Anime Production, Starting by Healing the Audience: Part 5

No one wanted a mishap to occur during the program, but Fang Zheng thought of his ocean-like workload and still declined.

An exclusive interview was nothing more than answering a few questions. Besides, the host from Modu TV Station would not be so tactless as to ask questions that would embarrass him. Everyone understood that perfectly well.

"Alright, Mr. Fang, I understand. I'll relay this to the production team." The customer service girl did not say much after hearing Fang Zheng's refusal. She did not seem surprised by it either.

"Also, Mr. Fang, is transportation convenient for you? If not, we can send a car to pick you up."

"No need. I can get there myself."

Fang Zheng politely declined her offer. Because of the New Work he was creating, he did not want to reveal his home address. He was afraid angry fans might smash his windows in the middle of the night.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, September 30 had arrived.

That day, Fang Zheng rarely left the house. He first went to a barbershop for a haircut, then went shopping and bought himself a presentable outfit.

It did not need to be expensive, but at the very least, he had to be decently dressed and easy on the eyes.

It was not that he had become full of himself after receiving the competition's ten-million-yuan prize. Proper attire was simply the most basic form of respect for others, wasn't it?

Whether it was the competition organizers or the upcoming program interview, Fang Zheng believed neither side wanted to see a slovenly creator.

And taking a step back, the viewers and fans probably would not want the Ultimate Healing Mentor they liked to be an unkempt person either.

After getting everything ready, Fang Zheng left home, hailed a cab, and headed for Modu TV Station.

Calling it preparation was an exaggeration. He had not brought much at all, only a briefcase filled with promotional posters he had newly drawn for Akame ga Kill!.

By the time Fang Zheng arrived at Modu TV Station, it was already 6:40.

Fang Zheng found a staff member, stated his identity, and was easily allowed into the venue.

Tick-tock, time passed, and soon it was seven o'clock.

"Alright, welcome, everyone, to the Annual Best Creation Award Competition's awards ceremony. I'm your host, Yang Li."

In the enormous venue, beneath the lights shining onto the stage, a beautifully dressed woman stood poised and graceful. A warm smile rested on her lovely features as she formally delivered the opening remarks for the ceremony.

Fang Zheng quietly watched the stage. His seat was in the very center of the front row. Perhaps because he had won the championship, he had been given the absolute center position.

"I believe many of you have already seen the competition's winners list. There are works we know well, and works we are seeing for the first time. So without further ado, let us welcome the champion of the Annual Best Creator Competition!"

As Yang Li spoke, her voice suddenly rose. The venue's BGM became stirring, the lights began shifting, and the atmosphere was instantly whipped into a frenzy.

At the same time, the staff member beside Fang Zheng signaled for him to go onstage. Seeing the gesture, Fang Zheng lightly adjusted his clothes, then walked steadily onto the stage.

"Hello, Mr. Fang."

"Hello, Host Yang."

As Yang Li watched Fang Zheng walk onstage, her eyes lit up. She immediately stepped forward with a friendly smile and gently shook his hand.

"I believe everyone who came here today knows which work won the championship." After briefly greeting Fang Zheng, Yang Li turned to the audience and continued her work.

Although Yang Li had been a host for years and was usually unflappable, Fang Zheng, standing beside her, still noticed the slightest hint of something unusual.

The instant she saw him, she seemed rather surprised. Was it because he was too young?

After all, he was only twenty-one. Looking at the award-winning contestants below the stage, they all seemed to be greasy middle-aged men, and most of them were bald.

Perhaps that was the sorrow of intellectual workers.

And indeed, just as Fang Zheng had expected, Yang Li had been greatly surprised by how young he was. Before coming here, Fang Zheng had specifically gotten a textured haircut and paired it with a well-fitted suit, making him look even younger.

In all her years as a host, it was Yang Li's first time seeing such a young creator win the championship. Or rather, he was the youngest champion creator since the Annual Best Creator Competition had begun.

