"Homura! My poor Homura!!"
"In countless timelines, she never gave upeven in despair! This is so heartbreaking!"
"The concept of witches is just mind-blowing!"
"At least some people are talking normally," muttered Minano Matone, scrolling through comments with a satisfied nod.
"9 AM me: Yay! Volume 2 is finally out!"
"1 PM me: I'm done. Just destroy the world already."
"Volume 2 is perfect... except for the part where my heart can't handle it!"
"Why!? Why does it end like this!? My Madoka!!"
"I'm in pain! Literal pain!! Why did I even read Volume 2!?"
"All the plot holes got resolved beautifully, but why can't I stop crying!?"
"Could you guys stop being cryptic? I didn't get Volume 2, and now I'm dying of curiosity!"
"Trust me, it's better if you never know. Authors don't have hearts."
"Wait, what does that have to do with me reading it?"
"You poor, naive soul."
"Hey, author? Can I have your address? No reasonjust wanna send some... local delicacies."
[TL Note I want to do the same thing to the one who write Elysia story form Honkai Impact! The freaking author just had to make her dead in HSR to T-T]
"Have you ever tried slicing flesh with a dull knife? That's how my heart feels right now. You get it, don't you?"
"This is what a true magical girl story ishope and despair intertwined! I'm devastated, but it's so addictive!"
"I feel depressed now. How did a manga do this to me!?"
"Too heavy... I can't handle it!"
"Can't handle it? Just cry with me."
"Author, please, I'm begging youchange the ending!!"
Minano Matome nodded with satisfaction.
"Looks like everyone loves this story."
[082] The Astonishing Sales of Magical Girl Madoka! [50 PS]
Without a doubt, Magical Girl Madoka completely took over August within just a single day.
Readers who finished the second volume flooded Akifumi's social media, anime forums, and fan communities with passionate discussions:
Some eagerly dissected the plot.
Others raved about the brilliant and captivating world-building.
Many lamented the abrupt ending of the series.
But most notably, there was a flood of complaints from readers wounded by the heart-wrenching twists in the second volume.
They accused the "merciless author" of being heartless.
This wave of heated discussion naturally attracted curious bystanders and made the pain even worse for those who couldn't get their hands on the book.
After all, even if fans detailed the plot online, it was impossible to capture the emotional impact of seeing the visuals firsthand. And knowing in advance that a beloved character dies? That only made readers even more eager to witness it themselves.
Don't doubt ittragic storytelling is oddly popular in Japan.
The culture has long embraced a sense of bittersweet beauty, cherishing fleeting and radiant moments.
Younger audiences, prone to sentimentality, often gravitate toward works filled with sorrow and heartbreak.
Of course, after being emotionally devastated, readers often curse the author. But the moment a new series begins, they eagerly dive right back in.
It's a simple truth: if a work can make readers mourn the death of a character, it's already a mark of excellence.
On the other hand, if a book fails to connect, readers won't care how many characters diethey'll just quietly abandon it.
In summary:
If a story is well-written: "Damn that heartless author!" Readers curse but keep reading.
If a story is poorly written: "What garbage is this?!" Readers curse and never come back.
So, including devastating twists is never the issuethe key is whether the work is of high quality.
Following the release of Volume 2, Magical Girl Madoka achieved both physical and commercial success. Its phenomenal reception left many in the industry envious.
However, after reading the second volume, even professional peers were left speechless, acknowledging its brilliance:
The dark revelation that magical girls are destined to become witches.
Kyubey, the incubator maintaining cosmic balance.
Homura Akemi's countless journeys through despair to protect Madoka.
And Madoka's ultimate transformation into a divine being, erasing witches across all timelines.
These brilliant plot elements left other creators in awe.
But that didn't stop some from expressing bitter comments:
"What a waste!"
"With this setup, they could've easily made ten more volumes!"
"Only a company as bold as Shueisha would let such a masterpiece end."
"The author is still just a high school student, right? So nave!"
"If it were me, I would've milked every last penny from the fans."
Their envious remarks were as transparent as they were petty, revealing nothing but their own insecurities.
In contrast, there were those who saw the bigger picture:
"But isn't his second series already being serialized in Shueisha? It's doing pretty well too!"
