On April 6, 1997, the 21st episode, the second to last episode, of the second season of the anime "CLANNAD," adapted from the game of the same name by Pokeni Co., Ltd. and produced by Kyoto Animation, aired on Tokyo Television.
At the same Time last year, the first episode of "CLANNAD" was broadcast and received an immense response.
Countless viewers expressed that they had never seen such a heartwarming, funny, and moving anime.
At the end of the first season, the male protagonist Okazaki Tomoya and Furukawa Nagisa began living together, and the two were incredibly sweet.
Although there were also touching routes like Fuko's in the middle, which made many people shed tears, overall, the ending was good and very heartwarming.
The plot, which unfolded with heartwarming daily life, high school campus life, and various interesting characters, along with a simple and cheerful story, undoubtedly received the audience's approval.
Therefore, everyone was very much looking forward to the broadcast of the second season of CL.
However, after the second season aired, the viewers were dumbfounded.
Those who had played the game were fine, but viewers who hadn't played the game had no psychological preparation whatsoever and were completely stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Not long after the second season began, the anime's plot accelerated like a rocket.
Okazaki Tomoya not only moved into Furukawa Nagisa's home, but the two even got married.
Married!
Can you believe this?
Furukawa Nagisa was still a high school student who hadn't graduated. Although she was older than Okazaki Tomoya, there seemed to be no need for them to get married so early.
However, the content of the first few episodes was still normal, at least it satisfied the audience.
They were married, and they had a heartwarming daily life.
In the blink of an eye, the female protagonist was pregnant and even about to give birth.
This made viewers question life itself—
What is Pokeni Co., Ltd. doing? Is it necessary to rush the Time progression so quickly?
If they have a child later, are they going to broadcast their entire lives in the anime? How could the duration possibly be enough?
From high schoolers to old people, that's too scary.
However, the viewers only guessed half right, which is that Furukawa Nagisa's entire life was indeed broadcast,
because she died not long after giving birth to her child.
Dead!
Can you believe it?
The entire Tokyo was experiencing heavy rain on the day Furukawa Nagisa died.
Countless game players wanted to send razor blades to Kyoto Animation. Yoshiji Kigami, the person in charge of Kyoto Animation, stated, "We are adapting this according to Pokeni Co., Ltd.'s original game, and we are absolutely faithful to the original."
So, razor blades were sent en masse to Pokeni Co., Ltd..
This is what you call "the wronged has a head, the debt has a master," and even the signature on the envelope was [Furuhara Tsubaki].
Of course, as the script Author, Maeda Jun also couldn't escape.
Although Maeda Jun stated that CL was entirely Furuhara-sensei's game outline, he merely wrote it out.
Just polished it a bit, is that really necessary?
But the viewers didn't care about any of that.
…
After Furukawa Nagisa died, the male protagonist lived alone with his daughter. To ensure his child grew up smoothly and to take care of his family, the male protagonist also worked desperately.
At the same Time, he tried to forget the pain of Furukawa Nagisa's departure in this way, numbing his fragile and sensitive nerves.
In the subsequent story, things were actually slowly developing in a good direction.
Especially after returning from a trip with his daughter, Okazaki Tomoya also understood his father, and the family lived a happy and harmonious life together.
Although life was difficult, everyone worked hard.
As long as the family is still there, everything is beautiful.
And in the most recent anime, things are getting increasingly out of hand.
Ushio has a fever, and it's been lasting for several months.
Terrifying.
Countless viewers became worried about this.
Many viewers directly called Kyoto Animation to threaten Yoshiji Kigami and inquire about the subsequent plot.
Unable to withstand the pressure, Yoshiji Kigami stepped forward and stated that the anime's ending would definitely be a happy one, that they were completely faithful to the original game in their adaptation, and that there would certainly be no problems.
Only then did everyone somewhat believe his nonsense.
…
Tonight, episode 22 aired.
In the evening, Furukawa Hirozawa and his girlfriend Yukitake Junna were huddled at home, watching episode 22 on Time.
