Inside the president's office at L.S.Produ.
Lin Zhiyan was being interviewed by a reporter from an animation magazine.
"President Lin, congratulations on the renewed popularity of your new animation, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. Choosing such an unconventional theme, so different from typical late-night anime, and still achieving such outstanding success—it's truly remarkable," said reporter Fukuda Miyuki, her voice tinged with admiration.
"Thank you," Lin Zhiyan replied calmly.
After expressing her admiration, Fukuda Miyuki cleared her throat, suppressed her personal emotions, and adopted a professional tone. "Now, shall we begin the formal interview?"
"Certainly," Lin Zhiyan nodded.
Fukuda Miyuki glanced down at her notebook, where she had prepared several questions in advance.
"First, there's a question our viewers are most eager to know: The script for Anohana was written by Mr. Takagi Makoto, but the animation's concept was developed by you in collaboration with Fuji Television. So, was the idea of a ghost main character something you insisted on from the beginning, or did Mr. Takagi Makoto come up with it himself?"
After all, the scriptwriter for this animation wasn't Lin Zhiyan, but Takagi Makoto. Although Lin Zhiyan had previously posted online about the ghost girl concept, he hadn't mentioned who came up with the idea, leaving many curious.
Of course, it was less that the audience was curious about the origin of the idea, and more that they were convinced it had to be Lin Zhiyan's idea, but they still wanted to hear him admit it personally.
Lin Zhiyan didn't disappoint. He replied directly, "Fuji Television simply asked me to create an animation that would satisfy the original audience of the noitamina slot, without any specific requirements for the content. The entire project, including the character designs, was essentially my own creation from start to finish. So, naturally, it was my idea."
Fukuda Miyuki wasn't surprised by this.
She quickly jotted down some key points with her pen and then asked, "There's a scene in the animation that's both comical and pathetic—the second male lead, Atsumu Matsuyuki, is still unable to move past the death of the Main Character from years ago. To cope, he dresses in the same clothes as the Main Character, puts on a wig, and impersonates her to find psychological comfort. Was that your idea as well?"
Lin Zhiyan hesitated for a moment before answering, "The specific script was written by Takagi, so it's naturally his idea."
"Takagi Makoto's idea?" Fukuda Miyuki muttered inwardly, unable to resist. She'd never known this before. So this Takagi Makoto is quite the twisted one. How else could he come up with such a devilish plot?
My Healing Game
She shook her head and quickly returned to the main topic. "You just referred to him as Takagi. Is this Takagi Makoto also a member of L.S.Produ?"
"Yes," Lin Zhiyan confirmed.
Fukuda Miyuki hesitated, then looked up at him. "President Lin, this is off-topic, but since Takagi-san is also with L.S.Produ, could you ask him about an interview sometime? His debut work was The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and while he's only had a few works in the years since, each one has been a massive success. Yet there's so little information about him in the public eye. It makes one very curious."
"Well..."
Lin Zhiyan, of course, couldn't reveal that Takagi Makoto was himself. He feigned consideration for a moment before saying, "I'll pass on your request for an interview, but I can't promise he'll agree. Even as president of L.S.Produ, I can't force anyone to do what they don't want to."
"Thank you so much!" Fukuda Miyuki said, her face lighting up. Even if an interview with Takagi Makoto wasn't guaranteed, Lin Zhiyan's willingness to relay the request was a significant courtesy. She couldn't ask for more.
After this aside, Fukuda Miyuki continued, "Next question: many viewers say this animation 'rekindled their lost childhood.' Since you developed the concept, have you experienced this yourself? Was the idea for this animation born from a sense of growing distance between childhood friends?"
While Takagi Makoto's information had piqued the public's curiosity, Lin Zhiyan's past was even more intriguing. Everyone knew that after graduating high school in '95, he had joined IG directly as a Key Animator. He spent five years there, becoming one of their leading Key Animators and a recognized genius in the field.
After leaving IG, Lin Zhiyan's career soared, and he became a versatile animation genius, excelling in all aspects of the field.
This naturally made one curious about what Lin Zhiyan had experienced in the past.
If they could uncover some of his experiences before entering the animation industry, the interview would be guaranteed to be compelling.
Lin Zhiyan hadn't actually come up with the Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day anime project based on his own experiences—after all, the project wasn't his idea to begin with. However... it wouldn't hurt to reveal a little about his past.
After some thought, he replied, "The project is just a project; it has nothing to do with my own experiences. It's wonderful if it can help people reconnect with their lost childhoods. Achieving that effect makes me feel this project is very meaningful. But everyone's childhood is beautiful, which is why they want to reclaim it. My childhood was anything but beautiful, so in that regard, I think I'm different from everyone else."
"Your childhood was anything but beautiful?" Fukuda Miyuki was taken aback.
"Yes."
Lin Zhiyan sighed. "Actually, when I first started high school, I was the only one left at home. The outside world calls me a genius Key Animator, but before joining IG, I taught myself animation keyframing for years. I just never told anyone. And at school, I had to work right after classes, so I didn't really make any close friends."
Fukuda Miyuki: "..."
She had only been curious about Lin Zhiyan's experiences before entering the animation industry, never expecting such a situation.
This is too pitiful.
She suddenly looked embarrassed. "President Lin, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up unpleasant memories."
Lin Zhiyan didn't mind at all. After all, while his stories were true, he had barely experienced anything beyond teaching himself animation keyframing for years, so it wasn't really that tragic.
He smiled. "It just wasn't as idyllic as you might imagine, not as miserable as you think. And even though my childhood was unhappy, I'm happy now. I have many friends, I can make the animations I want to, and both my personal life and career are going smoothly. It's quite good, really."
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