Parallel world Manga Artist-Chapter 204: Memories

The animation continued.

The madness in Jinx’s eyes slowly faded, replaced by grief and aching clarity.

All her life, she had been searching for someone who would never abandon her.

When Vi vanished from her world as a child, Jinx turned to Silco, the very man who had killed Vander.

When she grew up, Vi returned and finally told her the truth: she hadn’t left willingly. She had been captured and imprisoned. She had never wanted to abandon her.

Once again, Jinx wavered, caught between Silco and Vi.

In the end...

She finally understood that Silco was the one person who would never abandon her.

But she only realized this truth through Silco’s death.

Jinx’s eyes cleared, rimmed with red.

No, she wasn’t calmer.

She was even more unhinged than before.

Facing Vi, still bound to the chair, Jinx sat down with her head lowered. There was no confusion, no fear, only resolve.

"I thought you could still love me like before," Jinx said quietly.

"Even after everything I became... But you changed too. So, let’s celebrate our rebirth."

Her voice was cold.

She stood up and loaded the Hextech crystal projectile she had designed into her weapon.

Then she aimed.

Not at Vi.

Not at Caitlyn.

But at the towering council building above Zaun, where the Piltover Council was convening.

Inside, Jayce, Mel, and the other councilors were voting unanimously, agreeing to Jayce’s proposal to give up his council seat and all Hextech rights in exchange for peace with Zaun.

At the exact moment the final hands were raised.

Jinx fired.

A projectile launched from the depths of Zaun and tore into the council chamber.

As the ending theme began to play, the familiar melody of Invincible filled the air.

But this time, no one moved.

Most viewers simply stared blankly at the rolling credits.

So that was why it was called Arcane.

In the end, the war between the two cities was ignited by Jinx.

Everyone felt hollow after watching the finale.

Jinx, Vi, Silco, Jayce, Viktor, Mel.

In just nine episodes, every one of them had grown.

Silco, despicable, cunning, ruthless, a man who trusted no one, ultimately gave everything to believe in his daughter.

Vi finally found Powder, but because of her hesitation and indecision, she lost her forever. From that moment on, there was no Powder, only Jinx.

Jayce, once drunk on power, was willing in the end to give up his council seat for peace.

Mel, sharp and ambitious, prepared to sacrifice everything to support Jayce’s decision.

And yet...

Everything they did for peace was destroyed by Jinx’s final choice.

The missile from Zaun struck Piltover’s council.

Silence followed.

Then the internet exploded.

"This plot is insane."

"My scalp is tingling, hurry up and release Season Two."

"I never could’ve predicted this."

"I’m crying. Every character feels so real."

"I wanted to curse Shirogane... but I can’t. Maybe this really is just life."

"I’ve been cursing everyone all along—Silco’s cruelty, Vander’s idealism, Jinx’s ingratitude, Vi’s naivety, Jayce losing himself—but after this finale, I can’t bring myself to hate anyone anymore. If I were Jinx, I’d probably break too."

"I feel empty after finishing it. I don’t even want to watch other anime right now."

"It’s a masterpiece. My second favorite anime of the past ten years. First is still Hikaru no Go, then Hunter x Hunter, then One-Punch Man."

"I think Arcane is Teacher Shirogane’s best animated work."

"That’s personal taste, but honestly, ever since Hikaru no Go, everything Shirogane has made has been a masterpiece. Even masterpieces have differences."

"Sigh... it just left me with so many feelings."

"Here’s to the end of Season One. Please let Season Two come soon."

"I finally understand why Vander failed, why Silco became what he was, and why Jinx broke. None of them were wrong at the start."

"I hated Jayce for half the season, but the moment he gave up his council seat, I realized he actually grew the most."

"Vi didn’t lose because she was weak. She lost because she hesitated, and real life works exactly like that."

"Jinx firing that rocket wasn’t madness alone. It was grief, betrayal, and the realization that peace was never meant for her."

"The most terrifying thing is that peace was this close. One vote. One decision. One second too late."

"Silco choosing Jinx over Zaun proved he wasn’t a tyrant in the end, he was a father. And that’s why this hurts."

"I went in thinking Jinx was the villain. I came out realizing the real villain was the system that raised her."

