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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 27: Summer Comic Market (3)
[Dora Tora], [Art Sword Online]
The two works I pulled out this time were also ones I had seen in the White Room.
But unlike before, there was one key difference—these weren’t manga.
They were light novels.
The reason I chose to present light novels rather than manga was simple—because this was for Comiket.
Comiket (Comic Market) is a massive doujin event held only twice a year.
Maybe it’s because there are only two opportunities, but each year, the number of attendees easily surpasses half a million.
And the people who come to Comiket?
They’re usually deeply immersed in subculture content like games, anime, manga, and novels.
Back when I worked as an editor, I’d gone to Comiket a few times myself, and even just getting inside wasn’t easy.
It’s safe to say that anyone making the pilgrimage to Comiket has some serious love for the scene.
The primary age group is people in their 20s and 30s.
Since it’s a comic market after all, most attendees are working adults who show up not just to browse—but to buy.
Light novels align perfectly with the demographic and interests of this crowd.
For these two titles, there couldn’t be a better stage.
Ever since I returned to this timeline, I’d spent every bit of free time sketching or jotting down notes for works I’d seen in the White Library.
’Dora Tora’ didn’t have that much content when I read it, so I already had a rough storyboard prepared.
That made the remaining work a lot easier.
“Hmm… I’ll just speed up the pacing a little. Since I get to decide the volume size anyway, I can expand it beyond the original book and break it at a good point.”
The story is about the protagonist Yuuji and his tsundere next-door neighbor forming a fake relationship pact, and the chaotic episodes that follow.
I moved the plot forward at a brisker tempo compared to the original.
“The characters are already super lively and the events are well-balanced, so there’s not much that needs tweaking.”
I’d already had a clear direction in mind, so revising the Dora Tora storyboard didn’t take too long.
“The real problem… is this one.”
With Dora Tora out of the way, my eyes turned to the other piece I planned to present at this summer’s Comiket: Art Sword Online.
To be honest, I’d gone back and forth on whether to even release this one.
The White Library was packed with countless works.
Whether manga, anime, or light novels—it didn’t matter the medium or genre—I’d seen an overwhelming number of titles in that dreamlike, blindingly white space.
After returning to this timeline, I had sorted through those memories and picked out which ones to turn into manga.
And 'Art Sword Online'… definitely fell into the more “complicated” category.
Art Sword Online.
A VRMMO death game where if you die in the game, you die in real life.
The protagonist, trapped in the game out of nowhere, fights to survive with everything he’s got—a story that grips readers with suspense and emotional weight.
There were so many compelling elements—
Crimes and scams exploiting in-game systems, loopholes that players abuse, and a setting filled with intricate details.
It wasn’t just a game overlay—it felt real.
But those detailed mechanics?
Yeah, they were exactly the problem. Translating them into manga was a nightmare.
If I adapted the in-universe explanations as-is, it’d take dozens of pages just to get through the exposition.
With a small sigh, I stared down at the rough storyboard for 'Art Sword Online' and started picking it apart.
“First things first, cut the fat. The morally gray mass-murderer subplot? Already sliced out.”
I must’ve sketched a rough draft back when I first got to Japan, because a surprising chunk of it was already drawn.
The content mostly followed the flow of the original work, though the minor details might’ve been fuzzy since I was going off memory.
“It’s not ‘bad’… it’s just—”
If I put it out like this, it would end up as some half-baked hybrid—not quite a novel, not quite a manga.
To convince someone to open their wallet for a single volume at Comiket, I needed impact.
Flipping through the pages, I set the storyboard down and fell into thought.
How could I compress the essence of 'Art Sword Online' into one explosive, gripping volume?
“This…”
It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.
“I’ll flip the whole thing on its head.”
Time to change direction.
＊ ＊ ＊
“First off—let’s not even think about Part 2 or Part 3 yet. Assume they don’t exist. Just focus on how to build out Part 1…”
Considering the commercial success of 'Art Sword Online' that I’d confirmed through a library search, it probably wouldn’t be a huge problem even if I released it as-is—without any edits.
But that’s when we’re talking about the novel.
If we’re talking about the manga, especially a single-volume release, that’s a completely different story.
Looking at it with a cool, objective eye—as both a reader and an editor—there were clearly ways to make it hit harder.
“The sudden plunge into the death game? Solid. Leave that part alone. But push the romance angle back for now. Put more focus on the mechanics of clearing the game. Highlight the immersion that comes with a death game setting. The raw selfishness of people when their survival’s on the line. The intense, stylized action inside the game world. Frame it all to contrast how this game is more brutal than reality…”
I began reworking the sequence of events, tailoring them more for manga—adding visual storytelling techniques that would better serve the format.
