Synopsis

Kurei Soichi works as a manga editor at Sendosha’s “Weekly Shonen Glory” editorial department, responsible for the nationally beloved hit manga “Million Joe,” which has achieved a cumulative circulation of over 300 million copies. The creator of this monster-level manga that has maintained its number one popularity ranking for over ten years of serialization in Glory is mangaka Magata Tsuneo. An extreme misanthrope, Magata is such an eccentric that he can only meet face-to-face with Kurei and his chief assistant Terashi. Kurei had simply been assigned to Magata by chance and was an unmotivated editor lacking any passion or affection for his work.

 

On a day approaching the deadline, Kurei receives a phone call: “My… my chest hurts… ugh… ugh…” Assuming this is Magata’s usual ploy to extend deadlines, Kurei curtly hangs up the phone. With the manuscript in danger of being dropped entirely, Kurei reluctantly heads to Magata’s location, but what he discovers there is shocking: “He’s dead…”

 

Kurei is tormented by the thought that if he had rushed over when Magata called today, perhaps the mangaka could have been saved. If “Million Joe” ends unfinished, what will happen to “Weekly Shonen Glory”? The astounding decision that Kurei makes in this extreme situation becomes the central mystery of this story, exploring the intense pressure and moral dilemmas faced in the manga publishing industry when creative partnerships are pushed to their breaking point.