The shop owner had originally planned to return the goods. 50 BDs are not a small amount of money. He couldn't just leave them there. But after the boy came back, the shop owner was confused again.
Is this a good seller or a bad seller
Soon he won't have to worry about this problem anymore.
"Boss, check out."
"Boss, do you have the BD of "Infinite Stratos"? I want the BD, not the DVD... Wait, I remember the DVD was a special episode, never mind, give me one of the BD and DVD."
"boss… "
In less than a day, "is", which was thought to be unsalable, was sold out.
50 servings a day, what does that mean
The boss's eyes lit up, and he immediately called a wholesaler: "Hello, Lao Zhang, it's me, the IS from last time, give me another 100... No, 200 boxes! Not DVDs, I mean BDs, 200 boxes of BDs! Quick!"
Similar things are happening simultaneously in other physical audio and video stores and online stores.
Soon, when more fans were attracted by the screenshots posted online and wanted to buy the BD of "IS" -
"Sorry, the BD version of "IS" is sold out. Only the regular DVD version is left. Do you need any more?"
"It's gone. It's really gone. I've urged the wholesaler, but they said it's sold out everywhere. If you really want more, why don't you go and ask that photography company to print tens of thousands more boxes?"
Some things are fine if you get them, but when someone around you gets them and you don't, that desire will be infinitely magnified, especially when friends around you and netizens online are showing off the scenes and easter eggs in the "IS" BD, but you can't see them, this desire will turn into an obsession.
So, when some black fans came to the official Weibo of Huaying Animation, ready to make sarcastic remarks about Huaying's overestimation of its capabilities, they suddenly discovered that the direction of the public opinion under the official Weibo seemed to have changed
"One person wrote in blood begging for more printing!! Official daddy, look at me!! Please print more [crying] 30,000 is not enough, at least another 30,000 boxes will be enough!!"
"I once had a BD in front of me, but I didn't cherish it. I regretted it after I lost it. If God gives me another chance, I will definitely say that I want a box of "IS" BD. Thank you!"
The haters were stunned and couldn't help asking, "How much money did Huaying give you to promote it so much? With the quality of "IS", the BD can still sell 30,000 copies? Are you sure?"
But no one paid any attention to him.
Muxuxing did not announce the real-time sales of "IS", but did not intentionally conceal it. In fact, for people in the industry, it is not difficult to know the sales of an animation. Therefore, anyone who is interested can immediately get the sales data of "IS" through some channels.
In just two weeks, 30,000 BDs and 100,000 DVDs were all sold out!
This data has stunned everyone, whether they are knowledgeable or not.
Those who know the business will know how terrifying this sales volume is. Even those who don't understand the sales situation of animation discs can always do the math, right? A bd is 450 credit points, and a dvd is 10 credit points. If you multiply and add them, the sales volume of Huaying Animation discs is also known - as high as 14.5 million credit points.
Just look at the fans wailing under the official Weibo of Huaying Animation and you will know that for "IS", 30,000 is definitely not the upper limit. As long as Huaying Animation continues to increase sales, the sales volume will skyrocket!
In many people's past impressions, animations that want to make a profit mostly rely on peripheral products. The income from exclusive licensing fees and the distribution of DVDs and Blu-ray discs is more like a symbol and has no practical significance at all. Today, when technology is advanced and animations can be watched through computers, the DVD market has long been over.
But now Huaying Animation has told them with huge facts - the DVD market is not only not over, but also still has a very good profit margin!
This discovery has once again put "IS", which was already at the center of controversy, at the forefront. Everyone knows that after the country began to crack down on piracy, the sales of animation DVDs and bds will definitely increase, but no one knows to what extent the sales will soar, and what changes the entire animation industry will usher in as a result.
"is" allows them to see another possibility.
Driven by this trend of the times, more animation-related magazines launched large-scale topic discussions, and countless people in the animation industry participated in them. As a typical animation that has achieved great success under the new policy, people's discussions on "IS" are no longer all criticizing its vulgar plot, but serious thinking about the reasons for the success of "IS".
"As of this morning, according to the data sent by various channels, the sales of the DVD of "IS" have exceeded 100,000, and the sales of the BD, which has always been considered a niche, have also reached 30,000 copies. Under such circumstances, there are still a large number of fans who are unable to buy the BD and request that the animation sell more. It is expected that the final sales of the BD may reach 50,000 copies."
As the most subscribed and widely read animation magazine in China, Animation Weekly did not talk too much about the plot of is, but instead focused more on the major changes in the entire animation industry:
"Considering that before this, the sales of legitimate long-form animation DVDs were no more than 20,000 copies, and legitimate BD sales were only a pitiful 4,500 copies, the reason why "IS" can be so successful and achieve such amazing sales is that, in addition to the popularity of the animation itself, it is also inseparable from the series of measures taken by the cultural department this year to vigorously combat piracy."
