Attack on Heaven – Raging Waves (1)

In the art industry of Earth, there is a saying:

A sequel better than the original cannot exist.

Just as it’s difficult for a disciple to surpass their master, it’s also very difficult for a work that has already shown everything in its first part to receive good reviews in its second part.

Of course, there’s the Terminator series, where the first part is also a masterpiece but the second part is evaluated as a universal masterpiece surpassing it, or.

If we think of “Star Wars 5” which received all-time great evaluations after “Star Wars 4”, the first work in the series, it’s not entirely impossible, but.

In any case, it was generally very difficult for the second part of a series to receive better evaluations than the first part.

“…Excuse me, Director. Just a moment.”

“What’s the matter, Ms. Kaya?”

“Um… I don’t know much about the work called ‘Star Wars’, but… are you perhaps misunderstanding something?”

“…? What do you mean?”

“Well, you just said that ‘Star Wars 4’ was the first work in the series. And you said ‘Star Wars 5’ was the sequel to the previous work. Logically speaking, it’s a bit strange for the first work in a series to be the fourth episode-“

“…Wait, stop right there.”

“Pardon?”

“Ms. Kaya. Let me give you a piece of advice here, never carelessly say such things anywhere. Ha, isn’t the fact that Episode 4 is the first work in the series a very basic ‘common sense’?”

“…???”

Well, although there was an incident where Kaya was scolded by Ragna, who is a big fan of a certain SF series, in this way.

Anyway, the truth that there is no sequel better than the original was applicable not only on Earth but also in the fantasy world.

So, everyone couldn’t hide their shock.

At the fact that “Spirit Adventure” 2, commonly known as the ‘Dark Continent’ edition, following “Spirit Adventure” 1, was more interesting than the previous work.

Especially, the Emperor who had personally requested Ragna to produce the work called “Spirit Adventure” was feeling such emotion most keenly.

“…This can’t be.”

In the past, when the Emperor watched “Spirit Adventure” 1, he was incredibly surprised inside.

Through the simple request of “Please make an animation for young children” that he had made.

How on earth could one come up with a story where seven children who know nothing, but are also so pure, fall into the spirit world and strive for survival together with their partner spirits?

Moreover, what about the confrontation between ‘Evilmon’, an evil surpassing Ian, the boss of “Lulu’s Adventure” Part 1, and ‘Archmon’ who appears before the children in their moment of despair?

But because of that, the Emperor had concluded that “Spirit Adventure” 1 was the peak of this series.

To be honest, in the Emperor’s opinion, it was nearly impossible for a story surpassing “Spirit Adventure” 1 to come out.

But.

“…Amazing. I never thought they would naturally expand the story of the first part in this way.”

In “Spirit Adventure” 1, the children succeed in defeating Evilmon and escaping from the island they fell on, but.

As soon as the second theatrical version begins, the children realize.

The island they fell on was just a very small and narrow island even in the spirit world, and.

Outside the island… that is, on the continent, there was the truth that enormous evils incomparable to Evilmon were swarming.

Thus, the children acknowledged the fact that they couldn’t travel this continent with just their power that had struggled against the likes of Evilmon, and.

As a result, a new means to evolve their partner spirits to an even higher level.

The plot of “Spirit Adventure – Dark Continent” was about setting out on a journey to find ‘Crests’.

“…..”

It’s cliché.

It’s childish.

And rather than feeling fresh, it feels like seeing a stereotypical cliché.

But… it was interesting.

The confrontation between good and evil that had continued from “Spirit Adventure” 1.

The story of awakening one’s own ‘power of the heart’ through trials to counter great evil was too obvious, but.

Isn’t it that stories targeting children originally have aspects full of clichés and obviousness, making viewers feel a certain kind of emotion?

The Emperor hadn’t forgotten the fact that the work called “Spirit Adventure” was an animation made for young children, not grown adults.

However, if there was one thing to be desired, it was none other than-

“…Ragna.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“How on earth did you come up with the damned idea of giving out card packs as a special gift for the theatrical version…?”

All viewers who watched “Spirit Adventure – Dark Continent” are given card packs used in TCG as a special gift.

If you just look at this alone, you couldn’t find any problem anywhere.

No, depending on your perspective, you could even say that Ragna was taking a loss.

Because currently, all cards used in duels were not free at all, but could only be obtained by paying a certain amount of money to purchase card packs.

