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The following day, under the watchful eyes of a legal professional, Haruto and Shizuru officially signed their collaboration agreement. They signed, sealed, and pressed their thumbprints onto the documents.
Once the formalities were completed, Shizuru's expression turned somewhat complex. She stared blankly into space for a full thirty seconds before looking up at Haruto with a genuine smile, extending her fair, delicate hand toward him.
"I look forward to your guidance over the coming months, Haruto-sensei," she said.
Haruto immediately took her hand in a firm shake. "The pleasure is mine. I will be counting on your hard work, Shizuru-sensei."
With that handshake, their relationship shifted.
They were no longer merely university upperclassman and junior; at that moment, they had become professional partners.
During the final week of March, the last chapter of Parasyte was successfully serialized. After the intense struggle against Gotou was resolved in the twenty-third chapter, the twenty-fourth served as the series' epilogue. It detailed Migi's ultimate fate, the development of the relationship between Shinichi and Satomi, and finally paid off a subtle foreshadowing involving a certain prisoner from the earlier arcs. It left the readers with a poignant, semi-open ending that lingered in the mind.
That evening, the comment section of Haruto's AniSphere Forum account was flooded with messages.
"It is finally over. What a ride."
"This work left such a deep impression on me. While I still think Anohana was more of a tear-jerker, Parasyte is undeniably a masterpiece in its own right."
"I personally consider Parasyte to be Shiori Takahashi Sensei's best work to date. The plot might not be a standard power fantasy, but the thematic depth is incredible."
"I still think To the Moon is his peak. Didn't Sensei say he was going to write a sequel for it? It's been nearly a year and we haven't heard a peep."
"Maybe he is waiting until he becomes even more famous to release the sequel directly as a tankobon."
"Or maybe he will turn it into an anime project. The To the Moon animated movie is currently in production and might hit theaters by the second half of the year. If the box office is good, the studio might just buy the rights to the sequel and make it a movie franchise."
"Another masterpiece concludes. It feels so hollow. What am I supposed to read next week to kill time?"
"If there are no novels, just watch some anime. With over a hundred titles, this is being called the strongest April season in the history of the industry."
"Give me a break. Every year is called the 'strongest season ever,' and then the shows turn out to be more brain-dead than the last. Those 'Demon King and Hero' isekai shows are already bad enough, but I can't believe people are still making magical girl anime in this day and age. My kindergarten-aged sister thinks that genre is too childish to watch."
"Are you talking about that Puella Magi Madoka Magica show by that 'Warrior of Love' guy?"
"Who else? A lot of critics and anime YouTubers have already put Madoka in the top ten 'least recommended' shows for the summer market. The magical girl genre is too formulaic. I already know exactly how it will go: they draw a few cute girls, release some merchandise, sell some figures, and cash out. There is never any innovation."
"True."
"Alright, guys, this is Shiori Takahashi Sensei's board. Let's not waste time discussing shows like Madoka that have nothing to do with him. We should be focusing on the Naoki Awards next month. Let's help promote Parasyte as much as possible so it ranks higher. We need to make sure we show up for Sensei so the other fanbases don't look down on us!"
As April approached, a heavy, expectant atmosphere settled over the animation industry and its fans.
A massive wave of high-profile projects was about to break. There was Mechanical Metropolis, a game-to-anime adaptation with a massive budget. The original game had sold over eight million copies worldwide, and with its vast legion of fans, the industry was eager to see how the ratings would perform.
Then there was an adaptation of a blockbuster fantasy light novel from Hoshizora with a huge investment. The original novel had eight volumes out with an average of nine million sales per volume. Its first season was expected to be a dominant force in the April market. Finally, there was Throbbing Hearts, a top-tier romance manga adaptation with a billion yen budget, based on a source material selling 9.5 million copies per volume.
Under normal circumstances, even one of these "titans" appearing would make them a shoe-in for the "Season Dominator" title. This time, all three were arriving at once. The industry was buzzing with speculation over which would emerge as the undisputed king of the summer. While the fans were in a frenzy of excitement, the television networks were simply counting their money.
The intense competition had caused the price of broadcasting slots to skyrocket.
A slot on Thursday at 9:00 PM, a mediocre time, could be sold to Madoka for forty million yen. It was a staggering inflation compared to previous years.
At the end of March, Reina's new novel, The Blade of the Other Side, officially launched in the Azure Kiyozawa magazine. She had signed a three-year contract with the house, and after a six-month silence, her return was triumphant. The quality of the work was so high that it received unanimous praise from the Editor-in-Chief, Arata, during the serialization meeting.
He stated that her potential was immense and that she might even surpass Shiori Takahashi if nurtured properly.
Upon its release, Kiyozawa Library poured resources into her promotion, aiming to market her as the "Beautiful Genius Girl Novelist." Her work was indeed impressive; the first installment received a rating of 8.9 and debuted at the third rank in the magazine's internal charts. Her loyal fanbase pushed the work to the ninth rank in overall reader votes immediately.
It was a spectacular, almost unprecedented debut.
And so, March ended and April arrived.
The television networks, having collected massive broadcasting fees, weren't doing absolutely nothing for the smaller shows.
For Madoka, they provided some promotional support during low-tier commercial breaks and played the trailer at fixed intervals.
However, within the offices of Tokyo TV's Channel 1, the undisputed priority was Mechanical Metropolis, which was set to air on Fridays at 8:00 PM. The station had paid tens of millions yen to the production committee just to secure the rights to air it.
The animation department at the station was deeply invested in its success. Consequently, any truly prime advertising or promotional spots were reserved for the titans, leaving Madoka in the shadows.
As the first two days of April saw the premiere of several anime titles, the internet was already full of complaints.
"So much for the 'strongest April ever.' What a bore. I watched the shows that premiered over the last two days, and each one was more tedious than the last."
"The original manga for Song of Parting sells three million copies per volume, but how did the anime turn out so lifeless?"
"Another case of a great manga being massacred by an anime adaptation."
"If the production committee doesn't know how to adapt a story, they shouldn't change things on a whim. I am so tired of these idiots ruining the plot."
"At this rate, I'd rather take a chance on Madoka Magica. I saw a commercial for it on Tokyo TV, and the art style and premise actually look somewhat interesting."
"Forget it. What's the point in supporting a magical girl show? It's just a cash grab in the end. It won't be interesting."
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Meanwhile, inside the offices of Haru-Yuki Animation.
The entire staff was feeling a profound sense of anxiety as the premiere, scheduled for 9:00 PM the following night, drew near.
Haruto had temporarily stepped away from his university studies, taking a leave of absence to be on-site and handle various matters. Although his physical presence didn't technically change the broadcast, he knew that as the owner, being invisible during the most critical moment would hurt morale.
Finally, April 3rd arrived. The premiere of Puella Magi Madoka Magica was at hand.