He didn't explain, only saying, "This is just my personal opinion. As for what specific name to choose, you'll have to decide that for yourselves."
On the internet, many people are discussing:
"I originally thought that Your Name grossing over 20 billion and becoming the highest-grossing anime after Spirited Away was already its peak, but I didn't expect this anime's box office overseas to be even more explosive. It's truly amazing."
"I can only say that this guy, Lin Zhiyan, is just too strong. He hasn't had a single failed project in all his years since debuting. His TV anime have all had sales of at least over 30,000. Now that he's shifted to the animated film field, he hits a box office of over 20 billion right off the bat, and it's a global hit. It's simply a miracle."
"Yeah, this guy is like he's using a cheat code; even novels wouldn't dare write it like this."
"Speaking of which, it seems like no one has been calling him 'Old Thief Lin' recently."
"AS, Shirobako, Your Name — these anime have brought him too many new fans. Especially Your Name, which brought in almost as many new fans as all his old fans combined. Those new fans haven't been baptized by his early depressing anime, so how could they call him 'Old Thief Lin'?"
"Regardless, he will always be 'Old Thief Lin' in my heart. I won't forget the depressing experience his early anime gave me, and I won't forget the trauma the deceptive marketing of Puella Magi Madoka Magica inflicted on my pure soul back then."
"That's right. Although Lin has changed and doesn't like making depressing anime anymore, in my heart, he will always be the original 'Old Thief Lin' who loved depressing his audience."
In the I.S. Production president's office, Lin Zhiyan looks at the related discussions online and can't help but laugh bitterly.
"Old Thief Lin" who loves depressing the audience, my foot...
Inside L.S. Produ's president's office.
Lin Zhiyan looked at the discussions online, feeling a mix of amusement and helplessness.
"God, he's always the same Old Thief Lin who loves depressing the audience." He couldn't help but chuckle at this. Clearly, he had only wanted to make popular animations that could make money in the beginning; he hadn't even thought about making "depressing" anime.
Later on, the act of depressing the audience did gradually bring him a sense of pleasure, but he wouldn't go as far as saying he liked it—he wasn't such a malicious person after all.
Besides, when it came down to it, early audiences just ate that kind of stuff up. There were plenty of depressing works on the market, such as the Gundam series, Elfen Lied, Air, After Story, Shiki, Higurashi When They Cry, Another, From the New World, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0...
Even the "Big Three" shonen manga, while appearing to be straightforward, hot-blooded stories on the surface, frequently killed off characters as well.
The only works that were popular without killing off characters or being depressing were the animations Hayao Miyazaki used to make. But those were actually aimed at children—it's just that adults could also watch them with great interest.
Animations that were essentially aimed at children couldn't possibly feature character deaths or depressing plotlines.
It was impossible for Lin Zhiyan to go make kid-oriented anime. Under these circumstances, having a few people die and a tiny bit of depressing content in his anime was perfectly normal.
How did standard procedure turn into a penchant for depressing the audience?
Slander! This was absolute slander!
Clearly, he had long stopped making depressing anime, yet the audience kept dwelling on it... Thinking this, Lin Zhiyan couldn't help but sigh.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
His assistant walked in and told Lin Zhiyan, "President, people from the TV station are here."
"Got it."
Lin Zhiyan nodded, then shut down his computer, stood up, and left the office.
This TV station held a somewhat unique status in Japan, similar to the status of CCTV in China.
Lin Zhiyan had never collaborated with them before, and this time wasn't about seeking a collaboration for an anime either. It was because Your Name had become a massive hit overseas, making them unable to hold back any longer; they wanted to produce a special program dedicated to Lin Zhiyan.
A special program was different from interviews for news or magazines. There was no reporter, only a cameraman, a producer, and a producer's assistant.
The producer's name was Hirohito Naito. He was a man who looked to be in his thirties, wearing a small ponytail and black-rimmed glasses, and seemingly possessing quite an artistic flair.
After meeting Lin Zhiyan, he first exchanged some pleasantries and congratulated him, then requested permission to film freely inside L.S.Produ.
Lin Zhiyan naturally had no reason to refuse.
He instructed his assistant to show them around, introduce the company's internal situation, and let the photographer find whatever they were interested in to film.
Naito Hirohito had instructed his producer's assistant to accompany the photographer.
That left just Lin Zhiyan and Naito Hirohito.
Lin Zhiyan directly invited Naito Hirohito into the president's office, found a place for them to sit, and the two began to chat.
"By the way, Naito-san, has the name for this episode been decided yet?" Lin Zhiyan asked with some interest.
Logically speaking, since they had come to gather material, the name of the program would likely have been decided already. However, such things weren't absolute; for some projects, a working title is used first, and the final name is determined based on the footage captured.
Beforehand, all Lin Zhiyan knew was that they were producing a special program about him; he hadn't been told the program's name, which was why he asked.
Hirohito Naito smiled upon hearing this: "Not yet. The current plan is to gather material first. Once we have the necessary footage, we'll decide on the program's title. Of course, we have a general direction; it will mainly revolve around you and your experience in animation production."
"I see..." Lin Tomohiko nodded.
Hirohito Naito glanced at Lin Tomohiko and suddenly said, "President Lin, do you have any good ideas? You have always been very successful in the field of animation production. Some people even believe you've mastered the secret to success, so I imagine you might have a unique perspective on how to name a program."
Lin Tomohiko was taken aback.
He thought for two or three seconds before answering, "An ordinary animation producer?"
"Hmm?" Hirohito Naito was momentarily confused.
Lin Tomohiko explained, "If I were to name a program about myself, I would choose something like this—'Lin Tomohiko: I'm Just an Ordinary Animation Producer.' That would definitely attract viewers to watch the show, and it might even generate quite a bit of buzz."
"But I can't see anything about you that's ordinary," Hirohito Naito couldn't help but retort.
In terms of looks, Lin Zhiyan was undoubtedly a handsome man; if someone like him could be called "ordinary," then there wouldn't be a single man on earth with extraordinary looks.
In terms of talent, what Lin Zhiyan had displayed, although primarily in the field of animation production, could by no means be called ordinary—it wouldn't even be an exaggeration to call it genius.
In his career, Lin Zhiyan was also very successful. Every animation he produced became a massive hit, and the animation company he founded had become one of the best in the industry in just over a decade, ranking among the top tier.
It was truly hard to see what was "ordinary" about Lin Zhiyan.
Lin Zhiyan naturally knew that calling himself ordinary carried a hint of humble-bragging, but for a TV show, if you wanted to attract viewers, you naturally had to pick a title with话题 (talking points/buzz).
Besides, "ordinary" didn't necessarily have to refer to appearance or career; it could refer to being ordinary in the animation production process, having an ordinary, approachable personality, or having an ordinary background. It all depended on what the show wanted to be.
Anyway, if it were up to him to name it, that's the kind of name he would choose.
He didn't explain, just saying, "This is just my personal opinion. What name you actually choose is still up to you."
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