Chapter 186: Announcement of Rankings and Positions
Soon, all the drawings were handed over to Kato Hide, who began grading them, assigning scores nonstop.
The grading standard was simple: the closer the drawing was to the original, the higher the score. If someone managed to improve upon the original while maintaining the style, they would receive a top-tier score.
After grading, Kato Hide started compiling the scores and creating several lists.
One was a total score leaderboard, though it wasn't the most crucial one.
The most important ones were four smaller leaderboards, which combined the scores of two drawings from the same manga.
Once these scores were processed, Kato Hide and Ma Tengdong immediately went to Xia Yu's office to report the results.
"Boss, here are the results of the test," Kato Hide respectfully handed over the lists and selected drawings to Xia Yu.
"Sit down, I'll take a look first," Xia Yu said, gesturing for them to sit while he carefully examined the lists.
**Total Score Leaderboard:**
1. Tang Shuping, 640 points, progress: seven and a half drawings.
2. Song Quanping, 635 points, progress: seven drawings.
3. Jiang Min, 632 points, progress: eight drawings.
4. Tian Zhi, 628 points, progress: seven drawings.
…
**"Pokémon" Leaderboard:**
1. Tian Zhi, 194 points.
2. Li Youliang, 186 points.
3. Song Quanping, 182 points.
4. Yang Fei, 181 points.
…
**"Douluo Dalu" Leaderboard:**
1. Tang Shuping, 192 points.
2. Li He, 182 points.
3. Tian Zhi, 180 points.
4. Li Chun, 179 points.
…
**"One Piece" Leaderboard:**
1. Jiang Min, 183 points.
2. Zeng Yang, 181 points.
3. Fang Xiong, 179 points.
…
**"Dragon Ball" Leaderboard:**
1. Song Quanping, 195 points.
2. Yang Lin, 187 points.
3. Chen Peng, 185 points.
…
After reviewing the data, Xia Yu smiled. It seemed that Song Quanping and Tian Zhi were the strongest, though their slightly slower pace resulted in them placing second and fourth overall. However, their average score per drawing was 90.7 and 89.7 points, respectively.
Jiang Min, who ranked third, had a high total score of 632 points but completed eight drawings, giving him an average score of only 79 points—11 and 10 points lower than Song Quanping and Tian Zhi!
The difference was evident.
However, Jiang Min had one highlight: he achieved the highest total score for two drawings from "One Piece," with 183 points, just 2 points ahead of the second place and 4 points ahead of the third. The skill gap wasn't significant.
In contrast, the other leaderboards had clear top performers who dominated the rankings.
Jiang Min's average score for the two "One Piece" drawings was 91.5, much higher than his overall average of 79. The reason for this discrepancy was likely because he grew up by the sea, and the selected "One Piece" drawings involved the ocean and ships, which played to his strengths.
Tang Shuping, on the other hand, completed seven and a half drawings, ranking second in progress, but first in total score, with an average of 85.3 points per drawing. While his average score wasn't in the top five, it was still respectable and much better than Jiang Min's.
Moreover, though his speed wasn't as fast as Jiang Min's, it was still superior to most others, making him a well-rounded candidate.
Additionally, Tang Shuping's total score for the two "Douluo Dalu" drawings was 10 points higher than the second place, securing his position.
Among the four rankings, Xia Yu noticed that the top performers in "Dragon Ball" were the most well-rounded. The second and third places in "Dragon Ball" would rank first and second if they were in the "One Piece" leaderboard and could also place second or third in the other rankings—impressive strength.
Besides these rankings, Xia Yu also reviewed the top drawings from each list. He found that the scores matched the skills, with no issues in grading.
After reviewing the rankings again, Xia Yu smiled. The positions could be assigned according to the rankings since the total score leaderboard wasn't as influential.
After all, fast artists like Jiang Min and Tang Shuping were rare. Most people's speed correlated with their skill level—the more skilled they were, the faster they drew.
Then, Xia Yu took out a sheet of paper and started writing.
**"Pokémon" Studio:**
- Lead Artist and Group 1 Leader: Tian Zhi
- Group 2 Leader: Li Youliang
- Group 3 Leader: Yang Fei
**"Douluo Dalu" Studio:**
- Lead Artist and Group 1 Leader: Tang Shuping
- Group 2 Leader: Li He
- Group 3 Leader: Li Chun
**"One Piece" Studio:**
- Lead Artist and Group 1 Leader: Jiang Min
- Group 2 Leader: Zeng Yang
- Group 3 Leader: Fang Xiong
**"Dragon Ball" Studio:**
- Lead Artist and Group 1 Leader: Song Quanping
- Group 2 Leader: Yang Lin
- Group 3 Leader: Chen Peng
After finalizing the positions, Xia Yu handed the list to Ma Tengdong and Kato Hide. "Take a look and see if these assignments are appropriate."
Ma Tengdong and Kato Hide immediately stood up and reviewed the positions. They compared them with the rankings and found that the lead artists were the top-ranked, and the group leaders were the next in line. The arrangement was reasonable and merit-based, so no one would have any objections.
Both of them shook their heads and said, "No objections."
