Inside the president's office at L.S Produ.
Lin Zhiyan was being interviewed by the media.
The reporter was a woman named Keiko Takeda from an animation magazine with decent sales.
Once the interview officially began, Takeda immediately asked, "President Lin, the eighth episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, where the magical girls transform into Witches, left many viewers stunned. What was the inspiration behind this concept? And what message were you trying to convey through it?"
"Hmm..."
Lin Zhiyan paused briefly before answering, "The inspiration mainly comes from some older anime and tokusatsu shows, though I won't go into specifics. As for the message... I'd prefer to leave that to the viewers to interpret. If I explained it myself, it would lose all its meaning."
Trying to explain the intended message felt like a high school literature comprehension test, except the author was being asked to analyze their own work.
If Lin Zhiyan had originally created this anime, he might have offered a few simple remarks. But since it was based on the work of Akiyuki Shinbo and Gen Urobuchi from another timeline, who knew what those two were trying to convey?
Even if Lin Zhiyan had just bluffed his way through with a few vague remarks, the audience would at most have thought, "That guy's just an animator—what the hell does he know about Puella Magi Madoka Magica!" But it was better to leave the interpretation to the audience themselves.
Keiko Takeda hadn't expected Lin Zhiyan to be so guarded in his response to the first question.
However, she didn't press further. After jotting down the key points, she moved on to the second question: "In episode eight, the conversation between the two men on the train car made me feel deeply uncomfortable, yet it felt so real because such scum really exist in the world. When you were writing that scene's script, did you draw inspiration from real-life cases around you? Or..."
There was a question she hesitated to ask: had Lin Zhiyan himself ever harbored similar thoughts of treating a woman like a dog?
He didn't answer directly, but he could roughly guess what she was thinking.
He frowned and replied earnestly, "Actually, that was a real conversation I overheard between two strangers on a train. At the time, my worldview was shaken. I realized such people actually existed in the world, so I couldn't help but record it. When this opportunity arose, I made slight adjustments and incorporated it into the animation's script."
Keiko Takeda froze for a moment, then, as if compelled, blurted out, "You still dare to ride the train?"
"Hmm?"
Lin Zhiyan couldn't help but look up at her.
The moment she spoke, Keiko Takeda realized her mistake.
She let out a small "Ah," covered her mouth, then quickly lowered her hand and explained, "No, President Lin, I meant—it's disgusting that scum like that would even dare to ride the train."
Lin Zhiyan: ( ̄. ̄)
Though Keiko Takeda looked unprofessional, she knew it was time to change the subject.
She quickly asked, "When was the last time you rode the train?"
"Let me think..."
Lin Zhiyan appeared to be racking his memory, then said after a two-second pause, "Around 2000. I don't think I've taken the train since the company was founded."
"So, the conversation you recorded must have happened before 2000?" Keiko Takeda followed up on his statement.
"Right," Lin Zhiyan nodded.
He didn't actually know the exact year this happened, as the source of the dialogue was Gen Urobuchi, the scriptwriter for Puella Magi Madoka Magica in another timeline.
He was simply relaying the information.
If asked about the specific year, he could just make up a date—it didn't matter, as no one would know the truth.
Keiko Takeda wasn't particularly interested in this question and quickly changed the subject: "Since Puella Magi Madoka Madoka began airing, it has been loved by countless viewers. Have you received any gifts from fans expressing their affection?"
As soon as she asked, she turned to Lin Zhiyan with an eager expression, pen in one hand and a small notebook in the other, ready to jot down key information. It was clear she had planned this question in advance.
Lin Zhiyan hesitated slightly before deciding to give Keiko Takeda a satisfactory answer: "If we're talking about gifts, the most prominent ones would have to be razor blades, especially after Mami Tomoe's death and in the last two or three episodes. After those episodes aired, we really received a lot of razor blades."
Keiko Takeda quickly scribbled down the key information with a satisfied look, but she still put on a show of asking: "Can razor blades be considered gifts?"
"Of course they count," Lin Zhiyan replied. "They're a way for fans to express their affection. As long as it's not a blade delivered in person, it's a gift."
In truth, receiving blades was hardly a big deal.
Once, he'd received an Enma Ai straw doll. That was truly terrifying, so much so that many employees at the company wanted to call the police.
Enma Ai, the Hell Girl, originated from Watanabe Hirohara's work, an original TV animation by Studio Deen called Hell Girl.
The protagonist, Enma Ai, the Hell Girl, appears whenever someone consumed by hatred visits the Hell Correspondence website at midnight. By typing the name of their target into the input box on the homepage, Enma Ai will materialize and offer a straw doll.
A string is tied to the doll.
By untying the string, Enma Ai and her Revenge Squad will help the user exact their revenge, thereby appeasing their hatred.
However, the animation contains a crucial warning: "Cursing others is a double-edged sword. While you send your target to hell, your own soul will follow after death."
It wasn't exactly unconditional help with revenge.
The first season of this animation premiered in October 2005 as a half-year series, ending in late March 2006.
Although the animation market in this timeline was dominated by Puella Magi Madoka Magica starting in January 2006, with no other animations able to compete, Hell Girl stood out due to its unique subject matter and its unflinching portrayal of Japan's dark underbelly, which drew in a considerable audience.
Among the animation's merchandise was an "Enma Ai straw doll," which was quite exquisitely made and seemed to sell well.
Fortunately, it was just a merchandise item, not a real straw doll with mystical power. Otherwise, Lin Zhiyan might have had to meet Enma Ai and go to hell, instead of simply receiving her straw doll.
Lin Zhiyan suspected this item wasn't sent by a true fan, but rather by a rival who envied and resented him. Moreover, it seemed like it might be a way to "GG" another animation, so he didn't mention it.
Compared to that, blades were relatively friendly—they could actually be considered gifts.
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