Inside a izakaya, several figures from the animation industry were drinking and discussing:
"That kid Lin Zhiyan, he's done it again."
"Yeah, I just don't get it. Why does every anime he touches become a hit? Is he really a born animation prodigy?"
"The key is he's only 27! In the entire animation industry, you won't find a younger and more successful animation director."
"Good thing his anime are too commercial. At best, they'll win the Tokyo Anime Awards and Kobe Animation Awards. They'll never get the Grand Prize or Excellence Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival."
"But The Girl Who Leapt Through Time won an award, didn't it?"
"That wasn't his anime. It was Mamoru Hosoda's. Doesn't count."
"Exactly. When it comes to the Supervising Director role alone, Lin Zhiyan still has a long way to go compared to the truly great ones."
Lin Zhiyan had long since proven his commercial success. Unless he created something even bigger than Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, he wouldn't seem any more impressive. The sheer fact that every anime he touched became a hit, with no dips in quality, felt almost absurd.
However, just as these industry professionals were convinced that Lin Zhiyan's anime would only ever achieve commercial success, the winners of the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival's Animation Division were announced.
The Grand Prize naturally went to Masaaki Yuasa's Mind Game. Four Excellence Awards were given, one of which was Gurren Lagann. Also receiving an Excellence Award was Howl's Moving Castle, personally supervised by Hayao Miyazaki.
No one could claim Lin Zhiyan's animations couldn't win an Excellence Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival anymore. From now on, even the most bitter critics could only say: "Lin Zhiyan's animations can't win the Grand Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival."
The moment the awards were announced, the animation industry buzzed with discussion. Some couldn't resist comparing Lin Zhiyan to Hayao Miyazaki, suggesting he might one day become the "Miyazaki of television animation." Meanwhile, Mamoru Hosoda, another talented director recruited by Lin Zhiyan, was predicted to become Miyazaki's successor in the animated film realm.
L.S. Production, the animation company behind these successes, was truly remarkable, its potential terrifyingly vast.
Fans of Gurren Lagann were naturally ecstatic that their beloved animation had won an award from such a prestigious and respected festival.
Lin Zhiyan himself breathed a sigh of relief before making a crucial decision between two new animation projects.
In a certain cafe, Lin Zhiyan ordered a coffee and turned to Akiyuki Shinbo, who was sitting opposite him. "Mr. Shinbo, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase have both been well-received in the animation market. Congratulations."
In October 2004, Shinbo produced two anime series: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase.
However, the two series differed subtly. Nanoha was remarkably restrained, showing little of the distinctive style that would later define Shinbo's work, while Tsukuyomi already displayed his signature flair in its opening and ending sequences.
Compared to Soul Hunter, the anime that had initially led Shinbo into the mainstream animation industry, both series were undeniable successes, with Nanoha achieving particularly massive success.
As a magical girl anime, Nanoha introduced several groundbreaking innovations, including a fresh take on the genre. Its visual language and narrative direction were equally impressive: clean, unpretentious, and remarkably comfortable to watch.
Of course, few people had high expectations for the series before its premiere.
Even looking back from today's perspective, let alone in 2004, the title Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha sounded utterly cliché, suggesting just another predictable magical girl story. Moreover, after the disastrous failure of Soul Hunter, Shinbo hadn't had any successful works in the mainstream animation industry, making it difficult for people to trust his quality.
However, many viewers who tried to watch it soon discovered how this animation differed from previous magical girl anime.
The combat style had moved beyond the typical methods of magical girl battles, balancing both "burning passion" and "moe charm." The magic wands felt less like magical artifacts and more like high-tech devices, relying on artillery barrages, rapid-fire suppression, and high-speed aerial evasion.
After watching, viewers got the impression: "Where's the magical girl in this? It's more like a magical cannon girl, a human-sized Gundam."
In terms of characters and style, unlike past magical girl anime that leaned towards a "fairy tale" aesthetic, this one adopted a more "realistic" approach. Through grounded conflicts, it completely shattered the black-and-white divide between magical girls, princes, and villains.
Because the protagonist, Nanoha, first defeats her enemies and then makes them friends, she earned the nickname "Tyrant."
Looking back from 2024, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha might seem rather formulaic and outdated. But at the time of its release in 2004, it garnered a substantial fanbase and was undeniably a massive success.
Still, compared to the masterpieces Lin Zhiyan had produced, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha couldn't be considered a "massive success." From Lin Zhiyan's perspective, calling it a "massive success" would sound mocking, so he could only describe it as having "strong market reception."
Akiyuki Shinbo naturally didn't find anything wrong with Lin Zhiyan's words. He smiled and replied, "Thank you."
Then, he introduced the person beside him—Shin Oonuma, his prized apprentice.
By age, Shin Oonuma was actually a year older than Lin Zhiyan. However, in terms of industry seniority, he was considered Lin Zhiyan's junior. Thus, during this meeting, he merely exchanged greetings with Lin Zhiyan, having little opportunity to speak.
Lin Zhiyan had primarily sought out Akiyuki Shinbo.
After some casual conversation, Lin Zhiyan got to the point: "Mr. Shinbo, I have a question."
"Please ask, Mr. Hayashi," Akiyuki Shinbo replied politely.
Lin Zhiyan was silent for two seconds before speaking. "Didn't Mr. Shinbo always insist that animation should have its own distinct style? But watching [ Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ], I barely saw any special style—it felt too restrained."
"Ah, about that..." Akiyuki Shinbo sighed. "I didn't want it to be this way either. I got the project mainly because of my work on [ Triangle Heart ~Sweet Songs~ ] last year with Ms. Tsuzuki Masaki. I restrained my style in that one, and they liked it, which is why they offered me [ Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ]. In that situation, I had no choice but to continue restraining myself."
"I'd really love to see a magical girl anime with Mr. Shinbo's personal style," Lin Zhiyan said, looking genuinely disappointed.
"Don't just say you'd love to see it—I'd love to try it myself," Shinbo replied, his face full of helpless resignation.
Hearing this, Lin Zhiyan clapped his hands in delight. "Perfect! I'm just about to start a healing-themed magical girl anime with a unique style. Would you be interested in being my co-supervising director, Mr. Shinbo? We could collaborate."
"Co-supervising director, huh?" Shinbo considered for a moment, then nodded. "If anyone else had proposed this, I would have refused. But since it's you, Mr. Hayashi, I'll give it a try."
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