In Japanese anime, the opening credits almost always included a credit for the financial backers of the production, distinct from the credit given to the actual production studio.
This was why multiple company names often appeared under the funding credit. In many cases, the backers simply formed a production committee.
Whenever several companies co-funded an anime, a production committee was typically established. Since nobody could predict how well an anime would sell before its release, splitting the investment across multiple companies helped reduce the risk.
However, production committees had a tendency to meddle in the creative process, so Yuta was not particularly fond of this arrangement.
What he preferred was a single company investing in the project without interfering in the production, and then handling distribution once the anime was finished.
Companies like that were practically an endangered species, but as luck would have it, one such company existed in this world.
Arcane Animation was a company backed by the Fuji Group.
Despite having "Animation" in its name, Arcane was actually a planning company. It did not produce anime itself but rather invested in anime projects.
Furthermore, with the Fuji Group behind it, Arcane had deep pockets and an exceptionally strong distribution network.
Anime had to be distributed after production, and in 2006, streaming anime online was not yet common practice. A video platform with a live comment feature similar to Niconico did not even exist in this world yet.
At present, anime distribution meant either selling discs directly or getting a television broadcast slot. Disc sales were manageable since Starfall had its own channels for that, but securing a television broadcast was beyond what Starfall could accomplish on its own.
Arcane, on the other hand, could not only sell discs but also secure television airtime, and even had the capability to promote anime overseas.
When it came to finding investors, Yuta's first choice was naturally Arcane. The only issue was that, according to Arcane's publicly announced plans, they were only considering investment in a single anime project for the near future.
They said they were considering investing in one anime, but in all likelihood, Arcane would develop their own project proposal and then contract a well-established animation studio to serve as the lead producer. That meant the odds of Yuta Shido securing their investment were extremely slim.
Still, he had to try. After all, this was practically angel-level investment.
He had made an appointment in advance, so when Yuta arrived at Arcane's offices, he was promptly shown to a meeting room.
What threw him off, however, was the fact that someone else was already sitting inside: Kaito Amanai, a producer from Lumen.
Lumen was a studio with a solid reputation in the industry. The anime production world was a small one, and since both companies were based in Tokyo, Yuta could recognize Kaito Amanai by sight even though the two of them had no real relationship to speak of.
In anime production, the hierarchy generally placed the producer above the director and the director above the screenwriter, since it was usually the producer who was responsible for securing funding.
Running into Lumen's producer at Arcane could only mean one thing.
Kaito was here to pitch for investment as well.
The realization sent a chill through Yuta.
Landing Arcane's investment was already going to be difficult. Now, with a competitor in the mix, it had become even harder.
Kaito had also figured out why Yuta was there, but he did not seem the least bit concerned. He did not bother greeting Yuta either, just sat there with his nose in the air, looking as smug as a man holding a winning hand.
Yuta was not about to set himself up for a snub.
He simply walked to the other side of the conference table, sat down, and waited in silence.
A short while later, a young woman entered the meeting room. She wore a fitted white blazer, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and she had a tall, slender frame, though certain areas were notably well-endowed.
"Thank you both for waiting. My name is Aoi Fuji, and I will be overseeing the investment review this time. It is a pleasure to meet you." The woman began with a polite introduction.
"The pleasure is ours."
Yuta and Kaito both stood and bowed immediately.
Once they had settled back into their seats, Yuta discreetly studied the woman called Aoi Fuji.
She appeared to be in her early twenties at most. Her features were refined, her skin was flawlessly pale, and her eyes were remarkably bright.
Everything about her exuded an air of elegance.
Her surname was "Fuji," as in the Fuji Group.
'What is her relationship with the head of the group? Father and daughter?'
If that really was the case, then he needed to find a way to latch onto this golden connection as soon as possible. It could save him fifty years of struggle down the line.
On the other side of the table, Kaito was also sizing up Aoi, though his impression was far less optimistic.
The surname "Fuji" combined with that refined, aristocratic aura made it clear that Aoi Fuji's background was anything but ordinary. But the more extraordinary her background, the worse things could get.
The sons and daughters of conglomerates were raised on elite educations. What could someone like that possibly know about anime?
Granted, the more ignorant a person was, the easier they might be to persuade. But the real danger was that she might not play by the rules at all. One wrong word, one accidental offense, and she could pull the investment offer right off the table.
At that point, no amount of talking would make a difference. Or worse, she might not even care whether a proposal was good or bad and just invest based on personal whim. Then what was anyone supposed to do?
As these thoughts churned through his mind, Kaito spoke up. "Miss Fuji, I have a question."
Aoi did not reply verbally but gave him a slight look that indicated he should continue.
With her permission, Kaito went on. "Could you tell me where Department Head Ogami is? Our company's previous anime was funded through Ogami. If possible, I would like to have a word with him first."
He said "have a word," but the underlying message was obvious. He wanted Ogami to be the one handling the investment review instead.
The woman's brow furrowed slightly, making it clear she had understood the implication perfectly.
She gave Kaito a glance and replied, "Ogami has been transferred elsewhere. Going forward, every investment decision at Arcane will be handled by me personally."
Kaito looked momentarily taken aback but said nothing more.
"Do either of you have any other questions? If not, may I have a look at your proposals?" Aoi continued.
Neither Yuta nor Kaito had any objections, and they promptly handed over their proposals.
Without wasting words, Aoi picked up Kaito's proposal first and began reading through it.
"A bishoujo-themed anime?" she murmured, almost as if thinking aloud, as she flipped through the pages.
A "bishoujo-themed anime" did not refer to the magical girl variety like Pretty Cure. Rather, it meant an anime filled with all manner of beautiful girls, where the plot generally revolved around the male protagonist interacting with them, forming emotional bonds, and then various developments unfolding from there.
In plain terms, it was a harem anime, or at least a pseudo-harem. After all, the word "harem" was not exactly something you put directly into a proposal.
"That's right."
Kaito nodded. "This genre has a very strong market right now, and sales are practically guaranteed. Take First Love Island, which aired last July. The production quality was nothing special, yet it still sold over six thousand copies. Lumen's production quality is significantly higher. If we made an anime in this genre, we could expect sales of at least eight thousand."
Aoi offered no comment and continued reading.
Yuta, however, was a bit stunned.
Competing for the same investment was one thing, but their proposals were in the same genre too? How was he supposed to deal with this?
Although Yuta was confident in Clannad, all he could present to Aoi right now was a proposal. Could a proposal alone really beat out Lumen?
More importantly, he was worried that Aoi might read Kaito's proposal and decide to invest on the spot. If that happened, where would that leave him?
_______________________
Support me at patreon.com/CulturedOne and read 30 Advanced Chapters