Time finally arrived on the afternoon of May 2nd.
The team members responsible for managing the animation section at "Fakebook" hurriedly finished the fast food prepared in advance before rushing back to their workstations, their expressions grave as they handled the biggest event the animation division had faced since its creation—
The collaboration between the Yosuganosora animation production team and "Fakebook" to release the animated movie 'RWBY' exclusively on the "Fakebook" video platform.
Most members of the animation division had participated in the promotion and cooperation work related to 'RWBY,' so they had a very direct understanding of this animated movie.
An outstanding animated film.
An animated film with immense anticipation and popularity.
An animated film capable of exhausting them to the point of collapsing at their desks today.
"The number of users viewing the streaming page has already exceeded six million! And it's still rising continuously! At this rate, the video page servers will hit peak traffic and crash sooner or later! We've already urgently disabled the comment function to reduce the burden on information exchanges on the servers. My God, Robert, can't you think of something? I really don't want to receive tens of thousands of user complaints!"
A member of the technical team stared anxiously at the constantly refreshing numbers on the computer screen while reporting rapidly. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, yet he could only remain helpless because he could not think of a solution.
After lowering the phone slightly, Robert glared at the technical staff member and snapped,
"Bobby, if users complain that your brain has a problem, then they'd probably be right. Add stream source distribution to the playback page and split the viewers across multiple servers."
The programmer named Bobby weakly protested,
"But that would require emergency maintenance on the playback page for at least ten minutes."
Robert lowered the phone again, suppressing his anger.
"Do you have a better solution?"
"...Uh... no."
"Then damn it, do it!"
Robert practically shouted the words, startling everyone else in the office.
······
Inside the 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio, all the staff had gathered in the break room watching the webpage displayed on the large screen television.
That webpage was the official streaming page for the 'RWBY' movie.
"So this webpage is about to stream the animated movie we made..."
Matsuoka Taira stared blankly up at the giant screen in disbelief.
Although the webpage itself looked no different from an ordinary site, one number displayed in English made him feel an overwhelming sense of unreality.
Current online viewers: 7,046,352
And the number was still climbing continuously. Before long, it would surpass ten million.
What did ten million people even mean?
The population of the Tokyo metropolitan area was only a little over thirty million. In other words, if those viewers were imagined as residents of Tokyo, then one-third of the city's population would currently be watching this animation.
Students studying at school.
Exhausted office workers.
Housewives managing households.
Retired elderly people are relaxing leisurely.
Just imagining such a scene felt unbelievable to him.
Was this number really real?
Were there truly over seven million viewers simultaneously watching an animated movie he personally helped create?
Was the animation they made really such incredible work?
Matsuoka Taira's mind had already fallen into complete chaos...
Miyauchi Ema tightly gripped her teacup while staring at the numbers on the giant screen. Looking around at the serious expressions on everyone's faces, she forced herself to smile in an attempt to ease the heaviness in her heart.
"By the way, this number really is terrifying. Could there maybe be some fake traffic mixed in?"
Standing nearby, Majima Hana frowned unhappily.
"What are you talking about, Ema? This is an animation we made ourselves."
Realizing she had misspoken, Miyauchi Ema nervously scratched her hair and laughed awkwardly.
"Sorry, I'm just too nervous. Honestly, I don't even know what kind of expression I should be making right now. If I don't say something, it feels like my heart might explode from beating too fast."
"You're making too big a fuss. Look at Matsuoka-kun. He's so calm."
"No, he's just mentally overwhelmed and completely petrified," Miyauchi Ema pouted after glancing at him.
"Aren't you nervous too, Yuu?"
Standing beside Kamiyā Yuu, Morishita Aoi lightly poked his cheek with her finger. The cool touch brought him slightly back to his senses.
Kamiyā Yuu let out a long breath before turning toward Morishita Aoi's serious yet calm expression and smiling.
"I'm pretty confident in the quality of my work. I'm just a little confused that we achieved something this incredible."
Suddenly, Yūki Chinatsu flopped down onto Kamiyā Yuu's lap. Resting there while looking up at him, she grabbed his cheeks with both hands and pulled them into an exaggerated smile.
"This is a work I personally helped make, so popularity like this is only natural, right? Relax~ Relax~! Yuu, don't forget to increase my bonus! Also, the snacks in the cabinet need upgrading to more expensive ones. And it'd be best if we added a refrigerator here, too. Having unlimited ice cream available would be perfect!"
After speaking, she simply lay comfortably on his lap while continuing to watch the giant screen.
Kamiyā Yuu laughed softly.
"Yes, yes, it's all thanks to Chinatsu. As for your suggestion... I'll consider it."
"Tch~ Just 'consider it'!"
"What about you, Sensei? How are you feeling right now?"
Kamiyā Yuu turned toward Uehara Etsuki, who was preparing Japanese tea for everyone.
Dressed in a pale white kimono, she remained as calm and elegant as an orchid blooming in an empty valley. Hearing his question, she gently set down the tea utensils and smiled softly.
"Indeed... I'm feeling a slight sense of anticipation."
Her calm reaction was entirely within Kamiyā Yuu's expectations.
After all, she had once been the head of the Uehara family. In her eyes, the achievements of 'RWBY' were little more than a small commotion.
"And you, Aoi?"
Morishita Aoi froze briefly before shaking her head with a trace of loneliness beneath her serious expression.
"I wasn't directly involved in the production of 'RWBY,' so it doesn't feel very real to me."
"But you're still a member of our 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio. This animation could never have been completed without you, and your contribution is no less than anyone else sitting here."
Kamiyā Yuu looked directly into her eyes as he spoke seriously.
Still lying down, Yūki Chinatsu also waved her hand and shouted,
"Exactly! Without Aoi around, I wouldn't even understand Yuu's messy storyboard drafts."
"Be more confident, Aoi," Uehara Etsuki added with a soft laugh.
Morishita Aoi stood stunned for a moment before revealing a gentle smile. It was the first time Kamiyā Yuu had ever seen her display such an innocent and shy expression in public, almost like a young girl.
"Is that so? If everyone thinks that way, then I feel relieved."
"Eight million... It's already at eight million... Just how many people is eight million anyway...?"
Matsuoka Taira continued muttering blankly to himself.
The greatest difference between online streaming and theatrical release lies in convenience.
With online streaming, viewers could watch whenever they wanted. Movies in theaters required purchasing tickets and following fixed screening schedules.
Although online streaming could not replicate the immersive visual experience of theaters, the low six-dollar ticket price was enough to compensate for that weakness.
And with proper promotion combined with high quality, the number of viewers naturally would never be low.