The Sword Art Online novel was the top-selling work in the industry in terms of average sales per volume during the previous quarter. However, it is important to note that "average per volume" is a fluctuating metric. If subsequent volumes do not sell as well as their predecessors, the data will naturally drop. While the sales for SAO remained rock-solid, Kiyozawa Library wanted to strike while the iron was hot and widen the gap between them and the second-place title. Consequently, they pushed for a premiere in the winter season.
Haruto, though the original author, did not interfere much in these corporate calculations. His only concern was that the broadcast times shouldn't overlap to steal viewership from one another.
Sword Art Online was scheduled for Saturday nights at 8:30 PM, while Code Geass aired on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM. If everything went smoothly, the winter season would be dominated by these two giants.
That was Haruto's perspective, as well as the view of Kiyozawa Library and NOVA Studio. However, the fans had a very different idea. Wherever there are people, there is competition.
Haruto's fans across the three mediums of novels, anime, and manga had always supported one another. Most of them actually held the identity of a triple fan. When the three works belonged to different sectors, everyone lived in harmony.
But since the confirmation in early December that Sword Art Online would premiere in January, the atmosphere had shifted completely.
"I'm sorry, brothers, but I'm defecting."
"I might be a loyal simp for C.C., but Asuna is my true goddess. I'm a dedicated SAO partisan now."
"Code Geass has been acting high and mighty for half a year. That's enough. It ruled the anime world last year, but this year belongs to Sword Art Online."
"You guys are dreaming. The novel fans are a force to be reckoned with, sure, but Code Geass has been airing for over six months and has built a massive anime-exclusive following. Do you really think SAO will overtake him just like that?"
"I'm just a neutral observer. I love Code Geass and I love SAO. It used to be one show a week, now I get two. It's a win-win."
"Does it even matter who has higher ratings? They're both the Warrior of Love's works. What is there even to fight about?"
"You clearly don't understand the stakes. In the novel world, Asuna is the undisputed queen. In the anime world, that title belongs to C.C. No one cares if Kirito or Lelouch is the better protagonist; what the fans care about is the battle for the Popularity Queen title. Whichever show has the higher ratings gives their fans the right to mock the other side."
"..."
"?"
"Is there something wrong with you people? Why are you fighting over this?"
"What is the point?"
"I don't care! I refuse to let C.C. lose to Asuna."
"Heh. Asuna would never lose to a heartless witch like C.C."
"Listen to these Asuna simps. In the novels, Asuna spent two years lying in a bed in the SAO game, and the first thing she did when she woke up was kiss Kirito at the hospital. I can't wait to see how the anime describes her breath after two years of not brushing her teeth."
"Give it a rest, you C.C. cultists. C.C. is a centuries-old hag dating a teenager! That's practically a great-grandmother romance. Even if Asuna hasn't brushed her teeth in two years, she'd still smell like flowers. C.C. might look like a girl, but she has the soul of a fossil. And she thinks she can compete with Asuna for the Queen title? Dream on!"
January 1st, New Year's Day.
The various factions of the ACG community were already at each other's throats on the major forums before the sun was even up.
Until the announcement of SAO's premiere, Code Geass fans had walked through the community with their heads held high. Even with so many Haruto haters around, no one dared to challenge them because Code Geass had been practically deified.
Until today.
The entire industry was finally witnessing what happened when the fans of Japan's two most popular franchises turned on each other. On the major forums, there was no room left to discuss any third anime. From top to bottom, the board was nothing but alternating threads about Lelouch and SAO.
Every major news outlet and critic began churning out articles.
[Can the Premiere of SAO End Lelouch's Six-Month Hegemony?]
[C.C. vs. Asuna: Who is the True Queen?]
[Code Geass's Throne is in Jeopardy: The Season's Greatest Challenger Arrives.]
[SAO Premiere Projections: Can it Replicate the Glory of Code Geass?]
[Looking Back at Six Years of Work, Haruto Realizes His Only Enemy is Himself.]
This war between the two fanbases caught Haruto completely off guard. He had absolutely no control over it. He didn't even dare to post a comment. If the fans thought the creator was playing favorites, he would be torn apart by the other side. This was no joke.
In his previous works, he had only killed off supporting characters, never the leads. Now that the fans were fighting over the status of the two heroines, Haruto feared that if he handled it poorly, he might actually find himself barricaded in his office by angry fans.
However, Kiyozawa Library, Haru-Yuki Animation, and NOVA Studio were quick to react.
Despite being the New Year holiday, Haruto and the executives of the other two companies summoned their marketing departments to turn this conflict into a promotional campaign. They released short videos and posters on their official sites that, in some ways, actually threw more fuel on the fire.
The bickering between the SAO and Lelouch fans was viewed with envy by one specific group: the Hunter x Hunter manga fans. With the manga only a year old, an anime adaptation was on the horizon but still far off. In the best-case scenario, news might drop in the second half of the year; at the slowest, it might be another year or two.
The amusement of the Hunter fans at the Heroine Wars helped keep the argument from becoming completely uncontrollable.
