Chapter 264: A New Series
After finishing this chapter, Ren finally made up his mind.
"Sensei, are you coming to the Akatsuki Cultural Company to see the chief editor?" asked Ayumi in surprise, holding her phone.
"Yes... In fact, that's right, Ayumi," said Ren. "I've decided to put Chainsaw Man on hiatus after the first Public Safety arc. I'll draw the second part later...".
"Huh?" exclaimed Ayumi in surprise upon hearing the news. "Sensei, didn't you say... that Chainsaw Man would be followed by a High School arc? Why not High School? Or are you planning to take a break...".
"No! It's mainly because I've come up with a great idea!" said Ren excitedly. "Chainsaw Man will be quite boring after the Public Safety arc, but this new idea of mine... I'm so excited!".
He thought about it for a while and decided to put Chainsaw Man on hiatus during the Public Safety arc.
The most important thing is that he checked his points. If he continued like this, the Chainsaw Man series would take a long time to complete the tasks.
It would be difficult for him to accumulate three million points to redeem for prophetic abilities and continue drawing the rest of Chainsaw Man.
Why not... end it here?
And the story of Parasyte is quite interesting.
"Couldn't this idea be incorporated into the plot of the second part of Chainsaw Man?" asked Ayumi helplessly upon hearing Ren's excited tone.
It seems that Amamiya-sensei... has fallen ill again.
But to leave the popular Chainsaw Man and start a new work?
This made Ayumi feel it was very inappropriate.
Although... Amamiya-sensei's talent is recognized.
But is there no need to abandon the current popular work and start a new series? It would be fine to take a break after the first part, but Ren plans to start another work after finishing Chainsaw Man...
Wouldn't this cause dissatisfaction among Chainsaw Man fans?
"It can't be integrated," blinked Ren. "My worldview needs to be independent to have a real impact! Alright, alright! Ayumi, just inform Chief Editor Takashi. I'll go talk to him this afternoon."
Then he hung up.
This made Ayumi stop. She sighed, somewhat helplessly, "Sensei, really... you're always like this...".
But there was nothing she could do. Ren had always been like this.
As Ren's editor and good friend, she had no choice but to support him.
Then Ayumi put down her work and went to Takashi's office. She knocked gently on the door.
"Come in," Takashi's voice echoed from the office.
Ayumi opened the door, entered, and said, "Chief Editor...".
"Oh, it's Ayumi."
Takashi looked at Ayumi and said with a smile, "What's up?".
Among the mangakas Ayumi had recently managed, two had achieved success.
She had also learned something about plot organization and character design from observing Ren.
But what she learned most was that it's better to give mangakas freedom of action.
Unless the mangaka suffers a serious illness, and I don't mean an illness like Ren's, but a situation like a drastic change in the main plot or the sudden appearance of the Minotaur.
Otherwise, Ayumi will choose to believe first and then question.
But it is this way of letting the story grow unrestrained that has really allowed two mangakas under Ayumi's direction to achieve good results.
Now, Ayumi has also become a senior editor in the manga editorial department, which has generated some misunderstandings between Takashi and other editors.
It's no wonder that Ren can achieve such good results under Ayumi's direction.
It seems that the success of Edgerunners and Chainsaw Man is also due to Ayumi.
"Look, Amamiya-sensei just called and said he'd like to stop by the office to talk to you, the chief editor..."
Ayumi paused briefly before continuing, "It seems Amamiya-sensei wants to... take a break from publishing after finishing the first chapter of Chainsaw Man and start a new manga series...".
"Oh..."
Takashi was stunned at first, but then he realized, "Wait, Ayumi!".
His eyes widened in confusion.
...
"Alright! This chapter is finished for now, everyone can go home," said Ren with satisfaction, looking at the complete series of Chainsaw Man for the next week. "I'm going out too, so I'll take you."
Yuka, Hiroki, and Akutami Yuta were stunned.
"Sensei, are you going out?" asked Yuka with curiosity.
"Yes, I'm going to the Akatsuki company," said Ren with a smile, taking out his car keys.
"Ah, so you're going to the Akatsuki Cultural Company?" Yuka, Hiroki, and Akutami Yuta suddenly realized. No wonder Ren said he wanted to go out.
Then the three of them followed Ren.
Ren was kind enough to accompany them home one by one and then drove slowly to the Akatsuki Cultural Company.
