Chapter 155: ANF
Date: 2025-03-22
Author: Xian Ge
Lately, ANF’s registered user count kept climbing, though not with the explosive surge seen during FGO’s new version hype.
But issues were cropping up.
While user-uploaded content was engaging, veteran anime fans clearly still craved anime and manga.
The problem? The site’s anime and manga sections only had Fate content.
No choice.
Users had to watch anime or read manga on licensed platforms or in magazines, then return to ANF to discuss.
But ANF lacked copyrights, so users couldn’t share clips or panels.
A real hassle.
It wasn’t enough to drive users away, but it felt like a missed opportunity.
Recently, this topic had sparked plenty of chatter.
“Such a shame. If ANF had anime licenses, it’d be perfect. Manga too! Then I wouldn’t need mainstream video sites. I’m so over their ads, especially after using ANF.”
“Yup. Didn’t Avalon acquire ANF? Come on, buy some licenses!”
“Fat chance. Avalon bought ANF for games, right? Remember that massive new version campaign? That’s over now. They’re probably still figuring out the site’s future. No way they’d buy licenses so fast.”
“Ugh, Rin Tohsaka’s account hasn’t posted! It’s almost the site’s top account, and that gaming video’s practically a legend. Why not keep the momentum with more? They must not know where to take the site next. But I hope Avalon keeps ANF’s anime vibe—more anime stuff!”
“Ever consider they have a plan, but Avalon’s a small team, too busy to execute?”
“No way. FGO’s raking it in. Avalon’s hiring like crazy on their site. All the stuff users love can’t be one person’s work, right? For Rin Tohsaka, just hire a voice actor! Even if the avatar’s basic, let her interact!”
“Exactly! Where’s Rin Tohsaka’s next video? And Sanliu-sensei’s new work?”
“Ugh, I wanna watch anime and manga on ANF and see virtual idols gaming.”
“I trust Avalon! They get anime fans. They won’t let us down.”
“…”
Su Deqiang sat at his computer, skimming the discussions, adding his own comment.
Then he liked every post, nodding along.
Honestly, he too wanted anime and manga on ANF.
Maybe even more than native ANF users… He’d gotten into FGO via Fate/Zero, after all.
But alas…
Su Deqiang sighed, exiting the thread and clicking ANF’s new section, added post-revamp.
Just Fate content.
If only the site’s anime and manga sections could take off.
Musing, he returned to the homepage and refreshed.
The moment he did, a striking image popped up in the scrolling hot picks window at the top left—a clash of vivid blood-red and metallic silver-gray, with a man, chainsaw blades jutting from his limbs and head, standing center.
A berserk, violent killing machine.
Eye-catching.
[Flesh and Blood! Chainsaws Roar! Sanliu-sensei’s New Work—Chainsaw Man! Now Serializing!]
“…?” Su Deqiang stared, mentally raising a question mark.
Holy… Speak of the devil!?
Before he could process, the image scrolled.
Another appeared.
This time, ANF’s two mascot girls struck celebratory poses, with bold text: [Official Anime Completion Plan! You Decide the Licenses!]
“?” Su Deqiang raised another question mark, until the third image rolled by.
Snapping to, he frantically scrolled back to the two images, clicking the first.
[Classic Anime Revival Plan Begins—]
[Our Vault’s Fully Charged! But Which Anime? You Decide! Cast Your Sacred Vote!]
[Event Rules…]
Su Deqiang read closely, his face lighting up with realization.
ANF was buying anime!!
Only classics for now, no word on new releases!
But the rules showed ANF’s care. Instead of tossing out options for users to pick, they let users nominate.
Then, in phase two, voting split into three categories: user nominations, hidden gems, and editor picks.
The top fifteen anime would become ANF’s first licensed batch.
It fully respected users’ wishes.
…Even if limited to classics!
This was a huge first step!
Anime was coming!?
Su Deqiang, eyeing the page, imagined watching anime on ANF soon, buzzing with excitement.
As expected, Avalon didn’t disappoint!
Oh, and manga.
He remembered, returning to the homepage and finding Chainsaw Man.
But clicking the image, jumping to the manga section, his eyes caught the banner ad at the top.
[Original Manga Contest Begins!]
[Share Your Ideas, Split a Million-Yuan Prize Pool! Top Works Sign Directly with Us! Debut as a Mangaka!]
…Another event.
This one for manga.
Su Deqiang didn’t draw, but the flurry of moves intrigued him, so he clicked.
Reading on, he nodded in understanding.
As expected.
This was to lure mangaka to serialize on ANF…
As a longtime reader, he knew manga industry rates.
Seeing ANF’s base pay of 300 yuan per page, his eyes widened.
It seemed lower than print.
Mainstream magazines paid around 450 yuan per page.
But there was a catch!
This was just the starting rate! ANF only set a minimum page count—no upper limit! You couldn’t skimp, but you could go wild—80 pages an issue if you wanted!
Way freer than magazines’ strict caps!
Plus, if a manga excelled and the mangaka agreed, they could license the IP to Avalon’s games, earning royalties and… sales shares!
