Fukuda Miyuki asked hastily.
Lin Zhiyan, however, did not reveal it. He smiled: "It needs to be kept confidential for now; you'll know in a while."
Inside the president's office at L.S Produ.
After more than a year, Fukuda Miyuki interviewed Lin Zhiyan again.
"In episode 19 of Demon Slayer, the protagonist Tanjiro unleashed a slash using the Hinokami Kagura; that strike was truly stunning. After this episode aired, it was very well-received by the vast audience. As the producer of this anime, what are your thoughts on this?" Fukuda Miyuki looked at Lin Zhiyan and asked, full of interest.
Lin Zhiyan thought for two seconds and replied: "No particular thoughts, I suppose."
"Hmm?" Fukuda Miyuki was taken aback for a moment.
Lin Zhiyan explained: "I am just an ordinary producer. My mission as a producer is to make our company's anime the best it can be; I have no other thoughts beyond that."
"Wouldn't you feel happy?" Fukuda Miyuki couldn't help but ask.
"I can't say I'm not happy at all, but this current achievement isn't exactly a highlight in my career. There's no need to get complacent over a result like this, is there?" Lin Zhiyan said with a straight face.
Fukuda Miyuki blinked, then nodded hesitantly: "I suppose that's true; this current achievement really doesn't compare to the results of your previous anime."
Fukuda Miyuki blinked, then nodded hesitantly, "I suppose you're right; compared to the achievements of your previous anime, this current result really doesn't amount to much."
Lin Zhiyan continued, "I see many people online saying that we've taken special effects to the extreme, but in reality, we didn't do anything particularly special. This can only be considered standard operating procedure for our company. Like the previous 'Fate' series and 'Rage of Bahamut,' we've had quite a few big scenes with maxed-out special effects."
In fact, in the other timeline, the canonical 'Fate' series anime, with the exception of the first one, were all produced by ufotable, the production company behind 'Demon Slayer'.
In the timeline where Lin Zhiyan resides, 'The Garden of Sinners', which served as a lifeline for ufotable, was handed over to L.S Produ by Type-Moon, which triggered a series of chain reactions: all the subsequent Type-Moon-related works were also handed over to L.S Produ for production.
Now that the animation company ufotable no longer exists, the core staff who were at ufotable in that other timeline are basically all at Lin Zhiyan's L.S Produ.
Returning to the topic, the orthodox "Fate" series animations do indeed contain many big scenes with maxed-out special effects, which, even when compared to the special effects in episode 19 of "Demon Slayer," are not much worse.
It's just that, at the time, the "Fate" series animations—even the episodes focused on special effects—didn't generate that level of discussion.
Of course, although the level of discussion wasn't that exaggerated and didn't reach mainstream popularity, its popularity and discussion volume were by no means low; in fact, its disc sales reached 40,000 to 50,000, which is something "Demon Slayer" cannot compare to.
Additionally, L.S Animation's first animation, "Rage of Bahamut," had a lot of money poured into it to promote the mobile game, and the resulting special effects were also quite impressive, not losing much when compared to "Demon Slayer."
If one were to ask how the special effects of the "Fate" series and "Rage of Bahamut" differ from those in "Demon Slayer," it is that the special effects in "Demon Slayer" are more flamboyant and possess greater visual impact; in this regard, the "Fate" series and "Rage of Bahamut" truly cannot compare.
With more gorgeous special effects and greater visual impact, it is certainly more popular with the audience and easier to break into the mainstream.
The rest is a matter of subject matter. Both the "Fate" series and "Rage of Bahamut" are animation adaptations of games, which are clearly aimed at fans, creating a certain barrier to entry for those unfamiliar with the original works. "Demon Slayer," however, has a lower barrier to entry, making it easier to break into the mainstream.
As an editor for an animation magazine, Fukuda Miyuki certainly wouldn't have missed the "Fate" series or "Rage of Bahamut." She nodded, "Now that you mention it, that's true. It seems like special effects have always been your company's strength?"
"I should say that both our animation department and photography department are very strong. However, the other departments are also of a high standard. With the various departments working closely together, plus some very excellent and cooperative external collaborators, the result is the effect achieved in this 'Demon Slayer,'" Lin Zhiyan corrected.
Special effects actually include both the animation effects and the photography effects, but the work of the animators and the photography directors is not limited to just special effects.
To put it simply, what makes L.S Produ strong is not just the special effects; both departments are formidable.
Having interviewed Lin Zhiyan multiple times, Fukuda Miyuki knew quite a bit about the inner workings of L.S Produ and knew that Lin Zhiyan was not just boasting.
However, she did not continue this topic, but instead changed the subject: "I heard that you personally stepped in to negotiate the animation adaptation rights for this work. Did you already know that this anime would become a hit if handed to your company to produce?"
"How could that be possible?"
Lin Zhiyan shook his head and denied it, "Even I cannot guarantee that a certain anime will definitely be a hit. It's just that our company has had a main featured animation every year in recent years. When I was considering the main featured animation for 2019, I happened to see the original manga of Demon Slayer and felt that this work was very suitable for our company to produce. It could serve as our main featured animation for 2019, and I was afraid others might not be able to secure the rights, which is why I personally stepped in."
The guess that he chose this work because he knew Demon Slayer would be a hit was actually correct, but Lin Zhiyan dared not admit it, otherwise, he feared it would be difficult to explain later.
The audience could think that, but he himself could not admit it.
Moreover, his memories before his rebirth only went up to 2022, so he couldn't say for sure what the animation market would be like after that; he could only rely on his own experience to judge.
He had even decided that once he achieved his goal as a producer, he would produce one more animated film where he served as the supervising director, and then enter a state of semi-retirement. From then on, he would just be an ordinary president, only responsible for animation planning and reviewing finished products, and occasionally participating in the animation work.
Under these circumstances, it was better to keep a low profile.
Seeing Lin Zhiyan deny it, Fukuda Miyuki was a bit disappointed.
After thinking for a moment, she asked again, "When you said you expected to achieve your goal as a producer before 2022, wasn't it because you knew that 'Demon Slayer' would be a hit?"
"Of course not. And although 'Demon Slayer' is quite popular now, it hasn't become popular enough for me to achieve my goal as a producer, has it?" Lin Zhiyan countered.
Fukuda Miyuki was stunned for a moment.
Lin Zhiyan continued, "However, the fact that the 'Demon Slayer' animation has become popular now has made me change some of my original thoughts."
"What kind of thoughts?" Fukuda Miyuki asked quickly.
Lin Zhiyan didn't reveal them, instead, he smiled, "It still needs to be kept secret for now. You'll know in a while."
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 15+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon