Carrot and Stick

Carrot and Stick Episode 6

Carrot and Stick (アメとムチ) Ame to Muchi

Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi take their first piece to the Jump Offices to see if they are good enough to get serialized. When they meet Jump editor Akira Hattori, they will find out if their work is up to par of what is expected of a mangaka or not. Even with things going the way they are, there are still unexpected surprised for the two.

Plot Summary

Opening Theme

Blue Bird by Kobukuro

Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi discuss their meeting for the next day, they wonder if their manuscript will be good enough for the approval of whomever they meet the next day. They decide to go over it one more time before going home to try and get a good night's rest for their meeting. Kayoko worries that Mashiro is pushing himself too hard as Mashiro tries to sleep, thinking about Nobuhiro and how drawing manga is a gamble. He also flashes back to some of the events he and Takagi went through to make their first manga.

He meets Takagi relatively early as the two ride the train to the area outside Shueisha, getting there early as they decide to get a bite to eat. While having lunch, Mashiro asks if becoming a manga artist was a sporadic decision for him. Takagi tells how his mother tutored him at a very early age to be successful since she was a teacher. However, when his father lost his job at the bank, his mother pushed Takagi over the edge to avenge his father. Takagi lashed back, declaring that he wanted to become his own person. Ever since, his mother has not objected to anything he has said or done in his life. He apologizes for the morbid story and decide to go to their meeting.

Mashiro and Takagi meet Hattori for the first time

After fumbling with the secretary, they are lead to a a cubicle to hold their interview. They soon realize that they will not actually get to see the Jump offices. As they walk to their meeting space, they overhear another meeting that is not going well and wonder if theirs will go the same. They wait patiently as Mashiro tells Takagi that if the editor offers them tea, then they passed the procedure. Soon after, Akira Hattori arrives to administer their meeting. They present "The Two Earths" to him as he reads it over. They start to panic as he finishes and decides to read it again. After a scene that shows what the manga is about, Hattori offers the two coffee; a sign that they passed.

Hattori informs them that the manga is good but has a few problems. He tells Takagi that his work is too much like a novel than a manga and that its a bit too complex for a comic. He tells Mashiro that is art blends a bit with the background. There is too much narration and could become simpler. Aside from those flaws, Hattori claims that it is good and if they continue to practice, they will become better. Mashiro is a bit apprehensive as he tries to deduce if Hattori can be trusted. Takagi tries to show off with his knowledge, letting Hattori know that they've only been in the business for about two months. Hattori seems surprised as he gives them his business cards with his email address on it. Hattori also tells Takagi that he can't be a calculating person in the manga industry since it doesn't work all the time. As they leave, Hattori tells his department head that the two have potential as outside, Takagi and Mashiro feel that it was a success.

Mashiro and Azuki's best/worst moment

Across town, Miho Azuki is working on her voice acting skills as she overhears some classmates talking about how Mashiro and Takagi spend the whole summer together working on something. Azuki smiles as she knows that Mashiro is working hard for his goal. School starts the next day as Takagi and Mashiro still talk about their meeting some more. Mashiro notes how he agreed with Hattori about Takagi's story as they agree to comment on one another's work as they plan to submit something before the end of the year. However, in class, they find that their teacher has put all the boys and girls' desks next to one another. In a twist of events, Azuki and Mashiro are stuck sitting next to one another as they worry about identical things.