The corrected drafts were in a messy order, making it impossible to form a coherent sequence of storyboards. However, every single one of these correction drawings was done by Uehara Etsuki. Her extraordinary skill made the yellow sheets look flawless, as if they had been completed in a single stroke. Her control over each line had reached perfection—straight lines were firm and powerful, curves were precise and structured, flowing as smoothly as if engraved by a machine.
These correction drawings might not showcase Uehara Etsuki's personal artistic style, but they perfectly embody the fundamentals of a key animator.
"The character and background designs in these drawings are fairly conventional, yet she can outline the overall structure with just a few strokes. From this alone, her skills are already on par with the great key animators from my previous world. And she even marked important areas with notes to make it easier for a newcomer like me… she's a pretty good boss."
Sitting at his desk, Kamiyā Yuu flipped through Uehara Etsuki's work page by page, filled with admiration. Most of the key animation department members were still asleep, making the already cramped office feel even more deserted. His own desk setup was nothing special—just a nameplate hanging on the partition and the necessary tools for a key animator.
After carefully reviewing the correction drafts, Kamiyā Yuu took out white animation paper from his drawer and began tracing them. With the help of inherited memory, he started relatively focused, carefully drawing each line stroke by stroke.
But as time passed, the persistent stiffness in his hand while drawing filled him with growing frustration. No matter how he looked at the drawings he produced, he found them unsatisfactory.
The lines he drew were rigid, the proportions of the overall structure were off, and the refined essence that key animation required was completely missing. To an average viewer, there might not be much difference—but to a trained key animator, his work was no better than that of a beginner in-between animator. The lines lacked confidence and experience.
At this moment, Kamiyā Yuu had yet to adapt to the "feel" of drawing from his memories. Calling him a beginner among key animators wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Drip—!
As time went on, it wasn't until a drop of sweat fell from his cheek onto the paper that Kamiyā Yuu suddenly snapped back to reality. Glancing at the few completed sheets beside him, he felt an overwhelming sense of frustration.
These drawings were even worse than what the original Kamiyā Yuu had produced.
"Damn it… I just can't find that smooth feeling from my memories, and I can't concentrate either." Kamiyā Yuu leaned back in his chair with a bitter smile, shaking his stiff fingers.
"Forget becoming a director—if this keeps up, I'll be fired as a key animator in no time."
Gritting his teeth, Kamiyā Yuu forced himself to gather his focus again and continued tracing the drawings.
By noon, the members of the key animation department gradually began to wake up. Since Kamiyā Yuu had always been introverted at Kyoni Animation, he didn't have close relationships with anyone. After briefly greeting him upon noticing his return, everyone went back to their work.
After hastily finishing lunch, Kamiyā Yuu devoted himself entirely to practicing key animation, unwilling to waste even a moment. He had to recover the feeling he once had when drawing.
"The lines are too forced. The character expressions are stiff—unacceptable."
"The background details aren't handled properly. The overall tone is unbalanced—unacceptable."
"The linework is messy—unacceptable."
"The composition lacks hierarchy. The frame is uneven—unacceptable."
"The background lines overlap awkwardly with the character lines—unacceptable."
Clatter—!
Kamiyā Yuu threw the pencil onto the desk. After holding it for so long, his fingers were sore and numb, trembling slightly without any strength left. He rubbed his temples in frustration as he stared at the dozen or so "key animation" sheets he had produced.
"They're all failures. Even the best one barely meets the standard of a key animator… damn it!" He couldn't help but curse in Chinese. Comparing his work to Uehara Etsuki's corrections made him want to tear his drawings apart.
"I can clearly recall the feeling of drawing from memory, but my body just won't cooperate. I need more time to adjust… but I don't have that kind of time right now." Kamiyā Yuu came to this conclusion, and then suddenly thought of his mental space—the one with a tenfold time difference.
"Spending one hour there equals ten hours of practice. And I can even connect to the internet from my previous world to find better techniques… this plan is perfect!"
His eyes lit up as the idea took shape. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. If his physical sensations could be perfectly replicated in that mental space, then perhaps the skills he learned there could also carry over into reality.
With that thought, excitement surged within him.
After tidying up the drafts on his desk, he glanced out the window. The crimson sunset cast a honey-like glow across the entire office. At this hour, the department was still busy, the only sound being the constant scratching of pencils on paper.
It was time for him to head home. He couldn't feel at ease leaving Sora alone at night.
