. They had participated in or even independently produced many popular Chinese animations, producing highly acclaimed episodes.
Unfortunately, once the company gained strength, it became less willing to take on commissions from other companies, wanting to produce its own original animations.
Then, their projects flopped, and a broken funding chain plunged the company into a financial crisis.
Just then, a friend introduced her to Qingye, a major investor, who had commissioned their company to produce an original script. Qin Siyun initially refused.
However, upon hearing that Xia Jing, as an investor, intended to invest over 30 million in her script for a single season…
her initial refusal during a conversation with Su Mingxi a few days prior transformed into a statement that she was also a fan of Qingye's animation and very much looking forward to collaborating with them.
After all, in the Chinese animation industry, a 10 million investment for a seasonal anime series is considered acceptable, and 20 million is excellent. Xia Jing's proposed 30 million investment is at least a very high level per episode in the animation industry—it's practically… approaching the masses with a hundred million!
Despite her inner musings, Qin Siyun was certain to be extremely enthusiastic after meeting Xia Jing in person.
Moreover, she was naturally eager to secure Xia Jing's investment opportunity.
"One-Punch Man?" Qin Siyun picked up the file folder Xia Jing had shown her.
Inside were some setting details for One-Punch Man and character line art for important roles.
"A hero born of interest...?"
Any enemy, knocked down with one punch.
If one punch isn't enough, then two.
Because there were no plans to turn it into a manga, Xia Jing had only shown her storyboards of some famous plot points from the first two volumes of One-Punch Man.
Her first reaction when reading Xia Jing's content was...
"Interesting!"
A faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
Unlike Su Mingxi, who didn't notice anything particularly noteworthy when watching the first three episodes of Hunter x Hunter,
Qin Siyun could sense that One-Punch Man subverted plot conventions from beginning to end.
Su Mingxi, who was watching alongside her, had a complicated expression.
Judging solely from the beginning of the story, she even thought One-Punch Man was more interesting than Hunter x Hunter.
"Aoba-sensei, your request is fine..." Qin Siyun took a deep breath and said.
"Animation production is different from other industries. It's not that you get a return for every penny you spend. It's that you might get a return only if you spend that penny." Qin Siyun said.
"I can guarantee that if this work is produced by our company, the final quality of the finished product will not be worse than any other anime series that started airing in the same season with an investment of less than 30 million."
"No matter which company takes over the production!" Qin Siyun said.
Her animation company may be small, but its staff are all highly capable and seasoned professionals in the industry. With sufficient funding, Qin Siyun didn't believe her team would lose to the larger animation companies.
Xia Jing took a sip of his coffee.
"I need to visit your company before making a decision," Xia Jing said.
"Don't worry, Professor Qingye, this is only natural," Qin Siyun smiled.
Xia Jing had been researching the episodes that Qijing Animation had previously worked on...
and it turned out that Su Mingxi hadn't lied to him.
This company was indeed very skilled in animation production.
Their original animations were generally of high quality, but the problem was that they weren't popular.
An anime that isn't popular is simply not popular, even if the plot and quality are excellent, and even if fans give it high scores, it will still perform poorly.
Whether in Xia Jing's previous life or in Xia Country, there were plenty of highly praised but poorly performing anime.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have had this meeting with the chairman of the other party today.
"If I may be so bold as to ask, if our company does indeed reach a cooperation agreement with you, Mr. Aoba, when do you plan to see the finished product for your animation?"
"It's April now. If possible, I'd like to see the first episode in October," Xia Jing paused before replying.
"If everything goes smoothly, you plan to release it in October?" Qin Siyun's expression turned serious upon hearing this. Normally, it's considered normal for an animation to take a year from project initiation to broadcast.
But that's under the condition that investors hold various meetings and discussions, and confirm various details, which delays production.
If Xia Jing can avoid delays in receiving funding for this manga, and if he doesn't arbitrarily change the established settings and plot during the process, causing animation segments to be reworked,
and then the entire animation can be completed smoothly in one go,
it's not impossible to finish a high-quality animation within that timeframe.
After all, it only takes five or six months to produce the first episode, and the subsequent three months after the animation's broadcast can be used to follow up on the production of the series. In reality, there's a production cycle of more than half a year. "That's right, "
Xia Jing nodded.
was still in April, negotiating with an animation production company, and it's going to premiere on October 1st?
