At a high school, three or four boys gathered together.
"Did you guys watch Death Note last night? It was amazing! I never would have thought he could prove the Male Lead's location using that method."
"Yeah, I saw it! It was pretty surprising. I thought L had some special ability."
"This anime is incredible. I can't wait to see what happens next."
"When I first saw the manga in a magazine, I knew this work was something special. It's a shame only two chapters are out. We have to wait until October 26th for the third chapter."
"The animation studio is L.S, right? I wish I could sneak into their company and find the rest of the story to finish it early."
"Yamero! That's a crime! In the Death Note world, you'd die of a heart attack for even thinking about that."
"Haha, I was just kidding. Of course, I wouldn't actually do something like that. Still, it would be cool if we really had a Death Note."
In front of a certain station.
"[ Death Note ]?"
"I've seen that animation. It's pretty good."
"What's it about?"
"It's only had two episodes so far. It's about the main character finding a Shinigami's notebook. If you write someone's name in it, and you know their face, they die. The main character starts writing the names of criminals, clearing the world of people he deems unnecessary. Then the police hire a super-detective codenamed L to go after him. That's basically the story."
"Writing the names of criminals one after another? That's insane!"
"Yeah, so it's not like your typical animation. It's actually quite satisfying to watch."
"You make it sound interesting. I might check it out next time."
At a certain university's animation research club:
"Supervising Director, storyboard artist, scriptwriter, character designer, chief animation director, music composer, and even the lyrics and vocals for the opening and ending themes—all done by one person! And the animation is this good? Lin Zhiyan is practically a god!"
"Even when he was on IG, I knew his drawing skills were ridiculously good. But after leaving IG and starting his own animation company, he's gone even crazier. All his talents just exploded at once—it's incredible!"
"I've decided. From now on, Lin Zhiyan is my idol. After I graduate, I'm definitely going to try and join his company."
"If Death Note is a success, it might be harder to get into his company later, right?"
"Probably. But if they can maintain the quality of the first two episodes, how could it not be a success?"
"True, but the question is whether they can maintain it."
"Who knows? As long as the later episodes aren't too ridiculous, I'll keep watching this anime no matter what."
Just two episodes in, Death Note had already established its reputation, with discussions about the animation filling the internet.
Viewers who were thoroughly enjoying it spontaneously began promoting the series.
Lin Zhiyan, the producer responsible for the animation, also invested heavily in marketing. He released a new key visual each week and never turned down media interview requests. Occasionally, he even arranged for voice actors to participate in events to boost the show's popularity.
As the third, fourth, and fifth episodes aired, the plot remained tightly paced, with Yagami Light and L's brilliant moves and countermoves coming one after another. The animation was fluid, the storyboarding was excellent, and the music perfectly complemented the scenes. The series maintained its high quality throughout, causing its popularity to snowball.
The animation achieved both critical acclaim and widespread popularity!
October was originally expected to be dominated by two strong manga adaptations: First Step and Inuyasha. First Step premiered on October 3rd, followed by Inuyasha on October 16th. Both were predicted to rank among the top three most popular and critically acclaimed anime of the year.
With the sudden emergence of [ Death Note ], the competition for the top three spots in popularity and critical acclaim became fiercely contested.
Fortunately, the three animations catered to different audiences. Moreover, as [ First Fist of the North Star ] and [ Inuyasha ] were both super-long-running series, they didn't directly compete in the DVD market. Otherwise, their rivalry might have resulted in mutual destruction.
Regardless, [ Death Note ] proved to be a resounding success.
The animation company L.S. Production shot to fame with this work. Supervising Director, scriptwriter, character designer, chief animation director, music supervisor, and even the lyricist and singer of the opening and ending themes, Lin Zhiyan, rose to stardom. He not only became a household name among viewers but also emerged as a rising star in the industry.
Various animation magazines launched special columns dedicated to Lin Zhiyan, showering him with praise. Some media outlets even hailed him as an "all-around genius" and a "once-in-a-millennium animation prodigy."
As Lin Zhiyan's star continued to rise, television stations actively invited him to appear on talk shows.
Lin Zhiyan participated in the interview.
As a result, his female fanbase surged.
Who wouldn't be drawn to someone so handsome and talented?
Some girls who had never watched anime before became fans of Lin Zhiyan after seeing his interview. They then started watching Death Note and became completely hooked on the series.
Consequently, after the interview aired, the popularity of the Death Note anime also saw a significant boost.
Of course, the success of the anime benefited not only Lin Zhiyan and L.S Production, but also the voice actors who lent their voices to the characters. Their popularity soared.
Yamaguchi Morihei, the voice actor for L, experienced a meteoric rise in fame. In October, he also voiced the protagonist of another hit anime, Inuyasha. This dual success made him the talk of the voice acting world for a time.
However, as this was a matter for the voice acting community, Lin Zhiyan didn't pay much attention to it.
For him, temporary success was never enough. After taking flight, the crucial task was to ensure a smooth landing. Thus, he remained fully focused on the production of the subsequent Death Note content, never relaxing his efforts.
Regarding promotion, since the animation had already built up a strong following and reputation, there was no need to invest excessive time and effort. Simple, straightforward promotion would suffice; there was no need for extravagant campaigns. After all, promotion was costly, and events were even more expensive.
They had already spent a considerable amount on initial promotion, and now they had to be more frugal.
While overseeing the animation production, Lin Zhiyan was preoccupied with another matter: making money.
No matter how successful the animation was in terms of popularity and reputation, nothing was as practical as earning money.
The animation had already drained their finances through production and promotion costs. Although they had recouped some funds by selling GG to the GG Merchant, it was far from enough.
They needed to make a killing, or the animation might not even be finished before he went bankrupt. The 300 million yen budget for production and promotion was woefully inadequate; even mortgaging his house and car would barely cover the costs.
The release of the animation DVDs was already scheduled, but that wouldn't happen until mid-December.
What Lin Zhiyan wanted to focus on now were the animation's figures and merchandise. Given the animation's immense popularity, these could be a lucrative source of income, but the question was how much they could earn.
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