It was mid-February.
In the dostic animation market, Hunter × Hunter and Arcane had beco direct rivals.
The two series ranked first and second in viewership for the season, airing on the two largest television stations, one in Ion TV, the other in the Capital TV, that had been locked in rivalry for years. To Rei, which one edged out the other hardly mattered.
To the fans, however, it ant everything.
Most of them followed Shirogane and watched both shows, yet lines were inevitably drawn. Comparisons, argunts, and fla wars erupted across forums all the sa.
On the manga side, after the New Year, Hunter × Hunter’s average per-volu sales finally surpassed 19 million copies, making it the second-highest-selling ongoing series in Japan. It now trailed the top-ranked Echoes of the End by fewer than 600,000 copies per volu.
With an average of 19.3 million, Hunter climbed to eighth place on Japan’s all-ti sales chart.
Yet because news about Rei’s ani and manga projects had been nonstop, even this milestone barely caused a ripple in the industry.
"Eighth..." Rei murmured, scanning the data sent over by the Hoshimori Group. He let out a slow breath.
Next week, the Chira Ant arc would officially begin serialization.
He wondered how far the numbers could still rise. Surpassing Echoes of the End seed feasible, but breaking into the top three, or even reaching first, looked daunting. He shook his head lightly at the chart.
The titles dominating the upper ranks ca from Japan’s golden age two decades earlier, when the teenage demographic was at its peak. Those works were etched into history, not necessarily because they were better, but because ti and circumstance had given them an almost insurmountable advantage.
Hunter was excellent, but Japan’s manga market had never been short on masterpieces.
"Whatever... one step at a ti," Rei muttered.
At nineteen, ti was firmly on his side.
Opening another drawer in his study, Rei reviewed docunts related to the IPs under his na. He personally managed them, hiring professionals only where necessary.
Most were licensing contracts, sign here, stamp there. Between One-Punch Man, Hunter, Arcane, and his older works, his monthly inco routinely reached Hundreds of million.
He’d long stopped keeping close track. Investing for profit bored him, and he knew his limits. When the ti ca for another major production, the money would be there.
After finishing the morning’s paperwork, he exhaled and picked up his phone.
Earlier, he had congratulated Miyu on Touch of Glass breaking into the season’s top ten. She replied with a voice ssage:
"It’s hopeless. Your two shows sucked all the oxygen out of the season. No one’s talking about mine anymore... I wanted first place! My dream is shattered!"
Rei chuckled, thumbs dancing across the screen.
...
At last, satisfied that his work was done, Rei decided to call it a day early.
He opened his creator account and, for the first ti in three months, posted across every major platform:
"Next week, Hunter × Hunter begins its greatest arc yet, the Chira Ant Arc. Thank you all for your continued support."
If ani could have trailers, then manga deserved hype too.
Within minutes, fans flooded the comnts.
"Ant Arc? That’s a weird na."
"Best arc ever? Shirogane-sensei, don’t lie, there’s no way it beats the Yorknew City Arc!"
"How strong is Gon’s dad anyway? Razor from Greed Island felt strong enough to solo the Phantom Troupe, yet Ging caught him like it was nothing. That’s insane."
"I thought Chrollo Lucilfer was top-tier, on par with the Hunter Chairman. Turns out, not even close."
"So who’s appearing this ti? I thought Gon would teleport straight to Ging, nope, we get Kite instead!"
"Hahaha, Sensei trolled us again! This cliffhanger is cruel, can’t wait for next week."
"Sensei, while you’re on ants, how about One-Punch Man Season 5? That IP prints money, why the pause?"
"Forget the side projects. Just give us more Hunter Chapters. That’s all I care about."
One post.
Two hours.
Tens of thousands of comnts.
Within half a day, "Chira Ant Arc" shot to the top of every major forum’s trending list, no bots, no marketing tricks. This was simply the weight of Hunter × Hunter’s influence.
A few days later, Arcane Episode 6 aired.
And it hurled the story straight into its first major climax.
The sisters finally reunited, but the mont Jinx saw Caitlyn standing beside Vi, she assud the worst. To her, it looked like Vi had sided with Piltover to hunt her down.
anwhile, Jayce and Viktor’s hextech research reached fruition, only for Heirdinger to discover it. Recognizing the danger, the centuries-old founder ordered their work sealed and destroyed.
Jayce struck first.
With the backing of Councilor l, his lover, and leveraging the council seat Heirdinger himself had helped secure, Jayce expelled the professor from the council and stripped him of his authority.
Coming right off the previous episode, where Jayce indulged in luxury and romance while Viktor destroyed his health in the lab, Episode 6 branded him as profoundly ungrateful.
His intentions weren’t evil.
But his cold pragmatism ignited the fiercest backlash Arcane had seen yet.
For an entire week, Jayce sat atop "most hated character" rankings worldwide.
Never before had a character earned such universal disdain so quickly, and so thoroughly.
The controversy only fueled the fire.
Episode 6 surged to a 6.31% viewership rating, taking first place for the week.
Jayce was roasted nonstop across the internet, and Arcane’s overall score climbed to 9.5.
Less than two months had passed since the series premiered.
And Arcane was already unstoppable.
...
STONES PLZ
Read 50 Chapters ahead @/Ashnoir
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