With a short phone call Takagi manages to arrange an appointment with an editor named Hattori for 3pm the next day.

Takagi and Mashiro agree to meet at 1pm at the station, but they both arrived at 12pm. Neither of them could sleep.

On the train Takagi tells his tale of childhood about how his mum forced him to study everyday and one day he snapped which made his mum a better parent and let Takagi choose what he wants to do.

3pm and the two stand in front of the editorial department building. They nervously make their way inside and complete the formalities. They are directed to a large booth and wait there. Hattori appears a short while later and reads their manuscript. He finishes, but then reads it again.

As he reads we also read with him as a narrator dictates the manga lines and some voice actors play the people.

He finishes reading, says it’s well-done and offer them coffee. He then gives feedback. Too much narration make it more suitable to be a novel and apparently the drawings didn’t seem manga-ry. Hattori also concludes that Takagi’s the calculating type of mangaka who think what’ll be a hit then write it. Hattori gives them his card and email address and asks that they bring any future manuscripts to him and says that he’ll enter this manuscript into the monthly awards. All the while Mashiro is thinking if Hattori’s a good editor or not.

When they come out he thinks he is.

Back in the editorial department, Hattori makes a bold assertion that he thinks Mashiro and Takagi will surpass Eiji in 3 years.

We end as Mashiro and Azuki find out they are seated next to each other for the next trimester.

Hehe, what an interesting ending. I wonder how this seating arrangement will work out. They look quite worried, but it’s obviously a blessing in disguise for the two of them. At least now they can’t not talk to each other and Mashiro can finally get Azuki’s mobile number, email address etc. I think it’s a good sign. Probably a shift from the manga drawing business to a more romance side of the story.

Was good to see the long awaited arrival of Hattori, though I wasn’t entirely happy. I thought his lips looked a little too small and he looked younger than he should be and also I though his voice was too high. Or it may be just me hehe, who knows, anyone out there agree or disagree?

Takagi had an unexpected backstory, I thought his parents would be the uptight type making him study, but not have any big moments like Takagi snapping. Though if it’s too normal it wouldn’t be interesting. Then again Takagi randomly snapping could just be because of his adolescence, I’ve done that before during my younger days. Though I’m still not quite sure what exactly happened with his dad, did he die? Why does his mum want revenge? Dunno if we’ll ever get answers, the back story seemed like something slotted in i.e. not important, but whatever.

I quite liked the narration and voice acting for the two earths, made the manga ‘come alive’ if you will. I wonder if they’ll do that for every manga Mashiro and Takagi write, that’d be fun if they do.

So yay, finally got to submitting the manga. It seems they show prowess, as expected, but what I’m surprised about is that Hattori said they can surpass Eiji in three years. Eiji hasn’t even been seen much, he’s obviously good. Anyway let’s see how the new seating arrangements work out then and see if they’ll get a new manuscript by the end of the year.