Inside a izakaya, several animation industry professionals were drinking and chatting.
"Did you hear Hosoda's been hanging around L.S lately?"
"I heard that too. That guy's got some nerve. After dragging us through hell, he's acting like nothing happened, still making anime."
"Exactly. My colleagues didn't say anything to my face, but I know they're all laughing at me behind my back. If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have helped him at Studio Ghibli, even if he'd groveled at my feet."
"Speaking of which, President Lin at L.S is really something else. Hosoda's reputation is already the talk of the industry, yet he still hired him as Supervising Director."
"Maybe Death Note made him so much money that he doesn't care if Hosoda's next project fails."
"Damn it! What kind of world is this? Can money really buy you anything?"
"Money can certainly buy you anything. But one success doesn't mean anything. If he keeps bankrolling anime projects, he'll go bankrupt sooner or later. Animation isn't that simple. Success isn't guaranteed. Death Note was just a fluke—a burst of inspiration and good luck. I don't believe his next one will be as successful."
"You're right. If his next anime is as successful as Death Note, I'll quit my current job and apply to his company on the spot."
This wasn't to doubt Lin Zhiyan's abilities; his talent had already been proven in the anime Death Note.
With the fanbase he had accumulated from Death Note, even a casually made follow-up animation should perform reasonably well commercially.
However, reaching the same heights as Death Note—achieving the same level of success—would be difficult. After all, that anime had already become legendary, hailed by countless fans as the pinnacle of battle of wits animation.
How could anyone expect to make one hit after another, each one a resounding success?
Even the Big Three Anime Magazines, in their December 10th issues, expressed anticipation for Lin Zhiyan's new work while also questioning whether it could match Death Note's commercial success. Some even boldly speculated whether it could reach half of Death Note's commercial heights.
There was no choice. Last time, there had been a pre-release manga. This time, thanks to the popularity and fanbase Death Note had built, the new animation would attract massive attention even without a pre-release manga. Moreover, with CLAMP designing the original character concepts and Lin Zhiyan himself wanting to focus the audience's discussions on the plot after the first episode aired, there was no pre-release manga this time.
With no prior manga and only a promotional video that revealed little about the plot, the focus was entirely on the fact that this was a new work by the Death Note supervising director, scriptwriter, and production company.
Under these circumstances, it was natural for people to wonder if the new animation could reach the same heights as Death Note.
However, fans didn't dwell on such concerns. After watching the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion promotional video, most expressed their excitement:
"Finally, Lord Hayashi's new anime is here! I'll definitely watch it."
"Rebellion? Does the new anime also have that dark, anti-hero vibe? Another protagonist who's an antagonist? If so, I'm really looking forward to it."
"The PV shows the new anime is mecha-themed? Nice! This kind of anime feels more like an anime. I bet it'll be more interesting than Death Note."
"The new anime has character designs by the Cardcaptor Sakura author? Awesome! Double the joy for dual fans!"
"The PV alone has such a strong vibe. I can't wait for the full show."
"Premieres January 5th? I checked, and it's on a Saturday. I don't have work the next day, so I can finally binge-watch it properly."
"I can't wait. I really want to see it as soon as possible."
Of course, not everyone was so enthusiastic about following the new series.
Some were slightly disappointed after watching the promotional video:
"Didn't Lord Hayashi handle the character design and theme song for the new animation?"
"Mechs? That's a completely different genre from Death Note. I hope they don't turn it into a hot-blooded action anime."
"To be honest, I'm not optimistic about this genre. Death Note's unique premise perfectly showcased its 'intellectual battle' appeal. With mechs, I doubt they can seamlessly integrate that kind of strategy. And if they abandon the intellectual battle aspect, I'm not sure the anime will even be any good."
"There's no doubt Death Note is the best intellectual battle anime ever. As for mechs, there are already too many great ones, and no matter how well they do it, they'll struggle to surpass EVA or Gundam."
"It doesn't have to be an intellectual battle, I guess. No matter how well they do it, they probably can't surpass Death Note anyway. Still, I'd prefer they maintain Death Note's style. But the mech theme just doesn't seem to fit perfectly with Death Note's style."
"True, the genre shift is pretty drastic. I heard Lord Hayashi's first animation project was Ghost in the Shell under Director Oshii. I was hoping he'd do another futuristic fantasy like that. That kind of project would better showcase his skills and style."
"After Death Note, the character design for the new animation is a bit hard to get used to. I wish Lord Hayashi was still the character designer. Is he too busy? Or what's going on?"
Whether the reviews were positive or negative, they were all published online. Although Lin Zhiyan had paid attention to the online comments during the first two and last two episodes of Death Note, he didn't think the comments before Lelouch began airing were worth his attention.
While netizens debated his new animation, he was either busy with the production of Lelouch or working as the producer for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
Lelouch was one thing, but with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, although Mamoru Hosoda had been the Supervising Director for the original 2006 film, that version was made after Hosoda had largely recovered from the blow of being fired from Studio Ghibli. The current Hosoda had not yet reached that point.
Even though Lin Zhiyan trusted Hosoda completely, he worried that the director might bring his negative emotions into the production of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, resulting in an animation with a style similar to One Piece: The Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island.
He couldn't completely let go; he had to remain vigilant.
As he worked tirelessly on animation production day after day, 2001 quickly passed, and 2002 arrived.
On January 5th, in the evening, L.S Production's second animation, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, premiered.
That night, the company held another launch celebration.
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