On February 7th, the fifth episode of the Anohana anime aired. Just as it had been during the original novel's serialization, the show's popularity began to undergo a dramatic reversal. The turning point was the character Yukiatsu, specifically the scene where he is caught cross-dressing as Menma. The revelation that he had been wearing her clothes to cope with the scars of his childhood trauma struck a deep chord with the audience.
The scene moved many anime fans across Japan. For the first time, the audience saw a stark contrast between the boy who had spent years paralyzed by guilt and the selfish, sharp-tongued, and arrogant persona he had projected in earlier episodes. Following the broadcast, the sentiment on AniSphere, shifted overnight.
Those who had previously dismissed the show as boring were suddenly singing its praises. The line between a slow burn and a boring story is often defined by a single moment where the audience suddenly becomes emotionally invested. The conflict and emotional payoff in episode five provided exactly that spark for the fans.
The episode achieved an average rating of 1.59%, climbing to the twelfth spot among the new spring releases. This shift in the anime's reputation also began to subtly influence how people viewed Shiori Takahashi on the Ascent of New Gods official forums, though the change was gradual. After all, being the twelfth most popular show of the season was respectable, but not yet legendary.
---
On Wednesday, February 14th, two significant events occurred. During the day, the fourth issue of the Ascent of New Gods magazine was released nationwide. In the evening, the sixth episode of the Anohana anime aired.
In chapter four of To the Moon, the memory jump took Neil and Eva to Johnny's early adulthood, specifically the period surrounding his wedding to River. The chapter focused on the sweetness of their early romance, featuring a beautiful scene of the two of them dancing atop the lighthouse.
It was a classic sweet chapter, giving readers a glimpse into their happy years. However, these moments were interspersed with scenes of the couple visiting hospitals to seek treatment for River's Asperger's Syndrome. This gave readers a deeper look into the nature of her condition. During this time, Johnny was firmly convinced that he was the protector of the lonely River. He vowed to spend the rest of his life caring for her and supporting her through her struggles.
Despite the emotional depth, the plot of To the Moon remained steady and quiet. As a result, its popularity rank slipped two more places, landing at tenth. No matter how loyal Haruto's Anohana fans were, if the new story failed to provide a hook for new readers, the ranking was bound to continue its descent. It seemed likely that the series would drop out of the top ten in the very next issue.
Yukino was understandably anxious about this, but seeing Haruto's trademark composure, she realized there was nothing she could do but wait.
Meanwhile, the sixth episode of the anime continued to receive high praise. Now that the story had moved into its core conflict, the audience's perception of the characters changed.
Figures like Yukiatsu and Anaru, who had felt flat, now seemed multidimensional. And then there was Menma; with her silver hair and white dress, she had become a seasonal favorite for many viewers. The ratings for this episode climbed one step further, reaching eleventh place.
---
Time continued to pass. About a week after their conversation, Reina and Haruto completed the sheet music for For River. The piano piece was a perfect recreation of the melody Haruto had envisioned. Since it was a pure instrumental, they didn't need to hire professional vocalists or lyricists.
The following weekend, the two of them met at a recording studio, renting the space for the day. Haruto sat outside the booth with headphones on, listening as Reina performed the piece. For River was not a complex composition; its rhythm was gentle and slow, yet the more one listened, the more a sense of profound sadness and beauty took hold.
It was impossible not to associate the melody with the plot of the novel. Johnny had reached his dream before death, but what about River?
Reina's fingers finally left the keys. She was breathing slightly hard; despite her talent, playing the piano for a full day in a studio had taxed her physical endurance. As they left the studio, each of them held a digital copy of the For River soundtrack.
"So, what do you plan to do with this?" Reina asked, looking at him curiously. "Your To the Moon is just a novel. You can't exactly play an audio file on a printed page."
"Well, how should I put it?" Haruto smiled. "Tonight, I'm going to create an account on Panda Music under the name 'Shiori Takahashi' and upload For River."