Hearing this, Su Mingxi wanted to advise Xia Jing not to panic so much. Although the 30 million wasn't her money, and she was a wealthy woman herself, she understood that making money wasn't easy.
Xia Jing's new manga could still follow the same path as other famous manga artists, with lukewarm results after serialization. It wasn't a small probability that Xia Jing's last successful manga would be *Hikaru no Go*.
Earning tens of millions a year certainly sounds impressive.
But most popular manga artists in China probably don't realize that they've earned a lifetime's worth of money in their most popular years, so they need to be careful with their spending.
Even though she was the one who introduced Xia Jing to the Wonderland Animation Production Company, she still hoped Xia Jing would proceed steadily and polish *Hunter x Hunter* manga... This was hard-earned money!
"It's okay... For me, time is the most valuable thing," Xia Jing smiled slightly at Su Mingxi.
"Life is short, and I only have a few decades of prime time. I don't have time to spend three years honing a single
project," Xia Jing said, looking at Qin Siyun. "Ms. Qin, although we haven't confirmed our collaboration yet, let me start by assuming we can reach an agreement in the future. You don't need to worry about the money for the One-Punch Man anime. Even if the 30 million isn't enough, I can make up the difference elsewhere. You can include your company's normal profit margin in the production costs. Although I'm young, I'm not the kind of stingy investor...
"
"I only have one request: although the production time isn't sufficient, please make the animation as high-quality as possible!"
Qin Siyun looked at Xia Jing, her eyes lighting up.
In fact, many animation production companies in China don't have much financial strength.
Animation production is actually a low-asset industry. The most crucial thing is the staff. As long as you have excellent employees and a boss with a wide network of connections to get work, many animation production companies can survive by contracting out other animation projects.
However, many small animation production companies, having accumulated enough capital, risk going into independent animation production for growth. If successful, a hit animation can bring in several times, even dozens of times, their investment in return. If
they fail... given that an animation production cost can easily reach tens of millions, many owners go bankrupt on the spot.
Qin Siyun is one such animation company owner. She has some assets in Shanghai, but not much. She certainly can't come up with tens of millions like Xia Jing, nor does she have the family
wealth of Su Mingxi. Su Mingxi's mother was a top-tier comic artist, famous for ten years, and her villa in a prime area of Shanghai was worth nine figures. Xia Jing's words gave Qin Siyun immediate confidence.
She used to see groups of animation fans online criticizing which animation company had the best animation and which had terrible quality.
But these casual viewers didn't consider the investment capital provided by investors.
"With money, anyone can make good animation," Qin Siyun clenched her fist slightly.
"This is an opportunity for [Wonderland Animation]! One-Punch Man is an original anime, but its creator, Aoba, is so famous. The anime will definitely attract a lot of manga fans after it airs. If we can choose a good broadcast time and improve the production quality..."
Could it be...?
Five words flashed through Qin Siyun's mind.
[An opportunity to become famous!]
According to normal industry standards, Xia Jing's investment in One-Punch Man would only yield a profit margin of about 15% of the total budget.
This amount of money wasn't small, but it wasn't enough to excite her.
Rather, investors like Xia Jing, who have the money and don't interfere in the production, are too rare.
The investment in this anime is sufficient; she could even earn a little less, but as long as she can build a good reputation for One-Punch Man...
her Wonderland Animation production company will become famous in the industry, making it much easier to find investors in the future, and the development prospects will be different.
After finishing his conversation with Qin Siyun, Xia Jing left temporarily, allowing Su Mingxi and Qin Siyun, two college colleagues who hadn't seen each other for a long time, to catch up.
After Xia Jing left, Qin Siyun finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Mingxi, it has to be you!" Qin Siyun sighed.
"With your talent, I thought you were crazy when you struggled to become a comic editor at Huanmeng Group after graduation. I never expected you to be so good at it, discovering a comic artist of Qingye's caliber so easily!"
"I didn't discover him; he rose to prominence through his own talent." Su Mingxi picked up her coffee and took a sip.
"No matter which company he works for or which editor he collaborates with, he is still the renowned Qingye in the Xia Kingdom's comic industry."
