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I just want to quietly draw manga Chapter 21
🕑 Added 2025-04-17 14:22:00 +0000 UTC"I'm already dying..."
"The times are like this, so are the hearts of the people..."
On the first page of the manga, a handsome man in the woods at night sits on a rock, looking up at the moon, with these two lines of dialogue.
There are no unnecessary pictures or dialogues—just the first page of the manga draws the reader into the plot.
"Not bad..."
"The art style is also..."
"It feels a bit like a battle manga."
"Is this costume design inspired by the Meiji era? It's quite rare."
Five minutes spent reading a few pages of a manga doesn't allow for a detailed analysis.
Everyone flips through it quickly—about five or six seconds per page. Many of the editors have indifferent expressions as they skim through Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance.
But after half a minute passed...
None of the editors, including the editor-in-chief Daichi, and deputy editor-in-chief Rika Hayashi, wore bored expressions anymore. Some editors, who had been reading just a few lines earlier, turned the entire manuscript over to start again from the first chapter.
They were all seasoned professionals. If a work is bad, they can usually tell after flipping through it.
But when a work is good... you can feel it after just a few pages.
The young Kenshin, pursued by a group of thugs, is saved by a man with overwhelming swordsmanship—Hiko Seijūrō, a master swordsman even greater than many legends. With Hiko's guidance, Kenshin begins his journey, though his path soon diverges from his master's teachings.
Though the artwork is beautiful, it’s the story that captivates the reader.
One of the most haunting moments comes when Kenshin fatally wounds Akira Kiyosato, a young man who, even in his final moments, clutches onto life with thoughts of his beloved fiancée, Yukishiro Tomoe. As he dies, he sees her face and whispers her name. The creator, Nobuhiro Watsuki, and the animation team use every frame and every stroke of ink to express the brutality of that instant—the grief, the tragedy, and the irreversible consequence of Kenshin’s blade.
At this point, the editors were completely immersed in the comic.
Kenshin, determined to protect more people with the swordsmanship he had learned, decides to leave and has a confrontation with his master, Seijuro Hiko.
Compared to Kenshin's earnestness, his master, Seijuro Hiko, sees things from a broader perspective.
The strength of one person is limited. One person cannot save an entire era. On the other hand, some organizations will manipulate the name of justice, using Kenshin’s power for their own gain.
"Sword is a weapon for killing, swordsmanship is murder!"
"No matter how poetic the words used to cover it, the truth remains unchanged."
In contrast to Kenshin’s idealistic goal of using his skills to save others, his master understands the harsh truth of the power they wield.
"In order to protect others, we must kill. And we must kill to survive..."
"This is the true nature of swordsmanship."
---
When Editor-in-Chief Torigoe saw the pages, his fingers trembled.
Seeing Kenshin’s determination, his words resonating in the face of overwhelming odds—even so, I still want to save those suffering with this power—he realized that the image of the protagonist had already been fully formed. Kenshin was passionate and righteous, never hypocritical. Instead, he was a figure overwhelmed by the tragic reality of his era.
After leaving his master, Kenshin became a wandering swordsman, convinced that his ideals were worth fighting for, even as he used his sword to kill.
With just three words, the rhythm of the narrative tightened, every sentence flowing into the next without any sense of disarray.
Kenshin’s master, Seijuro Hiko, was a character that also stood out in the narrative.
Kenshin, sitting alone in a tavern, pondering the emptiness of life, recalls what his master once said.
"Cherry blossoms on a spring night, stars in the summer, a full moon in autumn, the first snow in winter..."
"How could there be wine that doesn’t taste good in such a setting?"
"If the drink still tastes bitter, it’s the best proof that you have a problem."
Several editors who read this scene immediately fell in love with Seijuro Hiko’s character. They marveled at the author’s skill—Is Mizushiro-sensei really a newcomer? How can someone new create such a profound story?
After parting with a companion, Kenshin is ambushed in an alley by an assassin. After dispatching the assassin, blood splashes across a woman holding an umbrella.
The final page of the comic shows her gazing at Kenshin with a calm expression, before saying:
"You really... can stir up a storm!"
The sword wound on Kenshin's face begins to bleed again...
And just like that, the third episode ends.
Finished?
Over?
The editors, eager to see more, sighed as they realized the story was over.
They cursed internally—What a cliffhanger!
Five minutes passed quickly, and the editors snapped out of the daze the story had put them in, but none of them said a word. They silently jotted down scores on their notes.
Next, the remaining works were presented. But none could quite compare.
After all, the main course had already been served, and the appetizers seemed rather lackluster in comparison.
Soon, all eighteen works had been reviewed, and the editors knew which ones would likely land in the top five.
Although Rika Hayashi’s personality wasn’t the most likable, he still had the skills of a competent editor.
After Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance was presented, his expression grew darker.
He had initially thought that bringing in Yuna Takahashi from Hoshikawa Publishing would make this serialization meeting smooth sailing, but now, his confidence had wavered.
As ridiculous as it sounded, he had to admit it.
In terms of rhythm, plot, narrative depth, and the tension of the scenes, Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance had far surpassed The Hidden Girl.
Compared to the story of a swordsman fighting for his ideals in a tumultuous era, the campus romance with supernatural powers in The Hidden Girl seemed far less compelling.
Rika glanced at Sora, sitting silently. A sense of frustration bubbled up within him.
His well-known suppression of Sora had made waves in the publishing house, and if The Hidden Girl lost to Rurouni Kenshin, he would become a laughing stock at Kurokawa Publishing.
He had put so much effort into poaching Takahashi-sensi, hoping her success would boost his own standing, and help him get transferred back to the capital. Sniping at Sora during the meeting had been a secondary goal—nothing more than a convenient opportunity.
But now, it seemed he might end up being counter-sniped by this very work.
If The Hidden Girl lost to Rurouni Kenshin, it would be a blow to his credibility.
Yuna Takahashi and Rika Hayashi, with their established names, losing to an unknown editor and a rookie manga artist under her guidance—it would be an embarrassment.
If news like that reached his father, it could extend his transfer deadline.
No. That couldn't happen.
Rika took a deep breath.
Soon, the final scores were tallied.
After removing the highest and lowest ratings, the list of the top five works was revealed.
Editor-in-Chief Torigoe looked over the list, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Next, we will announce the five works that will enter the final voting round."
