Chapter 46

Sure enough, something happened, and it happened to Gonzo.

《Re-take》 had already entered the production process and had already discussed the broadcasting arrangements with Tokyo TV. Murahama Akira was worried about the ratings when it aired, as the contract with Tokyo TV stipulated that the payment amount was based on the ratings. Although Fukuda Mihime appeared very confident, Murahama Akira, probably out of concern for the company's large investment, wanted to create a promotional impact in advance. After discussing with Fukuda Mihime and Anno Hideaki, they decided to release part of the plot in a certain manga magazine to create an impact.

Because of Fukuda Mihime's relationship with Kadokawa Shoten, the manga version of 《Re-take》 was published in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Shonen Ace as a special feature, and it was announced that the anime adaptation was decided.

However, this part of the plot caused a certain level of sensation, which then led to an incident.

Since Shen Zhenghui was recreating the plot of 《Re-take》 based on his own memory, the development of the plot of 《Re-take》 followed the time sequence as he understood it. Therefore, the chapter content that Murahama Akira released at once followed the time sequence up to the point where Asuka was rejected by Shinji and hanged herself.

Although everyone knew that when one Asuka died, a clone would continue to live, the development of the plot was too intense. Even though the h-scenes were deleted during the drawing, the obvious bias towards Asuka still offended many readers, especially the loyal Asuka fans. Of course, some of the Asuka fans could not accept the implied intimate scenes between Asuka and Shinji. As a result, besides receiving numerous protest letters, the magazine Monthly Shonen Ace, which announced the anime adaptation, also received protest letters from Gonzo.

"What's the big deal about otaku protest letters?" Shen Zhenghui was very puzzled. "How much are their protests worth? How much did we spend on the copyright? Are you really taking this seriously?"

"The problem is that it's not just protest letters!" Murahama Akira looked very troubled. "They also sent these things." He handed over an envelope that was heavy. When opened, it contained items like razor blades. The cover looked very normal, but the paper inside read "Repent!" and "Heavenly Punishment!"

"Can't you handle this? Just report it to the police." Shen Zhenghui was indifferent. "I really don't think much of the fighting ability of people in the Heisei era. These threat letters don't mean much."

"It's not just threat letters." Fukuda Mihime said. "If it were just threat letters, we could handle it without you coming back."

"Then what else? Are there severed fingers?" Shen Zhenghui narrowed his eyes.

"How could there be such things?" Murahama Akira said. "Someone just placed a bucket of gasoline at the company entrance and said they would burn down Gonzo if we didn't stop the anime adaptation."

Shen Zhenghui looked at Murahama Akira as if he were a fool. "Report it to the police!"

"We did, but the police have no leads." Fukuda Mihime replied. "The police even advised us not to rush the anime adaptation."

"Are you serious? I've heard that the Japanese police are quite incompetent, but I didn't think they were this bad." Shen Zhenghui stood up. "Do we need Oda Yuji and Yanagiba Toshiro to work at the police department to improve their capabilities?"

Although it wasn't the right time to laugh, the Japanese present covered their mouths. Murahama Akira, unusually, defended the police. "The police have no leads, so they need time to investigate. They just said that before the case is solved, we shouldn't provoke the perpetrator."

"Yes, the Japanese police are always so incompetent. If there were really a Kudo Shinichi, this level of case would have been solved long ago. If Mouri Kogoro brought Edogawa Conan to the scene, the perpetrator would already be in the police station picking up soap!"

"So what?"

"The plan can't stop. Everything will proceed as scheduled. We've spent so much money, and a few razor blades and gasoline won't stop us. Only money can stop us."

"But be careful, these razor blades are all sent to you." Fukuda Mihime said.

"What?"

"Didn't you see the envelope? It's addressed to Mr. Sasaki, the original author of 《Re-take》."

Shen Zhenghui carefully examined the envelope. Indeed, it was addressed to be forwarded by Gonzo. "You opened my letters without permission?"

"Because we received so many razor blades, we had to open them one by one to check." Fukuda Mihime said. "Many of them were taken as evidence by the police."

"Mr. Murahama, does Gonzo have an official website?" Shen Zhenghui asked.

"An official website? Yes, but it's very simple." Murahama Akira replied.

"That's fine. Here's what we can do: We'll issue a statement explaining the fan-made nature of our work and contact Anno Hideaki to issue a statement that this fan-made work does not affect the official plot. Additionally, we need to divert the attention of these annoying people by opening a new discussion area for them to argue."

"What needs to be done?"

"We need a lot of programmers, of course, and hardware." He looked at Murahama Akira. "Mr. Murahama, I think it's time to upgrade Gonzo's official website. Let's do it while we're at it!"

