blogombal Page 51
Page 51
Because everyone knows in their hearts that the relationship is over, just like Akari and Takaki, there's no need to disturb their current lives.
...
August 5th, the night of the premiere of "5 Centimeters Per Second".
Every single moment, people are clicking on the official Weibo account of the [Huaxia] Studio and leaving comments below.
The message was simple and unpretentious.
"Thank you to all the teachers in the studio for bringing us the story of '5 Centimeters Per Second.' Thank you so much!" - Fan
Chapter 0139 The Only Thing I Can Do for Everyone! (5/5 Please Subscribe)
"Knock, knock, knock." The knocking sounded, and Koizumi Hanayo, who was inside, trembled. She peeked her little head out from under the towel, hurriedly wiped her face a couple of times, and then asked in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry, "Who is it?"
The door opened a crack, and Hoshizora Rin peeked into the dark room, her gaze finally settling on Koizumi Hanayo's face: "Hanayo-chan, can I sleep with you tonight? I can't sleep, meow..."
Normally, Rin Hoshizora is full of energy, and even her final "meow" sounds lively and cute. But today, she seems listless and weak.
“Of course.” Koizumi Hanayo smiled without moving her body—for her, who was only about 1.6 meters tall, the 1.8-meter by 2-meter bed was too big. Even with Hoshizora Rin, it probably wouldn’t feel crowded at all.
"Great, meow!" Hoshizora Rin cheered, carrying her pillow as she walked in, gently closed the door, and quickly slipped into Koizumi Hanayo's blanket.
She held the latter's arm tightly in her arms and sighed softly, "Hanayo-chan, are you crying again?"
By the light from the corridor, Hoshizora Rin could clearly see the wet tear tracks on Koizumi Hanayo's cheeks—having already seen the latter cry once in the movie theater, she added the word "again" before "cry".
"Mmm." In the darkness, Koizumi Hanayo responded, then smiled somewhat sheepishly: "Just now, I was reminiscing about the movie '5 Centimeters Per Second,' and I couldn't help myself..."
"Oh, Hanayo's really sentimental. She cries every time she reads a novel, let alone watching a movie, meow." Hoshizora Rin chuckled, nuzzling Koizumi Hanayo's cheek like a kitten. Hanayo pouted, her cheeks slightly flushed, "Rin-chan, you're just teasing me..."
"Well, I didn't mean to tease you, meow. I'm the same as you. As soon as I close my eyes, scenes from the movie '5 Centimeters Per Second' pop into my head, so I haven't fallen asleep yet, meow." Hoshizora Rin sighed softly, burying her cheek in Koizumi Hanayo's hair. "Hanayo, do you think Hyakuri-sensei was able to come up with a story like '5 Centimeters Per Second' because she actually experienced a similar kind of love before?"
"Huh? Rin-chan, you can't just say things like that!" Koizumi Hanayo was startled and quickly covered Hoshizora Rin's mouth with her hand, even looking around the room with lingering fear.
"Hanayo, you're making a big fuss over nothing. We're talking so softly, and Hyakusato-sensei and Kasumigaoka-senpai live in another building, they won't hear us, meow!" Seeing Hanayo's panicked look, Hoshizora Rin chuckled and waved her hand: "Besides, even if it gets to Hyakusato-sensei's ears, knowing his temper, he probably won't do anything to me, meow?"
Koizumi Hanayo thought about it—indeed, even if Baili Xiao knew about this kind of joke, he would probably just smile and not take it to heart at all, right?
Thinking of this, Koizumi Hanayo let out a soft breath and lifted the blanket slightly, covering the two of them: "Rin-chan, even so, you can't talk about the teacher behind his back. That's wrong."
"Okay, I got it, meow." Hoshizora Rin nodded heavily, and after a few seconds, she said as if to herself, "In my opinion, Hyakusei-sensei and Takaki are actually quite similar in some ways."
"Huh?" Upon hearing Rin Hoshizora's words, Hanayo Koizumi was taken aback at first, then looked at her with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, completely forgetting her earlier words, "Don't talk about the teacher behind her back": "Why would Rin-chan think that?"
