The "Manga Grand Prize" and "Light Novel Grand Prize" events, which were held here previously, have already concluded.
After the experts' appraisal, the top ten entries for each grand prize were finally determined.
Before the grand prize was officially announced, Takashi Kazuma first provided Aoki Haruhi with the list drafted by the judges.
"Are there corresponding materials and introductions?" Aoki Haruhi flipped through the list, unable to make a judgment.
"Yes."
Takashi Kazuma quickly walked out and then carried in two large boxes.
One box contained the top ten works of the Manga Grand Prize, and the other contained the top ten works of the Light Novel Grand Prize.
In fact, the judges, including Takashi Kazuma, did not seem to think that Aoki Haruhi would seriously review them.
Because although these works were not long in length, the shortest light novels were still around a hundred thousand characters, and it would take time to quickly read and evaluate them.
What's more, Aoki Haruhi was so busy that he couldn't possibly read each one individually.
So, it was probably just a formality, leaving the final decision to the judges.
It couldn't be that so many professional authorities from various fields, who were invited, had less judgment than the President, right?
Aoki Haruhi didn't pay too much attention, he sat in his chair, crossed his legs, and slowly began to flip through them.
Seeing this, Takashi Kazuma said goodbye to him and exited the President's office.
...
Aoki Haruhi first looked through the top ten light novels; he certainly didn't have that much time to examine each one in detail, so he basically just looked at the Author names to see if any were familiar.
Then he looked at the comments given by the judges and the work introductions.
The first-place work, "Journey Through Time and Space," won unanimous recognition from the judges for its unique setting and tense plot.
This work tells the story of the protagonist who accidentally travels to another world, and in order to find a way home, he has no choice but to embark on a thrilling adventure in this unfamiliar world.
Through the depiction of time travel, the Author presented a world full of fantasy, making people feel as if they were immersed in it.
The second-place work, "City of Illusory Dreams," attracted Aoki Haruhi's attention with its beautiful prose and rich imagination.
This work is set against the backdrop of a mysterious city, telling the story of a group of young people experiencing various adventures in this city.
The Author, through the depiction of the city, presented a world full of dreamlike colors.
Interesting.
Aoki Haruhi nodded.
However, he only flipped through two or three pages before putting it aside.
The third-place work, "Blade Against Heaven," won high praise from the judges for its intense battle scenes and tense plot.
This work tells the story of the protagonist who, in order to find his long-lost relatives, embarks on a arduous journey.
In this process, he constantly challenges powerful enemies and eventually becomes a generation's Sword God.
The battle scenes were written quite well, the kind that makes your blood boil.
The works from fourth to tenth place also had their own merits, such as "New Students of the Magic Academy," "Promise Under the Starry Sky," "Legend of the Dragon Knight," etc., all of which constructed splendid stories with their unique descriptive styles and novel ideas.
Overall, the judges' judgment was correct.
But...
To be honest, there was nothing particularly outstanding; the first-place one was only slightly better.
However, Aoki Haruhi also felt that it had no value for animation or game adaptation.
He looked at the Authors' names, and they were basically unfamiliar individuals.
This 10 million yuan prize money is more about form than content, it's more for Pokeni to buy a thousand gold for horse bones, Aoki Haruhi thought.
It is estimated that after this session, more great Authors will participate in the future.
...
After finishing the light novels, Aoki Haruhi continued to flip through the comments and introductions of the top ten entries for the Manga Grand Prize.
The first-place work was titled "Reiko Watanabe," and the overall style of the manga was eerie and dark.
The story of "Reiko Watanabe" takes place in a town filled with mystery and horror.
The protagonist, Reiko Watanabe, is a young girl with a pair of unique eyes that can see things others cannot.
This made her stand out in the town, but it also plunged her into endless fear and pain.
Reiko Watanabe's family has a dark history unknown to others; her ancestors were once the rulers of the town, but due to a sudden disaster, the entire family was almost wiped out.
The surviving Reiko Watanabe became the sole heir of the family, but she also carried a heavy mission: to uncover the family's secrets and save the spirits trapped in the darkness.
In the manga, Reiko Watanabe encounters many strange characters, each with their own stories and secrets.
There's a mysterious onmyoji who teaches Reiko Watanabe how to harness her power; there are eerie ghosts who try to lure Reiko Watanabe into joining their ranks; and there are evil yokai who attempt to use Reiko Watanabe's power for their own ends.
As the story deepens, Reiko Watanabe gradually discovers that her fate is closely intertwined with the residents of the town.
To save them, she must bravely face her fears, uncover the family's curse, and find the truth hidden in the darkness. In this process, Reiko Watanabe must not only face external enemies but also conquer the demons within, ultimately becoming a true hero.