If a manga hit big, its characters could join FGO’s roster! Card pool revenue would split with the mangaka!
With FGO’s hype…
Who wouldn’t be tempted?
And there were contest bonuses!
Tch, tch, tch!
Su Deqiang, gawking at the page, clicked his tongue.
He had a feeling.
ANF was about to transform… and rise!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 156: Manga
Date: 2025-03-22
Author: Xian Ge
Su Deqiang, finishing the manga section’s event details, kept clicking his tongue, sensing… the manga industry might be in for a shake-up.
But as a user, despite his awe, he only mused briefly.
He couldn’t draw, after all.
So, his focus quickly shifted back to Chainsaw Man.
“Chainsaw Man…” Su Deqiang eyed the details page, brimming with curiosity.
Likely because Fate/Zero was so iconic, most saw Sanliu-sensei—who’d ditched magazine deals, turned down Rumi-sensei, serialized free manga, and somehow spawned a cash-cow mobile game—as a master of ensemble casts and serious drama.
In short, his manga were seen as solemn, intense, and epic.
Sure, Fate/Grand Order’s main story and FSN’s observation line tweaked that image a bit.
But among manga readers, Fate/Zero’s fame kept Sanliu-sensei pegged as a drama and ensemble specialist.
So, dropping Chainsaw Man—with its odd name and seemingly unrelated vibe to Fate—left many readers puzzled.
Not Su Deqiang, though.
He’d met Sanliu-sensei at Wenxin Pavilion’s manga awards…
Back then, besides Fate/Zero, Sanliu-sensei submitted Human Head Balloon, a deeply unhinged work.
So, Su Deqiang knew Sanliu-sensei’s style was… wildly versatile from the start.
He couldn’t spot any link between Fate/Zero and Human Head Balloon…
“So… what’s this one about?” Su Deqiang, intrigued, clicked to read.
And then, he dove into chapter one, setting Chainsaw Man’s absurd tone…
From the start, the protagonist Denji’s setup was bizarre—eking out a living selling organs and hunting demons, too poor for jam on his bread.
Such extreme poverty was rare in manga.
But that was fine.
Real-world struggles like that were all too common…
Every nation’s shiny facade hid undercurrents.
Plus, poverty gave characters raw survival drive, adding story tension.
The issue? This guy was too blunt!
All his actions stemmed from primal urges.
No grand goals whatsoever.
Denji’s chapter-one dream? Hug a woman before dying…
Typically, shonen manga protagonists carried lofty ambitions—saving the world, protecting friends, becoming the strongest.
Their motives often dripped with idealism.
Take Tanjiro from Demon Slayer in Tang Yao’s past life—a standout example.
Strong personality: gentle, kind, brave. Positive motive: save his family.
Denji? No dazzling traits.
“So bold, Sanliu-sensei… Completely ditching Fate’s approach?” Su Deqiang, halfway through, couldn’t help but mutter, then kept reading.
Sure, it broke from standard manga.
But stripping away fake nobility, shedding heroic pretense, and baring raw human desire was refreshing.
He scrolled on.
Soon came Denji’s betrayal by the yakuza, his pact with Pochita to revive, and his transformation into Chainsaw Man.
Then Makima appeared, and the protagonist became her “dog”…
Chapter two.
After a job, Denji literally barked obediently.
Alright.
Su Deqiang, at this point, was certain—this was no traditional shonen manga.
It felt more like Human Head Balloon.
But unlike Human Head Balloon’s contextless, pure dread, this leaned toward drama. The protagonist was odd, but the narrative pace felt normal, with clear setup, development, and transitions.
Next, it’d likely follow Denji joining the police as an official demon hunter.
But…
“So fast?” Su Deqiang, seeing Makima’s chapter-two end line about liking guys like Denji, was surprised.
Scratching his head, he stared at the direct Makima, muttering, “This isn’t a romance, is it?”
It kinda felt like one!
A primal-desire-driven protagonist and a mysterious, rational older woman.
Makima, in her manga suit and shirt, looked pretty good…
Hm.
Though the manga’s tone was absurd, a fresh romance under that lens might work?
Su Deqiang, musing, bookmarked the manga.
It was just starting, with little to judge, but the skilled opening was gripping.
He’d follow it.
But Makima’s flirty lines, her well-timed entrance’s security, and Denji’s submission seemed to mislead him…
This world lacked Fire Punch, after all.
Meanwhile, ANF’s flurry of moves caught other users’ eyes.
Soon, ANF’s anime acquisitions, original manga contest, and Chainsaw Man topped the site’s hot topics!
“Awesome! Just said it’s a shame no anime, and here it is! What anime are we nominating? Pick ones everyone loves!”
“Avalon’s got the site in mind. Told ya, they get anime fans. Buying anime makes sense, but the manga section’s big moves surprised me. Any experts know how ANF serialization compares to magazines?”
“Guys, read Chainsaw Man? Pass me some blood pressure meds! This protagonist’s wild—starts selling kidneys, chasing women, being a dog! My worldview’s a QR code now!”
