While Mirei was still reeling from the third episode of Magical Girl, unable to pull herself away from what she’d just seen, the anime world
While Mirei was still reeling from the third episode of Magical Girl, unable to pull herself away from what she’d just seen, the anime world had already erupted.
This time, the discussion about Madoka Magica buried every other anime release of the fall season. Reactions, debates, and hot takes, everything was about Madoka Magica episode t...
2025-08-12 20:30:57 +0000 UTC
View Post
As Haruki was thinking over what Amane said, she added: “We can also give you one extra slot if a series goes on hiatus for a month, or if a
As Haruki was thinking over what Amane said, she added:
“We can also give you one extra slot if a series goes on hiatus for a month, or if a new quarterly work doesn’t meet Echo Shroud’s standards. That’s the max we can offer.”
After more discussion about serialization, they signed the contract — 12% royalties. Haruki’s ...
2025-08-11 20:43:46 +0000 UTC
View Post
The next day, Haruka stepped into the office of editor-in-chief Amane, who gestured for her to sit. “You said Muzushiro had a new idea for a
The next day, Haruka stepped into the office of editor-in-chief Amane, who gestured for her to sit.
“You said Muzushiro had a new idea for a manga.”
“Yes,” Haruka said, handing over a draft. “Technically, it’s his first idea, the first manga he ever tried drawing. Part 1 isn’t as strong as his recent works, so we thought...
2025-08-10 20:25:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
I won’t be able to upload tomorrow’s chapter as I have a seminar to attend and will be busy the entire day. Thanks for your understanding
2025-08-08 19:01:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
Haruka started reading Phantom Blood. After finishing the equivalent of one volume: The first thing that stood out was the heavy 80s influen
Haruka started reading Phantom Blood. After finishing the equivalent of one volume:
The first thing that stood out was the heavy 80s influence. It felt raw, like it came straight from that era. Haruki was probably into that time period. Compared to his other works like Fullmetal Alchemist, Initial D, or Rurouni ...
2025-08-08 18:58:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
The next day at Echo Shroud, the editorial team waited anxiously for the sales numbers. When the data finally came in, they were stunned. Ei
The next day at Echo Shroud, the editorial team waited anxiously for the sales numbers.
When the data finally came in, they were stunned.
Eight million copies sold, on day one.
That was the kind of number they usually expected for an entire week, not a single day. If distribution hadn’t already hit stock shortages, it might’ve...
2025-08-07 20:37:27 +0000 UTC
View Post
No matter how prepared Haruki’s fans thought they were, the opening minutes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica caught many off guard. The pastel p
No matter how prepared Haruki’s fans thought they were, the opening minutes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica caught many off guard. The pastel palette, the soft, buoyant theme song, and the rounded character designs, it didn’t feel like a typical "Haruki anime" at all. The episode began quietly, almost gently.
Madoka was introduced as a che...
2025-08-06 20:32:47 +0000 UTC
View Post
As the week passed, Fullmetal Alchemist kept gaining momentum. Its opening theme had gone viral, racking up over 20 million streams in just
As the week passed, Fullmetal Alchemist kept gaining momentum. Its opening theme had gone viral, racking up over 20 million streams in just seven days. That alone brought in another surge of new fans to Echo Shroud, widening the sales gap between them and Red Lantern even further. On the Shroud Line rankings, Fullmetal Alchemis...
2025-08-06 20:25:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Sorry for the Delay!
Hey everyone, I wrote a chapter that ended up being only 1000 words, which felt too short, so I’m taking a bit more time to expand it. The update will be about 12 hours late. Thanks so much for your patience!
2025-08-05 18:54:42 +0000 UTC
View Post
As Thursday came, Souta had just gotten home from school. He immediately went to his room, started up his computer, and opened the new OP Echo Shroud had uploaded for Mizushiro’s new work.
It had already been up for four hours.
He could’ve watched it on his phone…
…but he’d waited to get home and watch it properly—on the big screen—to really get the feel.
He clicked play.
It opened on a blonde character standing alone—
Guitar played i...
2025-08-04 20:27:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
As Amane was reading the latest sales report, her thoughts drifted. Gilded Lock and Chain Veil publishing house dominated magazine sales, av
As Amane was reading the latest sales report, her thoughts drifted.