Having already played the game countless Times, Furukawa was barely holding it together, tears constantly welling up, on the verge of breaking down.
Yukitake Junna, beside him, also noticed his abnormality. "What's wrong? Didn't Yoshiji Kigami-Director promise that the ending of CL's second season would be a happy ending?"
"Hmm." Furukawa Hirozawa nodded forcefully. "I've played the game, and it is indeed a happy ending."
But the problem is, this isn't the last episode.
Heaven knows if Kyoto Animation put that hope at the end of this episode.
However, as soon as Furukawa Hirozawa thought about what happened in the game, his nose tingled a bit.
Oh no!
Tears are about to fall.
It's actually fine when I'm alone, but now I'm in front of Junna. If she sees me crying, that would be too embarrassing.
On the television:
Ushio's high fever continued without subsiding. Tomoya had to earn money to support the family, so he could only ask Sanae to take care of his daughter, while he worked desperately and returned home every day to check on his daughter's condition.
Unfortunately, there was no improvement, and things were getting worse.
By the Time winter arrived, it was clear that Ushio could no longer hold on.
Under such circumstances, the male protagonist Okazaki Tomoya decided to take Ushio to the place she wanted to go, for another father-daughter trip.
If that's the case, she would be happy, right? At least if her mood improves, her condition will surely get better, right?
Snowflakes fell, covering the ground with a thin layer.
"Ushio, can you still walk?"
"Hmm…" Ushio responded with a faint voice.
But just then, Ushio let go of Tomoya's hand and collapsed in the snow.
"Ushio!"
The male protagonist quickly knelt down and held her in his arms.
She couldn't go anywhere anymore.
Ushio closed her eyes, only breathing painfully.
…
"Father. Where are we… now?"
Tomoya cried, "In the train."
"Oh… Father." Ushio said in an almost inaudible voice.
"Hmm."
"Father, I love you the most."
Tomoya, hearing his daughter's words, was already choked with sobs.
"Me too, Father feels the same, I love Ushio the most too."
At this moment, large snowflakes fell.
This was a scene that could only be seen in a dream.
Time froze at this moment.
The sensation was gradually disappearing from his fingertips.
His vision gradually dimmed.
…
This episode finished airing.
Great, Ushio died.
Furukawa Hirozawa sighed.
Although he had played this game countless Times and knew all the endings, when he saw the content of this episode again, Furukawa Hirozawa still cried terribly.
He was completely broken, sobbing uncontrollably.
With snot and tears streaming down his face.
Yukitake Junna next to him was even more of a crying mess.
"Haoze-kun, promise me, even if I'm not here in the future, you'll live well, okay?"
"Hey, please don't say such strange things, okay?"
…
After episode 22 aired,
everyone cried terribly. They couldn't imagine why Pokeni Co., Ltd. could design such a terrifying game.
Countless viewers on the internet condemned Pokeni Co., Ltd. and Furuhara Tsubaki, and even Kyoto Animation, which produced the anime, was not spared.
However, the slightly better thing for Yoshiji Kigami and his team was that—
They could push Pokeni Co., Ltd. forward as a shield.
We are completely faithful to the original work. As for why the plot turned out this way, everything is based on Pokeni Co., Ltd..
Furuhara Tsubaki is the culprit.
…
The next day.
Aoki Haruhi received a thank-you letter from a game player, addressed to [To the esteemed Furuhara Tsubaki-sensei].
[To the esteemed Furuhara Tsubaki-sensei,
Thank you for producing such an excellent game as "CLANNAD." It has uplifted and purified my soul.
I was a troublesome underachiever since childhood, always at the bottom in my studies.
I originally thought life was so bleak, and I might never gain recognition from others in this life.
However, after watching the anime adapted from the game you produced, I regained hope for life.
And I am striving to become a person like Okazaki Tomoya. One day, I will also meet my Furukawa Nagisa.
Thank you, Furuhara Tsubaki-sensei.
To express my gratitude, I specifically sent you a small gift. Please do not despise it.]
"This is truly touching," Aoki Haruhi said. "I never imagined that the game we produced could bring such immense energy to the viewers. Look, there are still people in this world who understand us."
