This work…
Kana Uehara took a deep breath.
How many manga become legendary from the very first chapter?
But for most series, the first chapter is enough to reveal the creator's true ability.
The character depth and delicate emotional pacing in 5 Centimeters per Second were far beyond what a newcomer should be capable of.
Kana carefully flipped through the color pages. There was also a small creator introduction for Shirogane.
A quick look-up on TWKAN showed a single line:
Shirogane- A high school student living in Tokyo. An underage rookie mangaka.
Kana blinked.
A high schooler?
That had to be a joke.
A teenager might be able to create fluffy school-romance fantasies…
But this? A melancholic, quiet, painfully realistic story aimed at young adults?
Impossible.
Just as Kana was mulling over Shirogane's identity, thousands of fans were already flooding the Sakura-iro Weekly forum, a sub-site under Hoshimori Publishing Group.
Although the internet in this Japan wasn't as advanced as the world Takaki remembered, online forums were still lively. Readers of weekly manga magazines always gathered to discuss new chapters the moment an issue hit stores.
"As expected of Yuto's new series, the first chapter of Love Like Fireworks was adorable!"
"Lament was mid this week."
"Honestly, this chapter was way better than High-Scoring Romance. That one's basically filler now. I'm not buying the next tankōbon."
"Voting for Lament this week!"
"By the way, did anyone read the other new series this week?"
"You mean 5 Centimeters per Second?"
"Yeah, what did you think?"
"Thank god someone mentioned it. I thought I was the only one who liked it."
"Same! The characterization of Akari and Takaki almost made me cry."
"Haven't seen a romance manga with this much emotional detail in ages. But damn it's slow, an entire chapter and they still haven't met."
"What's it about? Worth reading?"
"Depends on taste, but the first chapter hooked me."
"Everyone should at least check it out. It's nothing like the usual Sakura Weekly formula. I love slow-burn romance."
"Spoiler: the leads are in middle school. The setting feels like the early Heisei era, no phones, only letters."
"A long-distance relationship romance? That's bold for a debut."
"No way it lasts more than 20 chapters; the plot will collapse."
"We'll see. Personally, 5 Centimeters per Second was my favorite new chapter this week."
"Okay you convinced me, I'll go read it."
Even though it was only the first chapter, 5 Centimeters per Second didn't spark any massive hype yet. But during her break, Misaki checked the forum comments, and felt relieved.
There were no negative comments at all.
Readers praised the emotional pacing, subtle storytelling, and art, and most importantly, they had the patience to follow this quiet, slow-moving narrative.
That alone was the best possible outcome.
Inside the Editorial Department
"Congratulations, Takeda! The early fan reactions to your new series are great!"
Several editors gathered around Takeda Jun, grinning.
"And you too, Misaki, the feedback for 5 Centimeters per Second is very solid. I wonder how the popularity poll will look this week. The first chapter rankings for new series are always fun to watch."
Sakura-iro Weekly's fan voting system had moved entirely online. Readers just had to enter the serial number from the magazine to cast their votes.
Much easier than the old postcard system.
Previously, even a magazine selling 800,000 copies might get only a few hundred mailed-in votes per issue…
Now the number had increased tenfold, sometimes dozens of times.
"Honestly," a chubby editor with glasses said with a laugh, "5 Centimeters per Second won't lose to Love Like Fireworks. The editor-in-chief and everyone at the serialization meeting were blown away. Wouldn't surprise me if it breaks into the Top 5 of the popularity rankings in its debut."
Misaki and Takeda both glanced toward the female editor, a faint displeasure flashing in their eyes.
Although Misaki and Takeda were rivals within the Sakura-iro Weekly editorial team, their competition had always been straightforward and professional.
Everyone did their job, no pettiness.
But this particular female editor...
Not only were her own results terrible, she also loved stirring up drama inside the team.
To be blunt, her comments were pure troublemaking.
5 Centimeters per Second was a short series, and its opening was intentionally slow.
It was already fortunate that fans reacted positively. Surpassing Yuto's brand-new work, especially one backed by years of loyal readers, was simply unrealistic.
Her words weren't encouragement. They were empty flattery meant to provoke.
"I'm not aiming for the Top 5," Misaki replied mildly.
"As long as it doesn't land in the bottom three, it's fine. Even the series I serialized before, right up until cancellation, never scored that low."
The slightly chubby female editor who had spoken earlier immediately shut her mouth.
In the last few months, two of her manga had been axed from Sakura-iro Weekly due to low popularity.
Everyone knew that a series only gets canceled when it ranks dead last.
Misaki's comment hit her like a slap, softly spoken, but unavoidable.
After the woman went silent, Misaki and Takeda exchanged a glance.
In that moment, they understood each other perfectly.
There was no doubt:
Yuto, with six years of serializations and a solid fanbase, would naturally have higher starting popularity for her new romance manga compared to a debut work like 5 Centimeters per Second.
But the real question was, how long would that advantage last?
With both series running side by side in the same magazine, comparisons were inevitable.
And 5 Centimeters per Second would conclude in just five chapters.
If during those five weeks, even once, Shirogane's 5 Centimeters per Second surpassed, Yuto's Love Like Fireworks in the reader popularity rankings…
Then in the eyes of the entire editorial department, the winner would be unquestionable.
It would be 5 Centimeters per Second.