Chapter 157: Promotion Event

Chapter 157: Promotion Event

Fan Siwei looked at the posts online and couldn't help but recall what his father had said to him. Is "Flame Fist" truly nihilistic? Perhaps, after finishing "Flame Fist," he initially thought so.

But now, he doesn't think that way anymore.

So, he replied to the comments, "I don't think 'Flame Fist' is purely nihilistic. Why does Agni keep living?"

"Because living itself is meaningful."

However, someone replied, "By saying that… Agni's continued existence seems even more meaningless to me. As for why he continues to live, it's because he's the protagonist."

"Living in pain means that life itself has no meaning. In fact, halfway through, I really hoped Agni would just die."

"Agni should have died when he killed Demar, but it was only because Rikeidan saved him."

Fan Siwei responded, "No, no, no. Initially, I had the same thought as you, but does Agni's survival really have no meaning?"

"Because he survived, he later found inner peace and lived for ten more years."

"Because he survived, he saw the 'Flame Fist' movie made by Rikeidan."

"And he met Yoda again in the universe."

"If he had died at the beginning, Agni, though no longer in pain, wouldn't have met Rikeidan, Nanate, or Yoda."

"Living is the essence of all meaning."

However, his arguments did not fully convince others.

After all, opinions online are diverse.

Preconceived notions are hard to change; discussions don't always lead to conclusions.

Just as there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes.

The same goes for "Flame Fist." To fans who enjoy absurdism, it is absurdism.

To those who appreciate nihilism, it is nihilism.

In Fan Siwei's view, "Flame Fist" is existentialism.

Nevertheless, nearly everyone who has watched "Flame Fist" has given it unanimous praise!

People in the manga industry also noticed the online buzz about "Flame Fist."

So they watched "Flame Fist."

After watching, they also gave it good reviews.

For example, the top manga artist Phoenix Garden, known for creating "Purple Qi Comes from the East."

Feng Yiyuan slowly closed the "Flame Fist" volume in his hand and sighed, "What an excellent work…"

Even as a veteran in the manga world, he had to admit that the philosophical depth of "Flame Fist" was beyond his reach.

Although his popular manga "Purple Qi Comes from the East" had dominated the manga industry's popularity rankings for nearly three years, it remained unchanged.

However, popularity is key in the manga world.

While "Flame Fist" was impressive in its philosophical depth, its story's sensory limitations meant its popularity wouldn't be too high.

However…

"Truly impressive for the younger generation."

Feng Yiyuan suddenly remembered Lin Qingshan, whom he had met briefly at a newcomer awards ceremony.

Even with the great success of "Edge Walkers," he had only made acquaintance with Lin Qingshan out of respect for Yang Dahai.

But now, seeing "Flame Fist," he developed an interest and decided to get to know this junior properly.

"I'll talk to this young man at the upcoming manga industry annual meeting."

Feng Yiyuan said with a smile.

...

[Translator: sauron]

The heated discussions about "Flame Fist" were still ongoing but remained somewhat limited in scope.

For Lin Qingshan, however, the real highlight was about to begin—the release event for the "Edge Walkers" anime.

Unlike the previous book signing event, the anime release event was more formal and had specifically invited some influential media outlets for interviews.

It had the atmosphere of a movie premiere from the past.

This time, only Lin Qingshan, as the anime director and original creator, along with Ming Yiyang, voice actor David, and Joe Xian from the production team, were attending the event.

However, Itou Ayumi also came along with Lin Qingshan.

"Teacher Qingshan, are you ready?"

"Ready," Lin Qingshan replied, giving a thumbs up to the staff, indicating he was prepared.

Under everyone's strong suggestions, he was dressed in a blue suit jacket with a casual white T-shirt inside.

He had also put on makeup, conforming to local customs.

Thus, Lin Qingshan appeared more handsome today, with a tall figure and delicate features enhanced by makeup.

His appearance and stature made him look less like a manga artist and more like a male celebrity from the entertainment industry.

"Teacher Qingshan, you look even more handsome today," Itou Ayumi said, smiling as she looked at Lin Qingshan.

"Of course!"

Lin Qingshan grinned, feeling quite confident.

