Anime Crossover: Becoming Mangaka in Anime World

"I'm sure many of you who clicked on this thread have read Puella Magi Madoka Magica."

"I still remember when the announcement for Madoka Magica was first made by warrior of love and hope -sensei."

"Everyone was confused and skeptical, and there were countless heated discussions online. And there is no need for me to elaborate on that." 

"But in the end, the author gave us a strong slap in the face, making us realize how different his magical girls were from the typical ones."

"When Mami-san's head was chopped off, I think everyone felt bewildered, shocked, and confused. How could this happen?"

"But the truth was, it could happen!"

"Think about it, fighting evil entities with endless magical powers, does that sound like an easy job?"

"Of course not."

"If it were us, mere mortals, we'd never stand a chance.

"They could easily play with us."

"Being a magical girl was never a carefree job."

"It's just that this genre was originally aimed at children, so while we may have recognized that magical girl battles were tough, no one ever really peeled away the thin veil that we all subconsciously ignored."

"But warrior of love and hope-sensei, didn't hesitate to peel away the glossy exterior of magical girls."

"Perhaps because young people are full of creativity and aren't afraid of things like this, he stripped away that shiny surface and showed us the true reality—the magical girls who gain power through hope still die in battle!"

"Or maybe this is the fate of magical girls who crave hope?"

"I'm not sure, but it's certainly a thought-provoking direction."

"Anyway, let's get back to today's main topic—the author's new work Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai!"

"As soon as I saw the colored cover for the first issue, I knew that even if the author hadn't explained everything in detail last friday, the rumors that circulated earlier had already been disproven." 

"From this image, it's easy to see the sincerity and skill the teacher has put into this work."

"Just like Madoka Magica was a story with a large ensemble cast… For a more detailed explanation on ensemble works, the novel goes into more detail, so I won't embarrass myself by explaining here."

"But just to give a simple summary: It's not about focusing on just one character. Every character has their own story behind them, making them feel like real people with depth."

"Of course, the most important thing is to make you accept these characters!"

"If you don't buy into them, no matter how much effort goes into describing them, it's a failure."

"But the author clearly succeeded—just look at how many people were heartbroken and sad when Mami-san's head fell off, right?"

"Clearly, this work continues the same style as the previous one, with an ensemble cast."

"When I saw the six characters on the cover, I had this idea. After finishing the first chapter, I was even more convinced."

"Still, in this picture, the author didn't focus on the background but instead used a relatively blurred form to present it, leaving a lot of space for interpretation."

"Why is leaving space a good thing? Because it allows the author to add more content!"

"In the original blank space, there's now a group of children gathered in a circle, seemingly discussing something. This was the most surprising and heartwarming detail in the whole picture! It's a clear sign of the author's sincerity!"

"From their hair colors, it's obvious they correspond to the characters in the picture, standing in different positions. Can't you tell who's who?"

"And since they aren't standing together as they did before, can we guess that, for some reason, their relationship has changed? It's no longer as friendly as it used to be?"

"This is confirmed in the content of the next chapter."

"Just from the first picture, we can infer so much."

"So naturally, my curiosity about the work itself deepened."

"However, after reading the first chapter, I found myself puzzled—aside from the introduction, it didn't seem like much had happened."

"Some fans might say, 'It's just one chapter, why the rush? Shouldn't the characters be introduced first?'"

"Yes, you're right. But the truth is, a top-tier artist like the author can't make such mistakes." 

"Forgive me for putting the sensei in the top-tier category directly, but in my opinion, any artist capable of creating a masterpiece like Madoka Magica has skills that rival any top-tier artist."

"The only reason they aren't considered top-tier is that they haven't released enough works yet."

"Back to the point—if you look at other top-tier manga artists, none of them would waste an entire chapter on filler content."

"So where's the problem?"

"With this question in mind, I reread the chapter, again and again, and slowly realized there were several things I hadn't considered before."

"Why is the male lead so cold towards the female lead? Why do other characters ignore her? Why...?"

"Luckily, these questions can be answered in the work itself: The female lead isn't actually a human!"

"Besides the main character, no one else can see her!"

"Flip to the fourth page of the manga, and in one panel, the male lead is grabbing some dishes from a cabinet."

"In the glass of the cabinet, we can see his reflection, but not the female lead, who's standing behind him, hugging him."

"When I discovered this truth, I realized—it wasn't that the mangaka's skills had declined, but rather, we hadn't paid close enough attention."

"It's surprising how many details are right in front of us, but we still fail to notice them. It's probably because modern manga usually lays everything out plainly, making it easy to understand, but this has robbed us of the habit of thinking deeply."

"After realizing this, when I went back to reread the first chapter of Anohana, I found so many interesting details that made me look forward to the next chapters."

"However, I won't go into specifics here about what I found interesting or what I'm looking forward to. After all, every reader has their own perspective."

"Shakespeare once wrote that "there are a thousand hamlets in a thousand people's eyes.""

"The joy of manga comes from what it offers to each individual. If I just lay out all the answers for you, it wouldn't be as fun to figure out yourself, right?"

"Anyway, thank you all for patiently reading my ramblings."

After reading this post, Tanaka, Shihara, and Tanabata exchanged looks.

Tanaka scratched his head, saying, "I feel like I'm reading a completely different manga than everyone else!"

"Obviously! The fact that we understand it this well means we're the ones who posted this!" Shihara responded.

"What are you doing, Shihara?"

Shihara, who had been fiddling with his phone, finally looked up.

"I'm calling the expert!" he said.

"Look at this level—this person's a pro! Really impressive!" Tanabata said.

Tanaka rolled his eyes. "Come on, hurry, flip to the fourth page of Anohana and see if what they said is true!"

Tanaka immediately followed the order.

The three of them stared, wide-eyed.

"Wow, it's true!!"

"This isn't your typical manga—why's there a ghost in it?!"

"Wait, I don't think the mangaka ever said anything about this!"

"The mangaka's words were about summer and growing up and friendships... so this isn't a daily life story, what is it?!"

"Damn, I just can't figure it out!"

"Doesn't matter, the setting's still pretty awesome!"

"Come on, let's go read it again!"

In this reading session, the three of them unsurprisingly found themselves immersed in even more enjoyment.

"Darn it! Why does it have to end here?!"

"The summer monsters are seriously fierce—can't wait to see the protagonist's face when they realize it's all real, not just a hallucination!!"

"I wonder what happened between these characters to bring them to this point."

"..."

The conversation paused as the three exchanged looks, their faces twisted in frustration, and they groaned in unison:

"Darn it! This series doesn't even have a collected volume! We'll have to wait for the weekly chapters!!"

"Our wallets are never going to survive this!!" x3