Sugar Man Pictures was considered a mid-to-high-level player, active across the fields of movies, dramas, and animation. They were a company that dipped their toes into many pools but, in truth, rarely attained absolute mastery in any single one of them.
Initially, Haruto had agreed to sell the film rights for To the Moon to Sugar Man Pictures primarily out of courtesy to Yukino's father, who owned the company.
He didn't actually have a deep understanding of their internal operations. However, such details were secondary now.
After a dinner with the film's lead production team in late September, Haruto began his duty of supporting the promotional tour for the upcoming movie.
Currently, the animation and light novel industries were still entirely under the shadow of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Online forums were so saturated with discussions about the magical girls that it would likely take another month for the frenzy to subside.
The film industry, however, was less affected by the Madoka hurricane. Consequently, news of the To the Moon movie premiering on October 3rd spread rapidly. It managed to avoid being buried by the hype of the anime, successfully capturing the attention of a vast number of moviegoers.
The pedigree of the project was undeniable.
The original source material was the first-place winner of the Ascent of New Gods, and over a year after its publication, the tankobon volumes had reached a staggering total of 7.8 million copies sold. On the official publisher forums, the novel boasted a terrifyingly high user rating of 9.7/10. On various ticketing apps, over a million people had already indicated that they were "interested" in seeing the film before it even hit theaters.
By all metrics, this was a project that commanded attention in the upcoming release window.
Furthermore, the promotional materials prominently featured the tagline.
"A masterpiece from the renowned novelist and mangaka, Shiori Takahashi." This triggered instant recognition across the community.
Many people in Japan might have consumed Haruto's works without caring much about the creator himself, but the bold marketing campaign forced the connection to the surface of their minds.
"Shiori Takahashi? Is that the same person who writes Initial D?"
"Wait, isn't he also the author of Parasyte?"
"That's the guy. And for those who don't know, he was also the scriptwriter for the Anohana anime. If you've seen his animated works and trust his storytelling, you should definitely check this out at the cinema."
"Holy crap, I've seen all of those, but I never bothered to look at the author's name."
"It happens. A lot of his works become internet sensations on their own."
"Take To the Moon and Anohana, whenever people talk about tear-jerking supernatural romances, those two are always mentioned, but most people don't look past the title to see who made them."
"Isn't Shiori Takahashi a manga artist, though? I follow Initial D every week. How does he have time to write novels and act as an anime scriptwriter too?"
"The guy is only nineteen. How has he already created so many works and achieved so much in so many different industries?"
"Because he's a genius."
"Nineteen?! You're telling me the guy behind Initial D is only nineteen years old?"
"Is this your first day on the internet? Photos of him were included in Weekly Prime twice already. The 'Genius Youth Creator'. If you read manga at all, it's impossible not to know."
"I wouldn't know. Whenever the magazine comes with those posters or little gifts, I just throw them in my storage locker without looking. I only care about the manga, not the authors."
"Wait, if what you guys are saying is true... then the writer for this To the Moon movie on the 3rd is actually quite a big deal?"
"You could say that."
"But how does he compare to 'The Warrior of Love'? Lately, the only person I know who has truly transcended the industry is him. Even though I don't watch anime, I know Madoka Magica is a monster. How does Shiori Takahashi stack up against the 'Warrior of Love'?"
"Shiori-sensei is amazing, but compared to the 'Warrior of Love'... I'd say he's still a bit behind."
"A bit? Try a lot. Madoka Magica is a once-in-a-decade phenomenon. The 'Warrior of Love' ascended to godhood with one series. Shiori Takahashi, on the other hand, just hit number one in Weekly Prime, and Parasyte peaked at sixth in the Naoki Awards. Based on the numbers, Shiori Takahashi is elite, but he hasn't completely dominated the entire industry yet."
"But I personally think Initial D is more entertaining. Madoka is great, but I don't think it's 'better'."
"I agree. Initial D has a stronger magnetic pull for me than the magical girls."
"Who even is this 'Shiori Takahashi' trash? How dare you mention him in the same breath as the Warrior of Love?"
What started as a standard discussion thread about Haruto's pen name, "Shiori Takahashi," quickly spiraled into something else.
The moment the mysterious scriptwriter "The Warrior of Love" was introduced into the conversation, the comment section for the To the Moon movie took a sharp turn.
