The host, whose figure could not be seen, asked in a relaxed tone:
"Director Kamiyā, why did you decide to write a novel personally?"
Sitting in the center of the frame, Kamiyā Yuu thought for a moment before explaining:
"I did consider handing the novel writing over to someone else. But when I was planning the storyboard for the anime, I realized that it simply wouldn't work unless I wrote it myself. The creator understands their own characters best. If I left it to a novelist, I couldn't be sure how that person would interpret the character. Isn't there a saying that there are a thousand Hamlets in the minds of a thousand people? But I only want to convey my own understanding of Hamlet to others."
"Then why choose the medium of a novel? You're an outstanding anime director. 'RWBY', 'Magical Girl Nanoha', and the currently hottest phenomenon-level anime in Japan, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', were all created by you. Wouldn't it be more convenient to adapt it directly into an anime? The visuals would also be more expressive. Or are there certain difficulties involved?"
Kamiyā Yuu chuckled.
"Ah, the anime is already in production, of course. The main reason for writing the novel is that there are simply too many things this story wants to express. However, the story was never suited to becoming a long-running anime, so the novel serves as a supplement to the anime's content. Haha, to be honest, I'm actually quite confident in my writing. When I was young, I often imagined becoming a famous author when I grew up. Maybe now I'll finally get the chance to fulfill that dream."
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"Your novel 'Knight's Twilight' is based on the famous British monarch King Arthur. Why did you choose this historical figure?"
Kamiyā Yuu nodded.
"This is a character side story, and it covers material that the anime can't adequately portray and therefore requires a novel as supplementary content. Your question actually touches upon the setting of the main novel."
The host followed up in an exaggeratedly curious tone:
"That certainly sounds fascinating. What kind of setting does the main novel have that would involve historical figures?"
Kamiyā Yuu smiled confidently and gestured with his hands as he explained:
"It's really just a personal fantasy of mine. Sometimes when watching other works, I'd suddenly wonder: what would happen if a character from one story were placed into another? How strong would they be? But because of the conflicts between different settings, it's difficult to make that kind of comparison meaningful.
Comparing the strengths of characters from different works might as well be replaced by dragging the authors out and making them fight each other.
For example, what does it even mean if a super robot manga character capable of destroying the Earth enters a comedy anime?
As I kept thinking about it, I felt rather frustrated—until I suddenly realized that there were still characters who existed under the same setting and were known throughout the world.
The answer was reality itself.
Japan's sword saint Miyamoto Musashi, China's martial arts master Li Shuwen, the famous Western king Arthur, as well as figures from Japanese mythology, Chinese mythology, Western mythology, Sumerian mythology, Greek mythology, and so on.
Of course, the power levels in those myths could never truly coexist, so I created a relatively balanced system to measure and compare strength."
"'Fate/zero' is a work that was developed and refined under that system."
He continued with enthusiasm:
"Personally, I'm very fond of Zhao Yun from Chinese history. Whether he's fictionalized or not, 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' has engraved that character deeply into the hearts of countless readers who love the Three Kingdoms period.
If a figure like him and Britain's most famous king were to appear in the modern era, what kind of conflict would arise?
The moment I imagined that scene, I found it incredibly interesting.
So I simply decided to create it."
The host immediately responded excitedly:
"I see! That explanation makes the concept much clearer. To be honest, I've had similar thoughts before. What would happen if the sword saint Miyamoto Musashi competed against a modern martial artist? Maybe he'd end up being defeated by a fighter dressed like a homeless man, haha.
Director Kamiyā's work sounds incredibly interesting. I absolutely must read it!"
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"Now then, let's enjoy the promotional PV for the novel, personally directed by Director Kamiyā."
The video transitioned into a still-image promotional PV created by Kamiyā Yuu.
Combined with stirring music and character dialogue, it gave viewers the feeling of standing on a battlefield themselves, their blood boiling with excitement.
As the story unfolded through a sequence of still illustrations, the narrative progressed from drawing the Sword in the Stone and becoming king to achieving victory in battle after battle without defeat.
Then the kingdom's prosperity declined into decay.
The lonely and desolate figure of the Knight King, Artoria Pendragon, resonated deeply with viewers.
······
"Looks fine overall."
Akiyama Gojō nodded in satisfaction.
This half-hour interview had cost Kamiyā Yuu an entire afternoon and consumed most of the recent efforts of Chiyo Bookstore's novel editorial department.
The original interview had lasted over three hours, but it had been trimmed down to roughly thirty minutes, selecting only the portions most likely to interest readers.
After reviewing all the material and confirming there were no issues, he passed it on to the editing department for final processing.
It would then be placed in a highly visible promotional position on Chiyo Bookstore's website.
At the same time, they contacted partnered bookstores to prepare for the release and promotion of the physical novels.
Yosuganosora Animation Studio had already signed a contract with Chiyo Bookstore.
Most of the novel's promotional work had been entrusted to Chiyo Bookstore, while Yosuganosora Animation Studio continued focusing all of its efforts on operating 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
In fact, managing 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' alone was already keeping the company overwhelmingly busy.
This collaboration could barely be considered a win-win situation. To synchronize their interests, the two companies had also reached additional cooperation agreements involving 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
Kamiyā Yuu wasn't seeking an enormous response from the novels.
After all, even after the complete 'Fate/zero' anime was released, it was unlikely to surpass the current popularity of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
Thanks to 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', Kamiyā Yuu had already ascended to legendary status within Japan's anime industry.
He had fame.
He had money.
What came next was the stage where he could indulge his own ambitions.
His goal was to continue expanding the company so he could bring over all the outstanding anime works from his previous world.
The production-related departments of Yosuganosora Animation Studio were already quite comprehensive.
With a healthy flow of capital, the company could continuously attract talented animation professionals. Combined with the extensive industry connections of the production management department, the studio could theoretically produce two anime of the same caliber as 'Fate/zero' simultaneously within a single season—as long as they weren't excessively obsessed with quality.
Kamiyā Yuu had already considered this possibility when 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' was approaching its conclusion.
However, due to a shortage of personnel in the Art Department and his unwillingness to outsource background art to external companies, he had ultimately abandoned the idea.
Outside animation studios simply lacked the technology and experience possessed by Yosuganosora Animation Studio. The backgrounds they produced would never properly match the key animation artwork.
The Art Department was generally responsible for anime backgrounds.
Unlike characters, backgrounds usually remained static.
In other words, key animators only needed to draw the moving elements. They didn't have to repeatedly redraw the background in every frame. By assigning static backgrounds to the Art Department, a tremendous amount of work could be saved.
Furthermore, Yosuganosora Animation Studio's Art Department differed somewhat from those of ordinary studios.
Kamiyā Yuu had integrated a variety of miscellaneous specialists into the department.
For example, mechanical designers.
In mecha anime such as those involving Gundams, the director alone couldn't design every spaceship or mobile suit.
Most key animators could not simply produce professional-grade mechanical artwork.
Therefore, specialists with extensive knowledge of mechanical design and industrial aesthetics were needed to handle those elements.
During the production of 'Fate/zero', Kamiyā Yuu had instructed Morishita Aoi to solve the Art Department's staffing shortage as quickly as possible.
His goal was for the studio to possess the capability of simultaneously producing two high-quality anime by the next animation season.
There were simply too many outstanding works in the world he had come from.
If he had only produced one anime per season, he would never have been able to bring over all the exceptional series created during those twenty years.