In late December, Haru-Yuki Animation launched a massive, nationwide promotional campaign for Fullmetal Alchemist, which was scheduled to premiere on January 2nd.
The studio had maintained a strong partnership with Tokyo TV1 for several years. Haruto's fans were already accustomed to tuning into that station for his work, and the network had offered exceptionally favorable terms for the new series.
Despite receiving higher offers from major networks, Haruto turned them down and sold the first-run broadcasting rights to Tokyo TV.
The deal was valued at 800 million yen per quarter, which meant the series had already recouped half of its investment before it even aired.
The price the network paid was staggering.
For context, that amount of money was usually enough to produce an entire original series from scratch. By paying this for Fullmetal Alchemist, Tokyo TV only secured the rights to the first-run broadcast and reruns for the current season.
They didn't get a single yen from any other licensing revenue.
Given that the series was projected to run for over fifty episodes, the network would eventually have to shell out billions of yen if they maintained the same contract. Yet, Tokyo TV1 agreed to these conditions without hesitation. They were willing to pay even more for a slice of the pie.
Haruto had no shortage of funds and zero interest in cluttering his artistic vision with commercial stamps or watermarks. He hated seeing product placements for snacks or drinks flash across the screen during an emotional scene, even for a second.
It broke the immersion. During the production phase, he had rejected dozens of advertisers who wanted to pay for in-show placement.
With nowhere else to go, those sponsors turned to Tokyo TV1. Since they couldn't get their logos into the animation itself, the commercial slots immediately before and after the broadcast became a frantic battlefield for advertisers.
Tokyo TV1's willingness to meet Haruto's demands was a direct result of the massive profits they were reaping from these hungry brands.
While Haruto paid for offline marketing himself, Tokyo TV1 took care of the digital promotion. Having spent so much on the rights, they didn't need any prompting to play the Fullmetal Alchemist trailer during every spare second of airtime they had.
From the middle of December, the characters of the new show were everywhere: in shopping districts, subways, buses, at conventions, and during variety show commercial breaks.
Haruto even stepped out of his shell, making appearances on talk shows and attending industry events. He was currently the biggest billboard in the industry, and he was promoting his own work for free.
By the end of the month, the anticipation among the fans had reached its absolute peak. While Haruto refused to advertise for other companies within his show, he wasn't above self-promotion.
For instance, he included subtle nods to Pokemon and Doraemon in the end credits of the anime. Since it was just the credits, it didn't disrupt the viewer's experience, and he made sure to mention those projects during his media rounds.
As December drew to a close, the autumn and winter anime seasons reached their conclusions. The market entered a brief lull, followed by the New Year's holiday.
Despite the holiday, the four residents of the villa were all busy with their own lives. Reina Fujimoto went on a coastal tour to promote her newly released volume. Shizuru flew abroad to meet with international Hunter x Hunter fans. This left only Haruto and Yukino to spend the New Year's holiday together at home.
With the entire company on break, the couple finally set aside their work. Now that they were alone without any third wheels in the house, they could speak freely. Haruto lay on the sofa with his head resting on Yukino's lap, enjoying a gentle face massage from her.
"I've been thinking," Haruto said suddenly. "Maybe we should move out and buy a new place. We could leave this house for Reina and Shizuru to live in."
"That's an interesting idea," Yukino replied, immediately understanding his train of thought.
His partnership with Shizuru had become a well-oiled machine.
For the serialization of Hunter x Hunter, Haruto only needed to provide the weekly scripts; the rest was handled without much need for constant face-to-face consultation.
They had originally moved in together to facilitate that creative communication, but after so long, those issues had been ironed out. As for Reina, ever since she had revealed her feelings and he had turned her down, Haruto had felt a sense of lingering awkwardness and a desire to create some distance.
"But," Yukino continued, looking down at him. "Are you really okay with the relationship becoming more distant?"
The reason they saw each other daily was the shared living space and the conversations over the dining table. If Haruto and Yukino moved out, Reina and Shizuru would undoubtedly buy their own places. Once they separated, it would be difficult to maintain the bond they currently shared, as each of them was busy managing their own successful careers and projects.
Haruto remained silent. He found the situation with Reina's feelings difficult, but he certainly didn't want her to become a stranger. Years of genuine friendship were not something he wanted to throw away.
"Well, let's just think about it for now," he sighed.
Yukino looked at him but didn't push the subject further.
As his girlfriend, she didn't want to interfere too much in his decisions, and she trusted him to handle the situation properly. Regarding the threat of having two beautiful, successful women living under the same roof as her boyfriend, she certainly felt a sense of competition, but she also knew that the temptations facing Haruto went far beyond this house.
He was twenty-one years old, the chairman of Haru-Yuki Animation, and successful, his status was likely to multiply in the coming years. He was already planning to establish a film and television department.
When that happened, countless actresses and celebrities would be interested in him.
Yukino knew that moving to a different house wouldn't solve that; she simply had to trust in Haruto's self-control and their relationship.
The next day was January 2nd.
In the early morning, Haruto was woken by his alarm. Yukino, still resting under the covers and curled against him, pulled the duvet over her head to block out the sound.
"I have to head out," Haruto said, after a quick routine of washing up and dressing. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "The premiere is tonight, and I have a fan meet-and-greet and a press conference during the day."
"I know. Come home early," Yukino murmured groggily.
Throughout the day, Haruto's press conference with the executives of Tokyo TV1 was broadcast live across the internet. Millions of fans tuned in to watch. After one final push, the sun set on the second day of the year. The atmosphere in the anime world shifted instantly.
The wait was finally over.
_______________________
Support me at patreon.com/CulturedOne and read 50 Advanced Chapters