Still second?
Rei's expression remained calm after receiving the news from Misaki.
However, he also had to admit that Japan's local comic industry was, in fact, developing extremely well, and the quality of its top works was genuinely high.
Even with his full confidence in Hikaru no Go, under the pressure of intense, high-quality, and high-volume weekly serialization, it had still taken nearly a year for the work to even approach the top.
And this was only one of the six major journals.
"If it weren't for the excessive number of top-tier comic journals in Japan, with readers being spread across so many works, perhaps the sales of the most popular tankōbon could easily be double what they are now. That wouldn't be impossible," Rei said, taking a deep breath.
In his previous life, during the serialization of Dragon Ball, both magazine circulation and tankōbon sales far surpassed competing works of the same era.
But at that time, there were very few true competitors.
By contrast, Japan's comic industry now had a slightly lower overall average ceiling, a massive population, and yet far more journals and serialized works than in his previous life.
This inevitably diluted sales numbers for even top-tier series.
However, anyone with a discerning eye could already see who was most likely to have the last laugh in the battle for the top spot in Dream Comic.
Hikaru no Go had surged from fifteenth place in its debut issue.
Its fanbase was growing week by week.
Its topic popularity was climbing steadily.
Meanwhile, the popularity of Source War Chronicle had largely stabilized.
The surge in votes this week was more a defensive reaction by long-time fans than organic growth, and such a state couldn't last forever.
Even readers who didn't normally vote wouldn't continue doing so indefinitely, even if they voted occasionally.
And besides, who could predict Hikaru no Go's vote count next week?
Another major surge wasn't out of the question.
In schools and in everyday society, fans simply felt that discussion around Hikaru no Go was becoming more intense with each passing week.
But professionals, critics, and media within Japan's comic industry understood something deeper.
The competition between these two works had fully entered a head-on confrontation.
Even if Hikaru no Go couldn't hold the number-one position for years like Source War Chronicle, achieving first place even once would already be historic.
For Rei, a high school senior, a seventeen-year-old genius comic artist.
To top the rankings of one of the six major journals just a year after debut, that would be an unprecedented achievement.
And likely one that would never be surpassed.
For several consecutive days, discussion surrounding The Hand of God and the ranking battle between Hikaru no Go and Source War Chronicle continued to intensify.
Then, Wednesday arrived once more.
On this day, both Hikaru no Go fans and Source War Chronicle fans, driven by media hype, clearly understood that their supported works were entering a critical phase.
Many people couldn't sleep.
They woke up early, flooding forums and igniting flame wars.
"Hikaru no Go fans, get lost! A Go manga has this many readers? Has Dream Comic's readership fallen this low?"
"Source War Chronicle is even worse. This manga should have ended ages ago. The author keeps dragging it out because it still makes money. I loved it two years ago, but now I can't even read the plot. Without nostalgia and old fans, why would it still be ranked first?"
"If you can't read it, that just means your taste is poor. Go watch elementary school kids play Go more often."
"I only read the first few chapters of Hikaru no Go and dropped it. A story about a kid cheating at Go with a ghost is liked by this many people? Their moral compasses are twisted."
"That's because your understanding stops there. If you read further, you'd know Hikaru quickly comes to hate relying on Sai. He doesn't want to be called a genius through cheating, he works hard to improve on his own. People like you just love shallow criticism. If we're talking morality, the protagonist of Source War Chronicle starts out as a thief, which is far worse than Hikaru."
"Source War Chronicle fans are always like this, looking down on other works in the same journal. Now that their favorite is about to be overtaken, they're panicking."
"Even if Hikaru no Go does surpass it, so what? In commercial value, global recognition, and IP development, how can a Go manga compare to a battle shōnen?"
"Only someone brainless would compare a Go manga's commercial potential with a battle series. What I know is this: since serialization began, Hikaru no Go has influenced tens of millions of Japanese citizens to pay attention to Go. The viewership of Japan's Go A-League has doubled compared to last year, and the Go Association has officially recognized Hikaru no Go's contribution."
"When Hikaru no Go ends, who knows how many years it'll take before another popular Go manga appears? As for Source War Chronicle, if it ends, it won't make much of a splash. There are simply too many substitutes."
Yui Nakamura was fiercely debating with source war chronicle fans on the forum early in the morning.
In Japan, in any industry related to traffic, there is an inevitable trend towards idolization, and comics are naturally no exception.
The debate over the top works of the six major journals can be said to be an enduring topic in the comic world.
It's a pity that Japan's comic world currently lacks an epic masterpiece like Dragon Ball from his previous life, which settled the debate. Regardless of whether you're a hater or a fan, whether you like the work or not, the data shows that Dragon Ball was indeed an unbeatable comic of its era.
If you disagree, there's nothing you can do. Your mouth can be as stubborn as a dead duck, but the data doesn't lie.
Precisely because of this, the top-tier works in Japan's comic world are incredibly chaotic, with various fan groups attacking each other.
Because Hikaru no Go's ranking rose too quickly, it had only been in the top three of Dream Comic for a little over a month, so it had received less criticism from haters of other works in this regard before.
But now, it was already competing with source war chronicle for the top spot in the journal, and various haters had already caught wind and come looking for trouble.
For fans like Nakamura, reading Hikaru no Go was a pleasure, but online debate was also another kind of pleasure, wasn't it?