"President, aren't you curious what gift he sent?" Ayase Akane said with a mischievous smile beside him.
"Hmm?"
Aoki Haruhi smelled a hint of something amiss.
"Not putting the razor blade at the envelope's opening to hurt you, this viewer is already very kind. What a good child."
Ayase Akane praised him.
Clatter.
Aoki Haruhi's letter fell to the ground.
Along with it, a heart shattered into pieces.
Ah! No!
How could this be? Just when a viewer finally praised him, he turned out to be a 'white-cut-black'?
"President, the warehouse is full of things," Ayase Akane hinted.
Aoki Haruhi frowned deeply. He didn't need to think to know it was definitely a pile of razor blades.
Many of them were sent to Furuhara Tsubaki-sensei.
"I didn't expect it. I've been silent for over a year, yet I can still receive such 'love' from the players."
HR-chan covered her mouth and laughed.
Bah.
Is that 'love'? They truly 'love' you to death.
"Sell them all," Aoki Haruhi said.
He had lost a loyal student, and this student was also a 'white-cut-black', which greatly disheartened Aoki Haruhi.
...
However, thanks to Kyoto Animation, CL achieved excellent broadcast results after airing on Tokyo Television, with consistently high ratings, especially after Ushio's death. Countless people were waiting for the so-called grand finale the following week.
Everyone's dead. Can the ending truly have a reversal?
Countless people were anticipating it, hoping Yoshiji Kigami's promise was true.
Under such circumstances, some people couldn't help but play Pokeni's game and dug out old posts from the website.
The viewers were still waiting for the next episode to air.
However, players who had played the game were brought back to their past 'beautiful memories' by the anime.
In Pokeni's official forum, the CLANNAD module became popular again.
"Sigh, the tolerance of today's audiences is truly worrying. Back then, we continuously experienced CL and LL."
"Honestly, even now, looking back at the anime, I can still recall the feeling of playing the game. When I heard'Shiosai no Uta', tears immediately welled up, completely uncontrollable.
CL truly lives up to its reputation as a tear-jerking game masterpiece.
I'm now looking forward even more to the LL anime adaptation.
I hope Kyoto Animation works even harder and lets the world feel what it's like to be dominated by Pokeni."
"These players, they can't handle CL now, so when they see the plot unfold in LL later, won't they be crying the entire Time?"
"Hahaha, I also really want to see the audience's reaction when LL comes out. At least let them experience the power of Old Thief Furuhara."
"Ah, speaking of Old Thief Furuhara, I actually miss him a bit. The last LL was around the end of 1994, and two years have passed since then."
"What exactly is Furuhara Tsubaki-sensei doing now? Honestly, I miss him a little."
"Isn't Gen Urobuchi enough for you to miss? Do you have to bring out the master too, right?"
"Sigh, how should I put it? It's just rare to find a game that truly resonates with the heart, directly hitting the soul, making people cry with joy, letting them view life and death lightly after completing the game, and then regaining the courage to live on."
...
"It's over, it's over. Is there something wrong with our brains? We're actually missing the days of being tortured by Old Thief Furuhara."
"Hahaha, it seems like the people here aren't quite normal. I strongly suspect you should all get checked."
"The mental hospital welcomes you."
"I don't want to go to a mental hospital. If I'm going to be caught, I'd rather go to a research institute and see what Old Thief Furuhara has done to us."
"The name Furuhara Tsubaki-sensei truly brings back memories. When will Furuhara Tsubaki-sensei's game be available? Did Pokeni put Furuhara Tsubaki-sensei on ice?
Is it because too many razor blades were sent to him?
I promise, Furuhara-sensei, next Time you release a new work, I'll send fewer razor blades."
"Furuhara Tsubaki-sensei, a god remembered by the world."
...
In fact, the LL anime adaptation is indeed in production, also outsourced to Kyoto Animation.
It's all thanks to Pokeni. Currently, Kyoto Animation is largely sustained by Pokeni's game.
