During her lunch break, Nakamura Mizuki found a seat in the company cafeteria, opened her bento box, and quietly ate with her chopsticks. After only two bites, she couldn't help but yawn.
"Senior, you stayed up late watching dramas again last night, didn't you?" a short-haired girl in a plaid shirt asked as she sat down opposite Mizuki and opened her own bento box.
Hearing this, Mizuki glanced at her junior and nodded. "This season's Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day on Fuji Television is just too good."
"I knew it," the girl smiled.
"Hmm?" Mizuki looked puzzled.
"I'm watching that animation too," the girl explained.
"Really?" Mizuki was surprised.
"Really, really!" The girl nodded vigorously. "I first saw the promotional program and decided to watch because the supervising director is so handsome and talented. I never expected it to be this good, and it doesn't pander to otaku at all. It's completely changed my preconceived notions about animation."
As she spoke, she exclaimed, "There's fried chicken! Could we trade?"
"How about a sausage then?" Nakamura Mizuki replied.
After exchanging food, they continued discussing the anime Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day:
"The emotional portrayal is so delicate."
"Yeah, it even made me nostalgic for my childhood."
"What was your childhood like, Senior?"
"Hmm... I had a really good friend in elementary school. But when we went to different junior high schools, we lost touch. We haven't spoken in years, and I probably wouldn't even recognize her if we met again."
Rebirth: The Great Wave of the Era
"I understand. I have a friend like that too. I'd even forgotten she existed until Anohana reminded me of her."
A high school in Tokyo.
The dismissal bell rang, and Hayami Saori packed her things, ready to leave.
"Saori-chan, are you heading to the Anohana voice recording session?" a classmate called out from a distance.
Hayami Saori paused, then shook her head. "No, that's tomorrow. Today I'm recording a radio program."
"That's cool."
"Good luck!"
"Let us know when the show airs! I'll definitely tune in."
Several classmates chimed in.
Hayami Saori responded with an "Okay" and bid them farewell.
Once outside the school, she raised her hand to cover her face.
A subtle sense of embarrassment washed over her, but she didn't dislike the feeling.
She'd known about voice actors since fourth grade and vowed to become one. In April 2004, she enrolled in the Broadcasting and Acting Institute. By March 2006, in her second year of the junior voice actor program, she passed the selection exam for i-menterprise.
Her path to becoming a voice actor seemed smooth, but White Lily Academy, the noble girls' school she'd attended since childhood, didn't permit such pursuits. Forced to abandon her studies there, she transferred to her current high school.
Although her parents had always supported her voice acting career, and her family circumstances were far more comfortable than those of ordinary voice actors, she still felt a certain pressure.
Fortunately, not long after transferring to her current high school, she was chosen to voice the main character Tsurumi Chiriko in Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. As the anime became a hit, she gradually gained popularity.
Hard work pays off. Persistence is worthwhile.
With this thought, a smile involuntarily spread across her face.
Soon, she composed herself and headed to the studio to record the radio program.
When she arrived, the other two voice actors, Hanazawa Kana and Tomatsu Haruka, were already there.
"Good afternoon," Hayami Saori greeted first. "You're here early."
"I didn't have classes this afternoon, so I came over early," Tomatsu Haruka replied.
"Me too. I wanted to come early and chat with you guys first," Hanazawa Kana added. "That way, we won't suddenly run out of things to say during the recording."
"It's not live, so it's fine," Hayami Saori said, not as nervous.
She found a seat and joined their conversation.
As they chatted, the conversation naturally turned to animation-related matters:
"I heard the official team is planning a special concert for Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. We'll be performing there too, singing 'secret base~kimi ga kureta mono~' together, and it'll be the grand finale."
"Really?"
"No way! I can barely handle recording in the studio. Performing in front of a crowd would make me so nervous I'd die."
"I feel the same, but as voice actors, we can't really refuse. We'll just have to do it. Besides, the fans would probably love a concert like that."
"We should just see it as an opportunity. If we do well, maybe we could even debut as singers in the future."
"You guys want to debut as singers?"
"Focusing on voice acting is great, but wouldn't becoming singers increase our visibility? That wouldn't be bad, right?"
"True. I never expected Anohana to become this popular. Director Tomohiko Hayashi is just amazing."
"And he's handsome too."
"Yeah, he is."
How popular was Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day? While it might not quite reach the level of a "phenomenal anime," it was far more than just a "super popular anime."
The anime's merchandise was a hot seller. After its theme song CD was released, it shot up the Oricon Chart. In particular, three voice actor cover versions of "Secret Base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~" reached surprisingly high positions, even boosting sales of the original song.
Online discussions about the anime were everywhere. The Old Chichibu Bridge, a filming location for the animation, saw its visitor numbers skyrocket during the anime's run.
It's even said that some local railway companies were considering official collaborations with Anohana to issue commemorative train tickets.
Moreover, the animation's viewership ratings were exceptionally high. While still trailing behind Puella Magi Madoka Magica, it was undeniably the top-rated late-night anime of April 2008. In fact, since the start of 2008, no other late-night anime had surpassed Anohana in viewership.
The Blu-ray discs were still months away from release, yet over ten thousand pre-orders had already been placed, a testament to its popularity.
Indeed, the anime's opening scene immediately introduced a ghost as the main character, with the protagonist already dead before the plot had even begun. This drew furious criticism from many, who called Lin Zhiyan "insane" and the "female lead's destroyer." The mid-series was both heartbreaking and emotionally draining, but this did nothing to diminish the audience's affection for the anime or its eventual success.
It burned bright, just as it was meant to.
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