Gilded Lock and Chain Veil publishing house dominated magazine sales, averaging 15 to 16 million copies sold. Meanwhile, Echo Shroud and Red Lantern had been battling for third place for over a year—one month, Echo Shroud would take the lead; the next, Red Lantern would bou...
2025-08-04 10:27:27 +0000 UTC
View Post
As September arrived, so did the release day for Fullmetal Alchemist, and the tension was thick in the air. You could feel the anticipation
As September arrived, so did the release day for Fullmetal Alchemist, and the tension was thick in the air. You could feel the anticipation across Echo Shroud as editors waited to see how well it would perform.
Haruki, meanwhile, was completely swamped. Most of his time was spent at his desk, drawing. Online, fans were already specula...
2025-08-02 20:31:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
In the span of a single night, he’d lost both his emotional anchor and his edge on the track. The backlash was immediate. Fans flooded Haruk
In the span of a single night, he’d lost both his emotional anchor and his edge on the track.
The backlash was immediate.
Fans flooded Haruki’s account with comments.
“Why would you do this to Takumi?! We were already bracing for the ending, but this is brutal.”
“You’re really going to end it with him broken do...
2025-08-01 19:41:14 +0000 UTC
View Post
As Haruki was drawing Fullmetal Alchemist, he kept thinking about how to gain more points from the system. To get those points, he needed mo
As Haruki was drawing Fullmetal Alchemist, he kept thinking about how to gain more points from the system. To get those points, he needed more people to read or watch his content. The system had already provided him with all the content of Fullmetal Alchemist, but after getting mugged by the system when claiming JoJo and ...
2025-07-31 20:48:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
The following week, Haruki began drawing JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure in earnest. With the story’s structure already mapped out, he opened his n
The following week, Haruki began drawing JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure in earnest. With the story’s structure already mapped out, he opened his notebook and started going through the notes he’d made earlier—adjustments he wanted to implement, areas needing more weight, and refinements to the pacing.
One thing was already decid...
2025-07-30 19:51:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
Haruka was unusually busy the following week. Her mornings started with emails, her afternoons with interviews, and her evenings with silent
Haruka was unusually busy the following week. Her mornings started with emails, her afternoons with interviews, and her evenings with silent cups of coffee at the office, sorting through portfolios.
Echo Shroud had put out a call for a new assistant for Mizushiro, and the applications flooded in. Haruki’s name had only grown bigger since No...
2025-07-29 20:42:51 +0000 UTC
View Post
Saturday at Echo Shroud “Did you hear? Haruka-san is bringing a new manga by Muzushiro for serialization,” said Takeda, flipping through his
Saturday at Echo Shroud
“Did you hear? Haruka-san is bringing a new manga by Muzushiro for serialization,” said Takeda, flipping through his notes as he walked.
“Yeah, I heard,” replied Moriyama, rubbing his eyes. “Ever since Muzushiro announced he was ending both his series, we’ve all been scrambling to fill the gap. I ...
2025-07-28 20:24:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
As the Elric brothers rode the train toward their next destination, Edward glanced out the window. “If this priest can really perform miracl
As the Elric brothers rode the train toward their next destination, Edward glanced out the window.
“If this priest can really perform miracles,” he said, “then it could be what we’re looking for.”
The story shifted into a flashback — before the failed transmutation and the price they paid.
Back then, they lived peaceful...
2025-07-27 20:13:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
Haruki made a choice after much hesitation. He didn’t want to use his points to draw from the lottery, he wanted to save them and directly purchase top manga from the system.
But the system didn’t leave him with much of a choice.
Publishing JoJo alone would bring too much attention. It would create headlines, draw backlash, and put him in the spotlight more than he wanted. He just wanted to quietly draw manga.
So he made up his mind.
“I have to try one more. Use ...
2025-07-26 19:53:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
After answering the last of the fan questions, Ryuko stepped off the stage.
Backstage, she immediately pulled out her phone and called Haruki.
He picked up after a couple of rings.
“Where are you, Haruki?” she asked, her voice still slightly breathless from being on stage.
“I’m just now exiting the area,” he replied. “Do you have anything left to do? If not, how about we check out the other exhibitions and stalls?”
Ryuko smiled. “Wait at the exit....
