New Century Anime Warrior

Chen Yan was shocked.

When Pan Lei called him to the studio in the forest where the deer were calling, he had no idea what he would see.

And they were being very secretive, only saying that someone had to come over so they could find out.

Then he arrived calmly, sat down calmly, and even calmly picked up a cup of tea...

Two minutes later, he hadn't drunk a drop of tea; he was still holding the cup quietly in his hand... no, you could actually see that it was trembling slightly.

This short film, or rather, this public service announcement, is of very high quality and has a very high purpose.

Especially the shot that appears at around one minute and fifteen seconds, which fully demonstrates the ability to express visual and auditory emotions.

It is absolutely top-notch in the industry.

Just based on this scene alone, Chen Yan dares to say that even ten or twenty years from now, this GG film will still be remembered by those who have seen it.

"Mr. Pan, you mean this is something he accomplished this month?"

"Strictly speaking, it was two weeks. They returned to school on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year and then used some of the art assets from Voices of a Distant Star."

"And then, in the last two weeks, he also casually wrote a pop song that's above average? And why does this tune sound so familiar... Is there any copyright issue?"

"He said it's adapted from an Irish folk song; I guess you've heard the original..."

Irish folk songs?

Damn, isn't this the famous song that's supposed to be Ireland's second national anthem?

No wonder it sounds so familiar.

Chen Yan has been a force to be reckoned with in the music scene both in China and abroad—I mean, in all these years, it's rare to see someone with such a wild style, especially at such a young age.

I used to think that this kid's musical talent was more in audiovisual expression. Although his original compositions were also good, they were probably more of a supplement, something that was good enough for him...

But to my utter surprise, there was something unexpected going on.

After all, the theme song for "Voices of a Distant Star" wasn't exactly a work that fit the market's taste, but it did fit the work's character perfectly.

Of course, this song, adapted from a traditional foreign folk tune, doesn't exactly fit the market's taste... but the fact that it's an adaptation is a bit of a surprise.

In terms of market behavior, somewhat counterintuitively, capital actually tends to favor creators' adaptation abilities.

Originality is certainly the core and source of a work, as well as the foundation and future of a prosperous market, but for individuals, the risk of originality is too great.

Capital seeks profit, and only stability can guarantee its continued pursuit of profit, whether it is a stable environment or stable content output.

"Did that brat say when he plans to release it? By the way, what about the promotion? Doesn't he love to tinker with his own promotional strategies?"

Chen Yan keenly sensed that this two-minute short film was produced in such a hurry without his knowledge, and most likely it was produced without his knowledge of Pan Lei's knowledge of the time. Perhaps they were trying to meet some deadline.

Pan Lei was not surprised by Chen Yan's keen insight: "I said it will be officially released next Monday, February 27th, which is exactly 2 days before this year's college entrance examination."

"As for promotion, he only replied to his fans with a one-line teaser on Bilibili, which can't be considered promotion... and he didn't even make his own Weibo account public."

"One hundred days before the college entrance exam? A 100-day countdown rally for the college entrance exam?" Chen Yan attended high school in Taiwan, where there was also a 100-day countdown rally, but it was different from that in mainland China.

Generally speaking, they have two 100-day countdown rallies because there are actually two exams that can be considered the college entrance examination, and there are four main ways to get admitted.

Overall, there is pressure to get into good schools, but not as much as people imagine. So their 100-day countdown rally is more like a ceremony of gratitude and traditional culture. In some places, they also have to offer sacrifices to gods and sages.

However, this does not prevent him from feeling the unique belief in the supremacy of education in the Confucian cultural sphere from this short film.

I imagine it would spark a huge discussion if it were released in Japan and South Korea.

Chen Yan immediately recognized the hidden international influence of this short film, which was even more representative than "Voices of a Distant Star".

"I understand, I'll arrange the publicity work right away." Chen Yan immediately prepared to contact the relevant personnel, but then suddenly remembered something and quickly added.