"Why do you think he won't be able to create another masterpiece?"
"Let's face ityou haven't even managed to land a series in Weekly Shonen Jump, let alone create something like Madoka!"
Meanwhile, Akifumi remained largely unaffected by the online chaos. Apart from reading visible replies on his social media, he paid no attention to forums or fan groups.
The following day, at Shueisha's office...
"Could you sit still for a moment, Mihari?" Minano Matome sighed as she watched the restless editor pacing back and forth.
"You're making my eyes dizzy."
Blushing, Mihari quickly apologized and sat downbut within seconds, her legs began bouncing anxiously.
Minano chuckled softly, understanding the anticipation.
Even after years in the industry, she too was eagerly awaiting the sales numbers.
"I wonder what the first-day sales will be," Mihari muttered.
The buzz from the previous day was impossible to ignoreeveryone at the company had heard about the printing department's phones being overwhelmed.
The head of the printing division had even vented to Minano over dinner last night.
Now, it was time to see just how far the frenzy had gone.
The sudden ring of the office phone broke the silence.
Mihari shot up from her seat but quickly remembered whose office she was in and sat back down, grinning sheepishly.
She watched Minano with eyes full of anticipation.
Minano picked up the receiver, her voice steady.
"This is Minano Matome."
"... Yes, I see. Thank you."
"... Don't worrythere will be a celebratory dinner for you too."
"Trying to raise the price? You should've waited to tell me the numbers first!"
"Got it. I'll let you get back to work."
After hanging up, Minano glanced at Mihari, who was practically vibrating with curiosity.
Minano smiled and announced, "The first-day sales for Magical Girl Madoka Volume 2 are in46,786 copies."
Mihari's eyes widened in disbelief. "How... how many?!"
Minano repeated patiently, "46,786 copies."
Mihari was stunned, struggling to process the number.
After a long pause, she finally stammered, "I-Isn't that almost as much as the first volume's total first-week sales of 60,000?!"
A single day, nearly 50,000 copies sold.
Could this number really be accurate?!
....
[TL Note]
Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out
p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL
Please remove the hyphen to access the page normally! Just a heads-up, there will be new advanced chapters every week in there! And thank you so much for reading!
[083] Breaking Sales Record!
Minano quickly picked up on Mihari's thoughts.
She smiled and reassured her,
"Don't worry, Mihari. If they're sharing this number, it's definitely been verified multiple times. If they made a mistake this big, it would cost them a hefty chunk of their bonus."
Mihari immediately realized how her earlier comment might have come acrosslike she was questioning their competence.
Thankfully, there were no outsiders in the room.
She scratched her head and laughed awkwardly.
"Ahaha, I was just so shocked, that's all. No other meaning behind it. Nearly 50,000 copies on the first day?! That's insane!"
Minano nodded.
Yes, the number was indeed staggering.
Some lower-tier manga don't even hit that number in half a year, and Madoka Magica did it in a single day.
Even as a seasoned editor, Minano found it hard to believe.
But when she thought about it, it wasn't entirely impossible.
"It's summer break, so students have both time and extra pocket money. Plus, with Akifumi-sensei's teasers on social media and the company's heavy promotion, it's not entirely unreasonable for the first day to be this explosive."
In other words, fans who might've hesitated or waited before buying skipped the deliberation phase and jumped straight into purchasing on day one.
"Sales will definitely drop after this, but even so, Madoka Magica Volume 2 is guaranteed to be this month's bestseller!"
Watching Mihari's excitement, Minano smiled.
While it's risky to celebrate too early, a first-day performance like this was enough to leave the competition in the dust.
At this point, even she couldn't see how they could lose.
"Minano-san, I'm going to tell Akifumi-sensei the good news right away!"
"Go ahead," Minano replied.
"I should probably head over to the chief editor's office too. He's probably waiting for me."
After the excitement of the volume's release yesterday, Akifumi wasn't in the mood to work hard today.
He lounged lazily on the couch, enjoying the cool air from the AC.
When his phone rang, he picked it up slowly.
"Hello, this is Akifumi."
"Oh, Otosuna-san. The sales numbers are out?"
"Why do I sound so calm? Well, you've already told me the numbers are out, so whether I get excited or not won't change the results, right?"
