This time, Pokeni and Ghibli could be said to be treating everyone equally, holding a press conference so that everyone could have a share of the spoils.
Famitsu reported on the related content as quickly as possible.
It was just tough on the editors at magazines and major media outlets, who had to rush to finish their manuscripts overnight.
It was a pity they hadn't managed to get an exclusive; that was quite regrettable.
"What can I even say?"
Editor-in-Chief Hamamura Hirokazu just felt that Famitsu's luck hadn't been very good these past two years. January was exactly when they were in the middle of their big feature, the "Famitsu Game Awards" selection event, and gamers were excitedly scoring the game titles and related dimensions provided by Famitsu.
It should have been in full swing, and surely it was a major event in the gaming world, right?
He hadn't expected that just in the first week of the selection process, news as earth-shattering as Pokeni collaborating with Ghibli would break.
Everyone knew that for the past ten years, other than Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Hayao Miyazaki had almost never licensed any game company to develop a game. This was the first time ever, and he had no idea what kind of magic Aoki Haruhi had cast.
And so, the hype surrounding the Game Awards was temporarily suppressed.
But you couldn't entirely say that either.
At the very least, now that the related topic had been brought up, the Famitsu Game Awards would receive even more attention; it had just been overshadowed for the moment.
Overall, it was a good thing.
"Hey, what on earth did Pokeni do? How did they manage to convince Ghibli to collaborate with them so suddenly?" Editor Sano was completely baffled.
"You're right, I was shocked too. Collaborations between the game industry and the animation industry aren't exactly rare; it's common enough for famous games to be adapted into anime, or for famous anime to be made into games.
But Ghibli has never been one of them."
"Exactly. Hayao Miyazaki is notoriously stubborn and conservative. I never imagined there would be such a huge shift. I can only say that Pokeni's president really knows his stuff."
"..."
Everyone was sitting at their workstations, looking exhausted after pulling an all-nighter, but while their bodies were weary, their spirits were extremely excited.
Editor-in-Chief Hamamura brewed a cup of coffee to perk himself up a bit, then turned around to join the discussion as well.
After all, the work is finished, and now it can be considered a moment of rest after the battle.
"This press conference must have had some foreshadowing, right?"
Editor-in-Chief Hamamura said with a smile, "Since last year, Aoki Haruhi and Hayao Miyazaki have been quite close. Miyazaki even specifically invited Aoki to be a guest for the 'Porco Rosso' interview at the time.
The two of them discussed the similarities and differences between games and animation. Actually, there is one thing that everyone overlooked, which is that Miyazaki had already shown an interest in games at that time, and even felt that games could become a good medium for expressing ideas.
So, this positive signal actually shows that he was already considering taking steps towards games back then, right?"
"Indeed, we just didn't think in that direction at the time. It seems we need to pay more attention to the details being conveyed in the future."
"Hmm, yes."
Everyone nodded, falling into a moment of silence.
The sunlight outside was just right, shining in and landing on Hamamura Hirokazu's face.
It was a little warm, a little ticklish.
"By the way, besides Ghibli, the most shocking thing this time should be that 'Kogahara Tsubakiaki' is actually making a comeback, right?"
***
Media news related to games and anime these past few days can only be described as a storm.
Endless news has been emerging regarding the collaboration between Ghibli and Pokeni, as well as the upcoming comeback of Kohara Tsubakiaki.
[Ghibli's independently produced animated film will be handed over to Pokeni for game adaptation; this is their first collaborative game.]
[Pokeni has a new game currently in development, and a portion of the original art for it will be commissioned from Hayao Miyazaki.]
In the eyes of anime industry professionals, Pokeni has struck gold with this deal, and many people are puzzled as to why Ghibli chose Pokeni instead of Nintendo, Konami, or others...
After all, compared to those companies, Pokeni is still quite green. It hasn't been established for long, and it's only in the last two or three years that it's started to produce representative works. While it has achieved some impressive results, it can't quite be considered firmly established in the top tier yet.
Outside of the gaming circle, almost no one knows about Pokeni.
What most people are familiar with is Pokémon, mainly because the Pokémon animated series has been airing for a year now, maintaining high popularity and becoming a phenomenal serial animation.
"By the way, besides Ghibli, the most shocking thing this time has to be the fact that [Kohara Tsubakiaki] is actually making a comeback, right?"
