Parallel world Manga Artist-Chapter 223: Announcement

In September, as Hunter × Hunter entered the core stage of the Chimera Ant arc, discussion among manga fans surged once again.

The series had already enjoyed overwhelming popularity, but now it reached another level.

This surge directly boosted sales of Dream Comic.

Over the past two years, since Hunter × Hunter rose to prominence, Dream Comic's weekly circulation had increased from 19 million to 25.5 million copies. In the past two months alone, it rapidly approached the long-dominant Monogatari Comic.

Hunter × Hunter was already the strongest serialized manga in Japan.

Now it was driving its entire magazine to unprecedented heights.

If one were to ask who benefited the most from this phenomenon...

Aside from the Hoshimori Group, whose stock price had risen by 60% over recent years, bringing massive profits to shareholders and investors.

The next biggest beneficiaries were the other serialized titles in Dream Comic.

There were roughly twenty ongoing series in the magazine. Originally, they shared a readership of over ten million. Now, with several million additional buyers purchasing the weekly periodical, those readers naturally sampled other series.

After all, no one buys a magazine just to read a single title.

For example, Source War Chronicle, once Rei's rival in the magazine, also benefited. Its average tankōbon sales rose to 17 million copies per volume.

Miyu's Touch of Glass experienced similar gains. Its average sales climbed to just over 7 million copies.

Although it did not replicate the explosive growth of Rei's Hikaru no Go, as Miyu had once hoped, she could now firmly be considered a quasi first-tier mangaka in Japan.

It could be said that the entire landscape of Japan's manga industry had been reshaped by a single work: Hunter × Hunter.

In Rei's previous life, there had been similar precedents. During the serialization of Dragon Ball and Slam Dunk, overall magazine sales surged industry-wide.

Now, Hunter × Hunter had created a comparable ripple effect for Dream Comic.

Although Rei had clashed with Hoshimori Group's senior management over the serialization terms of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, the company clearly understood the situation.

Hunter × Hunter was nearing its final stage. According to the planned storyline, it would likely conclude within a few months.

As a result, in September, Hoshimori Group significantly intensified promotional efforts for Hunter, both domestically and overseas.

"Another stack of promotional plans…" Rei sighed as he reviewed the documents sent by the company.

Although his university course load had lightened in his third year, he still struggled to keep up with Hoshimori Group's relentless commercial schedule.

As he flipped through the proposals, he noticed extensive cross-marketing arrangements between Hunter × Hunter and Demon Slayer.

He couldn't help but sigh again.

"Hoshimori Group has reached this level because its leadership truly knows when to bend and when to endure."

The company was clearly preparing for what came next.

They no longer dared to pressure Rei.

As for incentives, with Rei's net worth already in the ten-figure range, incremental wealth no longer carried much meaning.

What mattered more to him was concluding his work perfectly and earning the lasting praise of tens of millions of readers.

Hoshimori Group believed that Rei was ending Hunter × Hunter purely for artistic integrity and narrative cohesion, even at the cost of enormous commercial profit.

Thus, they could only pin their hopes on Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba becoming the next pillar.

Their decision to cooperate with Rei under such unfavorable terms was ultimately defensive.

When Hunter ended, magazine sales and stock prices would inevitably fluctuate.

If Rei's new series launched immediately afterward, it could stabilize the transition. Loyal Hunter readers would not leave the magazine so abruptly.

Compared to that, the copyright profit share of Demon Slayer was only part of a larger strategic calculation.

Even knowing that bundling Hunter and Demon Slayer promotions primarily benefited Rei as the rights holder, Hoshimori Group had no choice but to commit fully.

"I'll be busy again," Rei murmured.

He disliked excessive commercial appearances. His time and energy were limited.

But since Hoshimori Group had already swallowed its pride to cooperate with him, refusing outright would seem ungracious.

Over the next three weeks, Hunter × Hunter reached the long-anticipated moment: The assault team infiltrated the Ant King's palace on Selection Day.

In his previous life, Rei had felt that certain portions of the original manga were overly detailed.

For example, the infiltration sequence unfolded across dual perspectives.

On one side, Chairman Netero and Killua's grandfather descended from the sky, showcasing the peak of Nen mastery. Killua's grandfather unleashed Dragon Dive, a rain of Nen projectiles blanketing the city, while the two elderly masters descended astride Nen dragons.

