Chapter 271: Manga Paradise
Manga Paradise, that's the name of the largest manga company in Japan. It is said to have been founded by several financial groups and now practically monopolizes the manga and anime industry in the region.
In fact, it cannot be said to be very powerful. Its capitalization is much smaller than Kanto Manga Company's, and its influence is limited to Japan. It could be said that it is simply a regional power.
The reason Takumi detests it is its style, especially its practice of using other mangaka's works to develop the market.
The mangaka of this company call themselves "original manga", but "borrow" from various best-selling manga in the world to launch series. Kanto Manga Company and Hinotori Publishing have suffered the consequences.
"The Detective's Son" by Aika - "Detective's Grandson", "Luna Nueva" by Rina - "Luna Nueva", "One Piece" by Mirai-sensei - "Pirate King", etc.
This model is quite shameless. Kanto has sued Manga Paradise twice, but without exception, has lost.
"The content is different, the title is similar; it's not considered plagiarism."
The court ruled thus. In fact, Manga Paradise's manga are full of external plots, and even the character settings are very similar. It is true that it is plagiarism, but it's difficult to find evidence.
Manga Paradise's editors knew the limits very well. They turned mangaka's plagiarism into reference, and their business was limited to Japan. If you wanted to sue them, you had to go to the Japan Court. However, this was their territory, and it was very difficult to win the lawsuit.
Kanto and Hinotori Publishing didn't have much energy to suppress them. Even if the lawsuit succeeded, it would be easy for them to replace one or two manga, which was completely insignificant.
And most importantly, Manga Paradise had not yet touched mainland Japan. There was a "I just want to be the regional boss" style. This created some uncertainty in Kanto and Hinotori Publishing. Naturally, they put it aside.
At first, Takumi didn't pay attention, but after a few days in Japan, he discovered that something was wrong.
Manga Paradise was not only a "reference", but also manipulated news and public opinion in Japan, and had been discreetly spreading negative news about Kanto and Hinotori Publishing for a long time, which gave them a very bad reputation in the region.
Readers in Japan are no longer as objective as when Takumi arrived last year...
Let's not talk about the past, right now, on the high-speed train Takumi was traveling to Tokyo, several young people were talking about manga.
"Kanto Manga Company has revealed another suspicious incident; it's too much..."
"Don't even mention it, now Kanto Manga Company only sells a few of their manga magazines and Hinotori Publishing's, and they refuse to let Manga Paradise in. I heard that Manga Paradise's president personally visited Kanto Manga Company's headquarters and couldn't even get in."
I've heard about this too. Those two companies' business in Japan has always been bad, so they joined forces to suppress Manga Paradise. Manga Paradise is our local company and we can't let it collapse!
"Yes. It's a shame. We must support Manga Paradise!"
This is the conversation of several young people. But the atmosphere in Japan is very similar. Manga Paradise takes advantage of "local companies" and, at the same time, invents and uses various excuses to discredit other companies, completely occupying the Japanese market.
In addition, Manga Paradise has many negative slanders against foreign mangaka. Takumi has received countless shots. Many of his readers in Japan now have prejudices.
Thinking about this, Takumi felt a little displeased. When he arrived here, he wanted to meet some readers he knew, but he found it difficult to find people.
"Is it necessary to do this...?"
he sighed. Current Japan is very exclusive to foreign manga companies and mangaka. This is a result of the subtle influence of the media, but there is no evidence that it's Manga Paradise's fault. However, criminology has a very simple logical reasoning, through which many mysteries can be solved.
When someone commits a crime, whoever benefits the most is the most likely suspect.
Who benefits most from the atmosphere of violence in the Japan region? Of course, Manga Paradise, the master of manga and anime in the Japan region. If manga from the outside world cannot be broadcast, Manga Paradise can enjoy this pie alone.
"Hey... what are you sighing about?"
Also on the high-speed train to Tokyo, Kaori Takashima was sitting opposite Takumi. She looked at him angrily: "Am I so uncomfortable being with you?"
"Well... a little...".
Takumi smiled slightly. This girl was always angry, and she was four points like Shiori: "By the way, I can't help you with 'Gundam Genesis'. Why do you keep bothering me?"
Yesterday, Tomato helped him notify the author of the "Gundam Genesis" manga, but, unfortunately, the anime rights had been acquired long ago by an anime company.
The mangaka also knew the situation in Japan. He sympathized with the Takashima family, but the rights had been acquired, and he had no way to get them back.
Takumi told Kaori Takashima the news. The girl was disappointed, but when she was about to leave today, Kaori kept bothering him.
"I, I'm not bothering you..." Kaori Takashima's cheeks flushed and she said angrily: "I'm just going to Tokyo to visit my parents, yes... I'm going to see them!"
"How do I remember you said a few days ago that you didn't want to go to Tokyo to bother them?"
Takumi asked in a weak voice. Although both were bad-tempered, he liked Shiori more.
"You remembered wrong!" Kaori Takashima was a little difficult to get off the stage. Suddenly, she stood up, paused, and said: "I'm going to the bathroom!"
She ran out, and Takumi kept looking out the window, stunned.
"Takashima Eiji..."
He read the name of Kaori Takashima's father. Indeed, he remembered him. On his previous trips to Japan, a middle-aged couple had accompanied him. They were manga enthusiasts. If it were them, perhaps they would start their own anime company.
But there were too many similar names in Japan. Takumi didn't know if it was that person, and even if it was, he had to consider whether he should help.
Once he helped, he might have to stay in Japan for a long time.
