By May, most January anime had already ended in early April.
An ordinary anime normally has only twelve episodes, airing one episode per week. Overlapping with the change of seasons, three months formed one anime season. A year had January anime, April anime, July anime, and October anime.
This episode count was actually a conservative approach by animation production companies. Their mindset was to first release twelve episodes and test the market reaction. If sales and feedback were good, then a second season could be scheduled. If sales were poor and the work itself was commercial in nature, then it would probably become one of those "maybe in your lifetime" series.
Of course, there were exceptions.
For example, long-running hot-blooded shōnen manga adaptations like 'Adventure King' had stable popularity from the original work and a broad market. Basically, as long as the animation studio did not court death, it would definitely make a profit. These anime were aimed at becoming long-running series from the start.
Next were industry-level IP anime like 'Mobile Suit 007,' which had support from previous works. Even if the anime's popularity was poor, there would always be faithful fans supporting it.
Cases like 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' an original anime directly announced as a twenty-four-episode production, were extremely rare.
If it succeeded, it would become another 'Code Geass.' If it failed, it would become 'Guilty Crown.'
Of course, even though many viewers criticized the plot of 'Guilty Crown,' its production quality was undeniable. Its visuals and music were top-tier for the time. Even now, Kamiyā Yuu still had a deep impression of that anime's opening and its German song, Sword-Drawing Divine Tune.
On top of that, the heroine Inori Yuzuriha supported the popularity of the entire anime. Its average BD sales exceeded 8,000, reaching the second-season threshold. Usually, only around fifteen percent of anime in a single season could achieve such results.
For an original anime to adopt a twenty-four-episode length, the production team had to possess immense confidence in itself before daring to take that risk.
Now, even though the April anime had just aired, most anime fans' attention remained on January works.
There was no other reason.
Among the January anime, four long-running works—'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' 'Adventure King,' and 'Mobile Suit 007'—were being called this year's Big Three before the July and October anime had even come out. Their battle for popularity had fallen into a back-and-forth stalemate.
Many anime otaku believed this was the most glorious year in the industry's history.
All three works belonged to the phenomenon-level category within the ACG field and had injected considerable vitality into the industry.
Now, Akihabara, Tokyo's famous electronics district, was filled with promotional material related to these three works. All kinds of merchandise were selling splendidly.
...
'Anime Newtype.'
This physical magazine was published by the famous publisher Chiyo Bookstore. It was currently the most popular and longest-running anime magazine.
It released one issue every month and included small extras such as anime keychains, posters, and cards. The magazine's content consisted of analyses by industry veterans and all kinds of anime information.
Japan protected the rights of official releases very strictly. Therefore, even in an era where electronic products were widespread, printed books and magazines remained enduringly popular.
Physical manga, fashion magazines, and age-restricted photo books could all be bought at convenience stores.
Inside a serious meeting, the editors of Chiyo Bookstore Co., Ltd., who were responsible for the monthly 'Anime Newtype,' exchanged opinions with one another.
"Um... how about continuing to publish related content for 'Mobile Suit 007'? The plot of this anime is currently at an explosive point, and I believe many viewers will be interested. The heroine also ranked second in this female character popularity poll."
A young male editor hesitated for a moment before raising his hand and voicing his opinion.
Another, more experienced editor shook his head.
"But in this month's popularity survey report, 'Adventure King' is still first."
"We've already mainly published information related to 'Adventure King' for three consecutive months. No matter how you put it, readers will start feeling fatigued."
"Then what about 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'? This anime has plenty of things to dig into. Although it still ranks third in this month's anime popularity survey, various data show that it has considerable potential."
"Agreed. Previously, we only mentioned content related to 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' in a few columns. If we dig deeper into this anime, we should be able to make several major column features out of it."
Another editor objected,
"I believe this month we should begin focusing on the May anime. Although January anime are popular, repeatedly covering old information will also make readers tired."
"Editor-in-Chief Ishikawa, what do you think?"
The gazes of all editors participating in the meeting turned toward Editor-in-Chief Ishikawa, who had remained silent in thought the entire time.