“Skill effects—make them as flashy as possible. And for death scenes, show them as quick and game-like. Keep it intentionally unemotional, which will only make the disconnect from real-life death feel ‘more’ disturbing…”
Little by little, 'Art Sword Online' was morphing from a compelling novel into a compelling manga.
“I’ve only got one volume to work with, so cut down the exposition—convey it through visuals, not dialogue. Show the game’s interface. Crank up the tension. And then…”
In Jung Junhyuk’s version of the manga adaptation, 'Art Sword Online' began with a much darker tone focused on the protagonist’s personal journey.
A protagonist who ‘wanted’ to believe in others but ended up betrayed—yet still survived thanks to undeniable skill.
A broken, battle-hardened lead with a touch of "OP" flair, keeping things from getting too grim.
There was even a classic, feel-good twist—the protagonist saves a heroine who’s lost the will to live and is trapped in the maze.
High-octane action, a clean and flashy art style, and a psychologically tormented lead—that combination alone already packed a punch.
And with a few familiar tropes sprinkled in—the kind of things readers ‘know’ they like—it turned into something that was impossible to put down.
The kind of magic only Jung Junhyuk could pull off.
The same guy who once agonized over how to end D Note and how to make ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ even more of an entertainer’s dream.
He took the original 'Art Sword Online' and remade it with the flavor of manga.
“Use big panels—really big. Even if the page count goes up, I control the volume size anyway, so I’ll use that freedom.”
Sometimes he sketched on paper, sometimes with a brush, and other times with a tablet. Whatever got the job done.
He obsessed over bold compositions and eye-catching layouts—crafting a visual experience that demanded attention.
“Phew… With this, at least I won’t get laughed out of the room.”
But not long after that, what he had created sparked a reaction far bigger than he ever expected.
＊ ＊ ＊
“No way, this is for real…?”
“Less than a month, and already 100 pages done.”
“And there’s still a whole week before the deadline.”
Sanae, the leader of [Field Scroll], and Manato, the deputy leader, blinked as they stared at the monitor screen.
“Wow… What kind of work was this person drawing when they were doing commercial stuff? Even if the story isn’t great, I want to keep it just for the art…”
Sanae murmured as she flipped through the submitted manuscript pages.
“They don’t just draw well… they’re amazing at comics. Aren’t they a famous artist or something?”
Manato, checking the manuscript beside Sanae, couldn’t help but respond with wide eyes.
There’s a big difference between someone who just draws well and someone who can really craft a comic.
Sure, some can do both, but those people are usually big names in the industry.
Why on earth would someone like that want to collaborate with us?
Just then—Sanae’s laptop chimed.
“Ah, an email. Oh, this must be it. The comic they asked us to sell at our booth.”
Sanae opened the attachment from the sender, Enju.
“They did this much for us, so we gotta ask the printer to make the book super high quality.”
“…Yeah.”
Thinking about it, this person was basically asking to sell their comic at the booth for ridiculously low pay by commercial standards.
What kind of comic do they even make?
Curious but skeptical, Manato glanced at the screen and then his mouth dropped open.
Two comics, totally different genres.
A school romance comedy and a dark fantasy action manga.
“The art styles are completely different…”
“Can they really switch their style depending on the vibe of the work?”
Every artist has their own style and flair.
Even if they use a pen name, hardcore fans can usually spot them right away.
Sniffs.
“That smell… familiar.”
“A line that can’t be forgotten, a color palette unforgettable… Artist, your name is…?”
But with Enju, none of that usual vibe was there. Not to say there was no personality—each style had its own charm.
“Yeah… well, we already knew the art was good… even so.”
Putting art aside since we already saw the samples, there’s something raw and powerful about these original works.
“Wow… seriously…”
What started as just scrolling through quickly turned into Manato and Sanae unknowingly reading through the entire comic on their screen.
This wasn’t like their game promotional comics at all.
Because Manato and Sanae, as directors, designed the scenario and storyboard, they kept the original artist, Jung Junhyuk, within the framework.
But the same artist’s work outside that framework looked like a totally different beast.
After devouring everything Enju sent, Manato and Sanae thought—
“Ah…”
“We should’ve just given them the scenario and let them draw freely…”
They worried that maybe their own hard work had messed things up now that such a talented artist had come along.
And a new worry started creeping in.
Sanae cautiously looked at Manato and asked—
“Our booth won’t get completely overshadowed by this comic, right…?”
“......”
“Answer me.”
“......”
“I really hoped the answer would be no.”
Sanae wasn’t the only one worried about this.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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