L.S. Production.
Everyone was thrilled to learn that the first episode of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion season two had broken the viewership record for late-night anime:
"Breaking the record in the first episode? That's incredible!"
"It feels like we're creating another legend."
"Following the President was the right choice. I wonder what other surprises are in store for us in the future."
"The next few episodes might see a slight drop in viewership, but as long as we maintain stability, the ratings should rise again by the end. We might even break the record again then."
"Lelouch forever! L.S. is the best! Long live the President!"
Inside the president's office, Lin Zhiyan was receiving a visitor from the GG agency, Egawa Yūsaku.
"President Lin, please accept this humble gift from our company," Egawa Yūsaku said with a beaming smile, presenting a gift box with both hands.
Lin Zhiyan didn't decline. He took the box, opened it, and discovered a bottle of exceptionally rare and expensive wine.
He thanked Egawa Yūsaku and found a place to put it away.
Although the wine was expensive, he accepted it without guilt. The animation's GG licensing rights had long been sold outright.
High viewership for the animation only meant greater popularity and buzz for the production team, securing better promotional opportunities. They wouldn't see direct financial gains anytime soon.
But for the GG agency, it was different. Since they had purchased the rights outright, higher viewership meant higher profits. It was no surprise they'd send someone to deliver this gift.
The gift wasn't enough. Egawa Yūsaku also showered Lin Zhiyan with flattery, spouting lines like "a natural-born anime god," "a once-in-a-millennium talent," and "outclassing legends like Mamoru Oshii, Yoshiki Takami, and Hideaki Anno." The compliments flowed endlessly, stopping just short of declaring, "Without Lin Zhiyan, anime would remain in eternal darkness."
After the flattery, he finally added, "President Lin, with your extraordinary talent, I'm sure the 6.0% viewership rating is just the beginning. Please keep up the momentum. We eagerly anticipate Lelouch achieving even higher viewership."
These reactions were just from those directly involved.
Even in the animation industry, people who had no connection to Lin Zhiyan or Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion were astonished to learn that the second season of Lelouch had broken the viewership record for late-night anime. While surprised, they couldn't help but marvel:
"This guy is terrifyingly strong. I'm starting to wonder if he even has limits."
"Right? First he made a super-popular anime, then a phenomenon-level one. We thought his shows would never win awards, but then he swept up multiple trophies. Now he's broken the late-night anime viewership record. Every one of his achievements is beyond what most animators could ever dream of. The gap between him and everyone else is just too vast."
"When Gundam SEED first became popular, we thought it could suppress Lelouch season two. But now it looks like that's completely hopeless."
"They failed to suppress the first episode, letting it get such high viewership. Now it'll be even harder to contain."
"At least, despite Lelouch's massive popularity, strong commercial performance, and multiple awards, no one's gone around calling it a 'god-tier' work yet. If that happened, with two 'god-tier' works under his belt, this guy's future rise would be unstoppable."
Before Gundam SEED aired, no one would have thought this anime could outperform Lelouch. After all, several Gundam series before SEED had underperformed commercially.
Once SEED gained popularity, the fans of both series began to argue. Industry insiders wouldn't openly take sides, but secretly, they hoped Gundam SEED would dominate Lelouch and crush its second season.
After all, they resented Lin Zhiyan's massive success. While they might also envy Gundam SEED's success, their resentment wouldn't be as intense.
Before Lelouch's second season aired, it wasn't entirely impossible for Gundam SEED to outperform it. After all, despite the fans of both series trading insults back and forth, the true battle wouldn't begin until Lelouch's second season premiered.
Now, regardless of Gundam SEED's performance, it's highly unlikely to suppress Lelouch's second season.
The battle for popularity is, in essence, a battle for destiny.
When two powerhouses clash, the victor's success can be attributed to sheer fortune. As long as the creator doesn't sabotage it, the winning work's position in the industry becomes as solid as Mount Tai.
From the current situation, it seems Lelouch season 2 hasn't won yet. However, Gundam SEED had already been airing for three months, while Lelouch season 2 had just begun.
The moment the record-breaking viewership figures for Lelouch season 2's first episode were announced, Gundam SEED was already defeated.
The animation's popularity, combined with the "record-breaking" headline, naturally led to widespread coverage across animation media. Even publications with little connection to anime mentioned the event.
On January 10th, the day before Lelouch season 2's second episode aired, all three monthly magazines from the "Big Three Anime Magazines" featured either characters from Lelouch or Supervising Director Lin Zhiyan on their covers.
As the "Big Three," the magazines' sales and influence are self-evident. With all three major publications vying to cover the story and giving it such prominence, even those who hadn't previously watched Lelouch were likely to take notice.
Every gain in popularity for Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion meant a corresponding loss for Gundam SEED. After all, offline promotional resources were limited; any resources allocated to Code Geass meant fewer could be given to Gundam SEED.
While this didn't cause a sudden plummet in Gundam SEED's popularity, the audience buzz and media frenzy were all focused on Code Geass's second season. The result was an explosive surge in Code Geass's popularity, making it increasingly difficult for Gundam SEED to compete.
As the Supervising Director of the animation and one of the key figures at the center of this public debate, Lin Zhiyan remained remarkably humble.
If asked how he felt, he would likely say he was relieved.
He had initially worried that competing with Gundam SEED during the same period might leave Code Geass at a disadvantage, causing much of its popularity to migrate to Gundam SEED.
Now, it seemed that worry was unfounded.
While future fluctuations in popularity were inevitable, in the short term, it was more likely that some of Gundam SEED's audience would migrate to Code Geass.
With this concern resolved, the next step was to maintain steady production and then monitor the DVD sales for the second season.
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