He was one of the founders of 'Anime Newtype' and is currently the most senior elder within the company. His opinion would directly determine the outcome of this meeting.
Editor-in-Chief Ishikawa was a thin old man with a white goatee. Perhaps because of his gaunt face, he appeared even more serious in the eyes of others.
He flipped through the anime information in his hands. After quite some time, he removed his reading glasses and said in a low voice,
"We publish what readers want to see. We choose the subjects readers find interesting. Editor Takakatsu, please report this month's reader feedback."
Hearing this, the young editor hurriedly stood and read aloud the letter statistics regarding reader feedback.
"Yes. Currently, there are 872 reader feedback letters related to the January anime 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' 521 for 'Mobile Suit 007,' and 518 for 'Adventure King.'"
"What about the April section?"
"Um, the April anime section has already been included in the statistics. It's just that since the feedback did not enter the top three, according to regulations, there was no need to read it aloud."
The young editor awkwardly explained under the questioning of an older editor.
This phenomenon was quite rare.
"Now that you mention it, that's true. Although 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' is temporarily only in the top three in the popularity survey, its popularity growth is undoubtedly the fastest. Its topicality online is also ranked first. It is necessary to publish an entire season's worth of content with this anime as the theme."
Editor-in-Chief Ishikawa focused as he flipped through the information about 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' in his hands.
After a long while, he laughed loudly and said,
"Isn't this quite interesting? This month's theme will be 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' as well as Kamiyā Yuu, the animation director, who is called an industry genius."
The veteran editors froze.
One of them stood in surprise and asked,
"Editor-in-Chief Ishikawa, do you mean..."
"Yes. Not only the anime itself, but also a column interview on Kamiyā Yuu as a person."
"But that sort of treatment has only ever been given to those few famous directors. Wouldn't it be too risky to suddenly make an industry newcomer animation director the subject of a column?"
Another senior editor frowned and offered his suggestion.
What Editor-in-Chief Ishikawa meant was that, aside from standard content, this season's 'Anime Newtype' would be entirely used to publish information related to 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' or rather, Kamiyā Yuu.
That was equivalent to writing a biography for an animation director.
Usually, only animation directors who had produced more than ten works, including no fewer than three hit anime, qualified for such treatment.
How many people in the industry would pay attention to an unknown animation director or a rookie director?
If it were handled poorly, they would receive a large batch of complaint letters from readers.
"Director Kamiyā is interesting. That alone is enough."
Editor-in-Chief Ishikawa grinned.
Without allowing anyone else to object, he looked around at everyone and continued asking,
"Then, who will interview Director Kamiyā this time?"
...
Kamiyā Yuu was somewhat surprised when he received the interview request from Chiyo Bookstore.
Of course, he knew the name Chiyo Bookstore and the famous industry physical magazine 'Anime Newtype.'
For him, accepting this interview was basically all benefit and no harm.
The day after he agreed over the phone, an editor from Chiyo Bookstore came to visit and interview him.
This interview was different from 'Words of Celebrities.'
The main content of the TV program 'Words of Celebrities' leaned more toward introducing the animation industry than describing the industry from Kamiyā Yuu's perspective.
The editor from Chiyo Bookstore was clearly an industry veteran. The various interview topics were sharp and professional.
"Mr. Kamiyā, how do you view the current industry environment? What limitations does it place on your creative work?"
"In your work 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' there is one scene that viewers are extremely interested in. Around the eleven-minute mark of Episode Seven, there is a background image related to the number of witches. Many people online speculate that witches are actually transformed, magical girls. If you feel it is inconvenient, you do not need to answer this question."
"Mr. Kamiyā, your first work, 'RWBY,' is a highly popular animated film worldwide. Why did you choose to turn toward Japanese animation instead of continuing development in that direction?"
"Mr. Kamiyā, could you talk to us about how you positioned Fate-chan, one of the protagonists of 'Magical Girl Nanoha,' in your conception?"
...
The interview lasted quite a long time.
Its content covered all of Kamiyā Yuu's understanding of the industry.
Most of Kamiyā Yuu's answers were highly insightful and sharp. Even the editor conducting the interview felt greatly surprised.