"So young, investing tens of millions like that, it really shocked me." Qin Siyun paused for a moment before saying.
"If you were sure you could earn hundreds of millions next year and double your income the year after, would you care about tens of millions?"
"His new comic hasn't been released yet, right? What if it flops? Where will he earn nine figures next year?" Qin Siyun said.
"That possibility exists in reality, but it doesn't exist in his mind!" Su Mingxi said helplessly.
"He gets a little nervous before the Hikaru no Go serialization, but he's very relaxed with his new manga. I can tell what he's thinking... Whether it's his upcoming manga or One-Punch Man... he's absolutely certain that both works will be hits, will be huge hits. Although his confidence is unfounded, it's so strong that everyone around him can sense it without him saying a word."
Qin Siyun thought for a long time after hearing this before sighing.
"Geniuses definitely think differently from me. At least before I do anything, I think about the worst possible outcome!"
"Alright, I won't talk to you anymore, I have to leave too. Xia Jing might visit my company later, I need to prepare, and... if he really decides to cooperate with me, then I need to contact my acquaintances in the industry to help me poach some great animation directors, illustrators, and music directors... As long as the cooperation is confirmed, I, as the producer, will definitely push all the employees in the company to give 120%!"
Early May ended quietly.
By mid-May, Xia Jing was no longer on leave and returned to school.
The entire school was now shrouded in a tense atmosphere.
Even Xia Jing's class, where students who usually enjoyed reading comics, had started studying.
The high achievers were consolidating their knowledge, the lower achievers were cramming, and the struggling students were pondering how to answer questions for the college entrance exam.
Even the students who usually looked down on academics were now thinking about getting every point they could. However
, the two least tense in the entire class were Su Qingxiao and Xia Jing.
Xia Jing focused most of his attention on comics, while Su Mingxi had been rejected twice by Huanmeng Comics. At the second serialization meeting, Xia Jing's *Hunter x Hunter* ultimately got the serialization opportunity.
This was a significant blow to her, and she was quite dejected.
But Xia Jing couldn't comfort her, since he was the culprit behind her second failed submission to Huanmeng Comics.
It can only be said that Su Qingxiao, as a somewhat famous genius comic artist in the Xia Kingdom's comic industry, has begun to feel the pressure of this industry.
Genius is just a stepping stone!
On May 11th, after several conversations with Qin Siyun and visits to Qijing Animation Production Company, Xia Jing finally signed a formal commission contract with them.
On May 15th, Huanmeng Group officially began promoting the upcoming Hunter x Hunter manga, which would begin serialization in a month.
A large number of Aoba fans in Xia Kingdom began to focus their attention on this officially announced manga, titled "Hunter x Hunter."
Hunter?
And full-time?
Is Aoba-sensei going to start this anime with the protagonist fighting wild boars right from the beginning?
I really can't understand how Hunter x Hunter could be made into a manga?
But then I think that even a niche sports manga like Hikaru no Go can become popular, so a professional manga like Hunter x Hunter shouldn't be a problem!
On May 19th, the first-week sales figures for Hikaru no Go volume 11 were released.
The 4.25 million copies sold in the first week silenced many in the Chinese manga industry.
Who said that Hikaru no Go, with its unclear meaning but ending serialization, would definitely see a sharp drop in popularity?
It's been almost two months since Hikaru no Go ended, and the sales of the manga volumes have been increasing month by month. Volume 11 even set a new record for the highest first-week sales of a Hikaru no Go volume, surpassing the entire serialization period—this is truly outrageous…
Unfortunately…
this manga is a Go manga; it will always remain a manga, at most adapted into anime and TV dramas. Other copyright developments are out of the question for Hikaru no Go.
Otherwise, Xia Jing's name would very likely be among the top ten highest-earning active manga artists in China this year.
On May 20th, after more than a week of preparation by Qijing Animation, Qin Siyun had assembled the entire production team for the animation. Due to the animation's high investment and Qin Siyun's connections in the industry, she recruited several well-known talents to join the One-Punch Man production team.
Because Xia Jing was straightforward and didn't issue inconsistent orders, everything proceeded extremely quickly. However, this didn't mean Xia Jing had no requirements for One-Punch Man; rather, he laid out detailed requirements from the beginning.