He had already made this request during his interview, and fortunately, Kyoni Animation's management had agreed to let him leave work at six in the evening. Of course, since a key animator's salary depended on the number of completed cuts, this meant his income was significantly lower than that of others.
Kamiyā Yuu stood up, stretched his body, hesitated briefly, and then walked toward Uehara Etsuki's office.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
Inside the office, aside from Uehara Etsuki, there was another woman with short hair and glasses. She had a pleasant appearance and wore a formal black business suit, exuding a capable and intellectual aura. Kamiyā Yuu recognized her as one of the senior members of the key animation department—Morishita Aoi, currently serving as the assistant to the key animation supervisor.
"Morishita-senpai, Uehara-senpai." Kamiyā Yuu greeted them. It seemed Morishita Aoi had just compiled the key animation sheets and brought them to Uehara Etsuki for review.
Uehara Etsuki nodded slightly, her gaze still fixed on the drawings in her hand. "What is it?"
"Yes… Before I leave, I wanted to ask if I could take these corrected drafts home." Kamiyā Yuu asked cautiously, holding the two stacks of drawings. He had never done this before, as most of his time at home was spent on housework, leaving no time for additional work.
Uehara Etsuki pondered briefly. "There's no company rule against it. If you need to, feel free." She paused, then looked up at him. "How is your progress?"
Morishita Aoi stood quietly to the side, waiting for the review results.
Kamiyā Yuu hesitated before answering honestly with a wry smile. "To be honest… It's not going well. I haven't been in the right state all day."
Uehara Etsuki set down the drawings and glanced at the papers in his hands. "You just got back from the hospital. It's understandable. Are those your results from today? May I take a look?"
"Of course." Kamiyā Yuu handed over the sheets.
Rolling up her sleeve with one hand, Uehara Etsuki took the drawings and flipped through them quickly. Morishita Aoi also glanced over—and immediately frowned at the rough, sloppy sketches.
Could these even be called key animation? Even fresh art school graduates could produce better work than this.
After finishing, Uehara Etsuki returned the drawings without any sign of blame or dissatisfaction. She simply said softly, "It's fine. You just need to regain your usual state."
Unable to hold back, Morishita Aoi spoke up, "There are only five days left until the deadline. Kamiyā-kun, your condition hasn't fully recovered. Why not let other key animators handle these corrections?"
Her words clearly reflected her lack of confidence in Kamiyā Yuu's ability—and from the perspective of an assistant supervisor, it was a reasonable suggestion.
Kamiyā Yuu remained silent. In this situation, there wasn't much he could say. He wasn't like Kimura Jirō, nor did he feel any resentment toward Morishita Aoi's suggestion. Instead, he looked to Uehara Etsuki, waiting for her decision.
Lowering her head, Uehara Etsuki resumed reviewing the drawings and asked calmly, "Kamiyā-kun, what do you think of this suggestion?"
Kamiyā Yuu let out a breath and answered decisively, "Please give me one day. I'll adjust my condition quickly."
Uehara Etsuki smiled faintly, opened her drawer, and handed him a lollipop as encouragement. "Very well. If anything urgent comes up, feel free to talk to me anytime."
"Thank you, Uehara-senpai." Kamiyā Yuu accepted the lollipop. It wasn't that he cared deeply about the job itself—but for now, it suited him best. And more importantly, he didn't want to delay the production of 'Mr. Onigiri Man's any further because of himself. It was a matter of personal responsibility.
After he left, Morishita Aoi couldn't help but ask, "Etsuki, those drawings didn't even meet the level of an average animator. Why continue assigning him the correction work?"
Uehara Etsuki calmly placed another lollipop in front of her. "Aoi, impatience isn't good. Besides, Kamiyā-kun is capable of completing those corrections."
Morishita Aoi picked up the lollipop helplessly. "My drawer is already full of the candy you've given me. You know I don't like sweets. And those drawings just now didn't match the level you're talking about… but fine, since he's your second key animator, I won't interfere. In the end, you'll probably end up cleaning up the mess yourself anyway."
Uehara Etsuki took a sip of tea calmly. "He used to be a shy child. But now, his eyes are very serious. There aren't many key animators who can maintain such enthusiasm for this kind of work—I believe in him."
"Alright, alright, you win." Morishita Aoi sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Let's go eat at HANA Skewers tonight. It's our last day before descending into hell—if we don't go now, we won't get another chance for months."
"Alright, alright." Uehara Etsuki replied with a soft laugh, mimicking her tone. "I'll go with you."