In the subculture industry, the only two fresh faces who had emerged in the past year with such brilliant results were Shiori Takahashi and the Warrior of Love. It was inevitable that they would be compared, and such topics were like lighting a match near a powder keg for their respective fanbases.
Of course, this was mostly the behavior of the vocal minority; the majority of observers were just enjoying the spectacle while eating popcorn. Nevertheless, the drama served to boost the visibility of To the Moon right before its launch.
Although To the Moon had a massive built-in fanbase from the novel, the competition was fierce. Five other major films were debuting during the same window, all of them big-budget productions featuring celebrity directors and A-list stars.
Over the following days, while Haruto cooperated with Sugar Man Pictures for the promotional tour, the general consensus among critics was somewhat cautious regarding the film's box office potential. To be clear, they weren't dismissing it; the film media simply viewed To the Moon as a standard, mid-tier novel-to-anime adaptation.
Given the 300 million yen production budget and the 100 million yen marketing spend, most analysts predicted a total box office run of no more than 1.3 billion yen. In the grand scheme of the entertainment industry, movies are the final frontier. While To the Moon was popular, its competitors had massive stars, veteran directors, and significantly higher investments. This skepticism was a standard industry reaction.
Haruto could sense this atmosphere as he traveled with the promotional team. Even the film's director seemed to share these modest expectations. He considered a 1 billion yen run to be a passing grade, while 1.5 billion would be a resounding success. After all, an animated film doesn't necessarily need to rely solely on the box office for profit; the potential for merchandise and home video sales was where the real money lay.
While Haruto was away from Tokyo, visiting several major cities for the roadshow, another significant development occurred.
September 27th. Inside the headquarters of the Kiyozawa Library publishing house.
The fourth and final round of the internal voting meeting concluded. Every serialization slot in the flagship Kiyozawa magazine was worth its weight in gold. This was especially true for Haruto's new series, Sword Art Online, which was intended to bypass the standard competition in favor of a direct editorial appointment.
Under these circumstances, the internal review process was exceptionally rigorous.
However, Haruto's current standing in the industry provided him with an undeniable shield. The combination of his top-tier finish in internal evaluations and his status as the most popular mangaka at Weekly Prime was a potent mix. Even if there were other light novelists or editors within the company who were resentful of this "parachuted" newcomer snatching a slot, they had no choice but to swallow their pride.
Haruto was simply too popular to ignore, and the first few chapters of Sword Art Online were undeniably gripping. Even his detractors couldn't find a legitimate flaw in the work to use against him.
Ms. Hime finally breathed a long sigh of relief that day. The moment she heard the board's decision, she immediately called Haruto to deliver the news.
"Did it pass?" Haruto asked, a smile spreading across his face as he listened to the voice on the other end.
"It did. The schedule is moving fast, the first chapter of Sword Art Online will be featured in the mid-October issue of Kiyozawa Library."
"That fast?" Haruto was stunned.
"Of course," Ms. Hime said, her voice dropping into a more serious tone. "But Haruto, you need to understand something. Many editors and veteran novelists have been waiting months for a slot to open up in Kiyozawa Library. Since SAO was hand-picked and bypassed the line, you've made quite a few enemies within the house."
Haruto blinked but said nothing.
"Competition exists in every industry," she continued. "Since your debut, you haven't missed once. Every work you produce is a hit, each more popular and critically acclaimed than the last. I remember what you told me, that you would create a novel that wouldn't lose to Initial D in popularity. I hope you can live up to that promise. Please... don't let those jealous eyes have any reason to laugh at you, or at us."
The reason the meeting had taken four rounds to finalize the serialization of Sword Art Online was due to the intense internal friction. Haruto was brilliant, yes, but what did that matter to the other authors whose slots were being delayed?
Ms. Hime had spent days engaged in political maneuvering and internal battles against those trying to sabotage the deal. If Sword Art Online performed poorly upon release, those critics would come for her head.
Naturally, these were the professional burdens of an agent. Her words were merely a nudge to ensure Haruto stayed sharp and focused on the quality of his work.
"I understand," Haruto replied. "I'll wrap up the promotional tour for To the Moon as quickly as possible and throw myself entirely into the writing for SAO."
On the other end of the line, Ms. Hime finally smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Lastly... I wish you the best of luck with the movie premiere. May To the Moon be a massive hit."
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