Rating and Research

[At Asahi HQ]

[CEO's Office]

"Sir! Our ratings have increased!" a young woman burst into the room, startling the middle-aged man, Yudai Hayakawa, who was busy processing paperwork and devising strategies for the company.

Due to her high heels and clumsy nature, the young woman, Rin, tripped and fell to the floor.

"Rin!" Yudai exclaimed, rushing over to her. "Are you alright? Why are you so flustered?"

Rin winced in pain while holding her leg but quickly replied, "I'm not flustered, sir!"

Puzzled by her unusual behavior, Yudai continued, "Then what's going on? Why the rush?"

Smiling broadly, Rin replied, "CEO, our ratings in the Kanto region have gone up!"

Yudai was taken aback by the news and asked eagerly, "Really? What's the new rating?"

Rin nodded enthusiastically and said, "It's gone up from 9% to 12%!"

Yudai was shocked, and he exclaimed, "12 percent!?"

Rin nodded again.

It might not seem like a significant increase, but in the world of television ratings, it was quite substantial.

Yudai pinched his own cheek as if to check if he was dreaming, then he looked at Rin and said with joy, "It's not a dream! Tell me, why did our Asahi Channel's ratings increase?"

Rin beamed and explained, "It's all thanks to the anime we aired last week, 'The Legend Of Zelda.'"

Yudai nodded in recognition and said thoughtfully, "Ah, yes. That's the anime produced by Madranch Studio, and we rented the morning timeslot to KiShin Entertainment."

Rin confirmed, "Exactly, CEO! It's because of 'The Legend of Zelda' anime that our channel's ratings have risen."

Yudai was taken aback by this revelation and said thoughtfully, "I knew it was a wise decision to air that anime, but I didn't expect such a significant impact on our overall ratings after just one episode."

Rin nodded in agreement.

Yudai continued, "I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the first episode of the anime had a 14% rating. Even though the timeslot was rented, it's still a great success. But to hear that the second episode also performed exceptionally well..."

Rin interjected with excitement, "The second episode of 'The Legend of Zelda' anime achieved an impressive 19% rating!"

Yudai was thoroughly shocked by this news. The rapid rise in ratings for just the second episode of an anime was beyond his expectations. It meant that nearly 2.8 million households were tuning in to watch the show.

[At KiShin HQ] 

In the meeting hall, Lee Han provided updates on the sales of KiShin FamiCom and video games. "After the first and second episodes of 'The Legend of Zelda' anime, sales of FamiCom and 'The Legend of Zelda' video games increased by at least 4% compared to the previous day."

The employees were elated, and their gazes turned towards Shin, their young leader. Initially skeptical about Shin's focus on anime marketing, they were now witnessing its effectiveness within just two episodes or two weeks.

Once Lee Han finished, Shin couldn't help but smile. "Not only that, Asahi TV just called us with today's episode ratings..."

The entire room was filled with anticipation as Shin delivered the news with a grin, "The current rating for our anime has reached 19% in the Kanto region!"

The employees were left dumbfounded by this astounding achievement. It meant that millions of people were now tuning in to watch KiShin's anime, and it was an incredibly pleasant surprise for everyone involved.

Shin continued, "Given the increase in FamiCom sales, it won't be surprising if we reach 1 million in sales within a week. And not to mention, 'The Legend of Zelda' will likely sell hundreds of thousands of copies in just a week or so..."

This estimation was truly surprising.

Lee Han chimed in with a sigh, "If we hadn't included the option to choose two freebie games, 'Super Mario Bros.' would probably be our highest-selling video game..."

Shin chuckled and reassured, "Don't worry about it. We'll release more games in the 'Super Mario' series, after all..."

The employees in the room shared a chuckle. They didn't seem too concerned about this except for Lee Han, who had a keen eye for cost-efficiency.

Once the employees had left the meeting room, only Shin and Lee Han remained. Shin turned to Lee Han and inquired, "How's the progress in the handheld research?"

Lee Han's expression grew serious as he replied, "It's a rather complex technology... The research team estimates that it will take about half a year or possibly more to complete."

Shin sighed upon hearing this response and said with resignation, "There's no other way around it... Our research department still lacks the necessary resources. We need to allocate a significant portion of our funds to that department, recruit more professionals, and expand our labs to expedite the process."

Shin wasn't too concerned about recruiting more professionals, as they had strict contracts in place to prevent any information leaks.

With KiShin's increased net worth, Shin had established comfortable rooms near the company's premises for these recruited professionals. While the living conditions were good, they were isolated from the outside world, leaving their phones and personal belongings behind. This was a security measure to protect the confidentiality of the research.

Although it might seem stringent, these professionals agreed to these terms as it was clearly stated in their contracts. Moreover, they were experts in technology and chemistry, so they anticipated such precautions.

Due to their exposure to chemicals, Shin emphasized their safety and protection. 

Shin had no other option; he couldn't afford to fail. If the details of this research on upgrading their console and handheld project were exposed, he would effectively bid farewell to the business world. It would be a goodbye to KiShin and a warm welcome to Tora. This highlighted the gravity of the situation if he were to become complacent..