"Look, meow, Takaki is deeply in love with Akari, right? Hyakuri-sensei is also deeply in love with Kasumigaoka-senpai, and then in 'Cosmonaut,' Takaki is loved by Kanae, but because Kanae knows that Takaki has someone else in his heart, even though he likes her, he can't express his feelings until the end... Don't you think this is similar to Eriri-senpai and the others, meow?"
Hoshizora Rin spoke earnestly, becoming more and more excited as she spoke, as if she had discovered something "amazing," her eyes shining with an unbearable light.
However, her little head was quickly met with a chop to the head. With a soft "thud," Hoshizora Rin clutched her head, looking at Koizumi Hanayo with a wronged expression: "Why did you hit me, meow...?"
"Of course it's because you're talking nonsense, Rin-chan!" Koizumi Hanayo lectured Hoshizora Rin, slightly annoyed. "How can Hyakusato-sensei and Takaki be the same?! Let me tell you, they're fundamentally different! For example..."
So, on the night of the premiere of "5 Centimeters Per Second", Koizumi Hanayo dragged Hoshizora Rin along and talked all night long, about her understanding of "5 Centimeters Per Second" and her feelings for her teacher, and in short... they talked a lot.
Not only them, but also in the other people's rooms in the studio, faint whispers could be heard, as if they were talking to someone or talking to themselves.
...
The next day, sunlight streamed into the room. Baili Xiao stretched and tiptoed downstairs. Unlike the usual bustling scene, the painting studio and dance studio were empty today, with only faint sounds coming from the kitchen next to the hall.
Baili Xiao walked over, leaned against the door frame, and gently watched the busy figure in the kitchen—wearing an inexpensive outfit, an apron, her long hair tied in a ponytail, holding a small spoon in one hand, gently brushing the hair behind her ear with the other, and tasting the soup in the spoon.
"Ah Hui." He whispered the other person's name, but even so, it seemed to startle her—4.9 Kato Megumi trembled slightly, put down the small spoon, turned around to look at Baili Xiao, and revealed a smile: "Baili-kun."
"Why didn't you sleep a little longer? You must not have slept well last night, right? As for breakfast, you can have someone else bring it over." Baili Xiao said softly, noticing the faint blackness under Kato Megumi's eyes, and a hint of heartache appeared in her eyes.
Kato Megumi slowly shook her head, put her hands behind her back, and widened her smile.
"I was just thinking that everyone slept late last night, so they should be very hungry in the morning, so... I came down to cook."
He paused, and his bright gaze became complicated.
"This might be the only thing I can do for everyone."
Chapter 0140 [The Great Sage Equaling Heaven] Volume 1, Completed! (1/5, Please Subscribe)
"Why do you say that?" Baili Xiao's expression turned serious, and he looked at Kato Megumi with a slight frown—in fact, he could guess why even without her saying it.
"I'm not as talented as Kasumigaoka-senpai or Sawamura-kun; I'm just an ordinary girl. Cooking is the only thing I'm good at." Kato Megumi slowly walked up to Hyakuri Akira, looking up at him. "Hyakuri-kun, please don't look so serious. I'm just speaking from the heart. I won't feel lost or inferior like the heroine in Kasumigaoka-senpai's novel..."
Kato Megumi clasped her hands behind her back, took a deep breath with a smile on her face, and puffed out her chest as she spun around in front of Baili Xiao.
Her white skirt rose slightly with her movements, revealing her legs clad in white stockings underneath.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Kato Megumi. Her smile, combined with her movements, presented a most beautiful scene in Baili Xiao's eyes.
"Please don't worry, Mr. Baili. I didn't mean anything by what I just said. Although I don't have everyone's talents, I can't write novels, draw pictures, sing, or dance, but everyone treats me as a very good friend, and that's enough."
"As a good friend, I think it's perfectly normal to make a hearty breakfast for everyone after they've been hungry all night. Don't you think so, Baili-kun?"
"..." Looking at Kato Megumi in front of him, Baili Xiao revealed his brightest smile. He opened his arms and abruptly embraced Kato Megumi. The latter's eyes widened suddenly, and she smelled Baili Xiao's scent in her nostrils and said softly, "Baili-kun, you scared me."