After arriving, he parked in the temporary parking lot on the ground floor and entered.
Ayumi was waiting for him in the first-floor lobby. Upon seeing him arrive, she immediately approached.
"Sensei."
"Ayumi!"
Ren greeted Ayumi cheerfully and asked, "Is Chief Editor Takashi here?".
"The chief editor found out you were coming, so he postponed this afternoon's meeting," said Ayumi with some helplessness.
Then she leaned into Ren's ear and whispered, "Sensei... have you really decided to suspend Chainsaw Man and start a new manga?".
"Yes, I have a great idea. It will undoubtedly be much more interesting than the second part of Chainsaw Man!" said Ren with a thumbs up, as always.
"But can't we finish the serialization of Chainsaw Man first..." said Ayumi, "and then start a new series?".
"I'm a little impatient," said Ren with a strange laugh. "Besides, it's better for Chainsaw Man to take a break after finishing the first part. I'll be able to draw the high school part later, and it will be better!".
"Then you can talk to the chief editor..." heard Ayumi, knowing she couldn't change Ren's mind.
She led him directly to Takashi's office.
"Amamiya-sensei!" said Takashi, as enthusiastic as ever.
"Ayumi, you should also stay and listen to Amamiya-sensei's next ideas."
He tried to convince Ayumi, who was about to leave, to stay.
Ayumi was stunned for a moment, but had no choice but to stay in the office and listen to the conversation between Ren and Takashi.
"Chief Editor Takashi!"
Ren shook Takashi's hand, sat down, and spoke to him directly. "Ayumi should have told you, right? After the Public Safety arc of Chainsaw Man ends, Chainsaw Man will take a break, and I'll start a new manga!"
He rubbed his hands and said with great anticipation, "Don't worry, the next manga... will be fantastic!".
Takashi felt a headache upon hearing this. He sighed and said, "It's not really that difficult for us, but, sensei, have you ever thought about the fans of Chainsaw Man?".
"Yes, it's not really that difficult... After all, the plot of the second part of Chainsaw Man hasn't been published yet."
Ren gave a thumbs up and said, "It just ends right at the end of the Public Safety arc. After seeing the first part, everyone should be able to accept it!".
The plot of the second part was completely disconnected from the first.
Apart from the protagonist Denji and the new ruling devil Nayuta, all the other main characters have changed.
Ah, and Yoshida, who served as Denji's bodyguard in the puppet devil arc of the first part, is also present.
Furthermore, the story also changed from the Special Anti-Demon Division of Public Safety to the Fourth High School.
It was practically a new story.
So Ren thought it was okay to end it there.
Hearing his words, Takashi's head spun even more.
But... he found no reason to object.
"Alright," said Takashi, resigned.
After all, even a manga company like Akatsuki sometimes had to yield to a great artist.
With a mangaka of Ren's caliber, there really wasn't much that could be done.
"So, what's your new manga?" asked Takashi. "Sensei, can you tell us something now? It's perfect for us to discuss the plot with Ayumi."
Ren gave a thumbs up and said directly, "My new manga... is called Parasyte!".
"It's a science fiction manga with an environmental theme," he said suddenly, before continuing. "The story begins with the appearance of numerous spores in the sky over Earth. The larvae that hatch from these spores invade the body and attack the brain. Once the parasite is complete, they assimilate into the brain cells and take care of the corpse. These are parasites! Parasites can transform at will, but their food is of the same species as the host."
"The protagonist is Shinichi, a lucky guy whose brain is not parasitized. He and his parasite companions then face a bloody battle against other parasites!".
Takashi and Ayumi were stunned by Ren's presentation.
"The sensei's idea... seems quite interesting," said Takashi, reflecting.
"But what does this have to do with environmental protection?" asked Ayumi with curiosity.
"Because the Parasites are essentially the Earth's protective mechanism," said Ren. "It's supposed to remind humans not to destroy the environment for no reason... The idea is to focus on environmental protection. Don't worry, this manga is about love, environmental protection, and peace."
- - - - - - -
Hello everyone!
Great news! Starting today, Thursday, October 23rd, and running through Friday, October 31st, all subscription tiers on my Patreon will be 50% off.
Use the code 26DEA at checkout to activate the promotion and get access to hundreds of advanced chapters!
@Patreon/iLikeeMikee