The manga is full of suspense, horror, and thrilling elements, making it irresistible.
At the same time, it also explores themes of human nature, courage, and sacrifice, giving this work high artistic value.
Aoki Haruhi only flipped through two pages, and was immediately deeply drawn by its frantic and powerfully mysterious art style, as if there was a terrifying abyss and vortex before his eyes, creating a huge suction that immersed him irresistibly.
The discussion of human nature within it was very profound.
Especially when uncovering the family's secrets and the hidden truths of the town, that spine-chilling, nerve-wracking feeling was truly wonderful!
Aoki Haruhi almost cried out.
The portrayal of human nature is very profound, the art style is unique, and it has a strong personal style; this is clearly a particularly powerful manga Author.
Aoki Haruhi flipped to the Author's name—
Jiang Zhongjing, pen name: Sou.
Why haven't I heard of him?
It sounds like a girl's name, and after checking the information, it turns out she is indeed a girl.
And she's a young girl in her twenties.
Can she really create such powerful and profound works at such a young age?
However...
Aoki Haruhi folded his arms and closed his eyes in thought.
Sou's manga is very good, but unfortunately, it can't be made into a game.
The horror elements within it, combined with that kind of revelation of human nature, at least he wouldn't think of using it to make a game; animation or live-action adaptation would be more troublesome.
Forget it, forget it. Give her ten million, and then let her publish it.
We'll see the readers' feedback later.
The second-place work, "The Power of Dreams," conveyed a positive and uplifting spirit through the story of a young boy pursuing his basketball dream.
The Author used delicate brushstrokes to depict the protagonist's silhouette sweating on the basketball court, and his continuous growth through setbacks.
This work was clearly drawn by a male; unlike Takehiko Inoue's strong and powerful art style, "The Power of Dreams," although also a basketball manga, was a bit more refreshing.
If one had to say, it should be a bit like the future Kuroko's Basketball.
However, the art style isn't as two-dimensional; the eyes and body proportions, etc., actually have a certain sense of realism.
A well-drawn and very energetic work.
The judges made the right choice.
Aoki Haruhi nodded, expressing his approval of the judges.
The third-place work, "Environmental Messenger," features a little girl as the protagonist, telling how she, through her efforts, aroused people's awareness of environmental protection.
The Author used vivid images to show the seriousness of environmental pollution and the environmental measures people can take in their daily lives.
This work has strong practical significance and also received recognition from the judges.
Aoki Haruhi didn't look too closely at those outside the top three; he was mainly observing the judges' aesthetic sense and whether they could make fair and accurate judgments.
Once you acknowledge this point, the rest is up to Takashi Kazuma.
Because you just need to trust their judgment.
He quickly scanned the remaining list:
The works ranked fourth to tenth were: "Cat Detective," "Robots and Humans," "Supernatural Girl," "Fantasy Forest," "Yu-Gi-Oh!," "Dexterous Hands," and "Brave Little Warrior."
These works each had their own unique characteristics, some humorous and witty, some deeply moving, and some astonishing.
Wait a minute…
Aoki Haruhi glanced at the list and felt there was something strange mixed in.
One name seemed a bit familiar to him.
After a careful re-examination, he picked "Yu-Gi-Oh!" out of the pile of works.
Then he looked at the Author's name:
Takahashi Kazuki.
Good heavens!
It really is you.
...
In his previous life, Takahashi Kazuki published the manga "Yu-Gi-Oh!" in 1996, which was later adapted into a TV series, then acquired by Bandai, which began issuing cards.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! collectible card game generates over hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue almost every year.
It is considered one of the best-selling card games globally.
Aoki Haruhi's lips curved slightly upward; so this guy actually chose to participate in Pokeni's Manga Grand Prize after all?
However, after he flipped through a few pages of Takahashi Kazuki's "Yu-Gi-Oh!," his entire face crumpled into a chrysanthemum.
Takahashi Kazuki is just a manga artist; what does he know about card games?!
In the early stages of Yu-Gi-Oh!, game was truly a "Yu-Gi-Oh!" in name and fact, not a professional card player, but someone who played all kinds of games, mainly arcade games.
He was proficient in everything: claw machines, pinball, fighting games, dice throwing...
Anyway, in the current manga, Aoki Haruhi didn't find any hint of duel cards.
Could it be that this guy, Takashi Kazuma, has never even thought about card games?
...
What to do now?
Aoki Haruhi sat still, arms crossed, deep in thought.
Since Takahashi Kazuki hasn't created a card game yet, Pokeni can completely make one now.
But, should the manga side continue to be handled by Takashi Kazuma?
