Chapter 124: The Essence Of Management
Sakamoto Ken came out of Shueisha when it was already evening.
He was holding several photocopies of contracts he had just signed; these documents together represented at least tens of millions in future income.
Sakamoto Ken hailed a taxi at the Shueisha doorway to go back to the studio.
Sitting in the car, he briefly calculated his upcoming schedule.
Starting next month, the first 2 million yen consultant fee would arrive, and after the animation project officially launched, subsequent copyright fees would be paid in stages.
As for what the animation consultant position specifically entailed, honestly, he wasn’t very clear on it even now.
Probably just regularly attending meetings at the production company to confirm character designs, plot adaptations, and the like?
Bones would find suitable screenwriters and directors, and there were professional illustrators too; Sakamoto Ken figured he just needed to cooperate well with them when the time came, and it shouldn’t take up too much creation time.
Tomorrow, several assistants would come to the studio to officially begin collaborative creation.
Sakamoto Ken now delegated these physical labor tasks to others; aside from school starting soon, he was actually thinking of starting a new work.
For the new work, he was considering more than just royalty fees.
During the publication of 《Chainsaw Man》, he had noticed that both Haruna and Mio were influenced by the plot in the work.
Mio even directly inserted herself into Makima; this was her thinking of becoming my heroine.
Then, regarding Denji’s personality, they would also associate it with him as the author, thinking he had used himself as a model and drawn himself into the manga as the protagonist.
And Denji’s somewhat scumbag-like ideas were projected onto him by them, but since those ideas originated from the manga character, they couldn’t really get mad about it.
So, could he consider things in that direction?
For the next work, draw a real harem romance manga and let them insert themselves into it again?
That way, any love triangle or yandere trope risks would be directly resolved.
Sakamoto Ken couldn’t help but applaud his own idea inwardly; this was the essence of love triangle management he had comprehended in these two rounds.
The taxi drove smoothly all the way, soon passing through Akihabara’s streets and arriving at the studio in Taito Ward.
……
At the same time as Sakamoto Ken returned to the studio, at the doorway of a luxurious villa in Shibuya Ward, Shoto, a black Lexus sedan slowly pulled up.
Hanabe Kyoko, dressed in a professional costume set with a capable demeanor, got out of the car, carrying a thick briefcase filled with documents.
She had just stepped into the villa’s yard when she saw the glass door slid open from inside, and Mikazuki Haruna, wearing casual home clothes, hurried out with a somewhat anxious expression on her face.
“Hanabe-san!” Haruna strode up to Hanabe Kyoko and said, “You’re finally back. How did the talks go?”
A professional smile appeared on Hanabe Kyoko’s face as she nodded slightly: “Everything went smoothly, Young Lady.”
“Great!”
Haruna’s eyes lit up, and she turned to head inside; the assistants were still there, so she waved to Hanabe Kyoko and said, “Come on, let’s talk in the tea room!”
……
An hour later, Haruna and Hanabe Kyoko came out together; Hanabe hurriedly left the villa, as she still had to go to the company.
Mikazuki Haruna walked toward the studio with a beaming smile.
“Miyuki Haru Sensei, what’s got you so happy?” Shijiyuan asked curiously upon seeing how delighted Mikazuki Haruna looked.
Several assistants also cast their gazes over; Mikazuki Haruna then realized she had been skipping along without noticing.
She quickly restrained her smile and said, “It’s nothing, just some work matters.”
She didn’t elaborate, so the assistants didn’t press further.
Mikazuki Haruna walked to the drawing table and suddenly said, “By the way, how about I treat everyone to a big meal tonight? I’ll have Kazuko Aunt prepare wagyu beef BBQ for everyone.”
“Yay!” Shijiyuan cheered first.
Mikazuki Haruna was actually a bit surprised herself, because she found she was genuinely happy—happier than any achievements with 《Young Lady, sniper rifle, and pantyhose!》.
The memory in her mind was no longer just buried in her subconscious; it was like something she had truly experienced, influencing her thoughts.
Moreover, ever since confirming that 《Young Lady》 was Sakamoto Ken’s work, she had merely replicated the manga that her future Sakamoto Ken would draw from her memories; it wasn’t some dream from Lord Benzaiten, so when drawing, it actually lacked some of her own creation pleasure.
Of course, that didn’t mean she didn’t want to draw it; it was just that the original intention behind drawing 《Young Lady》 had changed somewhat.
Originally, it was about drawing out the manga in her mind; now, since it had already started publication, she couldn’t let A Jian’s future work end hastily.
It felt… like it had turned into a sense of responsibility.
Mikazuki Haruna and her four assistants finished the lavish wagyu beef BBQ in the yard; she bathed at home, and it wasn’t until late at night that her parents returned.
Hearing her parents’ footsteps entering the house, Mikazuki Haruna immediately grabbed the briefcase Hanabe Kyoko had brought that afternoon and went downstairs.
Her father rarely returned to this villa, so opportunities to talk face-to-face with him weren’t that many.
In the first floor lobby, Mikazuki Soichiro and Mikazuki Aiko entered together.
