Building The Strongest Family-Chapter 53: A World Without Anime [ 2 ]

"Hey, there's a song for that movie!" Arthur exclaimed, pausing for a moment before turning to Emily. "How many singers do we have in our company?"

Emily sighed thoughtfully. "Well, since we've acquired a few companies and merged them together, some artists left us, while others were poached by competitors. So, the number of singers we currently have isn't very high."

"What about actors?" Arthur inquired.

"We've actually signed quite a few actors," Emily replied with a hint of pride. "In fact, we have more actors than singers in the company."

"Good," Arthur nodded with relief. He had been worried about having enough talent for their two upcoming movies.

After all, when it came to collaborating with other entertainment companies on films, he was not one to share his food, or his creative vision, with others.

"The song from Titanic is really special; let's hold auditions to find someone who can sing it! Wait, I want to be one of the judges," Arthur declared after giving it some thought.

"Are you sure about that?" Emily asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes, I'm sure," he affirmed with a serious expression.

Without Celine Dion's iconic "My Heart Will Go On," Titanic might not have achieved its emotional resonance.

The song played an enormous role in the film's success, it topped charts in over 20 countries (including two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100), became the best-selling single of 1998 with over 15 million copies sold, and won numerous awards including an Oscar for Best Original Song and four Grammys!

The haunting melody and lyrics, "Near, far, wherever you are…"have lingered in the hearts of audiences long after they left theaters.

To this day, whenever that song plays, people instantly associate it with Titanic; it truly embodies the soul of the film and is a key reason why it remains legendary.

Arthur knew he had to find the perfect singer for this pivotal role.

"When auditions are about to begin, let me know," he instructed Emily.

"Okay! Whatever you say!" she replied with a nod.

"Now here's what I want you to do: serialize these with MangaSphere Publications." Arthur pulled out several colorful manga volumes and handed them over to her.

He listed off titles like Naruto, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Attack on Titan, Bleach,Berserk, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Fairy Tail, Solo Leveling, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Eminence In Shadow, and Death Note, My Hero Academia.

Emily stared at the vibrant covers piled before her. "Isn't this stuff meant for kids?" she asked incredulously.

"Who told you that manga is just for kids?" Arthur exclaimed, his face a mix of indignation and passion. "Whether it's for children, teenagers, adults, or even seniors, anyone can enjoy it!"

He leaned in closer, excitement radiating from him as he began to explain. "Take Naruto, for example. It's about a boy who has a demon sealed inside him. Because of this, he becomes an outcast, his village shuns him completely.

But through sheer determination and hard work, he rises to become the most powerful person in the world! This story teaches us that perseverance can lead to achieving our dreams."

Arthur continued animatedly, waving his hands as if conducting an orchestra of ideas. "And then there's Attack on Titan! Dude literally committed genocide because of racism. It sends a clear message: racism is not the answer!"

He picked up another manga. "Look at Demon Slayer! My boy had his entire family eaten by demons and now embarks on a quest to eradicate them all. Talk about resilience!"

"And My Hero Academia? It dives deep into the idea that villains aren't born; they're made by their circumstances."

Arthur paused briefly before picking up another title with enthusiasm. "Oh! And Solo Leveling, it's about a guy who loves aura farming!"

Emily sat there speechless, her eyes wide as she absorbed Arthur's fervent explanations while he practically shoved the books toward her.

"Okay, okay! I get it!" Emily rubbed her temples in exasperation. "Can you please slow down?"

Arthur sheepishly scratched his head. "Sorry! I got carried away."

She waved dismissively and picked up another manga from the table titled Berserk with curiosity written all over her face. "What about this one? What does it teach?"

Suddenly, Arthur's expression shifted; sadness flickered across his features as if haunted by memories best left unspoken.

After a moment of silence, he shook his head decisively. "Let's not talk about that one."

"Why not? I mean..."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Arthur interjected sharply as he snatched the manga from Emily's hands just before she could open it.

"Why?" Emily asked, puzzled by his reaction.

"Nothing," he replied quickly but firmly. "You know what? I think I'll hold onto this for now." He tucked Berserk back into his canvas bag.

"Hump! Whatever!" Emily snorted in frustration while shooting him an annoyed look.

Arthur smiled bitterly inwardly thinking, 'Lady, I'm just trying to save you from potential psychological trauma.'

"So where did you come up with these ideas? Because I'm pretty sure there's nothing like manga in Panterra," Emily asked curiously.

"I came up with them myself," Arthur said without missing a beat; pride glimmered in his eyes.

" You see these mangas and the studio I asked you to set up?" Arthur flashed a grin.

"Yeah," Emily replied, nodding her head in acknowledgment.

"Well, that studio is responsible for turning these manga into anime and live-action adaptations," Arthur explained with enthusiasm.

Emily's brow furrowed in confusion. "What's anime?"

Arthur paused, momentarily at a loss for words.

Explaining anime to Emily felt like trying to teach a cow to play the lute, pointless and a bit absurd.

"Forget it! Just let the publishing company serialize all the books and manga I've given you. And by the way, these are just the first volumes!" He waved his hand dismissively.

"Okay," Emily said softly, still processing everything.

"Now, let's move on," Arthur continued as he rummaged through his canvas bag, pulling out an impressive stack of items and placing them in front of her.

"There are about ten songs here; find the best singers for each track and get them to record it." He tossed a bundle of lyrics and details onto the table with flair.

"And this USB drive contains the source code for a music app. Let the tech team take care of it, all our music will be launched on this platform." He handed her the drive with purpose.

He wasn't done yet. "Here's a list of a hundred TV shows, series, cartoons, programs, you name it, to fill up our TV channels."

"And don't forget these five games: Elden Ring, Call of Duty, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, and Plants vs Zombies. Pass them along to the game studio; I'll check back in a week for an inspection."

As if that wasn't enough, he added with excitement: "Oh! And here are source codes for a streaming platform along with three news media apps!"

Emily's eyes widened as she watched Arthur pull out more items from that seemingly bottomless bag. Was it some kind of magic trick? How could all this fit?

"Aunt? Are you listening?" Arthur's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Yes! I'm listening!" she quickly responded, glancing at the mountain of tasks piled before her, completely speechless.

"So that's everything! By next week, I want to see some results," he said firmly but encouragingly.

"Don't worry about it," Emily assured him with a smile as she took stock of what lay ahead.

"Great! That's all from me then; I need to meet Uncle now," Arthur said while standing up and making his way toward the door.

"See you at dinner!" he called back over his shoulder as he waved goodbye.

Emily chuckled softly and shook her head at the impressive array of projects laid out before her.

She immediately called her assistant to help organize everything and convened an urgent meeting in the conference room.