***
"I never imagined that Ghibli would ever license its work to anyone for game adaptation. Even if such a possibility existed, it would never have fallen to Pokeni."
"I never imagined that Ghibli would ever license their work for a game adaptation. Even if such a possibility existed, it would never fall to Pokeni."
"Exactly. I don't even know what kind of game company Pokeni is. Were Producer Suzuki and the old man Miyazaki a bit too hasty in their decision? Couldn't they have considered it more?"
"The contract is already signed, and the press conference has been held. What's the point of considering it now?"
"I can't understand it, not at all. In my mind, Ghibli's animations are top-tier, and they should have been entrusted to a top-tier game developer like Nintendo. Why on earth is it Pokeni?"
"Could it end up being ruined by Pokeni in the end? That's what happened with the last 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind' game. Thinking back now, that game adaptation was an absolute disaster. Other than the startup screen having a hint of Nausicaä, the game content was just a mess.
When you played it, you'd just shout—
'What on earth is this?'
Miyazaki, please, don't repeat the same mistake."
"It's over, it's over. Another great animated film is about to be ruined. If Pokeni can't produce a good game, they'd better not release it! Otherwise, it's just trampling on the beautiful image we hold in our hearts."
***
Even though nothing had even started, and there wasn't even a shadow of it yet, these audience members had already mentally pictured Pokeni's impending disastrous defeat.
Many people simply didn't believe that Pokeni could produce a good game that would do justice to the original anime.
Of course, most of these speculations came from audience members who didn't know much about Pokeni, or who had never even played a Pokeni game.
After all, Hayao Miyazaki's fame was much greater, covering the entire Japanese sphere, whereas Pokeni currently only had Pokémon that had broken into the mainstream; the two were not quite on the same level.
However, for players who understood Pokeni, it was a completely different story.
"Nani?! A collaboration between Ghibli and Pokeni?! Wow, this is just divine, a match made in heaven, right?
My favorite animation studio and my favorite game development company have finally come together; just thinking about it is exciting enough!"
"Even more terrifying is that Master Kohara Tsubaki is actually returning! This is even more of a pleasant surprise.
My favorite anime director and my favorite game producer joining forces to develop a new game—could there be any news in the world more delightful than this?"
"As expected, it really takes a master like Hayao Miyazaki to bring Kogahara Tsubakiaki back."
"But isn't this news just too good to be true for us gamers?"
"Yeah, I'm almost moved to tears."
"Miyazaki + Kogahara Tsubakiaki, what kind of god-tier combo is this?"
"Will the score be by Joe Hisaishi? It feels like something's missing without Joe Hisaishi. What platform will it be released on?"
"The combination is fantastic, but the only thing I'm worried about is—
Master Miyazaki, please don't let Kogahara Tsubakiaki lead you astray. Studio Ghibli's animated films are supposed to bring happiness to children."
"Terrifying... Now that you mention it, I really have a bad premonition."
"Oh my god, I have goosebumps all over. Please, let's hope not. Isn't it that Ghibli is producing the animation, and then Kogahara Tsubakiaki is handling the game adaptation?
If that's the order, Kogahara shouldn't be able to meddle with the animation script."
"Yeah, as long as that 'Old Thief' Kogahara doesn't interfere with the animation production, there shouldn't be too much of a problem."
"The key is what Master Miyazaki thinks, and whether he'll be influenced by that 'Old Thief' Kogahara."
"Ah~ I don't even want to think about it. Please, Ghibli, don't walk down this path of 'giving out knives' (trauma/tragedy)!"
***
The real Kogahara Tsubakiaki would say, how could it be him influencing Hayao Miyazaki? It was clearly Hayao Miyazaki influencing him, wasn't it?
After the two announced their collaboration, Aoki Haruhi and Hayao Miyazaki did indeed have a brief and pleasant honeymoon period.
During this time, the two worked together seamlessly with great tacit understanding. Out of mutual appreciation and respect for each other's fields, they both remained quite restrained.
When Aoki invited Miyazaki, he was very polite, telling him to feel free to bring up any issues so they could discuss them together.
Miyazaki, for his part, stated that the script for "LIFE-LINE" was excellent, and combined with Pokeni's outstanding development capabilities, it would certainly become a classic.
