Chapter 336: The New Year

Fullmetal Alchemist is the kind of masterpiece that, once it hits the right chord, begins to tug at your heartstrings through every minute detail.

It never wastes a single word.

With its cinematography and concise dialogue, it pierces straight to the soul. Much like the second episode, the overall atmosphere of the series remained heavy, standing in stark contrast to the lighthearted, comedic, hot-blooded battle fantasies currently trending in the industry.

The protagonist was a youth with missing limbs, and his younger brother was an anomaly, a soul anchored to a suit of hollow armor, devoid of any flesh or blood. Despite this, the fans found themselves effortlessly immersed in the story.

On one hand, this was due to the immense trust they placed in the name Haruto.

On the other, the plot of Fullmetal Alchemist was undeniably moving.

The audience watched as the brothers sparred by the lake, discussing their uncertain future and grappling with the crushing guilt of their own foolishness, the recklessness that had cost them their bodies. They both reached a grim resolution: they would become State Alchemists to find a way to restore what they had lost.

They would seek out the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary artifact that could bypass the law of equivalent exchange, to reclaim their physical forms from the other side of the Gate.

Accompanied by the haunting melodies of the masterpiece track Brothers, the second episode reached its climax.

Ten-year-old Edward and Alphonse, having barely recovered from their life-altering injuries, stood before their only home. It was the house where they had lived with their mother for a decade.

Then, they set it ablaze.

“Even if it is to get our bodies back, it doesn’t change the fact that we pursued the taboo of Human Transmutation. If we fail again, we might just vanish from this world entirely. Even so, there is no turning back for us now.”

“That is why, on the day we set out, we burned the house down.”

Alphonse watched as their home crumbled into ruins amidst the roaring flames.

This scene ignited a sense of tragic heroism in the hearts of the fans watching the broadcast that night. Their mother was dead, and their home was reduced to ashes.

This act signified that these two mere children had cut off all avenues of retreat.

From that moment on, they were truly alone on their journey to become alchemists and find the Philosopher’s Stone. While the pacing of the second episode was brisk, it left the audience with a heavy, lingering ache in their chests.

Was it good? It was magnificent. Whether it was their mother’s final words, the forbidden ritual they performed in a desperate attempt to bring her back, or the cruel realization of their mistake at such a young age, the story moved the viewers to tears. However, for the first time in the history of Haruto’s works, the fans didn’t complain about the cliffhanger.

“It’s amazing, but God, the story is just so heavy.”

“It reminds me of the vibe back when Madoka Magica aired. The cruelty of fate, the fact that everything comes with a price.”

“With Madoka, it felt more like a mystery, peeling back the layers of what a Magical Girl actually is to build the world. But with Fullmetal, if they had just said the ironclad rule of alchemy is Equivalent Exchange, it wouldn’t have hit as hard. When I heard that line in the first episode, I actually laughed and thought it was a cliché. But after seeing episode two… it’s rough. Those poor brothers.”

“If they had actually succeeded in bringing their mother back, maybe the sacrifice would feel different. But after giving up so much, what did they actually create? A monster.”

“It looked like a distorted, rotting lump of flesh. I couldn’t even look at the screen.”

“That actually makes sense. Humans and other animals share a huge portion of their DNA. That mother they created probably had identical DNA to the original, but the gene expression was completely warped. It was likely a mess of biological failures. And since it had no soul or memory, it was just a heap of biological matter, even if it was technically her on a molecular level.”

“That’s just your theory, though. We don’t know if that’s what the author intended.”

“Does it matter what he intended? You have to have your own interpretation. At least by the second episode, I feel like this anime can be analyzed through a scientific lens.”

“These alchemists are essentially humans who demonstrate chemical, biological, and physical phenomena without using any lab equipment.”

“That’s a bit too deep for me.”

“Don’t listen to these armchair scientists online. It’s an anime; just watch it. People who try to force logic and science into a fantasy setting are just overthinking things.”

“I don’t care about the science behind the setting. I was just moved by the story. The way the author portrays family bonds is incredible. This is the first anime that made me cry by only the second episode.”

“Yeah, me too. But on the bright side, after this broadcast, I’m not worried anymore. This work is definitely up to Haruto’s usual standards.”

“I think it’s great, but I don’t think I can watch it a second time. It’s just so depressing.”

“Maybe it’ll get lighter later on?”

“Haha, true. Edward is actually pretty funny. It’s possible it’ll transition from this heavy start into a high-energy, comedic battle series.”

The second episode received unanimous praise from the fans.

Seeing the market feedback, Haruto remained relatively calm, but the employees at his company let out a sigh of relief.

Everyone knew that no one could stay at the summit forever, especially someone like Haruto, who already stood at the pinnacle of the animation world.

Any new work he released ran the risk of being scrutinized or mocked by the market if even the slightest thing went wrong. Based on the current situation, however, Fullmetal Alchemist was clearly not going to be a failure.

