Anime Production, Starting by Healing the Audience — Part 7

"Big Shot Fang, do you mean that if any element, such as artwork or music, has flaws, the quality of an anime will be greatly diminished?"

"Exactly." Fang Zheng nodded in firm agreement at Yang Li's words. "Take the artwork, for example. If the animation quality isn't up to par, then the work presented to viewers will be imperfect. In my terms, that's called an art style collapse."

Fang Zheng felt somewhat wistful as he said this. There had been plenty of works with collapsing art styles in his previous life, including quite a few highly famous ones, such as Accelerator and Date A Live III.

That had left Fang Zheng sighing for quite a while back then~

"After hearing Big Shot Fang's words, I'm sure everyone understands that making anime is absolutely no simple task. Let me offer everyone a word of advice: if you want to create anime, it's best to be thoroughly prepared beforehand."

After Yang Li finished speaking, she turned back to Fang Zheng. Her eyes shone with admiration. In her view, whether it was the artwork, music, or voice acting in Star Dream, everything had reached peak standards. She truly had no idea how this young man had managed it.

"As expected, Big Shot Fang is responsible. His character is guaranteed!"

"The artwork in Star Dream is outrageously detailed, and the BGM fits perfectly too. Big Shot Fang must have put in a tremendous amount of effort."

"Wasn't it precisely because Big Shot Fang put in so much effort that he managed to scam so many tears out of us?"

"...The guy upstairs, don't say it if you see through it. We're still comrades!"

The livestream chat praised Fang Zheng for so generously sharing his anime production experience. After all, creators like Fang Zheng, who did not hide their skills, were truly rare in this day and age.

"Now for the second question." Yang Li swiftly moved past the topic. Though this was an interview program, the station still had time limits. She could not spend too long lingering on a single question.

"I heard that Big Shot Fang previously announced on Weibo that you were creating a second work. Is that true?"

Yang Li looked at Fang Zheng curiously. Viewers who had watched Star Dream were greatly anticipating Fang Zheng's New Work, and she was no exception.

"Yes, I've indeed been preparing my New Work recently."

The moment Fang Zheng confirmed it, the livestream chat exploded.

"I knew Big Shot Fang wouldn't let me down!"

"The New Work won't be another healing-style anime, will it~"

"Probably not. I saw the attached image on Big Shot Fang's Weibo. It seemed to be a fighting anime."

"Big Shot Fang, look at me, look at me! Please make sure I win the giveaway!"

Many viewers in the livestream had seen Fang Zheng's Weibo and had heard a little about him making a new work. Of course, what they cared about most was the Weibo giveaway Fang Zheng had previously promised.

In the studio, Fang Zheng could not see the livestream chat, but he did not care. His purpose in attending this interview was to promote the concept of anime and advertise his new work, Akame ga Kill!.

"What style is Big Shot Fang's new work?" Yang Li gazed at him expectantly after hearing his words. "Will it continue the moving approach of Star Dream?"

Hearing Yang Li's question, Fang Zheng's lips curled slightly. "Of course not. In my eyes, every anime has its own uniqueness, and Star Dream is no exception. It is an anime that cannot be replicated."

Yang Li herself did not realize that when she heard Fang Zheng was no longer taking the healing route, she felt slightly relieved. Honestly, she had truly been frightened by the depressing, suffocating style of Star Dream.

However, it was currently the only anime of its kind on the market. No matter how depressing it was, she would still watch it. That was also why viewers who had watched Star Dream loved Fang Zheng so deeply.

"Then what style is your new work? Could you give us a detailed introduction?"

When Fang Zheng saw Yang Li immediately steer the conversation toward his new work, he inwardly praised her for catching on. Had he not come here specifically to advertise Akame ga Kill!?

"My new work, Akame ga Kill!, is different from Star Dream. If Star Dream is an emotionally delicate healing anime, then Akame ga Kill! is a high-octane, hot-blooded action anime."