On the other side.

Gon, Killua, Knuckle, Shoot McMahon, Morel, and the others infiltrated stealthily.

However, in the original serialization, only a few seconds of in-story time were stretched across multiple chapters.

The manga meticulously dissected each character's psychology, inserted extensive narration, revisited Netero's youth, explained the origin of his legendary speed, and detailed why even Neferpitou could not react before being struck.

It took several chapters for the assault team to fully enter the battlefield.

For the Japanese version, Rei tightened the pacing.

Crucial information remained intact.

But he trimmed some secondary characters' internal monologues and reduced certain "deification" elements.

Otherwise, modern readers might complain about sluggish pacing.

As a result, although some fans were disappointed that the King–Komugi storyline was temporarily sidelined, the looming sense of war kept readers intensely engaged.

By the end of September, Rei was fully cooperating with Hoshimori Group's promotional push.

Momentum for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was steadily building.

Anime and manga fans in Japan readily accepted the marketing wave.

At this point, Hoshimori Group had no alternative strategy.

Rei had firmly refused to reconsider his decision to conclude Hunter × Hunter. According to the plot roadmap, the Chimera Ant arc had entered its final phase.

Only the decisive battle remained.

And a manga of this magnitude could not wait until the final chapter to announce its ending.

That kind of move would trigger fan outrage, and potentially violent stock price fluctuations.

Reluctant as they were, Hoshimori Group could no longer delay the announcement.

Of course, the official wording was not "Hunter × Hunter ends."

Rei had clearly informed Hoshimori Group that the story still had room for continuation. However, he did not yet have a complete outline for the subsequent arcs and refused to force a weak ending. Therefore, he intended to conclude the Chimera Ant arc with an open ending.

After all, life is long. Who could say that inspiration wouldn't strike again in a few years?

Thus, Hoshimori Group phrased the announcement carefully: Due to author Shirogane's pursuit of perfection and artistic integrity, Hunter × Hunter would enter a suspension period following the completion of the Chimera Ant arc.

No resumption date was specified.

In other words, an indefinite hiatus.

The reaction was explosive.

Within hours, manga forums, news outlets, and social media platforms across Japan were flooded with discussion. Even Hoshimori Group's five major competitors stiffened in alarm.

What?

Hunter × Hunter is going on hiatus?

In Japan's manga industry, indefinite hiatuses were not rare. In fact, they were notorious.

Some successful mangaka earned a few million and decided they had made enough, choosing to "retire" early.

There were cases of artists winning large lottery prizes and immediately abandoning serialization.

Others made fortunes in cryptocurrency and simply stopped drawing.

Some even became addicted to online games and halted updates for years.

The wording of Hoshimori Group's announcement revived all those unpleasant memories among fans.

"Suspended? You're joking, right?"

"No way. Is Shirogane-sensei going to become one of those mangaka?"

"Calm down. It's just a temporary suspension. There are too many unresolved threads, Hisoka versus Chrollo, Ging's storyline, the Zoldyck family's secrets. There's no way the series ends with just the Chimera Ant arc."

"Maybe it's a break to reorganize the plot. Look at the workload, 442 pages over the past ten chapters. That's an average of 44 pages per chapter! Just drawing that much is brutal, let alone plotting."

"Take a break?! What am I supposed to follow after Hunter × Hunter stops?"

"Isn't there still Echoes of the End?"

"It's decent, but it's nowhere near Hunter × Hunter. Maybe 60–70% of the depth. And it's already dragging."

"I can't accept this. I'm going to complain to Hoshimori Group. They're a corporation, how can they allow an artist to act this willfully?"

"What does 'pursuit of quality' even mean? There are plenty of unresolved plotlines to develop. Why suspend it now?"

"Protest! Absolutely refuse to accept this!"

"Let him at least finish the Chimera Ant arc properly. There are dozens of chapters left in that storyline alone. Maybe inspiration will come naturally afterward."

"Do you think… maybe Shirogane-sensei actually wants to end it, but is afraid of backlash, so he's calling it a 'temporary suspension' instead?"

"How could that be? The series makes too much money."

"Money isn't everything. One-Punch Man was supposed to get another season too. Where is it now? News disappeared. If updates stop, who knows when they'll resume?"

In less than half a day, the announcement sent shockwaves throughout the industry.

...

STONES PLZ

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