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At the bottom of the final page was a detailed breakdown of every vehicle that had appeared in the chapter. It listed horsepower, torque, the retail price in Japan, the launch date, and the year production ceased. For the analytical readers, this data sheet provided a sense of the performance gap between the AE86 and the FD. It also clarified exactly where Iketani's S13 stood in the automotive hierarchy.
"What?!"
"How can you cut the story right there? Do you have no conscience?!"
While he had pretty much deduced that the mysterious driver of the AE86 tearing through the night on Mount Akina was the protagonist, Takumi, the lack of a definitive reveal was maddening.
At least draw one more page! Just show us the driver's face!
The cliffhanger left Rento feeling like ants were crawling under his skin. Unable to help himself, he went back to the beginning and read the first chapter of Initial D all over again. The more he read, the more the tension gnawed at him.
This cliffhanger was a masterclass in frustration, the mark of a professional novelist.
'Shiori Takahashi... you really are a top-tier graduate of the Cliffhanger Academy, aren't you? This level of mastery is terrifying.'
Rento took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He grabbed his smartphone and scanned the QR code on the back of the magazine. The page redirected him to the official Weekly Prime reader feedback and voting portal.
In the industry, whether it's manga or novels, market research methods are largely the same.
In the past, editors relied on physical postcards mailed in by readers to determine which series were the most popular. In the age of the internet, they modernized, using smartphone-linked QR codes to streamline the process.
Rento navigated through the digital prompts.
[Are you sure you want to cast your vote for "Initial D"? Note: Votes cannot be changed once submitted. Each unique QR code from a genuine copy of Weekly Prime allows for only one vote.]
Without a second of hesitation, Rento tapped "Yes." A confirmation message popped up, signaling a successful vote.
Rento was merely one individual among the vast readership of the magazine.
In reality, thousands of people across Japan were currently complaining about the agonizing cliffhanger of the first chapter. On the official Prime Manga forums, a localized storm was brewing.
While there were many hit series in the magazine, the focus of reader discussion usually gravitated toward the newcomers. The fans of established pillars of the magazine had their own dedicated sub-forums, so they rarely posted on the main page.
However, there were still nearly twenty other series vying for attention. Despite this, the front page of the forum was almost entirely colonized by threads about Initial D.
"What's wrong with this author? Who cuts a story like that? At least explain to us what an inertial drift is!"
"To be honest, I know nothing about cars. I don't even know what a drift is, but I was completely glued to the page. That cliffhanger, though... the author must be a sadist."
"I expect nothing less from Shiori-sensei. I'm impressed. He probably spent one month plotting the story and five months researching how to make us suffer with a cliffhanger."
"I'm so annoyed! I knew his cliffhangers were legendary, and yet I still let my hand slip and bought the magazine. I should have just ignored the new series and waited a year to buy the tankobon volumes."
"The fundamental skill of a novelist is the cliffhanger. Shiori-sensei's reach in this department is truly divine."
"I read both light novels and manga, and I have to say, the quality of the plot and the art in this first chapter is elite. I know the creators are just a pair of university students, but it's still hard to believe. Are college kids today really this powerful?"
"No, just Shiori Takahashi and Shizuru. As for me, I'm just a college kid who stares at the oranges my mom buys while I stay in bed all day. I don't know anything."
"Everyone is praising the story, but can we talk about the art? It's breathtaking. To match the gritty, realistic style of a racing manga, the artist didn't go for flashy, sparkling aesthetics. But the way the backgrounds, the vehicles, and the perspectives overlap... I dare say the person drawing this is an absolute genius of the craft."
"The visuals are just... comfortable. That's the only word I have for it."
"I thought Shizuru was just a pretty face Prime hired to create a duo for marketing. But looking at this, her skill is top-tier."
"A top-tier storyteller paired with a top-tier artist. Is this the power of Initial D?"
"I want to see Takumi crush the RedSuns in the next chapter! I want to see him humiliate the Takahashi brothers during the official battle on Saturday!"
"Sigh, the thought of waiting a full week for the next chapter is pure agony."
"But wait, if Takumi is such a god at driving, why was he so terrified when he was riding in Iketani's car earlier in the chapter?"
