Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991-Chapter 393 - 349: Zaboru’s Plan for Hakushensha

Aside from orchestrating ZAGE's first-ever event at the ZAGE Event Building (ZEB), Zaboru had another major project brewing behind the scenes. Recently, he finalized the acquisition of two key companies: Hakushensha, a mid-sized book publishing house that had already partnered with ZAGE to create the successful ZAGE POWER monthly magazine, and YaDo, a rapidly growing animation studio currently collaborating with ZAGE on the SpongeBob Animation project. Both companies were crucial cornerstones in Zaboru's broader vision—a vision that extended far beyond video games, aiming to build a 4 Horsemen of Entertainment Video Game , Manga/Comics , Anime/Series , Movies.

For YaDo, his plans were already solid. The studio was currently hard at work producing "Sailor Moon," slated for release in December. Beyond that, Zaboru had a clear roadmap, selecting several iconic anime titles from his previous life that he planned to bring to this world. Thanks to the capital infusion from Zaboru, Yasu Domachi, the former owner of YaDo, had rapidly expanded the studio's capabilities. Yasu recruited talented animators, character designers, and directors, all eager to build something extraordinary. Unlike the harsh conditions animators endured in Zaboru's previous world—overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated—he was determined to ensure that animators here received fair wages and proper working conditions. Happy creators, Zaboru believed, made better creations. Because of this many talented animators are willing to work with YaDo.

Hakushensha, however, was a different challenge entirely. For that, he needed a more careful, methodical approach. To set his plan in motion, he arranged a meeting with Tomizawa Bakurou—better known as Tomi—the current owner of Hakushensha and brother of Toki Bakurou, owner of the Bakudan Arcade. Zaboru already had a working relationship with Tomi so he should familiar with him.

A few months back, right after the acquisition, Zaboru had handed Tomi a critical mission. Now, sitting across from Tomi in a quiet cafe on the outskirts of town, it was time to check in on its progress.

"So, Tomi-san," Zaboru said, sipping his coffee, "what's the status of the task I assigned you?"

Tomi sighed but smiled, a hint of excitement behind his tired eyes. "The progress is quite smooth. If all goes well, we can launch it by December, or January 1993 at the latest. But... we still have one major issue. We lack enough mangaka to fill the magazine."

Zaboru smiled confidently. "Don't worry about the artists. I'll help scout for them. You keep hiring with your vision—if you find a talented mangaka or a unique manga concept, bring it to me, and we'll review it together."

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.

Tomi leaned back and sighed again, skeptical but willing. "Boss, I still don't fully understand. You want to create a Weekly and a Monthly manga magazine? You realize that's a massive gamble, right? Especially aiming to beat something like Shueisha Shonen Jump? It's a giant." He chuckled weakly. "Our ZAGE Power Magazine, which we've worked on together since our partnership started, is already selling like crazy. Why not just double down on that? Why risk it?"

Zaboru chuckled. "If you're going to dream, Tomi-san, dream big. And don't worry—this gamble is on me. If we fail, it's my loss. But if we succeed, we'll both reap the rewards."

Tomi shook his head and laughed. "Alright, alright, it's your money on the line. I'm in."

They spent another hour chatting, discussing potential layouts for the magazines, possible promotional campaigns, and how they might structure contracts for new artists. By the time they wrapped up, Tomi looked visibly more excited, catching a bit of Zaboru's infectious energy.

After leaving the cafe, Zaboru grinned to himself, his mind already racing ahead. 'My next agenda,' he thought, 'is to poach mangaka from my previous world. I can offer them great deals for their debut series—better deals than anyone else—or even lure them away from other publishers if needed.'

His first target was obvious: the legendary Akira Toriyama. The SSR Rank Mangaka!

In Zaboru's previous world, "Dragon Ball" was so influential that it inspired an entire generation of kids who grew up to become legendary mangaka, creating iconic stories of their own. Among them were other SSR Rank mangaka like Masashi Kishimoto, who would go on to create "Naruto," and even the SSSR Rank mangaka—the GOAT himself—Eiichiro Oda, the mastermind behind "One Piece." Both openly credited "Dragon Ball" as a major influence on their work, shaping the future of manga itself.

Regarding recuriting Akira Toriyama Zaboru had already done his research and obtained Toriyama's home address. Though Toriyama was still under contract with Shueisha, Zaboru believed he had time to work his magic. In his previous world, "Dragon Ball" had started in 1984, shortly after "Dr. Slump" ended. Here, in this new world, things were slightly off-track—it was now 1992, and "Dr. Slump" was still airing. In this world, the entertainment industry lags about ten years behind compared to Zaboru's previous life. So even though the current year is 1992, the entertainment landscape—whether it's manga, anime, music, or movies—is still roughly at the level of 1982.

"That means," Zaboru muttered to himself, "Dragon Ball isn't out yet. Maybe two more years before it even starts here. If I move fast, I can lock him in before Shueisha even realizes what they're missing."

His plan was simple but ambitious: reach out to Toriyama directly, offer him a publishing deal too good to refuse—higher royalties, complete creative freedom, proper scheduling with generous deadlines, and none of the abusive editor-driven micromanagement that plagued his previous career. Zaboru respected Toriyama as a creator and wanted him to flourish without the soul-crushing pressure he'd faced before.

Akira Toriyama was famously open-minded, never seeing himself as infallible or above feedback. Unlike some who clung stubbornly to their visions, Toriyama was willing to listen, adapt, and refine his work if he felt it would improve the story or characters. He often accepted, adjusted, or even rejected editorial advice based on his own instincts—something that stood out in an industry often bogged down by rigid editor control. Zaboru, having thoroughly studied Toriyama's career from his previous life, planned to offer advice and guidance where appropriate, sharing insights to help polish the work without overstepping. But deep down, Zaboru was adamant about one thing: he would never shackle Toriyama's creativity. Restricting an artist's vision only led to mediocrity, and Zaboru wanted Toriyama—and all the mangaka he worked with—to soar as high as they could and if the result of their manga is different from his previous world? its even better!.

Zaboru also had a shortlist of other talented mangaka he intended to recruit: Rumiko Takahashi, Yoshihiro Togashi, Takehiko Inoue, Naoko Takeuchi—and many more.

'If I can gather even a fraction of them,' he thought, 'Hakushensha will dominate the manga world. Not just compete—dominate. heheh in future JUMP will become number 2 hehehehe.'

Beyond just manga magazines, Zaboru envisioned a future where Hakushensha collaborated seamlessly with YaDo—popular manga becoming anime adaptations under their own roof. Synergy between the two companies would guarantee massive success, creating a media empire that spanned from books to TV to games.

As he walked through the streets, the city lights blinking around him, Zaboru couldn't help but feel exhilarated. He was no longer just a game creator. He was a builder of worlds—worlds of imagination, creativity, and endless opportunity.

"Heheheh," he chuckled under his breath, "this is going to be so much fun."

The pieces were moving. The board was set. And Zaboru was just getting started.

To be continued...

Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get 11 advance Chapter for 3 bucks considering subscribe to my patreon patreon.com/Zaborn_1997

Also Join my discord if you want https://discord.gg/jB8x6TUByc