2025-07-25 19:48:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey everyone! After finishing today’s chapter and getting ready to post it, my laptop had a stroke and hasn’t been able to connect to the internet. I’ve been trying for the past two hours, but no luck. So tomorrow, after getting the laptop repaired, I’ll post two chapters — one for today and one for tomorrow.
2025-07-24 19:05:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
Two weeks passed in a blink.
On Saturday, Haruki handled his usual tasks early and made his way alone to the heart of Tokyo.
Despite living here for a few years now, he hadn’t really explored the city much, especially not as a fan.
In fact, this was the first time he was attending a full-scale anime convention in Tokyo.
But he wasn’t the same clueless amateur he’d once been.
Now, stepping outside without a mask would be asking for trouble.
With his ri...
2025-07-23 18:55:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
I did see many of you suggesting Attack on Titan, but it seems a lot haven’t actually watched Code Geass. Attack on Titan is quite similar to Code Geass, which has one of the best, if not the best, endings. Since Haruki is going to create Code Geass, it would clash with Attack on Titan, so we need to consider something different for the next round.
I did check which anime I’ve watched and which are on my reading list, so here’s...
2025-07-22 17:54:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
That night, Haruki once again invited Ryuko to queue up for a few rounds of competitive games.
But Ryuko seemed… distracted.
She chatted idly with him throughout, not really focusing on the gameplay. It wasn’t like her.
Finally, after they wrapped up their last match with a win, she spoke up.
“Haruki…”
“Yeah?”
“Are you free in two weeks?”
“What’s up?” he asked, curious.
“Well… there’s going to be a major anime conve...
2025-07-22 17:27:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
Late July.
The buzz around Initial D and Natsume’s Friends finally died down.
Fans had reluctantly accepted the endings, and Echo Shroud Publishing had no choice but to move on. With both serializations wrapped up, the editorial team stopped pressuring Haruki to continue them. Instead, they waited for whatever he planned to submit next.
Meanwhile, Haruki was at home, playing an online game with Ryuko.
After several rounds, he leaned...
2025-07-21 18:27:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
A Western-style restaurant in central Tokyo.
Ryuko followed the address Saya had sent her.
She’d been dodging this dinner invitation for over a week. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure how to handle Saya. Ever since the day Saya was attacked, Ryuko had felt an invisible shift between them. She couldn't tell whether Saya’s warmth toward her came from genuine gratitude… or something more complicated.
Still, Saya was a producer on into the abyss—the project Ryuko was involve...
2025-07-20 17:38:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
This week, nothing stirred more conversation in the manga world than one headline:
Mizushiro is ending both Initial D and Natsume’s Friends.
For fans, the announcement felt unreal. Some hoped it was a bluff—but after Mizushiro confirmed it himself, and Echo Shroud Publishing followed up with their own official post two days later, the truth settled in.
Behind the scenes, Echo Shroud had made one final attempt to change his mind.
They sent his editor, Haruka.
...
2025-07-19 20:05:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
Please vote or comment on what you want me to do, so I can make the edits. The chapter will resume from tomorrow as usual.
as i was reading ahead and try to edit/change the face-slapping, i came across a good chapter about how he deal with the publishing house, and another one about saya confronting Haruki . this is a spoiler: if you can't take Haruki’s development—
first part,Airi gives him advice about why he’s at fault for ending two flagship magazines without givi...
2025-07-18 17:24:17 +0000 UTC
View Post
Sorry everyone, no new chapter today.
I saw a comment pointing out some things I hadn’t noticed before—turns out the author is falling into the same cycle again. So I went ahead and read ahead (and sacrificing a few brain cells along the way). The next 50 chapters are full of face-slapping and typical Chinese novel tropes.
So I’m going to trim and edit the chapters. Regular updates will resume as usual starting tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!
Also,...
2025-07-17 17:26:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
July brought scorching heat.
But even with the summer sun beating down, it wasn’t enough to keep fans from lining up outside bookstores, waiting to grab the latest manga issue.
In Initial D, the previous arc ended with Takumi defeating Ryosuke an explosive climax that left many readers both thrilled and uncertain. Some worried the story would now spiral into repetitive territory, with Takumi leaving Akina to take on rival drivers across the country, just like Ryosuke once did.
2025-07-16 19:29:55 +0000 UTC
View Post