"Should we add 'Acknowledgements' to the section for the organizations...?"

"Don't worry, Nanlin Media has already reported to the Guangnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League. We heard that they are very satisfied with the short film and are reporting it to the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League. They have also notified CCTV."

Pan Lei continued, somewhat annoyed, "Our sensitivity is no less than that of a Taiwanese businessman like you who's developing businesses in mainland China, okay?"

"That's not what I meant, don't talk nonsense."

-----------------

"Brothers and sisters! The little one has a new work!"

Although Baidu Tieba has declined, it remains the most active place for the core subculture groups.

Even though Weibo's reach and scale have begun to shift towards a national audience, platforms with higher verticality, such as Renren and Tieba, can still maintain a considerable level of influence in public opinion.

Have you not seen the heroic spirit of "When Diba goes on an expedition, not a blade of grass will grow"?

The Voice of the Stars forum is a topic that has recently become quite popular among young "veteran" netizens.

Is the information accurate?

"Is the original poster spreading rumors? Isn't this kid taking the college entrance exam this year? How could he possibly have the time in the US to create a new work?"

"I have an uncle who said that the little boy's new work is already finished, but it hasn't been promoted yet."

"It's like you're saying everyone has an uncle. My uncle once told me that the little guy's academic performance was so bad that he couldn't stand it, and now that he hasn't managed to get into university without taking the entrance exam, he has no hope of going to university."

"You two uncles should have a fight first."

"Since he has no hope of going to university, doesn't that mean he has time to work on new projects? Is that a converse confirmation?"

"These two uncles can shake hands and make peace."

"..."

The dispute over the uncles finally ended with a screenshot from the comments section of Bilibili.

[A-Qiang, who started eating snail rice noodles: "When will the uploader release a new video? Is it a real animated short?"]

Cheng Ge: "February 27th, see you there! This is for every senior high school student."

Wow.

There's really something new going on.

Why February 27th?

"A 100-day countdown rally, huh? Has the person upstairs never taken the college entrance exam?"

"I haven't participated in it. My parents are seriously ill and bedridden, so I dropped out of junior high school and now I work as a construction worker."

"...Brother, I deserve to die."

Pan Lei and Chen Yan also started to exert their efforts, but instead of going through traditional channels, they focused their publicity efforts on spreading the screenshot from Bilibili, relying on stimulating online discussions to maintain the topic's popularity.

What truly garnered widespread attention was a two-minute public service video posted on the official Weibo account of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League on February 27.

The posting time was 6 a.m., which is obviously a scheduled posting, and it even happened to be before the Monday flag-raising ceremony at most schools.

[#100DaysToGoForCollegeEntranceExam##GoCollegeEntranceExam# With initial aspirations, we face the crossroads; with perseverance, we win glory in life. @NewCenturyAnimeWarrior pays tribute to every student pursuing their dreams.]

The National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) is approaching! A 100-day countdown rally is underway!

Element detection!

Whether it was some parents or high school students secretly playing on their phones, they all immediately clicked on the video.

At the beginning of the video, a flock of seagulls flew over the harbor bathed in golden morning light, and in the distance, several long and narrow boats were moored on the shore, like a few eggshells floating on the sea.

A short-haired girl in ordinary clothes stood on the pier, quietly watching the ferry depart with its horn blaring.

"It's not about pursuing happiness," the girl seemed to be talking to herself.

A boy in a high school uniform walked onto the overpass, watching the train speeding away, and seemed to see his own life constantly moving forward.

"It's not about seeking an unchanging promise," the boy echoed in his heart.

Girl: "Compared to these..."

Boy: "I just want to get to..."

"A distant place that belongs to me." X2

As the boy and girl's thoughts merged, the morning sunlight shone on their faces, revealing resolute expressions.

A light yet exceptionally firm singing voice also rang out simultaneously, and the video title began to appear.

"crossroads".