"Look, I'm a decent driver myself, but I still get terrified when my wife drives. She has a binary driving style, either the pedal is through the floor or she's slamming the brakes. I totally understand why Takumi was scared for his life in Iketani's car."
"Friends, as much as we want to curse Shiori-sensei, let's make sure to vote for Initial D. If the ratings are bad, the magazine will cancel it early."
"I already voted. I gave it a 9.5."
"I gave it a 9.9. I deducted 0.1 because of that disgusting cliffhanger."
"Oh crap, I almost forgot to vote. I better go support Shiori-sensei."
That night, Shizuru sat alone in her small rented apartment. The lights were on, and her messy drawing desk was covered in ink and various sketching tools. She had intended to finish the fifth chapter of the manga tonight, but once she started scrolling through the online reviews, she couldn't stop.
There was no greater sense of accomplishment for an artist than seeing a unified wave of praise for their work. Even though she knew she needed to focus, her mind was too restless to work. She looked at herself in the mirror.
She was cute, tall, and carried a gentle aura. But the biggest difference was her eyes. The lingering gloom that had haunted them for years was gone. Years of failure as a mangaka had made her doubt her path, but tonight, that doubt had vanished.
"Ah... so this is what it feels like to be on the right track," Shizuru whispered, sitting back in her chair and gazing at the stars through her window.
A small smile played on her lips, mixed with a hint of bittersweet regret. "If only I had met him sooner."
Although she and Haruto had to combine their talents to make one complete Mangaka, Shizuru was perfectly satisfied with people praising her art. It made the years of practice she had put in since the age of four feel valuable. She looked at the drafts on her desk and smiled. 'I'll indulge myself and be a bit lazy tonight. I'll stay up late tomorrow to make up for it.'
The next afternoon at 4:00 PM, inside the editorial offices of Prime Manga, the preliminary reader voting data for the current issue was released. Many editors in the department had actually been secretly hoping for Initial D to fail. Technically, the series hadn't been chosen through the standard serialization meeting.
Instead, the Editor-in-Chief had bypassed the usual process, calling a special session specifically for this project. Many editors felt this was unfair. With only twenty-two slots in Weekly Prime, and several of those occupied by the pillars of the magazine, a new slot only opened up once every month or two. To have that slot handed to a newcomer without the usual hurdles rankled the staff. They wanted the series to become a laughingstock.
But when the data appeared on the screen, the office fell into a stunned silence. In his private office, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Katashi grinned.
Initial D had debuted at number 8 in the reader rankings.
In a magazine with twenty-two active series, new titles usually debuted between the 15th and 22nd spots. It often took weeks of building an audience to climb into the top ten. For a first chapter to debut at number 8 was a massive anomaly.
"We knew Haruto brought his own light novel fanbase, but this is ridiculous," an editor muttered.
Bolstered by Haruto's existing fame and Prime's massive marketing budget, Initial D began its second wave of promotion across the major cities of Japan.
The following morning, Haruto was jolted awake by a phone call from Ms. Hime.
"What is it, Ms. Hime? I'm still sleeping."
"How can you sleep at your age? You can sleep, but I certainly can't," Ms. Hime said, her tone sounding dangerously sharp.
"You've been neglecting your duties to launch this manga. What about your real job? It's been half a year. Do you have no sense of responsibility toward your light novel fans?"
Ms. Hime had seen the initial success of Initial D, and it had left her feeling professionally slighted.
Haruto spent the next several minutes sweet talking her until she finally calmed down. But he knew this wouldn't last. The more Initial D succeeded, the more anxious Ms. Hime would become.
Friday, July 18th.
Across Japan, the first Blu-ray and DVD volume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica was officially released.
This was the true festival for the anime world. Fans began lining up at dawn outside specialty stores.
In major cities, even though shops had stocked up heavily, many locations sold out by noon.
Fans who had been lazy enough to wait until the afternoon found themselves staring at empty shelves, their hearts breaking. The retailers were equally stunned. In decades of business, they had never seen a home video release of an anime sell out two hundred copies in a single morning.
The price for the first volume was 9,900 yen, which was not cheap.
When did all these people get so much money? the shopkeepers wondered.
To Haruto, this was expected.
While weekly sales figures would take time to finalize, the initial reports suggested a massive hit.
A few days later, Friday arrived once again. It was time for the second chapter of Initial D.