Takumi shook his head and didn't think about it for the moment.
Soon, Kaori Takashima returned, this time with a newspaper, her face red, but different from before. She was completely red with anger.
"You lied to me!"
she told Takumi loudly.
Takumi smiled: "You know?"
He looked at the newspaper. He thought his identity had been exposed. He hadn't gone unnoticed during his travels, but he had never been discovered so quickly. Half a year had greatly changed his appearance, and at the same time, media attention was much lower.
"Yes, I know! The anime copyrights for 'Gundam Genesis' haven't been sold!"
However, Kaori Takashima's next sentence stunned Takumi.
"What?"
She didn't discover his identity, but she wanted to say that the anime copyrights for "Gundam Genesis" hadn't been sold?
"Let me see."
Takumi reached out, took the newspaper, and looked at it a couple of times. He saw a headline like this in an inconspicuous place.
——'The real reason Tsuki Animation Company is on the verge of bankruptcy: Mirai-sensei's refusal.'
He frowned slightly: "Tsuki Animation Company... Is that your father's company?"
"Yes, he loves cherry blossoms, and travels every year during cherry blossom season."
Kaori Takashima's words made Takumi feel it was a coincidence. Could Takashima Eiji be the reader he knew?
He kept reading, and the more he read, the more he frowned.
"Were you talking about Tsuki Animation Company, right?"
At that moment, several people chatting about manga nearby approached curiously: "Is Tsuki Animation Company the company your father founded?"
They looked at Kaori Takashima.
"Yes..."
Kaori nodded, and the anger on her face did not dissipate.
It's a shame. Read the report. It's all Mirai-sensei's fault. My mother was his fan. If she knew that he prevented the mangaka from selling the anime rights to Japan, she would be terribly disappointed!
"That's right. Not only did he watch the children die and not help, but he added salt to the wound..."
"Don't worry, sister, I heard that Manga Paradise is also going to produce the Gundam anime. They will undoubtedly help your family out of trouble!"
These young people comforted Kaori Takashima, and Takumi also finished reading the report.
The news content is very simple. It's about Tsuki Animation Company being tricked and, having no other option, going to Hinotori Publishing for help. As a result, the original author of Gundam Genesis disagreed. According to a "reliable" source, it was Mirai-sensei who proposed the Gundam theme and objected.
Mirai-sensei disagreed with Japan producing the Gundam anime, so he used his position at Hinotori Publishing to suppress the author of Gundam Genesis and force him to reject Tsuki Animation Company's request.
Kaori Takashima was probably angry about this. The newspaper said that the anime copyright for Gundam Genesis hadn't been sold, and she believed it.
"Nonsense."
But after reading it, Takumi thought it was too fake.
"Kaori, what is the reason for Mirai-sensei's refusal?" He told Kaori Takashima: "This matter has nothing to do with him. Don't believe these newspapers' rumors."
"Of course there's a reason! Mirai-sensei is guilty!"
Kaori Takashima didn't answer, but the young man beside her said: "Now everyone knows that Gundam is a theme invented by our mangaka in Japan and that Mirai-sensei stole it."
"Oh?" Takumi asked, stunned: "What do you mean?"
the woman beside him explained.
"I heard that the Gundam theme was conceived by some veteran mangaka in our region of Japan. Back then, Manga Paradise hadn't even been founded yet, but Hinotori Publishing had already registered the name in advance."
"The original name of this theme was Mobile Suit. Now Manga Paradise has several Mobile Suit manga. Look at the name, Mobile Suit, obviously, it fits the setting better."
"I don't know where the name Gundam came from. Mobile Suit is simple and easy to understand. Without a doubt, it's the work of our mangaka in Japan. Mirai-sensei feared being investigated by Manga Paradise, so, of course, he wouldn't agree to produce this kind of anime in Japan."
The woman finished her words, but for a moment, Takumi suspected that she was in the country of "inventing history." He was a little speechless. This Manga Paradise was too powerful. With so much publicity, it was no wonder it dominated the Japanese market.
"Does it seem like you don't believe it? In fact, I didn't believe it at first either..."
Seeing Takumi's incredulous face, the woman continued: "But you can go watch some Manga Paradise interview shows. Mirai-sensei is really excessive."
"I heard that the magical girl theme is also someone else's idea. Think about it, magical girls and Gundam are popular themes, but why doesn't Mirai-sensei draw them? He has never drawn them because he doesn't know how to draw them."
"Manga Paradise was founded just half a year ago. I heard that Manga Paradise was willing to hold Mirai-sensei accountable at that time, but it disappeared. You said it wasn't excessive... it's your fault."
"It makes sense." Takumi nodded and then asked: "But... is that all Manga Paradise said?"
The woman shook her head.
Of course not. It was the media who first discovered it, and Manga Paradise didn't want to tell. In the end, it was when the media went to interview them that they admitted it...
Takumi frowned and asked again: "Does Manga Paradise want to make a Gundam anime?"
"Yes, it's a Mobile Suit anime!" The woman smiled proudly and said: "Manga Paradise wants to justify this theme. Anime is much better than manga. My parents watch anime, but they never read manga."
"As long as Manga Paradise makes a Mobile Suit anime, all Japanese people will know that Gundam is a fake brand...".
"..."
Takumi remained silent.
"Okay." Suddenly, he clapped his hands and turned to look at Kaori Takashima: "Kaori, take me to see your father today!"
"Huh!"
Kaori Takashima's head suddenly smoked.
"This... this... isn't it a bit fast?"
- - - - - - - -
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