[025] Strength is King!

"Even though I've seen it once, I can't help but be amazed by how gorgeous the artwork is!"

"The characters are so cute! With art like this, the plot doesn't even matter that much anymore. The interactions between the characters are enough to keep me hooked. I just want to keep reading forever."

"Is it called 'Warrior of Love and Hope'? Are you sure this isn't just some old man using a new pen name?"

"Idiot, that's impossible! You can't hide a style like this; you can tell right away. Besides, we've already been told it's a high school student, right?"

"Really? A high school student?"

"In this industry, isn't it common to see monsters like this? What's there to be surprised about?"

"Editor-in-Chief Kobayashi, can you make your voice even more neutral? It'll sound more convincing when you say that."

The group kept flipping through the pages, chatting casually.

Their relaxed attitude was mostly due to the fact that, after reading several dozen pages, they didn't find anything particularly outstanding in the plot.

They were only continuing because of their trust in the editor-in-chief, Minano.

That is, until they turned to the forbidden page.

It was like everyone had their throats squeezed at the same time—no one could make a sound.

Their wide eyes were filled with confusion, and their slightly trembling bodies silently conveyed the complex feelings they were experiencing.

Even seasoned editors, who had seen all sorts of works, never expected to see something like this in a magical girl story—a death!

It's normal for one or two characters to die in manga. In those mainstream, action-packed mangas, the enemies are often defeated offhandedly, or you just get the impression of death through destroyed buildings or broken bodies.

In detective stories, someone might die every episode. And in live-action superhero shows, mass deaths are common.

But this... this was different.

They'd never seen anything like it before! In fact, they hadn't even imagined something like this could happen in a magical girl story!

From the very start, the magical girl genre was aimed at children. Stories for kids are supposed to be fun and happy, with maybe a little lesson thrown in.

Killing off characters? No way! You'd be ruining the future of the country's youth!

So, if someone had told them before today that magical girls could die, they would've laughed it off. "No way! You'd lose your entire audience if you did that!"

But now, after seeing it, they began to seriously consider the possibility. None of them were immediately dismissing it.

After a brief moment of confusion, they put aside their casual attitudes, flipped back to the first page, and began reading the whole thing again—this time, with full attention.

After finishing the over 100 pages, a single thought couldn't be suppressed—Who says the magical girl genre is just for kids? Did we ever really understand magical girls before!?

"We knew nothing about magical girls. The meaning of miracles and their cost..."

Wasn't the last line of the monologue just like their own realization? They had never truly thought about what magical girls even were!

This dark twist on the genre felt... strangely exciting! What direction would the story take from here? They were eager to find out.

Cough, cough.

At the sound of Editor-in-Chief Torishima's cough, the room snapped back to reality.

"Looks like everyone's finished reading. What do you think?"

"Out of this world, beyond imagination!"

"It completely breaks our usual understanding."

"The first time I read it, I thought the lines and expressions were too dark in some places. I thought it was a mistake from a rookie author. But then I realized—those were all foreshadowing clues!"

"This rookie is like a monster."

"This development could completely redefine the magical girl genre. If the rest of the story is just as stunning, it might even be a 'masterpiece'!"

"Really? Even though it's a magical girl story, calling it a 'masterpiece' seems a bit much!"

"I said it depends on how the rest of the story goes. But honestly, even if it's not a 'masterpiece,' finding a new way to interpret magical girls is already incredible. Can a high school student really do this?"

"A high school student? What were you doing back in high school?"

"Studying hard."

"Going shopping, karaoke, and hanging out at arcades."

"Man, at this age, I feel like I've lived more than a dog!"

"Don't compare yourself to these monsters, you'll cry!"

The conversation grew loud and chaotic, like a market.

The Editor-in-Chief didn't intervene immediately. He waited until the noise settled before continuing:

"So, what's your opinion on the ranking for this work?"

"I think it deserves 'Candidate Selection.'"

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

After hearing unanimous agreement from everyone except Minano, Torishima turned to her:

"Minano, what's your opinion?"

Minano shook her head. "I have no objections."

Torishima chuckled, shaking his head in exasperation.

"The young ones really love putting me, the old guy, in a tough spot. You all make me decide on something so important on my own."

"But I can't deny it—this work is too good to miss. If I just gave it a random ranking, people might start thinking I've lost the ability to understand manga."

"'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'—let's award it the 'Candidate Selection' prize. Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone instinctively held their breath, eyes wide in disbelief.

They actually gave it the 'Candidate Selection' prize!?

Torishima looked around at everyone's faces:

"What? Do you think it doesn't deserve it just because it's a magical girl story?"

"If we couldn't see where the story was going, or if we didn't give it a fair ranking, I could understand the doubt."

"But if we choose to ignore it now, knowing the story will take a turn, that's our mistake!"

"The Tezuka Award has always been about 'the story' as the criteria! A new direction for an entire genre—just that alone is enough to deserve 'Candidate Selection.' And this work excels in every other area too."

"But readers won't know that until the story unfolds. Before that point in the serialization, they won't understand why we gave it 'Candidate Selection.' And other companies might be keeping a close eye on us..."

"You're right. But those doubts are temporary. Why worry about them?"

"Once the rest of the story is out, they'll understand why 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' deserves the 'Candidate Selection.'"

Torishima smiled.

"Remember, Shueisha didn't get to where it is today by listening to outside opinions. We've always stuck to the principle of 'strength is king!'"

"Anyone else have an opinion?"