The two exchanged many interesting viewpoints early on and their integration went quite smoothly, but this short honeymoon period lasted less than a week.
February 4, 1994.
In the Pokeni conference room, Aoki Haruhi and Hayao Miyazaki were arguing until they were red in the face.
Old Man Miyazaki sat in his chair, turned to the side with one hand resting on the conference table, furious.
"Aoki-san, have you ever considered that the most important thing here is to express Narae-chan's longing for her father? And given her exceptional talent for painting, we should respect the world as she sees it."
Miyazaki said, "Since that's the case, I must respect this primary requirement, making the drawn work more fitting to the theme, while also highlighting extraordinary elements.
In this way, the visuals will definitely become different.
Under these circumstances, wouldn't it be normal to change other parts of the game so the style is consistent?"
On the glass board in the meeting room hung two paintings in a very "Hayao Miyazaki" style, but they were painted over in a very messy way. At first glance, it was hard to make anything out; instead, it looked a bit like—
Picasso-esque Cubist works painted by Miyazaki.
His attitude was very tough, stating, "If we don't do as I say, the game's visuals won't be able to achieve a perfect effect!"
Ah~ what a detestable and stubborn old man!
Aoki Haruhi gritted his teeth. "To change the style of an entire game for the sake of an illustration derived from it—isn't that inherently unreasonable? I must insist as well. After all, LIFE-LINE and CLANNAD are complementary works. The art style across both games must be unified. Since it's already been decided for CL, it cannot be changed here. Besides, this approach of going out to make dumplings just to have a saucer of vinegar—isn't that clearly putting the cart before the horse?"
Hiss...
A chill ran through everyone in the conference room.
It was only the President, after all; who else would dare to talk back to Hayao Miyazaki like that?
"You, you—!" Miyazaki's face turned red, his lungs practically exploding with anger.
"Whether it's games or animation, you have to consider the whole picture. Do they blend? Can they be put together? What do you mean by 'making dumplings for a saucer of vinegar'?! You're the one eating dumplings with white sugar, aren't you!" Miyazaki retorted, neck stiff with stubbornness.
"Then just swap the white sugar for vinegar," Aoki Haruhi didn't back down in the slightest. "There's no reason to demand that the dumplings be replaced with daifuku."
"No, no! The problem is that what you've got here doesn't even qualify as dumplings; it's practically rotting salted fish!"
Ah, damn this stubborn old man. It's clearly you who are too set in your ways and can't keep up with the times, isn't it?
***
Wow, wow, this is a real storm.
The battle is incredibly intense, isn't it?
It's a complete clash of titans; neither of them will yield, confronting each other head-on as if brewing a terrifying tempest.
Sakata Taiji, the Art Director, watched from the sidelines, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle as a bystander.
It's fantastic!
Before Hayao Miyazaki arrived, who at Pokeni would have dared to openly contradict the President like this?
No one!
Not a single soul.
Even if one didn't care about their status as an employee and feared offending the President, it wouldn't have mattered, because Aoki Haruhi would always have overwhelming reasons and prove he was right with his own capabilities.
If you still weren't convinced, Aoki would simply throw the original drawings right in your face.
After seeing such mature works that were ahead of their time, you would have nothing left to refute.
To this day, all the original animators at Pokeni are completely convinced by Aoki Haruhi.
Master Miyazaki truly lives up to his name; it's such a joy to witness a battle between two such formidable opponents.
Sakata Taiji stood with his arms folded, watching the spectacle with great amusement.
Just then, Aoki Haruhi and Hayao Miyazaki seemed to have tired themselves out from arguing and stopped at the same time.
The conference room fell into silence.
After two seconds, they both turned their heads simultaneously toward Sakata Taiji.
"Sakata-san, you be the judge. Who is right?!"
Nani?!
Sakata Taiji tensed up, as if he had been electrocuted.
Why did it come to me?!
The Sakata Taiji who had just been enjoying the show was now unable to smile; not only could he not smile, but his whole body had gone rigid.
Kuso...
Why am I the one who has to judge in the end?
Sakata Taiji looked left and right, his whole body twisted like a tightly coiled pretzel.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
At this moment, Sakata Taiji felt like he was at the center of a whirlpool.
On one side was his company president, and on the other was a national treasure-level animation master of Japan. Neither could be offended. What was he to do?
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