On February 25th, the day before the 21st episode of "Shirobako" aired, all 24 episodes of the animation were completed. Only the OVA remained unfinished, but since it wouldn't be aired on TV and would instead be released with the BDs and DVDs, there was no need to rush.
Lin Zhiyan had them continue working on the OVA, but at the same time, he began to consider a problem.
It wasn't about what anime to make after "Shirobako," but about the earthquake in March.
Acting as a prophet to tell everyone there would be an earthquake and that they should leave certain places on that day was something Lin Zhiyan would never do. At most, if he knew anyone in the heavily affected areas, he would find an excuse to have them leave so they wouldn't suffer.
As for people he didn't know, Lin Zhiyan wouldn't care that much. At most, after the earthquake happened, he would make a donation to do some superficial work and show some charity.
This wasn't really something worth considering.
The real problem was that even though Musashino City in Tokyo wouldn't be in the epicenter of the earthquake, it was impossible for it to remain completely unaffected. No one knew what kind of situation might arise.
It would be best to go to the Kansai region to take shelter.
He wanted to leave Tokyo and take refuge in the Kansai region, but what would be a good excuse?
He certainly couldn't just say that the eastern part of the island nation was about to be hit by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that would also trigger a tsunami.
He couldn't even make it seem too abrupt; he needed a reasonable and sound justification so that people would think his departure from Tokyo was just a coincidence.
Fortunately, Tokyo wasn't in the worst-hit zone. Even if there were casualties, they would be few and far between. The areas with significant loss of life would be Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.
Under these circumstances, as long as it didn't seem too sudden, no one would suspect he had advance knowledge of the earthquake and had left Tokyo out of fear of what might happen.
A reason that wouldn't seem abrupt.
After much thought, Lin Zhiyan finally called Yamada Naoko into his office.
"President, did you call for me?" Yamada Naoko asked, puzzled as to why Lin Zhiyan wanted to see her.
Lin Zhiyan gestured for her to sit down first.
After she did, he asked, "Are you still in touch with Kyoto Animation?"
Yamada Naoko paused, hesitating for two or three seconds before answering, "We don't have any work-related contact, but I do still keep in touch with some of my former colleagues privately."
"Don't be nervous. I'm not forbidding you from contacting them," Lin Zhiyan smiled. "It's like this: although our company's internal environment, benefits, and treatment are among the best in the industry..."
"Don't be nervous. I'm not forbidding you from staying in touch with them."
Lin Zhiyan smiled. "It's like this: although our company's internal environment and benefits are currently among the best in the industry, and our company culture and animation production quality are also top-tier, we shouldn't become complacent just because things are going well."
"Huh..." Yamada Naoko was stunned, listening blankly.
Lin Zhiyan continued, "What I mean is, I'm considering whether we should send a group over to Kyoto Animation for an exchange program in a while. Think of it as a business trip combined with a vacation. If you're still in contact with people there, I hope you can help me bridge the connection. After all, they are doing quite well in many aspects, and there should be things worth learning from them."
He glanced at Yamada Naoko and added, "Of course, if you feel that this would make you feel awkward or put you in a difficult position, that's fine too. Just be direct about it, and I can ask someone else to help me make the connection."
Although Kyoto Animation is one of the few animation companies not based in the Greater Tokyo Area, it has had collaborations with some companies here in Tokyo. In this situation, it is not absolutely necessary for Naoko Yamada to help bridge the connection; asking someone else would also be fine.
However, if Naoko Yamada has no issue with it, it would naturally be better to have her help directly.
Naoko Yamada had not expected Lin Zhiyan to seek her out for this; she thought he had something to instruct her regarding the "K-On!" theatrical film.
Having come from Kyoto Animation, and now being asked to bridge a connection to let a new company exchange and learn with Kyoto Animation, it does feel a bit strange—like taking your current boyfriend to meet your ex-boyfriend.
It is a little awkward.
But then again, the animation industry is not like other industries; personnel turnover is relatively high. Moreover, she didn't leave Kyoto Animation because of a falling out; she left because L.S offered her a rare opportunity, and she departed with Kyoto Animation's consent, so it was actually fine.
With that thought in mind, she said, "I'll ask for you. Around what time?"
"If possible, I plan to schedule it for the following week, from March 7th to March 13th," Lin Zhiyan replied.
A week is about right for an exchange program.
However, since March 7th is a Monday, he would actually be departing on March 5th. The return date wasn't set in stone; he would see what the situation was like in Tokyo after the earthquake had occurred by then.
If Musashino City in Tokyo wasn't severely affected by the earthquake, he would return on the day the exchange program ended. If the impact was significant and daily life was disrupted, he would delay his return by a few days—he would have plenty of excuses by then anyway.
Naoko Yamada didn't overthink it. She asked a few simple questions and then helped Lin Zhiyan make the arrangements on the spot.
Soon, the exchange program with Kyoto Animation was confirmed.
With that settled, the only remaining task was deciding who to bring along.
Naturally, he couldn't take the entire company, otherwise, they might think Lin Zhiyan was bringing a gang to start a fight.
Besides, Tokyo wasn't the disaster zone of the earthquake, so the probability of death or injury in Musashino City, Tokyo, was effectively zero. In such a situation, there was no need to take everyone away.
To put it bluntly, Lin Zhiyan was mainly afraid of trouble, and he didn't want to take any risks, not even a one in a hundred thousand chance.
Furthermore, ever since he was reborn in Japan, most of his time had been spent on animation production. Although he occasionally had to leave Tokyo to receive awards or attend events, he would always rush back and forth, never really taking the time to properly explore anywhere in Japan.
Since he hadn't decided on his next animation project yet, and "Shirobako" was largely completed, he had some free time now and could use this opportunity to travel a bit.
Exchanging and learning with Kyoto Animation was also a meaningful endeavor.
It was killing three birds with one stone.
He would definitely bring his family along. As for the company, he would just bring a few people.
He would bring those who were relatively free, those with seniority, and those with potential for development.
After all, they would be staying there for at least a week, and the animation industry is quite busy, so without early planning, there wouldn't be many people who could spare the time.
Naturally, such opportunities had to prioritize those with seniority and potential; it was impossible to give such perks to newcomers who had just joined the company.
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