At an animation distribution company in North America:
"Is the Japanese anime Death Note premiering in our country tonight?"
"Yeah. That Japanese guy demanded four million dollars, not a cent less. I thought no distributor would ever agree to such a price, but SK ended up securing the rights."
"Since they're a newly established company, they probably want to make a name for themselves with this anime."
"Whether it makes a name for them or not is another story. I'm pretty sure they'll lose money paying four million dollars for this. It's popular in Japan, sure, but it doesn't have mecha, hot-blooded fights, or fantastical elements. It lacks all the things our audience loves. How could it possibly perform well commercially?"
"You're right. Every country has different tastes. That Japanese guy was really naive to assume it would be a hit here just because it's popular in Neon. And SK is just as foolish for being willing to pay such a ridiculously high price."
"Who cares about them? As long as our company doesn't lose money, that's all that matters."
"Exactly. Let's hope all the other distributors are just as foolish. If they all go bankrupt from losses, we'll be the only ones left."
One evening, on a certain TV channel, the animation Death Note officially premiered in North America.
"Hey, Ryuk, come play with us too! Join us for a change."
"No, I'll pass."
"Day after day, repeating the same old routine... it's just so boring. This world is truly rotten."
"Death Note—literally, the Death Note. Its use... anyone whose name is written in this notebook dies. How utterly boring."
"I'm a serious model student, one of the best in Neon—you could even say the best! And I'm about to... become the god of a new world!"
"Humans are... quite interesting."
Before the premiere, SK, the animation distribution company, poured significant resources into promotion.
The animation had already aired in Japan and was a massive hit there, making promotion relatively straightforward.
The campaign did attract a substantial audience, but whether viewers would accept it and whether they would actually like the animation remained uncertain until the premiere.
The SK employee who secured the distribution rights for North America lost several nights' sleep worrying that the animation might not resonate with the local audience. Only after the first episode aired did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The concern about cultural disconnect proved unfounded.
While the animation lacked the typical mecha themes, thrilling action sequences, or fantastical elements, its unconventional, "dark" style proved more appealing to Western audiences than those elements would have been.
Immediately after the first episode aired, rave reviews flooded the North American internet:
"The protagonist is so unique, I love it."
"I've never seen a Japanese animation with a protagonist like this before. It's actually quite interesting."
"This is fascinating. I'm looking forward to the next episodes!"
"The Male Lead is so charismatic, so cool."
"I heard this animation gets even more exciting as it goes on. Can they drop the whole season at once? I can't wait to see what happens next!"
After all, it was only a single episode. Although the animation had a strong start, it was difficult to achieve instant popularity.
However, with overwhelmingly positive reviews, a little more promotion would be enough to make it a hit.
After confirming that there were no adaptation issues, SK increased its promotional efforts. As the episodes aired one after another, the animation's popularity grew.
Initially, it was mainly the Male Lead's character design and its dark, edgy style that drew viewers in. But as the plot unfolded, the intellectual battles became increasingly captivating, and the audience grew to love it more with each episode.
Within just a few weeks, the animation had become a sensation in North America.
More and more people were drawn into the fandom, online reviews flooded with praise, and discussions and buzz about the show soared.
Soon, some viewers even began voluntarily promoting the animation themselves.
The name "Lin Zhiyan" was finally remembered by countless North American viewers as the animation's popularity surged.
Of course, the biggest beneficiary was the distribution company, SK.
Initially, they had been unsure if the animation would succeed. Their $4 million licensing fee was at risk of going down the drain. But now that the show had become a hit, recouping the licensing costs and promotional expenses was only a matter of time.
Not only would they recoup their costs, but they'd also make a substantial profit.
Moreover, they were originally a newly established animation distribution company that hadn't handled any major anime since their founding. Now, with the success of Death Note, they could instantly boost their reputation, giving them an advantage when negotiating for future anime distribution rights.
Additionally, through acquiring the Death Note distribution rights, they had laid the groundwork for a partnership with Lin Zhiyan and L.S. Production. Lin Zhiyan had explicitly promised that when bidding on future anime, they would prioritize SK if the offers were equal.
They were absolutely thrilled.
Meanwhile, the other two distribution companies, who had initially thought Lin Zhiyan was crazy for demanding four million dollars, now regretted it deeply. They had also mocked SK for being foolish enough to pay such a exorbitant licensing fee.
After Death Note became a massive hit across North America, they were kicking themselves.
If they had known it would be so popular in the region, they would have gladly paid five million dollars, let alone four.
Regret was now useless.
Although Lin Zhiyan would undoubtedly create new animations in the future, and they could compete for the rights to those, no one knew if his next work would match this one's quality or resonate with North American audiences to the same extent.
Moreover, when they had negotiated the Death Note distribution rights, they hadn't trusted Lin Zhiyan. Unless they threw significantly more money into future bids, how could they compete with SK, who had believed in him from the start?
As the producer, Lin Zhiyan, being absent from North America, didn't fully grasp the animation's local popularity. He only heard about the news and knew it was a hit.
Since the distribution rights had already been sold, he wouldn't earn a single cent from the animation's success in North America for the next five years. There was no point dwelling on it.
His real concern was Japan. News of the live-action drama and film adaptations had been released. He wondered if this version of the Death Note would be as popular in this timeline as it had been in another.
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