Lin Zhiyan was never one for humility. He had always excelled at keyframing and openly boasted about his skills, claiming to be able to draw anything.
So when he said he only knew a little about scriptwriting, Sekiguchi Kanami and Takeuchi Oriya didn't doubt him. After all, they had never seen him write an animation script before.
Yet both felt a nagging sense of unease.
They had just been told the script would be incredibly difficult to write, yet Lin Zhiyan, who only knew a little about scriptwriting, had dared to take it on himself?
Was that really okay?
Could it be that the animation was only impressive in its planning stages, and the script phase was where it would start to fall apart?
The two exchanged glances, a bad feeling stirring in their hearts.
Fortunately, as key animators, they had a valuable skill that would ensure they wouldn't be unemployed. Otherwise, they might have been out of work by the time L.S. finished their first animation.
As they were racking their brains, Nanase Mayumi across from them couldn't help but smile. "Senpai has already finished the storyboards and scripts for the first four episodes. They're right here—you can take a look."
Hearing this, Sekiguchi Kanami and Takeuchi Oriya quickly flipped through the pages. After finding the storyboards and scripts, they quietly began to read.
A dark and eerie Death God Realm.
Ryuk, the death god, sat alone on a small hill, a solitary figure amid the desolate landscape of the Death God Realm. Other death gods were scattered across the barren land, some standing, some sitting in small groups, their presence contrasting sharply with Ryuk's solitary posture.
"What? Two skulls."
"Heh heh, I win. Don't hate me too much."
"Hey, Ryuk! Come join us! It's fun to play with us sometimes."
Two death gods, engrossed in some game, called out to Ryuk, inviting him to play.
Ryuk declined. "No, I'm not playing."
The camera zoomed in on his eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce through the Death God Realm and fix on some distant, unknown point.
The scene shifted to introduce the male protagonist, Yagami Light.
He was an exemplary student. When his English teacher asked him to translate a passage, he did so with effortless ease. In contrast, his classmates whispered to each other, played games, or read manga, their behavior forming a stark contrast to his focused demeanor.
High school students and death gods from the Death God Realm would never have crossed paths, had it not been for the Death Note that Ryuk dropped in the human world and that Yagami Light found.
The Death Note: write a name, and the person dies.
At first, Yagami Light dismissed it as a prank. But then he tried writing the name of a criminal currently being reported on TV...
Initially, Sekiguchi Kanami and Takeuchi Oriya had only looked at the script out of curiosity, with no real expectations for its content. But as they read, they were completely captivated.
The dark, wicked themes, the ingenious premise, the tight pacing, the unexpected twists, and the brilliant, mind-bending duels—
This is incredible!
It's absolutely stunning!
After finishing the storyboards and scripts for the first four episodes, Takeuchi Oriya couldn't help but slap his thigh. "What is this?! It's too good!"
Sekiguchi Kanami finished right after him.
Her expression was a mix of amusement and disbelief. She looked up at Lin Zhiyan, a wry smile playing on her lips. "Mr. Hayashi, is this what you meant by 'only knowing a little' about scriptwriting?"
"Yeah, if this is just 'a little,' then there are no qualified scriptwriters in the world!" Takeuchi Oriya added enthusiastically.
Across the table, Nanase Mayumi was clearly pleased with their reactions. After all, she had felt the same way when she first read it.
Lin Zhiyan remained composed. "This was just a topic I'm good at. If it were something I'm not familiar with, I might not have written it so well. I really only know a little."
In truth, Lin Zhiyan felt a little embarrassed even saying he only knew a little, because he had absolutely no skill in scriptwriting.
In his previous life, he'd had no experience in this area. After being reborn, he still hadn't created any scripts or studied the craft; he relied entirely on copying.
It was less a testament to his skill and more a reflection of the brilliant original manga by Tsugumi Ohba from another timeline, combined with the excellent work of the animation's scriptwriters.
Of course, he would never reveal this truth to anyone, so he could only feign ignorance and claim to know a little.
Sekiguchi Kanami and Takeuchi Oriya naturally remained unaware of the reality. They simply assumed Lin Zhiyan was being unusually humble for once, thinking, "I never thought Mr. Hayashi would show such modesty."
Four episodes' worth of storyboards and scripts were hardly enough to judge whether an animation would succeed.
Yet, after reviewing them, Sekiguchi Kanami and Takeuchi Oriya began to gain confidence in L.S.'s first animated project.
While this subject matter might be challenging to succeed with in the animation industry, the script was so well-written and the storyboards were so outstanding. If they could maintain this level of quality going forward, the results couldn't possibly be too bad, right?
"Mr. Hayashi, it's tough, but... we have to make this a success!" Sekiguchi Kanami suddenly declared.
"Mm."
Lin Zhiyan nodded. "I will make it a success."
With the two animation supervisors secured, Lin Zhiyan began to silently plan once Sekiguchi Kanami and Takeuchi Oriya had left the meeting room with their respective tasks.
He would personally serve as the Supervising Director, script supervisor, and character designer. He would also draw all the storyboards himself.
He could either take on the role of music supervisor himself or hire someone externally, depending on the situation. He'd consider that later.
Additionally, he would serve as both an animation supervisor and the Chief Animation Director.
With him included, there would be three animation supervisors, but that still wasn't enough. The company lacked any more qualified animation supervisors, so he would have to look outside, leveraging his own connections or those Nanase Mayumi had accumulated.
The company had staff capable of handling animation checks, color design, and cinematography.
The sound director would depend on the sound studio they partnered with. Funding wouldn't be an issue, and they could even assist with casting voice actors.
That left the art director and the directors for each episode.
Both of these roles, Director and Supervising Director, could have been handled by Lin Zhiyan himself. However, he had too much on his plate. Since he had already drawn the storyboards and was the Supervising Director for the animation, the Director role became less critical. The Art Director position wasn't indispensable either.
Unfortunately, it was proving difficult to recruit talented Directors and Art Directors from IG. They would have to see if they could poach staff from other companies soon, or perhaps hire external help instead of recruiting directly.
"Come to think of it, there's really a lot to do," Lin Zhiyan couldn't help but sigh.
"Senpai, you've taken on too much yourself," Nanase Mayumi said, giving him a concerned look. "Don't overwork yourself."
Lin Zhiyan shook his head. "I can't help it. This is our first animation, and it's crucial. We have to make it a success no matter what. There are so many aspects I can't entrust to others."
"Still, you shouldn't..."
Nanase Mayumi wanted to say more, but seeing Lin Zhiyan's determined expression, she ultimately held her tongue.
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