Anime Production, Starting with Healing the Audience

Zhang Siyu, Yang Li, Duan Shuiqing, and others looked at Fang Zheng. At that moment, they felt he was different from before.

If Fang Zheng had been like a neighborly big boy, approachable and joking with them earlier, then the current Fang Zheng was like a drawn sword, sharp and imposing.

Fang Zheng's face was full of confidence, confidence stemming from strength, and strength from his backing. His countless classic anime works in his mind were his backing.

With those anime works as his support, Fang Zheng truly didn't know how he could lose with such a king-like opening!

"Of course, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Our most important task right now is to complete Akame ga Kill! and make it as perfect as possible to give the audience the best viewing experience. This is the foundation of our ACG!"

Clap~ Clap~ Clap~ Clap~

Fang Zheng finished speaking, and Zhang Siyu and the others applauded. With Fang Zheng as the helmsman guiding their direction, they felt incredibly at ease.

Afterward, Fang Zheng held a brief welcome ceremony for everyone, celebrating the official joining of Duan Shuiqing, Tang Yirou, Sora Amamiya, and others to the company.

Following the ceremony, Fang Zheng handed them their respective scriptbooks and general plot outlines, asking them to study them carefully that evening and see if their voice acting could be further improved.

If good art style was the body and flesh of anime, then sincere voice acting was its soul, so voice acting could not be taken lightly.

Fortunately, Yang Li and the others were professionals, so their work ethic was not a concern.

On October 21st, as commuters, groggy with sleep, boarded subways and buses, as early-rising students finished their morning readings and prepared for breakfast, and as night owls who stayed up late turned off their computers to sleep.

A push notification was sent to their phones on Weibo.

"Hello, dear fans and viewers. I am Fang Zheng, Chairman of ACG Culture Company, and also the original author of Akame ga Kill!, which you've all been eagerly awaiting. Although I've kept you waiting for so long, I have no intention of apologizing. And why..."

The first Weibo post ended abruptly, leaving all netizens who saw it bewildered.

The tired commuters were no longer sleepy, the students sneaking their phones spat out their food, and the cultivators who had successfully passed their tribulations jolted awake and scrambled out of bed.

"Holy crap, he dares to provoke his fans like this? No words needed, Big Shot Fang is a true man!"

"I'm reporting this. This Big Shot Fang is fake. This isn't the Big Shot Fang I like~"

"Sorry, my husband is a bit mischievous. I'll go teach him a lesson!"

"Hello, everyone. I am the leader of the demolition team at Keyboard Warrior Culture Company, the ringleader of the water army you all hate. Although I've been a fan of Big Shot Fang for a long time, I have no intention of whitewashing him. And why..."

As soon as Fang Zheng posted, the internet exploded. Fans who followed Fang Zheng on Weibo were all astonished, and then their anger surged straight to the heavens.

After Fang Zheng uploaded the promotional PV for Akame ga Kill!, he successfully piqued the interest of the general audience, and then... then this damned scoundrel actually ghosted them.

It was as if he had vanished into thin air, with no news whatsoever, and consequently, there was no trace of the work Akame ga Kill!.

There were even some 'experts' online who claimed that Fang Zheng never intended to develop new works and that it was all for attention.

Initially, people debated with these so-called 'experts,' but as time went by, Fang Zheng truly seemed to have disappeared, causing widespread anxiety among fans.

The 'experts,' however, were energized as if they had been given a shot of adrenaline. They jumped out to vigorously promote their conspiracy theories, even saying that the reason Star Dream won an award was because Fang Zheng had some unspeakable secret with the officials.

The internet became chaotic. Fans expected Fang Zheng to issue a clarification, but twenty-odd days passed in a flash, and Fang Zheng remained unheard from.

But today was different. Big Shot Fang, whom the fans had been thinking about so much, had actually 'resurrected'!

Ding dong~!

Less than a minute passed, and fans who hadn't yet recovered from Fang Zheng's Weibo heard another crisp sound.

Without a doubt, they knew what it was. Fans lowered their heads to look at their phones.

"The reason is, I just like seeing you guys dislike me but be unable to do anything about it. Come hit me if you can!"

How could there be such a cheap person in this world? How could there be such a cheap request?

Everyone who saw this Weibo post was stunned. Was this still the Big Shot Fang they knew? Was this still the Ultimate Healing Mentor who made countless depressed people forget to eat and sleep?

When the fans reacted, the first thing they did was open the Weibo comment section and start arguing with Fang Zheng.

This was outrageous. You, an anime creator, were truly so arrogant that you didn't know north from south. You didn't even understand who your bread and butter were.

You need a good dose of reality!

This bad habit absolutely cannot be tolerated!

While countless fans were busy arguing with Fang Zheng, at ACG Culture Company, in Fang Zheng's chairman's office, Zhang Siyu stared at Fang Zheng, dumbfounded.

The office wasn't large, about ten square meters, with a desk and a leather chair. Fang Zheng sat in the chair, staring at the computer with a serious expression.

If an uninformed person saw this, they would truly be fooled and believe he was working diligently.