After careful consideration, Aoki Haruhi still decided to have Takashi Kazuma find a time to arrange a meeting with Takahashi Kazuki.
"Eh?"
Takashi Kazuma was a bit disbelieving when he heard the news.
"President, you want to sign someone who's ranked 8th, not the first-place winner?"
"Mm," Aoki Haruhi nodded, "Let's start a manga magazine."
"Huh?!"
Takashi Kazuma asked in confusion, "For one Takahashi Kazuki, we're going to start a manga magazine?"
"It's not just that," Aoki Haruhi said, "To cultivate more of our own manga Authors in the future, we'll start a magazine, and then naturally make the Grand Prize a regular event of the magazine."
After much thought, it was still necessary to have a magazine to expand long-term influence, and at the same time, provide better soil for games and future film and animation works.
To put it bluntly, this thing is an IP library; we can't always rely on a single Grand Prize to encompass everything. It needs to be more long-term, so that both short and long manga can be serialized on it in the future.
Otherwise, it would be easy to miss some long-form works.
If Takahashi Kazuki hadn't come for the high prize money and future publishing conditions, they would have already missed him.
"Light novels are the same; let's do a set for those too."
"Understood, President." Takashi Kazuma frowned, feeling like something wasn't quite right.
He was clearly in operations, and the previous activities were within the scope of operations, but how did he inexplicably end up doing manga and light novel magazines?
Fortunately, Pokeni's network is quite good. P-net downstairs already has many strong editors, and the relationship between Famitsu's magazine and the company is also very good, so Takashi Kazuma isn't completely without leverage.
...
After settling these two matters, Aoki Haruhi called Shinji Mikami into the office.
"I want to make a card game."
"Huh?" Shinji Mikami was completely bewildered.
"Why did you suddenly think of making a card game?"
"You listen to my explanation." Aoki Haruhi stood up and described the Yu-Gi-Oh! card rules to him.
It wasn't for anything else; just by finishing this game, they could rake in hundreds of millions annually from merchandise alone.
Aoki Haruhi valued its future IP potential.
As a person,
Why go against money?
"Mm-hmm."
After listening to Aoki Haruhi's description, Shinji Mikami nodded repeatedly, "Wow, this game sounds very interesting.
So it would have to be made into a computer game, or for players to battle online on handheld consoles, right?"
"Mm, that's a good idea." Aoki Haruhi nodded seriously, "You first refine the rules clearly, make sure they are rigorous, and balance them well.
In the future, we can completely let Yu-Gi-Oh! adopt the Pokémon model, not only collecting cards through story battles in the game but also battling players to win cards, exchange cards..."
These are actually the fun and charm of the game.
It also aligns more with the card duel mode in the original work.
However, honestly, Aoki Haruhi truly couldn't agree with Takahashi Kazuki's game design ability, specifically in terms of rules and values.
Because in the early Yu-Gi-Oh! card duels, the rules were completely chaotic, and more often than not, who won or lost among the characters depended entirely on whose verbal attacks were more powerful.
There were even countless instances of "divine draws."
It's certainly fine for a manga to portray it this way, as it allows for the possibility of reversal, especially when the protagonist is suppressed early on, constantly on the verge of collapse, and then stages a desperate counterattack, which can generate a strong sense of excitement and pleasure.
It's probably similar to the Dragon King Son-in-Law trope, where he's always looked down upon and oppressed, even his mother-in-law dislikes him, but on her 70th birthday, he reveals a genuine Tang Bohu masterpiece that shocks the world, outshining everyone and astounding the audience...
Takahashi Kazuki's Yu-Gi-Oh! can be considered a very early example of a "cool" manga.
...
Of course, a "cool" manga doesn't need to pay too much attention to rules; as long as the logic can be rounded out and it delivers satisfying face-slapping moments that make the audience happy, it's fine.
However, as a game developer, this is definitely not acceptable.
Especially for card duel games, what is required for both sides of the battle is fairness, to duel under the same set of rules in a fair environment.
This is what they should be doing.
"Understood, President, I will refine the corresponding game rules later." Shinji Mikami nodded seriously, indicating that this game has great potential.
It's indeed very interesting: different characters, different attributes, and then fusion, trap cards, and other rules.
Just thinking about it makes him excited.
"Once you've finished the rules, I'll review them with you again."
Aoki Haruhi said.
"Okay, no problem."
Once the game's rules are finalized, he can then push Takahashi Kazuki, discussing with him how the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga should be drawn in the future.
Otherwise, based on his current content, its appeal is less than one-tenth of a card duel.
Takahashi Kazuki is just a manga artist; what does he know about "Yu-Gi-Oh!"?
Please Support me by becoming my Patreon member and get 20+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon