socalfunplaces Page 52
Page 52
"Damn it! The nearest city where I can watch '5 Centimeters Per Second' is over 300 kilometers away?!"
"Ugh! Do I have to fly there to see '5 Centimeters Per Second'? A movie ticket that costs a few dozen yuan will cost me over a thousand! This is outrageous! Are all those people in the movie theater idiots?! '5 Centimeters Per Second' is such a highly anticipated movie, and they can't even negotiate a deal?!"
Complaints are pouring in online, with many people flooding their local cinemas with negative reviews, all citing the same reason: "Why isn't '5 Centimeters Per Second' there? What a rip-off!"
Besides that... there's something else that really surprised people in the film industry...
Every single theater showing "5 Centimeters Per Second" was completely full!
Of course, "full" doesn't mean every seat is occupied, but rather... when you buy tickets online, all seats are marked in red (reserved)!
August 5th, all seats were sold out; the 6th, same; the 7th, the 8th...
Once the time for "advance booking" arrives, all seats for the day will be snapped up in less than an hour!
Why? It's because of a pinned post in the "5 Centimeters Per Second" forum!
"I'm really looking forward to the release of '5 Centimeters Per Second'. Even if I don't dare to go see it, I'll still contribute my share to the box office!"
Online ticketing has no distance restrictions, so many people who "cannot see 5 Centimeters Per Second in their city" and do not have time to go there are booking tickets online. Some people only book for one day, while others book for two, three, or even more days!
This was to express her regret at not being able to see the premiere, and... her love for "5 Centimeters Per Second".
They are the most lovable people, and they would proudly tell their friends, "I contributed to the box office of '5 Centimeters Per Second' once (twice, three times)!"
In many people's eyes, they are fools, but... they don't care about other people's opinions because... they love "5 Centimeters Per Second" deeply!
...
One reason after another led to the success of "5 Centimeters Per Second," and its success is inseparable from the efforts of everyone involved.
Bai Lixiao, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and others brought the story of "5 Centimeters Per Second" to everyone, and everyone responded to the expectations of "5 Centimeters Per Second" with their own actions and enthusiasm!
When Akane Akasaka called and told Hyakuri Akira the whole story in a "joking" tone, the latter could clearly hear her sobbing through the receiver.
"I understand." Baili Xiao replied simply and closed his eyes—he could feel his nose getting sore, and a feeling called "moved" welled up in his heart.
On the evening of August 6th, the official Weibo account of [Huaxia] Studio posted a message.
"Thank you all for your support of the movie '5 Centimeters Per Second'! You are all the most adorable people in the world! I, Baili Xiao, and the entire studio team would like to say a few words to you all."
"Thanks!".
Chapter 0142 Muse's Battle Suit! (3/5, please subscribe)
The screening of "5 Centimeters Per Second" continues, and news about "5 Centimeters Per Second" can be seen online at any time.
However, Baili Xiao and the others focused all their attention on preparing for the August Comic Con.
Bai Lixiao frowned slightly as he looked at the paper in his hand—the various rules of the comic convention were clearly marked on that A4 sheet of paper.
One of the rules caught his attention: [All works submitted to the comic convention must be sent to the organizers for verification in advance, with a deadline of the end of July]!
The end of July... obviously, it's long gone!
“Hakuri-kun, don’t worry about that.” Akane Akasaka, sitting next to him, smiled slightly, picked up her coffee and took a sip: “Most of the rules for anime conventions are written for individuals or those attending for the first time.”
She gave Baili Xiao a wink, and the latter immediately understood the meaning behind her words.
The rouge-en-rouge circle is a regular at anime conventions, never missing one every year. As the head of the number one doujin circle, Akane Kousaka is definitely an old acquaintance of the convention organizers—it's common for her to "use personal connections to get her circle's work approved at the last minute."
"So, what's the deadline?" Baili Xiao smiled, put down the paper in his hand, and looked at Akane Kousaka, who held up three fingers: "Three days. At the latest, the submitted works must be sent to the organizers three days before the comic convention starts so they can review the content!"
"Three days?" Baili Xiao murmured to himself, making a mental estimate before turning to Kasumigaoka Utaha beside him: "Utaha, can we finish the first volume of [Your Name] today?"
"Yes, by noon at the latest." Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded, and as soon as she finished speaking, Eriri on the other side also said in a deep voice, "Don't worry about the illustrations. The novel will be finished by noon, and the four of us will work hard and finish the last part of the illustrations before 6 pm!"
"So, in other words, 'Your Name' can be handed over to you today, Miss Kurosaka. Is there enough time?" As Baili Xiao spoke, he had already prepared for the worst—if the first volume of 'Your Name' couldn't be exhibited at the comic convention, then he would have to release the first volume of 'The Monkey King' and Muse instead.
"Hmm..." After thinking for a moment, Akane Kousaka smiled slightly with a hint of pleasure: "Hyakuri-kun, and everyone else, please don't look so serious, okay? [Your Name] will definitely be able to meet the deadline for the convention. After all... the organizers said they were reviewing the content, but actually all we need to do is submit a sample to them."
