'Violet Blooming Garden' was an anime produced by Kyoni Animation Co., Ltd. six years ago in this world. It was also the only work for which Uehara Etsuki personally handled the character design. It was precisely because of this work that she was pushed to the pinnacle of the Japanese Gothic style, earning her the title of an unsurpassable master of gothic-style key animation in the industry. As for the work itself—whether in visuals, story, music, or character design—it would still be considered a breathtaking masterpiece even if placed in Kamiyā Yuu's previous world.
A masterpiece—a miraculous work, a sacred work, an unsurpassable divine creation!
Kamiyā Yuu had always disliked this arrogant term in his previous world, and he would never openly label any work with it. Broadly speaking, no literary or film work in this world could truly be called a "masterpiece." Yet in a narrower sense, countless onlookers of unclear background loved to slap this label onto commercialized fast-food entertainment, causing the term's value to plummet—eventually turning it into something almost sarcastic.
"A masterpiece? Heh." That was probably the common reaction most people had toward work that others labeled as such.
A thousand people see a thousand Hamlets; likewise, a thousand people may each hold a different "masterpiece" in their hearts.
Kamiyā Yuu was no exception. In his heart, there were several works he considered masterpieces. For example, when he first got into anime, 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' gave him immense shock and amazement in every aspect. Even when he later rewatched it and noticed its many flaws and imbalances, it didn't stop him from labeling it a masterpiece in his heart. After all, at that time, it was the only anime that had ever moved him so deeply and shaken him to his core. As time passed, he might forget the details of its plot, but he would never forget the feeling it once gave him.
That was what the term "masterpiece" was like—it shifted depending on the person, their life experience, and their perspective.
Even so, despite now possessing a highly refined understanding of anime, Kamiyā Yuu still gave 'Violet Blooming Garden' the label of a masterpiece.
This anime itself was a legend in the Japanese animation industry of this world. Its original work came from one of the towering figures of Japan's modern literary scene—Kirigami Ruri, a genius novelist who even left Kamiyā Yuu in awe. It should be noted that this world leaned toward the idealized; geniuses like Uehara Etsuki or Kamiyā Sora, though rare, were not so scarce as to be considered national treasures. Yet Kirigami Ruri, in the realm of novels, was a genuine national treasure—hailed by the Japanese literary world as the most outstanding novelist of the past century. Every one of her works—whether long novels, short stories, or even fantasy light novels—became a nationwide phenomenon in Japan.
The younger generation, in particular, practically revered her with fanatic devotion.
Naturally, Kamiyā Yuu had read her works. Upon first encounter, he was stunned, feeling that her prose flowed effortlessly without the slightest trace of artificiality. Her writing was delicate and refined, like a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko imbued with classical Japanese elegance, as if it had shed all vulgarity. Every word and sentence carried the power to move the reader's heart. Before this, Kamiyā Yuu had never encountered a novelist whose words were so emotionally evocative. Even when compared to the countless classics and modern web novels of his previous world combined, he couldn't find a single writer who matched her in sheer expressive power.
In his previous world, Kamiyā Yuu's understanding of writing style had been vague. He had once believed that using archaic phrases or obscure classical words could create a sense of sophistication. It wasn't until he first encountered Kirigami Ruri's work that he realized how shallow and laughable his understanding had been. Every "high-end" scene he had painstakingly constructed was inferior to even a small passage from her writing in terms of emotional impact.
Setting aside her prose, what amazed Kamiyā Yuu even more was her control over characters and their portrayal. In her works, not every character necessarily left a deep impression, but each one behaved and spoke in a way that perfectly matched their defined personality. Both protagonists and supporting characters were richly developed, vivid, and lifelike. Every time he read her works, Kamiyā Yuu experienced a peculiar sensation—not that the plot guided the characters, but that the characters' personalities determined the course of the story.
It was precisely these two extraordinary talents, combined with a breadth of knowledge that left ordinary people in awe, that placed her at the pinnacle of Japanese popular literature. Even the most clichéd and melodramatic romance plots would be revitalized under her pen, offering readers an entirely new experience. Ironically, it was this very ability to turn the mundane into the extraordinary that limited her works' expansion into other media.
Generally speaking, adapting a novel into animation enhances its visual and aesthetic appeal. Yet all of Kirigami Ruri's works, despite their excellence, had earned the nickname "the graveyard of production companies." To date, several film and animation studios that attempted to adapt her works have been harshly criticized and ridiculed by readers and the media. Even when these companies produced objectively solid and competent works, they still fell far short of the original's essence, unable to capture the world she had depicted in her writing.
Against this backdrop, 'Violet Blooming Garden' was likely the only anime adaptation of her work in all of Japan that had not been widely criticized. This was because it successfully conveyed the original's essence in every aspect. The project had been personally commissioned by Kirigami Ruri herself for Uehara Etsuki to produce. Since it was her first time making such a request, it stirred considerable waves in the literary world at the time, with many speculating about the private relationship between her and Uehara Etsuki. Naturally, numerous investment companies eager to latch onto this national author spared no expense.
After a full round of planning, the eleven-episode 'Violet Blooming Garden' had a staggering budget of nearly 50 million yen per episode. This far exceeded even the most expensive mecha anime productions of Kamiyā Yuu's previous world, such as 'Gundam SEED' (excluding theatrical films). As for the visual quality, it lived up to expectations, reaching a level comparable to the explosive visual standard of 'Ghost in the Shell' theatrical releases. In particular, the animation scene design, character visuals, and cultural atmosphere handled by Uehara Etsuki formed a visual feast that made it impossible to look away.
'Violet Blooming Garden' told the story of a female robot in a steampunk setting searching for her "self"—a premise that was not particularly novel. Yet, through Kirigami Ruri's writing and the immense financial backing, it sparked an unprecedented global sensation at the time, becoming one of the most representative works of Japanese anime in the world.
The investors' decision proved correct. Although it was an anime, it carried the name of the national author Kirigami Ruri. With waves of promotion and various commercial activities, nearly every investor made enormous profits, which in turn allowed Kyoni Animation Co., Ltd. to continue surviving until now.
But don't misunderstand—this doesn't mean Kyoni Animation Co., Ltd. itself made a fortune from the anime. In reality, aside from entrusting character design and key animation to Uehara Etsuki, all subsequent animation production processes were outsourced to large subcontracting companies or studios. In the industry, animation production companies were akin to construction workers—have you ever seen real estate developers share housing profits with the builders? A clear example from Kamiyā Yuu's previous world was 'Girls und Panzer,' an extremely popular original anime in Japan whose production company still faced the risk of bankruptcy.