President's Office.
Production Department Head Kenichi Matsumoto suddenly rushed in, asking anxiously, "President, I just heard the news—did you post an announcement online about taking a break?"
"Yes."
Lin Zhiyan nodded. "Why? Is there a problem?"
"No, no, it just feels a bit sudden," Matsumoto shook his head.
After that, several others came to ask Lin Zhiyan about the announcement, including the Animation Department Head, the Cinematography Department Head, the 3D Department Head, and the employees who had first followed him from IG to L.S Produ.
There were others who didn't dare to ask Lin Zhiyan directly, but that didn't mean they weren't surprised; in fact, almost everyone in the company was surprised by Lin Zhiyan's decision.
Lin Zhiyan's friends in the animation industry, upon learning that he was going to take a break for a while, also called or sent messages via LINE to ask him what was going on.
To this, his response was uniform: "Nothing's going on, I just want to take a break for a while and focus my main energy on the company first."
In the past, Lin Zhiyan had to worry that not making animation for six or seven years would cause his popularity to plummet, leading audiences to not buy his work when he finally returned with a new project.
That is no longer an issue for Lin Zhiyan.
After all, having become a world-class animation director, even if he doesn't make any animation for six or seven years, audiences will likely still remember him when he eventually releases something new.
Since the audience will remember him, taking a few years off is not a problem.
Moreover, he used to basically produce one animation a year. "Your Name" took longer, but it only took less than two and a half years. The only thing Lin Zhiyan can copy now is "Weathering with You," and even if he could copy it, it would require major revisions, and it would be impossible to complete in two and a half years.
If he doesn't make "Weathering with You" and chooses to make his own original animation instead, it would be difficult to complete even in three years. In such a situation, it is of course better to issue an announcement letting everyone think he is taking a break.
Regardless, this announcement of Lin Zhiyan's break caused quite a splash in the industry.
TV stations wouldn't report it, but every single animation-related media outlet mentioned it.
It even appeared on the trending lists of major online platforms.
The whole internet was abuzz with discussion:
"The director of Your Name is quitting animation?"
"Who said that?"
"He's not quitting animation; he said he wants to take a break for a while."
"What a shame. Your Name is a worldwide hit. Shouldn't he strike while the iron is hot and make the next animation immediately? Why decide to take a break at such a crucial moment?"
"Probably too much pressure, right?"
"Your Name is just too good. I feel like no matter what he does for his next animation, it won't be able to surpass Your Name. If it were me, I wouldn't do it either."
"He's made enough money. Your Name grossed over 25 billion yen; that's already more than enough to last a lifetime. Why keep making animations?"
"If you don't know what you're talking about, don't just spout nonsense, okay? Your Name grossed 25 billion, but if LSP could get 8 billion out of that, it would already be pretty good. This amount of money doesn't even compare to what Lin Zhiyan's previous animations made, and that's not to mention his game company, LSG, which is also incredibly profitable. How could he stop making animations just because Your Name earned him a big profit?"
After all, not everyone is a fan of Lin Zhiyan, and not everyone understands him. Before things went mainstream, people's comments were relatively rational. But once it broke out into the mainstream, all kinds of monsters and freaks naturally emerged, pretending to know things they don't, and making sarcastic remarks.
As for those who aren't even fans, Lin Zhiyan had no intention of paying attention to them at all, and he simply ignored their comments.
However, there was one topic on the forum that piqued his interest, which was a discussion about his goals as a producer:
"Old Thief Lin says he's aiming for 'two number ones.' He really dares to dream big. Whether it's EVA or Spirited Away, they are both legendary titans. Even his own works, Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Your Name, could only settle for second place. Without directing the projects himself, and only acting as a producer, how could he possibly surpass those two anime masterpieces?"
"All I can say is that Lin Zhiyan is dreaming! I must admit he has great talent and skill in animation production, but the disc sales of EVA and the box office of Spirited Away are absolutely unshakable."
"If Lin Zhiyan hadn't chosen to take a break at this time, but instead continued to make animated films, and produced one with quality not inferior to Your Name but with a wider audience, then it's not entirely impossible to surpass Spirited Away at the box office. As for EVA? Forget about it; that's not even worth thinking about."
"Actually, EVA's initial sales were only 110,000, not even as good as the initial sales of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, but you can't deny that this anime is just too classic. Plus, they released several versions—VCD, DVD, BD—and each new version added tens of thousands more to the sales figures. On top of that, they kept releasing theatrical films every now and then. In such a situation, no other anime could possibly be a rival in terms of sales."
"EVA is the anime that saved the animation industry; the era back then was all on its side. For this new century to have Puella Magi Madoka Magica's sales is already a miracle among miracles. It is absolutely impossible for any anime to appear that could surpass EVA in sales."
"That's right, even if Lin Zhiyan summoned Lelouch to use the 'King's Power,' it would be useless. It's impossible to make an anime that surpasses EVA in disc sales or Spirited Away in box office revenue. He can't do it himself, and his company can't do it either."
"Heh, if he ever really could make an anime project that surpasses EVA in disc sales or Spirited Away in box office, I'd livestream myself eating shit and wouldn't have a single word to say."
"To the guy above, don't make such bold claims. You wouldn't be able to swallow that stuff anyway."
If he had been reborn back in 2018, then Lin Zhiyan certainly would have thought that surpassing EVA in disc sales and Spirited Away in box office was just wishful thinking.
But unfortunately for them, Lin Zhiyan wasn't reborn in 2018, but in 2022.
He knew very well that there really were animations that could surpass EVA in disc sales, even though at the time he was reborn, they hadn't quite done it yet—there was still a tiny gap. Moreover, being able to surpass those sales wasn't just because the animation itself was good enough; it also had a lot to do with the "power of money" being poured into it.
In addition, it was also true that there was an animation that surpassed Spirited Away at the box office, though it had happened to have the right timing and circumstances, and wasn't solely because the animation itself was good enough.
If you haven't experienced it, you can't blame others for not believing it.
The only thing Lin Zhiyan could do was quietly take screenshots of the flags the netizens were setting and save them on his computer, so he could take them out and use them at any time in the future.
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