"Being able to scare Kato Megumi is no easy feat. Perhaps I can be a little proud?" Baili Xiao grinned and released Kato Megumi—he had just impulsively hugged her, and when he realized what he had done, he was completely stunned for a moment.
However, Kato Megumi clearly didn't pay attention to his actions and instead focused all her attention on other things: "Hyakuri-kun, why do you call me Saint Megumi~?"
“Because Ahui rarely smiles and always seems indifferent to everything.” Baili Xiao chuckled lightly—he couldn’t very well say something like, “First came the saints, then came heaven; I, Hui, am as beautiful as a fairy in a painting,” could he?
“If that’s the case, I think Mashiro is more suitable for the title of ‘Saint’.” Kato Megumi tilted her head and thought for a moment. She didn’t dwell on the matter for long. She walked to the clay pot and her delicate nose twitched slightly. “Hyakuri-kun, go wash up first. The porridge will be ready soon.”
...
"Hmm..." Shiina Mashiro squinted as she walked downstairs, wearing only a white gauze nightgown, with her pink bra clearly visible underneath.
Now she knows the most basic common sense of life and can take care of herself in simple ways—such as dressing, putting clothes that need washing aside, and not throwing her drawings on the ground.
However... she clearly hasn't learned the importance of protecting her privacy in front of Baili Xiao, or rather... she thinks that she doesn't need to protect her privacy in front of Baili Xiao?
"Mashiro! Mashiro! How could you come downstairs dressed like that?!" Hashima Izumi blushed slightly as she looked at Hyakuri Akira, who only glanced at Mashiro as she came downstairs before casually (deliberately) looking away: "Go upstairs and put your clothes on before coming down!"
"Why?" Shiina Mashiro's eyes were still unwilling to open as she yawned and said, "After breakfast, I want to go back to sleep. I don't want to change my clothes."
"That won't work either, what if..."
What if the teacher sees something she shouldn't see? — Before Izumi Hashima could even say this, Kasumigaoka Utaha waved her hand to interrupt her: "Alright, Izumi. Mashiro has done this before. Since she doesn't think it's a big deal in front of her brother, let her be."
"Pfft!" Eriri, who had just put the lean meat porridge into her mouth, widened her eyes and turned her face away from anyone, coughing loudly—(Is this really the Kasumigaoka Utaha I know? Shouldn't she be jealously staring at Shiina Mashiro with her legs crossed? What happened in the past two months? How could she have changed so much?)
"Sawamura-kun, here." A tissue was gently handed to Eriri. Eriri thanked Kato Megumi, wiping her mouth while subtly glancing at Kasumigaoka Utaha out of the corner of her eye: "Megumi, what's wrong with Kasumigaoka Utaha? She wasn't like this before!"
"Kasumigaoka-senpai?" Kato Megumi smiled slightly, picked up the small bowl in front of her, and slowly stirred the porridge with a small spoon: "People all grow, especially when it comes to the people they love. Senpai must be in that state, right?"
"Growing up?" Eriri muttered to herself, hiding the strangeness on her face with "~ drinking porridge".
"Alright, everyone, hurry up and eat. We still have work to do after that." Baili Xiao clasped his hands together and turned to Yamada Fairy: "Fairy, I'll come to your place later. It's time to finish the 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven' series!"
...
In Yamada Elf's room, Baili Xiao sat in a chair, meticulously reviewing the manuscript on the computer, while the room's owner sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his profile with a somewhat nervous expression.
As she moved the mouse over the last paragraph, Baili Xiao let out a soft breath, closed her eyes, and leaned back against the chair, her mind racing with words.
"Teacher, is it...okay?" The words "Are you satisfied?" that she wanted to say came out as "Is it okay?" Yamada Fairy waited anxiously for Baili Xiao's answer—she knew clearly how much Baili Xiao valued this novel.
Whether it's "5 Centimeters Per Second" or "Your Name," Baili Xiao would simply give a general overview of the plot and then let Kasumigaoka Utaha improvise. Only when the "main plot differed too much from what he imagined" would he point out areas for improvement.
However, "The Monkey King" is different. Baili Xiao personally reviews every plot, every scene, every action, and every line, word by word without missing a single detail!
