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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 29: Aftermath of Comiket...
There were several reasons why Jung Junhyuk chose to publish his manga under a different pen name at Comiket, a new platform rather than through his already known commercial works.
From a creative perspective, the main reason was that adapting a light novel into manga requires a broader narrative scope in one go.
Light novels pack a lot of volume into a single book.
So even if one volume ends in the middle of an episode, readers usually don’t feel frustrated by the pacing.
On the other hand, weekly serialization is a different beast.
In magazines where multiple works are published together, the goal is to make an impact from the very first chapter to grab readers’ attention.
But light novels typically start with an introduction focusing on foreshadowing events.
If you just adapt that directly into manga, it’s hard to leave a strong impression on the readers.
So the idea was—What if you release an entire volume all at once, just like the light novel format?
Wouldn’t that hit readers with more impact?
Targeting Comiket’s audience, who are already familiar with the novel genre, might make it easier to break into the market—even if the profit margins are smaller compared to commercial releases.
For Jung Junhyuk, who was debuting at Comiket, he didn’t expect much—he just hoped to gather a small but loyal fanbase, and to set a foundation for a possible future follow-up.
That was it.
Just that.
But then...
[Who is this Enju at this Natsu Comi? A rookie?]
[I want to see the Enju manga sold at the Field Scroll booth on day 3. Any info?]
ㄴEven Twitter and the communities are flooding with ‘Enju’—Who is this?
ㄴHonestly, Enju became the main character of this Comiket LOL
ㄴI’m also trying to find Enju but there’s no info… just a Pixiv and Twitter account at best…
ㄴWhere did you find it? Can you share?
ㄴIf you bought the book, check the front and back covers.
[When will volume 2 of ‘Art Sword Online’ and ‘Dora Tora’ come out?]
- Will it be out at Winter Comiket?
ㄴNo one knows.
ㄴOnly the author knows.
ㄴThere was a notice on the Field Scroll board, but they only handled outsourced work and don’t know anything about future releases.
[So what about us who read volume 1...?]
ㄴ……
[Reviews of Enju’s works from this NatsuComi]
[‘Art Sword Online’ Volume 1 illustration collection]
[‘Dora Tora’ swimsuit illustration by Enju]
Two days after Natsu Comi, Enju’s name started to steadily rise in communities, eventually dominating them.
And then—
“Ahhh! What is this?!”
Jung Junhyuk’s Twitter and Pixiv accounts for Enju were suddenly blowing up like wildfire.
＊ ＊ ＊
After Summer Comiket, Jung Junhyuk was back to living his usual, quiet life.
He worked on his weekly serialized series, 'D Note' and 'Fullmetal Alchemist', and once that was wrapped up, he’d storyboard other projects or write outlines for future ones.
If he got sleepy, he’d take a quick nap—just 10 or 20 minutes.
Sometimes he’d go for a walk, or go out to eat if Matsuda stopped by. It was a routine, nothing special—just a slice of normal life.
It wasn’t until about three days after Comiket had ended that Junhyuk thought to look up how the event had gone online.
"By now there’s gotta be some light reviews or impressions floating around, right?"
With that casual thought, he started browsing the web.
“Huh?”
At first, he was just confused.
There were tons of posts on community forums mentioning the name ‘Enju’, along with discussions about 'Art Sword Online' and 'Dora Tora'.
"Did some super-fan write all these?"
It wouldn’t be unheard of. Hardcore otaku love to evangelize whatever they enjoy, spreading the word like it’s gospel.
Judging by the volume of posts, it didn’t seem like just one person—there were probably a few die-hard fans behind it, working in tandem like an elite unit.
Junhyuk was quietly thankful to these mysterious fans as he opened up Twitter.
“Ugh, when are they gonna add auto-login…”
Too lazy to sign in right away, he casually scrolled through the posts under the Comiket tag.
“…Whoa, there’s a lot—no, like, a ton. Was there some kind of major announcement I missed?”
More and more, he saw mentions of Enju under the Summer Comiket tag.
Even then, he figured it only ‘seemed’ like a lot because he was specifically looking for it. Classic case of frequency bias.
But then, when he finally logged into Twitter…
“AAAHH! What the hell?!”
That’s when it hit him—the flood of DMs and replies pouring in. It was only then that Jung Junhyuk realized just how far things had spiraled.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Yamada-san! Did you finish revising that report I mentioned earlier?"
"Yes! I just finished and sent it to the deputy manager’s email."
"Yamada-san, did you restock the copy paper in the printer?"
"Yes! I topped it up first thing this morning!"
24-year-old Ryosuke Yamada, two years into corporate life, a totally average salaryman.
A devoted fan of Japanese subculture—anime, manga, games—you name it. He was running on post-Comiket fumes, still fueled by the high of the recent event over the holidays.
Since he had to head out for client work in the afternoon, he slipped out of his soul-sucking office and popped into a nearby family restaurant to enjoy a peaceful solo lunch.
“Man… when is Volume 2 even coming out…”
While waiting for his food, Yamada murmured to himself, flipping through a manga he had in hand. The title: Art Sword Online—one of the books he’d picked up at this past Comiket.
Next to it sat another manga, 'Dora Tora'. Yamada’s plan was to recharge his weary soul with some lunchtime manga therapy.
