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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 38: Release and Completion
December 30th.
The storm that was FuyuComi came to a close at the tail end of the year—but it truly kicked off with a single post uploaded in the new year:
[Review: Enju’s New Work, 'Monogatari']
The moment FuyuComi opened, I ran straight to the booth and bought Enju’s new release.
Since 'Art Sword Online' and 'Dora Tora' were both amazing last time, I didn’t hesitate—instant buy.
To get to the point: it was seriously phenomenal.
From Enju’s latest, 'Monogatari'.
(Image of a page from “Monogatari”)
(Image of a page from “Monogatari”)
(Image of a page from “Monogatari”)
First off, the paneling and directing are super unique—but it really suits the tone of the piece.
There’s even a page that’s just text with zero illustrations, and maybe that’s why the page count felt so hefty.
But it didn’t come off as cheap or jarring at all. Honestly, it worked really well.
And then...
·
·
·
ㄴThat review's so thoughtful lol
ㄴFr tho, it ‘was’ a great read—I binged nothing but this over New Year’s
ㄴI wanna buy a copy too... Where can I get it?
ㄴOnly sold at FuyuComi, you can’t buy it elsewhere
ㄴLOL Guess we’re stuck waiting until the next NatsuComi. They only printed 500 copies anyway
[Anyone here pick up Enju’s new release at FuyuComi?]
I really wanted to read it but it was already sold out when I got there...
I’ll pay extra, I swear—if anyone’s willing to sell me a copy, please hit me up.
ㄴI ran too, but no luck for me either...
ㄴOnly 500 people managed to buy it to begin with—finding one now is gonna be near impossible
ㄴI’m searching everywhere but no one’s letting theirs go
[Enju’s New Work: 'Monogatari']
[How to Read 'Monogatari']
[Buying “Monogatari” from FuyuComi – DM Me]
With only 500 copies released, and with glowing reviews piling up, those who missed out on 'Monogatari' found themselves left in the cold.
During Japan’s long New Year’s break—when the country basically pauses—the buzz around 'Monogatari' refused to die down.
Naturally, Enju’s Twitter was flooded—
From pleading love letters and tearful praise, to borderline blackmail demanding it be published.
And amid all the chaos, what was Jung Junhyuk up to?
“Ahhh... kimchi really ‘does’ hit different with tteokguk.”
Completely oblivious, he was back home in Korea after a long while, simply enjoying a warm Korean meal.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was around the time Japan’s year-end holidays wrapped up that I returned from Korea and made my way back to Japan.
After about a week, I stepped into my Tokyo studio and, even before unpacking, went straight to check the internet.
This latest release—Monogatari—was a real test for me.
I wanted to see if I could take everything I’d learned—skills, techniques, theory—and channel that into something people would genuinely respond to.
The work itself was deliberately odd, and I thought I’d done a good job integrating a lot of experimental visual techniques.
But just because ‘I’ felt that way didn’t mean the readers would too.
Honestly, that fear was part of why I’d been putting off checking the reactions.
Okay, that and the fact the computer at my parents’ place had kicked the bucket.
But, cutting to the chase—those 500 copies of 'Monogatari'?
The impact was far greater than I’d ever anticipated.
My Twitter DMs were so flooded, the app barely loaded.
[Author, would you consider officially publishing 'Monogatari'? If so, please reach out via this email: [email protected]]
[Enju Enju Enju Enju Enju Enju Enju Enju Enju]
[Author, when’s the next volume coming out? Any plans to sign with a publisher? Could you ‘at least’ give us a release date? Maybe even your address? Are you single??]
[ilovetheauthorilovetheauthorilovetheauthorilovetheauthorilovetheauthor—]
Clack.
I closed the tab.
For every one normal message, there were like ten deeply unsettling ones.
Reading them was basically a hazard to my mental health.
Maybe it was because the print run was so limited, but the response this time felt way more intense than what I got for 'Art Sword Online' or 'Dora Tora'.
Contrary to all my doubts, the reception had exploded.
Yeah, maybe some of the hype was a little over the top.
But hey—if people were reacting positively, that’s all that really mattered.
“If it’s gotten this far already... maybe I can start rolling things out a little earlier than planned.”
There were a few key reasons I used the pen name Enju and released my manga at Comiket.
First, the kind of work I was creating wasn’t suited for weekly serialization—it functioned better as a standalone volume.
But the biggest reason?
To retain full ownership of the IP.
Back when I worked as an editor, I watched as the Japanese manga industry completely failed to truly break into the digital market.
Not because they stubbornly clung to paper—but because the entire system was flawed.
Sure, most magazine publishers developed their own digital platforms.
Many even opened up their catalogs to Amazon Kindle and other e-book stores.