“And all of this is just a brand new beginning. With sales banners like “is”, Animation Weekly can responsibly tell you that yes, the spring of animation development has really arrived.”
With the soaring sales of "IS", countless animation companies have turned their attention to brainless harem anime.
Before "is", this was just a niche category. After "is", as more and more people turned their attention to this market, this formerly niche subject matter has a tendency to pop up one after another like bamboo shoots after rain.
It is said that on the day when the sales of "IS" were exposed, at least ten production companies in the industry approved the brainless erotic animation plan submitted by them and immediately started the production process.
This has caused many industry insiders to feel happy that the entire industry is about to enter a peak period of development, but they are also worried.
"Original Animation Design": "Today, the explosive sales of "IS" have become a fact in front of us. Whether the audience likes "IS" or not, they have to face up to this monster that has refreshed the sales record of animation discs. However, while the author is happy for the further expansion of the animation market, he can't help but feel worried about it."
"No matter how far animation develops, it is undeniable that profit is the first indicator of animation production. The popularity of "IS" will surely cause countless investors and animation production companies to turn their attention to the market of mindless erotic harem animation. When the entire market is dominated by clichéd erotic animations like "IS", will the living space of excellent animation works be further squeezed? And where will the future of the entire animation industry go?"
The editor-in-chief of Animation Frontier wrote on the magazine’s cover page: “The good news is that the animation market will expand as the profit chain expands. The bad news is that the era of mindless commercial animation, where bad movies outshine masterpieces and vulgarity outstrips elegance, has begun from this moment.”
These are considered to be relatively mild attitudes. More radical producers said mercilessly: "If "is" really opens the era of brainless and bad animation, then Mu Suxing and his Huaying Animation are the sinners of the entire industry!"
…
Gong Yi curled his lips, feeling both amused and annoyed at the so-called "criminal theory".
“… If “is” really opens the era of brainless and bad animation, shouldn’t you, as animation producers, also reflect on yourselves?”
He muttered to himself but did not actually post these words on Weibo. As a well-known comic reviewer on Yueqi Video, he still knew what to say and what not to say.
As soon as he closed the Weibo app, the news from the fan group popped up. In just a few seconds, the number of fans had accumulated to 99+. Gong Yi had a hunch in his heart, and when he clicked on it again, he saw that it was indeed the case.
"Recently, everyone is arguing over the sales of "IS". I want to know what you think of "IS" and Huaying. By the way, has it been a whole month since you updated your video? The Count of Monte Cristo"
"If you have the ability to check Weibo, you have the ability to update it! The Count of Monte Cristo Crow"
"Don't play dead, my page just showed that you liked the Weibo post! The new January anime has finished, and you are still idle? Hurry up and hand over the new comic review video! The Count of Monte Cristo"
"Friendly reminder, you've already used the excuse of exam review last time, so remember to use a different excuse this time [friendly smile]"
The Count of Monte Cristo Crow is Gong Yi's ID in Yueqi Video. He has always adhered to the principle of "as long as I escape fast enough, no one can catch up with me". At this moment, he glanced at the group message and said shamelessly: "Last time I took the second-level computer exam, and this time I have to take the teacher qualification certificate exam. Can they be the same?"
Having said that…
Gong Yi scrolled up the chat history and found that many people hoped that he could make a video for "is". He remembered the grand occasion he saw on Weibo and suddenly became interested.
Instead of criticizing those experts, can you at least say a few words for the "IS" production team
He did it as soon as he thought of it. He opened the video editing software, selected the appropriate clips, and prepared a draft for the commentary in his mind. As for the title, Gong Yi had already thought of it, which was called -
"On the Wall of Masterpieces: A Phenomenon of Non-Phenomenal Animation"
As usual, Gong Yi first briefly introduced the general plot of "IS" in a half-joking and half-complaining way, and then briefly analyzed the reasons why "IS" became the "Wall of Masterpieces".
"As a commercial animation, "IS" is fully qualified. It is an animation created purely to please the audience. In terms of plot, it meets the psychological needs of the audience of harem animation, omits a series of complicated processes in the past harem animation, and maximizes the characteristic of "coolness."
"Many people complain about the irrationality of "IS", but ignore the hard work that Animation Studio puts into the pictures. For example, if you look closely, you will find that the performances in "IS" are excellent. The expressions and movements of the female characters are extremely vivid, and the color tones of the pictures often echo the characters' current moods and situations, etc."
"Many up-loaders have done the detailed analysis, so I won't go into details here."
