The second season of "A Certain Magical Index" started airing on October 8th, but the anime "Shirobako" would begin a bit earlier, on October 2nd.
By the end of September, the half-year series that started in April and the quarterly series that started in July were ending one after another, and viewers' attention was gradually increasing toward the new October anime.
"Shirobako," directed by Lin Zhiyan and with a very strong promotional campaign, was one of the most anticipated anime.
On the internet, some people who create previews for new anime were highlighting "Shirobako" as a key show to watch, and the comment sections were filled with many viewers expressing their anticipation:
"The latest work from Lord Hayashi, I've been waiting for so long, it's finally here."
"An anime about anime production—a theme I've never seen before. I'm really curious to see what it will be like."
"With Lin Zhiyan's anime, there's definitely no need to worry about the quality. You can follow it blindly."
"A 10th-anniversary project for LSP, personally helmed by Lin Zhiyan. A must-watch!"
"Compared to Lord Hayashi's previous anime, this time 'Shirobako' should be more realistic, probably without any fantasy elements. But as a key LSP project, it's definitely still worth following."
"It's been a long time since we've seen an anime with a script written by Lord Hayashi himself—the last time was 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.' And the core staff this time includes many who participated in 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' and even 'Death Note.' I can't help but look forward to it."
Of course, there were also many people who felt worried:
"Looking at the promotional PV for this anime, it's practically labeled as healing and inspirational. Although it's not strange for an anime with this theme to be made in a healing and inspirational style, why do I have the feeling it's not that simple?"
"Yeah, I have this lingering feeling that this guy is going to pull another deceptive marketing campaign."
"The previous anime as did indeed force a happy ending, but can we really conclude from that alone that Lin Old Thief won't make any more depressing anime?"
"Could it be that the happy ending of the last anime was just a feint to lull us into a false sense of security? To make everyone think he's turned over a new leaf and won't make depressing anime anymore? And now, with it being a realistic, workplace-themed anime, it gives the impression that no one will die and it won't be depressing, so everyone lets their guard down, only for him to start being wildly depressing again?"
"Actually, a realistic workplace-themed anime like this is even more likely to be depressing, just not the kind where people die. It's more likely the kind of depression that comes from the overall workplace environment."
"I've heard that the real animation industry is incredibly cruel, especially for those low-level animators—many can barely make ends meet. And the voice actors face even more terrifying competition. Every year, countless people enter the industry with dreams of becoming voice actors, but just as many dreamers silently drop out. So, with Lin Old Thief tackling this theme, I actually suspect it might be even more depressing."
"For a 10th-anniversary project, it probably won't be too depressing, but I don't think we can simply assume this anime will be free of any depressing content."
As the president of L.S Produ, Lin Zhiyan had a lot to keep busy with every day.
That said, with the second season of K-On! and the third season of Natsume's Book of Friends wrapped up, and the initial promotion for his new animation almost in its final stages, he was relatively less busy, finding himself with a bit of free time each day.
Naturally, he kept an eye on most of the online discussions surrounding his upcoming animation, Shirobako.
He couldn't help but laugh when he discovered that while Shirobako was highly anticipated by a vast number of fans, many viewers were still full of anxiety, still doubting to this day that he had given up on making depressing anime.
How should he put this?
Those people were probably suffering from persecution mania; otherwise, why would they doubt him to this extent?
However, Lin Zhiyan only had himself to blame for this.
Back then, the deceptive marketing for Puella Magi Madoka Magica had been too ruthless, and coupled with the immense popularity of that show, it had become a source of eternal pain in the hearts of many viewers.
Furthermore, although he didn't use deceptive marketing for every single anime, it was true that people had died in every one of his previous works. The only one with a happy ending was as, but not everyone accepted that ending as truly happy; even now, many people still considered the real ending to be incredibly depressing.
In this situation, if Lin Zhiyan were an ordinary viewer, he would likely also be a bit wary.
He might not be suspicious to such an extent, but he wouldn't easily believe that Shirobako was a heartwarming, inspirational anime.
That many people are suspicious is something Lin Zhiyan can't help.
He didn't go online to defend himself; regardless, at this point, any defense would be meaningless. Those viewers who are suspicious would continue to be so, and a defense might even deepen their suspicion, further fueling their paranoia.
It's best to just act as if he doesn't know anything.
He had the company's publicity department continue promoting the anime as usual, while simultaneously continuing to supervise the production of Shirobako.
For his previous half-year anime series, Lin Zhiyan would basically stockpile three or four episodes before they began airing, so as to avoid any problems during the broadcast that might drag down production and force them to air a recap episode.
One-cour series don't need such a large buffer, but stockpiling two or three episodes is still necessary.
This time, Lin Zhiyan's goal was to have at least five episodes stockpiled before the premiere, and to maintain a buffer of four episodes throughout the anime's broadcast until it finished.
As for the reason, it was mainly due to consideration of the earthquake in March of '11.
This isn't a parallel world; that earthquake is certain to happen. Although the disaster's epicenter was mainly in the Tohoku region of Japan, especially in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures, and Lin Zhiyan's home and company were in Musashino City, Tokyo—where the impact wasn't as severe—it was impossible for there to be no impact at all.
Nobody knew what the situation would be like when the time came.
If possible, Lin Zhiyan even thought about taking refuge in the Kansai region when the time came.
Moreover, while he himself might be fine, his company's employees came from all over Japan. It was possible that some employees would have relatives affected by the disaster, leading them to have no heart for work.
This Star Wants to Retire
But at the end of the day, everyone's attention would be on the earthquake, and whether the anime could even air, or if anyone would watch it after it aired, would be a question.
If nothing else, at the very least, Puella Magi Madoka Magica in another timeline had been suspended due to the earthquake.
This could be set aside for now. In any case, airing Shirobako in October was a 10th-anniversary project, and the broadcast slot couldn't be changed. However, being able to stockpile as much as possible was never a wrong move.
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