"Besides, the fans were incredibly enthusiastic yesterday. I spent six hours just reading their comments on my social media. With that kind of buzz, I can't imagine Madoka Magica flopping."
"You think I'm boring? Ah, don't worry about that. Just tell me the final numbers. I don't want to waste your time or phone bill."
"46,786 copies? Got it."
"Not excited? Of course I am! I'm practically moved to tears."
"I never lie."
"Alright, I'll hang up now. Don't forget to come by and pick up the latest chapter of Anohana."
Ignoring Mihari's exasperated tone on the other end, Akifumi hung up decisively.
"46,786 copies"
He repeated the number, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Not bad at all. I guess I'm officially a semi-popular author now, huh?"
He absentmindedly opened the group chat he'd joined after winning the Tezuka Award. The conversation was lively as usual.
"Two months! It took me two whole months to revise my manuscript according to the editor's demands!"
"So jealous. I'm still stuck in revision hell."
"Isn't your release scheduled for September? It's already August!"
"What can I do? I've been working nonstop these past two months!"
Reading their messages, Akifumi paused.
Then it hit him.
Many of the Tezuka Award-winning works were short stories, so they'd be compiled into a special magazine featuring all the winners.
Even Madoka Magica, which was already serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump and had two volumes out, would have its first chapter reprinted there as a promotional piece.
Not that it mattered much to Akifumi.
While he was lost in thought, the chat kept buzzing.
"I'm so jealous of the 'Warrior of Love and Hope' (Akifumi-sensei). His work's not only serialized in a major magazine, but he's already got two volumes out."
"Even though we're only one rank apart in the awards, the gap in skill feels like an ocean!"
"Did anyone buy Volume 2 yesterday?"
"Of course!"
"Ugh, I overslept and missed it! I didn't expect it to sell out so fast! Can someone lend me their copy?"
"You'll have to wait for the second print. Volume 2 is incredibleso much to study and learn from!"
"+1"
"I really want to crack open Love and Hope-sensei's skull and see how his brain works."
"!!"
"That's terrifying!"
"Are you a demon?!"
Akifumi couldn't help but smile as he lurked in the chat.
Who knew his peers could be so complimentary?
Keep the praise coming! I can handle it!
Though the skull-cracking comment was a bit muchlet's not go there, please.
"By the way, since Madoka Magica sold so well yesterday, does anyone have insider info on the first-day sales?"
"Nope, but I'm curious."
"Same here."
These guys
Well, since they're so eager to know, and I hate leaving people hanging, I'll just drop the answer here.
"Just got the numbers. First-day sales for Volume 2: 46,786 copies. You're welcome."
"46,786?! Did you accidentally add an extra digit?!"
"Idiot! Check the sender's name first!"
"Holy! It's the Warrior of Love and Hope himself!"
"Bow before the master!"
"Sensei, do you need a human backpack?!"
"Teach me how to draw, sensei!"
"How do I become as amazing as you? Fast, talented, and handsome?!"
Akifumi sighed as the notifications flooded in.
Why are you all focusing on me instead of the sales numbers?!
Is 46,786 copies nothing to you?!
Though I have to admit, that last comment about me being handsome was spot on. Good eye, that one.
Still, Akifumi decided it was best to stop engaging.
This was supposed to be a peer group, not his fan club.
If their editors saw this, it'd be awkward.
Though, admittedly, it did feel pretty good.
After all, praise from fellow creators hits different.
Just then, the sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts.
Eriri walked in, her eyes red and her mouth set in a pout, looking like she was about to bite him.
[084] Eriri Spirals into Despair!
Sawamura Spencer Eriri, a half-English, half-Japanese girl with numerous hobbies, had one undeniable loveACG (anime, comics, and games).
Out in public, she maintained the graceful facade of a refined lady, carefully concealing her identity as both an illustrator and an otaku.
Though she appeared to have many friends at school, none were truly closeuntil this summer, when she found a new confidante besides Akifumi Mugiho: Shiina Mahiru.
Their friendship blossomed, though no one could say whether it was sparked by Mahiru's kind personality or her exceptional cooking. By now, the reason hardly mattered.
Now, back to Eriri herself.
With a personality as straightforward as a child's, her emotions and thoughts were always written on her face.
