Old Spoiler

Verification: Confirmed
Credits: MRI, saladesu

The editorial division is bit of an uproar since they can't find a "replacement" for CROW. When the issue with CROW's final chapter goes on sale the editorial division gets a ton of calls regarding it.

Iwase seems to be in a bit of a mid-life crisis, with + NATURAL not doing as well as it used to. She wonders if she should return to becoming a novelist instead. She has a meeting with Miura where she feels that Miura doesn't care about + NATURAL, and neither does Eiji, now that CROW has ended, so she walks out of the meeting. She also passes a convenience store where some kids are talking about JUMP and they're calling + NATURAL "Dame NATURAL" meaning something like "lousy/no good NATURAL". She gets depressed. She turns to Aoki for comfort/advice/whatever, gives her a call, but Hiramaru kinda interrupts and so in the end she doesn't tell Aoki anything and hangs up.

It turns out that Iwase has locked herself up at home, and won't pick up the phone or even answer the door. She's even told Miura that she won't write anymore. Aoki, worried, calls up Shuujin, who decides to go pay her a visit but of course Miyoshi isn't too keen on that. Saikou goes instead and meets Miura there, but they have little success.

Later on Shuujin, Miyoshi, Fukuda and Aoki go along (looks to be later that night), Shuujin says that they've lost their greatest rival ever since Eiji ended CROW, but he doesn't want to lose his biggest rival in the field of story writing. Iwase then declares that she won't lose to them and will overtake them once more.

Verification: Confirmed
Source: MH
Credits: Knifeshade

Ashirogi Muto read over the first chapter of Panty Flash Fight. Takagi comments how it's even better than the initial one-shot, and that Arai-sensei's Tournament & School one-shot has the same school setting and psychological battle setting as PCP, which means PCP will most likely get votes taken away. At the end of the week, PCP's current ranking is 7th.

Afterwards, Takagi gets a call from Nanamine, telling him he's changed his style ever since his defeat and wants to show Ashirogi Muto something. Takagi comments why not show Kosugi first, but Nanamine insists he wants Ashirogi Muto to see it first and goes over to personally pick them up.

In the car, Hibiki asks Nanamine why he's so obsessed with Ashirogi Muto, to which Nanamine replies that they're his goal.

FLASHBACK TIMEEEEE. Apparently Nanamine didn't have any friends when he was little until he picked up Money and Intelligence to read. And it changed his outlook on life forever. He's convinced that life is just about money.

Nanamine picks them up and drives to his manga-creation company. Nanamine takes them to level 4 where his 16-man team of writers are and tells him how they go about coming up with stories that are suitable for people who come to Nanamine to write (as in Azuma's case). The team of 16 split up into 4 groups each and brainstorm up names, the best name is then taken to be reviewed/critique.

Nanamine exclaims how he's fixed the previous method's weaknesses, to which Takagi agrees, and Nanamine says he even proves it, revealing Azuma AND Arai's work and ranking is thanks to his company. He reveals the other two one-shots are also his company's works.

After Nanamine shows the two level 2 and 3, he asks them what they thnk. Takagi ponders how this way of doing things might actually create interesting mangas. Of course, Mashiro doesn't sit well with it.

"Nanamine-kun...doing something like this weird"

"Yeah, if it was a mangaka who's already succeeded then that I can understand"

"What?...this will become successful" "I'm not doing this to earn money you know"

"Then is it for the sake of the manga industry...but...why did you bring us here to show us then??"

"Don't you two understand at all....didn't I tell you at the New Years party?"

"Next time, I will come up with a new method, I said, and this is my new method!"

"That's right...all this...was to beat Ashirogi Muto...money and the manga industry isn't important...if I don't show you two my perfect method of winning I'll be frustrated....this way I won't lose....AFTERALL, THIS WORLD IS ALL ABOUT MONEY AND INTELLIGENCE, ISN'T THAT RIGHT ASHIROGI MUTO-SENSEI!"

Source: Mangahead

Picking up from where we last left off, Nanamine and the duo argue back and forth over the new method of creating manga. Mashiro argues that they're not losing directly to Nanamine as they're [the mangas] not his work. Nanamine retorts that it is, since he makes the end decisions. He likens himself to that of a film director. Mashiro argues that mangas should be the end result of authors and editors working together. Nanamine argues the method of 1-to-1 might work for Ashirogi but it doesn't work for everybody, using himself and Kosugi as an example. Nanamine argues they should be complimenting him, and Shueisha should be thanking him. Mashiro argues no they shouldn't be. Nanamine calls him outdated and says Shueisha is a business, he even tells them to tell Hattori about it, he'll reveal his company's existence sooner or later so more people come to him.

The debate ends with the usual obligatory...