Xia Jing provided specific frameworks for the storyboards of many classic scenes, character designs, character appearances, music style, and the desired animation effects.
In short, the animation director and art team could freely express themselves within the given framework, but that was all. If
you wanted to draw One-Punch Man in a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure style, creating according to the director's aesthetic, forget about it.
On May 31st, there were less than twenty days left until the Hunter x Hunter serialization began.
There were seven days left until Xia Jing's college entrance exam.
The Fantasy Dream Group didn't miss any promotional opportunity, even summoning Xia Jing, who was resting at home, to the group for a college entrance exam celebration and an online Q&A session about the Hunter x Hunter manga.
During the live stream, Xia Jing, guided by the host, answered questions from Xia Guo's fans. These included concerns about his college entrance exam performance and his desired university and major
. Of course, asking about his college entrance exam was just a pretext. The group's real promotional focus was on the Hunter x Hunter manga. During the live stream, Xia Jing fulfilled all the fans' expectations. "Hunter x Hunter is a shonen manga!" "And Hunter x Hunter's success will definitely surpass Hikaru no Go!" "This is a work that will excite fans. It will also be a manga that changes the current landscape of shonen manga in Xia Guo! This time, I'm not aiming for the number one most popular manga in the Fantasy Dream Group! But for the entire Xia Guo, during the Hunter x Hunter serialization period, to be number one in popularity among all serialized manga!" May ended, June arrived. Xia Jing's remarks during last night's live stream were so explosive that they quickly spread across major comic book forums and websites in China the following day. A large number of casual viewers and comic book fans flooded the Huanmeng Group's official website, fueled by embellished media reports. "Here you are! This is the manga platform where the future number one manga artist in Xia Country serializes his work, right? I'll take a look!" "To be honest, I know about the manga *Hikaru no Go*. My dad's a huge fan of the *Hikaru no Go* TV series. I don't have any particularly malicious opinions about Aoba; he's just a somewhat arrogant genius manga artist. But look at what he said in his interview last night. A work that defines shonen manga, *Hunter x Hunter*, during its serialization, he wants to become the most popular manga in Xia Country? Is this guy out of his mind? He thinks he's the king of *Phantom Dream* magazine?" " Me too, it made me laugh!" "It's just a publicity stunt. Talking big doesn't cost anything. At least it lets you know there's a work called *Hunter x Hunter*, so the goal is achieved, isn't it?" "But a man who only talks big and can't deliver is shameful!" "Who says he can't deliver? Aoba-sensei seems to have never broken his word, has he?" "He was only 17 when his manga reached the top of Fantasy Comics, and he's already projecting his work will be number one in popularity in China by age 18. Is there anything wrong with that? Having dreams is better than you bunch of lazy bums who only know how to criticize , right? You're clearly dying of jealousy, envious of Aoba-sensei's genius but too ashamed to admit it. You've finally found an excuse for Aoba-sensei to mock him for being unhumble... You've really gone to great lengths!" "The person upstairs is really aggressive; these people are going to be overwhelmed by this!" " Haha, although I often criticize Aoba's plot for being too cheesy, it's because I love Hikaru no Go. Where did these country bumpkins come from to mock Aoba?" "I'll start this thread and come back in a year or two to dig it up and see if Aoba's Hunter x Hunter can become number one in popularity in China... Forget it, let's not even talk about number one, let's just say top three. If it achieves that, please bookmark it and remind me when the time comes. I'll record a video and kneel down to apologize to Aoba and all of you Aoba fans." "A hunting comic wants to be the most popular comic in Xia Country? That's ridiculous! Xia Country is a civilized society, not a savage society. Hunting comics have no audience in this world!" All day long, Xia Jing's remarks stirred up a storm in the Xia Country comic book world. After all, whether you admit it or not, Xia Jing is currently the number one genius among young comic book artists in Xia Country. His achievements speak for themselves!
For someone to say such things so soon after the start of a new manga's serialization, even if it's for marketing purposes, is far too outrageous.
After all, if the manga's performance is mediocre, a group of haters who have long been unhappy with Aoba will revel in it.
