Chapter 22

– What in the world is this new art form called “Animation” that’s currently sweeping the entire Empire?

– According to a recent poll, over 50% of the Empire’s citizens are tuning in to watch “Knight Shin Chronicle.”

– Why is “Knight Shin Chronicle” causing such a massive craze across the Empire? Experts weigh in.

– Due to the broadcast of “Knight Shin Chronicle,” attendance at plays and operas has significantly dropped…

==========

– …[skip]… Currently airing every Saturday at 9 PM, “Knight Shin Chronicle” has become an unprecedented hit among the people of the Empire.

Even with the Imperial Household backing its production and the widespread distribution of the artifact known as Television across the Empire, these factors alone don’t fully explain the phenomenon.

So, how exactly did “Knight Shin Chronicle” manage to captivate the hearts of the Empire’s citizens who were seeing animation for the first time?

Most artists attribute the phenomenon to its “engaging storyline.”

In the first episode, the protagonist Kai, an ordinary boy, suddenly pilots Knight Shin and then blacks out while it goes on a wild rampage.

However, in the second episode, it’s revealed that Kai has completely lost his memory of the incident during the rampage.

While it’s confirmed that the rampaging Knight Shin defeated the first Outsider, no further details about this event are provided in the story.

But through meaningful conversations between the Commander and Vice-Commander, or the soliloquies of other pilots like Saya and Chloe, it becomes clear that all of this was intentionally staged.

Experts interpret these deliberate gaps in the story as the main reason why viewers are so hooked on “Knight Shin Chronicle.”

However, some critics disagree.

One of the strongest factors contributing to the success of “Knight Shin Chronicle,” they argue, is the female pilots, especially Saya.

Saya: A cold, emotionless blonde girl.

Eilian: A fiery redhead whose sole purpose is to exterminate Outsiders.

Chloe: A mysterious black-haired girl with dark secrets tied to Knight Shin.

These three girls also share a complicated emotional connection with Kai.

Eilian as his dependable partner in battle.

Saya as his lifelong companion, slowly rediscovering her emotions through him.

Chloe as his guide, revealing cryptic truths to keep him on the right path.

Currently, fans are fiercely debating which of these three will end up with Kai.

For the record, I personally root for Saya. Her rare smile in Episode 4 when she grabs Kai’s hand left me deeply moved…

==========

“…What? Who the heck wrote this ridiculous article?”

I couldn’t help but let out a baffled expression halfway through reading the newspaper article.

After hearing there was a special feature on “Knight Shin Chronicle” in today’s morning paper, I gave it a read—but the moment the article shifted focus to a harem drama analysis and the journalist’s personal preferences, I was utterly flabbergasted.

“Well, it may be a bit absurd, but it’s not entirely bad, right?”

Sitting across from me, Serika sipped her coffee and chuckled softly after reading the same article.

“After all, the fact that this kind of article even exists shows that our creation, ‘Knight Shin Chronicle,’ has evolved beyond mere popularity into a full-blown social phenomenon, doesn’t it?”

“That… is true.”

I had to nod in agreement with Serika’s point.

Indeed, she was right.

Currently at ten episodes, “Knight Shin Chronicle” has sparked an incredible wave of excitement throughout the Empire.

It might even surpass the popularity of “The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel.”

Of course, directly comparing the two is impossible since one is a TV anime and the other is a theatrical release.

However, while “The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel” only appealed to Nobles and a small group of commoners due to its theater-only release, “Knight Shin Chronicle” has reached a much wider audience thanks to the widespread availability of televisions.

Not to mention, Ricardo, our enthusiastic evangelist who inherited the will of ‘H’, spread rumors that the animation team is always open to communicating with the general public, boosting their image considerably.

Serika began flipping through other newspapers, smiling.

“All the papers are glowing with praise for ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’ Comments like ‘A ray of hope in a world filled with despair’ or ‘An anime showcasing humanity’s resilience against unknown monsters.’ There’s hardly any criticism.”

“…Is that so?”

“One professor from the Imperial Academy criticized the show for lacking depth, but apparently, it didn’t resonate with readers. Seems like the audience knows what they’re talking about.”

As Serika spoke excitedly, I felt an odd sense of irritation.

Because…

“If this keeps up, I won’t be able to end the series with a total human extinction finale!”

Back in Japan, a certain anime where humanity turns into orange juice is widely regarded as a masterpiece overall.

Still, some people criticize the characters for seeming mentally unstable or claim watching it made them feel depressed.

But the director wasn’t deliberately trying to give viewers cancer; those elements were building up to the shocking orange juice ending.

Thanks to the intense, jaw-dropping plot twists, audiences accepted humanity’s extinction in the finale.

Of course, accepting it and yelling in frustration are two different things.

Anyway, if the mood stays bright and hopeful until the sudden apocalypse, it wouldn’t count as a twist—it’d just mean the director gave up midway through.

Which would make it a trashy abandoned project.

So, what should I do?

How can I steer the story toward a total destruction route without ruining the anime?

‘Meh, it’s not that hard.’

Thankfully, the solution wasn’t too difficult.

Since “Knight Shin Chronicle” draws inspiration from another anime—let’s call it “borrowing ideas”—all I had to do was follow that pattern.

‘Time to kill someone.’

I planned to execute one of the characters in “Knight Shin Chronicle” as an example.

Though I’d present it to the production staff as an unavoidable sacrifice for the story.

No one would suspect my true intention: turning the atmosphere into pure chaos.

Some might ask if making the plot overly chaotic ruins the work.

But isn’t Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” basically a dramatic soap opera? Yet no one complains.

Same here.

I’m shedding tears as I reluctantly turn “Knight Shin Chronicle” into a chaotic mess to create a masterpiece.

‘Still… Is it really okay to keep killing people, even if they’re just anime characters?’

A faint shred of conscience in my heart questioned this decision.

But upon reflection, methodically eliminating characters one by one didn’t seem so bad.

‘Everyone’s dying in the final episode anyway, so consider this an early start.’

And since I plan to reunite the early deaths with the final ones in the afterlife, I must be incredibly merciful.

Additionally, I intended to equip the main characters with various mental disorders.

From yandere to menhera, Oedipus complex to Electra complex—you name it.

Highlighting the characters’ instability would set the stage for the ultimate chaos, ensuring minimal backlash when humanity turns into orange juice.

At the end of it all, I’ll be free.

Free from ever having to make another anime, returning to my carefree life of royalty checks!

“Hmm, a simple death scene might be a bit dull, so maybe I’ll add a children’s nursery rhyme as the OST…”

Wouldn’t it be hilarious if, while people die on screen, a soothing nursery song plays in the background, shocking everyone?

That should be enough to shake up the mental state of any viewer watching live.

With that goal in mind, I immediately began working on the production.

And thus, a few days later, Episode 17 of “Knight Shin Chronicle” was completed—an episode that would flip the entire Empire upside down.

[!– Slider main container –]