But Zhang Siyu stood behind Fang Zheng, watching his series of "masterful moves" and was completely flustered.

"Chairman Fang, I think as the CEO of the company, I need to remind you that the company's security department is still vacant, and your personal insurance hasn't been processed yet."

Zhang Siyu's words made Fang Zheng's typing motion freeze. Time seemed to stop.

"Most importantly, our company is officially registered with the Ministry of Commerce, so our company address is not a secret~"

After hearing Zhang Siyu's words, Fang Zheng took a deep breath and then very nimbly deleted the text he had just edited. He then re-edited a new message and clicked send.

"Ahem, the Weibo post just now was purely a joke to everyone. Please, dear fans, do not take it to heart. Also, many experts online say that I, Fang, am seeking attention. First, I would like to thank my fans for their strong support. Second, the new work Akame ga Kill! will be released on the ACG Community tonight at 7 PM. See you there~ (Attached: A thousand-character self-criticism)"

After sending this Weibo post, Fang Zheng still felt indignant. The audience were his bread and butter, and he couldn't afford to offend them. He had no choice but to write a self-criticism.

If the company's address hadn't been exposed, would all this trouble have happened?!

Fang Zheng felt incredibly frustrated. He had thought he could playfully tease his audience, but he ended up shooting himself in the foot before he even started.

If Zhang Siyu hadn't reminded him, he would have forgotten that he was now a public figure. Before, he could hide, and his fans couldn't find him.

But now, the company's address was public. If those fans camped out, they would eventually catch him, unless he stopped coming to the company.

But that was completely unrealistic!

With no other choice, he had to face the consequences!

Fang Zheng's frustration was hard to contain. He couldn't afford to offend his audience, so he had to find someone else to vent on.

Thus, Fang Zheng posted his fourth update.

"I'm Fang Zheng, the author of 'Akame ga Kill!'. Some so-called experts and professors, come out and debate me!"

He edited the text and clicked send.

"Ah~ That feels much better~"

Fang Zheng pushed his computer away and leaned back in his executive chair, a look of delight on his face as if he had just done something very enjoyable.

Zhang Siyu, standing nearby, watched Fang Zheng's somewhat childish behavior and shook her head helplessly.

A while ago, a promotional plan she had prepared had to be abandoned because Fang Zheng forgot to review it, and time had run out.

Later, Fang Zheng told her he had a plan that would definitely be a great way to promote things.

Zhang Siyu had agreed to Fang Zheng's proposal, but she never expected that Fang Zheng's idea of promotion would be like this!

He, an author who relied on his audience, was going to argue with his fans?

"As expected, I shouldn't have expected anything from him~" Zhang Siyu slapped her forehead. She could already predict the storm that would erupt online.

"Shocking! ACG Creator Argues With Own Fans!!"

"Heh, now he knows to write a self-criticism? I'm telling you, it's too late!"

"We worried about you, and you're playing games with us?"

"Shanghai Qinghui Building, 13th Floor, Room 402. Brothers, I'm going ahead!"

"..."

In the chairman's office of ACG Culture Company.

Zhang Siyu suppressed a smile and held her phone up to Fang Zheng, showing him the "special 'care'" he was receiving from fans online.

"Damn, this is too harsh! They're all just angry old guys, saying they'll show up and they actually will!"

Seeing the comments below his Weibo post, Fang Zheng jumped up from his chair in a jolt. Without a word, he grabbed his jacket from the coat rack, put it on, and walked directly towards the door.

"Siyu, I'm leaving all company matters to you. I suddenly feel unwell and need to go home to rest for a while... That's all!"

Watching Fang Zheng's hasty retreat, Zhang Siyu could no longer hold back and burst into laughter in her office.

What do they mean by "cool for three seconds"? This is it!

As Fang Zheng walked out of the company, he cursed himself for being so glib.

"You just had to be so cheeky, didn't you!"

Fang Zheng regretted it immensely. Who else could the "ACG creator" mentioned in the comments be but him?

At this time, besides him, no one else was producing anime, so the word "ACG" was completely redundant.

Even worse, some fans had actually found his company's address. The thought that his company didn't even have a security department...

Hiss!

Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing was the best. Before the storm subsided, he decided to stay home and be a shut-in for a while. This would also give him time to think about what anime to produce next.

After Fang Zheng left, Zhang Siyu, to prevent the situation from escalating further, announced on behalf of ACG Culture Company that Fang Zheng was taking a break due to overwork from producing "Akame ga Kill!" and apologized for his previous "provocative" behavior.

Since ACG Culture Company was an industry under Fang Zheng, many people paid attention to it. Otherwise, Fang Zheng's fans wouldn't have found out the company's address so quickly.

"Tsk tsk, overwork and taking a unilateral break? Are you sure it's not because Big Shot Fang chickened out?"

"Big Shot Fang, weren't you very cheeky? Come out and keep debating~"

"Big Shot Fang, I'm the president of your Shanghai fan club. I've arrived at the entrance of Qinghui Building. Come out, and I'll show you something great!"

"Pfft~ You guys are too much. You've scared Big Shot Fang into taking sick leave, what more do you want?!"