Less than half a day after Sakura Weekly announced Rei's official account, his verified accounts across various platforms had gained tens of thousands of new followers.
This was because Kirishima's account settings required users to follow him before they could post or comment. Once fans gained the right to speak, the resentment that had been building for weeks began to erupt.
"Shirogane, you've finally shown your face."
"How dare you create an account? How do you explain the ending of 5 Centimeters Per Second?"
"Shirogane Sensei, keep up the good work! I loved 5 Centimeters Per Second and will definitely buy the collected edition. I can't wait for your next work!"
"Shirogane Sensei, if Takaki and Akari really can't be together, could you release a bonus chapter? At least let Kanae and Takaki not have any regrets!"
"Shirogane, if you don't change the ending of the manga, I absolutely won't buy the collected edition! Did you hear me?! Change the ending!"
"Trash mangaka! If you can't draw, hand over the pen! I could draw a better ending for 5 Centimeters with my feet!"
"Hey trolls, stop pretending to be angry. Are you fans of High Score Romance? Still mad after all these days that 5 Centimeters Per Second stole the top spot? How petty can you get?"
"I'm not sure how many copies the manga's collected edition will sell, but no matter what, I'll definitely support you, Shirogane Sensei!"
"Shirogane Sensei has finally created an official account! Could you post a personal photo? I'm dying to know what you look like! Is it true that you're a beautiful high school girl manga artist, like the rumors say?"
A beautiful high school girl manga artist?
Rei stared at the comments section of his account with a strange expression.
But after thinking about it, he couldn't blame the fans for their misunderstanding.
The pen name Shirogane was quite gender-neutral.
Almost all the manga artists in Sakura Weekly were women, and the style of 5 Centimeters Per Second was intensely emotional, filled with introspective monologues.
Male manga artists rarely created works like this, so it was only natural for fans to assume the creator was female.
Well, let them cling to their unrealistic fantasies for now. One day, I'll personally shatter those illusions.
That's one of the joys of being reincarnated.
Rei calmly posted his first message to the Japanese manga community under his manga artist alias, "Shirogane":
Hello everyone! I'm Shirogane, the author of 5 Centimeters Per Second!
A simple greeting to manga fans marked Shirogane's official debut and first public statement in the Japanese manga industry.
Predictably, the comments section immediately flooded with manga fans' criticisms, insults, encouragement, and support.
Time passed swiftly, and July 23rd soon arrived.
Japan produces a massive volume of manga annually, but the vast majority lack significant commercial value, leaving their creators barely scraping by.
In Rei's previous life, in Sakurajima's manga industry, a new mangaka's work faced near-certain cancellation if its first volume sold fewer than 5,000 to 10,000 copies in its debut week.
Generally, a manga volume's first-week sales account for 40% to 60% of its first-month sales, which in turn represent 40% to 60% of the volume's total lifetime sales.
Of course, this applies to manga with typical popularity. For a long-running series like One Piece, which has been serialized for decades, first-week sales might account for less than 20% of a volume's total sales, given its exceptionally strong long-term sales performance.
In Japan, for magazines like Sakura Weekly, manga series with first-week sales below 30,000 to 50,000 copies were highly likely to be axed and discontinued.
Such poor performance indicated insufficient commercial value, dragging down the magazine's overall quality, and would inevitably lead to the series' cancellation.
Regarding 5 Centimeters Per Second, the Sakura Weekly editorial team remained confident.
After all, it had decisively defeated the popular manga High Score Romance, which boasted an average volume sales of 520,000 copies.
Surely, the single-volume sales of 5 Centimeters Per Second would surpass 500,000 copies, right?
Based on the assumption that first-week sales typically account for one-third of total sales, the editorial department set a minimum target of 200,000 copies for the single-volume's first-week sales.
The distribution range for single-volume manga was generally much wider than that of magazines. Magazines had a limited shelf life, typically selling only during the few days around their weekly release date, requiring high sales density in their distribution areas. Bookstores were extremely cautious when stocking manga magazines; if a magazine wasn't popular locally, many stores wouldn't even carry it.
This was why Sakura Weekly's distribution area was limited to the provinces and regions surrounding Tokyo.
Single-volume manga, however, operated differently. Bookstores faced less pressure to sell them quickly, and unsold copies could be returned to the publisher.
The sales network for the 5 Centimeters Per Second manga spanned over a dozen provinces across Japan, with Sakura Weekly's distribution area naturally receiving the heaviest promotion.
On July 23rd, the manga's collected volume appeared on shelves in bookstores nationwide.
The cover featured a cherry blossom tree with petals drifting in the wind, beneath which a young man and woman shared a tender kiss amidst the falling blossoms.
The promotional tagline was simple and direct:
A tearjerking masterpiece by Shirogane, the genius high school manga artist!
Amidst the vast array of manga volumes on the shelves, including many current bestsellers, 5 Centimeters Per Second didn't immediately stand out.
However, for fans of Sakura Weekly and its serialized version of 5 Centimeters Per Second, this was no obstacle.
In provinces where Sakura Weekly was distributed, many bookstore customers headed straight for the manga shelves and purchased the 5 Centimeters Per Second volume without hesitation.
The first-week sales figures for a manga volume typically take at least one or two weeks to compile.
However, during the sales period of the 5 Centimeters Per Second volume, Hoshimori Publishing Group had a sense of the work's performance range.
Starting from Wednesday, just three days after the manga volume's release, many distributors reported localized shortages of 5 Centimeters Per Second manga magazines and requested additional print runs from the printing plant.
This data was crucial.
"Shortages already after just three days?"
Misaki felt her anxiety rise as she reviewed the company report.
Of course, for Hoshimori Publishing Group, a manga selling hundreds of thousands of copies posed no strain on their production capacity. Any shortages could be quickly addressed with additional print runs, unlike the situation with wildly popular manga volumes, where shortages could leave the market completely dry for extended periods.
More critically, Misaki knew that both of Hoshimori Publishing Group's second-tier magazines, Sky Shadow Weekly and Fantasy Realm Weekly, would soon be losing serialized works due to cancellations.
The next step would be the "Serialization Meeting" to fill those vacant slots.
If the single-volume sales of 5 Centimeters Per Second proved strong enough, Misaki could submit Rei's new manga, Tonight, to the Serialization Meetings of both magazines.
However, if the sales of 5 Centimeters fell short, the situation would become uncertain. Even if Misaki submitted Rei's new work, it would likely be rejected.
"Hang in there!" Misaki murmured inwardly. At this point, all she could do was wait for the first-week sales data of 5 Centimeters to be released.
200,000 copies in the first week would be considered passing, but ideally, sales should reach 250,000 to 300,000 copies.
Based on standard trends, such a performance would suggest a final total sales figure of over 700,000 copies.
With those numbers, at least the submission eligibility would be secured, and the chances of successful serialization would be significantly improved.