Inside the President's office, after some initial pleasantries, Lin Zhiyan invited Takeda Yushi, editor of Dengeki G's Magazine, to sit down and asked his assistant to serve tea.
After taking a sip of tea, Takeda Yushi asked, "President Lin, as is almost finished, isn't it?"
"That's right," Lin Zhiyan nodded. "There are only two more episodes left. It should be completed in about two to three weeks."
"Then, have you started planning your next animation project?" Takeda Yushi inquired.
"A new animation project?" Lin Zhiyan understood why Takeda Yushi had come to visit—he likely wanted to continue their collaboration on his next animation.
It was similar to what had happened with Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. Before the anime had even finished airing, Fuji Television had approached him, eager to continue working with him.
With The Otherworld Pioneering of the Vegetable-Growing Skeleton, Dengeki G's Magazine was probably in a similar situation.
Once you've tasted the sweetness, you can't forget it.
Since Lin Zhiyan became Supervising Director, every animation he has produced has ranked among the top in popularity for its season. Not to mention the awards, his commercial success has been nothing short of explosive.
He has never had a single failed work.
In the current TV animation landscape, no one else can claim this.
Not Anno, not Shinbo, not even Baldy Tomino.
Kyoto Animation's Takeuchi Yasuhiro could barely be said to have no failures, but his fame and achievements in the animation industry pale in comparison to Lin Zhiyan's. The same applies to other Animation Directors who have never had a failed work.
Now, Lin Zhiyan has created an undefeated legend. There's even a saying in the industry: "Collaborating with Lin Zhiyan means success."
This doesn't mean collaboration guarantees half the success, but that simply working with him is success. As a result, Lin Zhiyan has become an irresistible super-hot commodity.
Every month, he receives a flood of collaboration proposals—from TV stations, record labels, film distributors, toy companies, and even local tourism boards.
The sheer volume is overwhelming.
Although Lin Zhiyan received numerous collaboration proposals, he had his assistant politely decline most of them, as very few truly captured his interest.
Dengeki G's Magazine was one of the outlets he had previously collaborated with. As a magazine, it served as a promotional channel, making it different from other partners. With the production of as nearing completion, they were naturally eager to explore continuing their collaboration on his next animation.
Lin Zhiyan hadn't yet decided on his next animation project after as. However, if it wasn't a project he would personally supervise as Supervising Director, he saw no reason not to continue working with Dengeki G's Magazine.
In fact, he had a fantastic idea for a collaboration with them, but it wasn't purely an animation project—it was a cross-media initiative.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, he began, "I've actually already outlined a new project."
"Could you tell us a bit about the animation concept?" Takeda Yushi asked eagerly.
Lin Zhiyan didn't answer. Instead, he picked up his teacup and took a sip, looking as if he didn't want to reveal anything.
Undeterred, Takeda Yushi changed the subject. "So, about the new animation project—would you consider collaborating with us again?"
"Collaboration is certainly possible," Lin Zhiyan replied, explaining as he spoke. "However, this isn't just an animation project; it's a cross-media initiative. We'll need to find a record company to co-develop it. Also, I likely won't be personally supervising the animation portion. I'll only serve as the overall producer. The project will span a considerable duration—perhaps four or five years."
Takeda Yushi was taken aback. "What kind of project would take four or five years?"
"A school idol project," Lin Zhiyan revealed.
"Idols? Like The Idolmaster?" Takeda Yushi asked instinctively.
In truth, the The Idolmaster anime hadn't been released yet, but the original game had come out in 2005 and was already quite popular. Hearing the term "idol project" at that time naturally brought The Idolmaster to mind.
Lin Zhiyan was naturally familiar with The Idolmaster.
He nodded. "It's similar in type, but there are significant differences. The Idolmaster is primarily a game. While our idol project will eventually include a game, its early promotion will focus on magazines, television, and radio. Moreover, our emphasis is on the idols themselves, not specific works."
In essence, The Idolmaster is purely a game project, with everything else—including the animation—considered derivative.
Lin Zhiyan's new project, however, isn't focused on animation or, even less so, on games. Its core is the idols themselves. The virtual idols who will star in the project must first become popular before other works can follow. To make the idols popular, it requires magazine promotion, CD releases by a record label, and music PVs produced by an animation company.
This requires coordinated efforts from all parties to elevate the virtual idols to stardom, which is why it's described as a cross-media project.
As for the project's name, it's, of course, Love Live!.
In the original timeline, the Love Live! project was announced on June 30, 2010, and began its activities in August. The magazine Dengeki G's Magazine was one of the project's initiators.
The other two partners were the animation studio Sunrise and the record company Lantis.
The project was undoubtedly a massive hit in Japan, even arguably popularizing the idol anime genre to some extent.
The success of Love Live! was evident in the sales of its anime Blu-rays, the box office revenue of its animated films, and the sales of its CDs.
In layman's terms, the project was a veritable cash cow, becoming an indispensable work when discussing idol anime.
Since L.S Produ is an animation studio, not a game company, Lin Zhiyan naturally couldn't pursue The Idolmaster. However, he would never miss the opportunity to get involved with Love Live!.
Sunrise?
Since he's here, Sunrise is out of the picture. This might even force Sunrise to double down on the Knightmare Frame genre, producing even better Knightmare Frame anime. Who knows, maybe one day it will lead to a resurgence of the genre.
Takeda Yushi had originally come to discuss Lin Zhiyan's New Animation. He never expected Lin Zhiyan to propose an even better project. Under these circumstances, there was no reason not to cooperate.
He eagerly discussed the detailed project proposal for Love Live! with Lin Zhiyan, and soon, a general plan was finalized.
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