Creating Anime In A Fantasy World

“Movies are so interesting!” This was Daphne’s only thought after watching KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World at the Nosrick Cinema.

As the only daughter of the Duke of the Southern Territory, Daphne had long grown tired of the song-and-dance stage plays she had been watching since childhood in the ducal castle.

When she was younger, she was quite enthusiastic about these performances, but as she grew older, she no longer wanted to watch any form of opera or stage play at banquets.

Instead, she preferred to spend her time reading knight novels that the guards brought back from outside.

The reason for this was simple: the characters in stage plays often felt very unreal.

No matter how good the actors’ performances were, the audience always knew they were acting, playing a false role.

In contrast, although novels lacked expressive power, readers often found it easy to immerse themselves and believe that the stories were truly happening somewhere.

So, when Daphne first learned about movies, she instinctively assumed they were just another type of stage play and dismissed them as a boring performance that combined all the shortcomings of stage plays.

However, after buying a ticket and watching the movie, she realized that life sometimes has a way of making you eat your words.

Contrary to her expectations, movies were almost an entirely different dimension from stage plays.

Unlike the stage plays that were so dull they could put her to sleep, movies were so vivid they seemed like a projection of another world.

For the first time, Daphne, who had always sneered at theatrical performances, saw something that felt so “real”!

If it hadn’t been for the credits at the end, she wouldn’t have been able to associate the film with the word “performance” at all.

After watching the movie, Daphne even felt as if the main character and his companions were still out there in some village, completing simple yet fun adventurer tasks.

She had the illusion that if she became an adventurer, she might run into them.

In the end, Daphne could no longer distinguish between illusion and reality.

Or rather, she preferred to believe that everything presented in the movie was a real world and that these lovable characters truly existed somewhere in the world.

Compared to stage plays, which she knew were false performances, this thing called a “movie” felt like a projection of a real world, making the audience believe that everything happening in the movie truly existed somewhere in the world.

In short, after thoroughly enjoying KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World and laughing so hard that her stomach hurt because of the funny story, Daphne finally calmed down.

Looking at the long list of names in the credits, she muttered to herself, “I never thought movies could be so interesting. I wish I could be part of it too…”

Hearing her words, the guard who had been sitting next to her throughout the movie—a woman whose appearance was concealed by a cloak—quickly said, “My lady, I don’t want you to get involved with this film crew.”

“?? Why not?”

To Daphne’s confusion, the guard quietly replied, “Although ordinary people can’t tell which effects in the movie are real and which are fake, any extraordinary person with enough power would understand how incredible the effects in this film are. Whether it’s the fourth- or fifth-tier magic spells or the actors themselves, none of them are ordinary people.”

“What do you mean? I don’t think I’ll encounter any danger with your protection.”

Daphne’s words showed her trust in the guard beside her, but the woman revealed a troubled expression and reluctantly said, “No, I might have thought the same before watching the movie. But after seeing the techniques displayed by the Headless Horseman in the film, I’m certain that it was very likely the legendary Headless Horseman himself! In the face of such a creature, even I’m not confident I could protect you, my lady!”

Clearly, while ordinary people might find the movie merely entertaining, those with real power could understand how amazing the film crew was. And indeed, that was the case. Aside from the youngest Grand Mage, Durin Edward, just the two undead, Belldia and Wiz, were not something a normal film crew could gather.

“A Headless Horseman, huh? I was thinking about that while watching the movie. Is the so-called Headless Horseman really a heinous demon? According to legend, wasn’t he once a blessed soldier, charging into battle on the front lines? But just because he became undead, everyone despises him. Isn’t that too heartless…”

Daphne’s words were quite rebellious.

If anyone from the church heard her declaration, they would probably label her as a demon’s accomplice on the spot.

Of course, Daphne only held this viewpoint because she grew up in the Southern Territory, where the church’s influence was weakest.

The guard, upon hearing this, was at a loss for words and could only say helplessly, “Considering that you’re traveling under the title of a priestess, if the church found out you were defending the Headless Horseman while carrying the title of a priestess, they’d probably send you straight to the stake…”

“Haha, I believe in the Holy Light, but I’m not interested in the church, that ancient and outdated institution. Compared to the God of Light promoted by the church, I think that Aqua from the story seems more like a real deity. Besides, I just noticed that the director of this movie is Baron Durin. I remember meeting him at a family banquet when I was younger, and I don’t think he’d do me any harm.”

“…”

Unable to comment on her young lady’s lack of sensitivity, the guard ultimately couldn’t stop Daphne’s desire to meet the film crew.

So, she slowly stood up and said, “Then when you meet them, please allow me to stay close by, my lady. If anything happens to you, I won’t be able to face the Duke.”

“Haha, I knew you would agree. Well, then, let’s go meet the owner of this cinema first. And don’t tell my father. I don’t want this interesting trip to end so soon.”

“As you wish, my lady…”

With a weary expression, the guard watched Daphne stand up with a smile.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Daphne said, “Oh, and get me another movie ticket. I want to watch it again tomorrow.”

“Uh, could I also get one for myself? To be honest, I find it strange too. This movie is completely different from the stage plays I’ve watched in the castle before. The stage plays used to make me sleepy, but I actually want to watch this movie again.”

“Haha, of course.”

Surprised that her stubborn guard would say something like that, Daphne smiled and glanced at the posters around the cinema, her face full of curiosity and anticipation.