New Century Anime Warrior

"You've probably all guessed who our next guest is, right?"

The event started on time, and the host was a cute, round-faced girl wearing a Lolita dress.

Her interview partner was a tall, thin man with glasses. According to Mr. Lei Huo, he was a fan of Si Hua's works at the Lei Huo Nursing Home, so he volunteered to be the official host's partner this time.

"You little thief, Si Hua!"

A loud shout rang out from the audience, followed by a burst of laughter.

The audience wasn't as sparse as expected, so it seems there's still a fan base.

"Yes, he is Mr. Si Hua, the producer of the recently popular indie game 'The Edge Walker'."

The host was clearly used to this practice of giving their favorite celebrities nicknames, and didn't seem to care at all.

Si Hua even waved to the audience with a smug grin, as the nickname "Old Thief" represents the deepest love from anime fans!

Don't you see Miyazaki, Sakurai, and other such scoundrels? Although these people may not actually exist in this world.

But I'm still young and can't be a seasoned thief yet, so being a little thief isn't so bad!

"Let's officially begin our live interview."

After the commotion subsided, the host asked the first question.

"Mr. Si Hua, it's been more than half a year since your last animated work. Will you have any new animated works coming up?"

"Yes, we do, but it's highly unlikely we'll be able to get it this year."

"Huh? Why? Everyone seems a little disappointed."

"The main thing was reflecting on these creative processes, which made me realize that human capabilities are ultimately limited, so..."

Si Hua paused deliberately.

"So, JOJO, you're not human anymore!"

The audience below the stage played along perfectly with Si Hua's jokes.

"Haha, it's not that exaggerated. Humans are still wonderful... What I want to say is that for the rest of this year, in addition to daily studies, the focus should be on advancing the establishment of my personal studio."

"After all, it's really exhausting for one person to do everything from concept art and modeling to composing music."

"It's not a good way to waste time like this. It's too inefficient. We only produce two or three works a year."

The tall, thin man with glasses excitedly pressed on, "So the studio's schedule is all set? Have you already started brainstorming new projects?"

Si Hua nodded, not denying it: "We basically have a direction. One is a medium-length series that continues the style of 'Voices of a Distant Star' and 'Crossroads,' which I'll call an OVA."

"So, there's a second new film?"

"Yes, the second part will be an experimental animation, which should also be considered an OVA."

"Wow, can you give the fans a sneak peek?"

The round-faced girl's reaction was a bit exaggerated; it seems she was just making a cameo appearance.

"Both of these works were inspired by my recent research on the history of Japanese comics with my mentor, so I will set the stories in Japan, barring any unforeseen circumstances."

"After all, the concept of mono no aware (the pathos of things) isn't prevalent here."

"But when I think about how I, a fellow countryman, created a work of mono no aware that fits the culture of an island nation so well, I feel that art has been accomplished."

"Moreover, many of you here grew up watching Japanese anime. Sometimes, when we foreigners look back at the island culture we remember, the various stereotypes become particularly interesting."

"For example, missing the chance means having to be on either side of a railway crossing, regretting having to be under a cherry blossom tree, and so on. There's also the difficult situation of underground idols, the distorted fan culture..."

"These cultural phenomena, which are rarely seen in our country, are very suitable for deconstructing the anime and manga culture of island nations."

Si Hua finished speaking in one breath, his tone full of amusement.

"These all sound like serious works?"

"Actually, it's alright. I'd say it's a healing work... Everyone who watches it will definitely gain something from it."

After discussing animation to some extent, the host shifted the conversation to topics that are currently of greater interest to many people.

"How about we talk about 'The Edge Walker'?"

"There's not much to talk about here. The official reports and netizens' comments have already deconstructed the story quite a bit. Many of the insights and viewpoints are things I didn't expect," Si Hua honestly admitted.

"If someone uses this story to give me a reading comprehension exercise in the future, I probably won't even get any points for ink."

Another round of boos, tinged with laughter, followed. It seemed everyone shared similar grievances about the Chinese exam questions.

"Moreover, the story is already quite complete. Whether it's the love between David and Lucy or the fate of Mann's squad, it's all fulfilled in my heart."

Suddenly, a spectator shouted, "You little thief, give me back my Rebecca!"

Then came a burst of applause.

Si Hua was taken aback, then looked around and said, "I've never heard of this salad dressing. Is it new?"

It's a bit like hell.

"We've also noticed that 'The Edge Walker' is selling very well. Is there anything you'd like to say to your game's players who support you?"

"I won't say much more about thanks, let's get straight to the goodies."

"Once the studio is established, I will assemble a team to optimize and upgrade the game content, which will be free... including character voice acting, game music, and so on."

"For example, the ending theme song after completing the game, 'Let You Down,' is not actually instrumental; it has lyrics, but I can't sing it, and I can't find a suitable male singer."

"So at that time..."

After saying that, Si Hua shrugged helplessly.

Wow!

This is a genuine revelation, and the scene immediately erupted in excitement.

It's true that we couldn't find a suitable male singer, but that wasn't the main reason. It was simply that there wasn't enough time... At the time, Si Hua was in a hurry to launch the game before the start of the school year, so he compromised on a lot of content.

But this reason is obviously inconvenient to say; it would be too damaging to one's image.

"Are there any new games coming out?"

"I have a concept for now. Remember what I said earlier? I'm very interested in the stereotypes about island culture. I was thinking, could there be a game that incorporates all of these?"

"I don't quite understand, for example?"

Let alone the seemingly amateur female host, even the bespectacled man who seemed more like a homebody was a bit confused and couldn't understand it.

"For example, the city is infected by a zombie virus, and you're unlucky enough to be discovered by a few zombies who are clearly from the island nation. Just before these zombies attack you, they actually bow to you at a 90-degree angle before charging at you..."

As he spoke, Si Hua even stood up and mimicked the gesture.

???

The audience present, including passing tourists, were instantly stunned by the scene Si Hua described.

The absurd scene caused everyone's CPU to freeze for a moment.

But soon, bursts of laughter filled the air.

"Holy crap, hahaha, how did he come up with such an absurd premise???"

"Oh no, all I can think about now is that ridiculous image of a zombie bowing."

"I can't believe it, I want to play this game tomorrow! It's so funny, hahaha."

"Si Hua, you little thief, hurry up and bring me the game! Stop making empty promises!!!"

Seeing that everyone was in the right mood, and considering the time allotted for the activity, it was time to move on to the next segment and add some more excitement.

So the host abruptly stopped, stood up, bowed slightly to everyone, and prepared to say the transition words.

But having just heard the joke about the zombie bowing, this action immediately tickled some people's funny bone, so amidst the laughter, the host temporarily interrupted the interview.

Next up is GG time.

"Thank you, Teacher Si Hua, for your hard work in revealing the scoop. Now let's take a break, everyone, don't go away!"

"Next up is a cosplay show themed around The Edgewalker, which will be a huge surprise."

The bespectacled man continued, gesturing, "A really, really big surprise! You'll regret it if you walk away!"

Si Hua chimed in at this point, "Don't worry, this isn't just empty promises."

"?" xN

You know those are all pie cakes, right?