However, as a professional host at Modu TV Station, Yang Li's ability to adapt on the spot was naturally superb. After that brief moment of surprise, she quickly returned to normal, and no one could detect anything amiss.

"That's right, it's Star Dream. To be honest, this work is unbelievably popular online right now. I watched it myself as well."

Remembering how she had felt after finishing Star Dream, Yang Li slightly turned her head and glanced at Fang Zheng.

Fang Zheng naturally noticed Yang Li's gaze, but he did not know whether it was his imagination. He felt that the beautiful host was looking at him with a great deal of resentment.

"I have to say, Star Dream truly is a thought-provoking work."

Yang Li sighed emotionally, then looked at Fang Zheng beside her. "Mr. Fang, are you curious why, among so many competition entries, your Star Dream won the championship?"

As she spoke, a staff member handed Fang Zheng a microphone.

"Mm... My feeling about winning this championship is that it was unexpected, yet reasonable."

That was indeed Fang Zheng's truest feeling about the award. He knew Star Dream was an excellent work. Though it only had five episodes, and though it was deeply depressing, none of that prevented it from being a successful anime.

That was why Fang Zheng had believed from the very beginning that Star Dream would become popular. What he had not expected was for Star Dream to explode in popularity so suddenly and even win the competition championship in one stroke.

It was something he had never considered.

"It seems Mr. Fang has great confidence in his work, but did not expect to win the championship. Is that right?"

"That's right."

Faced with Yang Li's question, Fang Zheng slowly nodded and did not deny it.

"Alright, then let us hear how the competition judges evaluated Star Dream, and why they unanimously selected it as the championship work."

Changing the subject, Yang Li looked directly toward the several judges seated to one side. These judges had all been officially appointed by the competition, with everything open and transparent, leaving no room for favoritism or fraud.

Although she wanted to interview Fang Zheng further, since she had far too many questions she wanted to ask, unfortunately, this was the creator competition's awards ceremony, not an interview.

This new book is still a sapling. Big Shots who like it, please support it. This Failed Author would be endlessly grateful~~~~~~~

"First, let us welcome the famous veteran artist and National First-Class Actor, Mr. Jin Shijie!"

As Yang Li finished speaking, a white-haired old man in the judges' section rose to his feet and waved at the audience around him.

Seeing Qian Yongyi, Fang Zheng nodded in admiration. These older-generation artists truly deserved people's respect. They were people who had genuinely devoted their entire lives to art.

"I'm an actor. I only know how to act. To be honest, serving as a judge is quite difficult for me." Old Master Jin took the microphone and first made a humorous self-deprecating remark.

Hearing Old Master Jin's words, kind laughter rose from the audience.

"As for the novel format of Star Dream, I won't comment too much on it, since I'm not a creator." At this point, Old Master Jin looked at Fang Zheng, nodded approvingly, and said, "But from the perspective of an actor, this is undoubtedly a good work."

"Actors bring a work to life through performance, using their acting skills to move the audience. Although Star Dream has no real actors, the emotion it brings its viewers is not diminished in the slightest. If anything, it exceeds it."

Old Master Jin looked at Fang Zheng, gave him a thumbs-up, and said, "From that point alone, Star Dream fully deserves this championship, and Fang Zheng is an outstanding creator!"

Clap clap clap~

After Old Master Jin finished speaking, applause rang throughout the venue. Fang Zheng also said, "Thank you," to him.

As the host, Yang Li glanced at Fang Zheng in surprise. It was not Old Master Jin Shijie's first time serving as a judge for the Annual Best Creator Competition. His eye was notoriously sharp, and his standards for works were exceptionally demanding.

Yet Old Master Jin had given Fang Zheng such high praise. Given time, this young man would surely rise like a fish leaping over the Dragon Gate. His future was limitless.

"Alright, it is clear that Old Master Jin thinks very highly of both Mr. Fang and Mr. Fang's work. This is the first time in the competition's history that we've seen such praise."

Yang Li's words brought another burst of laughter from the audience. As expected of a professional host from Modu TV Station, her skill at rousing the crowd was no joke.