It was only when she came back to her senses during a break in the debate that Nakamura checked the time: 8:50 AM.
"The bookstore is open," Nakamura quickly got up and turned off her computer.
The bookstore was right downstairs from her residential complex. She rushed into the bookstore as quickly as possible and could already see many Dream Comic fans holding journals, queuing to pay. Many also picked up the eighth volume of Hikaru no Go, which had just been released a few days ago, intending to pay for it as well.
This week's Comic cover was very similar to last week's; the journal's operations staff still placed Hikaru, the protagonist of Hikaru no Go, and the protagonist of War Chronicle in the center, facing each other.
Seeing this scene, Nakamura's emotions surged even more.
"I hope Hikaru no Go fans will all work hard, unite, and show some spirit this week by voting for Hikaru no Go. Otherwise, if it's second again, source war chronicle fans will laugh for another week, and I'll have to fight another week of uphill battles online."
Picking up the journal, Nakamura walked towards the cashier.
She quickly returned home and opened the comic page.
The title of this chapter was [Let me play against Sai~].
Just from the title, Nakamura could largely guess what the plot content would be.
Last week's plot was about Hikaru finding the only move that could turn the tide in the game between Toya Koyo and Sai.
So, what would Toya Koyo, as the world's number one player, do after losing that game?
Retirement might not be a big deal for Toya Koyo.
He had won all the championships he could, and he was hospitalized due to a heart condition.
But perhaps fame and fortune didn't matter, but what about winning and losing?
He had played Go his entire life and lost to an online player he had never met or heard of.
Was he willing to accept that?
And if he wasn't willing... if Yui Nakamura were Toya Koyo, what would she do?
If it were her, she would definitely think... let's play another game.
The comic began, continuing from last week's plot.
Hikaru was excited because he had found the winning move that turned the game around between Sai and Toya Koyo, completely unaware of Sai's complex and uneasy emotions as he watched him from the side.
Hikaru even worried that Toya Koyo might actually retire because he lost to Sai, so he visited Toya Koyo again at the hospital.
But the first thing Toya Koyo said when he saw Hikaru was: Sai, is that you?
Yui Nakamura's heart leaped.
She even had a faint expectation in her heart.
Why don't you, Hikaru, just admit it? Anyway, Toya Koyo isn't a bigmouth, and he'll keep his promise and won't blab.
Mainly, Yui Nakamura also felt a bit sad.
Sai was so strong, even defeating the world's number one, but...
No one in this world knew of his existence.
Everyone only knew Sai was strong, but they didn't know who Sai was.
No one in the entire world even knew that a Go player named Sai existed a thousand years ago!
But Hikaru, hearing this, suddenly panicked and repeatedly denied it.
"When I was playing against Sai, I unconsciously thought of you when we played in the New First Dan Tournament!" Toya Koyo looked away and said.
Nakamura looked at the comic, unsure if Toya Koyo truly believed Hikaru's explanation.
Just like Akira, he said he didn't believe Hikaru was Sai, but Akira had clearly confirmed from Sai's Go that Sai was the same Hikaru who first played against him a few years ago.
What about Toya Koyo, who was stronger than Akira?
Couldn't he tell that Sai and the Hikaru who played against him with a 15-stone handicap back then were the same person?
Hikaru's silence made Toya Koyo's gaze even more serious.
"Never mind, I don't want to pursue it anymore. For me, who Sai is isn't the most important thing," Toya Koyo said earnestly, with a pleading tone.
"Hikaru, let me play against Sai one more time. Even if it's online Go, it doesn't matter. I won't force him to reveal his real name again."
Yui Nakamura found this page of the comic a little funny, but also a little sad.
Sai finally stood before the world's top players.
But in this world, no Go player knew that a person named Sai existed.
He was just Sai... a name, a symbol, a virtual existence.
As long as Hikaru didn't admit his relationship with Sai, there would never be proof of Sai's existence in this world.
And Hikaru's eyes became thoughtful upon hearing this statement.
"Play another game? That's right, this way Sai can continue playing with the masters, and he'll feel better."
At this moment, Hikaru was still considering Sai.
But then, one sentence from Sai directly changed Yui Nakamura's expression dramatically. She even jumped out of her chair, holding the comic journal with both hands, unable to calm down.
"It's already too late, Hikaru..." Sai's eyes became sad.
"I have no future. I can feel a power draining from within me. My time is running out... The hourglass of time, which was once still, is now slipping away."
Yui Nakamura's mind buzzed.
Why would this comic suddenly throw out such a bizarre setting?
This...
What does this mean?
Huh?
Is this... is this trying to scare us Hikaru no Go fans?
Sai must be joking, right?
Why would his time be running out?
Why would his power disappear?
Yui Nakamura suddenly thought of settings found in some ghost stories.
Once their wish is fulfilled, many ghosts disperse on their own, reincarnating and so on.
But this is a Go sports manga, not a ghost horror manga. Shirogane-sensei, what are you thinking?
Can Sai apply those settings?
And it was Hikaru who found The Hand of God, not Sai who found his own Hand of God!
Sai's wish hasn't been fulfilled!
This should just be the author trying to scare us fans, right?
Yui Nakamura thought so, but years of reading comics made her anger start to accumulate.
If Sai really disappeared, she was already prepared to go to Shirogane's school to confront him!
...
Read 50+ chapters ahead @[email protected]/Ashnoir