"How?"

"The issue is that we can't let others control the narrative. Mr. Murahima, please communicate with your colleagues in the anime industry and ask them to support us." Shen Zhenghui said seriously.

"That's what I should do." Murahama Akira nodded. He was counting on this project to make money, so he readily agreed.

"Mihime, the mainstream media will likely pay attention to this. Pay attention to the public opinion and don't let it go in a strange direction." Shen Zhenghui said to Fukuda Mihime.

"A strange direction?" Fukuda Mihime pursed her lips. "What kind of strange direction?"

"Don't let it end up with the perpetrator saying he wants to marry Asuka, and we murdered his wife, so everyone is moved to tears."

"That would be strange!" Fukuda Mihime laughed. "But don't worry, I know."

"Right, we also hope to use the mainstream media to amplify our subsequent publicity. Don't be overly worried. Although this happened, it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. This incident can be a great promotion for us. We can use this opportunity to boost our performance. How about we discuss with Tokyo TV to have our anime premiere earlier? Mr. Murahama, is there any problem with that?" Shen Zhenghui asked.

"There shouldn't be any problem," Murahama Akira said. "With Gainax's help, production is quite fast, and an early premiere is not an issue."

Shen Zhenghui then looked at Fukuda Mihime.

Fukuda Mihime nodded.

"Let's create a fait accompli as soon as possible," he said. "Also, it would be best to find a security company to increase patrols around the company. From my experience, Japanese criminals lack rationality."

"Where did you get that impression?"

"…From 《Keiji Tantei》."

With money, everything moved quickly. By that evening, Gonzo's official website began to issue announcements, detailing the fan-made nature of 《Re-take》 and stating that it was unrelated to the official plot. It also published Anno Hideaki's authorization statement, advertising that high-quality fan works could be authorized for animation. Then, Gonzo's website opened a discussion area for 《Re-take》, welcoming fans' opinions and suggestions. When major TV stations, newspapers, and the internet began to report on the 《EVA》 fan threat incident, Gonzo's website saw a terrifying amount of traffic. Without the real-time maintenance by technical staff, the website would have crashed immediately.

Many fans left messages expressing support and anticipation for the anime adaptation, condemning and not understanding the extreme actions of some fans. Of course, more fans from different factions engaged in battles with each other.

Asuka fans, Rei fans, and Kaoru fans all appeared, and even a "neutral" faction emerged. The discussions gradually became heated, and by the end, they almost resembled the statements of extremist organizations.

"Record the IP addresses of the extreme posters and hand them over to the police." Shen Zhenghui, looking at these posts, felt as if he had returned to the chaotic internet era of the future. The Japanese at the time had not yet developed the calm demeanor of future internet celebrities. Chinese internet celebrities faced tens of thousands of sarcastic and abusive comments with a calm demeanor, their faces as thick as city walls and their hearts as broad as prime ministers. They were adept at deleting posts, banning comments, and blocking users. The Japanese of the time still needed to be tempered.

After Fukuda Mihime and Tokyo TV had an emergency communication, the TV station actually agreed to the suggestion of an early broadcast, though the anime would still air in the late-night slot. The TV station probably saw that after such an incident, there would be no need for much promotion, as the broadcast would attract the attention of most viewers.

This incident also greatly stimulated Anno Hideaki. He decided to produce a new movie after the film version of 《Death and Rebirth》, but this would have to wait until after the broadcast of 《Re-take》. Anno Hideaki had already decided to break away from the original TV series and produce a new theatrical version. In Shen Zhenghui's view, this person's talent for making money seemed to have awakened earlier due to his stimulation.

With this series of actions, the fan who had the courage to send razor blades seemed to disappear into the crowd. The suspects identified by the police showed no abnormal behavior, which made Shen Zhenghui feel disappointed. The passion of the Showa men had completely disappeared in the Heisei era. It was unclear whether the publicity had an effect or not, but the Japanese police were already accustomed to the reputation of being incompetent. It was evident that without a female leader, they could not win their reputation. However, it was clear that even someone like Yakushiji Ryoko or Ohsawa Eriko was rare.

Finally, with the ratings of 《Re-take》, the anxiety and fear subsided. The first episode's ratings exceeded 10%, which was astonishing for a late-night anime.

However, as the plot progressed, more razor blades, ropes, and rat poison were sent to Mr. Sasaki of Gonzo. Shen Zhenghui also experienced the treatment that Anno Hideaki had experienced in the past. The police finally used this opportunity to close the case, as the grievances of otaku were not something to be taken seriously.

---

**End of Chapter**