With the recording as evidence, Yang He had no way to talk himself out of it. He had been thoroughly caught out.
But the fallout from his remarks continued to spread. Online opinion about Akame ga Kill!
remained split into two distinct camps.
One side believed Akame ga Kill! was anti-state and promoted subversive ideas. They wanted it banned,
and some even demanded that the authorities investigate Fang Zheng's background.
The other side stood firmly with Fang Zheng and A Company. If you called Akame ga Kill!
anti-state, they called it a declaration of resistance and a tribute to those who had come before.
If you claimed Fang Zheng might be a foreign spy planted inside Xia Country, they said you were just
sour grapes. You couldn't make anime yourselves, and now that A Company's reputation was soaring, you were
jealous~
In short, both sides had their arguments, and neither would back down.
Yet the two parties at the center of it all, TT Group and A Company, had fallen strangely
silent. Neither side had made a statement about the incident.
Whatever they said now would be useless. They needed to wait for a decision
from above.
The official stance on Akame ga Kill! would be decided entirely by the authorities.
Fang Zheng understood how things worked, and TT Group naturally did too. That was why Sun
Qian had made no further moves. Instead, he planned to enter the anime industry and challenge Fang Zheng
head-on.
Until the matter was settled, Fang Zheng would carry on as usual. His most pressing task
was to finish producing When Prison Food Arrives Next to Me as soon as possible.
Akame ga Kill! had been airing for some time and would soon reach its
finale. If he didn't hurry, the viewers who finished it might
come knocking in person to show him some "love."
After all, by this point in Akame ga Kill!, everyone online knew exactly what kind
of anime it was.
What was more, Fang Zheng had quietly added "emotionally devastating"
to Akame ga Kill!'s tags.
Ring, ring, ring~
Fang Zheng was concentrating on drawing the original art when the phone beside him on the desk suddenly
rang.
"Hello? Who's this?"
"Mr. Fang, we've met before. This is Liao Qingli."
Fang Zheng paused at the voice on the other end, but quickly remembered
the director of the Modu Culture and Entertainment Publicity Department who had backed him at the Best Creator Competition.
"Oh, Director Liao!" Fang Zheng was grateful to Liao Qingli. Whatever
his reasons, the man had stood firmly behind him when he was just starting out.
Fang Zheng had never forgotten that.
"I meant to visit after the competition, but you know how busy things have been
on my end. I haven't had the chance. I hope you won't hold it against me, Director Liao."
Fang Zheng spoke with a smile.
"Haha, no need to be so formal, Mr. Fang. Given the international climate, I genuinely
believe in the anime industry. Besides, if you succeed, that counts as an achievement for me
too, doesn't it?"
Liao Qingli sounded half-joking on the other end. Fang Zheng smiled faintly.
Officials always had something to say. He would listen, but he wasn't foolish enough to take every word at face value.
"Mr. Fang, the trouble online must have been weighing on you lately~"
Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes at Liao Qingli's words.
Just as I thought. He didn't call to make small talk.
If I'm right, there's news from above.
"What do you think the official stance on Akame ga Kill! will be, Director Liao?"
Fang Zheng returned the question with a smile. Truthfully, he hadn't been all that
worried about the online uproar.
At worst, the authorities would ban Akame ga Kill!. But for them to blacklist
him and ACG Culture Company over it? That was unlikely.
"My opinion doesn't decide anything. You give me too much credit, Mr. Fang." Liao
Qingli laughed modestly before continuing, "But a decision has indeed
been made. You might want to watch tonight's Shanghai News. The discussion above about
Akame ga Kill! has reached a conclusion."
Fang Zheng chatted with him a little longer, then hung up.
As for what would happen to Akame ga Kill!, Fang Zheng could already make
a fair guess from Liao Qingli's tone.
Liao Qingli hadn't said a word about the anime's message during their call, so
there probably wasn't a problem. Otherwise, he wouldn't have called
for a chat. He would have summoned Fang Zheng for a talk.
Sure enough, that evening, Shanghai News aired a brief bulletin. In essence, it said
the country was vigorously developing its cultural economy, and Modu, as a global metropolis, should take
the lead in protecting its domestic cultural industries.
A few short sentences settled the controversy that had been raging online.
Anyone with half a brain could hear what the authorities were implying.
Early the next morning, Shanghai Daily, which had kept its head down for over half a month,
finally surfaced once its superiors had spoken.
Respond to National Policy and Vigorously Develop Emerging Cultural Industries
That one article set the tone for the entire affair.
The report explicitly stated that Akame ga Kill! had earned the heartfelt affection of so many
viewers while promoting the fearless spirit of resistance and willingness to sacrifice.
It showed the honorable duty of their generation to remember the fallen and never forget history. This anime deserved
recognition.
The article then praised A Company's fans for spontaneously organizing to defend it
during the incident. That an anime could have such an impact demonstrated young people's ability to tell right from wrong
and to unite, marking another step forward in their thinking.
Xia Country had always felt its way forward. Now that the international climate was growing stable and countries everywhere were
developing their cultural industries, they too should have the courage to embrace new things.
Everything had its benefits and drawbacks. If the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, it should be accepted and
improved.
The article then changed tack and began criticizing the film and television industry.
Shanghai Daily said that even an anime could help young people take another step forward in their thinking, yet the established
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