Of course, Xia Jing is paying close attention to these online discussions, but he doesn't care.
Half of what he said was for marketing his new manga, and the other half reflected his true feelings.
Previously, when Aoba was mentioned in the Chinese manga industry, industry peers would always say that manga artists who don't draw shonen manga will never become top-tier artists in China, at best only first-tier.
Well, Xia Jing is now going to show the Chinese manga industry what a top-tier shonen manga looks like.
A few days have passed, and with more than a week left before the start of Hunter x Hunter's serialization, the atmosphere among Xia Jing's fans has already become tense.
Every day, a large number of fans log onto the official website and leave numerous speculations about the Hunter x Hunter manga.
Coupled with Xia Jing's words, the threshold for anticipation for the Hunter x Hunter serialization among fans is also rising.
Even just observing this unserialized manga, his peers in the Chinese manga industry can feel a sense of pressure.
They knew very well that this kind of fan attention was a double-edged sword. If
the work was of high quality, its fame would spread in a very short time. But what if the situation was exactly the opposite?
Then even a 70-point work would be criticized down to a 30-point.
The time came to June 7th.
The college entrance examination for all high school students in the entire Xia Kingdom had arrived.
Xia Jing, who had never rested since transmigrating and had never stopped drawing comics, finally began to rest these two days and focused all his energy on the college entrance examination!
Although he had focused most of his energy on comics since transmigrating, Xia Jing, who also attended classes on weekdays, had long since recovered and even surpassed his high school level in his previous life.
He was quite confident about this year's college entrance examination!
He did well in Chinese in the morning, but after finishing the math exam in the afternoon, he frowned.
Several questions were so difficult that he directly used university knowledge to force the answers.
By evening, the internet was flooded with students' angry voices cursing the math exam setter...
"Haha, it's the same in every world!" Xia Jing laughed out loud when he saw this.
That evening, Xia Jing compared answers with Su Qingxiao. Although he still got some questions wrong, overall, he was satisfied with his performance.
The two subjects the following day went smoothly, with moderate difficulty. Three years of high school, two days of exams... that's the college entrance exam.
And this also marked Xia Jing's complete transition from high school student status...
After the two-day college entrance exam,
for Xia Jing, the next thing... was vacation, and...
in a few days, the first chapter of Hunter x Hunter would be released with the Fantasy Dream Comic magazine!
A few days ago, with many students focused on the college entrance exam, the main focus of comic book fans was elsewhere, so Xia Jing's creator account was relatively quiet.
But now...
just before the release of the latest issue of Fantasy Dream Comic,
Hunter x Hunter, a manga for which no one has even seen a single online character design,
has basically jumped into the top ten of recent trending topics on major comic websites in China, ranking alongside many of China's top-tier comics currently being serialized
After the college entrance exams, a relaxed atmosphere permeated the entire society of Xia Kingdom.
Although the results hadn't been released yet, most students were too lazy to think about it.
Those who wanted to play games played games, those who wanted to travel went on trips, those who wanted to watch anime watched anime...
Entertainment spending across society clearly increased.
As for fans of Huanmeng Comic and Aoba's manga, they were clearly in a state of high excitement these past few days.
"It's here! It's about to start serialization, Hunter x Hunter!"
"I heard it's a shonen action manga. Aoba-sensei seems to have never drawn anything like this before!" "
He hadn't even serialized any manga before 5 Centimeters Per Second, and he hadn't submitted any work to any new manga magazines, but that doesn't stop 5 Centimeters Per Second from being adapted into a movie next year. So what if it's a shonen action manga?" "
It's just that the name 'Hunter x Hunter' is a bit too much! His previous works didn't have such terrible titles!"
"Yeah, although many people speculate that this manga might be about hunting, I can only say you're all overthinking it. That type of work would never pass the serialization meeting of Fantasy Comics, nor would it pass the official content review of Xia Country. Hunting protected wild animals is definitely not allowed. I guess this manga definitely won't be as straightforward as the name...
"
"Can't they just name their works more simply and directly? If the author of this manga wasn't Aoba-sensei, I wouldn't be interested just from the name."
"Only novice manga artists need gimmicky titles to attract readers. A manga artist of Aoba's caliber can use any title; just using the pen name 'Aoba' is enough."
