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In the anime industry, both professionals and audiences react with incredible speed whenever a work shows genuine innovation and potential.
Take this season's broadcast of over a hundred titles, for example. The top three series currently leading the pack are Mechanical City, Dragon's Treasure, and Throbbing Heart. By their sixth episodes, these shows have maintained solid viewership ratings of 3.52%, 3.31%, and 3.13%, respectively. It is important to note that these figures were achieved during the prime golden time slots on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
In contrast, while the initial broadcast of the sixth episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica hovered around the 2% mark, its third rerun saw ratings explode past the 3% threshold. In the television industry, such high numbers for a rerun indicate a massive, dedicated fanbase.
The fact that the rerun hit 3.03% suggests that the potential audience for this series has grown exponentially. In the few short days following the premiere of the sixth episode, its reach has essentially leveled the playing field with the top three titans of the season.
When you take a closer look at the production companies and the budgets involved, the situation becomes even more shocking.
Mechanical City was produced by Aozora Animation, one of Big Three studios. It is an adaptation of a global hit game that sold over ten million copies. The production budget alone exceeded a billion yen, with tens of millions more poured into an aggressive marketing campaign. All that investment resulted in its current 3.52% rating.
Similarly, Dragon's Treasure and Throbbing Heart were adapted from massive light novel and manga hits by the other two industry giants, Hikaru Animation and Ryuyo Animation.
But what was everyone witnessing now?
A mid-budget, seemingly cliché magical girl anime with a total investment of only 340 million yen was on the verge of overtaking these giants after just six episodes. Furthermore, on major anime forums and social media fan groups, the discussions surrounding Madoka Magica boasted an overwhelming numerical advantage over the other three series combined. This turn of events has left many industry insiders feeling that the situation is becoming utterly absurd.
It wasn't that the industry hadn't seen dark horse successes from small-budget productions before. However, in those rare cases, the low budget usually referred to the marketing or the scale, not the quality of the staff. The teams were usually veteran creators working on passion projects.
With Madoka Magica, however, the technical level of the production team was considered average at best.
The staff consisted of various freelancers and stray soldiers from the circle. To be blunt, the actual art quality and animation frames weren't exceptionally high. The reason it had reached such dizzying heights of popularity was almost entirely due to the script.
Warrior of Love... who exactly was he?
One day, this question began to echo throughout the anime community.
The interest was particularly high among industry professionals. Since there are always plenty of popular anime to go around, the rise of Madoka Magica mostly only threatened the top three ranking spots. For everyone else, they were perfectly happy to sit back and watch the drama unfold.
"So, does nobody actually know who this Warrior guy is?"
"Even if it's a big-name veteran using a pen name, it's impossible to hide this well, right? Usually, when a big shot uses an alias, they still bring in their old friends to form the core team. Hasn't a single person come forward to leak his identity?"
"I bet the executives at the Big Three are feeling pretty miserable right now. If they actually get beaten by Madoka Magica, which airs in a garbage tier slot at 9 PM on a Thursday, they are going to lose a lot of face."
"Let's not hype it up too much yet. Madoka Magica has only aired six episodes. The plot in episode three was just a bit unexpected for the audience. An anime can't turn the entire world upside down based on just two episodes of innovative writing."
"But... who knows what kind of crazy developments are coming next? Can you really look at this show as a conventional magical girl series anymore? After watching episode six, can you even begin to guess what happens in episode seven?"
"Hmph. I don't believe an industry veteran would use a secret alias without anyone finding out. My bet is that this Warrior is just some rookie scriptwriter. And as we all know, the most common mistake rookies make is starting strong but failing the landing."
"In that case, how about a wager? I bet that before Madoka Magica finishes its run, it will definitely knock one of the Big Three, Mechanical City, Dragon's Treasure, or Throbbing Heart, off its pedestal. I bet it breaks into the top three for final viewership ratings this season. If I'm right, you treat me to coffee for half a month."
"And if the story falls apart and the plot crashes?"
"Then I'll buy you coffee for a full month."
"..."
"Hey, that's a pretty smooth move. Are you trying to pick up girls like this? No matter if you win or lose this bet, you've basically tricked the Assistant Director into going on a date with you for at least two weeks."
In a professional research group for the Tokyo animation industry, a group of active members had been engaged in a heated debate over Madoka Magica since early morning.
It wasn't that big-budget productions from the Big Three had never failed before, but being pushed this hard on the rating charts by a brand-new startup company was a genuine first in industry history.
Ordinary animators were happy to enjoy the gossip. Meanwhile, the production teams for the three major series felt a mysterious, suffocating pressure looming over them. Inside the Haru-Yuki Animation office, the team of several dozen members was in a state of collective euphoria.
After all, the people Yukino had recruited were certainly capable, but almost every one of them had faced some kind of setback in their career path.
Some had been marginalized at their previous studios, others found their former workplaces too suffocating, and some were talented individuals who simply couldn't compete with those who had internal connections.
They had gathered at Haru-Yuki expecting a fresh start, but none of them had dared to imagine they would achieve something this monumental at a startup.
They were just workers.
Why bother chasing grand dreams?
They weren't teenagers picking a college major anymore, fueled by the delusion that they could change the anime world single-handedly.
As the years passed, many had been beaten down by reality and only wanted to coast through their days. However, the current success of Madoka Magica gave the members of the team a sense of accomplishment. Back when they were young students, the reason they had chosen to major in animation was to create something exactly like this!
They weren't just churning out assembly-line content. They were truly creating something original, something that could touch the deepest parts of the audience's hearts and force the entire industry to evolve.
The public didn't know what happened in the later half of the series, but the staff was currently working on episode eleven. They knew the entire script.
