Tokyo: Oreimo

In Phoenix Inoue's opinion, Ryosuke has always considered things comprehensively, so there's no reason why he would overlook this.

"If it's due to a lack of channels, you could ask Kadokawa's editors; they should have industry contact information, right?"

"No, I just plan to train my own animation production team, including in-between animation, to ensure the quality of keyframes. If it weren't for the tight budget, I would have hired even more people."

Ryosuke shook his head.

Outsourcing is indeed cheaper, that much is undeniable.

But the results are definitely not as good as those of raising your own.

In my memory, a classic comic, during its animation adaptation, suffered from a problem caused by outsourcing, resulting in characters' faces appearing to collapse like stretched dough during battles.

This is a common problem with TV serializations, resulting from rushing to meet deadlines and cost considerations.

Phoenix Inu Saori crossed her legs, tapping her fingers lightly on her knees, and looked at Ryosuke with a hint of surprise.

Considering this, the company will likely incur nearly double the cost.

To put this in perspective, if it were outsourced, buying out the monthly output of an experienced mid-cut animator would only cost less than 80,000 yen.

"So the most important reason you chose to rent this place is because it's big enough, right?"

"Yes."

"With a team of nearly 70 people, the salary expenses alone are a heavy burden. Can we really break even by going to such lengths for an animation?"

Making animation is completely different from making visual novels; it can't be done by a makeshift team of just a few people.

The profit model is not simply based on the price difference in transactions.

More often, it's the royalties generated from the animation's popularity, such as from derivative products and game adaptations.

It's a common phenomenon in the industry that once an animation is produced, the biggest winner is the copyright holder. Most animation production companies can't even get into the production committee; they only receive a meager service fee.

Although Ryosuke owns the copyright, this is also his disadvantage.

Producing finished animations directly, rather than adapting them from comics, naturally lacks a fan base.

An original animated work produced by a newly established animation production company.

"When forming the production committee, it was a real headache to get those large corporations involved. We'll probably be the biggest investor, right?"

"Isn't that obvious? That's what I planned from the beginning. The more you invest, the more profits you'll receive later."

Ryosuke nodded.

In terms of animation production, he intends to emulate the 'Kyoto Animation' of his memories.

"I believe the royalties will be enough to cover the production costs of the animation, it just will take some time."

"And I don't like that kind of behavior in the industry."

What are you referring to?

"They make a profit by exploiting the hard work and dedication of young people who enter the animation industry out of their passion."

Ryosuke suddenly spoke up.

Chapter 99 Night Raid 3.0

Upon hearing Ryosuke's words, Hououin Saori was visibly taken aback.

"what happened?"

Ryosuke noticed her expression and assumed that she disagreed with his opinion.

After all, "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" has not yet been fully shown to the other party. Making such a bold statement without market testing would indeed seem somewhat hasty to outsiders.

The other party also owns 25% of the company's shares and has the right to offer opinions for insurance purposes.

No, that's not it.

Phoenix Inu Saori suddenly laughed, resting her arms on her knees and supporting her chin with her hands. Her eyes seemed to shine as she stared at her.

"I just thought you were incredibly cool when you said those words, and that's why I'm a fan~"

"..."

So this guy just can't learn to speak properly?

Ryosuke was starting to feel uneasy under her gaze. Anyone would have their heart pounding if a beautiful woman stared at them like that.

"Fine, we'll do it your way. After all, you're the acting director."

Phoenix Inu Saori had no intention of interfering further with Ryosuke's actions.

"Regarding the galgame production we discussed last time, we'll need to borrow a few of your illustrators. It would be best if your sister did the drawing, is that alright?"

"Okay, but you can't show her the script. You can arrange everything else as you see fit."

"why?"

Phoenix Inu Saori was quite puzzled about this. If the original illustrator had seen the script, wouldn't the characters they drew be more in line with the character designs in the story?

"...because she would ask me to revise the script."

Ryosuke's lips twitched slightly.

He had just changed the lock on his door, and he didn't want Ling Nai to kick it down again.

"If she sees the ending of the script I'm planning to write this time, it will cause a lot of trouble, so we must keep it a secret."

"Have you already started creating it?"

"That's right. The complete script will probably be given to you by the end of the year because the text is quite large. Also, this is a work for all ages, so there's no need to prepare for it specifically."

"Really? That's surprising. School-themed stories don't have that kind of element?"

In Phoenix Inu Saori's memory, school is actually the most suitable theme for R18. She has also played some good works, such as "Makoto in School".

This type of work received unexpectedly good market feedback.

Ryosuke shrugged. To be honest, if it weren't for sales, removing the mana replenishment part from Fate/stay night wouldn't be a bad idea.

Now that there's the popularity built up from the previous work, there's no need to cater to it when releasing new works.

Have you decided on a title for the work yet?

"Yes, it's called Clannad."

"...Does it mean family?"

"Yes, the theme this time is family, kinship, and growth."

......

As evening approached, Ryosuke Takagi greeted Saori Hououin and then returned home with Ryouno.

Because of academic tutoring issues, I need to set aside extra time to help my younger sister with her studies.

After dinner, Ryosuke leaned back in his familiar spot, placed his notebook on his lap, and began drawing the next chapter of Madoka's story.

Time always flies when you're creating, and then you hear the girl's dissatisfied grumbling.

"Hey, I'm done."

"Leave it there, and I'll check it for you after I finish this page of the draft."

Ryosuke did not get up immediately, but remained focused on the tip of his pen.

Takashiro Ryouno rested her chin on her hand, playing with the ballpoint pen in her hand with a rather bored expression, occasionally stealing glances at Ryosuke beside her.

She knew what Ryosuke was drawing and really wanted to see it, but he seemed to sense her gaze and was deliberately avoiding it.

Because of the angle, you can only see the edges and corners.

Is it already episode six?

This guy draws pretty fast, but it's not surprising that his abstract drawing style looks like random sketches.

"Want to see."

Recalling the third episode I watched a few days ago, Mami Tomoe's sudden death shocked me quite a bit.

But after the initial anger, what made her even more eager was to see what happened next.

Unlike her previous works, what Ryosuke draws now seems to have a magical quality, constantly arousing her curiosity.

After witnessing Mami Tomoe's tragic fate, will Madoka Kaname and Sayaka still have the courage to sign a contract and become magical girls?

That being said, even though he has created two best-selling works on this subject.

As the author, Ryoko Takashiro never imagined that magical girls would appear in Ryosuke's new work as a 'high-risk profession'.

This was a novel path that had never appeared in her mind before.

Ryoko Takashiro adjusted her posture, trying to peek at what Ryosuke was drawing from a different angle.

To her disappointment, Ryosuke closed the notebook the next moment.

Looking up, their eyes met, and Ling Nai suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She quickly looked away and muttered something while trying to appear calm.

"You're so slow, I was almost falling asleep while waiting."

"Hurry up and check it, I still want to play games after the tutoring session."

That was truly terrible acting.

However, even if the other party wanted to see it, Ryosuke had no intention of handing over the notebook.

The door lock was just repaired. If I show it to her at this stage, she might get into trouble again.

Rather than doing that, it's better to wait until it's completely finished and then let her watch it all at once.

We should leave in advance to avoid being affected by her.

Noticing that Ling Nai's gaze kept drifting to the notebook in his hand, he chose to return to his room first and put the notebook on the bookshelf.

Only after that did he return and begin checking Ling Nai's completed exercises.

Damn it, who is this guy guarding against?

Ling Nai was a little angry. She would never admit that she wanted to peek at the notes while the other person was checking the homework.

If they don't want us to see it, then they don't want us to see it. Who cares?