"Good. Tengdong, I'll leave the announcement of the positions to you. Also, distribute the remaining employees based on their strengths, ensuring that the four studios have roughly equal strength. Go ahead!"
Xia Yu nodded and handed the position list to Ma Tengdong.
"Thank you, boss. I'll take care of it right away."
Ma Tengdong's eyes flashed with gratitude. Xia Yu was boosting his authority. Though the positions were decided by the boss, he was the one announcing them. This allowed him to borrow the boss's power, strengthening his control and management of the company.
Moreover, this was also a sign of the boss giving him more responsibility, which only made him more grateful.
After leaving the office, Ma Tengdong, with Kato Hide's input, assigned everyone to one of the four studios. Once the assignments were completed, he had the lists printed out.
While Ma Tengdong was busy distributing personnel, Kato Hide returned the drawings to their respective owners and posted the total score and individual rankings.
"You can check the test scores. I did the grading, and the boss and general manager reviewed it, so there should be no issues," Kato Hide said before leaving the studio.
As soon as Kato Hide left, everyone rushed to the wall where the rankings were posted.
"Don't push, don't push!"
"Wow, the total score winner isn't Jiang Min, who completed all the drawings, but Tang Shuping! Jiang Min is only in third place. What a surprise!"
"I never expected Tang Shuping to rank first. It's really unexpected!"
"What about me? What? I'm only 72nd? Well, I only completed five drawings, so that makes sense."
…
"Quanping, you're second, and I'm fourth, just 7 points behind you. You're amazing."
Tian Zhi patted Song Quanping on the shoulder and smiled, maintaining a calm demeanor.
"Haha, I just didn't expect Tang Shuping to be first. He's always been so low-key, yet he's taken everyone by surprise!" Song Quanping said with a wry smile, glancing at Tang Shuping, who was sitting alone in a corner, lost in thought and not in a hurry to check his score. Song's eyes flashed with seriousness.
"Indeed, but his average score is about 5 points lower than ours, and he's younger than all of us. He has a lot of room to grow, and with his speed, he's a formidable opponent," Tian Zhi nodded in agreement, though he wasn't intimidated.
In the crowd, Jiang Min clenched his fist tightly after seeing his ranking. He was the only one who completed all the drawings, yet he was only third overall, with an average score of less than 80.
Although he made the total score leaderboard, it felt hollow. He had merely benefited from his speed.
Calculating Song Quanping's average score, Jiang Min realized it was 11 points higher than his, and he quickly calmed down. Any lingering pride vanished in an instant.
"Keep going; I can catch up to them. I'm confident I'm not inferior to them! I'll surpass them one day!"
Jiang Min encouraged himself, determined not to give up. At just 20 years old, having only recently begun his professional training, he believed he would eventually reach and exceed Song Quanping's level.
From childhood to now, persistence and determination were his greatest strengths.
On the outskirts of the crowd, Ma Rongcheng, seeing his rank of only 98, clenched his fists tightly and said to his friend, "Ah Kang, they're all so strong, and I'm only 98th, so far behind!"
"Ah Cheng,
you don't need to be so hard on yourself. You've been studying art for less than two years, and all these experts have been practicing for more than five or even ten years. Ranking 98th out of 200 newcomers isn't bad. Take your time and keep working hard. If we persist, we can catch up!" his friend, Kang Wei, comforted him with a smile, still optimistic.
Though Kang Wei only ranked 122nd, he wasn't discouraged. On the contrary, he was delighted that his friend ranked so high. They could encourage each other on their journey to becoming professional artists.
"Kang Wei is right! We'll keep moving forward, one step at a time, and one day we'll surpass these experts!" Ma Rongcheng nodded firmly, not intending to give up easily. Though his talent wasn't as strong as others, he was willing to work harder than anyone else.
Just then, Ma Tengdong entered the studio with several sheets of paper in his hand, and everyone immediately quieted down.
"The boss has just approved the list of positions. I'll announce the lead artists and group leaders now. Listen carefully," Ma Tengdong began without delay.
Soon, everyone heard the final announcement:
**"Pokémon" Studio:**
- Lead Artist: Tian Zhi
- Group Leaders: Li Youliang, Yang Fei
**"Douluo Dalu" Studio:**
- Lead Artist: Tang Shuping
- Group Leaders: Li He, Li Chun
**"One Piece" Studio:**
- Lead Artist: Jiang Min
- Group Leaders: Zeng Yang, Fang Xiong
**"Dragon Ball" Studio:**
- Lead Artist: Song Quanping
- Group Leaders: Yang Lin, Chen Peng
"Now that the personnel assignments have been made, your respective lead artists and group leaders will explain the studio's work process. Everyone will work together to complete our tasks. Dismissed!" Ma Tengdong finished his speech and left the room, leaving behind an excited crowd.
It didn't take long for each lead artist to take charge of their studio and begin assigning tasks and arranging for future work.
Although the situation seemed tense, the artists felt motivated. In a fiercely competitive environment like this, they knew they had to stay sharp and continue improving to remain in the game.
Time passed quickly. Soon, the newly appointed studios were running smoothly, with everyone focused on their work. The competition wasn't just between studios but also within them, pushing everyone to work even harder.