As the end of March arrived, so did the long-anticipated Liora Awards. Being an international ceremony, the show was broadcast live around the world. On that Sunday evening, Haruki didn't attend in person; his schedule was too packed. Instead, he turned on the TV at home to watch the event.
The show opened in its usual grand fashion, moving through the categories one by one. Best Visual Animation went to Maya Productions, while Best Original Soundtrack was awarded to Initial D. Excitement built as the night drew closer to the biggest award: Anime of the Year.
The nominees were announced one after another. Then the host opened the envelope, and with a smile declared:
"Anime of the Year is… Madoka Magic!"
The hall erupted in cheers. Some guests rose from their seats in surprise, clapping and shouting. Online, the chat feeds suddenly flooded with messages, and hashtags like #MadokaMagic and #LioraAwards trended right away.
At that same moment, Haruki's system voice rang in his mind as he was waiting for the reward that the system would give him after Madoka Magic won the international award for Anime of the Year:
"Madoka Magic has won Anime of the Year worldwide. Congratulations, host, for winning a Special S-Class Lottery."
Haruki blinked. A new lottery? Special S-Class? He quickly pulled up the description.
"This lottery allows you to choose any work within the S-rank category."
His eyes widened. Wait, so if I used it on a major work where I already have half the story, like JoJo or Rurouni Kenshin, can I use it on them? Or do I have to choose another?
"No. As the description says, you can unlock any work, including half-completed ones you've received, using the lottery ticket. However, this is a one-time special reward, given on a unique occasion. From now on, to earn another ticket, you must create an anime that surpasses the parallel world's original version. The greater the margin by which you exceed it, the higher the rank of the ticket you will receive."
Haruki leaned back, thinking thoughtfully. So… this is above even S-Class. With this, I wouldn't need to spend points to complete a story. Still, it's not something to use recklessly.
He had read from system reviews of people about how JoJo really takes off after Part 6. Not that the earlier parts weren't great, but you can see with each part that Araki was going to the next level. And if I committed to publishing all six parts, that would take me six or seven years at least. It might be smarter to hold onto this ticket and use it on something in between, when the timing is right.
As the possibilities ran through his mind, another thought surfaced from years ago. He was young and wanted to become a mangaka, and he knew his chance was slim to go into this industry. And since the system has awakened, it all went through him easily, with one award after another.Maybe I can write my manga. How bad can it be?
"His phone buzzed nonstop with messages. Haruka. Kotone. Ariri. Kazuya. One after another:
'Congrats!!!'
'You did it!'"
Sites, blogs, and social media platforms all lit up with the same headline: "Madoka Magic wins Anime of the Year at the Liora Awards."
Fans from around the world started reacting:
"wtf madoka won?? no way 😭😭"
"That ending still has me in pieces. No anime hit me like that in years."
"madoka > everything else omg"
"i literally screamed when they said it"
"Finally, an award show that recognized creativity instead of just sales numbers."
Some first-time viewers were equally vocal:
"Watched Madoka Magic last night after the win, what did I just experience?"
"I doubted all the hype. Then I binged it. Now I can't stop crying."
"The ending destroyed me… but I'm so glad I gave it a chance."
People in the industry started weighing in too. A veteran director commented, "Mizushiro's work is evolving faster than any of us expected." A critic wrote, "Madoka Magic's victory wasn't just about popularity, it set a new bar for narrative ambition." Even some rivals admitted, "It hurts to lose, but honestly, Madoka deserved it. That ending was hauntingly good."
As the echoes of Madoka's win still filled timelines and comment sections, the attention also shifted toward Code Geass. At the end of Madoka Magic, a teaser for Code Geass briefly appeared. But as it didn't have a date or marketing, people thought it would take time, and many dismissed it. But Mizushiro's fans couldn't stop speculating when it might be released.
As weeks passed, another rumor caught fire. Reports claimed that David Whitlock and Wes Merrick had flown to Japan for an anime project. The story spread quickly. Fans even camped outside in hopes of catching proof. Before long, photos surfaced of Wes, David, and veteran sound director Masafumi Mima leaving the same building together.
people started asking nonstop online. Evermark Production's official accounts were flooded with messages asking whether the rumor was true:
"Merrick in Japan? That can't be real."
"No way, David Whitlock too? This is insane."
"If this is for Mizushiro's next project, I'm already sold."
Finally, the studio responded with a carefully prepared announcement, revealing the production staff in full for Mizushiro's next anime:
Creator: Mizushiro
Director: Kazuya
Art Director: Wes Merrick
Producer: David Whitlock
Sound director: Masafumi Mima
When the list dropped, the industry and fans alike were stunned.
Yuuya, upon seeing it, muttered to himself, "So that's why they didn't make room for just Mizushiro alone. With this lineup, anyone would step aside."
The message was clear: Mizushiro was now aiming on an international level, dominating last year's awards, and this time he was aiming to do it globally.
Shout out to Carl Joe, Torrent, K, Sankami, Erebus677, Praveen Karthik for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)