Since the current episodes had already achieved such high ratings and discussion, they couldn't even fathom what the situation would be like when the final six episodes aired. Compared to what was coming, the innovation and tragedy of the first six episodes were practically child's play.
Would the series be abandoned and cursed by the audience as the plot grew increasingly dark and heavy, leading to a total collapse in reputation?
Or would the surge in popularity after episode six be revealed as just the beginning, nowhere near its true limit?
Some people in the company could faintly sense the massive waves Madoka Magica was about to stir in the industry.
---
On May 13th, the final results of the Naoki Awards, the most prestigious literary honors in the light novel world, were finally released.
After nearly a month of selection processes, during which Haruto had complied with all the requests from the publishing house and the committee, including recording videos and doing professional photo shoots, the day had finally arrived. He was invited to participate in the awards ceremony.
Twenty of the most popular authors in the country were gathered in a single hall. In front of an audience of thousands, the host began revealing the rankings of the works produced by these twenty writers one by one. Over a hundred cameras captured every movement of these authors from every possible angle.
Haruto was observing the others, and the others were certainly observing him. After all, among a group of novelists who were mostly in their thirties or forties, the eighteen-year-old Haruto looked incredibly young. Furthermore, his appearance was significantly more striking than anyone else in the room.
In front of their television screens, countless viewers watched the young man, who was dressed in a white formal suit, standing tall and handsome.
If you placed a groomed Haruto in the idol industry, he might be considered above average, but in the world of male novelists, he was a total knockout. Most male authors tended to look like typical shut-ins, so Haruto standing among them was a breath of fresh air for the eyes.
Yukino and Reina stayed at the office, watching the live broadcast of the Naoki Awards with the rest of the staff.
"The boss is so handsome."
"That's what a genius looks like."
"He's got the looks and the talent. That's our boss for you."
Reina and Yukino both stared blankly at the screen.
"Sigh, who would have thought? Two years ago, he was just a high schooler with very little to his name," Yukino remarked with a hint of emotion.
"I have a feeling that if he keeps developing like this, he'll soon reach a place that is completely beyond our reach."
"That won't happen," Reina said, her gaze intensifying as the camera caught a close-up of Haruto's face.
"By this time next year, I will be standing at the Naoki Awards ceremony just like he is."
"Oh? That's some confidence. Come to think of it, I haven't asked in a while. What's the current ranking for your novel?" Yukino asked curiously.
"In the magazine... I'm ninth," Reina paused before continuing.
"However... I am confident that I can break into the top five, or even the top three, within the next three months. I've spent the last year racking my brains to plot this work, and the serialization is only going to start showing its true power next month. If everything goes smoothly, I want to experience what it feels like to take the top spot in a major magazine."
After all, she had been overshadowed by Haruto for a long time.
Reina kept her eyes glued to Haruto's face on the screen without blinking. Yukino, however, looked at Reina's face and remained silent for a long time.
People need goals. If Haruto hadn't sparked her competitive spirit, would Reina have grown this quickly as a writer?
Elsewhere, in a young girl's room, Shizuru put down her pen.
Her eyes were also fixed on the laptop screen, watching Haruto make his appearance at the awards.
Seeing Haruto on television made Shizuru truly realize the heights he had reached in the world of subculture.
At the Naoki Awards venue, the rankings were being revealed one by one. When they reached the top ten and the name Parasyte still hadn't been called, Ms. Hime, who was in attendance, was so excited she almost screamed out loud.
Finally, when 6th place work was announced and the title Parasyte echoed through the hall, Haruto rose from his seat under the focus of a dozen camera lenses and walked onto the stage.
In reality, even the seventh-place work had an average sales volume of seven million copies per volume, which was a full million copies higher than Parasyte.
The reason Parasyte managed to take sixth place was actually due to its slightly more sophisticated themes. The elements promoted in the work aligned well with the current social values and critical reception of the literary scene.
These factors are always part of the evaluation criteria. After all, if a novel only sold well because of excessive violence or gore, it would be a joke if it ranked high in a prestigious award like the Naoki.
"Sixth place, huh?" Haruto reached the stage and took the plaque for sixth place. His expression showed no sign of excitement whatsoever.
"Oh, Shiori Takahashi Sensei, why the long face? Are you feeling unwell today?" the host asked with a smile.
"Well... it's because sixth place is actually the worst result I've ever achieved since I debuted in the novel industry," Haruto said, smiling at the camera.
"I feel like my performance hasn't improved, so..."
"..." The host was speechless.
Was he really being that blunt?
Ah, to be young.
"Then, Shiori Sensei, what was your ranking in the last novel competition you entered before this?" the host inquired.
"I took first place in the Ascent of New Gods," Haruto paused, then added in a joking tone. "Next time I come here, I'll try to be a bit happier."
Without saying much else, he took his plaque and hurried off the stage. Even though he didn't elaborate further, his meaning was crystal clear.
His goal was first place at the Naoki Awards.
He was not satisfied with being sixth this time.
If he were to return to this ceremony in the future... it would be for the top spot.
The viewers at home and the audience at the venue instantly understood what he meant. He was confident that he would definitely have more works in the future that would qualify for the top twenty and bring him back to this stage.
Was it arrogance? Simple confidence?
Regardless, many reporters on the scene were already drafting fiery headlines in their heads, waiting to rush back and stay up all night writing reports about this bold young novelist.
Over the next two days, the light novel world remained immersed in the aftermath of the Naoki Awards. The names of the winning authors and their works spread through various serialized magazines and online platforms.
And the name "Shiori Takahashi"...
Starting from that night, due to the history of Parasyte's serialization in the flagship Kiyozawa and its sixth-place finish at the Naoki Awards, he leaped into the same tier as one of the most famous light novel writers.
He was now officially recognized by the industry as a top-tier author.