Chapter 35: Editor’s Cartoon Socks
The old sliding door slowly closed under the action of the spring, as Sakamoto Ken and Editor Kaji Keiko had already walked inside.
Natsume Mio hurriedly ran forward and held the sliding door before it closed.
She cautiously peeked inside, then Natsume Mio sidled into the apartment building.
Because the soundproofing of the entire building was particularly poor, Natsume Mio could hear their footsteps until their footsteps stopped, and only then did she start going upstairs.
Tiptoeing to Sakamoto Ken’s room door, Natsume Mio leaned against the wall and gently pressed her ear to the door panel.
……
“Editor, the room is a bit messy, don’t mind it.” Sakamoto Ken entered the room first.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
Editor Kaji Keiko followed behind and took off her low-top sneakers at the entrance.
Shueisha’s editorial department didn’t require employees to wear formal business attire like sales departments do, and since it was the weekend, Editor Kaji Keiko was dressed casually.
She wore a beige high-neck sweater on top and fitted casual long pants on the bottom.
As she took off her shoes, her slender feet wrapped in blue cotton socks stepped onto the old wooden floor.
The floor, due to its age, felt somewhat soft, and stepping on it produced a faint “creak.”
Sakamoto Ken subconsciously glanced over.
They were actually a pair of socks printed with a Doraemon avatar; they had been completely hidden by her shoes before, as the cuff part was also covered by the pant legs.
Now that she had taken off her shoes, the vibrant blue formed a particularly stark contrast with her otherwise mature and minimalist outfit.
Editor Kaji Keiko didn’t pay it any mind; she followed Sakamoto Ken into the inner room, her gaze quickly scanning the area.
The room was indeed very small, visible from end to end at a glance, and the furnishings were simple, even rudimentary.
A low table, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, and a few cardboard boxes piled in the corner—that was all the furniture.
On the desk were some drawings, dip pens, an ink bottle, and a few manga books; everywhere else was quite tidy.
But as Sakamoto Ken had said, it was just a bit messy, not dirty.
“Editor, please sit anywhere.” Sakamoto Ken placed the thick stack of manuscripts he was carrying on the tatami next to the desk.
Editor Kaji Keiko naturally sat down on the tatami in front of the low table.
She knelt down in a very proper posture, legs together, hips closely pressed to her ankles, with her body weight elegantly resting on her heels.
In this posture, her insteps were taut, slightly stretching the blue Doraemon socks and outlining the delicate contours of her foot sides.
Sakamoto Ken just politely glanced once before looking away.
He actually hadn’t expected Editor Kaji to wear socks with anime merchandise.
Could her underwear and panties be anime merchandise styles too?
Of course, he just thought about it secretly; he had no intention of probing.
“Editor, these are all the manuscripts so far.” Sakamoto Ken pointed to the stack of manuscript paper.
Editor Kaji Keiko leaned forward and carefully picked up the top stack, starting to flip through it.
She had carefully reviewed the electronic scanned versions of every chapter, so this time she went through the originals quickly, mainly to confirm the details and texture of the physical manuscripts.
“Mm, perfect.” She finished quickly and nodded in satisfaction. “Sakamoto Sensei’s storyboard design and visual tension make one suspect it’s the work of a veteran manga artist with ten years of experience.”
She neatly reorganized the manuscripts and said, “Regarding the color pages, we mentioned it on the phone before—does Sakamoto Sensei have any ideas?”
“I’ve already drawn them.”
Sakamoto Ken pulled out a sheet from another stack of manuscript paper and handed it over.
The illustration showed Denji transformed into Chainsaw Man, with Pochita jumping up beside him; the background consisted of chaotic lines and splattering color blocks, full of visual impact.
Although Pochita had fused with Denji in the setting, for promotional color pages, showing them like this was no problem.
After all, Pochita was the iconic mascot of the entire manga.
“Just Denji and Pochita?” Editor Kaji Keiko said. “I thought you might choose Makima or Power.”
“It’s just the start of serialization; the images of other characters haven’t fully established themselves in readers’ minds yet,” Sakamoto Ken explained. “Using the most representative protagonist and mascot for the first color page feels like the best choice. There will be plenty of opportunities for other characters in later color pages and covers.”
Editor Kaji Keiko nodded in agreement upon hearing this. “Sakamoto Sensei has thought it through very carefully. If it were other writers, many would probably consider using fanservice scenes with bouncing chests on the first color page.”
“I’m a serious writer,” Sakamoto Ken said.
Editor Kaji Keiko covered her mouth and smiled, saying, “Denji only thinks about bouncing chests, and that’s serious?”
“What’s wrong with bouncing chests?” Sakamoto Ken said seriously. “For Denji, it’s the most important belief besides eating—it’s a belief.”
“Alright, alright, Sakamoto Sensei takes his love for the characters very seriously,” Editor Kaji Keiko said with a smile.
Then she sighed, “Ah… if only all writer senseis were as worry-free as you.”
She carefully gathered all the manuscripts and neatly stacked them in one corner of the low table.
Then, she took out a small notebook from her crossbody bag and flipped it open to look.
“Alright, the manuscripts are settled. Next, let’s talk about the video promotion part.”
Editor Kaji Keiko said, “This is a new mode the company has just started trying. As you know, video platforms like YouTube and niconico are extremely popular right now. The company thinks that in the future, shorter, more fragmented video formats might become mainstream.”
“So, we’re planning to try making animated manga under two minutes for some promising new works—essentially promotional videos for the manga.”
Sakamoto Ken immediately understood. “Do I need to prepare an animation script?”
“No, no.” Editor Kaji Keiko waved her hands quickly. “Production will be handled by specialists. What we need is for Sakamoto Sensei to select the most representative scenes, shots, and famous lines from the completed content that you think best represent it.”
She paused and said, “How about we finalize it now?”
“Sure.” Sakamoto Ken nodded without hesitation.
Both were very familiar with the manga content, so they quickly reached an agreement: a fast-paced montage format.
The video’s opening would be the first chapter of the manga, Denji’s battle with the Zombie Demon.
Denji and Pochita get dismembered, then fuse together, transforming into Chainsaw Man and standing up. After a blood-splattered explosive battle, Makima appears and tightly hugs Denji.
Then the scenes switch rapidly, a series of shots flashing by.
Denji is taken away by Makima, eating udon she feeds him, ending with Makima’s line.
「Favorite type of guy?」
「Mm…」
「I like people like Denji.」
Watching Editor Kaji Keiko quickly jot down the plan in her notebook, Sakamoto Ken inexplicably felt a faint sense of crisis, a question popping into his mind.
After asking it aloud, Sakamoto Ken felt the question was a bit superfluous.
“Editor, for the voice lines, do we need to hire voice actors for dubbing?”