Ashirogi Muto: WE WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU etc etc
Nanamine: I SHALL BEAT YOU GUYZ etc etc.
Ashirogi Muto: NO. WE WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU etc etc
Nanamine: NO. I SHALL BEAT YOU GUYZ BECAUSE etc etc etc

...panels that we've been accustomed to. >_>

December 2nd. Panty Flash chapter 2 - 2nd. The next one-shot, Swordsman Butter Kill - 3rd. PCP - 6th. Afterwards, Mashiro and Takagi tell Hattori about Nanamine and his methods and the one-shots. Hattori too, can't disagree that his method is good way to create interesting mangas. The results are there to prove it. Hattori tells them not to tell anybody else about it for now, he'll find a chance to talk with it to the higher-ups.

Hattori confronts Azuma, and Azuma admits it. It's revealed that Azuma was Nobuhiro Mashiro's last assistant. And also, Nobuhiro actually got 3 works cancelled which got him laid off (akin to Arai).

After being told that Moritaka Mashiro of Ashirogi Muto is actually Nobuhiro's nephew, he gets Hattori to relay a message to him. One of his uncle's wishes was actually that he hopes Moritaka becomes a venerable mangaka, even though his uncle has always told him not to be one. He was also the one to tell his father and his brother (Saiko's dad) to let him be a mangaka if he ever chooses to be one. We then get a nice heart-warming flashback with a young Azuma and Nobuhiro in it.

A week later, Friday, results. Panty Flash chapter 3 - 3rd. Last one-shot: 7th. PCP: 5th. Mashiro notes that they might have beaten the last one-shot, but 7th is still a good result nonetheless.

Back at Nanamine's office, the mangaka of the last one-shot comes up to complain why he got laid off. Because his art sucked. But more importantly, Nanamine states it's because it was ranked lower than Ashirogi's PCP, but 7th of course isn't a bad result. Nanamine tells him to just work with his editor to make it better, but he refuses saying only Nanamine's method is much better. He pleads Nanamine to give him another story.

The last panel:

Nanamine: "Ah, that's right. The company has plans to bring 20 year old mangakas into the limelight. If you're willing to work as an assistant for them, I can make recommendations."

Picking up from where 146 left off, Mashiro reiterates that he won't forgive Nanamine and won't lose to him, not to his method, but to him as a person. He really wants Nanamine to be serialized so he can kick his ass.

Slowly, but surely, Fukuda, Takahama, Aoki, and Hiramaru catch wind of what's happening with Nanamine (and his company) from their respective editors (after all the veteran mangakas front up about it).

Back at Nanamine's company, Nanamine is making a speech to his team of writers. He's clearly putting up a facade, what with saying "WSJ has decided not to serialized Panty Flash" (which we readers know is not true, he ditched Azuma and co) and how he'll personally pick up the pen and that they should all work hard to make the bestest name for him so he can "prove a statement" to WSJ. He'll even raise their salary and whatnot.

Back in WSJ's editorial department, we see a heated discussion over Nanamine's actions. And Miura is just, like, agreeing with every second person's words. Friggin n00b. And annoying. Seriously, I wish Ohba would give the guy some brains for once.
Moving on, Aoki's editor (whose name escapes me) isn't all that bothered by Nanamine's method (he's obviously in the if-it's-just-interesting-and-profit crowd) while everybody else thinks it's not right. Kosugi and the fat chief editor (whose name also escapes me) go see the chief to see what his decision is.

The Chief obviously doesn't like it, says it's not him as a mangaka but Nanamine as a person. When asked if that means they won't publish his works, Hattori pipes up about how Ashirogi Muto wants to kick his ass. And other respective editors say the same thing. Except Yoshida who says Hiramaru hopes Nanamine doesn't get serialized. When asked what Eiji's opinion is, Yujiro says Eiji thinks it's stupid to compete with someone who doesn't even put their heart into their work but since Ashirogi Muto wants to kick his ass he too wants to kick his ass.

The chief tells Kosugi to call Nanamine and hand him the phone. Chief says he doesn't care how much money Nanamine has spent but he won't forgive him for using mangakas like he did, but he'll give him a chance. If he can get 3rd place or better with a oneshot, he'll allow him to hand in names up for serialization. At the end, he tells Nanamine to thank Ashirogi Muto for that chance, if it was him, he'd reject even a oneshot of his.

As you can see on the opening page, Nanamine rips up the PCP poster on his wall to pieces out of rage. Kosugi reiterates the conditions set by the Editor-in-Chief; inability to make it in the top 3 and it's goodbye to drawing in WSJ. Does he [Nanamine] want it to end like that, Kosugi states that the chief might have said that but if Nanamine's willing to work with him, he'll see if he can change the chief's mind.

Nanamine: "Get lost.." "...I don't have any enthusiasm for working with such a useless editor like you, Kosugi"

As Kosugi walks away from the building, he thinks if he says he's useless, then there's not much he can do to change his mind. Most importantly, he couldn't change his ways in the very end.

Kosugi: "He's no doubt a talented newcomer..." "...Yet he hasn't achieve anything at all. Uggh."

Back at the duo's studio, we catch a glimpse of Takagi complimenting that Nanamine's indeed talented. and Mashiro saying he doesn't want t admit it but he agrees. But there's nothing he can do about him now. Mashiro notes how because of the recent battle with Nanamine, they were able to come up with a brilliant chapter along with being serialized meaning they have the ability to write a one-shot along while working on PCP now, that's the best thing to come out of all of this. Takagi enthusiastically agrees.

