Chapter 292: Do You Call This Normal?
The release of these latest episodes of Parasyte seems to be filled with omens.
But what interests everyone most is... so far, Parasyte hasn't even shown Ren suffering an attack?
It's already the twelfth episode!
This feels a little off-putting to fans accustomed to Ren's natural recourse to violence.
"Has old thief Ren really changed?" someone posted on the forum.
"My god, it's the first time I've seen Ren draw such a normal manga!"
"Damn it, oh my god, if you use that damn translation tone again! My god, I promise I'll beat you up in your butt!"
"Parasyte seems pretty normal for now, but I can only tell you: watch out for a trap!"
"That's right, at this rate, the mother will die from the parasite while traveling, right?"
"If the protagonist's mother really dies from the parasite, I can only say, isn't this the typical manga nostalgia plot? That's why it's normal."
"??? Is there something wrong with me or you? Why do you think Parasyte is normal? Wow, the gory parasitic murder scenes at the beginning and the plot where Migi 'attacks' the protagonist's chest, do you think that's normal?"
"Holy cow! I really didn't notice. When did I think that such bloody scenes and that kind of plot would be normal manga?"
"If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have noticed... It seems I now feel that the lack of blood and bitterness has made it a bit abnormal."
"Is this the power of cyberpsychosis transmitted by lunatic mangakas? Ugh!"
"It's true... But honestly, Parasyte is still much more normal than Chainsaw Man and Edgerunners."
"Normal, right? Don't forget that Parasyte only has twelve episodes so far. I saw that Edgerunners and Chainsaw Man really started to change in episodes 3 and 23, respectively."
"The first time Edgerunners changed was when Gloria was declared dead by the scavenger. It started changing in the third episode."
"I almost forgot about David's mother. It's so funny."
"So, according to the plot development of Chainsaw Man, old thief Ren hasn't changed at all yet. This doesn't prove that the next Parasyte won't change anything."
"Oh no, according to the Chainsaw Man theorem, there are only bad and dead women in old thief Ren's manga."
"Good women are all dead women. After bad women become good women, they will also become dead women."
"Lucy: Dude, what can I say?"
"Except for Lucy, but it seems that the protagonist, the protagonist's mother, and even Tamiya Ryoko could be stabbed."
"Tamiya Ryoko doesn't feel like a pure villain who opposes the male protagonist. If she later becomes a good woman, she will feel like she's going to be killed."
"There's also an old friend, Yuji, who has been a male and female protagonist since childhood, and feels like he's going to get stabbed."
"But I must say that Parasyte is so normal that it's not so much in comparison with the previous works of Old Thief Ren."
"It is said that old thief Ren is in love, so he has become somewhat normal lately thanks to the passion that love sparks."
"Is it still like that?"
"It's true that someone saw old thief Ren and his girlfriend traveling to Sankei-en Garden in Yokohama, and they even took pictures."
"Is the abominable old thief Ren really an achiever?"
...
Anime fans immediately commented on the gossip between Ren and Sakura about the Parasyte plot.
The main reason was that Ren and Sakura had no worries last time they traveled to Yokohama.
First, he and Sakura did not have a real relationship.
Second, even if they did, he wasn't a big star, so a revelation wouldn't affect him much.
Although Ren was a well-known mangaka, most of his fans were not attracted to him personally, but to his incredibly well-written manga.
So why so much surprise with a revelation?
Even if Ren had a certain number of fans who admired his appearance due to his enhanced appearance, even if these few fans left, it would not affect his popularity or sales at all.
This is the advantage of being a talented artist.
They don't have to depend on their appearance like stars, who can easily ruin their careers if scandals arise.
Sakura had been seen with Ren before, but those few times did not include ambiguous scenes of traveling together.
Therefore, netizens did not take it seriously at the time.
It's not that they didn't care; some people saw it and commented on it.
But the debate was not widespread at the time, and Chainsaw Man was, in fact, more intriguing than Ren's actual relationship.
Now that everyone has found out, they have focused even more on the incident itself.
In particular, there is the perception that "Thief Ren has become more normal now that he's dating someone." This has generated debate about the impact of his relationship on Ren.
It even trended on Twitter.
This angered some celebrities who bought the search, while those who didn't read manga felt curious: who was this Thief Ren?
Was he a rising star?
But when they discovered that Ren was a mangaka, they felt relieved.
After all, they didn't work in the same field, so there was no competition.
So, the traffic that was lost, well, better to let it go.
And most importantly, this popular mangaka's manga are still very popular.
What if there's an opportunity to collaborate on a live-action adaptation of Ren's manga?
With recent technological advances and the growing popularity of the manga industry, many manga are no longer limited to romantic novels and are being adapted to live action.
Manga like Chainsaw Man are a possibility, although the level of violence and gore could be worrying.
After all, the standards for live action and anime are very different.
However, given the fantastic structure of Chainsaw Man, it is estimated that a new live-action version will not be possible for several years.
As for the special effects, the current technological advances in this parallel world make them possible.
However, the price is prohibitive.
Therefore, a new version would have to wait until technology advances further and the cost of special effects production drops to a truly affordable yet effective level.
Or maybe... Ren could take action with the system.
While the outside situation changes, Ren remains unperturbed.
He is familiar with online navigation; he has also seen the most popular searches.
Ren, holding his phone, scratched his head and said: "Oh, netizens these days love to speculate. Nothing is really going on between Sakura and me."
Yuka, Hiroki, and Akutami Yuta, who were working nearby, stopped their brushes.
Their expressions became strange, with a hint of confusion.
"Sensei, are you sure nothing is really going on between you and Ms. Sakura?"
"Then why are you so close? And Ms. Sakura even accompanied you on your last trip to Kanto?"
But thinking about it... it seems that there is nothing between Ren and Sakura.
