Chapter 339 - 338: April

During the spring season, Fullmetal Alchemist aired over a dozen episodes, effectively just scratching the surface of its grand narrative. Between the sleeper agents lurking within the military, the Homunculi, and the dark secrets surrounding the Philosopher's Stone, the plot was thickening.

While anime fans were still reeling from the events in Fullmetal Alchemist, the end of March brought a new wave of promotional saturation.

This time, it was for Slam Dunk.

Previously, every street corner, hobby shop, and anime convention had been plastered with alchemical symbols and the iconic Flamel cross. Overnight, however, the red-haired protagonist, the man wearing the red Number 10 jersey, took over the commercial districts and merchandise stands like a tidal wave.

Haruto had poured hundreds of millions of yen into the production of Slam Dunk, and he certainly wasn't going to be stingy with the marketing budget. He also took care to avoid scheduling conflicts with his other works. Slam Dunk was set to premiere at 8:00 PM on the first Saturday of April, placing it exactly twenty-four hours apart from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Yet, another heavy hitter was entering the ring this season. The anime adaptation of Initial D, arriving after more than two years of anticipation. The production company behind Initial D was far too smart to challenge Haruto's primary works directly and cannibalize the audience. Instead, they secured a slot on Friday evenings at 8:00 PM.

The high-intensity marketing for Slam Dunk set the April anime market ablaze. With Fullmetal Alchemist hitting its stride and Initial D finally making its move, the fans were ecstatic.

"It feels like Christmas in the middle of spring!"

"Friday is Initial D, Saturday is Slam Dunk, and Sunday is Fullmetal Alchemist. This schedule is legendary."

"I need Friday to get here now. I am officially done with March."

"The Warrior of Love is an absolute beast. This is just ridiculous."

"The concept of a National Tournament really gets the blood pumping. I'm glad it's not a professional league. High school sports have a certain charm that I'm actually interested in watching."

"Professional sports are whatever, but high school drama is great."

"And the art in the trailer is gorgeous. The protagonist is a bit weird, though. He looks like a total delinquent."

"A delinquent? Now you've got my attention!"

"Heh, a delinquent playing basketball. The author definitely has guts."

"The background music in the trailer is fire, too. That song Until the World Ends is already stuck in my head."

"Did he compose that one himself, too?"

"Yep."

"It's a shame he doesn't sing. He's composed enough songs for his works to fill a whole concert hall."

"Honestly, I'd pay a lot of money to see him conduct an orchestra playing all his hits. Those tickets would sell out in seconds."

"The resale prices would be insane. With his current popularity, he could probably become the most famous musician in the country if he really wanted to."

"When you think about it, he's a freak of nature. Setting aside his academic performance, which is reportedly average, he's top-tier in manga, novels, anime, and music."

"I heard his company is setting up games, TV drama, and film divisions now. If he manages to conquer those three as well, he'll be the undisputed king of entertainment."

"Don't even worry about it. At this point, nothing he does surprises me. If he put out a press release tomorrow saying he was an alien, I'd probably just nod and say, 'Yeah, that makes sense'."

---

Amidst the fervor of the fans, March bled into April. Haruto emerged from his brief period of relaxation to help promote the premiere of Slam Dunk. Even though his studio didn't produce the Initial D anime, he was still the original creator of the manga, so he collaborated with Prime Manga and the production house for promotional events.

In those first few days of April, the anime scene was in a frenzy. News of Haruto attending fan meetings and conventions was everywhere.

Finally, the first Friday of April arrived. The first episode of Initial D was broadcast. Unlike the deep-pocketed Haru-Yuki Animation, the budget for Initial D was far from lavish. While the art in non-critical frames occasionally had flaws, the racing sequences were impeccable.

No one had a single complaint about the action on the mountain pass.

Naturally, on the night of the premiere, the name Natsuki shot back to the top of the trending lists. Jokes about the AE86 and the Mercedes went viral all over again. Much like in the parallel world, Natsuki was a character who broke many fans' hearts, but her role in spreading the fame of Initial D was undeniably effective.

The following day, TokyoTV2 released the data for the premiere. It pulled a 5.12% viewership rating.

As fans spent the day heatedly discussing Initial D, the main event of the season approached that evening.

The premiere of Slam Dunk.

The reaction to the first episode was polarized.

On the night of the premiere, the forums were a battlefield. Fans stayed up all night arguing.

"A delinquent as the protagonist? Isn't this a bad influence?"

"He just likes to fight; it's not like he's a bully shaking people down for lunch money. I don't see the problem."

"His group just seems like those kids in class who don't study. They don't pick fights, but they don't take crap either. I actually like them. Why are people complaining?"

"It's just a bit intimidating to have a protagonist who's a giant, red-haired thug who starts swinging the moment he gets annoyed. On the other hand, Rukawa Kaede is amazing!"

"Rukawa? He's no different! He started throwing hands the second those thugs bothered him. How is he any different from Sakuragi?"

"The difference is that he's cooler. Anime fans always let the face decide the morality."

"It's a waste of such high-quality animation. Using this level of detail for a bunch of thugs fighting feels like a waste. I wanted a proper basketball anime. Basketball isn't that popular here, and I was hoping this work would save the sport's reputation."

"Don't overthink it. It's just an anime. How much can it really change real-world sports?"

"True... sigh."

"Also, his reason for joining the basketball club is so pathetic. He just wants to pick up a girl. I couldn't stop laughing."

"Is this just a comedy anime?"

"Maybe. A comedy basketball series could actually work."

"It's only the first episode, so we'll see. If it keeps this vibe, I'll definitely keep watching."

"Compared to the first episodes of Fullmetal or Lelouch, it's not as strong. Even compared to Initial D, it's a bit slow. But it's way more interesting than the first episode of Madoka Magica. I'd give it a 70/100."

"Agreed. You just have to be patient with this author's works."

It was exactly what Haruto had expected.

The feedback for the first episode was mixed, but not overwhelmingly negative.

While being a delinquent wasn't exactly a plus for a protagonist, it wasn't a deal-breaker either.

The comedy landed well, but the lack of actual high-level play left some viewers worried that the pacing would be too slow, especially since the protagonist was starting from zero.

This slightly affected the initial ratings.

However, thanks to Haruto's massive reputation, Slam Dunk still pulled in huge numbers: a 5.60% viewership rating. While it paled in comparison to Fullmetal Alchemist's 6% debut, it comfortably beat out Initial D.

Haruto knew that given the narrative quality of the first episode, these numbers were largely a reputation tax paid by his loyal fanbase. He was personally quite satisfied, but the Slam Dunk production team was in a state of panic. Early the next morning, the director came to Haruto's office to apologize for not meeting expectations.

Haruto was genuinely baffled. He had to spend quite a bit of time reassuring the director and the crew, telling them to dial back the pressure.

Because Fullmetal Alchemist had a lower budget but a higher premiere rating, the Slam Dunk team was feeling the heat.

Internal competition at Haru-Yuki Animation was becoming fierce.

And so, the first episodes of the two most anticipated new series of the season had officially made their mark.

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