[094] "Anohana" Final Volume Release! Get Ready to Cry!!

Akifumi saw a continuous wave of praise for Puella Magi Madoka Magica, drawing in a significant number of fans.

Many who were initially just curious ended up getting hooked.

After all, it's common for people to overlook a series just because of its title or synopsis.

But when friends keep recommending it, and online discussions and glowing reviews are everywhere, curiosity eventually wins.

Because of this growing buzz, the Warriors of Love and Hope SNS account nearly doubled its followers in just a month—going from before the release of Madoka Magica Volume 2 to an astonishing 600,000+ fans!

To put that into perspective, many mid-tier manga artists with multiple serialized works don't even have that many followers!

Only top-tier, actively publishing creators usually reach these numbers.

And yet, here was someone who had only published a single manga—just two volumes—and had already amassed this insane following.

Aside from Akifumi Mugiho, who else could possibly achieve such a feat?

With such an enormous fanbase, it took less than a minute after the new post went live for the comments section to explode past the 99+ mark:

"First!"

"Sensei finally posted again! It's been over a month, right? So happy!!"

"I love how Sensei always drops a ton of exciting updates whenever they post! What's the big news this time? Can't wait!"

"Sensei, we'll always support you!! Keep going!"

Clearly, these were the type of fans who commented first and read the post later.

Soon, as more fans actually read the announcement, the hype escalated:

The anime adaptation of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, is set to air in the October season!

Official merchandise is in development, including a Mami Tomoe figure personally designed by Sensei!

The final volume of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day will be released on September 15!

On the same day, Sensei will be giving out a special surprise to fans on SNS!

And then came the chaos in the comments:

"Wait, Madoka is getting an anime ALREADY?! And with Shinbo at the helm?! LET'S GOOOO!!"

"OMG, Sensei and Shueisha are moving SO FAST! I LOVE IT!"

"No way, no way—who would willingly go through the pain of getting emotionally wrecked by the manga, only to suffer AGAIN with the anime? Oh wait… that's me. Carry on."

"The animation is going to hit even harder than the manga… I'M NOT READY."

"It's only the beginning of September, and I already want to skip ahead to October!"

"YESSS! The Anohana final volume is FINALLY coming out! Been waiting forever!"

"Sensei works at lightning speed, and the quality is STILL top-tier. Absolute legend!"

"That's because Sensei practically spent the entire summer in 'artist jail,' lol."

"Let's be real, if it were any other artist, even two months of 'jail time' wouldn't be enough to pull off this much content!"

One fan even did the math:

"Alright, let's break it down: Anohana started serialization on July 3. If we assume Sensei had three chapters in reserve, that means they drew five new chapters just for the August updates."

"A single manga volume is around 180 pages, which means in just this summer, Sensei churned out the equivalent of 14 full chapters—basically three months' worth of work crammed into one!"

"And if we go by Madoka's volume page count, the real number is probably even HIGHER!"

"Holy crap, this analysis is next-level!"

"Sensei's work ethic is insane!"

"Meanwhile, I'm a high schooler who spent my summer just goofing off… feeling kinda guilty now."

"Dude, don't compare yourself. Life isn't a fair race. Some people start ahead, are naturally talented, AND work harder than you. You just gotta accept it."

"So… should we just give up entirely then?"

"Y'all really know how to comfort someone, huh..."

Then, another wave of excitement hit:

"Wait, hold up—Sensei's giving out a mystery gift with Anohana's release?! THAT'S SO HYPE!"

"I wonder what the gift will be! I'm so excited!"

"I LOVE Menma! I'm definitely buying it to support Sensei!"

"Hmm… Anohana is great, but I feel like it doesn't hit quite as hard as Madoka. Is that just me?"

"Nope, not just you!"

Then came an in-depth analysis:

"Anohana captures the bittersweet reality of growing up—the childhood friendships that drift apart over time. It's grounded in nostalgia, warmth, and melancholy."

"Madoka, on the other hand, embodies childhood fantasies—boys dreaming of being superheroes, girls wanting to become magical girls. But in Sensei's story, the price of those dreams is steep, set against a brutally harsh reality."

"It's like a metaphor for chasing dreams in the real world—the hardships, the sacrifices, the pain."

"And as Madoka's story unfolds, it escalates from relatable struggles to cosmic-scale existentialism."

"That contrast makes it feel larger-than-life compared to Anohana."

"Damn, that's deep!"

"Now I feel like I never truly understood either series..."

"Honestly? I just love Sensei's art. The sad parts hit hard, and that's enough for me."

"At the end of the day, everyone experiences a story differently. If you love it, great! If it's not for you, that's fine too. Personally, I adore both series—Madoka is adorable, and Menma is adorable!"

"Adorable? Sounds like you just have a thing for cute girls, lol."

Then, a minor controversy broke out:

"Wait a second—Madoka didn't get a mystery gift with its manga release. NOT FAIR!"

"Sensei, you're playing favorites!"

"We demand a special gift for Madoka fans too!!"

"+1"

"+2"

"...+1000!"

Scrolling through the comments, Akifumi couldn't help but smile.

'Looks like everyone's really hyped for the anime and the manga release!'

Then, he came across the long analysis post.

'Did I actually think that deeply when I draw it…?'

He pondered for a second—then shrugged.

'Meh. Let the readers interpret it however they want.'

[TL Note – Sometimes the reader who create the story lol]

After all, he was just a guy drawing manga.

There was no way he actually understood Madoka or Anohana, right?

Then, he noticed fans still arguing over the special gift.

'It's just a bonus gift, and they're already fighting over it…'

Did they really think it was going to be something amazing?

Hadn't they learned their lesson yet?

Just as he was about to close the app ,Shiina Mahiru, called him for dinner.