Chapter 483: Anime Grand Awards

Chapter 483: Animation Awards

Although the final examination results were excellent, and the heads of the Weightlifting, Wrestling, and Judo Center had completely set their minds at ease, they still canceled Meng Fan’s other competitions this year, letting him rest and recover properly.

First, given the current state of his hand, it was impossible for him to compete in the near future. Even if Meng Fan could fight, they wouldn’t agree, fearing the possibility of wound dehiscence or other issues. Second, the end of the year originally had a major event scheduled for each of the three sports—weightlifting, wrestling, and judo. Since judo was out, and wrestling in a few days was definitely off, then weightlifting a month later might as well be canceled too—fairness for all!

“Is that really necessary? I can still compete!” Meng Fan wore an expression of determination to win glory for his country. After being rejected a second time, he looked reluctant and pained, but there was no third request—what if they were moved by his spirit of fighting through injury and actually agreed?

This time, Meng Fan stayed in the capital for two days before returning to Hangzhou. The reason was simple: Wu Tong had been in Beijing those days, participating in a restoration project for the Forbidden City, and they went back to Hangzhou together afterward.

Before leaving, Meng Fan also took care of something: he asked someone to find him a house. It seemed he wouldn’t be visiting the capital less often in the future—both he and Wu Tong would be coming frequently. Staying at his elder sister’s place each time was convenient, and long-term stays were fine, but not entirely ideal. So he planned to buy a house; after all, money wasn’t an issue.

Wu Tong naturally knew about Meng Fan’s plan to buy a house, and she also understood its primary purpose. So on the flight back, she discussed it with Meng Fan: she would buy the house in the capital herself.

Wu Tong said, “Originally, I planned to buy a house in Hangzhou before graduation, but since I’m staying at your place now, that idea is on hold. Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time in Beijing, and I’ve thought about buying a house there—it would be convenient whether I’m staying or you’re visiting.”

Meng Fan nodded at this, without asking if Wu Tong had enough money or saying anything about keeping things too separate. He fully respected her opinion and replied, “Alright, whatever you say.”

Wu Tong was delighted, leaning on Meng Fan’s shoulder, and said, “But let’s get this straight—the house won’t be very big.”

Meng Fan lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, “It doesn’t matter if the house is small, as long as the bed is big!”

Wu Tong slapped him lightly; there were other passengers nearby, and they were probably recognized, maybe even eavesdropping.

Having stayed in Beijing for a few days, returning to Hangzhou was roughly the same time as coming back from the competition in South Korea. So the next day, Shi Shiwu called, scheduling a recording session for the following day.

Over two days, Meng Fan recorded about five songs. It wasn’t the ideal scenario where everything was finished in one go—even with Meng Fan in top form, other issues were bound to arise. For instance, Shi Shiwu, always striving for perfection, kept tweaking the arrangements; Jin Xiaowen had new ideas for the score every so often; or while recording, some music big shot would send over a great song to replace an existing one; or—

In short, working with such talented collaborators didn’t guarantee high efficiency. Too much popularity, too much fame, and too many “connections” weren’t always a good thing. Someone was always sending songs to interrupt the recording process, or someone would “drop by” and get inexplicably excited chatting about music topics Meng Fan didn’t fully understand.

Of course, for an average singer, finishing five songs in two days wasn’t exactly inefficient.

For the remaining songs, Meng Fan, Shi Shiwu, and Jin Xiaowen agreed to continue the following week, aiming to finish the rest in another two weeks and four days. Meanwhile, due to changes in arrangements, they needed to find other musicians for the score.

Time flew to November 1, 0202, the premiere date of the animated series *Spirits Underground*. It would go online at 8 PM, with new episodes every Friday and Saturday, each episode running 45–28 minutes including the opening and ending—a substantial length.

That day, Meng Fan also went live, but not before the premiere—he started at 9 PM, basically waiting for viewers to finish the first episode.

The reason for choosing this time to stream, rather than before the release to boost views, was Meng Fan and the entire team’s confidence in the series, as well as their desire for the most genuine feedback. In short, if the content wasn’t good, the live chat would reveal it, which was more telling than pre-viewing hype. At least for this team, which didn’t prioritize viewership or ratings as the top concern.

The original intention behind making this animation was to take the pulse of the Chinese market—even the owner of this work, Kun Ye, shared that motivation to a large extent.

Meng Fan’s live stream this time was held at the “Shanhai Animation Studio.” He wasn’t the only one participating; Kun Ye, the five-person core team, two voice actors, and two singers who contributed vocals were also there. The lineup was sizable and impressive.

“Have you all watched it?” Meng Fan asked directly after going live, seeing the chat filled with “Yes.” Then he asked, “Was it good? I want the most honest answers—I want to hear your praise, but even more, your suggestions and critiques.”

After asking, watching the chat, Meng Fan regretted it. Not because the chat was full of uniform praise or all suggestions and critiques, but because it was too chaotic.

“Alright, this chat is a bit messy!” Meng Fan said. “Let’s start the stream properly—though if you want to treat it as the premiere gala for *Spirits Underground*, feel free. During this time, our team and I will answer some of your questions. Also, if you have suggestions or critiques that we miss due to the chaotic chat, you can leave comments on my Weibo or the official Shanhai Animation account.”

“Okay, next, let me introduce the partners beside me. First, let’s have the two voice actors greet everyone in their characters’ voices. If you’ve seen the first episode, you should be able to tell who’s who.”

This live stream was quite long, lasting a total of two hours. Besides Q&A interactions, Meng Fan, Kun Ye, and the core team shared their own stories about animation and their views on Chinese animation. It felt less like a launch event and more like an industry exchange. Of course, there were definitely many animation professionals in the audience.

Additionally, the two singers, Jin Xiaowen and Bai Zhi—Shi Shiwu wasn’t in Hangzhou at the time—performed songs from the animation in the stream, and Meng Fan also showed off his vocals.

“Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to announce something. Personally, along with Shanhai Animation Studio, we will hold an annual ‘Shanhai Animation Awards’ event to reward outstanding works and professionals in the animation industry. No empty promises—beyond the honor of the award, there will be cash prizes. I’ll contribute ten million yuan personally each year to encourage and support more practitioners. Of course, I welcome sponsorship from industry insiders and outsiders alike, even naming rights—the only goal is to make the entire animation industry more prosperous, healthier in development, and to ensure practitioners have better income and a more dignified life!”

(End of chapter)