"Honestly, it still doesn't feel real. I've been following Aoba's manga since '5 Centimeters Per Second,' and in such a short time, he's already the youngest top-tier manga artist in Xia Country." "
There were several founding emperors in ancient times who conquered the world in five or six years. This is nothing. For geniuses, this kind of thing is just a habit."
"Three days! Just three more days until I see Aoba's new manga! I hope it won't disappoint me!
I'm a girl, and I never read shonen manga, but this time I'm going to follow it because of Aoba!"
"Girls read shonen battle manga?"
"Of course! As long as the protagonist has normal values, the manga focuses on the plot, and there aren't any inexplicable romance scenes, why wouldn't I read shonen manga? We like action too!"
"Don't think that Aoba-sensei's works have few female fans. He initially pretended to be a female manga artist drawing shoujo manga, and even now, the percentage of his female readers is no lower than that of men...
But it all depends on how his new work turns out. If it's not handled well, many female readers might give up!"
In the three days leading up to the Hunter x Hunter serialization date, Xia Jing's fans were becoming more and more active. A manga with only one name announced had already become a highly discussed work among manga fans in Xia Country.
Soon...
it was June 16th.
Starting at 5 a.m., a large number of Aoba fans began to discuss various topics on the forum, waiting for the bookstores to open after 8 a.m.
Lin Xiaoyan was also unable to sleep.
Three months after Hikaru no Go ended, those who used to hate Aoba couldn't find any new points to criticize in the face of Hikaru no Go's steadily increasing sales and reputation. They were completely defeated by Aoba fans and continued to gather strength to criticize after the Hunter x Hunter manga serialization started today.
Lin Xiaoyan also started arguing with these haters early in the morning, and by the time she realized it was already dawn.
"Let's go, let's go." Lin Xiaoyan took a deep breath, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and left home.
The gentle breeze of the June morning refreshed her.
She quickly arrived at the bookstore near her home, and before even entering, she saw a giant poster hanging at the main entrance. It featured
a black-haired boy in a green suit, a fishing rod slung over his shoulder, and an innocent expression. There was also
a silver-haired boy with a cold expression
, a boy with red eyes staring seriously at a spider on the back of his hand,
and a relaxed-looking young man in a suit carrying a briefcase.
The four stood together, their postures and heights varying, yet it was immediately clear that
they were companions, friends!
At the very top of the colorful poster were
the words "Hunter x Hunter," prominently displayed.
Xia Jing's use of the Hunter x Hunter art style in Xia Country was an improvement upon the original Hunter x Hunter from her previous life.
While the original manga's style from the last century was indeed outdated, the basic physical characteristics of the characters were retained, with only minor adjustments made to the details.
So, the moment Lin Xiaoyan saw the poster, her feeling was...
exquisite but not flashy, something female readers would like, but male readers wouldn't dislike either.
At least she really liked the art style of this comic. Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiaoyan went to the comic section of the bookstore.
Unsurprisingly, the cover of the first week of the serialization in Huanmeng Comic was still the same character from the poster.
Only the image had changed to a little boy in green clothes holding a woman with a gentle expression...
What kind of comic is this?
Lin Xiaoyan wondered curiously.
She quickly paid for the comic magazine, then sat down directly in the reading area of the bookstore, tore open the plastic wrap...
No need to search through the catalog, the first page of this issue was the serialization page for Hunter x Hunter.
Lin Xiaoyan's eyes lit up at the start of the manga.
In fact, many manga authors cut corners by minimizing background detail, often leaving only the protagonist's head in the frame, resulting in a sparse and empty image.
But in Hunter x Hunter, perhaps because it was the first chapter, the melancholic woman on the first page—regardless of the details—and the tavern background behind her...
it was exquisite! Such attention to detail...was Aoba still preparing for his college entrance exams when he drew the first chapter of Hunter x Hunter?
Could he really work that hard?
The story quickly unfolded.
A young woman and her mother began discussing a boy named Gon.
From their conversation, it became clear that
this woman, Mito, was Gon's adoptive mother.
They were worried about Gon, who, at only ten years old, had run off to the mountains alone during the current storm...
"I promised him I'd be back before sunset. I just don't want him to be a person who breaks his promise," Mito replied.
