Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: 6. Mecha God Chronicle, Reactions (3)
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📰 Top Headlines What exactly is this new art form called “animation” that's drawing massive popularity across the entire Empire?
Poll results: Over 50% of Imperial citizens are watching 「Mecha God Chronicle」.
Experts delve into why 「Mecha God Chronicle」 is sparking a box office frenzy in the Empire.
Theater and opera attendance sharply declines due to the impact of 「Mecha God Chronicle」’s airing…
📰 Breaking News … (excerpt omitted) …
Currently, 「Mecha God Chronicle」, which airs every weekend at 9 p.m., is enjoying tremendous popularity among Imperial citizens.
The Imperial Family provided support for the production of 「Mecha God Chronicle」, and the artifact known as television has been distributed across the Empire, but these factors alone cannot fully explain the phenomenon.
So, how exactly did 「Mecha God Chronicle」 capture the hearts of Imperial citizens experiencing animation for the first time?
Most professionals in the arts scene attribute the biggest reason to its “engaging story.”
In episode 1, the protagonist Kai, an ordinary boy, not only suddenly boards a Mecha God but also goes unconscious as it rampages wildly on its own—an utterly shocking development.
However, episode 2 reveals that Kai has lost all memories of the rampage.
Circumstantially, it's clear the rampaging Mecha God subjugated the first Outer God, but the story provides no further explanation on the matter.
Yet, through meaningful conversations between the Commander-in-Chief and Vice-Commander, or the monologues of fellow pilots Saya and Chloe, viewers can confirm that this is all intentional direction.
Interpretations hold that these “artificial gaps” in the story serve as the driving force behind viewers’ intense interest in 「Mecha God Chronicle」.
However, some other experts are directly countering this view.
They argue that the most powerful factor boosting 「Mecha God Chronicle」’s success is the female pilots, starting with Saya.
Saya: a blonde girl who appears almost emotionless, chillingly cool.
Eileen: red-haired and lively, with subjugating Outer Gods as her sole goal.
Chloe: black-haired, with few appearances so far, but seemingly privy to vital secrets about the Mecha God.
And currently, all three could be said to be in a sort of “something brewing” with Kai, both physically and emotionally.
Eileen as Kai’s reliable partner in subjugating Outer Gods.
Saya as a lifelong companion who seems to be slowly rediscovering her lost emotions through her interactions with him.
Chloe as a guide trying to lead him down the right path by revealing some “secret” to him.
These three female pilots are each supporting Kai in their own unique ways.
Among viewers, heated debates are raging over which of these three will emerge as the ultimate victor.
For the record, this author has the greatest fondness for Saya among the three female pilots.
Because in episode 4, the moment Saya—who was said never to have smiled once—unwittingly flashes a grin while grasping Kai’s outstretched hand was more than enough to tug at my heartstrings…
"...What the hell. Who’s the crazy bastard that wrote this article?"
I was reading the newspaper article smoothly when I unwittingly made a dumbfounded face.
I'd heard there was a special feature on 「Mecha God Chronicle」 in today's morning edition, so I gave it a read.
It was cruising along fine until midway, when it veered off into some heroine showdown cup and the reporter's personal tastes— I couldn't hide my bewilderment.
"Well, it's a bit absurd, but not a bad thing overall, right?"
Serika, seated across from me, sipped her coffee while reading the same paper and chuckled softly as she said it.
"From the start, the fact that a paper ran a story like this is proof our 「Mecha God Chronicle」 has evolved beyond mere box office success into a full-blown social phenomenon. Isn't it?"
"...Yeah, that's true."
I had no choice but to nod at Serika's words.
Sure enough, she was spot on.
「Mecha God Chronicle」, now up to episode 10, was whipping up an enormous box office storm across the entire Empire.
To the point where I suspected it might even surpass the popularity of 「Eli and Hamel's Disappearance」.
Of course, directly comparing popularity between 「Mecha God Chronicle」 and 「Eli and Hamel's Disappearance」 was impossible.
One was a TV anime, the other a theatrical release.