As Fang Zheng spoke, he took promotional posters from his briefcase, selected one, and waved it in front of the camera.

"The story of Akame ga Kill! is simple. It tells of the conflict between a decaying empire and an assassin organization. This is one of the most important characters in my work."

Fang Zheng handed the poster to Yang Li so that she could display it to the livestream viewers.

Yang Li accepted the poster. What met her eyes was a character illustration set entirely against a blood-red background. The girl's most eye-catching feature was her pair of crimson eyes.

Just one glance was enough to convey the girl's complicated personality: her coldness toward enemies, her usual moe demeanor, and an unyielding resilience that refused to admit defeat.

Yang Li took a deep breath. She had fallen for the girl at first sight.

Holding the poster in her hands, she studied it carefully. The girl had long, silky black hair, a pretty face that looked lovely even without makeup, a black top, and a red tie around her neck.

She wore a black short skirt and gripped a reddish curved blade in her hand. That blade gave off an exceptionally eerie feeling.

After a long while, Yang Li lowered the poster and looked at Fang Zheng with admiration. "Big Shot Fang, if I'm not mistaken, she should be an assassin from the assassin organization you mentioned, right~"

"Why do you say that?" Fang Zheng looked at Yang Li in surprise. He had not expected her intuition to be so sharp that she could deduce Akame's identity from a single glance.

"First of all, this girl gives off a very moe impression overall. She has no expression, which makes her seem cold, and she has no unnecessary movements, which makes her look clean and efficient."

Yang Li handed the poster to a staff member beside her, asking them to show it to the livestream viewers.

"What left the deepest impression on me was those crimson eyes. I saw an extremely cold feeling within them."

The staff member placed the poster before the camera, and amid the livestream viewers' eager cries, the poster's full appearance finally appeared on screen.

"Holy shit, she's gorgeous!"

"Those ruby-like eyes are absolutely stunning~"

"Is this Big Shot Fang's new work? I love it, I love it!"

"Mom, I'm in love. One minute—I want all the information on this woman!"

The livestream chat exploded on the spot the moment they saw Akame's poster. Akame's cool pose, dressed in a black uniform and holding a demonic blade, instantly drew everyone's attention.

No one wanted to look away for a long time!

"Your intuition is accurate!" Fang Zheng was unaware of the livestream viewers' intense reaction. He looked at Yang Li approvingly and said, "That's right. She's an extremely important character in Akame ga Kill! The title of the new work was even named after her."

Yang Li looked longingly at the poster, now returned to Fang Zheng's hands. She pressed her lips together and asked, "Then would it be convenient for you to tell us this girl's name, Big Shot Fang?"

Yang Li was very clever. She did not directly ask Fang Zheng for the name, but instead asked whether it was convenient to reveal it. After all, many works were kept confidential before release.

Spoilers were therefore a creator's great taboo. Though she did not know much about anime, she assumed it was the same.

"Her name is Akame."

Fang Zheng smiled. His goal was to promote Akame ga Kill!, so he would not spoil too much of the plot. After all, while Akame ga Kill! was a hot-blooded action anime, it was also an intensely "healing" series.

If he said too much, enraged viewers might block the television station entrance and beat him up.

"Akame? What a good name." Yang Li nodded in agreement after hearing Fang Zheng's answer. Thinking of the girl's ruby-like eyes in the poster, she found the name very fitting.

The interview in the studio continued. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Fang Zheng showed the viewers several more promotional posters.

Whether it was the overwhelmingly domineering Esdeath, the hot-blooded youth Tatsumi, the tsundere Mine, or the wild Leone, these distinctly different characters all left a deep impression on the viewers.

"Alright, the program has reached this point, so it's almost time to say goodbye to everyone." It was now 9:40 p.m. According to the schedule, the interview would end at 10:00.

Thus, Yang Li received a notice from the production team. Though she felt reluctant, she still announced that the program was entering its final segment.

