As soon as the post went live, the comments exploded!
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"Finally, a post from sensei! I thought we were never going to get one!!"
"Yes!! He posted!!"
"I'm so excited! What new project will it be this time? Front row for the group photo!"
"Wait, what's this Steins;Gate thing? I've never heard of this manga or novel before!"
"Is the person above really a fan of Sensei? How have they never heard of Steins;Gate??"
"Steins;Gate is the first work where Sensei is the scriptwriter! I declare it's the best work of the year!"
"I also declare it's the best of the year!!"
"It's already had 20 episodes! You can't miss it! Go watch it right now!!"
"I won't allow anyone to not watch Steins;Gate!!"
"How could anyone not have seen Steins;Gate yesterday?! What the hell happened?! Damn!!"
"Sensei, do you not want me to send you some local specialties? 🔪"
"I suggest you think carefully before finishing the ending. 🔪"
"Choosing between Mayuri or the assistant? I want them both saved!!"
"Good news: Sensei has a new work coming!"
"Bad news: Sensei's old work is going through more heartbreak!!"
"I'm about to run out of tears! Please give us a good ending, Sensei!!"
"If you don't give a good ending this time, I'm not watching the new work!!"
"Agreed! Let's boycott the bastard's new work!!"
"Wait... the new work is called Akame ga Kill, right? Sounds like a typical shonen piece?"
"Wondering what kind of surprise this new work will bring. Can't wait~"
"Shonen works are tough to handle, but I support Sensei's bold attempt!!"
"Of course! With Sensei's storytelling and exquisite art, what could go wrong?"
"Damn, just thinking about it gets me so excited!!"
"The real question is, why didn't it get serialized in magazines? The decision to release it directly is so brave of Shueisha!!"
"Who cares if it's brave or not? If Sensei releases it, I'll buy it!"
"Damn you! You traitor!!"
"Brothers! It's just a regular shonen work, we have to resist! We can't let the bastard continue this style!!"
"Agreed! We need to stay united!!"
"Wait... is there a possibility that this work could fail, and then the bastard won't be able to release works so recklessly in the future?"
"WTF!?"
"Now that I think about it, this might actually happen?"
"Wake up! No one's really going to stop buying because of the boycott, right? Think about Your Lie In April."
"You idiot, don't say that out loud!"
"Wouldn't it be better to have one less competitor?"
"!!"
"Good grief! I almost fell for your lies!!"
"I almost believed it, damn it!"
"Just a few more days until the new work releases, I can't wait!"
"Damn it! Why does it have to be a few more days?! I don't want to wait a second longer!!"
"By the way... besides the new manga, there's also news of another new work at the end of May. Sensei's work efficiency is unreal!"
"Sensei's efficiency has always been this crazy, it's not a new thing. I'm keeping my cool. 😰 "
"But why not just announce it in this post? Why wait until the end of the month?"
"Well, Sensei probably has his reasons."
"Anyway, I'm looking forward to it!!"
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From these fan comments, it's clear that even though the pain of the "knife" (the emotional pain of the plot) hurt them, it couldn't dampen their excitement for the new work!
Although the new project isn't out yet and hasn't even been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, these fans are already on the edge of their seats!
Little do they know, they're walking straight into a "hell" ahead.
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Monday. School.
"Is it really that easy to draw manga, Akifumi?"
Hearing Kato's confused tone, Akifumi responded, equally puzzled:
"Why do you say that?"
"Because your works are released so quickly," Kato replied, holding up her fingers.
"The first two volumes of Your Lie In April came out in January, and the next nine were released in February, March, and April."
"Now, one month later, your new work is coming out—doesn't that make it seem like drawing manga is easy?"
Akifumi smiled wryly, saying, "Well, Your Lie In April was finished in advance, remember?"
"So, strictly speaking, I haven't actually drawn as much as you think recently."
Kato nodded expressionlessly, but Akifumi knew she wasn't buying it.
"Tch," Akifumi muttered.
Talking to smart people is always tricky.
But it didn't matter that Kato discovered the truth—it didn't change much.
