Normally, once a drama becomes a hit, the next move for the cast is simple: run straight into variety shows, paid appearances, and every event where a smile can be turned into a paycheck.
Alex, however, was different.
Instead of throwing himself into that easy circuit of exposure, he took part of the main cast of Bleach and traveled across the country for autograph events at official merchandise stores, smaller conventions, and fan gathering spots. Of course, there was a practical reason behind it: he did not want to overuse his own image on entertainment programs that turned every success into stage banter. But more than anything, Alex felt he needed to close the distance between himself and the audience that had truly carried the work on its back.
Not that the distance was all that great to begin with.
After all, he was also an anime nerd.
An anime nerd who happened to like pretty girls quite a lot, if one had to be honest.
During the two weeks leading up to the finale of Bleach, cosplay outfits inspired by the series had taken online stores by storm. White coats in the style of Hueco Mundo, captain haori, prop swords, wigs, badges, accessories… everything had climbed to the top of the fashion and collectibles rankings. As always, the spending power of that audience was terrifying.
And Alex, as someone directly benefiting from that frenzy, felt that showing up and saying thank you was the least he could do.
At the autograph sessions, the atmosphere bordered on surreal. Fans dressed as characters from the series crowded into massive lines, clutching posters, jackets, and replica zanpakutō. The moment they saw Alex appear in front of them, many nearly lost their voices. Some trembled so badly they could barely hand over the item they wanted signed. Others turned red, laughed to themselves, or simply stared at his face as though they were looking at a legendary creature that had crossed over from the screen into reality.
Unfortunately, Alex only managed to visit a few major cities. He signed hundreds of white coats, Fifth Division haori, and collector's editions before being dragged back to the company.
It was not stinginess. It was lack of time.
Right after the autumn holiday, he had to fly back to the United States to prepare the promotional campaign for the second half of Death Note. Before that, he only had one month to finalize the casting for his next production.
Originally, Alex had planned to let Naruto take over the banner left behind by Bleach. The logic was perfect. Another massive work, another universe filled with memorable characters, another fanbase capable of turning every episode into a cultural event. But the moment he began revising the script and trying to repair the accumulated inconsistencies in the original story, he realized the workload was far greater than he had imagined.
One character alone was enough to prove it.
Itachi Uchiha.
In Alex's view, the ideal approach would be to restore the author's initial concept: Itachi as a true villain, someone willing to slaughter his own clan in exchange for power. But if he really followed that path, a new problem immediately appeared. Later on, how would Sasuke ever defeat him?
After all, viewed from any angle, that fight only worked because Itachi was clearly holding back.
And that was just the beginning.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, in the confrontation against Kabuto, who would stop the Reanimation Jutsu? How would the chain of cause and effect continue to hold? How could the emotional weight of the story be preserved without turning certain characters' pasts into a maze of patches and excuses?
If the Wano arc was the biggest stain on One Piece, then Naruto had a different kind of problem. There was no single colossal flaw at the center of the work. Instead, there were countless tiny cracks scattered everywhere. Worse still, each crack was connected to another. Fix one, and ten more would open further down the line. It was the sort of script where pulling one thread risked unraveling the entire carpet.
Fixing all of that, building a solid script, and casting the actors in only one month?
Impossible.
"Sorry, but you'll have to wait a little longer."
Alex patted the Naruto script twice, as though calming an impatient animal, then shifted his gaze to the materials for One-Punch Man and InuYasha.
"Shaving my head, huh…"
He let out a low laugh.
It was not fear. Alex was not the kind of actor who insisted on keeping his bangs perfect under a helmet even in a battlefield scene. If the role required it, he would shave his head without hesitation. If it required more than that, well… he was not exactly someone chained to superficial vanity.
Since he had already hinted at his plans during a major awards night, Alex simply stopped pretending to be mysterious. He publicly announced that auditions would begin.
And for the following month, the entertainment industry's forecast was simple: a magnitude-ten earthquake.
After the end of Bleach, the entire internet was watching Alex's next work. It was no exaggeration to say that any actor chosen by him had a chance to shoot straight to the top. In film and television, this was no longer speculation. It had become an absolute consensus.
That was what it meant to be the emperor of the screen.