He would point out anything he wasn't satisfied with directly and make Yamada Elf revise it until he was satisfied—that's why "The Monkey King" was completed so late, later than any of "5 Centimeters Per Second" or "Your Name"!
Nodding slightly, Baili Xiao opened his eyes and smiled: "Not bad! To be able to write 'The Monkey King' like this shows that you really put in the effort, Fairy."
"This is the final version of Volume 1 of 'The Monkey King.' Send the manuscript to Ms. Akasaka. I believe its release at the anime convention will cause a sensation among readers!"
Chapter 0141: Box Office Reaches Tens of Millions on Opening Day! (2/5, Please Subscribe)
After the premiere of "5 Centimeters Per Second", a sudden piece of news bombarded the entire film industry like a nuclear bomb!
"【5 Centimeters Per Second】Grossed 1037 million on its opening day! Creating a box office miracle for animated films!"
"With its opening day box office of tens of millions, '5 Centimeters Per Second' completely crushed all other films released in the same period!"
"How could '5 Centimeters Per Second,' which was only shown in a dozen or so urban cinemas, achieve a box office of 10 million on its opening day? What is its appeal?"
Does the success of "5 Centimeters Per Second" signify the rise of animated films? Does it mean that the niche world of anime and manga has become increasingly mainstream?
Anyone in the film industry who hears this news for the first time will exclaim, "This is impossible!"
Because of the limitations of "5 Centimeters Per Second," no one was optimistic that it would achieve high box office returns.
First, it's a niche genre—romance films. Although there are a few released each season, their box office performance is hard to match those blockbusters with "explosive special effects and huge budgets." Moreover... "5 Centimeters Per Second" is an animated film, belonging to the realm of anime and manga, and many people (successful people, office workers in their thirties and forties, etc.) don't watch this type of movie.
Oh no, to be precise, it's not that they don't watch them, but rather that they don't understand anime and manga. Among so many blockbusters, they would rather choose a low-budget, uncultured special effects movie like "XX Hero" than watch an anime or manga movie about romance.
Secondly, there are too few theaters that have signed contracts to screen the film – movies like "5 Centimeters Per Second," which are "self-produced, self-approved, and self-negotiated with theaters," are invariably "good plots, mediocre production, and extremely poor box office results."
Why? Because it doesn't have the involvement of major film companies! Many major film companies own their own theater chains, so if they were involved in the production, it would be natural for them to use their theater chains when the film is released.
Otherwise... if you want to use their theatrical release, you can only negotiate a contract. I won't go into the details of the interests involved, but one thing is certain: the revenue share will be much higher than "letting them join the production"!
Akane Kousaka was in charge of the "theatrical distribution negotiations." Even with all her previous connections and money, she only managed to secure contracts with a dozen or so small and medium-sized theater chains in major cities, which allowed "5 Centimeters Per Second" to be released.
What does a small theater chain mean? It means fewer theaters showing the film, fewer screening rooms, and fewer people who can see it!
Every screening room was packed with people?
Stop kidding! Even blockbuster movies with explosive special effects and huge budgets can't reach this level!
For these two reasons, the release of "5 Centimeters Per Second" was not viewed favorably by people in the film industry. They even discussed behind the scenes, "Do you think it will be forced to be taken off the screens after a few days?"
But... the tens of millions of dollars in box office revenue on the first day of "5 Centimeters Per Second" completely destroyed all their contempt and ridicule!
Anime and manga culture is niche? Yes! It is indeed niche!
But what was the predecessor of "5 Centimeters Per Second"? It was a light novel! A novel that swept the entire internet and sold out in dozens of cities!
What's wrong with successful people? What's wrong with people in their thirties and forties? Anyone who has read the light novel "5 Centimeters Per Second" has been moved to tears by its story!
Is the claim that "millions of people have cast their 'anticipation' votes" for the animated film [5 Centimeters Per Second] fake? (Many more people didn't vote.)
Small theaters... Indeed, it must be admitted that the small number of theaters was the most critical factor limiting the opening day box office of "5 Centimeters Per Second".
On August 5th, or even some time before, the premiere ticket giveaway for "5 Centimeters Per Second" had already begun, and it wasn't until then that many people realized...
"Holy crap! Why isn't '5 Centimeters Per Second' showing at my local cinema?"