After Gong Yi finished saying this, the video he edited jumped to a completely different scene—
It was still the deep and vast universe, but this time, the small planet was empty, with only a rose swaying in the wind. Its tiny thorns trembled slightly, and then a dark green leaf broke away from the branch, and along with a drop of crystal dew, fell beside the glass cover lying on the ground.
“Finally, I would like to talk about director Mu Suxing and his Huaying animation.”
"As an animated work directed by Mu Suxing, "IS" is inevitably compared with "The Little Prince". Many people don't understand why the director of "The Little Prince" would choose to make a work like "IS" whose plot logic doesn't even make sense. Some people even turned from fans to haters and criticized Mu Suxing and "IS". It seems that if you like "IS", you have low taste, and "IS" is just a bad movie that sells well."
"In fact, I think this kind of evaluation is unfair to both Kaei Animation and Is."
At this point, Gong Yi pressed the pause button, thought about his wording for a while, and then continued: "As far as I know, Huaying Animation is a studio composed of young people. Their boss, who is also the chief director of "IS", has not even graduated from school this year."
"It is an exaggeration to sentence such a talented young man to death because of a movie like 'is' and to claim that he will become a 'sinner' of the times because of his first animation work."
"The Little Prince became the best art short film of the year last year, touching millions of people. Is created the highest BD sales record in the industry in the past decade. It can be seen that Muxuxing can produce both artistic animation and commercial animation. Isn't this enough to prove his all-round talent in animation production?"
At the end of the comic review video, Gong Yi said:
“Some people say that The Little Prince is the pinnacle of director Muxuxing’s work. I think it’s just the opposite—the future of Muxuxing and Huaying Animation has just begun.”
As soon as the video was released, it immediately became popular.
Unlike the one-sided criticism of "IS" by professionals, many viewers actually hold a neutral attitude towards the director of "IS" and the animation itself.
As soon as Gong Yi’s video was released, people, whether they liked “is” or not, couldn’t help but nodded in agreement when they saw it.
They themselves are young people, and many of them happen to be college students like Mu Suxing. Naturally, they are not as harsh on "IS" as professional comic critics. Considering Mu Suxing's age, many people have become interested in Mu Suxing and Huaying Animation:
"No wonder I always felt like I've seen the director's name somewhere before. It turns out he's the director of The Little Prince."
"I like the touching moments brought by The Little Prince, and I also like the addictiveness when watching Is. I didn't expect the director to be the same age as me. We are both students, but other people's animation works have received over 100 million hits, while I am still playing games... I won't say more, I am going to work hard too."
"I think Director Maki has done an excellent job. Which young director in his early twenties can have such explosive sales for his first animation?"
“I like this animation company and look forward to Huaying Animation producing more interesting animation works in the future!”
…
The debate in the industry about "IS" is still going on, but the opinions are no longer one-sided. The number of followers of Huaying Animation on Weibo is also increasing, and many fans of "IS" are looking forward to Huaying Animation releasing the second season of "IS".
"Season 2 of 'is'?"
Hearing Cui Hongyi's question, Mu Suxing was slightly startled. He was about to say that he did not plan to produce the second season - it was hard to say whether this was not the intuition he developed after spending a long time with Mu Suxing. As if knowing what he wanted to say, Fang Lian, Wen Feihang and Dai Yuyan raised their heads and stared at him silently.
Mu Xuxing unconsciously looked away, avoiding the four people's sharp gazes.
"Really?" He was acting like that, what else did Cui Hongyi not understand? He looked at Mu Suxing, his face full of disbelief: "IS is selling so well, there's no shortage of fans to buy a second season, and you don't even want to do it?"
If he was not sure that the man in front of him was his boss, Cui Hongyi would have suspected that the other party had been replaced by someone else.
Muxiuxing: …
He really thought so.
He has no particular obsession with artistic animation or commercial animation. If he must say, his obsession lies in animation itself.
He likes to try different themes and styles, and even challenge different production techniques.
Commercial animation or art animation, TV animation or cinema animation, short or long, single or series; watercolor animation, ink painting animation, paper-cut animation, puppet animation...
Each form is a new and interesting challenge.
He would never make a second work of the same subject matter or genre unless he presented it with completely new ideas and angles.
only…
When his eyes met the four people in front of him with "kindness written all over their faces", Mu Suxing felt inexplicably guilty for a moment, and finally realized a fact belatedly: whether as the chief director or the boss, he was a little too willful in some aspects.
For example, regarding the selection of the first animation, if he had chosen other works that had commercial value but were not as controversial as "IS", he would not have caused the people in front of him to be criticized along with him; another example is the BD sales incident this time, although his decision was finally proved to be correct and no one expressed any opinions about his stubbornness, he did ignore the feelings of others.
After all, Huaying Animation is not just his company.
