Chapter 55

Chapter 11: The First Meeting with Miyamoto Shichi

In Fengyuan in 1988, places suitable for business discussions were quite limited. The teahouses, bars, and cafes that would later be found on every street were still rare. Therefore, Fang Mingyuan and Miyamoto Shichi could only choose a corner of the hotel lobby for their meeting. Miyamoto Shichi's Chinese was quite good, and Fang Mingyuan's Japanese was passable, so there was no problem with communication between them.

During their first meeting, Miyamoto Shichi could hardly believe that this boy, who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen, was the author of "Yu Yu Hakusho." Even after several assurances and Fang Mingyuan's brief sketching of two characters from "Yu Yu Hakusho" in front of him, Miyamoto Shichi still looked incredulous.

"Fang, this truly confirms the old saying in your country—'heroes emerge from the young'! When I was your age, I was still aimlessly passing my days in school. I couldn't even speak Chinese, let alone draw such outstanding manga," Miyamoto Shichi said with genuine admiration. Although Fang Mingyuan had heard many compliments before, he still felt his ears turn red when Miyamoto Shichi said this.

"Ah, Mr. Miyamoto, you're right. When I was his age, I was just running around the courtyard all day. A career was something far beyond my reach," Su Aijun agreed deeply. Fang Bin and Fang Ya listened quietly, their sense of pride hard to suppress.

"Fang, I must say, although you are Chinese, your manga has the same habits as Japanese manga, which is excellent. I believe the Japanese people will find no inconvenience when reading your manga," Miyamoto Shichi said. Seeing the puzzled expressions of Su Aijun, Fang Ya, and Fang Bin, Miyamoto Shichi explained further.

Japanese manga is generally composed of panels, characters, backgrounds, speech bubbles, onomatopoeia, manga symbols, dialogue, and other techniques. The reading order is usually from top to bottom and from right to left. In the same panel, the text in speech bubbles is also read from top to bottom and from right to left, consistent with the traditional Japanese writing system. The characters' dialogue and thoughts are recorded in speech bubbles. Onomatopoeia is represented in handwritten form, and manga symbols are used to convey characters' emotions and actions. For example, sweat drops on a character's forehead or the back of their head indicate surprise, anger, or confusion, while veins appearing on the forehead or fists represent anger. Fang Mingyuan, who was accustomed to reading Japanese manga in his previous life, naturally followed these conventions.

"Although most publishers maintain this style when publishing foreign-language versions of Japanese manga, some foreign publishers change the reading direction to left to right. This can sometimes contradict the original author's intentions and cause issues, such as breaking up a two-page spread. However, Fang's work perfectly aligns with the viewing habits of our people," Miyamoto Shichi's explanation made Su Aijun and the others look at Fang Mingyuan as if he were a monster. Did he really consider these details?

"While learning Japanese, I came across some of your country's 1970s manga, so when I drew this story, I naturally followed their conventions," Fang Mingyuan provided an excuse, but the others present did not intend to delve into this point.

They discussed some topics about the Japanese anime market, and Miyamoto Shichi was surprised to find that Fang Mingyuan was quite familiar with the Japanese anime market and spoke knowledgeably about it.

"Your country's vigorous development of the anime industry is undoubtedly a wise choice. Although the anime industry currently occupies a limited share of your country's GDP, I believe that in the future, perhaps twenty years from now, it will become a pillar industry surpassing the automotive industry. The tentacles of the manga industry can extend into various economic sectors in Japan, including animation, games, advertising, film and television, tourism, clothing, and even architecture, forming a complete industrial chain that drives the development of the Japanese economy. Moreover, this industry has low resource requirements, minimal environmental pollution, and can absorb a large number of workers, making it a win-win situation," Fang Mingyuan's words made Miyamoto Shichi nod in agreement, feeling as if he had found a kindred spirit.

Fang Mingyuan's words were not just to flatter the Japanese anime industry. He knew for certain that in the future, after the year 2000, the annual turnover of the Japanese anime industry would reach 230 trillion yen, making it the third-largest industry in Japan, with the anime industry accounting for several percentage points of Japan's GDP. According to data published by the Japan External Trade Organization, Japan's total income from anime and related products exported to the United States in 2003 was 4.359 billion dollars, four times the total income from steel exports to the United States. The anime industry had become a pillar industry surpassing the automotive industry in Japan.

"Fang, what you said makes a lot of sense. I never expected to find someone in China who understands the anime industry so well. Uh... please don't misunderstand, I have no intention of belittling your country," Miyamoto Shichi realized halfway through his speech that his words might have been disrespectful to China, so he quickly apologized. In 1988, Sino-Japanese relations were still in a honeymoon period after the establishment of diplomatic relations, and Miyamoto Shichi was considered a left-leaning individual in Japan. He was sent to China not only because he was the most ardent supporter of this work among the editors but also because he had a good impression of China.

Su Aijun and the others smiled awkwardly, understanding Miyamoto Shichi's intention. Given the state of China's anime industry at the time, which was virtually non-existent, his comments were not considered derogatory or disrespectful.

"Excuse me, may I interrupt for a moment? Which of you is Comrade Su Aijun?" A hotel staff member suddenly approached and asked.

"Uh, that's me. Is there something wrong?" Su Aijun asked, puzzled.

"The front desk has a call for you. They said it's an urgent matter," the staff member's response left everyone even more confused.

It turned out that the call was from Su Aijun's spouse. Unable to find Su Aijun at the school, and knowing that Japanese guests had arrived, she had a hunch that Su Aijun might be accompanying them, so she called the hotel as a last resort.

The content of the call was unexpected for both Fang Mingyuan and Su Aijun—the editor from "Weekly Shonen" was not arriving the next day or the day after, as they had imagined, but was flying to Fengyuan that evening after a layover in Beijing. Bai Lin called to inform Su Aijun to meet them at the airport.