Chapter 147

Echo Shroud's publicity team wasted no time. Within days of Haruka and Haruki finalizing their contracts, the city was blanketed with promotional material.

Bus stops, subway stations, bookstores, even taxis—everywhere you looked, posters for Shroud Line's standout titles were impossible to miss: Natsume's Book of Friends, Dream World, Ryūkon and two highly anticipated newcomers.

At the recent serialization meeting, it had been decided: Xtreme Boys and Initial D would headline Echo Shroud's next major marketing push.

Xtreme Boys, the long-awaited return of veteran creator Rindou, leaned into raw intensity. Its posters burst with danger and high-stakes energy.

Initial D, in contrast, took the opposite approach. Its promo was stripped down: just Takumi Fujiwara standing beside a plain white AE86. Printed on the car door: Fujiwara Tofu Shop. Beneath that, a single line of text:

"The fastest man on Akina Pass."

It left many passersby puzzled.

Akina Pass was a real mountain road in Honshu, well known among car enthusiasts. And the AE86 a modest '80s-era hatchback was a cult classic among old-school racers. But what kind of manga was this supposed to be?

A slice-of-life about a tofu shop? A gourmet series? A car mechanic story?

Speculation was all over the place.

"The fastest man on Akina Pass?" How fast, exactly?

Some wondered if it was a racing manga but using an old AE86 in serious competition? That felt like a stretch.

—

Many mangaka find it challenging to keep up with just one weekly series, and burnout is common.

Online forums lit up. Otaku communities across Tokyo dissected every inch of the posters, trying to guess the premise of Xtreme Boys and Initial D. Anyone with even passing interest in manga found themselves drawn into the hype.

But within industry circles, doubts loomed especially around Mizushiro's decision to serialize two works at once.

Most mangaka struggled with one weekly deadline. Burnout before thirty was practically a rite of passage. Many couldn't even maintain consistent updates for a single series.

Yet Mizushiro was managing Natsume's Book of Friends alongside a new series that didn't appear to be a simple gag manga.

Was he brilliant? Or just reckless?

Industry critics expressed their concerns.

Tokyo Creators Weekly ran a headline:

"Ambitious or Overextended? Echo Shroud's Bold Fall Lineup Raises Eyebrows."

one media analyst wrote:

"Echo Shroud's fall lineup is ambitious, with two new series debuting as a flagship title concludes. While the marketing is strong, it remains to be seen how the stories will be received."

A reporter from Manga Insight:

"The publicity leans heavily on style, but it's Initial D that's drawing most of the criticism. It makes you wonder is the skepticism about the series itself, or about Mizushiro's involvement?"

That question echoed across forums and blogs.

Some industry insiders think Echo Shroud is relying too much on Mizushiro's popularity to support the post-Crimson Abyss lineup. Others worry that expecting a young creator to manage two weekly series is unrealistic, if not risky.

"If either title falters, it won't just be on Mizushiro," one commentary in Manga Business Weekly noted. "This is a structural gamble. And the pressure isn't being shared fairly."

Even long-time fans debated whether Echo Shroud was protecting one name while risking another.

In the end, the criticism said as much about the industry's appetite for risk as it did about Mizushiro's workload. The message was clear: expectations were sky-high and not everyone believed the plan would hold.

—

Back at Echo Shroud, the editorial floor was alive with chatter. Reporters kept pressing for details on Xtreme Boys and Initial D.

A few basic facts about Xtreme Boys had been shared, but Initial D was tightly sealed. Katsumi had imposed a strict embargo everyone involved was under NDA, and leaks were strictly off-limits.

The editors at the serialization meeting had already reviewed the ten-chapter draft. They understood what was at stake. One careless spoiler could derail the entire launch.

Still, Katsumi remained confident. The criticism? Just free publicity. Once the first chapter hit, he believed the doubts would quickly fade.

—

Among Mizushiro's fanbase, reactions were split.

His core readers skewed female, and many weren't drawn to the gritty realism of the Initial D posters. Most would've preferred more chapters of Natsume's Book of Friends over a mysterious new title with little emotional appeal.

Concerned fans flooded his social media, pleading with him not to let Initial D affect Natsume's quality.

Some even urged him to drop it entirely and write another season of Anohana instead.

But on the flip side, fans of Rurouni Kenshin especially male readers were curious. They knew licensing issues with Kurokawa had sidelined that series, so a new action drama from Mizushiro was welcome news.

Judging by the tone of the promo, Initial D wasn't going to be another gentle, emotional series. If it was aiming for high-stakes rivalry and drama like Kenshin, then this might be something worth watching.

—

Meanwhile, Kazuya was quietly assembling the animation team for 5 centimetre per second.

He had to admit he admired the kid's drive.

Despite majoring in animation production, Mizushiro had been refreshingly honest during their meetings. He didn't claim to know everything. Aside from a few techniques he'd picked up in college, he had minimal experience in actual production.

So instead of meddling, Mizushiro handed full creative control to Kazuya. His only request?

"Make sure the animation stays true to the story's tone and style."

Beyond that, he stepped back.

He knew when to take the lead and when to let the professionals handle it.

Shout out to Glo, Jacob Hall, Eloy Sanchez for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.

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