Chapter 63

Ah, people who’ve seen that one anime where humanity gets turned into orange juice at the end always end up thinking the same thing.

“Ah, so mech anime are supposed to be super depressing with all these heavy themes.”

“Humans dying like cockroaches, aliens visiting Earth like they’re dropping by a neighbor’s house, and planets blowing up left and right—it’s just chaos!”

Well, honestly, you can’t exactly say that line of thinking is wrong.

Because it’s not just “that one anime”—a lot of mech shows have endings that leave you scratching your head, wondering if it was a happy ending, a sad ending, or just an ending designed to drive viewers insane.

Of course, if you dig deep into why those endings were made, the creators usually had their reasons…

But from the perspective of someone watching anime while lying around on the couch, it kinda feels like that’s just how mech anime roll.

Strictly speaking, though, most mech anime don’t actually have that kind of vibe.

Love, friendship, passion, perseverance!

With enough spirit and determination, even the toughest trials can be overcome!

If you keep pushing forward with grit and determination, there’s nothing in this world you can’t handle!

Sure, it might come off as cheesy—but isn’t that what makes mech anime so heart-pounding and exciting for guys?

And one of the quintessential examples of that kind of fiery mech anime would be the one Deneb mentioned: “that anime.”

Or rather… Can “that anime” even be categorized as a fiery mech anime?

Personally, I don’t think of “that anime” as just any regular show.

It’s more like a textbook.

A history textbook chronicling the journey of a boy growing into a man.

In that sense, wouldn’t spreading “that anime” to the uncivilized fantasy natives be a pretty solid idea?

“Uh… excuse me, Ragnar?”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“That thing Brother said earlier… please don’t take it too seriously. He has this habit of blurting out things without thinking, so let me apologize on his behalf—”

“No, you don’t need to apologize.”

I cut Serika off mid-sentence.

“Because I’m actually considering bringing Little Duke’s idea to life in an anime.”

“What? You’re serious?”

Clearly shocked, Serika stared at me, probably not expecting I’d actually entertain Deneb’s random suggestion.

But of course, I was dead serious.

Meaning, if we didn’t animate something this epic, then what exactly *should* we animate?

Though that’s a discussion for another time.

For now, we need to focus on finishing the anime we originally set out to make.

Before diving fully into production, my first priority was setting up the worldbuilding.

Since the source material is an urban fantasy set in modern times, some adjustments were necessary.

Thankfully, I’ve done similar work before with stuff like “Knight Shin Chronicle” or “Book of Life and Death,” so it wasn’t too much of a hassle.

“Maybe the ritual for making wishes could just be called something generic like the ‘Full Moon Ritual’ or the ‘Wish Ritual.’”

Honestly, tweaking settings isn’t all that hard.

The real challenge begins now.

“How should we design the heroes?”

Referencing historical accuracy isn’t difficult when designing characters.

Just look up some history books and replicate the heroes as they were.

But why would anyone watch an animated series if that’s all we did?

Why not just visit a museum or look at portraits of real historical figures instead?

Animation isn’t documentary.

While documentaries aim to present information as-is, the essence of animation lies in entertaining the audience visually and audibly.

Which means, within reason, we can ignore strict historical accuracy for the sake of entertainment.

Of course, we shouldn’t go overboard.

“We need to stay true to historical roots as much as possible while still giving the audience a polished, sophisticated feel.”

Alternatively, dressing resurrected heroes in modern clothes with armor layered on top might also work.

“Perhaps our Empire’s founder deserves a golden suit of armor? And considering the legend that he gathered all earthly treasures during the founding of the empire, his weapon should be…”

Right as I was pondering various character designs,

“Um, Director?”

Karlreya spoke up cautiously.

“You mentioned last time that this anime will feature heroes from every era and region fighting in the modern world to fulfill their wishes, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“So, have you decided which heroes will appear in this piece?”

“Hmm? Not yet. Still thinking about it. However, two characters are already confirmed: the Knight King, the founder of our Empire, and one of the Great Mages from ancient times. Beyond them, I haven’t decided yet.”

By the way, the idea to include an ancient Great Mage came directly from Master’s suggestion.

He kept pushing me, saying that showing off the incredible feats of Great Mages would surely draw crowds to the Mage Tower.

To be honest, I didn’t mind including a caster-class character among the seven main heroes since having one adds depth to the story.

After all, wouldn’t it feel lacking without at least one mage, no matter how mediocre?

“Why do you ask? Is His Majesty hoping for other heroes besides the Empire’s founder to appear in the anime?”

“No! That’s not it. His Majesty only asked for the Empire’s founder to be portrayed as overwhelmingly powerful compared to any other ‘mediocre’ heroes from other countries.”

“…”

Honestly, such a statement from a national leader raises numerous concerns, but let’s chalk it up to slightly twisted patriotism and move on.

“So then, why did you bring it up?”

“Well, it’s about… Do you remember discussing this anime project with Prince Kaizel in the past?”

Of course, I remembered.

That was around the time we started working on “Book of Life and Death,” when Kaizel and Karlreya had that Pokémon battle, which inspired the brilliant idea of turning the Knight King into the Hero King.

“It seems Prince Kaizel was deeply moved by the concept of ancient heroes being resurrected in modern times. As soon as he heard we finished ‘Book of Life and Death’ and began working on this new project, Richard Kingdom reached out.”

“…What exactly did they say?”

“Well, uh…”

Karlreya sighed heavily before continuing.

“They’re asking if we could include a hero from Richard Kingdom in this anime. They said they’d offer any compensation to the Empire. Even Lugia Island, if needed.”

“Wait… are you serious?”

At that moment, I couldn’t hide my astonishment.

Lugia Island is an uninhabited island located on the border between the Empire and Richard Kingdom, rumored to be rich in underground resources.

And now they’re willing to hand it over to us just to have one of their heroes appear in this anime?

Is this level of dedication really appropriate? Are they willing to sell out their own country for fandom?

Is Kaizel secretly one of those extreme fans?

“And the bigger issue is that Richard Kingdom isn’t the only one making such requests.”

“What? Others too?”

“I’m not sure how the news leaked, but almost every neighboring country—Verisilla City Union to the south, Idar Kingdom, Silge Federation to the east—all contacted us. And naturally, they’re all making similar demands.”

“…”

To be frank, I was utterly baffled.

Sure, Kaizel is beyond help as a hardcore fanboy, but what about the others?

This is just an anime.

It doesn’t carry any profound ideologies or philosophies. It’s purely a form of subculture meant to provide fleeting pleasure and dopamine rushes for its audience.

Yet here they are, offering massive compensation just to have their national heroes included in this anime. What’s wrong with everyone’s heads?

As I was reeling from this culture shock, lost in confusion,

Karlreya hesitated for a moment, seemingly debating whether or not to say something, then finally spoke up carefully.

“Prince Kaizel personally asked me to relay this message to you, Director.”

“A personal message? What is it?”

“If you’re considering including a hero from Richard Kingdom in the anime…”

Karlreya closed her eyes tightly, looking utterly horrified as she continued.

“…he said it’s fine to change the hero’s gender however we want.”

“…Excuse me?”