"No character in this show is clean. And that’s why it feels honest."

"This doesn’t feel like an anime ending. It feels like a historical tragedy."

"Vander died believing peace was possible. Silco died proving love was possible. Jinx survived believing nothing is."

"I’ve never seen an animation make me feel sympathy for someone I wanted dead just three episodes ago."

"Jayce did everything right at the end, and still failed. That’s the most realistic part."

"The final missile wasn’t aimed at Piltover. It was aimed at the idea that Zaun would ever be forgiven."

"I didn’t cry when Silco died. I cried when he said he’d never trade Jinx for anything."

"Everyone says Jinx caused the war, but honestly? The war started long before she pulled the trigger."

"This show doesn’t ask you to pick a side. It asks you to admit that every side loses."

"I need Season Two, but at the same time... I’m scared of it."

"If this were live-action, people would call it prestige television. The fact that it’s animated just proves how far the medium can go."

"I feel exhausted. And I think that’s exactly how the creators wanted us to feel."

All night long, groups of Arcane fans across Japan continued discussing the final plot of the first season.

However, it was clear that Arcane’s overall popularity during its broadcast in Japan was still not as high as one-punch man had been back then.

Faced with this outcome, many peers within Japan’s animation industry were unsure how to comment.

Although Shirogane’s works had become more and more popular with each release, the momentum now seemed to have slowed somewhat.

But with a 6.85% viewership rating for the final episode of Arcane’s first season, could anyone truly mock such a result?

It was still a massively popular work, one that stood head and shoulders above the rest of Japan’s animation industry.

Besides... this work still had a second season.

As for Rei, after the first season of Arcane concluded, his focus shifted entirely to Hunter × Hunter.

Because the second season of Arcane had been produced almost simultaneously with the first, by the time the first season finished airing, the content for Season Two was already basically complete. Only final polishing remained as it awaited its April premiere.

With all his energy devoted to the Hunter manga, Rei now had more time to plan the plot carefully and refine the artwork.

Over these two weeks, fans of the Hunter × Hunter manga in Japan could clearly feel that the quality had improved even further on top of its already high standards.

More importantly, each Chapter was packed with information, after all, Rei had cut out a large amount of filler from the original work, preserving only the essence.

Many serialized manga are constrained by their creators’ limitations, making it impossible for every Chapter to be substantial. Readers often wait an entire week only to find the content thin and unsatisfying.

This issue was especially apparent in the original version of the Ant Arc.

When Rei read this arc in his previous life, he often felt impatient with certain sections, even though he could understand Yoshihiro Togashi’s desire to portray every character in depth.

However, there was simply no need to devote so much screen time to even random side-character ants. The Ant Arc featured dozens, if not hundreds, of Hunters and Chimera Ants, spanning more than 150 Chapters in the original manga.

Even One Piece, famous for its long arcs, does not maintain plots of such length.

In the Ant Arc, most readers only truly wanted to focus on the Ant King, the Chairman, the protagonist Gon, Killua, and the other core characters. Excessive detail about the fates of minor ants and Hunters often made the arc feel tedious, while lengthy narration and psychological monologues significantly slowed the pacing of battles.

For instance, encounters that lasted only one or two seconds in real time, such as the Chairman meeting the Royal Guard, were stretched into entire Chapters of flashbacks. Likewise, a surprise assault that took less than ten seconds could occupy a full Chapter of internal monologue.

Of course, Rei made these adjustments without affecting the main plot or its logical structure. Simply put, he minimized content involving minor characters while preserving the psychological depth and characterization of the core cast.

As a result, in the eyes of Japanese fans, each Chapter of Hunter × Hunter now felt far denser in content. Not only did it avoid feeling dry, but readers with weaker comprehension often found themselves visiting forums to read explanations.

And so, while Rei remained busy with Hunter’s serialization and preparations for Arcane Season Two, by late March he had fully adapted to his current pace of life.

One night, after working late into the evening, he fell asleep at his drawing desk from exhaustion.

Once again, his thoughts drifted back to a work from his previous life.

A heavyweight animated series that had once become a global phenomenon.

...

STONES PLZ

Read 50 Chapters ahead @[email protected]/Ashnoir