A Recap Genius

Miss Mihara quickly brought over some animation paper and pencils.

Gu Xue took them and thought for a moment before lowering her head to start drawing.

Gu Xue felt she couldn't explain it clearly just by talking to Misawa Hiroshi. Magical girls could barely be considered witches, but the witch-themed animation she was proposing—Little Witch Academia, one of Earth's Trigger's representative works—was nothing like a magical-girl series.

Little Witch Academia's character designs leaned more toward an American comic-book style, and the overall aesthetic was very American. At first glance, it looked like a children's cartoon from the West, yet it also had a strong Japanese anime flavor. The two styles were blended together, and before you got used to it, the result felt rather jarring.

That was why Trigger's works were known as a "moe filter."

Misawa Hiroshi found it jarring, too. Watching the characters take shape beneath Gu Xue's pencil, he said quietly, "This style... feels so American... They're witches, right?"

Gu Xue was drawing Little Witch Academia's protagonist, Akko, along with her two roommates, Lotte and Sucy.

The three wore tall, cone-shaped hats and academy-style robes, and stood together with brooms in hand. Their faces and hair were drawn with fairly simple lines, so at first glance the American comic-book influence was indeed strong. It was only natural that the style took some getting used to.

Gu Xue was sketching the outline of the academy on the page. She glanced up at him. "You can call them witches if you want. Their designs are based on the old hags with hooked noses from Western fairy tales. I just made them a little cuter..."

"Uh..." Misawa Hiroshi looked as if he were wondering, Is it really okay to make this?

In his mind, magical girls were supposed to be innocent young women who shouted "Transform!" and emerged in glamorous, frilly outfits. What was this business about witches?

Gu Xue understood his concerns, too, and chuckled. "At its core, it's not that different from a magical-girl story. Both are about girls who can use magic. It's just that this story takes place in a different setting from the magical-girl shows on the market. It's more like Harry..."

Gu Xue had been about to say that Little Witch Academia was a magical fantasy story like Harry Potter, but at the last moment, she remembered that there was no Harry Potter in this world.

She paused for a long while, unable to think of any similar animations or films on the market. In the end, she simply said, "...You can just think of it as a Western fantasy story."

"...So what's it actually about?" Misawa Hiroshi asked.

Gu Xue fell silent for a moment, then pointed at the Gothic buildings on the page. "You know those school anime?"

"Yeah."

"You know magic?"

"Yeah."

"You know about dragons, too?"

"Yeah."

"What about dungeons in RPGs?"

"...Yeah."

"It's about a group of little witches living happily at a prestigious school that trains witches. But one day, during an assignment to explore a dungeon, something goes wrong. A student accidentally releases an Ancient Dragon, putting the academy in grave danger. Then the dead-last heroine defeats the dragon and saves the school."

Gu Xue finished in one breath, then proudly struck a pose that said, Simple, right?

What a... genius at recapping.

"...That story's way too simple! And it's got so many elements!" Misawa Hiroshi couldn't help objecting.

After hearing Gu Xue's explanation, Mihara Chisa said nothing. If Misawa Hiroshi had been the one to propose a witch-themed story, she would have told him that it would be better to make the kind of magical-girl show already common on the market, since audiences would find it easier to accept, and asked him to think it over carefully. But because Gu Xue had suggested it, Mihara Chisa instinctively felt it was a pretty solid idea...

Fortunately, Misawa Hiroshi didn't know what she was thinking. Otherwise, he would have been green with envy again...

"I know what you want to make," Gu Xue said, amused by Misawa Hiroshi's conflicted expression. "Something profound and impressive, preferably with some kind of deeper meaning?"

Misawa Hiroshi had been seen through. He smiled, looking awkward in a way he couldn't quite explain.

It was as if someone had discovered he was going through a chūnibyō phase.

"I'm not against you making that kind of animation, but you need to keep one thing in mind: it's only a little over twenty minutes long. How are you going to tell the story you have in mind in that limited time? It's simple. Take that space mecha series you want to make. You'd have to introduce the setting, right? After all, how would anyone know what space in your story was like? You'd also have to explain the mecha, since ordinary viewers usually don't have a concrete idea of what mecha are. And then there are the characters and all the other unfamiliar details. If you introduce them one by one, the audience might not even want to watch."

"Making a fun, straightforward animation is a remarkable thing in itself. Chasing after 'artistic merit' at every turn is putting the cart before the horse. Well, I wouldn't quite put it that way... It's just that I don't think you're capable of making the animation you have in mind yet, at least not right now. That may sound harsh, but you know very well that you don't have much experience."

"At a time like this, wouldn't it be better to choose elements the audience already knows, like dragons, magic, and academies—things people can picture as soon as they hear about them? Then you can make an animation most viewers will enjoy, one they can get into right away and finish thinking, 'That was a great show!'"

Gu Xue spoke at length.

She'd met plenty of people like Misawa Hiroshi before. They thought too much, but lacked the ability to match their ambitions. If they had any self-awareness, they'd take a step back and compromise a little. If not, they'd keep running into walls until they got hurt and finally came to their senses.

Misawa Hiroshi was silent for a long time. Then he gave a bitter smile. "...You've convinced me. But I still want to think it over. I'm not rejecting your suggestion, but could you flesh out the witch-themed story a bit more? Maybe write up a rough outline or draw some more setting designs. I don't have a concrete picture of it from the few words you've given me."

"...All right." Gu Xue nodded.

After all, he was the director. He had to agree on what they would make.

Gu Xue lowered her head and continued drawing. But she hadn't drawn much when she remembered something rather important. She looked up, suspicious. "Wait, why am I doing all this work?"

Misawa Hiroshi: "..."

Mihara Chisa: "..."

"Wasn't I here to discuss whether I'd join this project? How did we suddenly end up discussing the subject matter, and why am I writing the outline?" The more Gu Xue thought about it, the less sense it made. "I haven't even agreed to join this project yet, have I?"

Thanks to Yongyuan Xianhong for the 1,000 reward, Akatsukiryuu for the 500, Zhanyu for the 100, Bingjing Zhilian for the 100, Fanchen Luanshi Xueqingjie for the 100, FIOF for the 100, and ZASL for the 100. Thank you all.

(Also, sorry... There's only one update today.)