Master of the Machete Style Manga

Chapter 35 Editor Sang's Cartoon Socks

The old sliding door was slowly closing under the action of the spring, and Ken Sakamoto and Keiko Kaji had already stepped inside.

Mio Natsume rushed forward and caught it before the sliding door closed.

Peeking cautiously inside, Natsume Mio slipped into the apartment building.

Because the building had very poor sound insulation, Natsume Mio could hear their footsteps until they stopped before she went upstairs.

Standing on tiptoe to Sakamoto Ken's door, Natsume Mio leaned against the wall and gently pressed her ear against the door.

……

"Editor, the room is a bit messy, please don't mind." Sakamoto Ken entered the room first.

"excuse me."

Kaji Keiko followed behind, taking off her low-cut sneakers at the entrance.

Unlike the business departments, Shueisha's editorial department doesn't require employees to wear formal attire, and since it's the weekend, Keiko Kaji is dressed rather casually.

She wore a beige turtleneck sweater on top and slim-fitting casual trousers on the bottom.

As the shoes were taken off, slender feet wrapped in blue cotton socks stepped onto the old wooden floor.

The floorboards were a bit soft from years of use, and they made a slight creaking sound when stepped on.

Ken Sakamoto glanced at it subconsciously.

It turned out to be a pair of socks with Doraemon's image printed on them. They were completely hidden when the shoes were on, since the top of the socks was also covered by the cuffs of the trousers.

Now that she's taken off her shoes, the vibrant blue of them creates a striking contrast with her mature and simple outfit.

Keiko Kaji didn't seem to care. She followed Ken Sakamoto into the inner room, her eyes quickly scanning the surroundings.

The room was indeed very small, you could see the whole thing 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's all the furniture.

There were some sketches, dip pens, ink bottles, and a few comic books on the desk, but the rest of the desk was quite tidy.

But as Ken Sakamoto said, it was just a bit messy, not dirty.

"Please make yourself at home, editor." Ken Sakamoto placed the thick stack of manuscripts he was carrying on the tatami mat next to the desk.

Kaji Keiko sat down naturally on the tatami mat in front of the low table.

She knelt down with a very proper posture, her legs together, her buttocks and ankles pressed tightly together, and her body weight gracefully resting on her heels.

In this pose, the instep is straightened, and the blue Doraemon socks are slightly stretched, outlining the delicate contours of the foot.

Ken Sakamoto glanced at him politely before looking away.

He hadn't expected that editor Kaji would wear socks with anime merchandise.

Could it be that the underwear and briefs are also anime merchandise styles?

Of course, he only thought about it secretly; he didn't intend to investigate further.

"Editor, this is all the original manuscript so far." Ken Sakamoto pointed to the stack of manuscript papers.

Keiko Kaji bent down, carefully picked up the top stack, and began to look through it.

She had carefully reviewed the digital scans of each chapter, so she was able to quickly review the original manuscript this time, mainly to confirm the details and texture of the printed manuscript.

"Yes, it's perfect." She finished reading it quickly and nodded in satisfaction. "Sakamoto-sensei's panel design and visual tension make one wonder if he's a veteran manga artist who has been drawing manga for ten years."

She reorganized the manuscript and then said, "Regarding the color pages, we mentioned it on the phone before. I wonder if Mr. Sakamoto has any thoughts on this?"

“It’s finished.” Ken Sakamoto pulled a sheet from another stack of manuscript paper and handed it over.

The image shows Denji transformed into a chainsaw man, with a Pochita leaping up beside him. The background features chaotic lines and splashing blocks of color, creating a visually striking effect.

Although Pochita has already merged with Denji in the setting, there is nothing wrong with displaying it like this as a promotional brochure.

After all, Pochita is practically the iconic mascot of the entire comic.

"You only drew Denji and Pochita?" Keiko Kaji said. "I thought you would choose Machima or Pava."

“At the beginning of the serialization, the other characters’ images had not yet been fully established in the readers’ minds,” Ken Sakamoto explained. “I think using the most representative protagonist and mascot as the first color page is the best choice. As for the other characters, there will be many more opportunities for color pages and covers later.”

Upon hearing this, Keiko Kaji nodded in agreement: "Sakamoto-sensei has considered things very carefully. I think if it were another author, many would probably consider using a lewd scene of selling flesh on the first color page."

“I’m a legitimate writer,” Ken Sakamoto said.

Keiko Kaji covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "Denji-san is only thinking about rubbing breasts, and you call that serious?"

"What's wrong with rubbing your chest?" Kenji Sakamoto said seriously. "For Denji, this is the most important belief besides eating. It's a belief."

"Good, good, good. Sakamoto-sensei is very serious about her love for the characters," Keiko Kaji said with a smile.

Then she sighed, "Sigh... if all writers and teachers were as easy to manage as you."

She carefully gathered all the manuscripts and neatly stacked them on a corner of the low table.

Then, he took out a small notebook from his handbag and flipped through it.

"Alright, that concludes the original manuscript. Now let's talk about the video promotion."

Keiko Kaji said, "This is a new model that the company has only recently started to try. As you know, video platforms such as YouTube and Nico Nico are very popular now. The company believes that shorter and more fragmented video formats may become the mainstream in the future."

"Therefore, we plan to try to create animated comics of no more than two minutes for some promising new works, which are essentially promotional videos for the comics."

Ken Sakamoto immediately understood what she meant: "Do you need me to prepare an animation script?"

"No, no." Keiko Kaji quickly waved her hand. "There will be someone in charge of the production. What we need is for you, Sakamoto-sensei, to select the most representative scenes, shots, and famous lines from the completed content."

She paused for a moment and then said, "How about we finalize it now?"

“Yes.” Ken Sakamoto nodded without hesitation.

Both of them were very familiar with the content of the comic and quickly reached an agreement to adopt a fast-paced montage style.

The video opens with the first chapter of the manga, showing Denji's battle against the zombie demon.

Denji and Pochita were dismembered and then merged together, transforming into Chainsaw Man. After a blood-splattered battle, Makima appeared and embraced Denji tightly.

The scene then quickly switches, with a series of scenes flashing by.

Denji is taken away by Machima, and he eats udon noodles that she feeds him. The last part is Machima's lines.

What type of guy do you like?

"Um……"

"I like people like Denji-kun."

Watching Keiko Kaji quickly jot down the plan in her notebook, Ken Sakamoto felt a strange, faint sense of crisis, and a question popped into his mind.

After asking the question, Kenjiro Sakamoto felt that it was somewhat unnecessary.

"Editor, for the dialogue, should we hire voice actors to dub it?"

(End of this chapter)