"So, is drawing manga easy?" Kato asked again.
Akifumi thought for a moment before answering, "Of course not."
"Anyone who can get serialized in a magazine either has extraordinary talent or has worked incredibly hard."
"Getting a serialization alone is enough to trip up countless people. Once you start serializing, that's a whole new set of challenges."
"As for me, I'm special, so I'm not the best example."
After all, he's a transmigrator, even without the cheat-like system.
Just remembering all the details from his past life was already absurd enough.
Combine that with his abnormal physical abilities, and drawing manga became much easier.
"Why did Kato suddenly ask me about this?" Akifumi wondered.
Kato responded, "Because there's a kid at home who's curious and heard you're an expert, so I thought I'd ask."
Akifumi smiled and nodded. "I see. Is it a boy or a girl?"
Kato paused for a second before saying, "A girl."
'Ah, so she was lying after all!'
Akifumi chuckled.
Kato's poker face was incredibly deceptive, making it hard to tell what she was really thinking.
But it was clear to Akifumi, who understood her well.
That brief pause meant she hadn't expected to be asked this question and hadn't thought of an answer quickly enough.
'So why did she ask about this?' Akifumi wondered but didn't push for an answer.
Suppressing his curiosity, Akifumi smiled again.
"Drawing manga can be really tough."
"Well, I'm not sure if that kid is ready for it," Kato said casually.
Just then, the school bell rang.
The school day was short but fulfilling.
For the other students who had just come back from Golden Week, Akifumi couldn't really know what their school experience felt like.
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A week passed.
Saturday evening's latest episode of Steins;Gate left countless viewers even more distraught.
It had already been heart-wrenching enough, but now the show was deepening the emotional bonds of the characters!
Watching Mayuri die over and over wasn't enough, they had to keep showing her death in dreams too?
Thinking this, everyone let out a complex sigh.
And as the timeline approached its critical point, with the assistant about to die, it felt like being poisoned by slow-acting venom.
The deep, soul-crushing pain surged through their hearts.
They were filled with a strong, inevitable fear of the coming death, yet there was nothing they could do but watch it unfold helplessly.
Then...
Akifumi's SNS account exploded once again!
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"Damn it! Bastard, you really should die!!"
"Are you happy now, seeing us in so much pain?! Are you enjoying it?!"
"Ugh, my assistant! My assistant!!"
"Why do you have to make Mayuri remember those cruel images?!"
"Once wasn't enough to hurt Mayuri, now you make her relive those awful things! Are you even human?!"
"Your heart must be made of blades, right? How else could you do something so cruel?!"
"My heart hurts so much, can sending blade pieces to the bastard help ease my pain?!"
"Tomorrow, sensei's new work is being released, right? Rip it, I'm not buying it anymore!"
"Did you just tear up your money?!"
"If you don't want it, you can give it to me! What crime is money committing? The only criminal here is the bastard!"
"Punishing yourself like this, you're a fool!!"
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Despite the countless condemnations and many saying they wouldn't buy Akifumi's new work the next day, when the next day came and bookstores opened, the scene outside made their faces turn green in an instant!
What the hell!
Wasn't it supposed to be a boycott against the bastard, vowing not to buy his new work?
Why is there such a long line?!
I'm just a temporary worker, how did I end up dealing with such a huge mess?!
The customers standing in line were also arguing.
"Hey, last night, weren't you swearing that you wouldn't give the bastard any more of your money after the 'Steins;Gate' ending?!"
"Haha, I'm paying for 'Akame ga Kill!' What does that have to do with the bastard?"
"You're quite the clever one! We're thinking the same thing!"
"Dammit! I've been tricked again!!"
"There are so many people here, do you think I'll still be able to buy it?"
"Just thinking about not being able to see sensei's new work right away makes me feel terrible! Like ants are crawling over me!!"
As the bookstore doors opened, the noise grew louder, and the entire street became bustling with chatter.
"I wonder if this story will be liked by these guys."
This work, both the anime and the manga, have many differences.
