"So this is Kamiyā's work... honestly, just how far does he plan to make people feel ashamed of themselves? Producing a 2D anime with this level of quality using an animation studio with fewer than a hundred employees... this goes beyond merely being surprising."
Inside a modest apartment room, Fujiwara Tora, dressed in a black business suit and preparing to head to work, stared blankly at the recorded broadcast of 'Magical Girl Nanoha' from the previous night. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and decided to finish watching the anime before leaving for work.
"Tch... just how the hell did they produce animation effects like this...!"
Fujiwara Tora clicked his tongue and muttered to himself. He had originally picked up his teacup to take a sip, but instead put it back down and focused entirely on observing the animation quality.
On the screen, Nanoha manipulated hundreds of purple homing magic bullets. Each one intertwined and flashed along different trajectories as they pursued a sinister black shadow.
From the perspective of someone who was half a professional in animation production, this almost luxurious level of visual quality had already greatly exceeded the standard line for commercial value. If they could maintain this level of quality consistently, then even if the anime's reception wasn't explosive, it still wouldn't end in disgrace.
However, the Japanese animation industry had already seen examples where anime started with exceptional production quality, only for the studio to relax production standards midway due to poor reception, resulting in both financial ruin and a destroyed reputation.
There were also cases where studios stubbornly maintained high-quality production and were driven into bankruptcy because of it. For example, 'Karas' had originally been produced as an anniversary anime, but the insane production spending directly dragged down the long-established studio Tatsunoko Production.
Based solely on the refined quality of 'Magical Girl Nanoha,' Fujiwara Tora could already conclude that this work would become the greatest competitor to 'Magical Girl MeowMeow Lu'—no, perhaps even to the main series 'Magical Girl MeowMeowMeow' itself.
That was, assuming it could continue maintaining this level of quality.
······
Wearing an off-white sailor uniform, Kamiyā Sora stood at the entranceway carrying a black leather handbag. After putting on her round-toed leather boots, she lightly tapped them against the step and softly called toward the house,
"I'm leaving for school."
"Wait, Sora, you forgot your lunchbox."
Kamiyā Yuu walked out carrying the lunchbox she had left behind on the dining table. Seeing that Kamiyā Sora's lovely little face still carried its usual calm expression, he helplessly pinched her smooth cheek.
"Honestly, you leave things behind every morning."
Kamiyā Sora tilted her head and stared at Kamiyā Yuu for a while before softly replying,
"Because Yuu is here, it's fine."
Every morning just after waking up, Kamiyā Sora entered a "low blood sugar" state. Its symptoms included an expressionless face with little emotional reaction, absentmindedness, and an unwillingness to do anything unnecessary.
As she watched Kamiyā Yuu carefully place the lunchbox into her school bag, she softly asked,
"Yuu, has the anime 'Magical Girl Nanoha' officially aired already?"
"Yeah, yesterday at one in the morning."
After placing the lunchbox inside, Kamiyā Yuu handed the bag back to her and smiled.
"My driver's license should be issued soon. Once I get it, I'll drive you to school. Otherwise, with how you are in the mornings, it's hard not to worry."
"The school isn't far away. Is anime production going smoothly?"
Kamiyā Sora shook her head slightly, causing her silver twin tails to sway gently.
As the 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio expanded, she became less and less involved in the animation production process. Occasionally, she would curl up in Kamiyā Yuu's arms while watching the production progress during his work, but his recent busyness had made her feel somewhat neglected. The only times they could really talk now were during breakfast and before sleeping at night.
"So-so. We didn't do any promotion, so the ratings for the first episode as a late-night anime weren't very ideal."
Kamiyā Yuu scratched his head awkwardly. It was honestly embarrassing to admit the ratings were only slightly above one percent.
"Yuu doesn't seem very worried."
Kamiyā Sora gently reached out and stroked Kamiyā Yuu's cheek as if comforting him. After withdrawing her hand, a shy and happy blush appeared on her face.
"Then I'm going to school."
The warm, delicate touch of her hand left his cheek. Seeing the satisfied happiness in her smile, Kamiyā Yuu's heart stirred. He lowered his head, lightly kissed her cherry lips, then adjusted the ribbon tie on her chest and smiled.
"Have a safe trip."
······
After a half-hour journey, Kamiyā Sora arrived at her classroom with time to spare.
The moment she stepped into the classroom, the other students subconsciously glanced at her before hurriedly looking away again. Faced with the cold aura that kept strangers at arm's length, they only dared admire her from afar.
Kamiyā Sora returned to her seat, took out a hardcover book from her bag, and slowly began reading. To her, school was merely a place to pass the time while Kamiyā Yuu wasn't by her side.
