In Japanese anime, you'll often see the word "製作" (Production) in the opening credits.
"製作" is different from "制作." It refers to the investors. That's why multiple company names are often listed after it—sometimes even forming a Production Committee.
Generally, when several companies jointly invest in an anime, a Production Committee is established.
Before an anime is released, no one knows how it will sell. Joint investment helps spread the risk. However, the downside is that a Production Committee can interfere with the creative process—something Takagi Makoto wasn't fond of.
What he preferred was a single company investing without interfering in production, then handling distribution after completion.
Companies like that were as rare as giant pandas.
But in this world, one such company did exist.
Senkawa Animation, backed by the Kawano Conglomerate.
Despite its name, Senkawa Animation wasn't actually a production studio—it was a planning and investment company that didn't produce anime itself, only funded them.
With the Kawano Conglomerate behind it, the company had deep pockets and extremely strong distribution channels.
After all, once an anime is made, it has to be distributed. In 2006, online streaming wasn't yet mainstream, and sites like Niconico-style bullet comment platforms didn't even exist in this world.
At the time, distribution meant either selling discs or securing a TV broadcast.
Selling discs was manageable—DOS already had channels for that. But getting an anime onto television? That was beyond DOS's capabilities.
Senkawa Animation, however, could not only sell discs but also secure TV slots—and even promote works overseas.
So when it came to seeking investment, Takagi Makoto's first choice was Senkawa Animation.
The only problem was that, according to their public announcements, they were only planning to invest in one anime project in the near future.
Even then, it was more likely that Senkawa would create its own proposal and then hire a strong studio as the main contractor. For Takagi to secure funding from them, the difficulty was enormous.
Still, he had to try. After all, this was essentially angel investment.
Having made an appointment in advance, Takagi was quickly led into a meeting room upon arrival at Senkawa Animation.
But what caught him off guard was that someone else was already there—
Tomohiro Yasuoka, a producer from ABK Animation.
ABK was a moderately strong studio in the industry. The anime production circle in Tokyo wasn't large, so even though Takagi didn't know Yasuoka personally, he recognized him.
In Japan's anime industry, the hierarchy typically placed producers above directors, and directors above scriptwriters, since producers were usually the ones responsible for securing funding.
So if a producer from ABK was here, it was obvious he was also seeking investment.
Realizing this, Takagi felt a chill in his heart.
It was already difficult enough to get Senkawa's backing—now there was competition.
Meanwhile, Yasuoka clearly understood Takagi's purpose as well, but didn't take him seriously. He didn't even bother greeting him, sitting there arrogantly as if he owned the place.
Takagi didn't bother trying to engage either. He simply took a seat on the other side of the table and waited quietly.
A moment later, the meeting room door opened.
A young woman entered, dressed in a white blazer, her hair tied in a ponytail. She was tall and slender, with a graceful figure and a notably well-proportioned chest.
"Thank you for waiting. I'm Kawano Akino, in charge of this investment review. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you."
Takagi and Yasuoka both stood and bowed.
After sitting back down, Takagi discreetly observed her.
She looked to be in her early twenties, with delicate features, flawless fair skin, and bright, intelligent eyes. There was an air of calm elegance about her.
Kawano… as in the Kawano Conglomerate?
What was her relationship to its head? Daughter?
If that were true, then he absolutely had to latch onto this golden opportunity—maybe he could save himself fifty years of struggle.
On the other side, Yasuoka was also sizing her up—but his impression wasn't nearly as favorable.
The surname "Kawano" and her refined demeanor suggested she was no ordinary person. But that wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Children of powerful conglomerates often received elite educations—but what did they know about anime?
Sure, ignorance could make someone easier to persuade—but it also meant unpredictability. If he said the wrong thing and offended her, she might reject the proposal outright.
And then no amount of explanation would help.
Or worse—what if she didn't care about the proposal at all and just invested based on personal preference?
That would be impossible to deal with.
After a brief pause, he spoke up:
"Miss Kawano, I have a question."
Kawano Akino didn't respond verbally, only gesturing for him to continue.
"With all due respect," Yasuoka said, "where is Director Kitahara? Our company's last anime was funded by him. If possible, I'd like to speak with him first."
Though phrased politely, his meaning was clear—he wanted Kitahara to handle the review instead.
Kawano Akino frowned slightly, clearly understanding his implication.
"Kitahara has been reassigned elsewhere," she replied coolly. "From now on, every investment at Senkawa Animation will be personally handled by me."
Yasuoka was briefly taken aback, but said nothing further.
"Any other questions?" Kawano Akino continued. "If not, may I see your proposals?"
Both Takagi and Yasuoka nodded and promptly handed theirs over.
Without wasting words, Kawano picked up Yasuoka's proposal first and began flipping through it.
"A 'beautiful girls' anime?" she murmured as she read.
This didn't refer to something like 'Pretty Cure', but rather a story featuring multiple attractive female characters, where the male protagonist interacts with them, forms bonds, and so on.
In simpler terms, a harem or pseudo-harem. The term "harem" just wasn't something you'd write directly in a proposal.
"Yes," Yasuoka nodded. "This genre is very popular right now. Sales are practically guaranteed. Take 'First Love Island', which aired last July—it didn't have particularly high production quality, yet it sold over 6,000 copies. ABK's production quality is higher, so we're confident we can exceed 8,000."
Kawano Akino didn't comment, continuing to read.
Takagi, however, felt a bit stunned.
Competing for the same investor was one thing—but even their genres overlapped?
How was he supposed to compete now?
He had full confidence in 'CLANNAD'. But what he was presenting right now was only a proposal. Could it really outperform ABK's on paper alone?
More importantly, what if Kawano Akino decided to invest right after reading Yasuoka's proposal?
If that happened… what chance would he have left?