"I'm sure many viewers have been waiting eagerly in front of their screens for these exquisite posters personally drawn by Big Shot Fang, right~"

Yang Li and the production team had long known about the Weibo giveaway Fang Zheng had promised. Therefore, they had obtained Fang Zheng's consent from the very beginning to hold the drawing during the program.

This would not only attract more viewers to watch the livestream, but also ensure the greatest possible fairness and transparency for the giveaway, preventing disappointed viewers who failed to get posters from spreading rumors afterward.

This was not something Fang Zheng wanted to see, so after considering the production team's request, he agreed.

"Alright, enough nonsense. Let's invite the staff to prepare the giveaway!"

As Yang Li's words fell, several staff members came onstage. One of them handed Fang Zheng something resembling a remote control and explained how to use it.

Simply put, it was a raffle device. The big screen would cycle through all the User accounts that had participated in the Weibo repost event. Fang Zheng would press pause, and whoever was selected would be the winner.

The winning viewers would naturally receive one poster personally drawn by him.

At the same time, the big screen behind Fang Zheng switched to the raffle interface. Countless names rolled back and forth across the screen, so densely packed that they were dazzling.

"Big Shot Fang, please begin your performance."

Yang Li watched Fang Zheng hold the remote, gave a mischievous smile, and stepped aside. Her eyes carried a hint of gloating.

After all, there were only so many posters, but judging from how fast the names were scrolling across the screen, there were probably quite a few participants. It was the classic case of too many wolves and too little meat.

The viewers who won prizes would naturally be overjoyed, while those who did not would probably love Fang Zheng even more "deeply"!

Serves you right for teasing me like that earlier!

Yang Li watched Fang Zheng onstage with an inexplicable smile in the corner of her eyes, while secretly praying that she would be selected later.

That was right—she had also secretly participated in Fang Zheng's Weibo repost event. After all, those exquisite posters were not just beloved by viewers. Having seen them with her own eyes, even she, the host, found it hard to put them down.

It was only because the studio was currently broadcasting live and it was inconvenient. Otherwise, she would have shamelessly begged Fang Zheng to give her one. Compared to her pride, the posters in Fang Zheng's hands seemed far more appealing.

"It's happening, it's happening! Big Shot Fang, you have to pick me~"

"Big Shot Fang, I praised you to the skies on the Tieba forums. You have to pick me!"

"I bragged to my girlfriend, Big Shot Fang. My lifelong happiness rests on you!"

"Three Pure Ones, Tathagata Buddha, Jade Emperor, Jesus, bless me! Please let me win!"

"..."

The livestream chat scrolled rapidly, a dense wall of messages that almost completely obscured the livestream image, forcing most viewers to turn off the chat.

Fang Zheng himself, however, was perfectly relaxed. He had already called Akame ga Kill! a hot-blooded action anime. Did he still care about such a trivial matter?

As the saying went, once you had enough lice, you stopped feeling itchy. Since he had already started courting death, he might as well go further and further down that path.

If he was going to heal the audience, then he would heal them thoroughly. He would let these rookies who had just entered the world of anime taste the dangers of the battlefield. Only battle-hardened anime veterans could truly claim to fear nothing!

Thus, the situation became extremely strange. The viewers seemed even more nervous than Fang Zheng, the person actively courting death. Everyone's hearts had risen to their throats as they stared unblinkingly at Fang Zheng's every move on the screen.

Second by second, time passed. Fang Zheng watched the rolling names on the screen and finally pressed the remote in his hand.

Seeing Fang Zheng's movement, everyone held their breath, afraid of missing even the smallest detail.

"Alright, we can see that the first lucky winner has been selected on the screen." Yang Li stepped forward with a microphone when she saw the frozen name. "Let's congratulate this lucky viewer called 'Big Shot Fang's Number One Simp'!"

Seeing the name on the screen, Yang Li's expression became incomparably strange, and her face was particularly colorful as she read it aloud.