Even though people say their anime is too heart-wrenching, delivers 'knives', and is tear-jerking, these are not bad things. On the contrary, they are more like an honor.
Kyoto Animation has also carved a path in the animation industry due to its excellent animation production and god-like storylines.
In terms of animation, the main income source will still be from selling VCDs later on.
Yes, it used to be videotapes, but now it's VCDs, which also indicates the rapid progress of Time.
The world is constantly changing.
...
Returning home in the evening, he and Nao Tsuda discussed the recent anime adaptations over dinner.
Tsuda couldn't help but laugh, "Now I somewhat understand why so many people send you razor blades."
"Uh..."
Aoki Haruhi's mouth twitched fiercely.
The feeling of being attacked by his wife was truly unbearable.
"Oh, right," Nao Tsuda put down her chopsticks, remembering something, "The plans Ichihashi mentioned earlier have largely been realized."
"Hmm?" Aoki Haruhi looked up, puzzled.
He didn't seem to quite understand what she was referring to.
"During this Time, Ichihashi has been running back and forth between the United States and Japan, which has been quite hard on her," Nao Tsuda said with a smile, "She has now acquired two second-tier small companies with distribution rights from North America and is currently busy acquiring other small companies to exchange with Dentsu.
At that Time, a portion of the equity will be transferred to Dentsu to establish Moon River's own distribution company. After reaching a cooperation, Moon River's path will be smooth sailing."
"That's great." Aoki Haruhi nodded.
"I didn't expect Ichihashi Fumie to be quite capable."
"Almost everything is ready. The next step is deciding what to do," Tsuda smiled.
"Okay."
As for what to do, Aoki Haruhi's list has a long list of options.
However, he needs to select some film and television works that can be produced with current technology and are cost-effective.
It would be best if they could also be developed into game, so they could profit from both ends.
And also form a chemical reaction, a powerful linkage effect.
...
How powerful is Dentsu, Japan?
Dentsu is Japan's largest advertising and communications group, essentially holding a monopoly position, akin to an imperial enterprise.
However, this is only in terms of advertising and communications.
What kind of existence is Dentsu, Japan?
Any well-known Japanese conglomerate entrusts its advertising budget in Japan to this company.
Dentsu's power lies not only in its monopoly but also in its bluntness: how to spend domestic advertising budgets—it depends on ratings.
Many Japanese television stations are self-supporting, so they face great survival pressure. And with high drama production and copyright costs, variety shows have become the battleground for how many advertisements a television station can secure.
In other words, he is a big financier in the entertainment industry.
However, Aoki Haruhi had previously only been involved in game, so he hadn't fully realized Dentsu's power. This Time, after explanations from Nao Tsuda and Ichihashi Fumie, he finally understood.
The main reason Moon River has leverage to negotiate and cooperate with Dentsu is that Dentsu's expansion in North America has not been very smooth.
Everyone knows Dentsu is a behemoth, so all companies are cautious about cooperating with him.
And Moon River, which was originally unrelated to the advertising industry, privately acquired a bunch of companies and integrated them to exchange interests with Dentsu.
Although it wasn't a huge success, it was still business expansion.
And investing in Moon River would not affect Dentsu's own business, because he is just an advertising company, and Moon River is a film and television company, so it would compete with the 'Big Four' for market share.
What does that have to do with my Dentsu?
To put it plainly, business is all about interests. It just depends on whether you can provide the other party with what they want.
In addition, Moon River was willing to make sacrifices and transfer a portion of its equity to Dentsu, which created a more favorable negotiating condition.
When Ichihashi Fumie contacted the other party, Dentsu's executives expressed considerable interest.
...
As long as cooperation is reached with Dentsu.
Then others in the Japanese domestic cinema distribution won't dare to openly obstruct.
Because many Japanese cinemas are owned by the 'Big Four' film and television companies, and Moon River will inevitably compete directly with them in the future.
Toho often engages in exclusive distribution.
But with Dentsu involved, they won't be able to openly do these things.
They can only compete fairly.
If it's fair competition, who is a transmigrator afraid of?
Aoki Haruhi stated that he was not afraid at all.
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