While 「Eli and Hamel's Disappearance」 had drawn popularity mainly among nobles and a handful of commoners since it required buying tickets at theaters,
「Mecha God Chronicle」 was eliciting even fiercer reactions because televisions had spread across the Empire, making it easy for commoners to access too.
Plus, Ricardo—our agitator carrying on 'Hi's' will—had spread rumors that the production team was always ready to communicate with the general public, which had greatly improved our image.
Serika smiled and began reading articles from the other papers in front of her.
"Beyond this, the other papers are nothing but rave reviews for 「Mecha God Chronicle」 too. Things like 'a ray of hope emerging in a world filled only with despair' or 'an animation showcasing humanity's defiance against mysterious monsters.' Hardly any criticism."
"...Really?"
"Some Empire Academy arts professor or whatever wrote that 「Mecha God Chronicle」 lacks depth in its content, but it doesn't seem to be getting much traction. Viewers really know their stuff, huh."
Serika said it with evident glee,
but for some reason, hearing her made me feel a twinge of discomfort.
Because
'If these kinds of rave reviews keep pouring in, I won't be able to end it with a humanity extinction finale...!'
That was right.
In the past, there was this legendary anime from Japan that ended with humanity turning into orange juice—a masterpiece overall by any measure,
but plenty of people griped that the characters all seemed mentally ill or that watching it might induce depression.
Yet the director hadn't crafted those developments just to give viewers cancer.
They were all buildup for turning humanity into orange juice at the end.
The choke-inducing character actions and utter trash plot made the extinction ending feel like, "Ah, I see," letting people accept it smoothly.
Though, accepting it and spewing curses after the ending were separate matters, of course.
Put conversely, unless I choked viewers with trash developments too, I wouldn't be able to wipe out humanity in the finale.
If things stayed bright, cheerful, and hopeful right up to a sudden humanity doom ending, that wouldn't be a twist at all.
It'd just mean the director gave up midway on a total trashfire anime.
So, what should I do?
How could I steer toward the wipeout route without tanking the anime?
'Well, that's not such a tough problem.'
Fortunately, the solution wasn't hard to come by.
Because I could just... borrow a bit of inspiration from the original anime that served as the motif for 「Mecha God Chronicle」. Not plagiarize, mind you.
'Kill.'
I planned to make an example execution of one of the characters appearing in 「Mecha God Chronicle」 from now on.
Of course, in front of the production staff, I'd package that death as an unavoidable story sacrifice.
But no one would suspect my true intent: to plunge 「Mecha God Chronicle」's atmosphere into the gutter.
Some might ask if going full trash plot doesn't ruin the work,
but hey, Shakespeare's 「Hamlet」 is a total morning soap trashfest, and no one badmouths it.
Same here.
I too was tearfully making the hard choice to trash up 「Mecha God Chronicle」 for the sake of crafting a masterpiece.
'Hmm, but even if they're anime characters, is it really okay to just kill people off like that?'
For a moment, the faint remnants of conscience in my chest squirmed and posed that question,
but upon reflection, methodically serial-killing off the cast one by one didn't seem so bad.
'They're all slated to die at the end anyway, so think of it as dying a little early.'
I'd even reunite the early-deathers with the finale casualties in the afterlife, making me a pretty merciful guy, right?
Plus, if that alone lacked punch, I planned to kit out the main characters with mental disorders one by one from here on.
From yandere to menhera.
From Oedipus complex to Electra complex.
By emphasizing that none of the characters were right in the head, dragging the plot into trash territory, even if humanity ended up as orange juice in the finale, there wouldn't be many to blame me.
And at the end of it all, I'd be free.
No more making anime, just kicking back as a total NEET living off royalties!
"Hmm, a plain death might feel a bit bland, so maybe layer in a children's song as OST for that scene?"
On screen, someone croaking while a gentle nursery rhyme plays in the background— wouldn't that give everyone a massive culture shock?
That should be plenty to rattle the minds of viewers watching 「Mecha God Chronicle」 live.
I immediately dove into production to manipulate emotions through the anime,
and a few days later, 「Mecha God Chronicle」 episode 17—the one that would flip the entire Empire upside down—was complete.
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