Inside the president's office at L.S Production, Lin Zhiyan summoned Hakuba Yūki, the head of the online marketing department, and gave him solemn instructions:
"For the Lelouch animation, simply targeting male audiences isn't enough. We need to actively promote it to women as well, focusing on uncovering potential female viewers. You and your team must continue infiltrating major online chat rooms and actively post promotional threads on forums and social media communities."
"Take chat rooms as an example: if a group has a predominantly female user base, focus your marketing efforts on Lelouch himself. Highlight his charm to ignite their desire to follow the series."
"As for male audiences, well, C.C., Shirley, and Karen—I don't need to teach you about them, do I?"
"Also, remember to maintain the official animation website daily and respond promptly to comments."
While Lin Zhiyan laid out these instructions in detail, Hakuba Yūki quickly jotted down some key points with his pen.
When Lin Zhiyan finished, Hakuba asked, "President, is there anything else?"
"Those are the main points. As for the rest... you're already a seasoned head of online promotion. You should be able to think of your own strategies and supplement them. Just do whatever it takes to boost our animation's popularity and buzz," Lin Zhiyan replied.
There's a saying: If the president had to spell out every single detail, what would be the point of having Hakuba Yūki as the head of online promotion?
Though Hakuba Yūki couldn't immediately think of any other key points, he nodded. "Understood. I'll give it more thought when I get back."
Lin Zhiyan waved his hand. "Alright, go ahead and get back to work. Oh, and have Mayumi come in."
Hakuba Yūki replied, "Yes, sir," and turned to leave the president's office.
Before long, Nanase Mayumi arrived. She stood before Lin Zhiyan and greeted him in a sweet voice, "Senior." Then she asked, "What did you need me for?"
"We're increasing our promotional budget for the new animation. Let's add 10% to the GG ad spend. You handle the arrangements. Also, contact the voice actors and the TV station to schedule a variety show appearance. Have them help promote the show during the program," Lin Zhiyan instructed.
Nanase Mayumi blinked in surprise. "Senior, our new animation is already so popular. Do we really need to keep increasing our promotional budget? Won't it be counterproductive?"
"This is just the beginning," Lin Zhiyan said, shaking his head. "We're aiming for a phenomenon-level hit, not just another super popular animation. There's still plenty of room for growth. Investing more in promotion won't be a loss."
"Just another super popular animation..." Nanase Mayumi's lips twitched slightly.
It was the first time she'd ever heard anyone describe a super popular animation as "just another."
But since it was coming from Lin Zhiyan, her favorite senior, she didn't think he was being arrogant. Instead, she felt a sense of "That's just like Senior!"
"Oh, right." Lin Zhiyan suddenly remembered something. "One more thing. Can you check with the merchandise manufacturers later and see if the first batch of merchandise is complete and when it's expected to launch?"
"Sure thing."
Nanase Mayumi jotted down everything. "Senior, there's something I need to tell you too."
"What is it?" Lin Zhiyan asked, looking up.
"The resumes of the candidates coming for interviews this Sunday." Nanase Mayumi handed him a stack of documents.
Since its founding, L.S Production has held a special recruitment fair for recent graduates every March. This year was no exception, though it wasn't March yet.
Therefore, the candidates interviewing now were definitely not recent graduates.
It must be said that L.S Production remained highly sought-after. After the success of Death Note, their new anime, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, became another massive hit. In just four episodes, it had become a super popular anime, making Lin Zhiyan the talk of the industry and transforming L.S from a rising star into a dominant force in the animation world.
Working at L.S offered the chance to be close to Lin Zhiyan, learn from him, and participate in the production of hit anime.
Even more importantly, L.S's benefits and compensation were exceptional. Few animation companies in the entire Tokyo area could match their offerings, naturally drawing many applicants.
However, the sheer number of applicants meant the bar for entry had become extremely high. For recent graduates, there was a required training period of several months. As for experienced hires, for example, Key Animators needed to be at least at the level of a First Key Animator or have a personal connection. Without such qualifications or being "spotted" by Lin Zhiyan at first glance, getting hired was generally impossible.
Lin Zhiyan's so-called "instant recognition" was, of course, based on the name—checking if it belonged to someone who became famous in another timeline.
He took the files Nanase Mayumi handed him and casually flipped through them. Soon, a name caught his eye—Abe Wataru.
In another timeline, this man had been a major contributor to animations like A Certain Scientific Railgun, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the Fate series, and Demon Slayer. He was particularly renowned for his special effects animation, characterized by densely packed explosions, smoke, debris, and intense lightning effects. This earned him the nickname "Welder."
Born in 1979, Abe Wataru joined Studio Boomerang in 1999. For two years, he worked on cut-out animation for Detective Conan until finally participating in keyframe work for the first time in 2001.
He should have become a freelancer when Studio Boomerang merged with another company. Yet, in this timeline, he had submitted his resume to L.S Production at this very moment.
It seemed most likely that Lin Zhiyan's recent surge in activity had created a butterfly effect.
In the future, animation fans would remember him as "the unsung hero of Demon Slayer, the master of special effects animation." From that perspective, the man's potential was truly boundless.
Yet, as Lin Zhiyan reviewed his resume, he couldn't help but frown. The man had only begun to gradually develop his skills around 2002. By 2007, he had become the lead Key Animator for Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny, where his spectacular action sequences had earned him widespread acclaim.
If they recruited him now, would it derail his life's trajectory, turning a future animation titan into an ordinary figure?
This gave him a headache.
After agonizing over it for a while, he finally shook his head.
Forget it. Let's just recruit him for now. If necessary, I can guide him more later, encouraging him to continue specializing in action and special effects.
Besides, he hadn't fully blossomed yet, which made him a viable candidate for L.S. By the time he grew into his full potential, he'd be nearly impossible to recruit—at best, they'd be able to collaborate.
This was a rare opportunity, and he couldn't let it slip away.
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