"The internet is a vast place, but it's also quite small," he continued. "Once To the Moon becomes a hit, the readers will naturally find their way to this song."
---
The seventh episode of Anohana premiered a few days later. The ratings hit 1.96%. For the first time, the show cracked the top ten for the spring season, landing in ninth place. The anime was following the exact same trajectory as the original novel.
During the first four episodes, viewers complained loudly, yet the quality was high enough that they didn't actually stop watching. Those who stuck it out until episode five had their perspectives completely flipped. Now, word-of-mouth was driving a massive surge in popularity. By episode seven, Anohana had become the surprise hit of the spring market.
If the dark horse of the Ascent of New Gods magazine were Reina's Fate of the Rainbow and Nara's Cloud Kingdom, then in the anime market, Anohana was the undisputed breakout star. Breaking into the top ten was an incredible feat for a regional novel adaptation. Usually, those spots were reserved for massive Tokyo or Osaka hits with enormous budgets. Only the sheer number of pre-existing fans and the high quality of the adaptation had allowed it to climb this high.
Success in the anime market inevitably bleeds into other areas.
Ascent of New Gods was, after all, a competition for rookies. Even Aika, the current frontrunner, had only reached seventh place in the ratings when her popular novel was adapted the previous autumn.
No matter how much the critics tried to downplay Shiori Takahashi, they could no longer ignore a simple fact: his previous work was far from the fluke they claimed it to be. While some still complained about the slow pace, the audience was clearly invested enough to stay until the seventh episode and push the ratings into the top ten. The realization finally started to dawn on the industry: this author, Shiori Takahashi, was something special.
As the only author in the Ascent of New Gods competition with an anime currently airing on television, Haruto's success with Anohana became a hot topic among readers on the official website.
"Is this Shiori Takahashi really that strong? Her Anohana seems to be doing incredibly well in the anime rankings."
"I don't get it. I watched a few episodes, and it felt pretty average to me."
"It gets good after episode five! From episode five to seven, every single episode has these tiny emotional moments that get to you. I've almost cried several times now."
"You shouldn't underestimate regional authors. Anohana sold a million copies per volume without the help of the major Tokyo publishers. You don't get those kinds of numbers without real talent. I haven't read the book, but based on the anime so far, it's a genuine masterpiece."
"But To the Moon is still boring! It's only in the top ten because the Anohana fans are propping it up."
"Maybe To the Moon is a slow burn too?"
"How many slow-burn masterpieces can one person write? Stop putting Shiori Takahashi on a pedestal; She's just an author from Minamijo!"
"Exactly. I've been watching the anime, and while the characterization is delicate, that's about it. It's sitting at ninth or tenth place. We can praise her, but let's not overhype it."
---
While Aika was keeping an eye on her Ascent of New Gods rankings, she was also closely following the Anohana anime. Initially, she hadn't thought the anime would have much of an impact on the competition. But after seeing the influx of posts about the show on the forums, her heart sank. People were talking about the anime instead of the novel's current plot. Aika checked her calendar, a feeling of unease growing in her chest.
Anohana was slated for eleven episodes.
It premiered on January 10th with a weekly schedule. However, To the Moon had released its first chapter on January 14th, with a new chapter appearing every ten days in the magazine.
By the time the final episode of Anohana aired on March 20th, the eighth chapter of To the Moon would be released just four days later, on March 24th.
The timing was dangerously precise.
What if the anime fans, moved by the grand finale of Anohana, decided to blindly throw their support behind Shiori Takahashi's new work? Could I really lose the top spot for a ridiculous reason like that?
Aika checked the latest vote count for To the Moon. It had 61,302 votes, placing it tenth. Her own Cyberpunk: Sin Domain had 149,963 votes, firmly holding first place.
'It should be fine. The gap is still huge. Even if a few anime fans jump on the bandwagon, there's no way they can close a gap of nearly ninety thousand votes.'
_______________________
Support me at patreon.com/CulturedOne and read 50 Advanced Chapters