Online,
Not long after the conclusion of Lelouch, discussions about Lin Zhiyan's new animation were already circulating:
"I hope it's still a high-IQ male lead with a dark, anti-hero style. That kind of work really hits the spot for me, but there's just not enough of it."
"No way, it's boring to keep rehashing the same formula. If he sticks to one style for too long, his plots will become predictable. I hope he tries something new; that'll make Lord Hayashi's future achievements even greater."
"Trying a different genre is fine, but based on his track record, Lin Zhiyan clearly excels at this type of story. I don't think he should abandon his strengths so easily."
"Honestly, as long as it's good, the style doesn't matter. My only request is: please don't make the next animation so heartbreaking. Watching Lelouch was agony."
"Stop killing off the male lead in the final episode! It's happened in two consecutive anime. If it happens again, I'll have to say Lin Zhiyan has gone completely mad."
"Why not make a comedy anime? While comedies might not have much depth or commercial value, L.S made a fortune from Death Note and Lelouch. Giving back to the fans would be a nice gesture, right?"
"I'm not keen on comedies, but how about something more lighthearted and upbeat? Death Note was too serious, and Lelouch focused on satisfaction, angst, and emotion. A new series with a cheerful tone could be great."
"I wonder if Lord Hayashi has considered another Knightmare Frame series. Lelouch had them, but the focus wasn't on the mechs themselves. It's a shame. I hope he tries a pure Knightmare Frame anime."
Inside the President's office at L.S. Production.
Lin Zhiyan was meeting with a guest—though "guest" wasn't quite the right word. It was more like a new member, a new partner of the company.
"Imanishi-kun, I've heard you're quite knowledgeable about the Kanada-style animation technique. For our new anime, I'm aiming for a fiery, action-packed style. To maximize this style, we'll likely be using this technique extensively. I hope we can work well together in the days ahead," Lin Zhiyan said with a smile.
The man standing before him was Imaishi Hiroyuki, born in 1971. After graduating from university, he joined Gainax and worked on his first project, Neon Genesis Evangelion. He remained at Gainax, progressing through every stage of animation production—from keyframes and original drawings to animation directors, storyboards, and directors. The only roles left for him to take were Character Designer and Supervising Director.
He was originally set to make his directorial debut with the 2004 theatrical anime film Leaf, but now he'd been poached by Lin Zhiyan to serve as Assistant Director for L.S.'s new anime.
His official promotion to Supervising Director would likely come after the completion of Lin Zhiyan's new anime.
As for the name of the new anime, it was, of course, Gurren Lagann—the work that had made Imaishi Hiroyuki famous in another timeline.
The primary consideration in making this animation was winning awards.
Lin Zhiyan had already won the grand prizes at the Tokyo Anime Awards and the Kobe Animation Awards, but he had yet to win any award at the Japan Media Arts Festival—not even an Excellence Award.
Winning a grand prize with a TV anime is difficult, so we set a more modest goal: to secure an Excellence Award first.
Many TV anime were eligible for Excellence Awards or even grand prizes, including Puella Magi Madoka Magica, The Eccentric Family, Dennō Coil, Gurren Lagann, The Tatami Galaxy, and others.
Of course, these are just the award-winning works from another timeline. Some works that didn't win awards had the potential, but choosing from the actual winners is a safer bet.
Among these works, Puella Magi Madoka Magica was undoubtedly the most outstanding and commercially successful, but it was too early to make that animation. Besides that, Gurren Lagann was the only other work that won awards and had strong commercial performance.
The rest were merely excellent, with rather average commercial success.
Coincidentally, the recently concluded Lelouch was a Knightmare Frame series. Continuing with another Knightmare Frame animation makes perfect sense and might even retain some of Lelouch's fanbase.
Even without recruiting Imaishi Hiroyuki, Lin Zhiyan could have handled the project. The primary reasons for bringing him on were his individual talent and the need to avoid suspicion. The studio's recent works had varied significantly in style, from Death Note and Lelouch to Gurren Lagann. Adding Imaishi Hiroyuki would make the shift less noticeable to the public.
Furthermore, L.S. was now financially stable and actively expanding its operations, forming a third animation production team. This new team required a skilled Supervising Director. Once Imaishi Hiroyuki had finished working with Lin Zhiyan on Gurren Lagann, he could be transferred to the new team. This would allow them to produce Trigger-style animations and potentially recruit other members of Trigger's future "Four Heavenly Kings."
As for whether Imaishi Hiroyuki would eventually leave L.S. to form his own studio, as he had in the original timeline... that was a concern for the future.
Having worked on the animation for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Imaishi Hiroyuki had known Lin Zhiyan for a long time. Despite this familiarity, they weren't close. Moreover, Lin Zhiyan had achieved industry and animation-world fame much earlier and held the position of President of L.S. Production. Consequently, Imaishi Hiroyuki remained somewhat reserved in his interactions with him.
He bowed deeply to Lin Zhiyan and said, "I look forward to working with you."
Lin Zhiyan invited Imaishi Hiroyuki to sit down, and they began discussing the "Kanada-style animation technique."
Japanese animation boasts numerous artistic schools, including the Computational School, Timeline School, Web School, Kanada-style, Realistic School, and Destruction School.
The founder of the Kanada-style is Itano Ichirō, hailed as the "Newton of animation." Even Mine Nakamura's signature techniques, the "Black and White Flash" and "Nakamura Cube," were actually invented by him.
This style is characterized by its emphasis on stylized visuals and exaggerated motion, often resulting in wildly distorted proportions. A prominent feature is the "Kanada Light."
Gurren Lagann is a typical example of the Kanada-style. The anime's popularity stemmed not only from its explosive mid-to-late-stage plot but also from its unique visual style.
The overall narrative and visual approach must be preserved.
However, the anime cannot be copied wholesale. Some of the more gratuitous scenes must be revised, and the disastrous fourth episode should be completely redrawn to maintain a consistent style.
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