"Alright, let us welcome Mr. Liao Qingli, Director of the Modu Culture and Entertainment Publicity Department." Yang Li walked over to a middle-aged man seated beside Old Master Jin and asked with a smile, "Director Liao, how do you evaluate Star Dream, and why did you recommend it as the championship work?"

Liao Qingli accepted the microphone. Rather than immediately answering Yang Li's question, he looked toward Fang Zheng standing in the center of the stage.

"Host, before answering your question, may I ask Mr. Fang a question first?"

Yang Li froze for a moment, but quickly recovered and said with a smile, "Of course."

"Thank you." Liao Qingli looked at Fang Zheng onstage and said with a smile, "Mr. Fang, as the original creator of Star Dream, what do you call this new form of artistic expression?"

Hearing Liao Qingli's question, everyone in the venue turned their attention to Fang Zheng. In truth, it was not just Liao Qingli who was curious about this question. All of them were curious.

If Star Dream was called a film, it clearly went beyond the scope of film. If it was called a television drama, there had not been a single actor involved in its production from beginning to end.

There had been all kinds of opinions on the matter, but no unified term had ever emerged.

Hearing the question, Fang Zheng smiled slightly and said, "Anime!"

"Anime?" Liao Qingli was briefly stunned by Fang Zheng's answer, then nodded. "Although I still do not quite understand it, I believe you will give us a satisfactory answer in the interview program later. I will not take up everyone's time here."

Liao Qingli cleared his throat and continued, "The first reason I recommended Star Dream is that veteran artists, including Old Master Jin Shijie, strongly endorsed it. If so many veteran artists recommend it, then I believe Star Dream must be exceptionally good."

Quite a few people at the venue nodded upon hearing Liao Qingli's words. Although many people online said the older generation of artists could no longer keep up with modern trends, the character of that generation truly could not be criticized.

"Second, countries around the world are currently developing their cultural economies with great effort. As a representative of emerging culture, anime deserves an opportunity. On behalf of the Modu Culture and Entertainment Publicity Department, and on behalf of myself, I am willing to give this emerging industry an opportunity."

After Liao Qingli finished speaking, the venue fell silent. He had not evaluated Star Dream itself, nor had he said whether the work was good or bad.

He had recommended Star Dream as the championship work for only two reasons. One was the unanimous praise from veteran artists; the other was that he was willing to give anime, this emerging cultural form, an opportunity.

That was all. It was a very official answer, but Fang Zheng felt deeply comforted by it.

It was not just him. Every creator present was moved by those words. They did not ask for the authorities to place tremendous importance on them. They only hoped the authorities could give them an opportunity—an opportunity for their works to reach the audience.

Clap clap clap!

The applause in the venue went on for a long time. Fang Zheng also began clapping unconsciously. He could tell that Liao Qingli was not helping him, nor was he promoting Star Dream. He was experimentally promoting anime as a cultural form.

Even so, Fang Zheng was satisfied. Anime had been a concept he introduced. With so many outstanding works in his mind, he was unquestionably number one in this field.

"Keep it up, young man!" Liao Qingli looked at Fang Zheng onstage approvingly and said with a gentle smile, "I look forward to you using your anime to bring an earthquake to the culture and entertainment world."

After Liao Qingli finished speaking, he sat down. Yang Li looked at Fang Zheng in even greater shock. It would have been understandable for Old Master Jin Shijie, an artist, to hold Fang Zheng in high regard.

But Liao Qingli, a thoroughly official figure, had so openly lent Fang Zheng his support. It was truly beyond everyone's expectations.

Afterward, the remaining judges also lavished Fang Zheng with praise. Some said Star Dream used the stark contrast between the robot's innocence and the world's cruelty to show people the mercilessness of war. Others praised the heartfelt emotion Star Dream brought to people.

Naturally, there were also those who said Fang Zheng was young and promising, with an unlimited future ahead of him. In short, the judges' words made Fang Zheng feel rather embarrassed.

This new book is still a sapling. Big Shots who like it, please support it. I sincerely beg you~~~~~~~