After the first-week sales figures for the first volume of the [ Death Note ] DVD were released, Lin Zhiyan felt completely reassured about the series' commercial performance.
Ignoring the revenue from merchandise and manga for now, just considering the DVD sales—at 8,000 yen per volume and an average of 20,000 units sold per volume—the nine volumes would generate a total of 1.44 billion yen.
After deducting taxes and distribution fees paid to the DVD publisher, it should be possible to net around 800 million yen.
Moreover, 20,000 was a conservative estimate; the final average sales per volume would likely exceed that number.
Additionally, a single CD and a compilation album of [ Death Note ] music would be released later. While these wouldn't sell much, they should still generate some revenue.
As for other merchandise, developing it would be ideal, but if not, it wouldn't matter. The series had already secured a modest profit.
With the commercial success confirmed, Lin Zhiyan turned his attention to the next problem: the final two episodes.
After all, the content beyond episode 25 had been cut, and episode 25 itself had undergone significant adaptation.
Lin Zhiyan had already finalized the storyboards and scripts for the last two episodes, but they wouldn't officially enter production for at least another month.
Currently, no one besides him knew what the storyboards and scripts for the final two episodes would look like.
He couldn't copy them verbatim, but he wasn't without any reference points.
In another timeline, the second live-action Death Note film from 2006 had a different ending than the manga and anime: L and Yagami Light perished together. This could serve as a reference.
Lin Zhiyan's storyboards and scripts for the final two episodes of the animation were indeed inspired by that live-action film. However, the problem was that his memory enhancement only applied to the animation, not the live-action film.
Even if he had a somewhat vivid recollection of that ending, he couldn't guarantee that the details would be accurate.
Moreover, a live-action film is different from an animation. Given this, could storyboards and scripts based on the live-action film truly rival the quality of the first 24 episodes and provide a perfect conclusion?
Previously, Lin Zhiyan had thought it would be fine. Even if the quality wasn't as high as the original, it would still be far better than simply copying the source material and stretching it into 37 episodes.
Now that the disc sales were guaranteed to surpass the original, Lin Zhiyan's standards for the animation had risen accordingly.
He couldn't settle for just being slightly better than the original; he wanted to achieve true perfection, leaving no regrets for the anime's fans.
With this in mind, he opened his drawer and pulled out the storyboards and scripts for the final two episodes. He meticulously reviewed them, comparing them against his mental recall of the previous twenty-four episodes—including character dialogue, attire, and storyboard style—to identify any inconsistencies or areas for improvement.
After reviewing them two or three times without finding any issues, he simply retrieved the storyboards and scripts for episodes 23 and 24 as well, and then called Nanase Mayumi over.
"Mayumi, please review the storyboards and scripts for the final four episodes and let me know if you find any problems," Lin Zhiyan said as he handed her the documents.
"The storyboards and scripts for the final four episodes are already done? That was so fast!" Mayumi exclaimed in surprise. She took the materials, found a seat, and began reviewing them with utmost seriousness.
After a long pause, she sighed. "So, it ends in mutual destruction?"
"I'm not a fan of tragic endings, but if the Male Lead hadn't died, it would have felt wrong. And given his circumstances, L probably wouldn't have been able to bring him to justice without this kind of mutually destructive outcome. So, this ending is actually quite fitting."
She nodded. "I don't see any issues with it."
"No issues at all?" Lin Zhiyan asked again.
"Hmm~"
Nanase Mayumi was puzzled by Lin Zhiyan's persistence.
She had been so sure there were no problems, but after being asked a second time, she suddenly felt uncertain. She replied softly, "Well, I think so. Let me read it again!"
With that, she began reading carefully once more.
After reading it through twice and still finding nothing wrong, she finally said, "Senior, I'm completely certain there are no issues."
"Alright," Lin Zhiyan said, asking no further questions.
He took the storyboards and scripts for the final four episodes from Nanase Mayumi, stored them away, but still didn't let his guard down.
Since Nanase Mayumi had said so, the storyboards and scripts were likely in good shape.
Still, the quality of an animation depended on more than just the storyboards and scripts. The interplay of visuals and music was equally crucial.
Lin Zhiyan was absolutely confident in his ability to handle the visuals. As for the music, he'd need to take his time and carefully consider it later.
The final two episodes were still a long way from entering full production. He'd keep it in mind, but there was no need to rush.
After a moment's thought, Lin Zhiyan changed the subject: "By the way, have the New Year's holiday schedules been announced yet?"
"Yes, they have," Nanase Mayumi nodded.
Japan had abandoned the lunar calendar long ago, now using the Gregorian calendar exclusively. New Year's was celebrated according to this calendar.
Since Death Note was a half-year series and episode 13 was scheduled to air on December 27th, it wouldn't be affected by the TV station's New Year's programming or interrupted. Logically, L.S Production shouldn't have any time off.
However, the preparations for the animation's premiere were thorough, and the production process had proceeded smoothly. They even had four episodes stockpiled, so there was no need to rush through the New Year.
A week-long break was still feasible.
After careful consideration, Lin Zhiyan decided to give everyone a holiday from December 28th to January 3rd, with work resuming on January 4th.
Since the decision had already been announced, Lin Zhiyan didn't press for details.
Just as he was about to tackle his backlog of tasks, Nanase Mayumi suddenly asked, "Senior, did you sign up for this month's Comic Market?"
"No," Lin Zhiyan replied with a slight shake of his head. "I'm a minor public figure now, so it's not really appropriate for me to set up a booth there anymore."
"In that case... would you like to go browse around together when the time comes?" Nanase Mayumi asked, her voice hesitant. "Just browsing should be fine, right?"
Lin Zhiyan looked up at Nanase Mayumi, who quickly averted her gaze, unable to meet his eyes. Her hands twisted nervously behind her back, fidgeting restlessly.
After a few seconds, Lin Zhiyan agreed: "Alright."
Nanase Mayumi's face lit up at his response. "Then it's settled."
As if afraid he might change his mind, she turned and walked away immediately after speaking.
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