Anime Production, Starting by Healing the Audience

Moving, regretful, yearning, oppressive, beautiful—these were all the most immediate feelings anime brought to its viewers.

There was no doubt that "Star Dream" was a tearjerker. The strongest feelings it left people with were oppression, sorrow, and overwhelming regret.

"Since the system gave me "Star Dream" first, does that mean it wants me to start with healing anime?" Fang Zheng felt somewhat uneasy.

After all, anime was still something new in this world. If he hit viewers with such a devastating tearjerker right from the start, would some hot-tempered viewer come smash his windows in the middle of the night?

After pondering for a long time, Fang Zheng finally decided to continue the 'healing' style of "Star Dream." Healing anime was a major genre, after all—such as "Akame ga Kill!," "Girls' Last Tour," "School-Live!," and "Plastic Memories."

At that thought, the corners of Fang Zheng's lips rose slightly. How could he not recommend so many wonderful 'healing' anime to these adorable viewers? What right did an otaku who had never been baptized by 'healing' anime have to claim he was battle-hardened?

Having settled on the theme, Fang Zheng wrote down every 'healing' anime he knew on a sheet of paper, filling an entire A4 page with densely packed titles.

"Hmm... which one should I choose?"

Fang Zheng's gaze passed over the names on the page one by one before finally settling on "Akame ga Kill!" and "Plastic Memories." Both could be considered representative works of 'healing' anime.

There was no need to say much about "Akame ga Kill!" The sharp conflict between a decaying empire and a group of professional assassins, coupled with one girl after another dying, gave viewers an immediate sense of oppression.

An incomparable sense of oppression. One moment, you were cheering for those girls, wishing with all your heart that you had a waifu like one of them; the next, the goddess of your dreams had bitten the dust.

Following that oppression came despair and regret at witnessing an era change while being powerless to do anything about it.

The anime was not oppressive from beginning to end, but that was precisely why Fang Zheng admired the director of "Akame ga Kill!" By weaving in warm daily moments and the characters' love for one another, he made the cruelty of that era stand out all the more sharply.

"Still, compared to the main cast, it seems the villainous boss was portrayed even more successfully."

Fang Zheng thought it over, recalled that sadistic woman with ice-blue hair, and muttered under his breath.

As for "Plastic Memories," the first line that came to Fang Zheng's mind was, 'Even heaven grows old if it has feelings; I would give Isla another hundred million seconds.' That alone showed just how intense the regret this anime left behind was.

Unlike "Akame ga Kill!," which oppressed viewers through death, "Plastic Memories" did more through little details and subtle hints to stir the audience's emotions. Even in the warmest scenes, viewers simply could not feel happy.

Knowing Isla would disappear in the end yet feeling powerless to stop it—the fear that crept closer step by step, the despair that slowly crawled into one's heart—that was what hurt the most.

Both anime could be called representative works of 'healing,' but "Akame ga Kill!" bore the labels of passion and combat, while "Plastic Memories" bore those of everyday life and romance.

If "Akame ga Kill!" was a death list, then "Plastic Memories" was a dreamlike love story.

Fang Zheng looked down at the names he had circled in red and ultimately chose "Akame ga Kill!"

There was no other reason. "Star Dream" told a story about robots and humans, and "Plastic Memories" was also about robots and humans. In that respect, the two overlapped.

Of course, Fang Zheng was not saying "Plastic Memories" was bad. On the contrary, it was the anime that had moved him the most. It was simply not the right time.

Perhaps Fang Zheng would release this tearjerking masterpiece later, but at this moment, "Akame ga Kill!" was more suitable.

""Star Dream," a thought-provoking anti-war work."

"Annual Best Creation Award Competition entry "Star Dream" wins the championship—is it deserved, or was there something shady behind it?"

""Star Dream," a groundbreaking work. A new industry is rising!"

"An in-depth analysis of who exactly the author of "Star Dream" is!"

"TT Group Vice President Sun Qian announces that he hopes the author of "Star Dream" will join the pan-entertainment cultural initiative with their work."

"..."

