Tokyo: Oreimo

"Isn't that right? Feeling hopeless about escaping the editor-in-chief's control, they left. If they had just endured a little longer, even if they couldn't become the deputy editor-in-chief, their rank would have been promoted, wouldn't it?"

"As long as someone at the top steps down, you can take their place."

This is the rule of survival in a company; this situation is unavoidable no matter which large company you switch to.

The editor-in-chief also went through many hardships to reach that level. If a young person wants to take his place, unless the other person is his biological father, the only way is to outlive him.

Saito shook his head.

"No, or rather, not entirely."

"Most importantly, I think there's no point in staying there any longer. I don't want to become like that old man Yamazaki."

"Hmm?" Hideo Nomura looked at him with a slightly confused expression.

"They reek of decay, are trapped in a fixed circle, and if they stay in a system like Kadokawa for too long, they will be assimilated."

“I can stay, that's fine. But if I end up in Yamazaki’s position, I’ll probably become just like him, always thinking about power struggles.”

Saito Ritsu shook the sake bottle in his hand, watching the sake inside rise and fall in the light.

"What's wrong with that?"

In middle age, aren't money and stability even more important?

Hideo Nomura couldn't quite understand him.

"Because it's boring. The thought of spending the rest of my life working in this kind of company, waiting until those old guys like Yamazaki retire, and then becoming like them, what's the difference between that and a puppet?"

"You rascal, you wouldn't be using dreams or something as your excuse, would you?"

Hideo Nomura looked at him strangely.

"It's not some empty rhetoric. The salary this company is offering me is pretty good. It's not as much as Kadokawa's, but it's enough for my household expenses."

Saito Ritsu shook his head and continued, "All I seek is passion and change. Life would be too boring if it were unchanging."

Are you a child?

Hideo Nomura was speechless. Giving up the opportunity to continue working at a large company like Kadokawa for such a reason was more like chasing a dream.

"Haha."

Ritsu Saito himself was amused and laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"But then again, what if your animation fails?"

Animation production is not a small expense, and if it is not well received by the market, it is common to lose all your money.

This is why production committees exist, in order to minimize costs and risks, and why they often choose to adapt comics into animation.

However, Aniplex chose to create something original. If a startup like this fails with its very first product, it's practically a dead end.

"Kadokawa has been releasing a few similar works lately. Iori has been quite active lately, saying things like he doesn't even consider small studios like yours."

Upon hearing Hideo Nomura's words, Ritsu Saito paused for a moment, but instead of getting angry, he gave a strange smile.

"is it?"

"Yes, because of the huge success of 'Cardcaptor Sakura,' the higher-ups are also envious of the author's royalties. Since the commission is small, they plan to promote another work of the same type."

"Oh, you mean 'Magical Idol Yumi'? Kadokawa bought the rights to it?"

Ritsu Saito was keeping an eye on his competitors in the same period in July, and he had heard about this work before.

"That's right. Besides that, there are two other films that are aiming to grab the attention of audiences in the same genre."

At this point, Hideo Nomura said with some melancholy, "I also advised Rumiko Takashiro and CLAMP to find a way to continue the story, so that Cardcaptor Sakura would remain the king of this genre for a long time."

"But I didn't expect them to be so determined to finish the publication."

When this is mentioned, Hideo Nomura becomes sad, and a smile that looks more like a grimace appears on his face.

The author had just secured a stable job, but before he could hold onto it for long, the series was about to end. He had originally planned to make a living off this work next year.

After talking with the Gao siblings, he was so heartbroken he could hardly breathe.

If the author is unwilling to continue updating, then the editor is powerless to stop him and can only watch helplessly as the bonus slips through his fingers.

Ritsu Saito was amused by his expression and patted him hard on the shoulder. "Because this was decided from the beginning, and this work is the best so far."

"Huh?"

"As I just said, passion and change are the same for those two teachers. It would be very boring to insist on continuing a completed work."

Hideo Nomura found this statement very difficult to understand.

"If that's the case, why choose the magical girl theme? Wouldn't it be more interesting to choose another genre?"

He also went to see the promotional material for "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" specifically. Judging from the content that was revealed, isn't it essentially the same old classic storyline?

To become a magical girl and promote the idea of ​​love and justice.

