BEAT & MOTION

* Visual Teaser
* Draft Cover

## Featured Media

**BEAT&MOTION**, a series submitted by Naoki Fujita, has won Shueisha's Manga Award "MILLION TAG" and will be serialized in Shōnen Jump+ on February 25, 2023 as part of the grand prize, as well as receiving an anime adaptation by Netflix.

## Premise

The series is a coming-of-age romance involving a man and a woman who suddenly meet again. Tatsuhiko was fascinated by creating animation as a kid, but after a classmate deemed his drawings "disgusting," he gave up his passion. He became interested in performing in a band in junior high but gave up due to a lack of talent. He subsequently went to college and decided to become an animator again after meeting a wild lady at a drinking party. His self-produced animation on SNS got popular, and he was requested to create a music video for Nico Kishiwagi, a singer-songwriter whom he admired in high school. Nico is a singer-songwriter who has had a crush since high school. However Nico, is the girl he met at the drinking party......

## Production

In June 2021, *Shōnen Jump+* launched an eight-part web series titled *Million Tag [ja]*. On the show, manga artists and their editors competed in a contest, with the grand prize winner getting ¥5,000,000 ($36636.75 USD) in cash, a chance to serialize their manga on *Shōnen Jump+* with at least one *tankōbon* volume being published, and an anime adaptation from Netflix.

The eight-episode program debuted on the official YouTube channel for Shueisha‘s Weekly Shonen Jump journal on July 2. The program followed six groups, each with a potential manga creator and a Shueisha manga editor, as they competed in 4 challenges. (One of the groups has a manga author and a manga artist as an alternative of 1 creator). The program’s emcees are the comedy trio YONSENTOSHIN and voice actress Ayane Sakura. The visitor judges within the last problem included Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto and Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku creator Yūji Kaku. Netflix anime producer Kohei Obara served as a visitor decide within the last problem of the present in its last episode. Naoki Fujita and his manga *Beat & Motion* won the contest.

## Character Designs

Character Name: **Tatsuhiko**
- Original DraftCharacter Name: **Nico**
- Original Draft
## Commentaries

* **Lead Editor and Naoki Fujita's Partner, Shihei Lin**

*Fujita was able to write many more stories in a shorter period of time as a result of the deadline addition, and his speed in drawing stories during that time was the most important point in his development. Fujita grew the most at this period, in my opinion. Since you've won the MILLION TAG, let's work together in the future to achieve a conclusion in which you can proudly state that you've reached the MILLION in some way! You can rely on us!*
* **Comment from Shuhei Hosono, editor-in-chief of "Shonen Jump+":**

*Naoki Fujita's "BEAT&MOTION" was selected as the winning entry because of its ability to depict the emotions of the characters and its name that engages the reader in the story. The theme of creators is also contemporary, and we have high expectations for this serial work, which will likely depict their problems and struggles. As for "MILLION TAG," I feel that Mr. Fujita and the other new writers have grown beyond my expectations. I look forward to seeing the future of all of them.*
* **Manga Artist & Guest Judge, Tatsuki Fujimoto ("Chainsawman")**

*I think the manga was clearly one head and shoulders above the others in terms of manga ability. It was an easy and stress-free read, as the story progressed just by following the emotions of the main character. The female character was also very attractive, which I personally liked.*
* **Manga Artist & Guest Judge, Yuji Kaku ("Jigokuraku")**

*I felt that the author's talent lies in the way theu approaches the characters and expresses them on the screen. I think it is an important weapon that the psychological portrayal of each character is not inappropriate and that there are no stumbling blocks while reading. The level of detail in the animation production is also solid, and the world as a whole is convincing.*
* **Netflix Animation Producer, Kohei Ohara**

*The finished work was brimming with different personalities, but Fujita's auteurism was perhaps the most polished. I salute the unusual duo of ultra-negative Fujita and Shihei Lin. The winning entry vividly depicted these fascinating characters' emotions, and the witty dialogue between them is hilarious. We're excited to see where the story goes next, and we're honored to introduce this new Japanese talent to the world through the Netflix animated adaptation.*
* **Voice Actress and Guest MC, Ayane Sakura**

*It was a really beneficial program for me to understand that the manga works we generally appreciate without considering about them are made via such human interactions and processes. I was able to converse with them for a bit, and their eyes gleamed and were gorgeous as they stated, "This is what I want to be from now on." I can't wait to see them again as they continue to develop their individuality!*
## Reference

1. ↑ "Premise Reference", *Natalie*. Retrieved on December 12, 2022
2. ↑ "Information Reference", *Natalie*. Retrieved on December 12, 2022
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Character Design", *Shonenjump*. Retrieved on December 12, 2022
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Commentary Reference", *Real Sound Website*. Retrieved on December 12, 2022