The launch of "The Detective's Son" by Kanto Manga Company was also known by other members of Hinotori Publishing.
On April 26th, one day after the launch of "Weekly Boutique", which was Sunday, Alice went to Takumi's house to talk about countermeasures.
"When do you plan to launch your new manga?"
she asked.
"Next week we will publish a preview in Weekly Shōnen and Weekly Boutique." Takumi thought about it and replied: "This new manga cannot be improvised, and the advertising must be done in advance."
"So it will start being published next week?"
Alice asked. The launch was only one week after "The Detective's Son", and she was very satisfied.
"Then I won't leave today. Show me the manga first." Alice said: "I need to know the content first, so the company can formulate an advertising strategy tomorrow after work." By the way... Is it a monthly magazine?
—She took out paper and pen and began to recall—.
"Yes, a monthly magazine. It's called 'Monthly Shōnen'," Takumi said, smiling and nodding.
Alice paused; she didn't like the name: "Monthly Shōnen? If they are just your manga, why don't you use your pseudonym? That way, the effect will be better and readers' enthusiasm will be easily aroused."
Mirai-sensei is already a golden symbol in the hearts of most manga readers. If a magazine bears his name, Alice is absolutely sure that success will be doubled with half the effort.
"My pseudonym?"
Takumi thought, lowering his head.
"Then, let's talk about it."
That Sunday, Alice and Takumi prepared an exceptional day to discuss the plot, and Shiori also participated. She didn't know anything about manga, but she was very enthusiastic about the new magazine's name.
However, at noon, Alice received a call, and the situation changed again.
"What's wrong?"
she asked. At that moment, several people had just had lunch. Alice went out to answer the phone. When she returned, her face looked very grim. Takumi had a bad feeling.
"We underestimated Kanto!" Alice asked, sitting down and coldly saying: "Just now an old friend called me and told me something."
"What is it?" she asked.
"This time, the serialization of... 'The Detective's Son' is not as simple as it seems. NHK has acquired the animation rights for 'The Detective Sherlock'." Alice frowned slightly and her expression grew colder: "It hasn't been officially announced yet. But tomorrow's news will definitely broadcast the announcement. The 'The Detective Sherlock' anime will premiere simultaneously with the manga 'The Detective's Son'."
Takumi was surprised. This twist was too fast, and the anime came out!
"At the same time, this matter was prepared a long time ago. When you went on your trip, Kanto reached an agreement with NHK and started making anime. Alice looked at Takumi and coldly said: "And the director of this animation is Reika, I think you should know her."
Takumi frowned. Reika, yes, he knew her. She was the woman who came to buy the anime copyright for "Detective Conan". Since she wanted to buy them cheaply and not allow her to interfere with production, Takumi ultimately refused.
At that moment, Reika threatened to look for someone else. Unexpectedly, she kept her word and now found Kanto Manga Company to collaborate. NHK and Kanto: a powerful combination, a terrible combination.
"Wait, did you just say 'The Detective Sherlock' will be animated?" Takumi suddenly thought: "That's not right: 'The Detective Sherlock 2' or 'The Detective's Son'?"
"Yes...",
Alice nodded naturally.
"There's no anime for 'The Detective Sherlock', so how can the following works appear? But they've signed a collaboration agreement for two." She said: "It's a series, and the first episode coincides with the serialization of 'The Detective's Son'."
This is not surprising. Anime progress is faster than manga and takes a long time to prepare. "The Detective's Son" hasn't premiered yet. If they skip the first part and the sequel and directly animate "The Detective's Son", the launch will take several months.
Of course, Kanto Manga Company is not willing to do so. When Takumi was on his trip, they started making "The Detective Sherlock" anime, and now it premieres along with "The Detective's Son".
It is worth mentioning that NHK is very efficient. This is a countermeasure against "Pokémon" from Osaka TV. "Pokémon" ratings have reached 45%. Although the growth rate has been slow, it is much higher than the audience of "The Cat and Mouse Couple". This incident has generated great public pressure on NHK's anime team.
