Aniverse:This Managaka is Black hearted

Black Mangaka 024: Aftermath

"WTF!! Someone actually won the selection award this time!?"

"There's even a selection award for the Tezuka Award? The gap was so long, I thought Shueisha had already canceled it internally. Laughs."

"Is this real? Someone won the selection award? What's the teacher's name? What's the genre?"

"The teacher's name is 'Warrior of Love and Hope.' I searched online but found no relevant information. If it's not a pseudonym for an established author, then they must be a complete newcomer."

"Good point. Don't say it again next time. Are you seriously saying a total newcomer won the award? Do you believe that?"

"Ahem, no matter how slim the odds are, we shouldn't completely rule it out, right? As for the genre… it's supposedly a magical girl type, right?"

"?? Magical girl!? Really!?"

"The full title of the work is Puella Magi Madoka Magica. What do you think that means?"

"No way! Magical girl themes can win awards these days!? This is crazy!"

"Are you sure it's crazy, or is Shueisha collectively losing their minds?"

"Even if they've gone mad, this is too ridiculous! I don't understand how a theme like magical girls is even qualified to win."

"Even if it had just been semi-selected, I could accept it. But why did this win selection?"

"'Crimson Sea' was amazing last time, but it only got semi-selected. Are you saying Puella Magi Madoka Magica has a better plot than Crimson Sea?"

"Everyone, calm down. Shueisha's standards have been consistent for years. I don't think they'd ruin their reputation with a joke like this. Maybe Madoka really is great?"

"It would be more convincing if you didn't end your sentence with a question mark. Laughs."

"Sorry, but I can't imagine how something as cliché as magical girls won the Tezuka Award, which focuses on storyline quality."

"Speculating won't change anything. Just wait for it to release."

"I'll reserve judgment until I've seen the work."

"Obviously, there's some insider bias here. Do you really need to wait and see to figure that out?"

"As the leader in the manga industry, Shueisha doesn't need cheap tricks to promote newcomers. Surely they could've chosen other methods."

"Fair point. So… maybe there's something to this work after all?"

Discussions like this flooded the internet.

Every manga-related forum seemed to have one topic dominating the conversation: Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

There were skeptics, believers, and those waiting to see for themselves.

But the prevailing sentiment was doubt.

As a giant in the industry, Shueisha naturally attracted both fans and critics.

Competitors took this opportunity to stir the pot, sowing seeds of doubt among manga fans.

Under such influence, the debate escalated, tipping the scales further toward skepticism.

Shueisha's public relations department noticed the shift and acted swiftly.

Surprisingly, during a review by the marketing team, they found something unexpected: the controversy had created massive buzz, far exceeding the results of traditional multimillion-yen campaigns!

At the center of all this was Nakahara Hiroshi, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing around him.

He remained focused on his work.

Even if he knew, it wouldn't have mattered much.

Shueisha was experienced in handling such situations, so there was no need for his involvement.

The only thing Hiroshi needed to focus on was creating great work.

"I'm sorry for the wait, Mr. Nakahara," said his editor, Yinsha, apologetically.

Hiroshi shook his head, unconcerned.

Yinsha stood up and quickly exited the restaurant to take a phone call.

Left alone, Hiroshi idly stirred the orange-yellow liquid in his cup, reflecting on the situation.

It was now Sunday morning, three days since the Tezuka Award announcement.

Hiroshi was well aware of the online uproar surrounding Madoka.

It was impossible to miss with so many discussions on forums.

After reading the posts, he couldn't help but admire Shueisha's editor-in-chief.

Some comments made valid points. Without knowing the full story like Hiroshi did, it was natural for people to doubt.

It took real courage for the editor-in-chief to nominate Madoka in such circumstances.

Had the roles been reversed, Hiroshi doubted he would have trusted a high school newcomer like himself either.

Giving Madoka a selection award was the safest approach—conservative, yet justifiable.

The awards ceremony was scheduled for 3 PM that day, held at Shueisha headquarters.

Hiroshi had been informed that other winners would attend as well, and his presence as a nominee was mandatory.

Additionally, his prize money, after taxes, would be deposited within 14 working days.

Before Hiroshi and Yinsha could discuss serialization details further, her phone call interrupted their meeting.

Now, she returned with a strangely awkward expression.

"Sorry for the interruption," she apologized again, sitting back down.

"Who was on the call?" Hiroshi asked.

"My editor-in-chief," Yinsha replied.

"About me?"

"Yes," she admitted.

Still somewhat shaken, she added, "You really are an extraordinary individual."

"Why do you say that?"

Instead of answering directly, Yinsha asked, "You've been drawing since last month, right? How many chapters have you completed?"

Hiroshi was confused by the question but answered anyway: "Around ten."

"Ten chapters!?"

Adding the six chapters submitted for the competition, Hiroshi had already exceeded the typical pace of one chapter per week—all without any assistants.

Yinsha stared at him, astonished.

"You're incredible!" she said, genuinely impressed.

"Anyway, the editor-in-chief asked me to bring up the idea of publishing a standalone volume. What do you think?"

"Wouldn't that only be possible after serialization has run for a while?" Hiroshi asked skeptically.

Yinsha nodded but explained that Madoka had already generated significant buzz online, despite the mixed reviews.