As Haruki had been busy with the production of Code Geass, he hadn't even had the time to check that Fullmetal Alchemist had reached number one at Echo Shroud. Now, Fullmetal Alchemist memes were also flooding the internet, particularly the "It's raining" meme. He only learned about it when the system notification arrived: "Fullmetal Alchemist has reached number one at Echo Shroud. Congratulations, host, for winning the S-tier lottery." That was when he realized it had indeed taken first place.
At the same time, Haruki remained unaware that his fans were growing restless. For them, Mizushiro hadn't released any new details about his next anime, which was scheduled to air in June, just three months away. Fans had already begun digging for information. Even Mizushiro's original Rurouni Kenshin fan page, where discussions usually focused on Rurouni Kenshin, had shifted more toward Fullmetal Alchemist, which many were beginning to love.
"Hey, major update! Fullmetal Alchemist will be released, first season, in October."
"Let's go! Fullmetal Alchemist is getting adapted!"
"But isn't that too early? If they start making it this soon, they'll catch up with the manga. If they take a break, it'll kill the hype if the release schedule between seasons is too far apart."
"This isn't a concern when it comes to Mizushiro. We all know he can churn out manga like a printing machine. I'm sure he already has the story finished, so there shouldn't be much of a problem."
"Hey, what do you think—what OP will they use for Fullmetal Alchemist? It'll be hard to top the opening for the manga that they made. I still listen to it frequently, even to this day."
Among them was Yuuya, who had just opened Rurouni Kenshin fan page. As he read the new message confirming Fullmetal Alchemist's anime adaptation, he felt pretty excited. But then it hit him. Wait, what about Mizushiro's original work, Code Geass? There hadn't been any news about it since the teaser shown at the end of Madoka Magic. He typed:
"Hey guys, do you have any update about Mizushiro's Code Geass anime? I haven't heard anything aside from the teaser we saw at the end of Madoka Magic."
"No, I haven't heard. If you get an answer, do tell me."
"I think it'll be delayed. Maybe Mizushiro is busy."
"No, no. I heard Code Geass would be released in June."
"But it's three months from now and we haven't gotten anything. They haven't even started publicity."
"No, I can confirm what was said above. The month is confirmed: June."
As replies poured in on his message, he immediately started searching about Code Geass in June. There was some gossip, but nothing official from the studio. While looking into it, he noticed that this summer didn't seem to have as many big hits compared to past years, which he found strange. He dug deeper, and most of the anime coming this year were long-running series from a few years back that were now finally getting adaptations.
Huh? Weird… all these shows that got canceled years ago are suddenly back. Fans wanted those sequels back then and studios didn't care. And now, out of nowhere, a bunch of them are being revived at the same time. It just didn't add up. So, again, he asked:
"Hey guys, did you notice there are fewer original anime coming this year?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah. Many anime that studios had dropped are getting another season this year."
"I can't complain. I've been waiting for Game/Life for the past ten years. Now that it's finally getting a continuation, I can't wait. I even had to read its light novel because the anime didn't get another season. This is the first anime that made me pick up a light novel."
"And did you notice there are fewer anime coming in June?"
"But isn't Mizushiro's anime releasing that month? Don't tell me they're avoiding Mizushiro's next anime."
"I don't think Mizushiro has that much influence in the anime industry. It wouldn't warrant the whole industry avoiding that month."
"Yes, there must be another reason. I mean, Mizushiro's anime dominated last year, but I don't think studios would back out and give him a whole month of free reign without even seeing the source material. If this were about Fullmetal Alchemist, I could understand, since it's much more popular now and had been released five months ago. But Code Geass? They haven't even seen the source material. There must be another reason."
Reading this, Yuuya thought there had to be another explanation. Still, something kept bugging him. His gut told him it had to be Mizushiro. So again, he went searching online for clues. He needed some information; otherwise, the mystery would keep eating at him.
As he searched, he remembered Mizushiro had made a few public appearances. That made it easier to narrow things down. One particular event was when Mizushiro had gone to the U.S. for Madoka Magic. Yuuya hadn't paid much attention then, since there wasn't a full video, just some clips. While searching, he came across one such clip and played it.
Someone had asked, "Can you share anything about Code Geass?" Mizushiro had replied:
"I want you to set your expectations high, like something that will be remembered in history. And even then… this anime is going to exceed them."
Seeing this, Yuuya was stunned. Who even says stuff like that? Most of the time, creators hyped their work but never matched that kind of expectation. But Mizushiro saying it? Yuuya wanted to believe him. Excited, he uploaded the clip to the fan page.
"Hey guys, I think I found the reason. I really think it might be Mizushiro. If you get any more information about Code Geass, please let me know," he posted, attaching the clip.
"Mizushiro saying this. Now I can't wait for June to arrive!"
"But I don't think studios changed their release schedules just because of this. There must be another reason behind it."
"I agree. There are many great stories produced by top-tier studios, but that doesn't mean the industry always bends to accommodate them."
"And I don't think Mizushiro is that popular. His work wouldn't overshadow others to the point they'd avoid competing."
As many people continued expressing their opinions, Yuuya knew their points made sense. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling it was Mizushiro. He just didn't have proof yet.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)