NHK launched a new anime, which is also bad news for Hinotori Publishing. Although it's not the same work, "The Detective Sherlock" anime can also increase the popularity and sales of "The Detective's Son". Kanto and NHK anime groups complement each other and achieve a win-win situation. Of course, Duke Anthony's remuneration must be very high.
However, this news is not entirely bad. After all, it's not the anime of "The Detective's Son". The impact on the market will not be too exaggerated. Takumi still maintains confidence in his heart.
A hotel in Osaka.
"Cheers!" The three members of Kanto Manga Company sat down for dinner together. Kazuki drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and laughed: "Great, it's better to have a vacation. Minister, you should invite us more often."
"I agree," Sun-san snorted coldly. As they spent more time together, the manga editor-in-chief became more and more enthusiastic about him. The initial reserve and caution had almost disappeared.
"You are a byproduct," Sun-san said bluntly. He turned his head and looked at Aika with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work during this time. The ending of 'The Detective Sherlock' was very exciting. I look forward to the sales of 'The Detective's Son' next week."
After almost a month of serialization, Aika managed to stabilize her position, and Sun-san was satisfied.
"I will continue to work hard, Minister!" Aika nodded enthusiastically. Although she had experienced setbacks, her path had become easier and easier. People would recognize her when walking on the street, something unimaginable a month ago.
Many celebrities have become her friends, and they also envy her rapid fame.
"But, Minister..." After the excitement, Aika calmed down and asked with some concern: "NHK launched anime, but will it be able to drive a big increase in our manga sales? Lately, manga sales in Osaka haven't increased...".
Sales of "Weekly Boutique" in Osaka exceeded 1.5 million in the first week, but current sales have barely changed and cannot exceed 1.6 million.
"There will be an increase, don't take Osaka to heart." Kazuki smiled at Sun-san: "This city is different from others. The market is already saturated."
Osaka has always been at the forefront of the manga industry. Tatsuryū Publishing and Hinotori Publishing have been rooted in the city for several years and have already created a readership. Last year, Mirai-sensei suddenly appeared. He brought with him several changes and difficulties to Osaka's manga industry. To this day, Osaka is the city with the most mature manga market in all of Japan.
Manga readers in this city have reached their limit, and there is almost no room for growth. The main battlefield for Kanto Manga Company and Hinotori Publishing has shifted to other places, and in those places, Kanto Manga Company has an advantage.
"Yes, don't worry! 'The Detective's Son' conforms to Japanese preferences, and with the appeal of 'The Detective Sherlock,' it will be very popular." Sun-san continued with a smile and said: "Both the anime and manga will be launched next week. NHK's anime has a good influence. With the high quality of 'The Detective's Son,' it won't be a big problem to increase sales by half compared to now." Increasing sales by half is the average sales volume chosen by Kanto Manga Company between the best and worst estimates. After evaluating the anime's influence, Aika's strength, the quality of 'The Detective's Son,' and the overall quality of 'Weekly Boutique,' there won't be much difference.
Now, "Weekly Boutique" has one-third more sales than Weekly Shōnen. After the premiere of "The Detective's Son," it has far surpassed Weekly Shōnen's sales.
It has returned to the level of a month ago...
Hinotori Publishing can perform a miracle once, but it's impossible for it to do so a second time. Being the third largest bookstore chain in Japan, its number of channels is less than a fifth of Sakura Books's, and all are located in second- and third-tier cities that overlap with Sakura Books Bookstore.
This means that Hinotori Publishing can no longer improve its channels by forming alliances with certain companies.
Sun-san thought about this and was happy. He took a big sip of wine.
"That little smiling fox, he's finished for now!"
Several weeks had passed, but Sun-san still hadn't forgotten Takumi's jokes. He had never been tricked by a young man like that before, and he was still gritting his teeth.
- - - - - - - - -
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