Is it… this work?
A flicker of surprise crossed Rei's face.
Although he still could not recall many details, he had a rough understanding of his previous life.
He knew which songs had been popular, but could not remember their melodies.
He knew which works had been famous and valuable, but could not recall their specific plots or details.
However, he retained a clear sense of which works were true masterpieces and which were merely excellent across the entire ACG circle of his previous life.
This time was different from before.
The works he had recalled previously were all famous Asian or globally renowned Japanese creations.
But this time, the memory came from the Western side.
Arcane.
An animated series adapted from the background lore of the famous game League of Legends in his previous life.
An animated masterpiece.
A work of art.
After its release, it topped viewership charts in over sixty countries worldwide and was nominated for four Emmy Awards.
Most ordinary people might not know what the Emmy Awards represent, but just as the Oscars are the pinnacle of film, the Emmys are the highest honor for television broadcast works.
They are the Oscars of television.
Moreover, although Arcane was adapted from a game's background story, the original game was not required to enjoy it at all.
In fact, many League of Legends players in his previous life barely cared about the game's lore. They simply logged in and played.
Arcane stood at an exceptionally high position in Rei's heart.
In his previous life, he had gone through a long period of animation fatigue, watching many works that felt hollow and lacked immersion.
He had even wondered whether it was simply because he was no longer young, whether he had lost the ability to immerse himself in animation the way he once could.
But Arcane made him stay up all night, binge-watching every episode from beginning to end.
Even when the second season was released years later, he was still deeply moved by its story, production quality, and unforgettable characters.
And, naturally, it was also a tragedy.
A genre he loved.
However…
If this work were to be produced with the same level of quality as in his previous life, the production cost would be staggering.
Even with lower production costs in Japan, recreating or surpassing that level would require an enormous amount of funding.
Even if Rei invested every cent he currently possessed, he might only barely manage it.
After all, although Arcane was a serialized animation, its visual quality far exceeded ninety-five percent of animated films.
It was essentially a television series produced at full cinematic quality.
A true money-burning project.
But, "There's nothing to worry about."
Rei took a deep breath and smiled.
"Isn't that exactly why money exists?"
Letting money sit idle in a bank account was boring.
And high investment meant high returns.
If he had recalled a inferior work, he might have shelved the idea out of laziness.
But since it was Arcane…
There was no way he could ignore it.
Although he was currently investing heavily in One-Punch Man, the funds were only temporarily tied up.
Animation production cycles lasted at least half a year, often one to two years.
Over that time, profits from One-Punch Man and Hunter x Hunter would certainly flow in.
Funding was not an issue.
After organizing his thoughts, Rei got dressed and headed out for Illumination Production Company.
When he arrived, the company was already bustling with activity early in the morning.
Rei was on winter break as a student.
They were not.
Production coordinators were already on the phone, urging highly skilled but chronically deadline-dodging animators across Capital City to submit their key frames.
The animation director frowned deeply as he examined drafts, adjusting color tones, lighting, and reviewing storyboards for upcoming One-Punch Man episodes.
The success of this project was unprecedented.
For many of them, this might be the only masterpiece they would ever participate in during their careers.
No one wanted even the slightest flaw to mar it.
And unlike most productions, this one lacked nothing.
Money was abundant.
Rei alone supported hundreds of employees with his manga royalties.
Everyone respected him from the bottom of their hearts.
"Good morning, Shirogane!"
"Teacher Shirogane is here!"
"Teacher Shirogane, please go check on the director. He's been staring blankly at the Season Three Episode Four script you gave him all morning!"
"Didn't I already provide the general storyboards?" Rei laughed. "He just needs to flesh out the details based on the content."
This was the advantage of adapting a manga into animation.
Many scenes could be directly translated from the panels.
The director only needed to apply his professional expertise to motion, color, sound, and atmosphere.
After greeting the staff, Rei headed to Himari's office.
As the producer, she was perpetually busy.
Budget allocation, coordination with partner studios, contract negotiations, and occasional media interviews filled her schedule.
Rei's original reason for coming was simple.
He had planned to review production progress in his role as investor and consultant.
But now that Arcane had resurfaced in his memory, he decided to bring it up.
"So… you've got a new idea again?"
Himari stared at him, mouth slightly open.
"Yes," Rei nodded calmly. "I do."
"Once the copyright payments and part of the merchandise revenue from One-Punch Man enter the settlement cycle, I plan to use that money to produce a new animation."
"Wait, wait," Himari raised a hand. "Let me process this."
"Teacher Shirogane, Hunter x Hunter still has a long road ahead, doesn't it?"
"Yes."
"And One-Punch Man still has Season Two and Season Three in production. A Season Four isn't even out of the question."
"Correct."
"And now you already have a new animation project in mind?"
"What's wrong?" Rei asked calmly.
"It's not that I don't trust your judgment, Teacher Shirogane," Himari said after a pause. "But do you really think you can handle all of this at once?"
"Time is like water in a sponge," Rei replied with a smile. "If you squeeze it, there's always more. Besides, I'll mainly be responsible for the story framework and character design. The bulk of the production work will still rely on you."
He continued evenly, "I'm not bringing this up today because I plan to start production tomorrow. I just wanted to inform you that I have this idea."
Then his tone grew more serious.
"And I have great confidence in this new work. I genuinely believe it will be no worse than One-Punch Man."
"So…" Himari looked at him, puzzled.
"So," Rei said slowly, "do you know any truly capable talents in the industry who are currently frustrated or underappreciated at other companies?"
"If you do, go talk to them. As long as their asking price isn't outrageous, recruit them."
His gaze sharpened.
"My requirements for this new animation are very high. Extremely high. But the production budget will be more than sufficient."
