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September was drawing to a close.
For Haruto, this month had been nothing short of monumental. Initial D had officially reached the summit of Weekly Prime, marking a spectacular manga debut that catapulted both him and Shizuru into the elite ranks of Japan's mangaka.
Simultaneously, the home video sales for the Puella Magi Madoka Magica television series had crossed the one-million-per-volume milestone, with the first five volumes totaling over 5.26 million copies sold.
As for the theatrical release, the two volumes of the movie had reached a combined total of 5.4 million copies, averaging a jaw-dropping 2.7 million per disc. By the final days of September, the total franchise sales for Madoka Magica had officially broken the ten-million mark. It had become the ninth best-selling anime in history by total volume, and comfortably held the record for the highest average sales per volume ever recorded.
This was history being rewritten in real-time.
Haruto's "Warrior of Love" persona had ascended to godhood within the industry, making him one of the most sought-after scriptwriters in the nation. The only reason he was considered "one of" the best rather than the absolute best was his limited portfolio; while his singular hit was unparalleled, other veteran writers had decades of solid work behind them.
On the last day of September, Haruto returned to Tokyo. He was immediately whisked away by Weekly Prime to a promotional event alongside Shizuru. It wasn't until late afternoon that the two were finally able to catch a taxi back toward the university district.
"It feels like it's been forever since I saw you, Mr. Busy-body," Shizuru teased, leaning back against the car seat.
"I'm sorry... things just piled up," Haruto replied, his voice thick with exhaustion. He was only human, and managing the creative output for multiple major franchises was beginning to take its toll.
"I was just joking! You don't need to apologize," Shizuru waved her hands dismissively. She paused for a moment, staring out the window at the passing city lights. "Thinking about movies, though... I wonder if Initial D will ever get a big-screen adaptation." Her voice was tinged with a hint of envy.
Every novelist and mangaka dreams of seeing their work transformed into an anime, a movie, or a live-action drama. Shizuru was no exception.
"That's a certainty," Haruto said with a confident smile.
"Didn't you read the fine print of our contract with Weekly Prime? I retained the film and adaptation rights for Initial D. You really don't need to worry about that."
Shizuru blinked, looking genuinely bewildered. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, if no studio in Japan is smart enough to option Initial D for a movie or an anime, I'll just pay for it myself and produce the adaptation through my own channels."
His casual statement left Shizuru's limited imagination reeling.
What kind of tycoon talk is this? She still had no idea that Haruto was the secret owner of an entire animation studio. They continued their idle chatter as the taxi cruised down the highway toward the university town.
Shizuru signaled to the driver as they approached an apartment complex.
"You live here?" Haruto asked, glancing at the gate of what looked like a very average, mid-range residential building.
"Yeah. The rent is great for the space you get, and the neighborhood is quiet. Why?"
"It's nothing... I just worry that with your current popularity, living in a place like this might lead to fans bothering you," Haruto noted hesitantly.
Shizuru sighed. "Well, that actually happens quite a bit. I run into readers in the lobby all the time, and sometimes they sneak photos of me to post on social media."
"Understood. I'll keep that in mind."
Haruto made a mental note of it. Shizuru was his partner; their reputations were intertwined. If she was being harassed, it was his business too.
---
As October arrived, the landscape of the subculture industry remained lopsided. The autumn anime season was effectively dead on arrival, completely smothered by the lingering shadow of Madoka Magica. No new show could generate any meaningful buzz. In the manga world, Initial D had entered one of its most legendary arcs: the Duct Tape Deathmatch.
Takumi was facing a challenger where both drivers had their right hands taped to the steering wheel. The opponent's car was perfectly suited for the restricted steering, while the AE86 was naturally disadvantaged in such a dangerous setup.
One wrong move meant rolling off an Akina cliff.
This arc had sent fan anger through the roof. The antagonist, Shingo, was a dangerous driver who actively tried to cause accidents and had already sent Takumi's best friend, Itsuki, to the hospital. The hatred for the character was visceral, which translated into massive support for Takumi. The readers were desperate to see the 86 humiliate this "road pirate." Consequently, Initial D had firmly entrenched itself at the number one spot in Weekly Prime. The series' popularity showed no signs of plateauing. Being number one in the magazine was just a milestone; the absolute number of fans was still growing vertically.
However, the spotlight was currently shifting toward the film industry.
In that world, only one metric mattered: the box office. On October 2nd, the six major films set to premiere the following day unleashed their final marketing blitzes. The trending charts on every major search engine were dominated by trailers and promotional tags.
There was Trees in the Distance, a romantic epic directed by a popular filmmaker.
Then there was Fallout, a disaster flick boasting "impossible" special effects.
And The Lame Detective, a mystery thriller starring Academy Award winners.
The hype for these blockbusters was deafening. The studios were pouring millions into buying top spots on social media trends.
["Trees in the Distance" is a tear-jerker. Leads break hearts in early screenings.]
["Fallout" depicts the destruction with terrifying realism.]
["The Lame Detective" is a mind-bender. Fans report twist after twist in this modern masterpiece of the genre.]
The situation mirrored the frantic pre-release environment of high-budget cinema in any world. But seasoned moviegoers knew that big marketing didn't always mean a big movie.
On the official movie forums, the debate was fierce.
"So, who's taking the crown this October?"
"Hard to say. I'm skeptical of the 'Big Three', Trees, Detective, and Fallout. The trailers look incredibly formulaic. It's the same tropes we've seen in cinema for years."
"Aside from those, there's the annual children's 3D movie, so we can ignore that. Then there's the fantasy romance Twin Gates and To the Moon. Both are novel adaptations, but one is live-action and the other is anime. Honestly, I'm putting my money on To the Moon."
"Why?"
"Because I read the novel. It's beautiful. If the anime stays true to the source, it'll be a classic. Of course, there's always the risk they'll ruin the adaptation."
"Pre-release tracking has The Lame Detective at a 5 billion-yen lifetime gross. Trees and Fallout are hovering around 3 billion. To the Moon will be lucky to even hit 1 billion. Let's be real, even if those big movies are trash, a niche anime film isn't going to outearn them."
"I don't know about that. I have friends who saw the early screenings for The Lame Detective and Trees. They told me not to waste my money and to go buy a nice dinner instead. I suspect those three are going to be massive box office bombs."
"Speaking of screenings, I saw both Detective and To the Moon. I can tell you right now: To the Moon is legendary. I never read the book, but the movie moved me to tears. Detective has high production values, but the script is a mess. I'm rooting for the moon. If people actually give it a chance, it's going to explode."
"Forget it. Fallout, Detective, and Trees all have over 20% of the nation's screen allocations. To the Moon and Twin Gates are fighting for the remaining scraps with less than 10% each. I know the novel fans are passionate, but passion doesn't change theater schedules. How can it win without screens?"
While the hardcore fans were analytical, the general public was easily swayed by the sheer volume of the big-budget marketing. In terms of pre-sales, the three heavyweights led the pack, followed by Twin Gates, then To the Moon, and finally the children's movie.
Despite Sugar Man Pictures' efforts, the "heat" surrounding "To the Moon" was merely average compared to the multi-billion-yen titans it was up against.
In the film world, marketing spend is directly proportional to visibility, and a 100-million-yen ad budget could only do so much.
The day ended. October 3rd arrived.