novelraw Chapter 180: Foolish!
Chapter 180: Foolish!
At the same time.In a particularly spacious—perhaps even luxurious—studio.
Rumi, dressed in loose-fitting pajamas, looked even more full-figured after the New Year.
She set down her round-framed glasses and stared at the manga on her screen, murmuring to herself, “This is really fun.”
Yes—fun.
As a veteran mangaka who often followed the works of other artists, Rumi was well aware:In the grand scheme of things, Chainsaw Man wasn’t exactly top-tier.
Because the story wasn’t “mainstream” enough.
Mainstream stories were called that for a reason—they had the widest possible appeal.
But Chainsaw Man, in Rumi’s eyes, could never be a magazine flagship.Because this manga… had a twisted streak.
And up to now, Tang Yao hadn’t demonstrated that she could manage a long-form narrative.Her previous works—Fate Zero and Balloon Head—were both short or mid-length.And judging from the pacing of Chainsaw Man, this one wasn’t going to be long either.You could tell just by the setup and progression—it simply wasn’t headed that way.
Still, she had to admit:The paneling, the artwork, the story control—were phenomenal. If in their past lives, people still had doubts about Tatsuki Fujimoto’s artistic skills—Then this reimagined version of Chainsaw Man, thanks to Tang Yao’s “cheat” of reincarnating with knowledge, was flawless.
But that wasn’t even the most important part.
If we’re just talking about art—Rumi had seen plenty of incredibly talented mangaka.Even those in the gore niche.
She’d even met one whose technical skills were on par with Tang Yao’s.
His blood-and-guts panels were stunningly detailed.And yet…His works never hit the way Chainsaw Man did.They never drew this kind of popularity.
Why?
Rumi felt it was a lack of something intuitive—a spark.An instinct for narrative rhythm, an emotional grip on the reader.
Oh, and also—black humor.
That’s what set Chainsaw Man apart.
How to describe it…The vibe of Chainsaw Man was genuinely unique.
If mangaka were chefs, then most of them cooked basic home-style meals—nothing too exciting, reliable, sometimes boring.Every now and then, someone would mess up a seasoning or throw in MSG to spice things up.But it was still just home-cooked food.
Flagship mangaka were like restaurant head chefs—every dish looked, smelled, and tasted amazing. Even if one or two were overly salty, the whole spread still worked.
But Tang Yao?She was something else entirely.
She could serve up chef-level cuisine, like Fate Zero.But she could also plate up dark, experimental dishes, like Balloon Head.
And now?She’d cooked up another weird concoction.
It looked strange, smelled even stranger.But the taste?
Incredible. Like there was some cyber-enhanced ingredient in it.Once you tried it, you couldn’t stop.
You wanted more.
The reader frenzy and constant demand for new chapters said it all.
That gore mangaka Rumi mentioned earlier—his work never inspired this kind of hunger. No matter how intricate the dismemberment scenes were, the flavor was just… bland.
“ANF’s manga division really nailed it by picking this series.”
Rumi glanced at the bustling manga section—busier than any previous year.
She started to understand why Tang Yao chose this series to serialize on ANF’s platform.
Because—buzz.
And Chainsaw Man was making full use of its buzz potential.
Mainstream stories had broader appeal, sure.But achieving this level of attention in a short time? Not easy.
Offbeat stories were different.
And this one?It was damn good.
Rumi even felt like Chainsaw Man might be the kind of manga that could mainstream gore and horror.
And since the goal was to create buzz,It looked like the story would keep escalating from here.
…She had no idea what kind of wild ideas Tang Yao had in store next.
With that thought, Rumi shook her head and closed the Chainsaw Man detail page, marveling at Tang Yao’s brilliance and already looking forward to the next update.
But just as that excitement sparked—
She spotted the FGO crossover banner on ANF’s homepage.
That utterly vague, say-nothing promo.
Rumi’s expression shifted slightly.
Of course she knew the reason behind it.It was because of her mother…
And speak of the devil—
Just as Rumi thought of her—
Her mother pushed open the door.
As always, her expression was stern and no-nonsense, her short hair cropped neat and sharp.
The moment she entered, Guan Fang cut straight to the point:
“I know you’re friends with that third-rate artist. But don’t act on emotion. No matter what she says, you are NOT to agree to freeform publicity. Not until Chainsaw Man’s story calms down. Your Into the Night is a top-tier IP.Even a single collab shouldn’t let another manga steal the spotlight or divide reader attention.”
“…”
Rumi was stunned for a moment. Then she sighed, exasperated.“Is it really that serious? They’re using my manga to support the game, not to prop up Chainsaw Man. And now that the holidays are over, of course they’re starting promo. You know that. This is such a non-issue…”
“Foolish.”Guan Fang immediately snapped.
“Chainsaw Man’s popularity is insane right now. If we promote at the same time, with their ongoing serialization, they’ll use that momentum to make it seem like Chainsaw Man is better than your Into the Night! And then what? You become the stepping stone? I will NEVER allow that.We wait until Chainsaw Man’s big arc passes. Only THEN do we announce your collab with the game.”
“Seriously…”
Rumi shook her head, exasperated. “Mom… have you even considered that Chainsaw Man might not have a slowdown phase coming? This manga—”
This manga was clearly created by Tang Yao specifically for ANF.Now that it had gone viral, Tang Yao would no doubt capitalize on its buzz and keep funneling attention to the manga platform.
But before Rumi could finish, Guan Fang cut her off:
“No way. I’ve read it too. The story’s a mess—they even killed off the female lead! She probably has no idea where to take it next. It’s going to plateau soon.Not every mangaka is like you!Besides, Zhuxing Publishing has made its decision—we’re launching our own online manga reading site. Rumor has it Wenxin Press is doing the same.ANF’s manga section is about to face two strong competitors.Even if there’s only a tiny chance Chainsaw Man doesn’t slow down, once we launch our platform, ANF’s popularity and that manga’s buzz will drop.At that point, announcing the collab won’t be too late.”
“…”
Rumi fell silent.
Then she asked quietly, “You’re not stalling the collab announcement just because you don’t want my series boosting ANF’s popularity… right? Just to help Zhuxing’s platform?”
Guan Fang glared. “Watch your mouth! I’m doing this for your work!”
“…”
Rumi shook her head. She understood now.
Looking at her mother, she said seriously:
“Mom… Let me give you a word of advice—don’t kid yourself. Tang Yao built Avalon to what it is today off just Fate Zero.Do you really think you can hide your little schemes from her?You think she doesn’t know other big publishers are building online reading platforms too?Chainsaw Man was created specifically for ANF’s manga section.Waiting for a ‘slow arc’?Hoping Zhuxing’s new platform will steal traffic from ANF’s manga section?
Do you really think that’s gonna work…”
Guan Fang didn’t even deny it anymore.She just said firmly: “Yes.”
Rumi shook her head, too tired to argue.“Then I just hope you don’t end up losing both the chicken and the rice in the end.”([T/N: A Chinese idiom, equivalent to "trying to steal the chicken and losing the rice." Means getting nothing in the end due to greed or scheming.])