"You can replace his mother, but you can't replace his father..." the grandmother said.
The perspective shifted to the mountains.
A young boy was being chased by a giant bear-like creature.
At the crucial moment, a slender man drew his sword and killed the giant bear, saving him.
But after confirming the boy was safe, he punched him.
"Who would venture into the mountains this time of year? Didn't your father teach you this? If only we couldn't hear these sounds, we wouldn't have had to kill it," the man said angrily, looking at the bear he had killed. "
I have no father or mother. They died unexpectedly shortly after I was born! I was raised by my aunt..."
This encounter was the beginning of everything.
Lin Xiaoyan turned the pages one by one.
Hunter x Hunter isn't a slow burn, but its narrative pace isn't fast either; it's steady and methodical.
Other shonen manga like to introduce their premises at the beginning.
But Hunter x Hunter starts with Gon, a boy raised by his aunt, meeting Kite, revealing that Gon's father, Ging, is not dead, and that Kite is actually Ging's apprentice, there to complete the final test assigned by his teacher—finding his teacher, Ging...
Furthermore, their conversation introduces a type of character that runs throughout the entire story.
[Hunter…]
A unique group in this world, they explore treasures, pursue ancient secrets, discover world cuisines, accept commissions, and live on the edge of the world's most dangerous places, yet are recognized by various countries and possess immense social status…
"This… according to this logic, the hunters in the manga seem like special agents, right? But not agents of a particular country, but agents of the world." Lin Xiaoyan's interest was piqued.
As long as it wasn't actually hunting.
Since his encounter with Kate, ten-year-old Gon had developed a deep curiosity about the hunter profession.
After returning home, he asked his adoptive mother, Aunt Mito, about his father, only to be met with evasive answers…
After firmly telling Aunt Mito his desire to become a hunter…
he was met with her scolding and rejection.
[I want to become a hunter and find my father!]
[So what if you find him? He abandoned you when you were just a baby!]
Lin Xiaoyan felt a pang of pain upon reading this.
The plot of Hunter x Hunter is very simple, even elementary school students can understand it, but it's precisely this simple plot that allowed her to quickly immerse herself in it, and she felt this way after just the first chapter...
The reason is simple: the character development is excellent.
Every line of dialogue is superfluous, and every scene and panel is purposeful, with no shots that are meaningless.
Especially the characterization of Mito, the adoptive mother.
The narration doesn't say a word, but Lin Xiaoyan, reading the manga, knows that Mito's opposition to Gon becoming a Hunter stems more from her concern for his safety and... her fear that her adopted son might never return.
She truly treats Gon as her own child!
[That's right, Ging is a Hunter, always traveling. He only comes back occasionally...]
Actually, in the anime of the previous Hunter x Hunter series, Mito was set up as Ging's sister-in-law. But in the original manga, the two are cousins.
Of course, this doesn't affect the main plot.
[I hate Ging's profession! What do Hunters do? They have to abandon their families and loved ones! And you, to find him, are going to become a Hunter?!] Mito said angrily.
In the darkness, the little boy sitting on the windowsill looked at his adoptive mother with unwavering eyes.
He uttered words that touched Lin Xiaoyan deeply!
"So, I want to see for myself. Is the job of a hunter truly worth abandoning one's own child and family for?"
Lin Xiaoyan's eyes widened; she was captivated by the manga's portrayal of Gon.
A ten-year-old boy, after learning the truth about his father, showed no distress, no resentment, only unwavering determination and a relentless pursuit of answers.
What kind of profession and job could be so compelling?
If Ging was a bad person? Could he have taught a student like Kate, who felt remorse even for killing a wild beast? If Ging was
n't a bad person... then what kind of job did he do that would make him disregard his wife and children?
A hunter...
a hunter!
"You really are his child..." Mitt took a few steps back, ending the conversation, but then saw his mother at the doorway and involuntarily covered his mouth, bursting into tears.
The next day, Mito gave Gon a fishing rod and said,
"If you can catch the Swamp Lord, I'll allow you to leave home to take the Hunter Exam!"
A Hunter?
An exam?
The manga subtly introduces some key elements to the story.
The Hunter Exam is actually the most important main plot point in the early chapters.
