Lin Zhiyan chose the most challenging painting not to show off.
Although he had successfully joined IG as a Key Animator, it wasn't enough.
Before leaving IG to start his own animation company, he needed to climb the ranks from Key Animator to Animation Supervisor, then from Animation Supervisor to Character Designer, and finally seize an opportunity to become a Director.
As for becoming a Supervising Director above the Director, that would be ideal if the chance arose. But if he couldn't reach that level, there was nothing he could do.
The main reason was his youth. If he stayed at IG for eight to ten years, by the time he approached thirty, he could definitely become a Supervising Director. But he couldn't afford to waste that much time there.
At most five years. After that, as the new century dawned, he would leave, regardless of whether he became an animation director or not.
Animation production is an incredibly slow process. Typically, a thirteen-episode seasonal anime series takes about a year from pre-production to completion.
Companies with ample Key Animator reserves and strong production capabilities can slightly shorten the pre-production phase. For someone like Lin Zhiyan, who had finished works to reference and wasn't constrained by source material restrictions, six months of pre-production and nine months to complete a seasonal series would be more than sufficient.
However, completing a project like this would take more than just three to five months.
In that case, how many animation projects could be completed in a year?
Certainly not ten in five years.
Therefore, Lin Zhiyan decided to tackle the most challenging cuts early on to quickly prove his skills to the industry. This would allow him to advance to the position of animation supervisor as quickly as possible.
While these cuts were considered the most difficult, they weren't actually the most challenging in the entire Ghost in the Shell film. Even though this theatrical animation was only one episode long, it wasn't produced all at once. Instead, it was divided into sections, each worked on separately.
Moreover, the thirty cuts Akimoto To had assigned to Lin Zhiyan were the leftovers. The truly difficult ones had already been claimed by senior animators. How could Lin Zhiyan possibly get his hands on those?
Still, no matter the difficulty, Lin Zhiyan remained undaunted.
After Akimoto To brought him the Layouts and Character Design sheets, Lin Zhiyan picked up his pen and began to draw in silence.
For the previous two cuts, Lin Zhiyan had been able to complete a keyframe in under ten minutes. This time, however, that wouldn't be possible.
Completing a keyframe in five to ten minutes was considered "fast animation."
Fast animation required not only strong drawing skills and high-quality keyframes but also cuts with few characters and relatively simple movements.
Some cuts featured an overwhelming number of characters, complex camera angles, and dynamic action sequences. Think of the hand-drawn dance scenes in idol-themed anime—even the most skilled animators couldn't produce a single keyframe in just five to ten minutes.
The cuts Lin Zhiyan was currently working on weren't quite that complicated, but they still required more than five to ten minutes per keyframe.
Fortunately, he had ample time. He could spend several days completing the task, rather than rushing to finish all the cuts in a single day.
He focused intently on his work, unaware that someone had quietly appeared behind him.
A Key Animator whose name he didn't know stood watching him work for an extended period, not drawing himself.
Since it didn't disrupt his work, Lin Zhiyan didn't ask him to leave.
However, he soon felt a growing sense of annoyance as a second person joined the observer, followed by a third.
What had started as a normal keyframe drawing session suddenly turned into a public spectacle. Damn it.
Fortunately, Kazuchika Kise, the head of the Second Division, happened to pass by and couldn't stand the sight. He promptly dispersed the three onlookers.
It was lunchtime.
In the cafeteria, several members of the Second Division sat together, eating and discussing Lin Zhiyan:
"That Lin Zhiyan is a true genius."
"When I watched him draw keyframes, he barely glanced at the character design sheets. His drawing speed is incredible, and his lines flow so smoothly, without a single hesitation. He doesn't seem like a rookie at all."
"The key thing is his skill. No wonder Mr. Kise recommended him. He was hired as a key animator straight out of high school."
"Mr. Kise recommended him?"
"Yeah, I only heard about it later from Mr. Akimoto. He said Mr. Kise has high hopes for him, even claiming his own skills are inferior."
"Heh, Mr. Kise is being modest. But that guy is seriously impressive. I feel bad for doubting he got in through connections earlier."
"If someone with that level of skill got in through connections, I might have to wonder if I got my key animator position through connections too."
This morning, they had doubted Lin Zhiyan's qualifications, but after witnessing his drawing process firsthand, they no longer suspected he had gotten in through connections.
After all, Lin Zhiyan's drawing skills were undeniable, leaving no need for him to rely on connections or back channels.
In a corner of the room, Sekiguchi Kanami ate her lunch alone, listening to the others discuss Lin Zhiyan, the genius newcomer Key Animator. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "It must be nice to be a genius."
How envious I am.
If only I had such innate talent.
Having worked at the animation company for over a year, she remained a nameless Animator, unsure when she might ever be promoted to Key Animator.
Becoming an Animation Supervisor or Character Designer seemed like an impossible dream.
She was just one of countless Animators, neither particularly beautiful nor remarkable in any way. Unnoticed and unappreciated, she was like a weed growing in a forgotten corner. People like her were a dime a dozen in the animation industry.
In contrast, Lin Zhiyan, only eighteen and three years younger than her, was strikingly handsome and exceptionally talented. He shone like a pearl in the night, dazzling as the midday sun.
Fate truly seemed cruelly unfair.
Yet the world was full of injustices. Lamenting fate's unfairness was pointless; it was better to focus on improving her own drawing skills.
As for Lin Zhiyan, she admired him, but harbored no further thoughts. After all, she was just a humble animator. Though both worked in the Second Division and animation was the next step after keyframes, the two processes were connected only through production workflows. They rarely interacted in their daily work.
Overthinking it would be pointless.
That's what she believed. But just then, a figure suddenly appeared at the other end of the dining table.
Looking up, she saw it was none other than Lin Zhiyan, the very person they had been discussing moments ago.
"May I sit here?" Lin Zhiyan asked politely.
Sekiguchi Kanami blinked, glanced around, and then nodded hesitantly.
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