Was Kamiyā Yuu's vision and experience truly that of a rookie animation director who had only produced a few works?
Many of his answers were more farsighted than those of veteran directors interviewed in the past, and the scope they touched upon was broader.
Kamiyā Yuu possessed the perspective of the animation industry from his previous world.
This world's murky animation industry was as transparent as glass in his eyes.
By combining the circumstances of his previous world, the constructive answers he gave were naturally far more impressive than those of most animation directors in this world.
This season's 'Anime Newtype' had two main focuses.
One was the currently popular anime 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.'
The other was a column introduction about Kamiyā Yuu as an animation director.
This was further divided into Kamiyā Yuu's column interview and past reports related to works such as 'RWBY' and 'Magical Girl Nanoha.'
The amount of content could not be called small.
After understanding the situation, even Kamiyā Yuu himself felt some anticipation toward this season's 'Anime Newtype.'
What interested Kamiyā Yuu most about 'Anime Newtype' was the monthly popularity survey report.
Due to different audience demographics, data from physical magazines and online data would always differ somewhat.
Before March, the popularity champion in 'Anime Newtype' had continuously been 'Adventure King.'
'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' only exploded in plot after the March issue of the magazine was released.
However, that same month also happened to coincide with a major plot highlight in 'Mobile Suit 007.'
With the popularity support of its previous works, 'Mobile Suit 007' naturally became the most popular anime in April.
In May, the plot of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' became increasingly captivating. Every episode gave viewers endless things to discuss and left them unable to stop watching.
Its anime popularity continued to climb, but it was still narrowly suppressed by 'Adventure King.'
The fact that Chiyo Bookstore was interviewing him meant that, barring any accidents, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' had been personally selected as number one in June's 'Anime Newtype' popularity survey.
The two strongest points in the plot of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' were, first, the plot twist—Episode Three of the original work, and Episode Seven of Kamiyā Yuu's remake.
The second was the ending, which revealed all the truths and detonated every piece of foreshadowing at once.
It was precisely the ending of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' that allowed this anime to ascend to the position of anime overlord.
Kamiyā Yuu had always been confident in the growth speed of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica's popularity.
Now, before the story had even reached its second explosive point, its popularity was already comparable to the most popular 'Adventure King.'
Once it approached the ending, even Kamiyā Yuu could not predict how far its popularity would rise.
Since 'Anime Newtype' was launching a column on 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica,' its popularity would surely climb another level.
Being able to claim first place in popularity before the anime's second major plot explosion also made Kamiyā Yuu quite happy.
...
In May, Kamiyā Yuu was not as leisurely as he had imagined.
During this period, he personally participated in every production step of the anime.
Even areas where he, as the animation director, did not originally need to appear were directly handled by him.
The reason was the second plot climax of Kamiyā Yuu's remade 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'—
The smile of magical girl Sakura Kyōko.
Through Sakura Kyōko's memories, it would reveal the opening chapter of the cruel fate of magical girls.
The reason 'Neon Genesis Evangelion's [Rei Ayanami's Smile] was elevated to godhood was because of the anime's plot background.
In truth, when viewed through modern animation aesthetics, that scene was not as outstanding as people imagined.
But Sakura Kyōko's smile had plot buildup.
More importantly, it relied on the infectious power of the image itself.
It needed to be an image that transcended language and allowed people to intuitively understand the complex emotions in her heart at a single glance.
This image could be a close-up of an expression change. Combined with the background and the character's expression, the transformation of the smile and the look in her eyes had to provide a complete interpretation.
After April, Kamiyā Yuu finished revising the original art storyboards.
Then, he poured all his energy into this close-up shot.
He personally drew the key art, then discarded it.
He personally colored the animation, only to discover that it differed from what he imagined, then tried and failed countless times.
Unfortunately, when it came to emotional expression, even entering the consciousness space made it difficult to gain anything.
Because of this, Kamiyā Yuu was irritated for almost half a month.
Now that the anime's broadcast date was approaching, Episode Seventeen still had not been delivered to the television station for precisely this reason.