When it was adapted into an anime, the manga's story couldn't keep up, and with some added elements, many parts were heavily modified.
Moreover, the anime's limited length also restricted many things.
For example, the organization called Wild Hunt in the manga.
This is a terrorist group led by Syura, with most members being Empire Artifact users.
But unlike hunters, everyone in this organization is a villain.
In the manga, there are detailed descriptions of how Akame and others wipe them all out.
However, in the anime, this organization doesn't even get a chance to appear.
Even for viewers who only watched the anime, they wouldn't even know that such an organization existed.
Regarding the emotional lines and the deaths of characters, the manga gives much more clarity.
Perhaps losing your favorite character is still painful, but compared to the anime's completely unacceptable and brainless arrangements, the manga definitely handles this better!
Of course.
Even so, some content still needs to be carefully revised.
After all, the idea behind this work is excellent, but some of its execution feels too petty.
Also, the original author has a tendency for a bit of masochism and likes to sneak in his own personal biases.
These unnecessary aspects will surely be modified by Akifumi.
However...
"In terms of the ending, though, I think the anime's is better."
All the other male characters are dead, and the protagonist is the only one left alive?
How great is that!
[TL Note – someone please teach this guy some common decency]
Putting these thoughts aside, Akifumi turned his attention back to the computer screen.
These are things to consider after a few volumes, since there's no need to revise the earlier parts; just draw them as they are.
Of course.
Just by having Akifumi's current art style, the quality of this work is already a few steps higher than its original foundation.
With the corresponding revisions to the later content, although there's still a gap compared to works like "Madoka Magica" and "Steins;Gate," it will definitely stand strong alongside "Your Lie In April," "WorldEnd," and "Anohana" in terms of quality!
The 180-page manga isn't too long, and many fans quickly finished reading it.
Yesterday's painful experience with "Steins;Gate" was somewhat healed by this new work.
Excited, fans flocked to the comments section.
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"The new work is amazing! Can't wait for the next installment!!"
"So short, so short, why is it so short, bastard?!"
"The first twist at the beginning really surprised me, didn't expect that at all! Totally has sensei's usual style!"
"Eh, I feel like the twist was a bit too obvious, not quite like sensei's usual style."
"Isn't it possible that this isn't even a twist? Didn't the darkness of the empire get revealed from the start? This is just a normal plot progression, right?"
"The Night Raid group members are really cool! Their first appearance really shocked me!!"
"That's why they're called the main team, right?"
"With sensei's skill, I'm confident about the rest of the story."
"By the way... in this kind of traditional work, do you think there won't be any more knives?"
"I don't know if there will be knives, but the protagonist definitely won't be the one to suffer!"
"Who said there are no knives? Didn't they just kill off two characters right away?!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm already crying my eyes out! I suggest the bastard, seeing how badly I'm crying, don't put any more knives in the story!!"
"I'm crying too! My childhood friends from the same village, and just like that, two of them died, it's too tragic!"
"Your calculations are so obvious, I can hear them from the M87 galaxy!!"
"Don't worry, in traditional works, there aren't that many knives!"
"Still don't know when the next volume will be released, but I'm looking forward to it!"
"Exactly! Only releasing one volume, do you think I'm looking down on you?!"
"Even if I don't have money to buy it, I can always work, right? So don't hold back, give me more!!"
"I wish it could be like 'Your Lie In April'!"
"Not that I want several volumes to come all at once like in 'Your Lie In April,' but one volume per month seems fine, right?"
"I think that should be fine!"
"Although we'll have to wait for the new work to begin, didn't sensei say there's more coming on May 31st?"
"Can't wait for May 31st!!"
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Time flies by, and a week quickly passes.
"The first-week sales of 'Akame ga Kill' were 84,000 copies?"
Akifumi is quite satisfied with this result.
Even though it's a traditional theme, this was a direct release of the single volume!
If it weren't for the accumulation of goodwill from his previous works, a direct release like this would've flopped.
With first-week sales approaching 100,000, calling it a miracle wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"What's on May 31st?"
"Well, well, when the time comes, you'll find out, won't you?"