Fang Zheng knew nothing about the discussions online. He was sleeping soundly.

Because he was going to take part in an interview program and wanted to promote his New Work, Fang Zheng had worked very late the previous night. After nearly a whole night of work, he had finally finished drawing several character posters for "Akame ga Kill!"

"Ahh~"

At three in the afternoon, Fang Zheng opened his bleary eyes, climbed out of bed, and went to the washroom to freshen up. The heavy drowsiness faded somewhat.

After rolling his stiff shoulders and neck, Fang Zheng went to the study and turned on his computer.

"Hm?" Fang Zheng opened Weibo and stared blankly at the trending topic marked '"Star Dream" wins the Annual Best Creation Award Competition championship.'

"Does this count as making the trending list?"

Fang Zheng clicked the trending topic suspiciously. Inside was a long article, written by a well-known film critic who was also an editor.

The Annual Best Creation Award Competition was originally a fairly official and formal program. Its purpose was not to entertain the public, but merely to encourage creators.

As a result, not many people followed the competition. Most of its audience consisted of creators or members of a very small circle.

But the explosive popularity of "Star Dream" could be called a coincidence. And the reason coincidences were coincidences was because they happened unexpectedly.

This film critic named Kageshisen had watched the Annual Best Creation Award Competition. His initial purpose in writing the review was simply to explain his personal feelings about "Star Dream."

Strictly speaking, however, his article could not really be called a film review, because "Star Dream" was not a movie at all, but an anime with only five episodes.

Yet this new kind of work had moved Kageshisen deeply and struck right at his tear ducts.

"First, a disclaimer: as a film critic, I am simply sharing how I felt after watching "Star Dream." Before the original creator explains the specific definition of this new form of work, I will not analyze it excessively. (P.S.: According to unofficial sources, the original creator will attend Modu TV Station's awards ceremony on the evening of September 30, where there will be an interview.)"

Fang Zheng could not help smiling when he saw that. As expected of an editor—the news was truly swift. The competition organizers had only informed him yesterday, yet someone already knew about it by last night.

Fang Zheng had to admire these people's information channels, though thinking about it, it made sense. This was how they made a living, and the other party was effectively advertising for him for free.

"This Annual Best Creation Award Competition used anti-war as its theme, so "Star Dream" is also an excellent anti-war work."

"The story is set in a post-war world. Due to the effects of bacterial weapons, people abandoned the once-prosperous city and regarded it as the most dangerous place of all—the Sealed City. The story unfolds around a planetarium within the Sealed City. (To avoid spoilers affecting the viewing experience, I will not describe the plot in too much detail.)"

"Would you like to come see the planetarium? The beautiful, endless starlight that never disappears, no matter when—that was the line that left the deepest impression on me in the entire series. The robot girl did not know that, in the post-war world, gazing at the stars had already become a luxury."

"Tragedy is remembered because it shatters all of people's beautiful fantasies. From that perspective, "Star Dream" is undoubtedly a success."

"..."

Fang Zheng read the lengthy article very carefully. He had initially read the review merely out of curiosity, but gradually realized that this film critic and editor called Kageshisen had truly watched "Star Dream" carefully and seriously.

Otherwise, he could never have written such a profound and thoughtful review. Nor did the review rely on gaudy gimmicks to draw traffic. It was remarkably fair and objective.

As the original creator of "Star Dream," Fang Zheng knew the anime had been a completed work rewarded by the system, but whenever he recalled its scenes, he still could not help sighing.

He did not dare recall it too carefully, because dwelling on it brought him an intensely oppressive feeling. He hated that feeling.

In the empty Sealed City, the robot Beautiful Girl Hoshino Yume continued fulfilling her mission, following the promise she had made long ago with the people of the planetarium.

She waited for guests to arrive, eagerly served and explained things to them, and showed them the beauty of the starry sky. But she did not know that no guests would ever visit the planetarium in that city again.

Like an abandoned child, Yume remained alone in that ruin-like city, standing day after day before the dilapidated planetarium, waiting for those she had once promised and for the guests to come.