To give such cards ‘for free’ when watching the theatrical version of “Spirit Adventure”?

To be honest, where in the world could you find such a generous offer?

…Yes.

If only the cards in the movie packs weren’t randomly arranged, but fixed.

Anyone who has played duels… that is, TCG-type games using cards, would know well.

If you purchase card packs and open them.

Among them, only a very small number of cards can actually be used in duels, and.

The rest of the cards are just junk cards that can’t be used for anything, not even as toilet paper.

Such a formula was, of course, also applied to the movie packs distributed as a special gift for “Spirit Adventure”.

That’s right.

This crazy bastard Ragna had randomly stuffed ‘cheat cards’ that could be used in duels and ‘junk cards’ that were no more than scraps of paper into the movie packs!

And what’s even more vicious is that he had placed various rarity levels on the cards appearing in the movie packs.

Even if you obtained the same cheat card from a movie pack, some people would get a normal rare while others would break through astronomical odds to obtain a prismatic secret rare.

The result of this didn’t need to be said.

After “Spirit Adventure – Dark Continent” was released.

The world became a complete mess.

“Oh… I only watched the theatrical version once, but I got a holographic rare of ‘MetalGrandmon’, the main character of this theatrical version. Is this perhaps good?”

“Sigh… I was just trying to get cards for collection purposes, but I ended up getting super rare cards and secret rare cards… At this rate, all the stacks I’ve accumulated for opening card packs later will be gone… What should I do about this?”

“Oh heavens! I! Despite watching this theatrical version 30 times! Have not obtained the card I want! Still! Still!”

“Oh heavens! Give me! The card!”

The world was divided into VIPs who easily obtained high rarity cards and ordinary people who were frustrated at not getting the cards they wanted, and.

The theatrical version of “Spirit Adventure”, which was made for kids to watch, reached the point where theaters were filled not with young children but with lunatics watching the movie for the N-th time to get movie packs.

“…In that sense, giving card packs as special gifts for theatrical versions is prohibited from now on. So next time, present something other than cards as special gifts.”

The Emperor, whose stress levels had skyrocketed due to various incidents caused by the “Spirit Adventure” movie packs, said through gritted teeth, and.

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sensing that if he said the wrong thing here, he might really be executed in the square in front of the imperial palace, Ragna quickly answered so.

To be honest, he was a bit annoyed.

Because while TV anime is made with support from the imperial family, so no matter how successful it is, not much actually falls into Ragna’s hands, on the other hand.

The more successful theatrical anime is, the more Ragna’s back pocket gets filled.

But what can you do?

No matter how precious money is, it’s not more precious than life, so here he had no choice but to bow his head deeply.

‘So what do I do now…’

The easiest and fastest way to make money, gacha without a ceiling, had been blocked.

Then it means that instead of gacha, we need to come up with a new product that can capture the hearts of viewers who watched “Spirit Adventure”….

‘At this point, such a product is not prepared.’

Making dolls of the spirits, who are the children’s partners and friends, like we did for “The Disappearance of Elli and Hamel” would probably only earn pocket change-

‘…Hm? Wait a minute. Friends?’

At that moment, a truly brilliant idea popped into Ragna’s head.

About a ‘product’ that could lure viewers to theaters instead of the movie packs that had been banned by the Emperor.

‘Sell the children’s partner spirits… that is, their friends!’

By the way, the ‘friends’ mentioned here didn’t mean crude dolls that only imitated the appearance.

It meant selling the actual spirits appearing in “Spirit Adventure”.

But unfortunately, reality is reality and animation is animation.

It meant that the partner spirits appearing in the animation couldn’t exist in reality.

However, Ragna was originally an egalitarian who didn’t discriminate between 2D friends and 3D friends, and.

Therefore, he ended up thinking this kind of big thought in his head.

‘If there are no friends, we can make them, right?’

So he really made them.

With the help of black magicians specialized in ‘chimera creation’, he succeeded in creating ‘chimera spirits’ that perfectly replicated the appearance of the partner spirits in “Spirit Adventure”!

‘Perfect.’

Although they had a terrible appearance that looked like Cthulhu when born, making one’s SAN points soar just by looking at them.

After undergoing various modifications, Ragna smiled contentedly while looking at the chimera spirits that now had an incredibly cute appearance.

There are no friends to sell in this world?

Then wouldn’t it be possible to ‘produce’ friends through chimera creation?