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Just like the previous week, Initial D continued to dominate the conversation within the latest issue of Weekly Prime. The buzz remained incredibly high, though as fans debated the series, the conversation occasionally drifted toward other topics. It is a common phenomenon among otaku; when they stop talking about one masterpiece, it is usually because they have discovered another one.
Initial D had only been on the shelves for two weeks, and its fame was still largely fermenting within the specific circle of weekly manga readers. Madoka Magica, however, had already reached a level where practically every subculture fan in Japan knew the name.
The ranking for the second chapter of Initial D was released early the following morning. Last week, it debuted at eighth. This week, it climbed to sixth. Furthermore, its reader rating rose from a 9.2 to a 9.4. This steady upward trajectory caused a shift in the atmosphere among the editorial staff at Prime Manga. They knew exactly what these numbers portended.
Once the weekly reports were finalized, the senior members of the editorial department gathered in the conference room for a strategy meeting.
"Based on the data from the first two chapters of Initial D, I believe in the growth potential of this work. Our publisher should tilt even more promotional resources in its direction," Katashi, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief, stated. He concluded his thirty-minute presentation and sat down with a refined, satisfied expression.
Today, he felt completely vindicated.
There was no better feeling than successfully using his executive privilege to force a series into serialization against heavy internal opposition, only to have that work explode in both critical acclaim and commercial success just one month later.
Initially, he had estimated that Initial D would eventually stabilize within the top eight of the magazine after a few months. Yet, the first chapter debuted at eighth, and the second was already sixth. This performance sparked a new ambition within Katashi's heart.
The top three slots in Weekly Prime were occupied by legendary pillar series, titan-class works that each sold over ten million copies per volume.
Their dominance had remained unshaken for three consecutive years; no other series had even come close to challenging their throne.
But looking at the current trajectory of Initial D, Katashi began to wonder if it could soon seize the fourth spot.
If the three pillars, Rising Shonen, Ultra Comic, and Next Jump, represented the ceiling of the magazine, then Katashi wanted the series he personally signed to become the undisputed ruler beneath that ceiling. Of course, if Haruto knew what Katashi was thinking, he would likely criticize the veteran editor for having a limited imagination.
But in the reality of the manga world, no matter how explosive a new hit might be, very few people would dare to dream of it actually surpassing a giant like One Piece.
Such is the power of conventional wisdom.
The meeting concluded quickly. As the Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Katashi had every right to demand more resources for a high-performing series, and with the data backing him up, no one could offer a logical rebuttal. The resolution to increase the marketing budget for Initial D passed unanimously. This was the benefit of having a powerful, well-connected ally within the publisher.
If Haruto had signed with a junior editor, Initial D would have likely died in the preliminary meetings. In a powerhouse like Prime Manga, a serialization slot is a high-stakes battlefield involving millions of yen in potential profit. Quality is only one of many factors that determine which series makes the cut.
While Shizuru, as the artist, spent every waking hour tracking the stats and online reviews, Haruto was far too busy for such luxuries. The first-week sales figures for the first Blu-ray and DVD volume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica had finally arrived.
"The first-week sales for Volume 1 of Madoka Magica are... 478,069 copies," a staff member read aloud.
A collective gasp echoed through the office. While home video releases are a vital revenue stream for any anime, the actual numbers are rarely this high. Most fans have already watched the series on television, and many are hesitant to spend thousands of yen on content they have already seen for free.
Under normal circumstances, an average hit might sell a few tens of thousands of copies.
A massive hit might reach several hundred thousand over its lifetime. Only the most legendary works ever break the one-million mark per volume.
The first-week performance of Madoka Magica was, therefore, utterly absurd. With nearly 500k copies sold in seven days, the first volume was almost guaranteed to eventually break the million-copy threshold.
Furthermore, fans were discerning consumers. Having watched the TV broadcast, they knew which episodes were the highlights.
It was common knowledge that the first two episodes, contained in Volume 1, were the relatively quiet parts of the show before the big narrative hooks.
If even the introductory volume was on track to sell a million copies, what would happen with Volume 2, which contained the infamous third episode of Mami Tomoe? Or Volume 3, which featured the revelation of the Soul Gems? What about the final episodes?
"Alright, everyone has seen the data," Haruto said, clearing his throat and addressing the room. "The disc sales for Madoka Magica are off to a decent start."
A decent start?
The entire staff, including Reina and Yukino, looked at him with peculiar expressions.
Breaking forty thousand in the first week was a feat achieved by only a dozen or so series in the history of animation. In the current market, it was practically unheard of. Yet to Haruto, this was merely decent?
"But we must keep up the momentum. As of this morning, Volume 2 has officially hit the shelves. The next month is going to be incredibly demanding," Haruto continued, his gaze sharp. "After all, in exactly one month, the theatrical feature The Rebellion Story will be released across Japan."
He stopped there, letting the implication sink in. The staff felt a rush of anticipation. If people were this desperate to buy the television episodes they had already seen, how would they react to a high-budget movie with entirely new content?
Haruto shared their excitement, but he remained grounded. In his original world, Madoka Magica was a phenomenal success that swept every award, but it actually sat around seventh or eighth on the all-time Blu-ray sales charts. It was preceded by giants like Mobile Suit Gundam, Uma Musume, Bakemonogatari, Love Live!, and the king itself, Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Evangelion had sales figures nearly triple those of Madoka. While the TV series for these legends were impressive, the real money was always in the movies.
A single Blu-ray disc cost from 5k yen to 10k yen.
Collecting a whole series required a financial commitment of several hundred dollars, a price many fans found exploitative.
But a theatrical movie was different.
Since it hadn't been broadcast for free, fans were far more willing to open their wallets. It wasn't uncommon for a movie's home video sales to be double or triple that of the TV series. This was why people often joked that whenever the Evangelion producers ran out of money, they simply released another movie to milk the fans.
Between the Blu-ray sales of the films, which could reach hundreds of thousands of copies at premium prices, and the subsequent merchandise, figurines, and licensing deals, a successful movie could generate billions in revenue.
The veteran staff members in the office could already see the writing on the wall.
Based on the Volume 1 figures, they could project the astronomical heights the later volumes would reach.
And if they factored in the upcoming movie, the total profit was staggering.
Looking back at the production cost, only around 340 million yen for the series and the time slots, the return on investment was going to be historic.
Everyone looked at Haruto with awe. It was essentially a certainty that by the end of the year, he would be one of the most successful individuals in the animation industry.
And the reality was even better than the projections.
Compared to the first volume, the fan enthusiasm for Volume 2 was even more intense. This was because Volume 2 contained the third episode, where the show's popularity first exploded.
While Volume 1 took two days to sell out in some stores, Volume 2 was gone from almost every shelf in the country on the morning of its release. Order phones at Haru-Yuki Animation were ringing off the hook across seventeen different prefectures.
This created a unique kind of pain for Haruto.
Because Haru-Yuki was a small startup less than a year old, the major high-end merchandise manufacturers hadn't taken them seriously during the initial negotiations months ago. They hadn't wanted to waste their production lines on an unknown quantity.
Consequently, Haruto had been forced to partner with smaller, mid-tier manufacturers. These companies had limited capacity and distribution networks. They knew they could make a fortune right now if they could just get the product out, but their machines were already at maximum capacity.
"Start making that money faster, Madoka," Haruto sighed. "I'm waiting on that revenue so I can launch the new projects and upgrade our production partners."