FWTS ### Chapter 160: Celebration and Worry
In the office of MY Magazine, almost all the staff were gathered together, discussing the news released by Qichuang Group on Weibo.
“Wow, is it really authorized serialization?”
“I called a friend at Qichuang to confirm, and it's indeed authorized serialization, not a signed serialization! Apparently, when J approached Qichuang, old Chen over there was ready to let Yunhou go to Japan for an exclusive contract. This is something Chen would do; he's a total maniac! To let go of a manga artist like Yunhou! But, by doing so, he's truly made history for domestic manga. But there's someone even crazier!”
“That crazy person is Yunhou, right? My friend told me that Yunhou directly refused the offer and instead proposed authorized serialization! With authorized serialization, J can only get the serialization rights and nothing else! Why would they agree to this?”
“Well, it turns out that Yunhou's craziness paid off!”
“……”
At MK Magazine:
“Holy crap, it’s really authorized serialization!”
“I had heard some rumors before. Initially, I thought J approached Yunhou for the Chinese market!”
“In recent years, since manga became more legitimate, Japanese manga have been aggressively invading and reaping the benefits! But I never expected they’d accept authorized serialization, where they don’t get any other rights. Qichuang continues the serialization, and it’s even earlier than J. They gain nothing in the Chinese market! What are they after?”
“What are they after? Quality work! Have you read ‘Nine Heavens’?”
“Of course, who hasn’t? I've also read ‘Xuanyuan Sword Master’ and ‘Sword Sovereign Side Story’!”
“There you go! The quality of these works is evident to anyone. J definitely sees it too. In recent years, with the conclusion of many national-level mangas like ‘Naruto’ and ‘Bleach,’ and no new hits emerging, J’s current top-tier work is just ‘One Piece.’ They need new serials, and ‘Nine Heavens’ fits perfectly in terms of art, plot, and style!”
“Although it’s unclear what kind of success it will achieve, just getting on ‘Weekly Shonen J’ in this way is historic! Yunhou not only made history but did so with pride and dignity! Gotta respect that courage!”
“……”
At MW Magazine:
“I found out! This time Qichuang took the lead. ‘Nine Heavens’ is indeed authorized serialization! Additionally, Qichuang only authorized J to publish the ‘Nine Heavens’ tankobon. All other rights remain with Yunhou, even the merchandise development rights. J at most got a preferential right, nothing else!”
“Furthermore, Qichuang has reached some agreements with J. The animation production of ‘Xuanyuan Sword Master’ will involve J. As for the animation of ‘Nine Heavens’ and other side stories, which Yunhou holds the rights to, there’s no news yet.”
“J’s animation production capabilities are top-notch. If they participate, it’s great news for manga fans. The production process will also elevate our domestic manga production standards. Qichuang set a good precedent! Previously, even if there was cooperation, it was always Japan taking the lead. We had very little say.”
“Tsk tsk, this time domestic manga truly made a statement! Usually, we’re begging Japan for serialization rights. Now it’s the other way around! Who would've thought Japanese readers would see the Chinese version first before waiting for a Japanese translation!”
“This time, domestic manga set a real benchmark!”
“Although there have been domestic mangas in Japan before, they were on a much smaller scale. Getting on ‘Weekly Shonen J’ in this way is genuine cultural export! I hope ‘Nine Heavens’ becomes a hit in Japan and dominates the market!”
“……”
With the spread of this news online, it became a celebration for Chinese manga fans.
#NineHeavensInJapan#
#MonkeyGoesInternational#
#FutureWarChroniclesInEnglish#
These three topics trended on social media, ranking first, fifth, and tenth respectively!
People who didn’t follow manga or novels and weren’t aware of the news were shocked when they saw the trending topics, with many initially thinking it was about a conflict with Japan!
“Wow, looks like we’re going to war with Japan!”
“Bahahaha, I think you guys did this on purpose. Would it kill you to add quotation marks around the title?”
“Hmm, for years, Japanese manga dominated our market. Isn’t it time for our domestic manga to sweep theirs? The trending title is spot on!”
“This is just the beginning! You know ‘Weekly Shonen J’ has reader surveys. If the popularity is low, it could get axed! Forget sweeping the market, it’s a question of how long it will last!”
“Having read ‘Nine Heavens,’ I’m not worried at all!”
“‘Nine Heavens’ is amazing, but the readers are Japanese. Will they really accept a foreign manga dominating their market?”
“Now that you mention it, I’m worried!”
“……”
Veteran manga fans, familiar with the popularity polls in famous magazines like ‘Weekly Shonen J,’ expressed concern that if the manga consistently ranked low, it would get canceled. So while there was celebration, many also worried about the fate of ‘Nine Heavens’ in Japan.
Speculation and voting about how many issues ‘Nine Heavens’ would last became hot topics, and the results were not always encouraging.
While many were happy about ‘Nine Heavens’ entering Japan, many also doubted its success.
The news not only sparked discussions in China but also in Japan and internationally. There were debates and even some derision.
Some claimed J only did it for the Chinese market, while others said China paid heavily to get it serialized.
This wasn’t just from ordinary Japanese fans but even some manga artists and celebrities joined the discussion.
One notable comment from a Japanese person named Bekigita no drew attention:
“Chinese manga in ‘Weekly Shonen J’? Laughable! Even if it gets in, what’s the point? Three rounds of popularity polls will kick it out! Chinese manga, like Chinese mental sports, can’t last even three minutes, no, not even two minutes!”
This person wasn’t a star, but recently became quite notorious in China due to his appearance in an international competition on a variety show, earning him the nickname “Perverted Golden Finger!”