"Make a sample for them first, then have the printing plant work at full capacity to produce the official version of 'Your Name.' That way, we can meet the deadline... Comic convention releases are not like official sales; we don't need to prepare that many copies!"
"Then, I'll leave everything to you, Ms. Kousaka." Baili Xiao nodded, her gaze sweeping over the others: "Shiyu, Eriri, Izumi, Sagiri, Mashiro, Ms. Kousaka isn't going back today. If you have any questions, just discuss them with her. All matters, big and small, concerning [Your Name] are entirely your responsibility..."
"Teacher, where are you going?" Shiina Mashiro looked at Baili Xiao with a puzzled expression. The latter smiled slightly and reached out to touch her hair: "Of course, I'm going to see Muse and Aya. After all, they are also the main characters at the comic convention!"
...
"Nicole! No, no! You sang it wrong again! Here, the pitch should be a notch higher!" Before even reaching the dance studio, Baili Xiao heard Yue Zhengling scolding Yazawa Nicole: "This is the third time! If you make another mistake, Nicole..."
Before Yue Zhengling could finish speaking, Tojo Nozomi's voice interrupted her: "If Nicole makes another mistake, leave it to me! I believe I can make sure she doesn't repeat it..."
Just imagining it, Baili Xiao could picture "Tojo Nozomi spreading her nimble hands with a joyful smile on her face, while Yazawa Nico looked terrible when she saw her nimble fingers."
Unable to suppress a smile, Baili Xiao opened the door to the dance studio and walked in: "How's the training going?"
0 ····Requesting flowers···· ·········
"Teacher Baili!" "Teacher!"
Upon seeing Baili Xiao's arrival, all the members of Muse and Yue Zhengling smiled—although the former often scolded people for "this is wrong and that is wrong," everyone still hoped to see him more often.
After all, the more often Baili Xiao appears, the more it means he cares about them, right?
"Everyone trained very well, but..." Yue Zhengling said with a smile, while secretly glancing at Yazawa Nico. The latter's face stiffened, and the thought "Oh no, I'm going to get scolded by the teacher again" popped into her mind.
"Just what?" Baili Xiao looked at Yue Zhengling with interest, but she shook her head and didn't say anything more.
…
As a singer and idol who became famous earlier than Muse, Yue Zhengling began to learn from Baili Xiao and teach Muse to sing from the day she arrived at the studio.
Compared to Baili Xiao, she was much stricter—singing idols rely on their heavenly voices; if they can't attract listeners with their singing, they have no reason to exist.
That's why she would point out any mistakes in Muse's singing without hesitation—but such high standards seemed a bit harsh for a "newcomer" like Muse who was about to debut.
"It's nothing, everyone performed very well. With this kind of performance, they are more than qualified to debut."
Upon hearing Yue Zhengling's words, smiles appeared on the faces of all the members of Muse—Yazawa Nico quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling extremely fortunate to have escaped the ordeal of "Bai Lixiao's reprimand."
"That's good. Just keep this up and improve your skills step by step. Nothing can be accomplished overnight." Baili Xiao nodded slightly, his smile becoming more pronounced, and he also seemed mysterious: "Actually, I came here today to give you something."
"Give it to us?" The members of Muse looked at each other, and a hint of curiosity could be seen in their eyes.
"Yes! That thing is... your battle suits from the comic convention!"
P.S.: I'll add the two missing photos tomorrow! —Fan
Chapter 0143 The Comic Con Has Begun! (4/5 Please Subscribe)
There are countless comic conventions of all sizes around the world, but the largest one is the CM Comic Convention, which is held twice a year in the city where Baili Xiao and others live.
Summer anime conventions are held from the second Friday to Sunday of August at the city's largest convention center. The scale of these conventions grows year by year, with an exponential increase, which indirectly shows that anime and manga culture is gradually being accepted by the world.
Every anime convention attracts people from all over the world, including the Celestial Empire in the far east, the Ice Kingdom in the far north, the Sumerian Dynasty, and Great Britain, the homeland of Shiina Mashiro.
Anime and manga enthusiasts from all over the world, either bringing their own fan-made works or cosplaying as anime characters, travel by plane, ship, high-speed rail, and other means to participate in the "343" event, which has attracted millions of participants and can be described as a major event in the fan-made works community.
That's why this city is called a holy land by anime and manga fans. Even though it's not yet the time for the Comic Con, many people come here to take photos as a stopover. After all, there are maid (host) cafes here that you can't find anywhere else, and they are the kind of professional and exciting bunny girls and cat maids!
As time goes by, the summer CM Comic Con is drawing ever closer, and people in the city can clearly feel the changes happening in the city.
There were noticeably more pedestrians on the street, and I often encountered large numbers of people from various countries asking for directions in all sorts of accents.
Hotels in the city are always fully booked, and even neighboring cities, such as Idol City, are flooded with tourists.
The massive flow of people brings huge economic consumption. It can be said that the CM Comic Con held twice a year will significantly increase the per capita GDP of the region!
As countless people eagerly awaited the arrival of the summer CM Comic Con, and as the first rays of dawn pierced the night sky, the summer CM Comic Con finally arrived!
...