Alex, however, had no intention of wasting time on collective delusions. Before the race could even begin, he announced that the female lead had already been decided.
Violet Grant.
A child actress born after 2010.
The news made countless adult actresses in the industry smile on the outside and curse on the inside.
That little brat.
No. That tiny little brat.
But there was nothing they could do. Violet was Alex's company's leading young star, and that alone placed her in a position many people could only envy.
When parts of the industry heard that Violet would be the female lead, their reactions became rather strange. Some began wondering whether Alex now preferred casts that got younger and younger. In the previous work, the female lead had already been from the generation born after 2000. Now, in One-Punch Man, he had simply gone down another decade. Following that logic, in a few years, would he choose someone born after 2020?
If Alex heard that, he would probably just laugh.
The story would never even go that far.
Elsewhere, Emily was almost stunned when she heard the news. This was already the second time she had served as a supporting leaf for a girl much younger than herself. First a teenager, now a child. At some point, someone needed to remind the company that its number-one female star was still her.
Her irritation rose so quickly that Emily nearly marched straight into Alex's office to demand an explanation face-to-face.
But Alex had his reasons too.
The world of anime had a historic obsession with high-school-aged female protagonists. And when there was a character like that, it made sense to choose an actress who genuinely carried that youth in her face, posture, and gaze. Violet, moreover, had an advantage that could not be faked: age. She really was a little girl. And among actresses of her generation, she was also one of the few with real talent in front of the camera.
What argument could Emily possibly use against that?
Noticing her expression growing darker by the second, Alex decided not to say out loud an even crueler truth: technically, Emily's character could not exactly be called the second female lead.
If one absolutely had to name the true "heroine" of One-Punch Man, the answer would probably be Genos.
Emily had only been positioned as the second major female figure because her character was Tornado's sister and, among the women in the story, appeared relatively often. It was a decision made for marketing, prestige, and internal harmony.
But seeing her mood sink further with every passing second, Alex decided it was better to keep that information to himself.
Sometimes, the best strategy was to act first and never explain.
On the second day of auditions, Alex completely lost his composure.
"Who the hell let this guy in?"
Standing in front of him, attempting to demonstrate his acting skills for the role of Genos, was none other than Shawn Steele, the beloved idol of one of the loudest fanbases on the internet.
After watching that apocalyptic-level performance, Alex felt something inside him wither. If Genos ended up like this, even he would want to destroy the character with his own hands.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Director Alex! Shawn just isn't in good condition today. Could you please give him another chance…"
His agent hurried forward, bowing over and over with a desperate smile. Shawn himself stood frozen in place, stiff and silent, head lowered, not daring to meet Alex's eyes.
After all, the nickname "tyrant of the set" had not come out of nowhere.
"Chance, my ass. Get out."
Cole snapped the order without hesitation.
Ever since the last awards ceremony, that honest fellow seemed to have discovered the subtle pleasure of acting as the right hand of a powerful man. There was something dangerous about a simple person tasting, for the first time, the thrill of intimidating others with someone else's authority behind him.
Shawn was already about to leave when Alex suddenly seemed to remember something and called out:
"Wait."
The young man froze.
Alex rested his chin on one hand and said calmly:
"I heard the crew of Soul Realm is casting too. I think you'd be a pretty good fit for their protagonist, Tristan. You can try your luck there."
"Thank you, Director Alex! Thank you so much!"
Shawn immediately lifted his head, moved almost to tears, thanking him repeatedly while bowing in a rush. For a brief moment, he felt that perhaps everyone had misunderstood Alex. They called him a tyrant, a monster, a cruel emperor behind the scenes, but that had to be a complete misunderstanding.
Deep down, he was clearly a wonderful person.
After Shawn left, Cole looked at Alex with sincere confusion.
"Boss, why did you recommend that useless guy?"
Alex smiled.
"Shawn Steele and Tristan. Don't you think they're a perfect match? It's practically a dream collaboration."
Cole fell silent for a moment, still not understanding.
Alex, however, did not explain.
Because to him, the resemblance was obvious.
Both belonged to the same kind of people: first they filled their own bowl, then they flipped the table and smashed everyone else's. A pair made to measure. Too perfect to be a coincidence.
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