My Life in Hollywood C33 Kishi (Patreon)

The Naruto franchise was no joke. Sure, it was just starting out—barely any fans yet—but give it some time. Hell, maybe just one season would be enough to pull in hundreds of thousands of subscribers down the line.

Marcus could see it. The vision was crystal clear in his head.

Jefferson? Not so much.

They were sitting at a small restaurant in Tokyo, and Jefferson wasn't hiding his frustration. "You really offered them a generous deal for an anime that's clearly bombing domestically." He shrugged, then sighed. "I don't get you sometimes, kid."

Marcus rolled his neck, tension from the meeting still clinging to his shoulders. "Results aren't absolute. Something that's failing today might blow up tomorrow."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Success isn’t linear. It’s trial and error, missed shots, and the right opportunity at the right time."

Jefferson rolled his eyes. He'd gotten used to Marcus's way of thinking by now. The kid had grit, sure. But sometimes he said shit that made Jefferson wonder if he was talking to a teenager or someone twice his age.

"So how are you this confident about a project that's getting axed?" Jefferson asked. "Confident enough to throw money at it?"

"I know that whatever confidence I show you today doesn't really matter," Marcus said evenly. "Tomorrow's results will tell the whole story. But I'm a hundred percent sure this anime's gonna take off. And I think that network canceling it? They're gonna regret it."

Jefferson shook his head with a wry chuckle. "This is stupid. But somehow, the way you say it just... reassures me." He pointed at Marcus, half-joking. "Be honest—did you slip something in my drink?"

"If I did, you'd already know," Marcus shot back with a grin. "You'd be a lot more agreeable right now."

Jefferson laughed despite himself. Then his expression turned serious. "But seriously, kid. This offer's gonna cost the company real money." He knew their budget wasn't huge. His seven million investment hadn't even started bearing fruit yet.

They hadn't struck the deal with Studio Shaft yet—the anime was still technically under that network's control. But it was going to get canceled. And when it did, Netflicks would be taking on what everyone else saw as a liability.

"Don't worry about it," Marcus said. "Studio budgets here in Japan aren't nearly as expensive as they are back home."

He knew the anime industry hadn't hit its boom yet. Budgets were modest. And even when anime went mainstream, production costs stayed relatively low compared to Western studios.

Mainly because animators—the people actually bringing those drawings to life—were criminally underpaid. Worked to death for scraps.

Marcus knew it was harsh. He'd even thought about it: If I ever own an animation studio, I'm paying people what they're worth.

"The budget might not be huge, but it's still significant for us," Jefferson countered. "Our company's barely standing. How are we supposed to handle this?"

Just then, a waitress arrived with their dishes.

"ありがとうございます (Thank you very much)," Marcus said smoothly, nodding to her. As she set down his plate, he let his hand brush against hers—just barely—while he took it.

The young waitress, wearing a blonde wig, blushed hard. She quickly walked away, looking shy and flustered.

Jefferson noticed the whole thing and felt speechless. He stared at Marcus. 'This kid... He's really something. Bold enough to flirt with a waitress in Tokyo... Even Nathan wasn't this confident at thirty.'

"Didn't you say you have a 'friend' here in Japan?" Marcus said, returning to the conversation like nothing had happened. "And that he's an angel investor?"

Jefferson understood immediately. "You want him to invest?"

"Yeah. Besides licensing content here, I've been thinking about that angel investor you mentioned. The one who lives in Japan." Marcus leaned forward slightly. "Since he's an angel investor, why not set up a meeting? Let me pitch him."

Jefferson's expression turned serious. "Kid, I warned you before—that man is not simple. He's not gonna be swayed with words the way I was." He paused. "He might be an angel investor, but he's no angel."

Marcus wasn't intimidated. "Bring it on. I'm more curious about meeting him after you talk about him like that."

Jefferson sighed. That 'friend' was indeed a friend. But when it came to business? The guy was sharp as hell. Ruthless, even.

"Set up a meeting with him for me," Marcus said calmly. "We're gonna need more investment to scale. And it'll get pretty hectic for me once that money comes through."

"You're right." Jefferson paused. "You're not worried about school at all, are you?"

Marcus chuckled quietly. It wasn't that he didn't care—he'd just already been through it all once before. High school, college, all of it. Most of what you learned got forgotten anyway unless you actually used it.

Not everyone was built for academic success. Some people were good at specific things that the system didn't reward the same way. That was just how life worked.

"Oh, by the way," Marcus said, "we should probably loop Diana in on the Studio Shaft contract. She'll need to review whatever terms they're working with."

"It's not even clear when that network's gonna cancel the anime you're betting on," Jefferson said. "They've got a contract. And I doubt Studio Shaft can afford the cancellation costs—"

"Considering how badly the anime's doing, I think the network's gonna be way more eager to cancel than the studio is," Marcus interrupted with a smile.

---◖⁠⚆⁠ᴥ⁠⚆⁠◗---

Meanwhile, at Studio Shaft the next day, Tanaka delivered shocking news to everyone working on the project.

"The network and the studio have reached an agreement," he announced. "They're pulling the anime off the air. As of now, we no longer have a broadcaster."

The news hit like a bomb. Everyone working on the project looked devastated. Especially Minato—the guy who'd created the story. He'd already planned out entire arcs, plot twists, character development. And now it was just... over.