"It really is... spectacular." Following Akane Akasaka into the venue, Baili Xiao glanced around and couldn't help but exclaim.
Having witnessed the horrors of the Spring Festival travel rush in his previous life, Baili Xiao thought he would never be surprised by "too many people" again. However, when he saw the CM Comic Con in this world, he realized...
It's even better than that!
Looking around, you could see the busy figures of the exhibiting teams everywhere. Some people were carefully placing their doujinshi on the table, while others were hanging huge posters in front of their booths. Many more people were laughing and talking quietly. The whole venue was filled with a buzzing sound.
"This is just one exhibition hall. The doujinshi area is divided into five exhibition areas. This is number one, which is also the best exhibition area." Akane Akasaka's smile was extremely bright. Not only her, but everyone in the venue had a smile on their face to varying degrees.
Even Shiina Mashiro, after following Bai Lixiao and the others into the venue, gradually began to smile more – the atmosphere around you really can affect a person's mood.
"Besides the largest doujinshi area, the second most popular is the cosplay area, followed by the anime merchandise area, and so on." Akane Akasaka introduced while waving to Iori Hashima, who was supervising everyone's work at the booth of the rouge-en-rouge circle. When she saw Xiao Baili and the others appear, her eyes lit up and she quickly walked over.
"Good morning, Hyakuri-sensei." Hashima Iori greeted Hyakuri Akane first, then looked at Kousaka Akane with a wry smile: "Kousaka-san, are you dumping all the club affairs on me? The anime convention is about to start, I think you should come back to the club and show your face, right? After all... in the members' eyes, you haven't shown up for a week!"
For the past week, Akane Kousaka had been busy handling various matters related to Hyakuri Akatsuki and the others' participation in the anime convention. Besides that, she also had a mountain of printing-related issues to deal with, leaving her no time to return to the club—in fact, she could certainly go back, but... there were also a ton of things waiting for her decisions at the club. Every time she thought of this, Akane Kousaka would dismiss the idea of "going back to the club?"
“Iori, I think you are fully capable of taking on the role of head of the department…” Akane Akasaka said with a serious expression. Iori Hashima rolled her eyes without any hesitation, showing a “I knew it” look. Every time Akane Akasaka tried to shirk responsibility, she would say the same thing to Iori Hashima in such a “serious” way. It was not the first or second time!
"Sigh..." Iori Hashima shrugged after a deep sigh. "So, you're going to stay with Hyakusato-sensei today?"
"Of course! This is the first time Baili-kun and all the teachers have participated in a comic convention, so there are many things they don't know. If any unexpected situations arise outside the transit group, I can help resolve them here on Sanqi." Akane Akane looked towards the direction of the Rouge-en-rou-shichi club, a smile playing on her lips: "Our club has participated in CM comic conventions many times, so we can probably follow the general procedures even with our eyes closed, right?"
"..." Now that things had come to this point, what could Iori Hashima say? She could only nod helplessly, bow slightly to Hyakuri Akira, and say with a bitter smile, "Hyakuri-sensei, I have some things to take care of, so please excuse me for now. I wish all the authors' novels and fanfiction great success!"
"Thank you!" Baili Xiao nodded slightly, watching Iori Hashima's departing figure, and couldn't help but chuckle. He glanced at Akane Akasaka beside him and shook his head: "Akasaka-san, you can't be so blatant when you're slacking off, can you?"
"Well, it's okay to slack off once in a while, right?" Akane Kousaka shrugged nonchalantly and winked at the people behind her: "Alright, Hyakuri-kun, start setting up your booth. You know, your studio's booth is highly anticipated at this anime convention!"
"Haven't you noticed? From the moment we entered, many people have been watching us. Everyone is eagerly anticipating what exciting stories you'll have to tell!"
As Akane Akasaka said, even without looking, Hyakuri Akira could feel how many gazes were falling on him—those gazes contained expectation, longing, and a hint of unspoken desire.
Baili Xiao clasped his hands together, his smile widening: "Then, let's respond to everyone with our actions!"
Chapter 0144 [Your Name] Promotional PV! (5/5 Please Subscribe)
"Hey! Is that Teacher Baili's booth?"
"No doubt about it! Absolutely! Only Teacher Baili's booth could have so many girls, right?"
"I wonder what kind of exciting story Teacher Baili's studio will bring us this time... I hope it's on par with '5 Centimeters Per Second'!"
"Stop daydreaming. Do you think a story like '5 Centimeters Per Second' can be come up with just by thinking about it? Even the creators in the studio would be lucky to produce one in six months!"
"So... does that mean the teachers at this anime convention might just be showing off a little bit of the 'appetizer'?"
"Hmm... I can't be sure either, after all, there are too many big shots in the teacher's studio, let's take a look first!"
"Look, look! There's movement over there!"
The booth allocated to Baili Xiao was not large; the total length of the tables on all four sides was only about three or four meters at most—but this size was already quite good among the teams that participated in the comic convention for the first time!
Many small teams or individuals participating in comic conventions for the first time were only allocated a booth the size of a table. If it weren't for Akane Akasaka's connections and the reputation of her own studio, Baili Xiao and others would probably have received the same treatment as before!