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On October 25th, the third Blu-ray volume of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was officially released. Compared to the first two volumes, the third volume saw a massive surge.
This was expected, as the episodes contained in this volume featured the very core of the story, filled with heartbreaking character deaths and a production budget that was among the highest for the entire series.
In various anime specialty shops across Japan, long lines formed as stores struggled to keep up with the overwhelming demand. Everyone in the industry knew that the sales for the third volume would see a significant jump from the second.
With the second volume moving over three hundred thousand copies in its first week, many wondered if the third could break the four hundred thousand mark.
Furthermore, people were already speculating about how the upcoming theatrical version's Blu-ray would perform once the television series set was complete.
Haruto kept a reasonable eye on the sales figures, but he didn't organize any specific autograph sessions or fan meet-and-greets for the release. He had far more important matters to attend to.
Given his current level of fame and a schedule that was packed to the brim, he generally only appeared for in-person promotions in Tokyo or Osaka and other major cities.
He skipped the Blu-ray events and even turned down a request from Kiyozawa Library to appear on a seasonal variety show to promote Sword Art Online.
During this period, Haruto fully coordinated with Prime Manga to build momentum for the first chapter of Hunter x Hunter, which was set to debut in four days. Since Initial D had only concluded at the beginning of the month, the turnaround for a new series was incredibly fast.
Even though Prime Manga was willing to spend a fortune on marketing, there were still many details that needed constant attention.
They relied heavily on Haruto's fan base to spread the word through various channels and attract casual readers who might not have followed his previous work. If a series wanted to become a global phenomenon, it couldn't rely solely on existing fans.
If Haruto truly wanted this manga to reach or even surpass the success of Initial D, the best strategy was to draw in fans from rival magazines.
The number of manga readers in the market doesn't usually spike or drop overnight; it's a zero-sum game. When the circulation of Prime Manga's magazine increased, it inevitably meant a slight dip for other top-tier publications. It was a matter of fan conversion.
While some Initial D fans might not be interested in a different genre, Haruto only needed to attract a larger number of new fans who loved shonen battle manga to make up the difference.
The media was more than happy to cooperate. Haruto was currently the centerpiece of the ACG world, young, talented, and photogenic. More importantly, he was a massive traffic driver, and any article related to him guaranteed a high volume of clicks and views.
[The genius of the manga world, Haruto, returns with his new series 'Hunter x Hunter' on the 29th in the latest issue of Prime Manga! Will this new work propel his career to even greater heights, or will this sudden transition into a new genre result in his first major failure since his debut?]
[Expectations for Hunter x Hunter are astronomical. Haruto concluded Initial D at the peak of its popularity, only to launch a new series at lightning speed just a month later. If Hunter x Hunter fails to exceed the achievements of Initial D, his decision to end the previous series will be viewed as a permanent stain on his career.]
[Hunter x Hunter, born right as Initial D ended, what will its final legacy be? Will it be another masterpiece that defines the industry, or will Haruto's attempt at shonen become a joke?]
[Japan's history is filled with legendary shonen battle manga. Haruto, who reached god-like status in the racing genre, might fall from grace due to his own overconfidence. Once serialization begins, the industry will inevitably compare Hunter x Hunter to the greatest works in history. Ending Initial D so abruptly might prove to be the biggest mistake of his life.]
[Having held the number one spot in the anime industry for two consecutive years and holding the record for the highest average Blu-ray sales per volume, Haruto is also closing in on the throne in the world of light novels. Latest data shows that Sword Art Online has surpassed twenty-three million copies per volume on average, making it the top-selling ongoing light novel in Japan. It has officially entered the top seven all-time bestsellers and is likely to secure a top-three spot before it concludes. Will his new manga be able to keep pace with these historic achievements?]
[Prime Manga Editor: Haruto is the only creator in the history of the ACG industry to reach the pinnacle of all three fields, novels, manga, and anime. Although he has never said it publicly, we all know his goal is to be number one. He ended Initial D because he felt it couldn't become the greatest manga in history. Our editorial board believes Hunter x Hunter might just become a miracle for the industry.]
With only four days until the release, the massive promotional campaign by Prime Manga made it impossible for even casual observers to ignore the coming storm.
Posters were everywhere, on forums, in subways, on bookstore walls, on television screens, in cinemas, and even in small neighborhood convenience stores. Prime Manga was spending money at a staggering rate, having already dropped 100 million yen in the first half of the month and another 100 million in the final week.
Interestingly, Prime Manga only possessed the manuscripts for the first three chapters. The world had not yet opened up, and the protagonist had only just left Whale Island.
The editorial team didn't even know if the story would remain interesting in the long run.
Yet, they were willing to bet a fortune on Haruto's reputation. His influence was no limited to the Initial D fan base; it was the sum of his followers from Madoka Magica, Cyberpunk, and Sword Art Online combined. While some might debate if he was the greatest of all time in a single field, few could argue against him being the most popular and influential creator the industry had seen in decades.