"If this animation succeeds…" Rei looked directly at Himari, "…Illumination Animation will become famous worldwide."
"It'll be a real jackpot."
One-Punch Man's success was already global, but a single hit could still be attributed to luck.
Two?
That would be undeniable achievement.
If Illumination Animation could pull that off, its name would be firmly established in the animation industry.
Not inferior to One-Punch Man?
Virtually unlimited budget?
Himari's eyes lit up.
Strictly speaking, a woman in her twenties wouldn't normally have such deep connections in the animation industry.
Her ability to hold Illumination Animation together owed much to her father, a producer in the Japanese animation industry two decades ago.
Even so, there were still many highly capable creators in the industry who had never been given a real chance. After all, when tens of millions were invested into an animation, key positions like producer or director weren't always assigned purely based on ability.
"I'll need to think about this carefully," Himari said at last.
"Of course," Rei nodded.
Rei could have chosen another animation studio to produce this new project.
But he would rather spend more money than gamble on the professionalism of an unfamiliar company.
In his previous life, too many excellent manga and novels had been ruined by careless adaptations from so-called major studios.
In animation, scale meant nothing.
If the staff lacked sincerity, even a giant studio could produce trash.
If they were serious, even a small studio could create a masterpiece.
Time passed quickly, and January soon came to an end.
One-Punch Man Season Two had already aired up to Episode Four.
With the appearances of characters like Tatsumaki's sister Hellish Blizzard, Tanktop Master, Metal Bat, and Sweet Mask, and with several of them confronting Garou, Saitama's screen time also began to rise.
For various reasons, Saitama disguised himself as Bang's disciple, Charanko, and entered the martial arts tournament.
The plot became increasingly engaging, and the anime reached what could be considered its peak popularity since its premiere.
Episode Four achieved a staggering 6.58% rating, topping trending lists every broadcast day.
Opinionhub's score rose to 9.4.
After being introduced overseas, the anime also achieved excellent ratings in many foreign countries.
This was no longer just popularity within Japan.
The One-Punch Man phenomenon had gone global.
Merchandise orders poured in not only from domestic markets but from abroad as well. Even when overseas prices were two or three times higher than domestic ones, demand still far exceeded supply.
Scalpers began to appear across the market, hoarding various One-Punch Man-related products.
And then, on the final day of January...
A piece of explosive news swept through the Japanese animation industry.
Shirogane, the hottest creator in Japan over the past two years, posted a single colored illustration on his creator account.
Without any explanation.
The illustration depicted a tall girl with blue hair braided behind her head, dressed in adventurous attire.
She held a firearm, her lips curled into a slightly manic smile.
Behind her lay mist-shrouded ruins.
Across the illustration, several English letters were deliberately splashed in graffiti-like paint.
Jinx.
As everyone knew, among Japan's famous manga artists, Rei was considered an extremely low-key figure. He rarely posted about commercial activities or personal life updates on his account.
Anything he published was always related to his work or creative projects.
At present, Rei had five major works active in the market.
The live-action movie Five Centimeters Per Second, set to premiere in half a month on February 14.
The live-action movie Tonight, scheduled to release half a year later.
The Final Season of Hikaru No Go and One-Punch Man Season Two, both currently airing this quarter.
And Hunter × Hunter, whose anime adaptation would premiere in half a year, while its manga was on the verge of breaking the milestone of ten million average volume sales.
No matter what information Rei released regarding any of these works, it would not surprise his Japanese fans.
It would simply be seen as routine promotion.
But this picture?
What did it mean?
Not only was the art style completely different from the mainstream manga styles currently dominating the market, but this blue-haired woman, apparently named Jinx, was clearly not a character from any of Rei's existing works.
Considering Rei's past behavior, speculation immediately exploded.
"Is this a new work?"
"Could it be fragmentary setting drafts for an upcoming project?"
"Is Teacher Shirogane about to release a new work?"
"What's going on? Can someone explain this?"
"Holy crap, I love this art style! It's insanely cool!"
"A girl with a gun? Is he planning to draw a sci-fi manga?"
"It might not even be a manga. Maybe it'll be adapted straight into an anime again!"
"Is Teacher Shirogane even human? How can someone be this productive?"
"Maybe he just drew a concept illustration on a whim and posted it for appreciation. It might have nothing to do with a new project."
"That's impossible. Teacher Shirogane isn't the type who posts casually, like sharing meals or daily life."
"Everything on his creator account is work-related. The meaning of this image is obvious: a new project is coming."
"That's ridiculous! He should finish One-Punch Man and Hunter × Hunter first! Starting something new will just distract him!"
"Why worry about that?"
"What kind of new work could possibly surpass Hunter × Hunter and One-Punch Man? Instead of creating average projects, he should focus all his energy on these two classics!"
"Nonsense. I like One-Punch Man and Hunter × Hunter too, but what I admire most is Teacher Shirogane constantly challenging himself."
"I want to see a work that surpasses both. He has that level of talent. If his creative drive is strong right now, he should act immediately."
"If he waits until inspiration fades, wouldn't that be the real regret?"
"Exactly! Hunter × Hunter updates over forty pages a week already. What more do you want?"
"It's just a shame we don't know the title of this suspected new work yet. Otherwise, we could start recommending it to everyone already."
"It's Jinx, right? I've written it down."
"I really hope this work is good."
The commotion Rei caused on the final day of January was followed by a wave of delayed, frantic media coverage once February arrived.
The entire industry began speculating wildly about the meaning behind Rei's original illustration.
And then, on the first day of February, Rei himself revealed the answer.
...
Read 55 chapters ahead @[email protected]/Ashnoir