Tokyo: Oreimo

The number of registered users on the Future Dimension Forum surged from 100,000 to 250,000 in two weeks, forcing Gokou Mao to expand the server capacity once again.

"This time we really can't stop it." She said to Ryosuke on the phone, her voice filled with exhaustion.

What's going on?

Was such rapid user growth originally anticipated?

At this rate, to what extent will the server and bandwidth capacity need to be expanded to be sufficient?

Gokou Mao felt that his decision to rent a server was absolutely correct; if he had owned the server, the forum website would have crashed immediately.

"The anime 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' hasn't even started airing yet, but the fame that 'Steins;Gate' has already made us a big name in the industry. At this rate, when the anime is released at the end of April, we should be able to ride the wave of popularity."

Ritsu Saito was in a very good mood during a meeting at the company on Saturday.

Although the game project was not part of his responsibilities, he felt proud that the game they made was a huge hit since they were from the same company.

More importantly, being able to ride the wave of popularity will definitely have a positive impact on the premiere of the animation they are in charge of.

"I'll leave the animation to Director Saito. The TV station has already been contacted, and it will be broadcast online as planned."

Phoenix Institute Saori was also in the conference room, along with Ryosuke.

The unprecedented success of the game was something neither of them had anticipated.

Compared to his previous works, Steins Gate is indeed of high quality, but its popularity is something that Ryosuke never expected.

After a brief discussion, the working principles for the next phase were confirmed.

Phoenix Inu Saori was sitting next to him, looking through sales reports. Her long black hair was loose today, hanging down her shoulders, with the ends brushing against the edges of the papers.

After Ritsu Saito left, she put down the report, turned to look at him, and asked, "Shigaze, when will the new project start?"

"?"

Ryosuke's lips twitched slightly.

Didn't we agree to take a break for a while?

Steins Gate was just released not long ago, and they're already moving on to new projects?

That's a bit too hasty.

"You need time to write the script, right? Use this time to rest. Also, the programming team and script planner have been resting for quite a while since the 'Fate Hollow Attaria' project ended."

Phoenix Inu Saori looked at him with her chin resting on her hand, smiling sweetly.

"I understand. I will provide an outline for the sequel to the FATE series as soon as possible. As for the other new works, I am already considering the subject matter."

Saori's point is somewhat valid. Although Ryosuke wanted to lighten her burden, she seems to be the type who gets bored if she doesn't work.

Moreover, I seem to have developed a strange obsession with making money over the past year.

The company is doing well right now, and he thinks there's no need to rush things.

However, Ryosuke didn't have much say in this matter. In terms of running a company, he was far less capable than Saori.

Without his girlfriend, he estimates he would be completely unable to find the time to create.

Let's just go with her pace then.

The sequel to FATE is easy to solve; TYPEMOON's series is rooted in Ryosuke's memories from beginning to end.

With the mainline sequel, Fate Hollow Attaria, now complete, it's time to expand the world-building.

As for the new work...

Ryosuke thought about it for a moment, and realized that if he wanted to create a visual novel that could surpass Steins Gate, there was actually almost nothing in his memory that could rival it.

However, game scripts don't necessarily have to be based on games in the first place.

"Shi Yuze, what genre are you planning to write about for your new work?"

Since the new work has been mentioned, Saori Hououin naturally wanted to ask some questions. If it's another system that's completely different from the previous work, then she needs to prepare in advance.

"Probably an online game?"

"Ok?"

Phoenix Inu Saori tilted her head.

She must have heard correctly.

"Shigaze, isn't the new work a visual novel? If you're planning to make an online game, the company's current programming capabilities can't support it."

In this day and age, computer performance has skyrocketed, and some popular online games have emerged both domestically and internationally that support online interaction.

Currently, the most well-known games are probably World of Warcraft (WOW) in the United States, and in China, they are probably Ragnarok Online (RO) or Phantasy Star.

As a fellow game development company, Saori naturally had some understanding of this type of game; strictly speaking, this was a career change.

Given Aniplex's current game development capabilities, they simply cannot create a similar work.

Upon hearing Saori's words, Ryosuke waved his hand.

"You misunderstood me. I meant that the subject matter is 'online game,' but it is still in the form of a visual novel."

He didn't know much about online games, so it was impossible for him to choose to plunge headlong into an unfamiliar industry.

They just intend to capitalize on the current buzz in the industry.

"If I remember correctly, the most popular online games right now are all of the single role-playing type, or MMO? Most of the new games are based on this type of game."

"It's probably a story where all players are deeply immersed in the game world and can't leave."

Chapter 227 What an idiot! Is the club president no good? (Combined Chapter)

In late April, the cherry blossom front in Tokyo had already advanced to the Tohoku region.