He stood up, his voice trembling. "Why'd they cancel it so fast? Can't they at least give us ten episodes?"

Tanaka shook his head with a sigh. "The network executives were pretty eager to pull the plug. There's nothing we can do about it."

Minato's shoulders slumped as he dropped back into his chair. He stared at his desk—covered in character designs, plot notes, storyboards. 'I spent so many hours on this... and for what?' He gritted his teeth, unwilling to accept it.

This hit him harder than anyone else. This anime was supposed to be his shot—his chance to prove he could tell a story people cared about.

He remembered all the times his manga pitches got rejected. Over and over. He'd joined this small studio just to get one opportunity to pitch his work. And it had worked... for about five seconds.

"Don't lose hope just yet, everyone," Tanaka suddenly said, pulling everyone's attention back. "While the network officially canceled the anime, there's a businessman who wants to fund the production and keep it going."

Almost immediately, the mood shifted. People lit up:

"Wait, seriously?"

"Does that mean the project's still happening?"

"Oh thank god!"

The animators, writers, and staff looked genuinely relieved. Some of them nearly teared up. The happiness in the room was palpable.

These people—despite being overworked, especially the animators—genuinely loved what they were working on.

Sure, money mattered. But a lot of them had chosen this profession because they had passion for it. They loved anime. And even though they were underpaid and exhausted, they kept going because this was what they cared about.

The problem was that the money-hungry executives at the top didn't see it. Didn't appreciate it.

"Which company's backing us now?" Minato asked. He was thrilled. The anime he'd thought was dead had just been resurrected.

"It's a company called Netflicks," Tanaka said. "They're a subscription-based service out of the United States."

"The US? Like where Dick Gates lives?"

"Wait, does that mean our anime's gonna air in America?"

Just like that, the grim atmosphere vanished. Everyone was buzzing with excitement again.

Minato was grinning as he talked with his coworkers, the weight lifted off his chest.

"Minato, come here for a minute," Tanaka called out.

Minato excused himself and walked over.

"What's up, Tanaka-san?"

Tanaka turned to him. "The CEO of the company that's saving your story wants to meet you. I set up a meeting for tomorrow. Make sure you're here."

"Meet me?" Minato blinked, surprised. 'Why would some big CEO want to meet a nobody like me?'

"You're the creator of the story," Tanaka explained, reading the confusion on his face. "He's interested in you. Sounds like he really liked your work."

Minato's eyes lit up. "I'll be there!"

Tanaka nodded and walked off.

---ʕ⁠·⁠ᴥ⁠·⁠ʔ---

The next day, Marcus went to the studio office alone to meet the mind behind the anime that was tanking. Jefferson had gone off to arrange a meeting with his friend.

At the studio, Marcus met Tanaka, who was standing with a young Japanese man wearing glasses. The guy looked to be in his early twenties—lean build, dark hair, sharp eyes behind wire frames. He had an artistic look about him, the kind of face you'd expect on someone who spent hours hunched over a drawing table.

Marcus pulled up the Questclopedia in his mind and checked the author of Naruto from his previous world. The resemblance was uncanny. Same build, same facial structure. Hell, even the glasses were similar.

'He looks like he's in his early twenties... Not much older than me,' Marcus thought.

The young man bowed politely. "Nice to meet you. I am the artist who created the project." His English was rough around the edges but surprisingly fluent.

Tanaka noticed the brief surprise on Marcus's face. "Kishi studied abroad before coming here to work. His English is pretty solid."

"Good to know." Marcus offered his hand. "I'm Marcus Crown. Great to meet you."

"I'm Minato Kishimoto—"

Before the guy could finish, Marcus suddenly coughed hard, covering his mouth. Minato and Tanaka both looked concerned.

Marcus raised a hand. "I'm fine. Just—" He coughed again. "—swallowed wrong."

Internally, though, hearing that name had made him choke on his own breath for a split second. 'I knew the name might be similar to the author from my previous life. But damn, this guy's actually named Minato? Like Naruto's father?'

He composed himself quickly. "Uh, Minato-san. I really liked your work. But there's a specific reason I wanted to meet you in person."

Minato, despite being older, looked genuinely nervous. Wow. This guy's already a CEO at his age? "I wanted to meet you too," he said. "You saved our project. Me and my colleagues—we're all incredibly grateful." He bowed deeply. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Marcus was caught a bit off guard by the sincerity of the bow. In his previous life, he'd met plenty of Japanese people who bowed out of politeness—surface-level respect with arrogance underneath. But Minato? The guy was genuinely grateful.

Marcus waved it off. "It's nothing. You don't need to thank me like that. This is business. I'm getting something out of it too." He paused. "I liked the project enough to keep it going. But I'm also gonna have some creative control over the story moving forward."

Even hearing that, Minato still looked grateful. "I'm still thankful."

Tanaka, seeing Minato was getting a bit too emotional, stepped in. "Minato, he said there's a reason he wanted to meet you."

Minato snapped out of it and nodded.

Marcus cleared his throat. "Look, there's a problem with your story. It's the reason it's not doing well domestically. And I know exactly what it is."

Both Tanaka and Minato looked surprised. 'He already figured out why it's bombing?' Tanaka thought.

'Is it because the story isn't good?' Minato wondered, doubt creeping in.

"It's because the naming sucks," Marcus said flatly.

The two almost stumbled. They'd been expecting something profound—not that.