At Lin Zhiyan's home, he was chatting with his online friends.
[Sakurako: So, the third episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica was such a shock! I never dreamed Senior Mami would actually die. ]
[Edogawa Ryunosuke: I couldn't believe it either. Actually, I think no one could have predicted that. But I have to admit, the anime is getting really interesting now. Old Thief Lin is still the best at this kind of thing. ]
[Sail Village: It's impressive, but this kind of stunt might put him in danger later. ]
[Tokyo Handsome Guy: Lin Zhiyan is risking his life to make this animation! That kind of spirit is really admirable. Since most of us are industry professionals or related to the field, we might work with him in the future. We should stop calling him Old Thief Lin. ]
[Princess Kaguya: Don't worry, he's not even in this group. He tricked me into getting hooked with his deceptive marketing! What's wrong with me cursing him a little? Old Thief Lin! Old Thief Lin! Old Thief Lin! ]
[Sail Village: ... ]
As they were chatting, Lin Zhiyan's phone rang.
He picked it up and glanced at the caller ID—it was Tadara Yoshihiko, a reporter from an animation magazine who had interviewed him before.
When Lin Zhiyan answered the phone, Tadara Yoshihiko immediately complained, "President Lin, you promised a healing plot would be coming soon, but instead, we got a depressing one! Isn't that a bit unfair?"
Ahem~
Lin Zhiyan cleared his throat. "Mr. Tada, you must understand that the 'healing' was for promotional purposes. I never said there wouldn't be any depressing elements."
"Alright," Tadara Yoshihiko relented, not pressing the issue. "I understand. So... when can I interview you again?"
Lin Zhiyan: "..."
He came prepared!
First, the complaint and expression of dissatisfaction to make him feel guilty, then the real request, making it awkward for him to refuse.
This tactic is quite effective.
Fortunately, Lin Zhiyan wasn't the type to feel guilty.
After a moment of thought, he decided against it. "I'm sorry, I've been very busy lately. How about interviewing someone else? Perhaps our Assistant Supervising Director, Akiyuki Shinbo?"
The misleading advertising has already earned me enough enemies. Doing another interview now would seem like rubbing salt in the wound. Better not to be so brazen.
Recommending Akiyuki Shinbo for the interview was one thing; whether Shinbo would accept was another matter entirely, and it was no longer his concern.
Tadara Yoshihiko naturally preferred to interview Lin Zhiyan, as he was the true source of the buzz. But given how far Lin Zhiyan had already gone, he didn't want to push further. After getting Shinbo's contact information from Lin Zhiyan, he hung up.
Lin Zhiyan privately informed Akiyuki Shinbo about the interview request. Seeing that Shinbo agreed, he gave him some advice on what to keep in mind before ending the private chat and returning to the group discussion.
The next day at SHAFT, Tadara Yoshihiko sat opposite Akiyuki Shinbo and began the interview.
"Mr. Shinbo, as the assistant director of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, you must have known from the start that the third episode would take a dark turn, right?" Tadara asked.
"Well..."
Shinbo paused for two seconds before answering, "When Mr. Hayashi first approached me about collaborating, I genuinely didn't know. But once we started working together, it was impossible to remain in the dark. Even if I had known, I couldn't have said anything. We had a confidentiality obligation regarding promotional strategy."
"When you first realized this animation wasn't a healing one, but a soul-crushing one, what was your immediate reaction?" Tadara Yoshihiko asked with keen interest.
"It felt like I'd boarded a pirate ship," Akiyuki Shinbo replied without hesitation.
Hearing this, Tadara Yoshihiko quickly grabbed his pen and began taking notes.
Shinbo sighed. "Many viewers feel deceived, but in truth, I was the first one to be deceived. Even so, after reading the subsequent scripts, I realized this animation is genuinely good. Plus, Mr. Hayashi and I have a good relationship, and there were other reasons, so I didn't quit."
The unspoken message: I'm innocent too. I'm also a victim.
Tadara Yoshihiko, however, was more focused on the "subsequent scripts." He eagerly asked, "Will there really be healing elements later on? President Lin previously said that once the protagonist becomes a magical girl, there will be healing elements. Was that just part of the animation's promotional strategy?"
A polite way to put it was "part of the animation's promotional strategy," but the blunt truth was "deception."
Shinbo remained tight-lipped. "Whether it's healing or not, I'm not sure how to put it. Besides, instead of me spoiling it, it's better for everyone to watch it themselves. All I can say is that the later content will be even more captivating—it won't lose to the third episode at all."
"Does this mean... more main characters might die?" Tadara Yoshihiko speculated.
"No, no, not at all," Akiyuki Shinbo quickly denied. "I never said that. Rather, new characters will be appearing soon."
"New characters?" Tadara Yoshihiko grabbed his pen again to jot down this key point.
He then asked, "If you had to give this animation a score out of ten, what would you give it?"
"One hundred points," Shinbo answered without hesitation.
"Hmm?" Tadara Yoshihiko blinked in surprise. "I mean, out of ten."
"Yes, one hundred points," Shinbo confirmed. He offered a simple explanation: "Setting aside the story for a moment, the visuals alone are... This animation has pushed the boundaries of what's possible in this era. The techniques used here are truly impressive. At my current level, I could never create something this exceptional. Working as the assistant director on this project has taught me so much."
He was being serious. After all, this animation was originally created by his future self, at the peak of his abilities, in another timeline.
Lin Zhiyan invited Akiyuki Shinbo to serve as his assistant director after completing Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase. At that time, Mysterious Classroom, later hailed as the "masterpiece of the Shinbo style," hadn't even been released yet.
As for the commercially successful Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei and Bakemonogatari, those were still a long way off. Given this context, Lin Zhiyan was truly astonished to see Puella Magi Madoka Magica, an animation that so perfectly aligned with his style and excelled in every aspect.
Moreover, the brilliance of this animation extended beyond the points he mentioned, encompassing its script, meticulous details, and music.
With every element operating at the highest level, Lin Zhiyan felt it would be almost unfair not to give it a perfect score of 100.
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