Late that night, Haruki's post triggered another wave of activity under his page. Within minutes, fans, still reeling from the ending of 5 Centimeters per Second, flooded the comments.
Though many were still emotionally wrecked, a shift had begun. Some had started processing what they'd seen—not just with heartbreak, but clarity.
"Okay... hear me out. Yeah, the ending hurts like hell, but honestly, it makes sense. Real life isn't some perfect fairy tale where love always wins. Sometimes the distance gets too wide, the years too long, and people move on. It's sad, but it's real."
"Exactly. If Takaki and Akari had magically reunited at the end, it wouldn't have hit half as hard. That bittersweet ache is what makes the story linger."
"That's what struck me most. It left me with this aching sense of regret... but also, that's what love often looks like. You stumble through it, full of hope, and sometimes it just doesn't work out."
"I get what you're saying, but I still cried like a kid. I couldn't stop thinking about my ex…"
Others chimed in with a laugh, or bitterness masked as humor.
"You newbies must be new to Mizushiro's stuff. I've been traumatized since Rurouni Kenshin. This is nothing. Actually, I'm kind of excited for Voices of a Distant Star. If 5cm/s broke us, maybe the next one will heal us. Or maybe we're just addicts for pain."
"Nah, I'm done. No more Mizushiro works for me. I can't take another hit."
"Come on, it can't be that bad. Voices of a Distant Star has aliens and mechs. From the trailer, it looks like an epic sci-fi romance, two lovers in a galaxy-spanning war, sending messages across the stars… Sounds uplifting, not soul-crushing."
"That's what I thought before 5cm/s. Never again. Fool me once..."
"Anyway, the new anime drops at 10 p.m. tomorrow. Not a midnight release, so don't bother staying up. Let's reconvene on his page tomorrow night. Brace yourselves."
The next day.
The numbers came in for Episode 3 of 5 Centimeters per Second, and they were staggering.
Thanks to passionate word-of-mouth, emotional reactions, and relentless reposts, the anime had completely exploded.
Episode 3 alone had racked up 4.1 million views.
And across the full series? Over 13 million.
And it wasn't slowing down. Over the next several days, the viewership was expected to keep rising.
In the rented studio office, Kazuya, Haruki, and the production team sat around, giddy with disbelief.
"Thirteen million views... from just three episodes," Kazuya muttered.
At that moment, 5 Centimeters per Second had overtaken Frozen Witch to become the most-watched series of the January season.
If this trend continued until the series wrapped its run and entered licensing, it could end up doubling or even tripling those other titles in lifetime views.
Another smash hit.
But this time, they hadn't relied on a big studio name or a built-in fanbase.
This was a new team, a temporary crew that Haruki and Kazuya had put together from scratch. And the work had been carried not by hype, but by the quality of the story, the animation, and the music that tied it all together.
Kazuya remembered how anxious he'd been at the beginning, wondering whether the investment would ever be recouped. Now, he looked back at those doubts and laughed.
Haruki had been calm the whole time. When he said this project would make waves, he meant it.
And now, the numbers proved him right.
"The revenue from this alone…" Kazuya murmured, running mental projections in his head, "...is more than I earned in years at my last job."
For the first time ever, Kazuya felt a strange and overwhelming urge to grab Haruki and kiss his usually expressionless face out of sheer joy.
That's how giddy he was.
All morning, calls had been pouring in from friends and colleagues in the anime world. Everyone was congratulating them, and many were not-so-secretly envious.
So by noon, Kazuya had stopped pretending to be professional. They brought out the winter space heater, bought out the local grocery store's meat section, opened beers, and set up a grill right in the office.
When Haruki arrived, he stared at the scene.
"What the hell...?"
He wasn't mad, just confused. The place looked like someone had opened a food stall in the middle of his studio.
Still, once the scent hit him, he shrugged, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and joined in.
Kazuya pulled him aside, clearly trying to talk but beaming too hard to get the words out.
Haruki finally figured it out halfway through the second beer.
"You're celebrating early, huh?"
"Damn right. And it's not over yet," Kazuya grinned.
"We've put out two titles in six months. And tonight, Voices of a Distant Star premieres."
Haruki nodded, his voice steady.
"Once that's out, then we'll celebrate properly."
"Right, right! I almost forgot," Kazuya said. "So, what do you think? How big will Voices get?"
Haruki didn't hesitate.
"It won't do better than 5 Centimeters per Second."
Shout out to Max Talen, RoyalTwinFangs for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)