After all, although the system's lottery was a bit costly last time, apart from the music production abilities he gained, he also drew abilities related to appearance, such as [My Appearance is Mediocre (Platinum)] and [I'm Just an Aging Middle-aged Person (Platinum)].

In essence, although his features seemed unchanged, they gave an impression of being good-looking and less prone to aging, somewhat like how Araki Hirohiko, the creator of Jojo from his past life, might have benefited from similar abilities.

Ming Yiyang and other members of the Trigger Animation team, as well as voice actors Joe Xian and Lin You from "Edge Walkers," approached Lin Qingshan.

"Teacher Qingshan, don't be nervous. Just follow the plan we set up earlier."

Ming Yiyang comforted Lin Qingshan.

"It's fine. I'm not nervous at all," Lin Qingshan smiled, "Just a bit fresh."

"You'll get used to it, Teacher Qingshan," said Joe Xian, the voice actor for David.

Joe Xian had already made plans to build a good relationship with Lin Qingshan, as he might create more excellent manga works in the future. It wouldn't be impossible for Joe Xian to voice a main character in Lin Qingshan's future anime projects.

Moreover, Lin Qingshan's music production skills were impressive, with the Chinese promotional song for "Edge Walkers," "If the Sound is Not Remembered," being composed by him. Joe Xian had sung the song, which gained some popularity.

Joe Xian's intentions were somewhat pragmatic, but understandable.

Other voice actors, like Lin You, the voice of Lucy, were less calculating.

"If Teacher Qingshan finds it hard to adapt, we'll help out," Lin You said.

"I see Teacher Qingshan isn't nervous, but you all look quite nervous!"

"Well… I'm a bit nervous. This is my first time being a lead voice actor…"

"It's okay, I've got your back!"

They chatted casually with Lin Qingshan.

Among them, Peng Shixian, the voice actress for Rebecca, appeared more anxious.

The voice actors were chosen based on Lin Qingshan's preferences, which leaned towards voices similar to those in the previous "Edge Walkers" anime.

So Peng Shixian was selected for the first time.

However, Lin Qingshan's reassurance helped her relax a bit.

Soon, the host's voice came from the stage, "Let's welcome the creative team of 'Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Walkers'!"

"Ming Director and Teacher Qingshan, it's your turn," said the staff, indicating for them to go up.

Ming Yiyang and Lin Qingshan nodded, and under Ming Yiyang's lead, they, along with the voice actors, went up to the stage.

Lin Qingshan walked onto the stage and saw over a hundred fans sitting in the audience, with many journalists and photographers in the front rows.

It was quite a grand occasion…

Yet, he didn't feel nervous.

"Let's give a warm welcome to the original team!"

The host announced again.

Immediately, there was a round of enthusiastic applause.

Such promotional events are essentially about spending money on publicity and interacting with fans and media.

Some exciting clips of "Edge Walkers" were shown beforehand.

But mostly, there were interviews about "Edge Walkers." Lin Qingshan didn't have much to add on that front.

The media focused on Ming Yiyang, Joe Xian, and others.

Particularly, the voice actors were the primary focus.

"Joe Xian, did you watch Teacher Qingshan's 'Edge Walkers' before this?" a reporter asked.

"Of course I did!"

Joe Xian laughed, "I'm a loyal fan of 'Edge Walkers.' I bought three sets of the 'Edge Walkers' comics and even got David's Cyberpunk jacket!"

He then took out a neon yellow jacket from behind and put it on.

"I'll climb to the top of Arasaka!"

Everyone found it quite meaningful.

After about an hour of the promotional event, it finally came to a close.

At the end, the creative team stood up and said to the fans, "We hope everyone supports our anime 'Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Walkers.'"

"'Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Walkers' will air on the Children's Animation Channel every Saturday at 6:30 PM!"

Joe Xian said in David's voice.

Then Lin You, using Lucy's cool tone, added, "The online version of 'Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Walkers' will also be available in all ten episodes simultaneously on the Qianli Bullet Screen website www.cilicili.com!"

"Thank you all for your support!"

Finally, Lin Qingshan and the entire creative team said in unison.

(The End of This Chapter)