Anime Crossover: Becoming Mangaka in Anime World

Encouraged by Hiratsuka's words to "keep it up and aim for the second round of evaluations," Akifumi left the teacher's office, carrying a bag of snacks.

As soon as he stepped back into the classroom, the bell signaling the start of class rang.

The boys and girls who had gathered around Shiina Mahiru immediately returned to their seats.

After class, the class monitor took a boy to pick up a new set of desks and chairs, so now, Mahiru's seat was no longer next to Akifumi. Instead...

"Why choose this one? Isn't the one in front better?" Akifumi asked, puzzled, as he glanced at the new addition to his seat.

Shiina Mahiru looked at him with her innocent, sad eyes.

"In this unfamiliar place, the only thing that feels familiar is Akifumi-kun, so..."

She didn't say it outright, but her meaning was clear.

Still, Akifumi couldn't help but think, But you've only met me yesterday, right?

Though he thought this in his heart, he didn't say it out loud, not wanting to be too insensitive.

"Being trusted like this... It really puts pressure on me!" he joked with a slight smile.

Mahiru's eyes lit up as she smiled back.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, Akifumi-kun."

At the same time, in Shueisha's routine meeting...

"... The Black Holy Flame Mage has been at the bottom of the ratings for four weeks in a row. It's suggested that the serialization be canceled."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

"..."

The proposal was quickly passed with unanimous approval from all eight editors-in-chief.

"Since Kino-san is under Editor Kobayashi's department, after the meeting, we'll need you to notify him," said one of the editors.

Naturally, Shueisha would post an official announcement on their website after the meeting, but the tradition was for the editor-in-chief to personally inform the creator.

"Sure," the man nodded calmly.

At Shueisha, it was nothing unusual to cancel a serialization.

Even though the number of serialized works could affect year-end bonuses, it wasn't enough to move the man emotionally.

After all, there were always works going up and others going down. As long as something new came along, it would be fine.

The elderly man sitting at the head of the table, the editor-in-chief of Shueisha, Torishima Kazu, spoke in his usual calm tone, "Let's move on to the next topic."

"…"

Half an hour passed in silence.

Torishima Kazu finally spoke again: "Next, let's discuss the three awards for the Tezuka Award."

At the end of May, the list for the second-round evaluations would be announced, and seven days after that, the final rankings for the grand prize would be revealed.

Though there were still 20 or so days left, the spots for second-round evaluations had already been decided.

 This time was Mihari's job for error corrections and to arrange meetings between the editors and the creators, like with Onizuka Shin, who had been scheduled to meet his author early.

"First, the 'Nominee Award'... If anyone has any suggestions, you can bring them up now."

There were three awards for the Tezuka Prize: the 'Nominee,' 'Pre-Nominee,' and 'Honorable Mention.'

The 'Nominee' was the most prestigious, with the highest evaluation standards. If there weren't any truly suitable works, the award would re-run vacant.

As Torishima Kazu spoke, the meeting room went quiet.

One minute later.

Torishima sighed. "Nothing again?"

When was the last time someone won the 'Nominee Award'? Five years ago? Six? Or maybe even longer?

"With time, my memory's failing," Torishima murmured, then continued,

"If there's no nominee, this year's award will re-run vacant too."

"After all, we can't just hand the 'Nominee' to any random work."

"The reason the Tezuka Prize has its current reputation is because it has retained high standards for decades."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

"…"

All eight editors-in-chief unanimously agreed.

"Next, let's move on to the 'Pre-Nominee' evaluations."

With Torishima's words, the room quiet at first. Many people raised their hands, ready to speak.

Torishima looked around, his gaze falling on a woman in a white dress with green hair who looked almost like a young girl.

"Editor Minano, you're very eager today. Why don't you start?"

Some of the others looked slightly disappointed at this, but they still put their hands down and looked toward Minano with curiosity.

When it came to who had the best track record among the editors, there was no real debate. But if there was someone who was the most laid-back, it would definitely be Minano.

Seeing her so proactive was a rare sight, one that had never happened before.

"Looks like it's going to be a good work!" many thought to themselves.

The normally calm Minano had become so motivated—there must have been a special reason for that.

Minano nodded at the others and spoke, "Actually, I'm not quite sure how to evaluate this work."

"Oh? Even Minano can't make up her mind?" Torishima was a little surprised.

Minano had reached her position as editor-in-chief by being calm and steady, without ever forcing things. So, her hesitation was notable.

"What kind of work could make her uncertain?" the other editors wondered.

"It's hard to describe with words, but how about we all take a look at the original manuscript first?" Minano suggested.

Torishima nodded in agreement, and Minano stood up. She handed a copy of the manuscript to Torishima and each editor-in-chief before sitting back down.

"Magical Girl Madoka"

Seeing the title, Torishima was slightly surprised. He definitely remembered this one—it was the only magical girl-themed work to have passed the first-round evaluations.

Since he remembered it, that was why he was surprised.

Even a newly hired editor could analyze a magical girl-themed story and give it a reasonable review.

But for a seasoned editor like him to be uncertain about its final rating?

"That means there must be something special about this work," he thought.

It wasn't just Torishima who realized this; the other editors knew it too.

"What's so special about this work that even a seasoned editor like Minano can't decide?" they wondered, as the sound of pages turning filled the quiet room.

[TL Note]

Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out

p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL

And thank you for the support!

Please remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally Just a heads-up, there will be advanced chapters available there. Thanks so much for reading!