Is this mangaka crazy?

"Oh!" Takashi sat in front of his office with some indifference and took a sip of water.

The volume of "Fire Punch" had already been officially released.

The 10,000 copies should have been successfully distributed among the fans.

As the first victim of "Fire Punch", he was really worried about the impact it would have next.

Yes... Barely two days had passed since the official release of the volume of "Fire Punch", and he was already worried about the stir it would cause.

This, naturally, was due to Takashi's confidence in being the first to finish reading "Fire Punch".

He finished it that night, but he didn't feel well.

"I thought "Edgerunners" was already Ren's peak work."

Takashi's hand holding the water cup trembled slightly. "I didn't expect that, compared to "Fire Punch", "Edgerunners" was also restrained."

Although "Edgerunners" also had a strong aftertaste, it still had a tragic ending.

But at least it wasn't as tragic as "Fire Punch", mainly because the ending of "Fire Punch" was actually happy.

However, the entire story of "Fire Punch" is miserable.

The main misery is focused on the protagonist, Agni.

The deaths of supporting characters are not as many as in "Edgerunners", and they are slightly secondary.

Perhaps only Togata's death is truly sad.

Luna's death at the beginning was also somewhat painful, but seeing Agni's miserable state afterward...

Takashi felt that Luna's death was a relief.

Living with the flames like Agni is the true pain.

The following plots are also tragic, one after another, whether it's Agni hiding his identity, using the alias "brother" and murdering people to maintain a peaceful life with "Luna".

Or the battle with the "Agni Cult" followers and the battle with Sang, all are extremely bitter.

Agni lived for the lie of revenge at first and for his sister Luna's words: "Keep living."

Then there are the people and countless lies that keep him alive.

Just like the main leaders of Besim Druk feed on lies to keep themselves alive and to maintain "civilization."

Agni also keeps himself alive with countless lies.

Although not for himself, he lives for Luna, for "Luna" who killed his sister but became his sister, for the original slaves, for the Agni followers... so

he lives all the time.

So "Fire Punch"... this story has always been cold and depressing.

Especially under Ren's brush, whether it's Luna's "Use Fire Punch" or Agni's uncomfortable face that seems to smile bitterly.

Takashi can feel the shock, as if he can feel Agni's pain, bitterness, and contradiction in the manga.

But... this is, of course, due to the [Painting the Final Touch (Master)] skill that Ren extracted from the System.

This skill directly enhances the already depressing story of "Fire Punch".

If the appeal of the story of "Fire Punch" is 100 points, then Ren's skill, [Kaleidoscope Painting (Master)] plus [Final Point (Master)], makes the appeal of this manga reach 150 points!

It's equivalent to sprinkling salt on a wound and putting chili oil on a mouth ulcer.

So Takashi was paralyzed after seeing it that night.

He became autistic on the spot and couldn't get out of it. His head was buzzing.

If he, a successful middle-aged man with a mature heart, is like this, then there is no need to say more about the others.

So Takashi is now very worried about the subsequent impact, and at the same time he can't help but admire him.

"It's truly amazing that Ren can draw such a work...", Takashi said: "Incredible... But his mental state is worrying...".

"Fire Punch" is like a neurotic work. In addition to being depressing and uncomfortable, it is also very unexpected.

But at the same time, "Fire Punch" is not simply madness. For Takashi, it is a crazy and brilliant work.

Just like "Edgerunners", the story itself is not just a story, but it also mixes in some of the author's reflections.

"Edgerunners" is a conjecture about the harsh environment of the future sci-fi world, full of humanism and nihilism, absent in previous sci-fi works.

And "Fire Punch"... although it may seem like nihilism.

After all, the main theme of the manga is that life is painful, the world is made of lies, and people live on lies.

Morality, identity, faith, and even civilization... are meaningless.

The protagonist, Agni, survived to the end and had nothing left.

The universe cools, the Earth will wither, and the people around him will die one after another, eventually returning to nothingness.

It seems that "Fire Punch" is the main theme.

But only after reading it and reflecting on it, did I discover that in this nihilism there is a touch of existential romance.

Because the protagonist, Agni, survived no matter the pain he faced.

And he kept fighting, fighting, and living for it.

Living can be painful and meaningless.

But Agni still wants to live.

This is existentialism.

This is also why Takashi thinks Ren is a genius... although he seems a little crazy.

But as the saying goes, genius is on the left and madness is on the right...

"By the way... Silverhand said this is a gift for fans..."

Takashi thought about this and was speechless.

Are you sure this is a gift? As he said before, the manga "Fire Punch" is still too early for fans.

"But... From the current perspective of "Chainsaw Man", has Silverhand restrained himself?"

He thought about it and became increasingly convinced.

But at the same time, he felt a little guilty: "Isn't it because of our manga world that Silverhand restrained himself?"

But Takashi thought about it carefully: "Forget it, it's better to restrain more...".

Now, just thinking about "Fire Punch", he feels scared.

If Ren doesn't control himself, who knows what he will draw.

Will all the readers of the manga end up in a mental asylum? Hey, you know what? It's very possible.

Even the current "Fire Punch" makes you want to go to a mental asylum.

If Ren doesn't control himself, the mental asylum will be crowded.

As expected of Silverhand, known for being a cyberpsycho and a manga lunatic, his manga can spread mental illness!

"Forget it... let's see what happens."

Takashi sighed and said: "After all, geniuses... are irrational, and people can't guess what they will do."

- - - - - -

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