But there was still one massive issue…
There was no real system to let readers easily purchase just one chapter digitally.
You ‘could’ buy individual chapters on each publisher’s exclusive app, sure.
But then you'd have to juggle different apps, accounts, and point systems just to read stuff from different publishers.
Some third-party apps tried to strike deals with multiple publishers to create all-in-one platforms...
But those had their own issues—like delays in uploading the latest chapters—and eventually lost popularity despite strong starts.
And realistically? No one was going to pull off licensing ‘every’ manga from ‘every’ publisher under one roof.
Who knew how long it would take for online micro-payment systems to become seamless?
The core problem was this: The IPs were owned by the publishers.
If a work had ever been published—or was currently under publication—the rights were effectively co-owned between the publisher and the author.
Even now, and even more so in the future, this ownership structure makes full integration nearly impossible.
But what if... what if I could own the IP outright?
If I could build a platform where I controlled both the free and paid content...
Then, even if not now, once smartphones became truly mainstream—once readers started demanding more convenient ways to access manga...
Having full IP control would become a massive advantage.
Of course—
“That future’s still a ways off.”
Right now, even if I put manga online for free, people still place far more value on physical books.
Webcomics just haven’t hit that mainstream level of familiarity.
People are still used to printed pages—they trust and treasure them more.
But that’s exactly ‘why’ I can do this ‘now’.
“That’s enough for the first reveal.”
In this current climate—where printed books still dominate in perceived value—I can post manga online without devaluing the physical edition.
It’s a way to promote the work while still preserving the allure of owning it in print.
[Partial Preview of 'Monogatari' Now Live]
Just like last time—but this time, with even more pages—I uploaded a preview of 'Monogatari' to Twitter.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Uuugh…”
Mitarashi, a developer working in the IT industry, let out a low groan as he stared at his computer screen.
“It’s gone… No matter how hard I look…”
What he was searching for was none other than the Twitter account of the elusive creator, Enju.
Enju, infamous for teasing fans by sporadically posting illustrations of characters or panels from their Comiket-only releases, had a reputation for driving readers just a little crazy.
Mitarashi had cursed Enju for that habit more times than he could count—but this time? This time, he was desperate just to feel ‘that’ kind of yearning again.
“If only I’d lined up just a bit earlier…”
Lately, the manga world—both forums and social media—had been set ablaze by one title: Monogatari.
Mitarashi had dashed straight to the venue on opening day of Winter Comiket, but since he’d been stuck in a late admission block, he hadn’t even gotten close.
Despite hauling ass across the floor, he couldn’t snag a copy.
It sucked. Hard. But what could he do?
He tried to accept it, resign himself to the loss—but the posts kept coming.
One after another, tweets about 'Monogatari' popped up on his feed, taunting him.
“Aaagh!!”
It was like someone was dangling his dream prize right in front of his face, just out of reach, mocking him.
Tell someone they can’t have something, and they only want it more. Deny someone a taste, and suddenly they’re starving.
Worse still, the lucky few who had scored a copy started posting snippets, preview pages, and reactions.
Those glimmering reviews were like gasoline on an open flame.
Soon, Mitarashi found himself scouring every corner of the internet, trying to hunt down anyone selling 'Monogatari'.
No luck.
Not a trace.
All he could do now was refresh Enju’s Twitter feed and pray for a miracle.
And maybe—just maybe—his prayers were heard.
[Partial Preview of 'Monogatari' Now Live]
With a single link, dozens of pages from the opening chapter of 'Monogatari' were released to the public.
＊ ＊ ＊
[Enju finally drops 'Monogatari'! First 15 pages partially revealed!]
A link just went up on the author's Twitter page.
ㄴFor real?
ㄴJust checked—yep, it’s legit.
ㄴHonestly, limiting it to 500 copies was kinda brutal.
ㄴ(replying) Now that I’ve read those 15 pages, that’s what feels brutal.
ㄴThey say the rest will be released gradually!
ㄴOh, so they’re planning to kill us slowly, bit by bit…
[Official preview link posted by the 'Monogatari' creator]
(link)
ㄴAre you… are you a god?
ㄴThank you!!
ㄴLowkey wish I hadn’t seen it…
ㄴStill better than not seeing it at all. Watching everyone who ‘did’ get a copy talk about it like some secret club was ‘so’ isolating.
With only 500 copies released, the hunger for 'Monogatari' had been overwhelming—and now that even a partial preview was out, talk of it exploded online like wildfire.
But amid the roaring hype for 'Monogatari', there was another title that refused to be overshadowed.
[Wait, hold up—'D Note' is actually ending??]
'D Note' was now just a week away from publishing its final chapter.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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