"Hey, did you guys notice? The princess's expression seems a lot better than before."
In the corner of the classroom, a small group of boys quietly discussed Kamiyā Sora.
"Yeah, yeah, I noticed too," one boy nodded in agreement.
"Then who's going to try talking to her? Maybe the princess is in such a good mood that she'll actually respond!"
The boys looked at each other.
One somewhat timid-looking boy smiled bitterly.
"Forget it. In over a year, the princess has never spoken to a boy except for class-related matters. Especially not to guys like us."
"No interest. Kaori is the only wife I need."
A chubby boy disdainfully looked at the others as he spoke.
"Yeah... true. This isn't anime, after all."
"Princess" was Kamiyā Sora's nickname at the school.
Excellent grades, somewhat frail health, yet possessing sharp eyes that made people afraid to meet her gaze directly. Combined with her exceptional beauty, she had become one of the school's recognized beauties not long after enrolling.
Bang!
The back door of the classroom was suddenly pulled open.
A bespectacled boy rushed into the classroom while loudly shouting,
"Hey, did you guys watch it!? That anime 'Magical Girl Nanoha' was unexpectedly amazing! Thank god I recorded it, otherwise I would've had to pay to watch it online!"
"Anime again? And magical girls, too? Aren't you embarrassed?"
A girl in the classroom turned around and looked at him disdainfully after hearing his shout.
"Seriously. If you're going to discuss stuff like that, go find some empty corner. You're already in high school and still this childish."
In both worlds, Japanese society held a very poor opinion of anime fans. In many people's eyes, anime enthusiasts were equivalent to shut-ins, potential criminals, unemployed drifters, and the like.
To change that social impression, it would be necessary to start from the distorted development of Japanese anime itself and create world-famous anime with genuine depth like those of Hayao Miyazaki.
Faced with the ridicule from the other students, the bespectacled boy restrained his expression and ignored them. Instead, he walked over to the group of boys who had been discussing Kamiyā Sora earlier and excitedly said,
"You guys absolutely won't believe this! This morning, while eating breakfast, I casually watched a recorded late-night anime called 'Magical Girl Nanoha'! This thing is a huge production! The whole thing is pure budget-burning! Especially the battle scenes—they're like... like... how do I describe it... ah, whatever! The point is, it's insanely awesome!"
"Another magical girl anime? Aren't there already three of those this season? The only one that interests me is 'Miracle Girl.' Kaori, so moe~."
The chubby male student spoke dreamily, his tone becoming intoxicated the moment he mentioned Kaori.
"Magical girls again, huh... I seriously can't handle those embarrassing transformation scenes. One time, I was watching 'Magical Girl MeowMeowMeow,' and right when the transformation sequence played, my sister happened to be standing behind me, staring at me weirdly. She almost sent me to the police station."
"It's different! 'Magical Girl Nanoha' is different! Whatever, just come to my house after school! It'll absolutely—absolutely surprise you guys!"
"If you're recommending it that strongly, then—huh?"
The lively atmosphere among the boys suddenly froze.
Only then did they notice Kamiyā Sora standing not far away, quietly watching them as she asked,
"Is it interesting?"
"...Huh?..."
The boys stared blankly, completely confused.
"Is the anime 'Magical Girl Nanoha' interesting?"
The bespectacled boy froze like a statue before hurriedly answering seriously,
"Y-Yes! The animation quality is extremely good."
"Is that so?"
A faint smile appeared on Kamiyā Sora's face before she returned to her seat, leaving the boys wondering if they had just hallucinated.
"The princess... smiled? It's over. I must still be dreaming. If I don't wake up soon, I'll be late."
One of the boys muttered dazedly in shock while pinching a cheek to see whether he was dreaming.
"It really doesn't hurt..."
"Of course not, idiot. Why are you pinching my face so hard?"
The chubby boy beside him rolled his eyes.
"Uh... nice texture."
"But... why did the princess ask about that...?"
Kamiyā Sora truly was in a very good mood.
Just hearing her classmates mention a work created by Kamiyā Yuu and praising it was enough to make her feel satisfied and happy inside.
"Yuu's work... is becoming known by everyone."
The quality of the work itself was the best form of advertisement.
Not only within the anime fan circles at Kamiyā Sora's school, but viewers who watched 'Magical Girl Nanoha' were pleasantly surprised. Whether among nearby fan communities or online, discussions about the work gradually began to spread.
Although the process was slow and gradual, the accumulating word-of-mouth reputation would inevitably attract more and more viewers.