Two weeks ago, most of the Yoshino cherry blossoms in Chiba had already faded, replaced by lush green street trees and gradually rising temperatures.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has officially premiered on NHK General TV's prime time slot.

The premiere episode achieved a viewership rating of 10%.

This number is quite good for late-night animation, but it's only average for prime time on a general channel.

What truly shook the industry was not the ratings themselves, but the trend of the ratings curve.

When the first episode reached its midpoint, and the leader uttered the famous line, "I have no interest in ordinary humans," the viewership rating jumped from 10% to 18%.

The volume of real-time discussions on social media tripled at the same time.

"The SOS Brigade is born."

After the second episode aired, the Haruhi Suzumiya section on the Future Dimension Forum expanded at a visible rate.

"Does anyone else think that Haruhi Suzumiya's personality is really terrible? Self-centered, unreasonable, groping Mikuru, completely disregarding other people's feelings, but why can't I stop watching?"

"You don't know anything! That's how you get the perks! Can't you understand the production team's sincerity at all? You idiot."

"To be serious, this work and Steins Gate seem to have something in common in terms of their views on the logic of time."

"You mean going back in time to change the future? To be honest, the part where Kyon was taken back in time by Mikuru in the original work was really quite exciting."

"Stop, stop spoiling the plot. Anime viewers just want to enjoy watching the series."

"Anime fans are advised to ignore this forum; everyone here is a fan of the original work, and they'll spoil the plot without batting an eye."

"Who could resist reading the original work? I never expected that Shigaze-sensei would choose to collaborate with Aniplex."

"Yes, the collaboration between Rumiko Takashiro's original artwork and Shigawa's novel is simply a dream come true."

"Speaking of which, what kind of monster is Aniplex? The hype surrounding Steins;Gate hasn't died down yet, and now Haruhi Suzumiya is all over the place. They just made Madoka Magica last year, right? Their production capacity and quality are just outrageous."

"A true industry leader! To maintain such production capacity while ensuring quality, I've heard this company offers top-tier compensation in the industry. Perhaps that's why the production team is so incredibly motivated?"

"I'm an illustrator, and my dream is to join Aniplex. Who could refuse a job with a fixed monthly salary of 20 yen? Original artwork is paid per piece, and there are also high bonuses for animation production."

"That's right. Even Toei can't offer this kind of treatment. If we use Aniplex as a benchmark, it would be very difficult to find a job in the entire Tokyo area."

"But then again, the most important thing is Rumiko Takashiro herself, okay? As a viewer, I was really captivated by her exquisite original drawings. It's amazing that she can create so many works with such different styles."

"The 'tyrant and god in two sides' aura of Haruhi Suzumiya, and the inorganic transparency of Yuki Nagato, are impossible to imagine just by reading words. But once she draws them, you feel, yes, this is how the character should look."

Ling Nai nestled in her computer chair, scrolling through the forum comments one by one.

The hood of the Buffy Rabbit pajamas was pulled up on her head, her two long ears drooped on either side of her shoulders, her toes curled up on the edge of the chair, and her knees pressed against the edge of the table.

When I see comments praising my drawing skills, the corners of my mouth will unconsciously turn up, then I'll quickly press them down, making a "humph, isn't this just natural?" expression.

Then she came across a post.

"So when will Aniplex release a new game?"

The comments below have already reached over a hundred posts.

"Are you a devil? Steins;Gate has only been out for half a month, and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is still airing, and you're already urging for a new work?"

"There's nothing I can do. After playing Steins;Gate, I can't play any other visual novels at all. Now when I open other games, I feel bored when I see the choices diverging. Aniplex, can't you take responsibility? You've spoiled me, so you have to take full responsibility."

Ling Nai couldn't help but snort when she saw this.

"That guy is definitely working on a new project right now."

She muttered something under her breath.

Speaking of which, it seems that Ryosuke has indeed been writing something lately.

To be honest, Steins Gate has a lot of staying power.

After completing the most perfect world line, Ling Nai hadn't touched her computer for several days.

As some players on the forum have said, once you've tasted the good stuff, other ordinary games feel like chaff.

So he focused most of his energy on creating "Death Note," and with two consecutive weeks of extra issues, JUMP readers thought it was almost New Year's.

Ling Nai rested her chin on her knees, staring at the comments on the screen, but her mind was elsewhere.

Lately, she has been sneaking into Ryosuke's room almost every night.

The reason changed from "I was so angry about the game's plot that I couldn't sleep" to "I felt too empty after finishing the game and couldn't sleep," and later I simply couldn't be bothered to think of a reason anymore.

I just want to crawl inside.

I want to hear that heartbeat.