As early as March, even before [ Death Note ] had finished airing, Lin Zhiyan had already decided that his company's second animation project would be [ Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion ].
Speaking of this animation, one must mention another work: [ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED ], also produced by Sunrise.
Some say that Lelouch's popularity was boosted by Gundam's momentum.
This argument has some merit, but it's not entirely accurate.
[ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED ] aired from October 5, 2002, to September 27, 2003, with its sequel, [ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny ], running from October 9, 2004, to October 1, 2005.
Unlike previous Gundam series that focused on war scenes, [ Gundam SEED ] used extensive plot to explore the emotional entanglements between its main characters.
With its charismatic characters and star-studded voice cast, the series attracted a large number of viewers who had never watched any Gundam anime before. This made the show one of the most popular animations from 2002 to 2005, and its Blu-ray sales ranked second only to [ Mobile Suit Gundam ] in the entire Gundam franchise.
However, because the plot's focus was on the emotional entanglements of the main characters, many of Gundam's core fans rejected the animation, arguing it wasn't a true Gundam series at all, but merely an idol drama masquerading as one. This led to considerable controversy surrounding the animation's reception.
Regardless, the animation was a commercial success.
Moreover, because the Gundam series had been in a slump for years, with previous installments either failing to sell well or receiving poor reviews, the entire franchise was in an awkward position. The success of this animation effectively saved the Gundam franchise.
Furthermore, the animation offered a new direction for the mecha genre, deviating from traditional approaches. A year after Gundam SEED Destiny ended, in October 2006, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion emerged.
Code Geass also de-emphasized the mecha, focusing instead on character development and emotional drama.
The animation's massive popularity after its 2006 release was partly due to Gundam SEED, but the series' plot was inherently excellent. Even without the Gundam title, as it wasn't part of the Gundam franchise at all, it could have become a hit on its own. It might not have reached the same level of fame, but it would still have been successful.
Lin Zhiyan had actually considered producing other animations first, saving Lelouch for the third season. He planned to schedule it between October 2003 and September 2004, the gap between the end of Gundam SEED and the release of SEED Destiny.
At that time, viewers who had just finished Gundam SEED might have felt unsatisfied and turned to Lelouch, thus diverting Gundam SEED's audience. In that scenario, it would truly have been riding the coattails of Gundam.
However, upon closer reflection, this arrangement wasn't ideal. It would give the impression that Lin Zhiyan was simply following trends.
Take web novels as an example: when one becomes popular, numerous imitative works often spring up. Following trends allows creators to avoid worrying about audience engagement; even a hastily written story might succeed more easily than one painstakingly crafted through personal effort.
While it's true that following trends can lead to a bad reputation, and if too many imitations are produced, they might even be perceived by viewers as factory-produced products from a studio.
If Lelouch were to premiere in October 2003, there would be no doubt about its popularity. Even with minimal promotion, it would attract a massive audience. However, people would inevitably accuse Lin Zhiyan of following trends.
Although making money isn't shameful, Lin Zhiyan had already earned a substantial amount from Death Note. With no pressing financial needs, maintaining his reputation was more important.
Rather than releasing Lelouch at that time and giving the impression that he was copying Gundam SEED, it would be better to release Lelouch before Gundam SEED. That way, it wouldn't be him copying Gundam SEED; instead, Gundam SEED might end up copying his animation.
The idea of him copying the Gundam series while the Gundam series copies him was one thing, but the latter sounded far more impressive. So, without a doubt, he chose the latter.
As for airing Lelouch concurrently with Gundam SEED, Lin Zhiyan had considered it. However, upon closer reflection, it wouldn't work because it would create direct competition.
If the animation were only broadcast on TV, shifting the broadcast date wouldn't be a major issue. However, since the animation was also planned for DVD release, competing in the DVD market could lead to mutual destruction, making it a very unfavorable outcome.
It would be more suitable to premiere in January 2002. That way, by the time Gundam SEED released its DVDs, the entire first season of Lelouch would have already been released, avoiding any impact.
Why Lelouch specifically, and not another animation? This decision was made because the first animation was Death Note.
Death Note is a psychological thriller. While Lelouch can't be strictly classified as such—its male lead has superpowers and lacks a rival as brilliant as L—there are slight similarities in the male leads' characterizations: both possess exceptional intelligence and neither can be considered a straightforward hero.
To attract fans of Death Note to a new animation, Lelouch was the most suitable choice.
By the time Lelouch was completed, Lin Zhiyan's and L.S Production's Divine Status would be largely solidified. This would make future animation promotions much easier.
By then, they might not even need much promotion. Simply announcing the involvement of Lin Zhiyan and L.S. would likely draw in viewers who would give it a try, saving a significant amount of time, effort, and promotional resources.
Moreover, this animation would serve as a foundation for the third installment, though that was still a long way off, likely not airing until 2004 at the earliest.
Currently, they only had a general idea; specific details would have to wait until after Lelouch was completed.
The plot of this animation required minimal revisions, with only the mecha designs needing a redesign.
This task would be personally handled by Lin Zhiyan.
He would also retain his roles as Supervising Director, script supervisor, music supervisor, and Chief Animation Director. However, he wouldn't be handling the character designs himself this time. Instead, mirroring the original timeline's approach, he would recruit CLAMP for the original character concept art and then have Sekiguchi Kanami handle the detailed character design work.
For the theme song, Lin Zhiyan would also avoid singing it himself, opting instead for a popular singer.
As for the voice actors, with the exception of a few who hadn't debuted yet, they would all be the same as in the original timeline.
Consequently, compared to the first animation, Death Note, this Lelouch adaptation would be considerably more faithful to its source material.
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