Takagi: "Yeah we're already at this step. We'll soon be able to officially start working on that non-mainstream main character in a mainstream setting manga!"

Mashiro agrees and they go look over character designs that Mashiro have done to use as popular main character.

Funny scene occurs between Yoshida and Hiramaru, as per usual. Yoshida thinks he only said he twisted his back out so he didn't have to work. Hiramaru, grinning from ear to ear, says all that doesn't matter. What matters is that his replacement, Azuma's one-shot, came in 3rd and beat Nanamine. Hiramaru tells Yoshida that Yuri-tan said if he beats Nanamine then she'll call him Kazu-tan. Yoshida tells him that didn't count, he contributed nothing. Hiramaru proves him wrong by calling Aoki and asking himself.

Aoki: "GOOD MORNING, HIRAMARU-KUN!! "

Over at Shueisha, we see there's some shifting around. There's a new magazine coming out in April, Sasaki and [that team captain whose name I don't know] will be moved over to work there. Heishi will be promoted to Editor-in-Chief for WSJ, Aida will be taking Heishi's former place as Assistant Editor-in-Chief, and finally Yuujiro will be promoted to the rank of Team Captain.

Note the page where Heishi acts all super cool, but once he gets home he has the same idiotic expression as Aida and Yuujiro when they heard the promotion. XD

Sasaki asks Yuujiro to make arrangements to visit Eiji. At Eiji's place the next day, Yuujiro updates Eiji on the internal changes. Eiji bows and smacks his head on the table thanking Sasaki for all he's done for him. He was happy when him and Yuujiro came to Aomori, nearly 8 years ago. Sasaki notes how he childish he thought of Eiji when he came up with that condition (the 1st-place-end-one-manga one) but he's really become a pillar of WSJ now, he's looking forward to his growth.

Eiji: "I haven't reached #1 yet! I still have to draw the world's #1 manga!"

Well, Sasaki doesn't have too much to worry on Eiji's side. He'll watch his growth while he's the Editor-in-Chief of the new Jump magazine.

Eiji: "Okay, but before that....."

The next day, Sasaki visits's Ashirogi Muto along with Hattori to explain the internal changes. Mashiro notes they have to take this chance to apologize for all the trouble's they've caused the Chief over the years (like Trap's hiatus, Tanto's cancellation, and the Treasure submission).

Sasaki: "It's been nearly 20 years now." "There's no cigarette smell anymore..."
Takagi: "That's because we don't smoke..."

Sasaki: "Even though it's already been decided that I've left my role as WSJ's Editor-in-Chief..."

"But when Nobuhiro was alive, he told me to watch over Mashiro-kun when he becomes a mangaka."

"That time, I thought he was just kidding. Becoming a mangaka isn't easy, so I just brushed the thought aside."

"But when I discovered the two middle schoolers that were having a meeting with Hattori in the editing department that one of them was Nobuhiro's nephew, I was startled..."

"No...I was happy actually."

He wants to apologize that he hasn't exactly lived up to that, but Ashirogi Muto counter-apologizes saying it was them that were childish and inconsiderate. Sasaki then counter-counters saying no, in hindsight, what he did then with Trap's hiatus was a bit OTT, and also PCP's conditions. To which Ashirogi counter-counter-counters saying no, if it wasn't for that, they wouldn't be pushed to where they are today.

They both bow their head to thank Sasaki for all he's done for them.

Sasaki notes it thanks to themselves, and not just them, but the others too, Fukuda, Aoki, Takahama, Hiramaru, and others for echoing the "If you want to do something, then you can do it" message within WSJ. Mashiro comments if what he says is true, then he's kinda like playing favourites.

Sasaki: "If there's anybody now that can surpass Eiji, I think it's you two." "No, maybe this is also playing preferences..."

Ashirogi Muto: "NO. We will definitely show you that you're not playing favourites!!."

Sasaki: "Is that right. I'm looking forward to it, then."

As Sasaki and Hattori leave, Sasaki tells them that before he leaves WSJ, Eiji will be bringing out a new manga.

Yuujiro: "Even though you just told the Editor-in-Chief that, you still haven't decided on what you want to draw"

Eiji: "No, I've decided."

"This time it'll be an extremely popular dark hero."

- Results are: Reversi 1st. PCP 4th. Reversi got 694 votes, beating out Eiji and claiming the new record for votes on a one-shot.

- Eiji gets depressed upon hearing the news, doesn't give Yujiro any serialization name.

- Ashirogi Muto wants to put Reversi up for serialization, Hattori doesn't know if they'll be allowed but he'll try his best.

- Heishi doesn't know what to do and asks Sasaki for "advice". (Aida and that other guy's all like, no, yes, no, yes)

- Reversi gets a monthly serializatoin in Hisshou Jump, whilst PCP remains its weekly serialization in WSJ.

- Eiji gets fired up after hearing the news, stomps on globe, saying "I was wrong, my goal isn't the world, IT'S ASHIROGI MUTO"