After watching the entire work, Yume's pure emotions felt especially real in that collapsing world. Compared to a world destroyed by war, her innocence stood out all the more starkly.

Fang Zheng shook his head. He did not want to keep recalling it. Just thinking of Hoshino Yume's innocent smile made his nose sting.

For emotional people, "Star Dream" truly was a tearjerking masterpiece, and Fang Zheng happened to be an especially emotional person.

Fang Zheng shook his head again, composed himself, then scrolled down and opened the comments below.

"Welcome to the planetarium~!"

"Brothers and sisters who just clicked in, if you're going to watch "Star Dream," prepare a whole box of tissues beforehand. Trust me, you'll need them."

"Waaah~ Why did I watch this? Why did I get curious and click on "Star Dream"?"

"A grown man like me actually got sand in his eyes!"

"Sand is nothing. Mine must have been washed out by a flood!"

"..."

Looking at the replies below, Fang Zheng finally relaxed a little from the gloomy mood brought on by recalling the plot. It had to be said, talented people had always emerged from among Netizens. These comments gave off an inexplicable sense of comedy.

Besides Weibo, Fang Zheng tried checking the major Tieba forums and discussion boards. Sure enough, nearly all the pinned discussion threads had been dominated by "Star Dream."

Then Fang Zheng tried to find out why "Star Dream" had exploded in popularity overnight, and the source of it all ultimately led back to this thousand-word review.

Kageshisen's lengthy review delicately described his feelings after watching it, and before long, the people who followed him were thoroughly persuaded by his recommendation.

Thus, they became the earliest batch of viewers for "Star Dream." With an attitude of giving it a try, they opened this novel work on the official Annual Best Creation Award Competition website.

They wanted to see what kind of work could make this consistently sharp-tongued critic praise it so highly.

Then...

Artsy youth: "Today's wind is especially boisterous—it blew my eyes wet~"

A philanthropist who believed shared joy was better than solitary joy: "Such a great anime. It completely healed my frustration from today. No, I have to recommend it to other people!"

A roommate on the verge of ending a friendship: "Not bad. This feeling is truly exhilarating. I'm going to tell my roommate so he can vent too~"

A rare honest person: "Are you all devils?! You must be, right?!"

Fang Zheng's mouth twitched as he looked at the comments on the competition's official website. What happened next was exactly as he had expected: after this first batch of viewers finished "Star Dream," they were not okay at all.

The oppressive feeling made many emotional people cry their eyes out. Their good mood for the day felt as if a massive boulder weighing a thousand pounds had suddenly been pressed onto it, leaving them unable to breathe.

These viewers felt miserable inside, burdened by a stifling urge to vent. Thus, major Tieba forums, discussion boards, and social media platforms became outlets for their emotions.

Some Big Shots among the viewers even adopted the mindset of 'shared joy,' forcing themselves to cast aside their guilt and drag unsuspecting newcomers into the water so they could experience the sensation of falling from heaven into hell together.

With these people spreading the word on their own, "Star Dream" burst into more and more people's view at an explosive pace.

And the viewers who had been recommended it finally understood the malicious intentions of those pioneers, so they eagerly joined the ranks of those tricking newcomers. Thus began a vicious cycle.

They clicked on "Star Dream," their tear glands were stimulated beyond control, their hearts became so stifled that they had to vent, and then they went to major forums to let it all out while recommending it to even more people.

You could not keep such a wonderful work all to yourself, could you? As people of a new era, they had to learn to share—just like this exceptionally 'healing' "Star Dream."

The viewers' repeated promotion made "Star Dream" explode across the entire online social sphere overnight. From major forums to Tieba, anywhere people could communicate had traces of "Star Dream."

Even students and office workers who woke up in the morning were stunned by the dazzling flood of "Star Dream" posts the moment they opened their phones. Many became deeply curious about what exactly "Star Dream" was and how it had become so wildly popular.

More and more people grew curious about what "Star Dream" actually was, opening their browsers to search keywords such as Star Dream and Hoshino Yume.

As a result, those terms instantly became trending keywords across major browsers.