Anime Production, Starting from Healing the Audience Chapter 41

Getting along with fans—wasn't that exactly why they loved Fang Zheng in the first place?

"We toil in darkness, yet serve in the light!"

"Episode six, Shiru died. Episode eight, Big Brother Brody died. Episode seventeen, my waifu Tsukimi died too. Episode twenty, Lubbock died! Big Shot Fang, tell me—how many of the ones left are still alive?!"

"Tsukimi died, and her head was hung up! Author, are you mad that Tsukimi didn't die painfully enough?!"

"Lubbock, a True Man!!!"

By now, even the slowest viewers had figured out what kind of anime this was.

This was absolutely not the super-hype battle series Fang Zheng had advertised. Instead, it was deeply depressing, unbearably heart-wrenching.

The characters they loved—one moment they were calling them "my waifu," the next they were handed a death flag.

Time and again, the tormented audience almost stopped hoping for any new characters to appear, just like with Tsukimi back then.

Tsukimi had captured a legion of loyal fans the moment she debuted, but only a few episodes in, she died after failing to assassinate Kurome.

That was when the audience understood Fang Zheng's malicious intent.

It wasn't the worst—it was even worse than the worst!

Fang Zheng had no bottom line, letting their waifus die one after another. The fans were furious but utterly helpless.

So much so that these fans both hoped for new characters to join and dreaded watching another tragedy.

When the anime started playing, many fans held their breath. Honestly, there were already too many tragedies in Akame ga Kill!—too many beloved characters had died, leaving behind too many regrets.

[Pierce him!]

For some reason, as the anime played, when the audience heard Mine's hoarse roar, their hearts instinctively tightened.

Based on their experience watching so many episodes of Akame ga Kill!, instinct told them that the Mine they loved might also...

[I won]

The moment Mine fell from the rubble, countless viewers' hearts sank along with her.

The barrage went still at that instant. Though the oppressive plot left them with a thousand words to say, in the end, it all turned into silent prayers in their hearts.

Mine, don't die!

[Though I wanted to fight alongside you to the very end...]

[You're really bad at lying, Tatsumi. You're still as naive as ever.]

[A grown man—don't go crying and sniveling.]

[Hey, I'm so glad I got to fall in love with Tatsumi.]

The sun set, its afterglow spilling across the land. The once-tsundere Mine was gone, and her striking purple hair was no longer in twin tails.

Her loose hair danced in the wind. In that moment, Mine was as beautiful as a painting, like a fairy from a fairy tale, pitiable and lovely.

[What are you saying? I'm already a winner in life~]

A world-stirring kiss. As the audience watched Mine lean into Tatsumi's arms, the two held each other tightly, their eyes seeing nothing else.

"You stubborn tsundere, don't you dare fall asleep!"

"Mine!!!!!"

I love you, but I really don't like seeing you with your eyes closed~ I love that straightforward you, I love that playful you, I love that strong you.

"Cry! Cry for me, damn it!"

Sure enough, the audience's premonition came true. Watching Mine lean into Tatsumi's arms beneath the setting sun and close her eyes forever, countless viewers felt as if a mountain had been pressed onto their hearts.

The thought that they would never again hear that noisy, boisterous voice, never again see that tsundere glare—at this moment, the audience collectively broke down in tears.

"I told myself I wouldn't cry, but why can't I stop these tears?"

"I'm so glad I got to love Mine. And what's wrong with a grown man crying? I'll cry if I want to!"

"Heh, I knew Big Shot Fang wouldn't spare my Mine, but you animal, why did you have to make the plot so heartbreaking? You had to squeeze every last tear out of me."

"Enough said, I'm going to send someone a little 'local specialty' right now, or I'll suffocate from the frustration."

P: Begging the Big Shots for support, this Failed Author kowtows in thanks~~~

Modu City, Qinghui Building.

"Director Fang, I really think you need to deal with the fans' emotional issues."

Fang Zheng's office. Zhang Siyu pushed the door open and walked in.

Looking at Fang Zheng, who was busy working, she spoke with a helpless, bitter smile: "The company's Logistics Department received another batch of razor blades from your fans. If this keeps up, we might as well stop making anime and switch to wholesaling blades—it'd probably be more profitable."

Recently, with the hit broadcast of "Akame ga Kill!" and the deaths of one beloved character after another, the Logistics Department had been constantly receiving "local specialties" from enthusiastic fans.

Every day, hundreds of packages, big and small. The moment they opened them, the cold glint of those "specialties" sent chills down the spines of the logistics staff.

Because of this, the Logistics Department had gone through wave after wave of employees, and strange rumors were spreading throughout the company.

If you ever got a chance to work at ACG Culture Company, you should take it—but if the Logistics Department was hiring, it was best to refuse.

"That exaggerated?"

Fang Zheng finished drawing the original draft in his hand. Hearing Zhang Siyu's words, he looked up and asked skeptically.

"If Director Fang doesn't believe me, you can go check the Logistics Department yourself. The warehouse is almost piled full of 'specialties,' and the department head is worrying about how to deal with them."

Hearing this, Fang Zheng gave an awkward smile.

To be fair, the Logistics Department had suffered a complete injustice.

If he hadn't promoted "Akame ga Kill!" as an ultra-hype battle anime during the program, the audience wouldn't have been caught completely off guard.

When the eagerly anticipating viewers opened "Akame ga Kill!", they found it was nothing like the battle anime they had imagined. Instead, it was extremely depressing, extremely oppressive.

Such a violent contrast made the fans explode on the spot. And fans in that state...