sbdcsierra Chapter 203 The Legend of Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit: The Seven Swordsmen
Chapter 203 The Legend of Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit: The Seven Swordsmen
This rabbit does indeed look a lot like Blue Rabbit from a Chinese animated series he loved in his previous life, "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Heroes." Even the male rabbit looks a bit like Rainbow Cat, except it's also a rabbit.
If it weren't for the fact that all the characters inside were rabbit-shaped, Lu Ran would have even been a little suspicious of the other party.
Now, Lu Ran only felt that this was a rare talent.
However, in terms of plot concept, it is still rather rigid and has not broken out of the traditional pattern of this world.
"Your drawing is good, but you can expand on it a bit more. For example, you could use different animals to represent different characters. Don't be limited to the rabbit design." Lu Ran pointed out the problem. "If you can break away from the rabbit design, no one will say that your design is copying 'That Rabbit' when this animation becomes popular."
To say that this design is trying to copy "That Rabbit" is a bit of a stretch, at least in terms of appearance. They are not the same rabbit at all. However, in the details of the eyebrows and eyes, there is indeed a resemblance to "That Rabbit".
Lu Ran felt it was a combination of 3 parts Na Tu and 7 parts Lan Tu.
However, if you include Rainbow Cat and other classic characters like Black Tiger, it becomes a genre of its own.
After listening, Zhou Xiaoou nodded in agreement.
Although he didn't intend to copy "That Rabbit" in his initial design, the rabbit in his inspiration did indeed come from "That Rabbit".
Lu Ran stood up, walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and continued to explain to Zhou Xiao'ou: "Martial arts is a treasure of our traditional culture. The spirit of chivalry, the feelings of the martial arts world, and the joy of revenge are all naturally suitable for expression in animation. Moreover, the market is currently very hot, so it's sure to attract viewers."
This is to instill a sense of chivalry in him. Chivalrous works, whether novels, movies, TV series, or comics, must have a core element of chivalry.
Since Zhou Xiaoou has this idea, let's follow his line of thought and do it even better.
He paused, then wrote a few words on the whiteboard:
[Martial Arts Anime: Jianghu Series]
Zhou Xiao'ou leaned closer, her eyes filled with excitement but also a hint of trepidation: "President Lu, there are relatively few excellent martial arts works these days. Creating an original martial arts world is indeed quite risky. How about using one of your martial arts novels..."
Zhou Xiaoou's idea was to modify Lu Ran's existing work, which would at least guarantee a certain level of quality.
Lu Ran smiled, then shook his head.
He didn't want martial arts fiction to consist of just a few scattered works, with the same story, The Condor Heroes, being adapted again and again, and even if it was set up with animals, the content would still be the same.
Although he acknowledged that both works were excellent, anime still needs its own storyline.
"We can't use the content from those two works anymore; the audience will get tired of it." He put down his pen and looked at Zhou Xiao'ou. "I have a script here, a new script. Would you like to take a look?"
Zhou Xiao'ou was taken aback: "You wrote this?"
"Hmm." Lu Ran said without batting an eye, "I've been working on this for a while, but haven't had time to bring it up. I thought I'd come here today to talk to you about it."
He took out his phone, opened a document, and handed it to Zhou Xiaoou.
Zhou Xiaoou took it; the screen displayed several large characters:
The Legend of Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit: The Seven Swordsmen
He continued scrolling down.
The story synopsis, character settings, world-building, episode outlines... tens of thousands of words were written in dense detail.
The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became.
"This..." He looked up, his voice trembling slightly, "Mr. Lu, did you come up with this idea?"
"What's wrong?" Lu Ran asked without blushing.
Spreading excellent works to other dimensions should be considered as promoting and disseminating traditional culture.
"This is amazing!" Zhou Xiaoou exclaimed, her hands trembling with excitement. "Seven swords, seven people, seven personalities, seven stages of growth... this setting is incredible! And look here, Rainbow Cat's sense of responsibility, Blue Rabbit's tenderness, Sally's revenge, Black Tiger's groveling... each character has a complete character arc!"
Looking at his excited expression, Lu Ran suddenly remembered herself when she first watched "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Heroes" in her previous life.
But what's with Black Tiger's groveling? That's pure love for him.
Of course, calling him a sycophant is not wrong.
In the anime, you can sit at the same table as Boiling Sheep.
Lu Ran remembers that he was still young then, and every day after school he would squat in front of the TV to watch Rainbow Cat, the young hero, roam the world with his sword, watch Blue Rabbit, the princess, who is so clever and intelligent, and watch the spectacular scene of the seven swords combining.
Later, when I grew up, I realized how much effort the production team put into this animation—every frame was hand-drawn, every action was meticulously designed, and every character was vivid and lifelike.
More importantly, it's not just about fighting and killing, but also about chivalry, responsibility, growth, and protection.
In those years, how many children learned for the first time what it meant to be a "great hero who serves his country and its people" because of it?
"So you think this can be done?" Lu Ran asked.
"Yes! Absolutely!" Zhou Xiaoou nodded vigorously. "President Lu, if you give me this script, I guarantee I'll create a work that's just as good as 'That Rabbit'!"
Lu Ran patted his shoulder: "Don't rush, I haven't finished yet."
He pointed to several places in the document: "I've marked these as important. For example, the scene in episode 7, 'The Death of Blue Rabbit,' needs to be filmed with a sense of tragedy, but not too tragic, since it's for children. For example, the scene in episode 30, where the seven swords unite, needs to be grand, exciting, and make the audience's blood boil."
Lu Ran still wanted to mention a few key points, but as for some unimportant scenes, he let Zhou Xiao'ou improvise as she pleased.
Lu Ran doesn't even plan to provide the designs for Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit anymore. Providing too much help can sometimes harm them and hinder their growth.
Lu Ran could tell that Zhou Xiaoou was definitely a promising prospect.
Zhou Xiaoou took out her notebook and carefully wrote down everything Lu Ran said, while her admiration for Lu Ran grew stronger.
I originally thought that Lu Ran got the position of director because of connections or other abilities, but I didn't expect that he really has real talent and ability.
I can learn a lot from him.
"Also," Lu Ran continued, "we need to find professionals for the voice-over, not those popular celebrities. We need a reliable team to do the music, preferably with elements of traditional Chinese music. The visual style should lean towards traditional ink painting, but also have a modern and sophisticated feel."
In these aspects, Lu Ran felt it would be better to incorporate more elements of the Chinese nation, as it could subtly enhance national self-confidence.
"I understand, I understand."
"No need to rush the production cycle, quality comes first. If you're short on budget, come to me, don't try to save money."
"Okay, okay."
After Lu Ran finished speaking, seeing Zhou Xiao'ou's delighted expression, he couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, stop getting so excited. This project is yours. Go back and build the team, recruit people where needed, and train them where necessary. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me."
Zhou Xiao'ou took a deep breath and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, President Lu, I will definitely do a good job on this."
Lu Ran patted his shoulder and turned to walk out.
As he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something, turned back, and said, "Oh, right, there's a detail you should pay attention to."
"Please speak."
"We need to put a lot of effort into the character of Lan Tu," Lu Ran said earnestly. "She's not just the female lead, but also an idol for many little girls. We need to make her strong, wise, and responsible, not the kind of princess who just waits to be rescued."
Lu Ran wants to establish a towering female anime character here, to instill correct values in the children from a young age.
Although there is very little we can do, Lu Ran still feels it is necessary.
Moreover, Blue Rabbit is indeed a very well-developed character in this anime.
Zhou Xiaogou was taken aback for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Okay, President Lu, I'll remember."
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