1 Month Earlier
At Tokyo
Aokusa Pictures
Rikuya entered the meeting hall.
"As for the next winter season," he began, "we're going to make an anime adaptation of Ring of Power.
Did we get a reply from Mima-san about joining as sound director? This will be a big project. We've already secured Shiro Sakitsu-san as the composer."
Koharu said, "We reached out to his agent. We gave them the story materials, but Mima-san said he's already committed to another project."
Rikuya frowned. "What other project? I haven't heard of any big studio at our level bringing him in. And I don't think any indie studio could afford him."
Koharu added, "He didn't say which project. And on top of that, Merrick-san has also come to Japan for a new anime. We still haven't heard which studio he's joined."
Shunsuke spoke up, "Oh, I also heard Whitlock-san has come to Japan."
Ryouhei looked surprised. "Wait… seriously? Why are all these people coming to Japan? Are they all working on a single project?"
Koharu shook her head. "I don't think that's possible. You can count on one hand the times more than two world-class creators worked on the same project, and even then, they're usually in the same category, like director-producer or composer-sound director.
But here, we're talking about a director, a producer, and a sound director, all from different countries: USA, UK, and Japan. There are only a few studios strong enough to bring them all on board, and as far as I know, I haven't heard of any Japanese studio announcing something like this."
Rikuya leaned back in his chair. "They might be working on separate projects, but worst-case scenario, they're collaborating. If that's true, we'll have to reconsider our release schedule for next year."
Koharu nodded. "Yes. That might be necessary. With Mizushiro-san dominating this year's awards, I assumed he might take it easy next year, especially with how much he's been doing. This week will be the final episode airing."
Shunsuke sighed. "Yeah, can't believe a single person is creating all those stories. I mean, how can one person have that much output? I've heard rumors. Are they true? Does he have ghostwriters?"
Koharu frowned. "Those are just baseless accusations. If someone that talented were ghostwriting this level of work, why wouldn't they publish their own manga or story? People just say that because their favorite mangaka can't match him."
Rikuya waved his hand. "We don't need to pay attention to those kinds of rumors. What matters is finding out if these directors are working on an individual project or a massive collaboration, so we can avoid our work getting overshadowed.
We don't want another year like this one, where we only received three nominations while Mizushiro-san's works took nearly every major category.
And we didn't get the rights to adapt Initial D this year, and now only Mizushiro's studio and T-Bone will be taking all the awards.
The investors aren't happy about this either. With how much money we poured into the Ring of Power prequel this summer, there hasn't been much buzz around the industry."
He looked around the room firmly.
"So, prepare a contingency plan. If these directors really are working together, we'll delay Ring of Power to next year. I want it to dominate the award shows. We're building this project to get maximum popularity and impact."
After the meeting
As the room emptied, Amane quietly returned to her office.
She closed the door behind her, opened her contact list, and quietly started making calls.
Mima-san was the easiest lead. He was still in Tokyo. Through a production coordinator who had worked with him on a few projects in the past, she managed to reach his assistant. The response came an hour later: Mima-san was already committed to a new anime. The assistant didn't name the studio, only said the contract had been signed last week.
That alone ruled out most of the studios that announce their next work.
She leaned back in her chair, frowning. Mima-san wouldn't join anything unless it was ambitious.
Next, she reached out to an overseas licensing agent she knew in Los Angeles, asking about Merrick-san's movements. A few hours passed before the message came:
"He flew to Japan three weeks ago on a private invitation. Destination was listed as Evermark Production."
Evermark.
Mizushiro's studio.
Her stomach sank slightly.
Finally, she began tracing Whitlock-san's location. This took the longest. She sent messages to two European producers they had worked with in the past and waited through the night. The answer came just before dawn: Whitlock-san had gone to Japan for a new anime, and his destination was also Evermark Production. No public announcement had been made.
By now, the picture was taking shape.
Mima-san confirmed.
Anderson-san confirmed.
Heyman-san confirmed.
And all roads pointed to Mizushiro.
Amane closed her laptop and exhaled.
If this was true, Code Geass wouldn't just be another anime. It would be an international powerhouse.
If they released Ring of Power in the same season, it would be buried.
Weeks Later
Rikuya entered the room quickly.
"So, did you find out what project those directors are working on?"
Amane nodded grimly. "Yes. And… bad news. They're working together."
Rikuya's eyes widened, then he sighed. "Oh. Then we delay Ring of Power to next year. Do you know which project they're on?"
Amane replied, "It's Mizushiro's new anime, Code Geass."
Shunsuke groaned. "Man, he doesn't take a break. How does he already have a new story ready, and convince these directors to join him at the same time?"
Rikuya exhaled. "Then we'll focus on making second seasons of shows we haven't adapted yet but already have strong fanbases. No new original anime this year. That way, we can still have a strong presence."
Amane nodded. "Okay."
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