Before Haruna could speak, her father Mikazuki Soichiro said, “Haruna, I’ve already heard from Hanabe. You want to invest in an animation adaptation of a manga, right?”
“I think very highly of Haruna,” her mother Aiko said with a smiling curve to her eyes nearby. “After Haruna told me, I felt she was particularly passionate about anime, and I encouraged her to do it.”
“Mm, but it’s not a small investment,” Mikazuki Soichiro said.
“If produced with high quality, probably… five billion?” Mikazuki Haruna said. “Dad, you said before… if I wanted to start a business during school, you could support me with five billion.”
“You’re planning to put it all into this project, Haruna?” Mikazuki Aiko said.
Mikazuki Haruna nodded firmly and said, “I’m really bullish on Chainsaw Man; it’ll definitely be a huge hit in the future. Securing its copyright now is definitely a bargain for us.”
After entering, Mikazuki Soichiro sat on the living room sofa, crossed his legs, looked at Mikazuki Haruna, and said, “Five billion—is that a number you’ve carefully calculated?”
“Y-Yeah… right?” Mikazuki Haruna said.
Mikazuki Soichiro shook his head and said, “Since you’re choosing independent full funding, the costs must include everything: copyright fees, production, promotion and distribution—and promotion and distribution won’t be a small portion.”
Mikazuki Haruna was no longer as smug as before; she sat obediently across from her father and said, “Promotion and distribution… how much would that be?”
Mikazuki Soichiro shook his head and said, “Haruna, don’t make impulsive investments based on personal preferences.”
Nearby, Mikazuki Aiko chimed in, “Your dad’s right. Losing the money would be one thing, but mainly, don’t let it discourage you.”
“I… it’s not an impulsive investment…” Mikazuki Haruna said without much confidence.
“Although I haven’t managed an animation project myself, I’ve made some related investments before, so I know a bit,” Mikazuki Soichiro said, holding up his index finger. “First, core production costs: five billion budget is about right, averaging around 40 million per episode—that’s the standard for S-grade projects.”
“But you’ve only considered that one item.” Soichiro held up a second finger and continued, “Music production fees—this is a big one. If you’re aiming for S-grade production standards, you need matching music levels. Are you considering a different ED for each episode, or the same ED throughout? Do you want to hire star singers?”
“Idol groups like Arashi or AKB48 are out of the question, and national-level singers like Fumiya Fukuyama or Miyuki Nakajima would exceed the budget. If you hire ACG-oriented singers like Nana Mizuki or LiSA to perform or even create the OP, that single item alone would exceed 100 million in budget.”
“Dad, you know all this too…?” Mikazuki Haruna was somewhat surprised.
Aiko covered her mouth and smiled, saying, “Your dad was in a band when he was young.”
Soichiro waved it off and said, “Business dealings require knowing about these things.”
Then he held up a third finger: “And there’s promotion and distribution costs you haven’t considered: global preview placements, voice actor meet-and-greets, outdoor ads, streaming… these are all very expensive. I’d estimate 100 to 200 million in funds needed.”
Soichiro shook his head lightly and said, “So, typical animation projects form a production committee; all the miscellaneous project costs add up to a huge number.”
“Hiss…” Mikazuki Haruna drew in a sharp breath; previously, she had only considered production costs.
Moreover, in her plan, she wanted to produce the 《Chainsaw Man》 animation to the highest standards.
If music production was maxed out too, hiring star singers would cost way too much.
Maybe consider second- or third-tier options, like Kenshi Yonezu whom she quite liked; though only three years since debut, he was already somewhat famous, and his style seemed to fit pretty well—probably much cheaper?
But would that be too low-profile? Have Hanabe ask A Jian later to see what ideas he has for OP and ED…
Mikazuki Haruna realized she was subconsciously pinning her hopes on A Jian.
It felt like he could always come up with the best plan, even create miracles…
Just like 《Chainsaw Man》 breaking the JUMP+ record in a single month.
Soichiro chuckled and said, “No problem. If you really want to push this adaptation, Haruna, I’ll support you—double the funds—but you need to learn and grow through this project.”
“I will!” Mikazuki Haruna said immediately. “Pushing the Chainsaw Man animation adaptation from start to finish will make me very familiar with the industry.”
“Hanabe’s already cramming anime industry knowledge; you can’t slack off.” Soichiro stood up, hands behind his back, and said very seriously to Mikazuki Haruna, “As a manager, the biggest taboo is not understanding the project yourself and letting your subordinates mess around. If they profit from it, they can even fool you completely.”
“This is the essence of management your father has summarized from years of hard lessons.”
Soichiro walked to the side of the lobby that served as the manga studio, looked at these drawing tables, and said, “Good. You have a field you’re passionate about. Our group is actually trying to transition into the entertainment sector too. I hope you can stand on your own in the future—I only have one daughter.”
Mikazuki Haruna pursed her lips tightly, seriously considering her father’s words, then nodded solemnly and said, “Don’t worry, Dad. Let’s start with 《Chainsaw Man》!”
Two chapters today, over 3000 words—basically equivalent to three updates of 2000-word chapters~
End of the month—does anyone have monthly tickets left to cast?~