“Haha, new guy, huh? Ever heard of Sanliu-sensei’s Human Head Balloon?”
“New manga’s style is a huge shift. Good or bad? Dunno, but the start’s intriguing. This protagonist’s a breath of fresh air.”
“Is Sanliu-sensei’s new work a romance?”
“…”
“Romance?”
At Avalon’s office, Tang Yao, browsing ANF’s hot topic comments, couldn’t help but chuckle, muttering, “The kind where you get eaten?”
Call it a romance if you want.
Just… a romance where one devours the other.
In all sorts of ways…
“What’s getting eaten?” Li Xue, returning with her mug, overheard, puzzled.
“Nothing.” Tang Yao shook her head quickly.
She wasn’t telling Li Xue.
As her de facto editor, Tang Yao found it fun to keep her in the dark, letting her and readers discover Makima’s “recipes” themselves…
Imagining it, Tang Yao giggled, then, to dodge Li Xue’s gaze, changed the topic. “By the way, we’re not just buying a few anime, right? Why the voting?”
The anime acquisition was discussed with Li Xue.
Avalon wasn’t short on cash, and this world’s IP prices were reasonable, so Tang Yao had planned to bulk-buy licenses through an agency…
She didn’t know about the voting.
“Hype,” Li Xue said, sitting down. “ANF’s still rising. Users are hyped for licenses. Buying a ton of anime would work, but it’d just make them think, ‘Wow, games make bank.’ This way, we give them more involvement!
Discussing nominations boosts site buzz.
“They’ll feel, ‘I picked ANF’s anime,’ or ‘I helped grow this platform,’ becoming mental shareholders, in a way.
“Plus, if voting picks fifteen anime, but we roll out thirty-plus later, won’t users be thrilled?”
“Oh…” Tang Yao nodded, drawing out the sound, then praised, “Got it… Brilliant!”
“Brilliant, my foot.” Li Xue shot her a look. “You probably thought of it but were too busy. Mental shareholders? You taught me that, forgot?”
“Forgot. Didn’t think that far.” Tang Yao grinned. “Our Li Xue’s just amazing.”
Li Xue’s ears reddened, giving Tang Yao a soft glare.
“Then the site’s in your hands.” Tang Yao, seeing the glare, grabbed her documents and bolted. “I’m off to work on games!”
She really had to.
She needed Card Clash to set the company’s future game development guidelines.
(End of Chapter)
Translation Notes
Names:
Transliterated using Pinyin for consistency: Tang Yao (唐瑶), Li Xue (黎雪), Su Deqiang (苏德强). These retain Mandarin phonetics for accessibility.
Game titles (FGO, Card Clash for 斗牌), manga (Chainsaw Man for 电锯人, Human Head Balloon for 人头气球, Fate/Zero, Fate/Grand Order), studio names (Avalon Studio for 理想乡), and site (ANF for AnimationFan) use established or context-appropriate English equivalents.
Character names (e.g., Rin Tohsaka for 远坂凛, Denji for 电次, Makima for 玛奇玛, Pochita for 波奇塔) align with official or fan-standardized translations.
Cultural Nuances:
Anime Culture: ANF’s role as an anime hub and FGO’s fandom reflect China’s anime community, translated with relatable buzz and otaku humor (e.g., “镇站之宝” as “site legend”).
Manga Industry: ANF’s contest and pay structure critique print magazines, rendered with industry insight for universal appeal.
User Engagement: Li Xue’s “mental shareholders” strategy mirrors Chinese platform tactics, translated as community-driven hype.
Technical Terms:
Manga Terms: “群像” (ensemble cast), “正剧” (serious drama), “基调” (tone), “起承转合” (setup-development-transition), and “技法娴熟” (skilled technique) reflect manga craft.
Platform Terms: “版权” (copyrights/licenses), “番剧” (anime), “提名” (nomination), “投票” (voting), “原创漫画大赛” (original manga contest), and “稿费” (manuscript fees) fit digital media contexts.
Gaming Terms: “卡池收入” (card pool revenue) and “IP授权” (IP licensing) align with mobile game monetization.
Adjustments:
Narrative Clarity: Chainsaw Man’s unconventional appeal and ANF’s initiatives are explained vividly, balancing accessibility and depth.
Emotional Tone: Tang Yao’s mischief, Li Xue’s savvy, and Su Deqiang’s excitement are tuned for natural English flow, preserving emotional stakes.
Dialogue Flow: User comments, Tang Yao’s teasing, and Li Xue’s banter add humor and warmth, grounding technical plot points.
Character Dynamics:
Tang Yao’s Playfulness: Her hiding Makima’s truth shines, rendered with cheeky charm.
Li Xue’s Strategy: Her marketing savvy is translated with confident warmth.
Su Deqiang’s Fandom: His fan perspective grounds the community, translated with relatable hype.
This translation balances fidelity to the original Mandarin with a polished, engaging English narrative, ensuring the plot’s progression, character dynamics, and cultural context resonate with readers. Every effort has been made to avoid defects, delivering a professional and mature reflection of the author’s intent.
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