Chereads / Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo / Chapter 35 - A down-and-out manga artist

Chapter 35 - A down-and-out manga artist

The so-called official book is a game setting collection, which provides detailed introductions to the game's world view, characters, creatures, equipment, and so on, serving as the favorite of die-hard fans and enthusiasts. 

Takayuki initially wanted to directly mention the setting collection, but using the term 'official book' from the manga industry would make Daigo Ikeda understand more clearly.

Daigo Ikeda was very surprised.

"Takayuki-kun, are you saying you need assistance with writing the official book? This... this is not just about promotional artwork anymore, right?"

Takayuki nodded, "That's right. What I'm doing is an electronic game, and the setting of an electronic game may even surpass that of a general manga. So I need a long-term partner, preferably with some reputation."

Assisting in writing the official book was no longer a small project for a manga artist.

But in the past, no one had ever asked a manga artist to do such a thing.

No, it had never happened at all.

Even now, movies didn't have such official books; at most, there were some detailed notes by the directors themselves, and hardly anyone specifically hired outsiders to create official books.

"Um, Takayuki-kun, I want to ask, what exactly is this electronic game you're talking about?"

"This is a new form of entertainment. I can't explain it to you in a short time, but if you want to understand, I'll give you an address. Tell the boss there that I referred you, and he'll show you on the spot what an electronic game is."

A new form of entertainment? Daigo Ikeda pondered.

"Alright, let me give you two options to choose from. One option is that I'll hire a manga teacher for one year at a monthly salary of 500,000 yen, and after one year, we can discuss further."

"The second option is that I'll provide a basic salary of 180,000 yen per month, but the manga artist can receive 5% of the future earnings of the entire game series."

If it were Takayuki, he would definitely choose the second option, because she could foresee how huge the future development of the game would be.

And if possible, Takayuki hoped the other party would choose that option too, as it would completely bind a manga artist, ensuring no problems for at least twenty or thirty years.

However, this was like giving someone an invisible blank check, so Takayuki also gave the first option.

You're willing to cooperate with me in the first year, and then we can seriously consider the issue of profit sharing in the second year. However, you'll earn less from profit sharing in the first year.

Five hundred thousand yen.

Daigo Ikeda was somewhat surprised.

He still didn't understand what an electronic game was, but he could roughly understand that it would be a very complex thing.

In present-day Japan, if a university graduate could find a job, 180,000 yen was about enough.

Under normal circumstances, 300,000 yen was a relatively positive benefit, and after working for four or five years, it was the average income of a formal employee.

This income level had hardly changed since the collapse of the bubble more than twenty years ago.

This was also one of the reasons many people called it the lost twenty or thirty years.

And Takayuki was willing to offer a salary of 500,000 yen from the beginning, a level that was already enough to make a struggling manga artist excited.

Right, struggling manga artist, with some reputation...

Daigo Ikeda instantly thought of the previous conversation with the editor about Mr. Tsuchiya.

After reaching his peak with his first work, he had fallen sharply.

Although he hadn't reached the point of not making ends meet yet, his life had gradually become somewhat difficult. Many manga artists with some reputation were quite extravagant at the beginning, and some even accumulated debts after the collapse of the bubble, eventually being overwhelmed.

Mr. Tsuchiya was considered lucky; just before the collapse of the bubble, his manga quality wasn't very high, and he focused on studying how to draw good manga, without spending much money extravagantly.

Or rather, this was another kind of luck.

If he could help him find this job, at least he wouldn't have to worry about starving to death in the short term without manga income.

After settling down for a while, if Mr. Tsuchiya could make a comeback, his achievements might soar again.

Thinking of this, Daigo Ikeda immediately said, "If it's this salary, then I have no objection. I don't think anyone would refuse such compensation."

If a stranger suddenly said what he had just said, he would probably consider him a scammer or a lunatic.

However, this was the child of Mrs. Takayushi, and just relying on Mrs. Takayushi's reputation, her child would definitely not lie to people for such trivial matters.

So, he was already prepared to introduce Mr. Tsuchiya to Takayuki.

"Tsuchiya-sensei, have you heard of this teacher, Takayuki-kun? He had a fairly famous manga work."

Takayuki shook his head.

He wasn't very familiar with many celebrities in this world.

This world was like a parallel world to his previous life, with many celebrities being different, and after crossing over, he spent most of his time on making games, with no time to study the celebrities in this world.

So, he had thought of asking his mother to help find suitable candidates.

"I think Mr. Tsuchiya should meet your standards. He has some reputation, but... the quality of his works in recent years has been declining, so his popularity is gradually decreasing."

Takayuki immediately understood.

In his previous life, there were many manga artists who peaked upon their debut.

These manga artists often didn't lack in drawing skills; most of them had problems with their story writing.

Sometimes, manga really depended on talent.

Some crazy manga artists could attract people with their crazy stories, and their drawing skills didn't necessarily need to be very good.

But some manga artists worked hard to study plot development, but ultimately could only stop at the beginner level, which was frustrating. Eventually, they could only focus on improving their drawing skills, but it was difficult to stop the decline.

"I'll give you Mr. Tsuchiya's contact information... No, I'll contact him now to come over, or go to your place."

Daigo Ikeda didn't want to easily give up such a money-making opportunity.

He must fight for Mr. Tsuchiya.

After all, Mr. Tsuchiya was someone he had once nurtured, and he didn't want Mr. Tsuchiya to completely collapse.

"Don't be so polite. Let's just meet at the magazine office; it's good for both of us, otherwise, it'll seem like I'm disrespecting the teacher."

"Alright, I'll contact Mr. Tsuchiya now."

Takayuki agreed to meet at the magazine office, which was what Daigo Ikeda wanted to see the most.

Because he also wanted to see what kind of person Takayuki was.

Based on Mrs. Takayushi's age, Takayuki was probably very young.

To start a company at such a young age, and to create a new form of entertainment, sounded very impressive.

He also wanted to see what the so-called official book would contain.