['Yosuganosora' Animation Studio, Japan
Chief Director: Kamiyā Yuu
3D Director: Yūki Chinatsu
Animation Director: Uehara Etsuki
Production Director: Morishita Aoi
Other Production Staff: Miyauchi Ema, Matsuoka Taira, Majima Hana
Special Thanks: 'Fakebook' Website, Robert Carey, David Harrison]
...
...
Lin Ye, who had no idea how many times he had already rewatched the 'RWBY' animated film, stared absentmindedly at the production credits rolling after the ending and muttered in amazement, "To think they managed to create the movie version of 'RWBY' with so few staff members... just how did 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio pull this off?"
Lin Ye was not a professional animator, but even as an amateur animation enthusiast, he understood how difficult the production of the 'RWBY' film must have been. Besides feeling incredulous, he also developed deep admiration for the chief director named Kamiyā Yuu.
"When the BD or figures come out, I absolutely have to buy them. White is the best!"
After closing his laptop, Lin Ye stretched lazily on the sofa before falling into thought again.
A truly great work could make people cry, make them laugh, or leave them with a deep sense of emptiness—that subtle feeling where, after experiencing a masterpiece, it becomes difficult to find anything similar again. After his excitement faded, Lin Ye's feelings became far more complicated. Aside from the amazement and admiration he felt as a viewer, he also carried an irrepressible sense of envy deep inside.
Long ago, when he first stepped into the ACG world, he had once entertained an unrealistic dream:
"Someday, I want to create an animation that amazes people and earns widespread recognition."
But the sluggish state of China's domestic animation industry, combined with opposition from his family, had forced Lin Ye to abandon that dream. He was now studying web design at an art vocational college.
"Even if I can't become a creator, becoming someone who spreads these works around isn't bad either. If I can grow my fansub website into a professional ACG site, maybe one day, when it gets big enough, I might even get to play around as an animation director."
Half-joking and half-serious, Lin Ye made up his mind.
It was not just wishful thinking. Thanks to the popularity his website had accumulated from reposting the 'RWBY' character promotional trailers, his fansub site had already become the earliest and most popular 'RWBY' fan community in China, with over one hundred thousand daily IP visits.
However, his interests still lacked support from his family, and he could not find a path for future growth. Sites like his were extremely common in China, but almost all of them existed in a half-dead state, surviving solely on ad revenue generated by a small number of hardcore users.
To realize his dream, Lin Ye not only needed substantial financial backing but also a way to break through the limitations of his website.
"I'll be graduating next year. When that happens, maybe I should take a trip to Akihabara in Japan... Perhaps I could even visit Director Kamiyā Yuu at 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio."
...
"Hoo~!"
The small wall-mounted projector in the bedroom slowly finished playing the film and displayed the production credits. The silent stillness was broken by a long exhale. Sitting on the sofa, Ralph and his son let out a synchronized sigh of relief. The tension during the screening of 'RWBY' had made them almost forget to breathe.
The father and son exchanged a smile and slapped palms together.
Then Ralph's son rolled his eyes and looked at his father with complete seriousness.
"Ruby!"
Ralph froze briefly before recalling the argument caused by the movie premiere a week ago. Refusing to back down, he glared right back at his son.
"Yang!"
"Ruby!"
"Yang!"
Neither side showed any intention of yielding.
"Ruby is the cutest! She's the protagonist of the 'RWBY' series, and she was the one who defeated the final boss!" Ralph's son crossed his arms and protested angrily at his father.
With the profound expression of a man reminiscing, Ralph replied, "You're still young. Yang is the type all men pursue. Just like how I was attracted to your mother back then."
"That's unfortunate, because I don't like Mom's personality at all! I like Ruby!" Ralph's son patted his chest confidently, clearly unwilling to compromise.
Ralph gave a sly grin but did not rush to argue further.
"Very well, Gatte. Who do you think makes your breakfast every day? Who washes your clothes every day? Who gives you allowance every month?"
A middle-aged blonde woman stood behind the sofa with her hands on her waist, smiling calmly as she looked at the noisy father and son.
"Oh~ Shite!" Ralph's son shot a fierce glare at his father and muttered under his breath. Then he immediately switched to an adorable smile and turned around to flatter her.
"Mom, even though I don't like your personality, you know how much I love you."
...
Robert had spent a busy yet fulfilling week.
The collaborative project between 'RWBY' and the 'Fakebook' company, led by him personally, had officially been declared a complete success!
Members of the animation section team almost saw the usually stern Robert wearing a kind expression every single day. He would frequently fall into silly grins and dreamy dazes. Just from facilitating this partnership alone, Robert would receive a bonus exceeding one million US dollars this year—enough for him to buy a villa after retirement and live a leisurely, comfortable life.
The tremendous success of the 'RWBY' animated film caused the popularity of the animation section on the 'Fakebook' website to more than double. Moreover, because of the sensation 'RWBY' had created across the Western internet, more and more famous overseas film and television companies began approaching 'Fakebook' in hopes of cooperating with the copyright holders of 'RWBY'.
Kamiyā Yuu had authorized 'Fakebook' to freely decide on overseas partnerships. Aside from taking the appropriate copyright fees, he imposed no additional restrictions.
In short, Kamiyā Yuu simply did not want to deal with the troublesome matter of overseas copyright licensing, but he also had no intention of letting such a valuable opportunity go to waste.
Although this approach reduced profits somewhat, it also saved a great deal of effort. For the still immature 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio, this was the best way to handle things.
The enormous profits generated by 'RWBY' were already enough for Kamiyā Yuu to use as starting capital to excavate the "treasures" within his grasp. Compared to that, what did the film's copyright revenue amount to?
After 'RWBY' began streaming on the 'Fakebook' platform, its explosive surge in popularity caused its commercial valuation to skyrocket from one hundred million US dollars to over five hundred million almost overnight. Within a single week, it had already earned more than one hundred million US dollars in actual box office revenue.
If nothing unexpected happened, when Robert returned to Japan next month, he would be bringing more than twenty million US dollars in liquid capital to 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio. In addition, the studio would continue receiving varying amounts of follow-up profit shares every month afterward.
With this massive influx of funding, 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio could rapidly develop into a major animation production company rivaling even Kyoni Animation Co., Ltd.