On the morning of October 29th, Sanji, a university student, woke up at six o'clock. He had no morning classes, but the thunderous snoring of his three roommates made the dormitory feel like a swamp filled with croaking frogs in the middle of summer. He sighed, having somewhat adjusted to his roommates' habits over the past two months of his freshman year, but it was still a bit disheartening.
After a thirty-minute run on an empty stomach and another half-hour of lifting weights in the dorm, he showered, ate breakfast, and arrived at the bookstore near the university gates at ten minutes to eight. A long line had already formed.
These were all students waiting to buy the new issue of Prime Manga. After the shop opened and he waited twenty more minutes, Sanji finally held the thick manga magazine in his hands.
While the "Prime Manga" title was prominent, his eyes went straight to the cover illustration. Under the soft, bright sunlight filtering through leaves, he saw a smiling boy with yellow hair, a middle-aged man in a suit counting money behind sunglasses, a handsome kid on a skateboard with narrowed eyes, and a young boy in green carrying a fishing rod and a bundle. The four of them were moving forward together in a scene that felt warm and healing.
"Shizuru's art style has definitely improved again!" Sanji, who had studied drawing in high school, could tell that the art behind Hunter x Hunter was a step above Initial D. With his heart racing slightly, he headed back to his room.
It was nearly eight-thirty, and his roommates were still snoring loudly. Sanji looked at them with a helpless expression. Why were people their age able to sleep so much? Even if they didn't want to exercise or study, they could at least get up to read manga or watch anime.
He sighed, put on his headphones, and set a playlist of Madoka Magica themes and Cyberpunk tracks on loop. Then, he flipped to the first page.
Hunter x Hunter!
The story opened with a beautiful woman standing in her tavern, looking toward the depths of a forest as a storm approached. Her eyes were filled with worry. As the woman spoke with her mother, they introduced the key character, Gon.
The ten-year-old boy spent his days in the mountains, but he had a promise with his guardian, Aunt Mito, to return before sunset whenever he went out.
"I promised him he had to be back before dark. I don't want him to grow up to be someone who breaks his word."
"Don't forget, even if you can take the place of his mother, you can never take the place of his father."
In just a few pages of dialogue between the woman and her grandmother, the manga revealed a great deal about the protagonist's personality, his family background, and his relationships before he even appeared on panel. His parents weren't around, and his aunt had raised him.
Sanji blinked and kept reading.
The scene shifted to the forest. A tall man with a sharp gaze wearing a beret was holding a card with strange symbols on it. Then, a massive bear, as large as a small mountain, attacked a young boy in green.
Just as the bear's sharp claws were about to strike, a thin flash of light flickered through the air. The giant beast collapsed to the ground.
Was he saved? Sanji paused to think. He knew that for shonen battle manga, the first chapter usually didn't have incredibly exciting plot twists. These series often ran for hundreds of chapters over several years, so a single chapter was quite short.
However, the development that followed took him by surprise. He expected the man to comfort the child who had just escaped death, but instead, the man struck the boy, knocking him to the ground.
"Did you see this marking?" the man shouted, pointing to a bear's claw mark on a tree. "Who comes here during this season? Anyone who saw this mark would know it was dangerous. Didn't your father ever teach you anything? If I hadn't heard the cry of the fox-bear, I wouldn't have had to kill it." The man looked at the fallen bear with an expression of heavy sadness.
In the span of a few pages, the manga had established Aunt Mito as someone who hid her concern behind a stern exterior, and now it had introduced this man as someone who was decisive, principled, and possessed a grounded moral compass.
He had killed the bear to save Gon, but he immediately felt regret for taking a life that was merely defending its territory. The theme of respecting life wasn't explicitly stated, but the reader could feel it.
"I don't have a father or a mother," the boy said, looking down. "My aunt raised me."
Through Gon's words, the existence of his father, Ging, the man named Kite who was Ging's apprentice, and the profession of a "Hunter" were all introduced right at the start.
"A Hunter? So it's not just about hunting animals. It's an organization of people with extraordinary skills in this world?" Sanji pondered the information as he read.
It seemed the main plot was already clear. The protagonist, Gon, wanted to become a Hunter. That was a fairly easy path to predict. However, when Gon lunged forward to protect the bear's cub with his own body to prevent Kite from killing it, Sanji found himself truly liking the character.
Most manga chapters are quite ordinary in the beginning. Very few series can hit an emotional peak in the first episode like Naruto or One Piece, and few use a shocking tragedy like Attack on Titan to grab the audience immediately.
After all, there is only so much space to set up the world and the characters. But Hunter x Hunter managed to make the readers care about Gon through his act of kindness toward the creature that had almost killed him. A protagonist who is too self-righteous can be annoying, but a genuine sense of kindness is always appealing.
The first chapter revealed through Kite that Gon's father was actually alive and was considered one of the greatest Hunters in the world.
This sparked Gon's desire to find his father and become a Hunter himself. From the first panel to the end of the chapter, the pacing was relatively slow. There were no major battles or complicated power systems explained yet.
It was just a simple depiction of the bond between Gon and his adoptive mother, Aunt Mito. Yet, Sanji found himself completely immersed in the world.