Inside the Shining Animation conference room, Arato Niino, Tamura Wakana, and Miyazumi Uta were all staring at the original anime project proposal in front of them—stunned.
There were many similar anime in the industry, but those were adaptations from light novels or manga.
An anime studio president coming up with an entire original series concept himself?
Unheard of.
Even professional anime scriptwriters might not be this ambitious.
Most anime studios' presidents wouldn't risk this much.
At best, a well-funded studio might release two original anime per year—even that was considered high.
But according to Su Yu's plan, at least one original anime per season, plus other projects…
That meant an annual investment of at least 1 billion yen.
Tamura Wakana, after finishing the document, sighed with regret.
"Su Yu-kun, this is a great project, but… given the company's current situation, I don't think we can afford it."
She wanted to produce these anime.
But funding an original anime was risky.
A single series took three months to produce, and recouping costs could take six months to a year—or even longer.
Adaptations had existing fanbases, making them easier to profit from.
But original anime?
There was no guarantee of success.
Even top-tier directors like Tamura Wakana and Arato Niino couldn't promise a hit.
After all, a good anime wasn't necessarily a profitable one, and a profitable anime wasn't always high-quality.
Su Yu understood their concerns.
"Originally, I planned to recruit more animators and even establish new animation studios. I wanted to produce four anime per season."
The three directors froze in shock.
Four anime per season?!
Some studios struggle to make that many in a year!
Su Yu smirked.
"But my girlfriend told me I was rushing things too much. And after thinking it over, she's right. With Shining Animation's industry standing and Future Manga Publishing, I already have everything I need to succeed."
Arato Niino suddenly frowned.
"Wait… Future Manga Publishing?"
"Yeah. I've acquired Future Manga Publishing—including the shares held by the Yukinoshita family."
The moment Su Yu said this, Niino shot up from his seat.
"That means—!"
Su Yu nodded.
"From now on, Shining Animation has first-pick on Future Manga Publishing's works."
Arato Niino took a deep breath before slowly sitting back down, trying to suppress his excitement.
Having priority access meant getting first dibs on the best manga adaptations.
If they adapted a high-profile manga, the costs could be recouped in just one month.
Previously, Shining Animation had to negotiate extensively with Future Manga Publishing to get anime adaptation rights.
Now?
With Su Yu in control, Shining Animation was practically unbeatable.
A hit manga adaptation could sustain multiple anime seasons, generating far greater revenue than original productions.
Tamura Wakana and Miyazumi Uta, however, weren't surprised—they had already heard about this from Tamura Nanako.
With that settled, Su Yu shifted the conversation back to the original anime project.
"Your concerns are valid. You're worried about funding—I'm more concerned about staffing. My plan is to have a subsidiary handle this project."
Silence.
Niino, Miyazumi, and Tamura blinked.
"…Subsidiary?" Niino repeated blankly.
"Since when did we have a subsidiary?" Miyazumi muttered.
"I plan to establish one," Su Yu explained.
"This is still just a proposal, but we'll recruit staff from our three animation studios. Supervisors for the subsidiary will be selected from the First and Second Animation Studios. The timeline for launching the subsidiary depends on your trust in the candidates. Also, the new studio will not use Shining Animation's branding—it needs to carve out its own identity, even if its initial quality isn't as high."
The three finally understood.
Shining Animation had never produced a low-quality anime—every release had received high ratings.
But if they started a subsidiary under a different name, there would be no pressure to maintain the same high standards.
Even if a project didn't perform well, it wouldn't damage Shining Animation's reputation.
Tamura Wakana tapped her chin.
"Then why not call it Future Animation?"
Su Yu immediately caught on.
"You mean having it funded by Future Manga Publishing?"
"Exactly," Tamura nodded. "That way, the subsidiary could handle both adaptations and original works—plus, it would instantly gain some recognition."
Su Yu grinned.
"That's a solid idea. I'll think about it."
The rest of the meeting was much smoother.
Tamura Wakana sorted out which projects were suitable for Shining Animation and which could be assigned to the subsidiary.
Su Yu almost wanted to rename the subsidiary "Houbunsha" (a reference to the real-world publisher famous for slice-of-life anime).
He had originally thought Tamura specialized in these types of stories, but it turned out the Second Animation Studio was responsible for that style—Tamura simply managed the overall production.
This meant that, with the right personnel, the subsidiary could be established relatively quickly.
After the Meeting
Su Yu finalized a business proposal and contacted Sata Kana.
He explained the plan to create a subsidiary animation studio—and then offered her the position of president.
Sata Kana was visibly moved by this.
This was an immense level of trust from Su Yu.
Without hesitation, she accepted the role.
Future Animation would be jointly funded by Future Manga Publishing and Shining Animation.
Sata Kana would handle day-to-day operations and even train future managers.
To ensure everything was in order, Su Yu called Yukinoshita Haruno in front of Sata Kana.
Since Shining Animation was still under Haruno's control, her approval was necessary.
However—
"Su Yu-kun, you don't need my approval for things like this. Just do whatever you want. Your decisions are my decisions. You and I don't need to be so formal."
Sata Kana's expression stiffened.
She didn't say anything—
But she was definitely thinking something.
Su Yu remained calm and hung up after Haruno's response.
Sata Kana hesitated for a moment before formally stating,
"Su Yu-sama, I will immediately begin recruiting staff. Once Tamura-sensei finalizes the team list, I'll notify you right away."
Su Yu nodded.
"I trust your abilities. It's all in your hands now."
Sata Kana stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Yes, sir."
Su Yu gave her a glance before leaving the office.
The moment she heard the door close, Sata Kana finally relaxed her posture.
"Su Yu-sama and Yukinoshita Haruno… their relationship is definitely not normal."
A flood of suspicions filled her mind.
Notes-You can read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X