Tokyo, everyone is drawing comics, who still wants to fall in love?

The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ awards ceremony has been held in Kyoto in previous years, but this time it was held in Tokyo.

Most of the agencies of the Agency for Cultural Affairs have moved to Kyoto, but this time the location was obviously changed to compete with the Manga Association Manga Awards. After all, most of the participants are local in Tokyo, so we can maximize everyone's attendance.

Many cartoonists received invitations.

The ceremony was held at the Tokyo Convention Center. Shingo Oda, wearing a suit and leather tie, solemnly attended the ceremony.

When he appeared in live webcasts and TV broadcasts dressed in high-end suits, many female comic fans' eyes widened.

"Wow! Is this Mr. Oda? You can't recognize him after putting on clothes!"

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"He's not in action and romance movies. What do you mean he can't be recognized in his clothes?"

"Everyone says that Oda Shingo is very handsome. I think he is almost unrecognizable when he puts on his clothes carefully."

"It looks like an idol, it's shiny."

"His teeth are shining!"

Many female comic fans began to express various emotions.

Male comic fans lamented the three female assistants behind Oda Shingo.

"Teacher Oda is so lucky. Why are all his assistants so attractive?"

"The big bear, the middle bear, and the little bear are all in a neat family, I'm so impressed!"

"I finally understand why the female characters drawn by Oda-sensei are so attractive, with ready-made models by their side."

"Damn it! When I think of Mr. Oda using such a beautiful female assistant as a model, I feel envious and jealous!"

Comic fans are here to watch the fun, but insiders are the ones who know the ropes.

Especially on comprehensive comic websites such as Yahoo Comics and YouTube Comics Channel, editors stare at the pictures and constantly speculate on the situation.

"The conflict between the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Comics Association has finally been brought to light."

"Did you notice? Several of Oda Shingo's comics were actually made into the main display board and placed in the most conspicuous position. This is completely different from the time when he was evaluated by the Comics Association. It was obviously the main promotion and rejection by the Comics Association. Very popular cartoonist."

"What's more noteworthy is that the Agency for Cultural Affairs has changed its focus from artistry to marketability. If Oda Shingo's work wins the award, it shows that the Agency for Cultural Affairs is striving for control of the manga market."

In short, this time the Agency for Cultural Affairs has changed the pedantic and old appraisal style of previous years, and even invited Oda Shingo as a benchmark.

Oda Shingo and his party entered the venue, and the live cameras followed them all the time.

The lobby part of the venue is also a standard comic exhibition area, with a large number of comic samples from the second half of 2023 to the first half of 2024.

Oda Shingo noticed that his comics such as "One Punch Man" and "JOJO" are in the most conspicuous positions, and even "GANTZ" is not lacking.

This is a goodwill signal sent by the Agency for Cultural Affairs to itself.

"That seems to be Oda Shingo!" People talking in twos and threes in the hall all looked at him with concern.

Oda Shingo and his group of handsome men and women were already conspicuous, but now they appeared on the stage as if they were walking on a red carpet.

Soon a young cartoonist came over to say hello.

The first person to come over was Nobukata, a young cartoonist who had previously worked as an assistant under Takeda Takeda: "Mr. Oda, I'm so lucky to see you again."

He was serialized in some third-tier magazines and was also invited to attend the ceremony.

"Nobukata, it seems you have achieved results." Oda Shingo immediately called out his name.

"Teacher Oda, it's such an honor that you still remember me." Nobukata was very excited.

Oda Shingo chatted with him for a few words, all focusing on the creative direction of comics.

"You lack creativity in comics?" Oda Shingo heard what he said and guessed the difficulty of the young cartoonist.

Nobukata bowed deeply with a sincere look on his face: "Please give me some advice from Mr. Oda."

Oda Shingo thought about it for a moment.

This young man has always stood by my side, and he also stood up and spoke for me when I was embarrassed by the group.

"Have you seen "Goblin Slayer"? If necessary, you can create SP or companion chapters." Oda Shingo promoted his IP, "I can arrange the most suitable licensing price for you, and it is not an advance payment. It’s a royalties commission.”

"Ah! Thank you very much, Mr. Oda!" Nobukata was very grateful.

This is a chance to become a famous work, and it is a good thing that young authors can only hope for. And the lower licensing fees are definitely a great opportunity.

This was followed by expressions of goodwill from other cartoonists and comics companies.

Everyone's attitude is to just stick to it.

Female cartoonists are generally not very good at appearance. They feel completely ashamed in front of Oda Shingo's female assistants and feel a little embarrassed to stay longer.

The manga club has some thoughts about Oda Shingo, but insiders know that Saburo Mikami and Oda Shingo are tied together.

A comic book club even investigated that the petite girl next to Oda Shingo is the sister of Saburo Mikami...

Baga! In order to win over the popular manga artist, Saburo Mikami sacrificed his younger sister to the devil! It is simply something that only a powerful and crazy person from another world can do!

However, many female assistants who thought they were pretty were eyeing Oda Shingo covetously. Then he met the gazes of Namikaze Yukaku and Toudou Kouchi, and was forced to retreat by the way the FBI looked at a suspect...

"Teacher Oda, I have long heard of your name. Thank you for taking the time to attend." The assistant to the director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau was a young professional woman. She greeted Oda and his party with a bow and said, "Director Yonekura has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me."

Oda Shingo and his party were taken to the VIP room.

The assistant arranged for three female assistants to sit in the outer hall for a while, and invited Oda Shingo to the inner room alone.

"Ah, is it Teacher Oda?" An old man in his 70s came out and shook hands.

After being introduced, it turned out to be the current director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau - Yonekura Shunji.

The assistant bowed and left after serving fragrant tea. Yonekura Shunji and Oda Shingo started chatting.

"Teacher Oda, I'm so sorry. I should have gone out to greet you, but the people around me always don't allow me to break the rules. They are just particular about rules, and they are more stubborn than an old man like me." The elderly director did not have any airs, and did not speak with any official tone, which made people feel very friendly.

"You are too polite. Just call me Oda." Oda Shingo hurriedly said modestly.

He had learned about the director in advance. He was born in 1948 and was nearly 80 years old. He was also a well-known senior in the music industry. He really didn't deserve the title of teacher.

The two chatted casually for a few words, and Director Yonekura actually brought the topic to composition.

He said some of his views on Oda Shingo's "Summer Showers" and "Next to You", praised them, and put forward some of his own opinions.

Oda Shingo was surprised. The old senior's musical attainments were indeed high, and he really hit the point.

"If possible, I hope to hear your music again." The old director was obviously sincere. "Although you have made great achievements in the comics industry, I feel sorry for the music industry. Maybe it has delayed a genius."

"I am honored to receive the praise from the director."

While being polite, Oda Shingo thought it was time to talk about business. This senior official's business mutual praise was less than expected, and he was closer to being a practical person.

The old director looked at the clock on the wall and said, "I would like to talk more about music, but unfortunately there is not enough time. Let's get back to the topic. Mr. Oda, you probably know that I do need your help."

Next, the old director talked about the needs of the Ministry of Culture.

The Ministry of Culture has direct education tasks every year, but education and publicity in society are not bad, after all, you can get things done by spending money.

But in terms of animation and comics, especially in Japan, a country with a lot of animation, the Ministry of Culture lacks outstanding works - "official kiln comics"!