He’d already read 'Art Sword Online' cover to cover multiple times. But maybe because there ‘wasn’t’ a Volume 2, he couldn’t stop himself from reading it again.
It was that bittersweet cycle—fun while reading, but painful by the end. So he’d start over to distract himself from the void, only to end up in the same pain again. A vicious loop of manga-induced suffering.
Just as he was getting bummed watching the dwindling number of pages left to turn—
Brrring—
His phone buzzed on the table.
“Ugh, seriously? Can’t they give me one lunch break…”
Assuming it was another annoying work message, Yamada frowned as he picked up the call.
“…Huh?”
But the caller wasn’t from work.
“Yo, Ryosuke! Do you have your laptop with you right now?”
It was Imamura—his college buddy and fellow Comiket pilgrim.
His voice was tense, almost desperate. He sounded like he needed Ryosuke to whip out his laptop immediately.
Was Imamura… trapped in the digital world, begging him for rescue?
As absurd as the thought was, Yamada didn’t argue. Something about Imamura’s voice made him act on instinct. He pulled his laptop from his bag.
As soon as he powered it on, Imamura shouted:
- Enju just uploaded the manuscript for Volume 2 on their Twitter!
“WHAT?!”
Yamada forgot all about being in public and practically shouted. He slapped a hand over his mouth, then dove into Twitter.
“No way—seriously?!”
“It’s the real Enju account. Same one that’s listed in the manga.”
Yamada, already following Enju, clicked on the post and began reading the new manuscript pages.
And in less than five minutes… he was done.
“There’s only four pages?? That’s it?! Where’s the rest?!”
“…There ‘is’ no rest.”
“…What?”
It felt like something out of a horror movie.
“Just those four pages. That’s all there is.”
Like standing before the final boss after a long, grueling journey with your party… only for your trusted comrade to suddenly betray you.
“Then why… why would you even show me this?!”
It’s always crueler to be shown an oasis just before you die of thirst.
Yamada, parched for Volume 2, had gotten a single, mocking drop. That hurt even worse.
And Imamura… he knew. He had to know. Betrayed and heartbroken, Yamada cried out—
“Imamura! Tell me! Why would you do this to me?! Weren’t we comrades? Or was that just me?!”
“We ‘are’ comrades! I thought so too! But… but someone had to carry this burden…”
And with that, Imamura hung up.
Beep—Beep—Beep—
As the cold, mechanical tone rang in his ears, Yamada quietly wiped away a tear.
“…So this is what you were feeling, huh, Imamura…”
Then, without missing a beat, he pulled out his phone.
“Hayama. You got your laptop on you right now?”
Thus began the endless chain of suffering.
＊ ＊ ＊
While Jung Junhyuk continued his so-called “villainy” of deliberately stoking hype and buzz without sparing a single thought for the suffering of his readers…
At ND House, the animation production company, a certain discussion was taking place.
“How about 'D Note' for our next project?”
“Hmm…”
At Director Daito’s suggestion, Producer Yamaguchi let out a quiet hum of uncertainty.
“To be honest, in terms of buzz and popularity, I don’t think it’s lacking at all…”
The head of marketing picked up where Yamaguchi trailed off.
“But the content is a little... provocative. That’s what worries me.”
'D Note' blends fantasy with gritty realism in a way that makes the intense aspects stand out more than usual.
If they pushed it into a media mix—anime, film, etc.—complaints about it being “harmful” or “inappropriate for young audiences” would almost certainly flood in.
“Well, Jump has already been issuing regular statements to address that. And if the issue is that people die in it, then technically we wouldn’t be able to make any action anime that shows people getting beat up, either.”
Someone from the production team countered that logic.
Both Yamaguchi and the marketing lead nodded, seemingly convinced.
As opinions bounced around the room, the mood gradually leaned toward giving 'D Note' the green light.
The production team began wrapping things up.
“Alright, so we’ll move forward with 'D Note' as our next title. We’ll contact the editorial team first and save the detailed discussions for after our meeting with them.”
Just as the meeting was about to close—
“Wait, judging by where the story’s headed, doesn’t it look like it’s wrapping up soon? Is that okay?”
The animation director asked this while flipping through the 'D Note' volume in front of him.
Everyone in the room exchanged looks like, “Wait, is it…?” but Director Daito just grinned confidently, brushing off their worries.
“Come on, you think Weekly Shōnen Jump would let a hit series like this end after just a year?”
It’s a well-known truth—even outside the industry—that when an anime or movie adaptation drops, the sales of the original work skyrocket.
So the idea that a giant like Weekly Shōnen Jump would toss aside that kind of golden opportunity? Unthinkable.
“I’d bet my next month’s paycheck that it won’t end—at least not before the anime finishes airing.”
That was Director Daito’s bold declaration.
But then…
“This is confidential, but 'D Note' is scheduled to end. As early as this December, or January at the latest.”
“…Oh, you mean Season 1, right?”
“No. I mean the ‘finale’.”
“So like, Season 1’s ending and—”
“No. There is no Season 2.”
Director Daito’s precious paycheck was now in serious danger of slipping away to his coworkers.
And standing nearby, having witnessed the entire scene, the producer found himself with a very complicated mix of emotions toward 'D Note'—but also, for some reason… oddly satisfied.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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