Within a few days, the entire atmosphere of the anime world had shifted. After the New Year holiday ended, the various titles for the winter season began to air.
Generally, there is an agreement in the industry.
Small-budget, low-popularity anime are usually scheduled for weekdays. TV stations don't give them prime slots, and even if they did, they would just end up as collateral damage. Every station and professional knew that Saturday for Sword Art Online and Sunday for Code Geass were time slots to be avoided at all costs.
After a few days, the winter market landscape became clear. As usual, there were no other massive hits, though there were plenty of high-quality, solid shows.
Before Haruto's rise, their 2% or 3% ratings might have been considered excellent. But now? Those numbers barely registered with critics.
Finally, the first Saturday of January arrived.
Episode 1 of Sword Art Online Season One aired.
Since Haruto's company wasn't producing it, he couldn't control the finer details of the production.
Aspects like the musical score, the budget allocation, and the character designs were left to the negotiations between NOVA and Kiyozawa Library. Many fans were nervous. There was a long history of disastrous light novel adaptations. They didn't want to see a weird, off-model version of SAO.
When the first episode finally aired, most fans breathed a sigh of relief. NOVA hadn't followed the light novel illustrations to the letter.
While the character designs Shizuru had created were iconic and beloved, NOVA was a major studio with its own ideas on adaptation.
The character designs were slightly tweaked, making the art style a bit more ornate and aesthetically polished compared to the original. Asuna's outfit was made to look a bit more cool and sharp rather than purely decorative.
While some fans might have preferred a more provocative design, the producer at NOVA wanted to portray Asuna as a beautiful, capable warrior rather than just eye candy. Furthermore, the soundtrack was a purely original score by a famous composer, designed specifically to match the theme of the series.
Ultimately, Episode 1 of SAO debuted with a high rating of 9.4 on review sites. The only criticism was that some scene transitions weren't quite as smooth as they could be.
But that was understandable.
NOVA Studio wasn't Haru-Yuki; they didn't have Haruto's guaranteed massive profit margins, so they were conservative with the budget, spending only where it truly counted.
The following morning, the viewership ratings for Episode 1 were released: 5.46%.
This was a phenomenal debut. While it wasn't as high as the 6.50% Code Geass had just pulled, everyone knew that this was just the beginning. At least half of that 5.46% was likely contributed by the novel fans, but for a show to truly explode, it needs to attract the general public. For a show to break 6%, it is almost impossible to do so without capturing regular viewers. No matter how high a fandom rating is, it has a ceiling.
Haruto sat in his office, looking at the report. The result was actually better than he had expected.
If SAO followed its natural trajectory, it would eventually reach the same tier as Code Geass. Both were masterpieces in the original world, after all.
Code Geass is the better written series overall.
But SAO is more influential commercially and in modern anime trends.
But starting at 5.46% was truly impressive.
"Is this the result of the Heroine Wars?" Haruto mused, a small smile playing on his lips. "I guess they essentially gave both shows free advertising across the entire internet."
He turned his attention to the forums. Every ACG enthusiast was currently aware of the premiere's success. This result was within the range of most people's expectations, but it still made many of Haruto's competitors in the industry break out in a cold sweat.
No one was foolish enough to think SAO would overtake Code Geass in a single week. Much of its rating came from casual TV viewers who had been following it for months; a brand-new show like SAO naturally wouldn't have that absolute volume of casuals yet.
But what did a 5.46% premiere actually mean? When the first season of Lelouch aired, buoyed by the hype from Edgerunners, its premiere was only roughly at that same level.
"At this rate, SAO will catch up in no time, won't it?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. It took Code Geass four months to break the 6% barrier. SAO had a great start, but who knows how it will perform long-term?"
"Fair point. But the upcoming plot of SAO is incredible. I'd argue the Aincrad arc is the best part of the whole series. I think it will break 6% much faster than the first season of Geass did."
"Stop hyping it up too much. The novel is great, sure, but we need to watch the animation quality. Let's see if NOVA messes with the plot and upsets the fans before we start calling it a masterpiece."
The premiere data for Sword Art Online caused a massive stir in the industry the next day. Then, that night, the highly anticipated Episode 14 of Code Geass aired.
The plot picked up immediately.
Rolo had murdered Shirley, and Lelouch was left to watch her life slip through his fingers.
He steeled his heart, vowing to eliminate Rolo, but he had to maintain a facade of brotherly affection for the sake of his mission. He even had to praise Rolo for killing her, claiming she was a threat to his identity. Furthermore, Shirley's sudden death had finally caused Suzaku to turn his full suspicion toward Lelouch.
The entire episode focused on these internal tensions. While it wasn't the most explosive episode, and it didn't feature the Lelouch kills Rolo scene the fans were begging for, the ratings held steady at 6.45%.
Code Geass was still hunting for the record held by Puella Magi Madoka Magica. But now, right behind him, a new challenger had appeared, racing to catch up.
The winter anime market had finally become interesting again.
The situation was now incredibly delicate.
Would Code Geass break the Madoka record first? Or would Sword Art Online catch up before that happened? Would the battle for the title of Popularity Queen between C.C. and Asuna be settled this season?
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