The first chapter clearly
establishes the narrative, showing Gon catching the Swamp Lord a year later in just a few scenes.
It also ultimately gets Mito to sign and fingerprint Gon's Hunter Exam registration form.
At the end of the first chapter, Mito apologizes to Gon before his departure.
"I said a lot of bad things about your father, some of which I made up. I'm sorry!"
By the lake on the island, Mito says to Gon with tears in her eyes.
"I knew those were lies all along. Because Aunt Mito never looks me in the face when she lies!" Gon smiles in the sunset.
Mito cries and hugs Gon.
The manga ends with Gon hugging Mito in return!
"Although I don't know what my mother smells like, Aunt Mito smells just like my mother. I will never forget her no matter where I am..."
"Because, Aunt Mito is my mother..."
Lin Xiaoyan's eyes reddened upon seeing this line.
She flipped through the pages, only to find there was no more.
The first chapter of Hunter x Hunter didn't focus much on the hunter profession itself, but instead on building the bond between Mito and Gon.
In most manga, the protagonist's family members are practically just NPCs, barely perceptible.
But Hunter x Hunter, through just one chapter, gave Lin Xiaoyan a strong sense of immersion, truly feeling the mother's reluctance to let her child leave.
"Wow, that's amazing! Aoba-sensei... are you really only seventeen?" Lin Xiaoyan leaned back in her chair, savoring the story.
Unlike most shonen manga, Hunter x Hunter didn't depict a lot of battles in the first chapter.
In reality, any manga, novel, or movie, setting aside special effects and battle scenes, is over 70% about depicting the complex relationships between people (you can replace their mother, but you can't replace their father...).
The battles in action manga are merely the result of plot development; the most compelling part is the process of why battles are necessary to reach that point.
How powerful the Hunter class is is irrelevant; what matters is that Gon, the protagonist, gains Lin Xiaoyan's approval and affection through his performance in the first chapter, thus generating anticipation for the Hunter Exam...
"What will the next chapter be like?"
From daytime, readers who bought large quantities of Hunter x Hunter magazine began frantically commenting online.
Of course, the haters wouldn't miss this opportunity either.
"That's it? I finished the first chapter and still don't know what the Hunters are for! Is Aoba joking?
" "
Why give the protagonist of a shonen manga a foster mother? Isn't it the norm in Chinese manga to start with both parents dying?"
"Isn't this supposed to be a shonen battle manga? How come the protagonist is fishing in the first chapter? That's too much!"
"The manga's only the first chapter, what's the rush? What popular manga becomes a legend in the first chapter?
Aren't the first two or three chapters of every manga about setting up the world?"
"The haters have been holding back for three months, and finally couldn't hold back anymore, right?"
"It's really good! Hunter x Hunter's first chapter, it's rare to see a manga portray the protagonist's family so touchingly!"
"Is the protagonist a ten-year-old kid?" "
Twelve years old. He appears at ten in the manga, but later he spends a year or two searching for the Swamp Lord!"
"A ten-year-old fishing in a swamp, Aoba-sensei really knows how to do that, training fishermen from childhood, right?"
"It's a pretty interesting manga, I can keep reading!"
"Me too! And remember to vote for Hunter x Hunter after you finish reading!"
Xia Jing spent the entire day focused on online opinions.
Conversations between his die-hard fans, anti-fans hired by other companies, and ordinary passersby were endless.
Generally speaking, there was nothing to criticize about the first chapter of Hunter x Hunter.
Even the anti-fans couldn't find much to complain about, since the first chapter's plot was quite good, more touching than 80% of the first chapters of popular shonen manga in Xia Country.
It didn't rely on drawing skills to attract readers, but instead depicted a moving mother-son relationship.
Everyone understood... that it was impossible to definitively judge the manga's quality now; a clearer picture would emerge in a few weeks after more characters appeared and the world-building was revealed.
Those currently following Hunter x Hunter, whether anti-fans or die-hard fans, weren't focusing on the plot,
but rather on the rankings to be announced tomorrow.
After all, Hikaru no Go held the record for the most weekly manga popularity votes since Genmei Comics introduced online voting.
If the author of Hikaru no Go starts a new work and it doesn't perform well in the rankings, that would really make the news!