With a 6.1% viewership rating for the second episode and a climb to a 9.4 rating on review sites, the market’s approval was clear.

However, as per the schedule Haruto had arranged the previous year, he largely stepped back from the trivial stuff. Aside from providing scripts and handling the initial promotion, he tried not to interfere in the daily production.

His primary focus had shifted to negotiations with partners and managing the company’s expanding business operations.

If Haruto wanted his company to grow into a world-renowned studio within a few years, he had to devote a significant portion of his energy to management and expansion.

If he merely wanted to be a legendary creator who would go down in history, he could have followed the path of a traditional artist, obsessing over every frame and releasing one masterpiece every few years.

Clearly, Haruto had chosen the former.

Therefore, after the launch of Fullmetal Alchemist, his focus shifted toward Pokemon and Doraemon.

In the parallel world, the former was the single largest IP in the ACG industry, though its excellence was primarily rooted in the gaming sector.

The anime and manga were merely derivatives of the games. Regarding the games, he had already instructed his department to begin scouting talent. Meanwhile, the world-building, books, and manga for Pokemon were being adapted by his staff.

He planned to use his own massive influence to launch it alongside Doraemon. This process would likely take several years to bear fruit.

Many people in the industry couldn’t understand what Haruto was doing. Even some of his own employees wondered if he was just burning money for the sake of it, as he allocated hundreds of millions of yen annually to the operations of these two projects.

But Haruto didn’t bother explaining.

He knew that while these IPs were global icons in another world, there was no guarantee they would explode in this specific timeline.

However, given that one IP was worth a hundred billion dollars and the other nearly ten billion in the parallel world, he had to try.

If he succeeded, it would be a legacy that could sustain the company for generations. With billions of yen sitting in the company’s accounts, Haruto had the capital to take risks. He was willing to invest for a few years and see the results.

Then there was Slam Dunk, scheduled to air in April. The company was already beginning its pre-release marketing campaign.

…..

Days passed by in a blink of an eye.

Sword Art Online had officially entered the Alicization arc in its serialization.

By this point, much like in the parallel world, the series had begun to face some criticism from fans.

For instance, while Kirito technically didn’t have a harem, he seemed to leave a trail of broken hearts wherever he went. There were many girls in the Aincrad arc alone, more in Fairy Dance, another in Phantom Bullet, and now in the unfinished Alicization arc, there were already more potential love interests.

While it was universally accepted that Asuna was the one and only heroine, long-running light novels faced an inevitable problem: did fans actually want to read nothing but a couple’s mundane daily life?

Once the protagonists officially start dating, their interactions often become routine displays of affection, which can eventually alienate readers. Thus, every new arc introduced new female characters to create a sense of romantic tension with Kirito, even if they were destined to be part of the losing heroine camp. The critiques of Sword Art Online usually stemmed from this pattern.

However, these complaints rarely led to fans actually dropping the series. As long as Asuna remained the official partner, the rest of the plot was acceptable.

Consequently, while the sales of the individual volumes didn’t decline, they had clearly reached a plateau.

The Hunter x Hunter manga, on the other hand, was a different story.

Compared to Sword Art Online, it showed even greater potential. After the introduction of the Nen system, a power structure of incredible depth and imagination.

It also introduced high-level Nen users like the leader of the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo Lucilfer, a character of immense charisma. This elegant, cold, cunning, and ruthless character was so strikingly cool that within a year of his debut, he became a titan of popularity in the manga world.

An antagonist had managed to become the most popular character in the entire series.

Interestingly, much like in the parallel world, Chrollo’s fanbase consisted largely of female readers.

While Sword Art Online’s popularity had hit a plateau, Hunter x Hunter’s performance continued to be stellar.

Of course, the widest reach in the industry always belonged to the animation sector.

Fullmetal Alchemist had aired more episodes, concluding the arc where Edward becomes a State Alchemist. This officially marked the beginning of the main plot.

These few episodes were relatively lighthearted compared to the oppressive opening, serving to introduce the geopolitical tensions, further details regarding the Philosopher’s Stone, and key characters like Roy Mustang. The powerful and charismatic Roy Mustang immediately became a fan favorite from the moment he stepped onto the screen.

Then, in early February, a seemingly ordinary Sunday arrived.

The praise Fullmetal Alchemist received in the parallel world was perhaps the highest among all the works Haruto remembered. Both major adaptations were considered masterpieces in their own right. One version’s writing team was so talented that their original story elements were highly regarded. Original content isn’t inherently bad when executed at such a high level.

But regardless of the version, there was one specific arc that remained etched in the memories of every fan, including Haruto’s. It was the first truly unforgettable moment of the series.

The story of the Chimera.

While the plot of this specific arc wasn’t complex and lacked flashy action sequences, it was notoriously difficult to watch.

And tonight, that specific segment was about to air.