It's just that Sakura has behaved strangely.
She often shows concern for Ren, and those occasional furtive glances toward him... but Ren seems quite... normal with Sakura.
Just as he was with Ayumi.
Thinking this way... could it be that... Ren really has no interest in Ms. Sakura? Or is he still deciding between Ms. Ayumi and Ms. Sakura?
Although Ms. Sakura was quite beautiful... Ms. Ayumi also had an attractive figure...
and the three of them preferred Ayumi.
After all, as a manga editor, Ayumi was closer to them.
However, they could not talk about Ren's affairs, nor could they ask.
They didn't dare to ask.
After all, it was Ren's personal matter. As his assistants, they could listen to gossip, but if they dared to ask, even Ren, with his best character, would not tell them.
Just as their thoughts were running wild, Ren suddenly received a call. Ren looked at the incoming call on his phone, somewhat surprised.
But he answered anyway.
"Hello," Ren said indifferently.
"Amamiya-sensei, excuse me," said the voice of Takashi, the editor-in-chief of Manga World. "Well, I have something I'd like to ask you, Amamiya-sensei."
"Oh, Editor-in-Chief Takashi, tell me! We're friends!" Ren said with a smile.
How did they suddenly become friends?
Takashi's face darkened, but he was already quite used to his mental state.
After all, nicknamed "Cyberpsychopath," he knew his personality and mental state well.
"Well, it's because Mr. Fenghuangyuan is in the hospital," Takashi said with a sigh.
"Is Mr. Fenghuangyuan in the hospital?!" Ren asked curiously.
"Yes, but I've heard it's not a big deal," Takashi said. "It's just... plot problems. Mr. Fenghuangyuan worked hard for about sixteen hours a day last week, so he's exhausted and needs to rest."
"But due to time constraints, Mr. Fenghuangyuan might not be able to serialize Purple Air Coming from the East next week, but there's no one else who can fill the vacant spot..." he asked anxiously.
"So, Amamiya-sensei, if you have time, could you draw a short manga to replace Purple Air Coming from the East next week?"
He didn't actually think it was a good idea, considering that Ren also had the serialization of Parasyte.
There just wasn't anyone else who could fill the spot.
As mentioned when Wan Shen Mo Kai was suspended, each issue of Manga World has a fixed number of pages, and it cannot be more or less.
Otherwise, readers who subscribe to Manga World Gogo all year round will not be happy.
After all, a manga strip is missing twelve pages, and the original price has not been announced, and cannot be changed.
Undoubtedly, some manga fans in the Republic will not be happy about this.
Therefore, someone must take care of the serialization, but Purple Air Coming from the East is only on a one-week hiatus.
Of course, a new work cannot replace it.
Therefore, a bimonthly or monthly manga strip can temporarily do it.
This was what happened with Wan Shen Mo Kai last time: it was replaced by Edgerunners, which had manuscripts in reserve.
However, Takashi called a meeting and consulted with the editors of the bimonthly and monthly strips, but they couldn't find any mangaka with the manuscripts that Ren had at that time.
So now... a short manga strip can only be serialized to replace it.
And coincidentally, Takashi thought of Ren again.
After all, Ren had already taken care of the serialization of Chainsaw Man and Uzumaki simultaneously.
In this way, neither Chainsaw Man nor Uzumaki had the problem of delaying the delivery of manuscripts, and both works were pending at the same time.
Therefore, Ren earned the title of unknown human printer.
So, this time, Takashi thought of Ren again.
The most important thing is that if the short series of manga at the top is exciting enough, it will also attract attention.
And the quality of Ren's work is now visible to everyone.
Takashi also sees it, so it's guaranteed.
"Will Mr. Fenghuangyuan be tired? Doesn't he have an assistant?" Ren asked curiously.
Generally, popular mangakas hire one or two assistants. Fenghuangyuan should have one when he saw him last time, right?
"It's mainly about the plot..." Takashi said helplessly. "Maybe Amamiya-sensei hasn't experienced the pain of being stuck in a plot. Mr. Fenghuangyuan must have been stuck in a plot, and his two assistants are exhausted from working on this week's delivery."
"I see," Ren said, instantly understanding.
Fenghuangyuan is, after all, a true original manga artist, unlike a plagiarist like him.
Even Mr. Akira Toriyama, in his previous life, sent a draft because he didn't come up with the plot in time.
Mr. Gege Akutami, in his previous life, did the same.
Of course, this is something a responsible mangaka would do. A truly irresponsible mangaka...
Well, then I can't send it in time, right?
Then I won't send it. I'll just announce a break and go play mahjong.
The next update could be in a year.
"What do you think, sensei?" Takashi asked nervously.
"Alright!" Ren said with a smile. "By the way, I just came up with a short manga plot that would be perfect!"
"What kind of plot is it?" Takashi asked curiously.
"It's about a movie," Ren thought for a moment, and then said: "The truth is, I've wanted to draw it for a long time, but I've never had the opportunity."
"Well... please, Amamiya-sensei," Takashi thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered something. "But... please, please be a little more restrained this time... well... I should say, a little more... normal..."
He was embarrassed to say this last part out loud. After all, wasn't he referring to Ren's unusual behavior?
But he was very worried that Ren would create another masterpiece like Fire Punch.
But this is a short manga, so it shouldn't be so outrageous.
"Ah, don't worry," Ren said, giving a thumbs-up to Takashi, who wasn't even there. "This is a manga about movies, growing up, and love!"
- - - - - - - - -
Thanks for reading!
For everyone who has been following this story, I'm happy to announce that this novel is now fully translated and complete on my Patreon!
If you want to read the ending and dive into the entire collection of chapters, this is the perfect time to join.
Thank you for your support!
@Patreon/iLikeeMikee