After five minutes of self-reflection, Muxiuxing finally came up with a new solution: "I really don't plan to produce the second season of "IS"."
Seeing the four people's faces suddenly darken, Mu Suxing stopped teasing them and said seriously: "Just because I said I won't do a second season doesn't mean Huaying Animation won't do a second season."
When he said this, the four of them immediately understood what he meant.
"Do you mean that you want to let someone else direct the second season of "IS"?" Wen Feihang asked.
Mu Suxing nodded and said, "In the future, Huaying will definitely have multiple lines of animation production. It is definitely not enough for me to be the chief director. The second season of "IS" is not difficult, which is just right for training new directors."
"Speaking of this," Muxuxing paused, looked up at the four people in front of him and said, "If any of you are interested in directing the second season of IS, you can tell me now."
If nothing unexpected happens, even if the sales of the second season of "IS" cannot match the first season, with the popularity of the first season as a foundation, the sales will not be too bad. Even if it is not as good as the first season, it will not be criticized too much by fans and professional comic critics. It can be said that it is the most suitable season to train new directors.
Since there is such an opportunity, Mu Xuxing naturally gives priority to people he trusts.
"I'll forget it," Wen Feihang spoke first. He touched his nose and said, "It's not that "IS" is bad, but this type of animation is really not my cup of tea." As a literary young man, he was indeed not very interested in the style of animation like "IS".
Fang Lian hesitated for a while, but soon, as if he had figured something out, he shook his head and said, "I'm not interested in independent directing for now. I'd better continue to work with you, Amu, on the next animation."
It was fine that Wen Feihang preferred artistic animation, but Fang Lian was not interested in taking over the second season of "IS". Mu Suxing was a little surprised and had to turn to look at Cui Hongyi. At this moment, a clear female voice suddenly sounded:
"Let me do it."
As soon as Dai Yuyan finished speaking, several boys present looked at her in surprise.
It’s not that I don’t believe in Dai Yuyan’s ability, but among girls, few are interested in harem animation, let alone directing a harem animation.
Noticing the surprised looks of several people, Dai Yuyan blinked: "Is it not possible?"
"Of course," Mu Xiuxing agreed first to avoid being misunderstood as doubting her ability, and then asked curiously: "But are you really interested in the second season of "IS"? I thought you girls shouldn't be too interested in this type of animation."
"Only you boys are allowed to like pretty girls, but we girls are not allowed to be interested in pretty girls?" Dai Yuyan made a joke, and then said seriously: "I want to try to produce "IS" from a different perspective and see what kind of effect it will present. It may not be possible to surpass the first season, but I will try my best."
"Then the second season of 'IS' will definitely be handed over to Yuyan," Cui Hongyi casually made a mark on his notebook. "What about you, boss? When will the next animation project start? If it is carried out at the same time as the second season of 'IS', the current number of employees at Yihuaying will definitely not be enough."
"Then let's prepare for the recruitment in the next few days," Mu Suxing pondered, "I don't plan to start the next animation project immediately in the short term. I plan to take a break and practice in seclusion for a while. The peripheral products of "IS" also need to be negotiated with the partners. The company's production focus will be on the second season of "IS" for now."
At this point, he looked at Dai Yuyan again and said, "I will no longer interfere with the production of "IS". Yuyan, the second season will be handed over to you. As long as the other party agrees, you can choose any specific production team in the company."
After briefly explaining their respective tasks and the distribution of bonuses - the achievements of "IS" are inseparable from the efforts of everyone in the company. Although money is cliché, it is always the most appropriate and soothing reward.
At night, Xingning International Hotel.
The light blue taxi stopped accurately in front of the hotel. Mu Suxing waved to stop the young woman who was about to pay. While paying the fare, he considered the possibility of buying a car - he would travel more frequently in the future, and it would always be inconvenient not to have a car of his own.
"Boss Mu?"
Accustomed to being called "Director Mu", Mu Suxing was a little slow to realize that the "President Mu" in the other person's mouth referred to him. He checked the name on the hotel sign again and nodded gently at the other person: "This is it, let's go in."
The young woman who was traveling with him was named Ruan Wei. Her name sounded soft, but she was actually a strong woman. She was one of the employees who stayed from the previous Rose Animation period. She was in charge of the development of animation peripherals. Because Rose Animation did not have many works to sell, she had been idle.
When he heard that Mu Suxing was coming to discuss the surrounding development matters with his partners, he immediately became excited and recommended himself. Mu Suxing wanted to test the other party's ability, so he readily agreed.
The author has something to say: Don’t you think it’s too much to ask an author who writes 6000-9000 words a day to update twice a day? qaq
Open your favorites, yes! That's right! I'm talking about the author who has published three or even two articles in your favorites! Go and urge her to publish six or ten thousand articles! (Instigation)