Upon hearing this, Ritsu Saito suddenly smiled and patted the other man on the shoulder.

"You're really underestimating us, aren't you?"

"Ok?"

Hideo Nomura was taken aback. He had always trusted Ritsu Saito's judgment, otherwise he wouldn't have asked such a question.

"Looks like my worries were unnecessary. They've been hiding some interesting content in this anime, haven't they? Planning to catch Iori off guard?"

"Who considers that kind of scum a rival?"

Ritsu Saito curled his lip in disdain.

"What do you mean by that? Are there other competitors of the same type that I'm unaware of?"

Hideo Nomura recalled that there didn't seem to be any characters like that in the list of new anime series airing in July.

Saito Ritsu chuckled softly, picked up his wine glass, and the confidence in his eyes was reflected in the wine.

"Of course there are! There's a magical girl anime that's currently airing, isn't there?"

"You mean...you're talking about...?"

Hideo Nomura's eyes widened.

"That's right, it's so interesting to see one king's crown being snatched away by another king."

Chapter 133 Victory

July 1st, Kadokawa Editorial Department.

Setsuna Iori sat in the conference room, watching the anime "Magical Idol Yumi" playing on the screen.

Several close colleagues, or confidants, were sitting around him.

Because of the editor-in-chief's favor, there are always some newcomers who follow her around, making all sorts of demands of her.

Originally intending to work overtime alone, these new employees were sensible and voluntarily stayed to keep me company.

They're all smart people; they know who's the most popular person in this editorial department.

As the first episode of the animation ended on television, his colleagues standing nearby applauded.

"Absolutely brilliant!"

"This animation is bound to be a huge hit."

"Having a sufficient production budget makes all the difference; the visual effects are much more gorgeous than those of Cardcaptor Sakura."

"Thanks to editor Iori, this animation has reached its current level."

Listening to the praise from her colleagues around her, Iori Setsatsu enjoyed the feeling of being flattered.

What does the quality of the animation have to do with her? It's just that the company had a larger budget and outsourced it to a better animation production company.

These newcomers aren't even very good at saying nice things. How can they possibly make it in Kadokawa?

However, one sentence struck a chord with her.

The final quality of the "Magical Idol Yumi" anime is indeed quite good, perfectly showcasing the content of the manga, and the soundtrack was composed by well-known musicians in the industry.

The lack of music has been addressed, the animation is much better than the comic, and the story unfolds very well.

In terms of animation production alone, it does surpass Cardcaptor Sakura, but it is still slightly lacking in storytelling.

To surpass that work, we'll probably have to wait until it finishes airing and its popularity has died down a bit.

However, its overall performance has far surpassed others during the same period.

This anime is sure to be a huge hit in the market. With companies pouring resources into it and increasing promotion, it's only a matter of time before it surpasses "Cardcaptor Sakura".

Thinking of this, Iori Setsuna couldn't help but smile, but she still managed to maintain a calm demeanor on the surface.

"Let's see how the ratings are tomorrow. You can go back now."

Iori Setsuna waved her hand, and the newcomers in the conference room got up and left.

Only Iori Setsuna remained in the conference room. She went to the lounge to eat something casually and rest for a while. When she saw that the clock was about to strike nine o'clock, she turned back.

I picked up the remote control on the table and tuned it to the NHK General TV channel.

That's right, she stayed to see director Ritsu Saito's work.

Regardless, it was a work with Rumiko Takashiro as the art director, and as her former editor-in-chief, she was still somewhat worried.

The investment in "Yumi" this time is very high, and in terms of quality, it is definitely competitive, but what if it doesn't?

With this mindset in mind, she still planned to take a look before making a decision.

The television screen lit up, the familiar NHK logo flashed, and then the title of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" slowly appeared.

Setsuna Iori leaned back in her chair, twirling a pen in her hand, frowning as she watched the anime opening sequence playing on the screen.

The song is full of youthful energy, and the melody itself is quite excellent.

"Saito's luck is just too good."

She was a little jealous. Wouldn't this song be most suitable if it were included in "Magical Idol Yumi"?

As she looked at the list of production committee members, she paid special attention to the names of the companies involved in music distribution.

Tokyo Stardust Communication Co., Ltd.