The next day, the Asahi Shimbun published an interview with a large spread, titled:
[Commemoration of Porco Rosso's Completion · Special Conversation]
The subtitle was: [Hayao Miyazaki VS. Aoki Haruhi]
The font size of the subtitle was two points larger than the main title.
In the conversation, the two primarily engaged in an in-depth exchange regarding the creative concepts and techniques of games and animation.
However, all of Aoki Haruhi's rambling about the color red and the workers' revolution in Porco Rosso, as well as the left-wing insinuations, were completely deleted.
To a certain extent, this was not entirely bad news; it was even a form of protection for both Aoki Haruhi and Hayao Miyazaki.
Among the older generation of creators in Japan, there were a few who were deeply influenced by red ideology. One was Hayao Miyazaki, who later shifted his focus to considerations of humanity and survival, as well as nature and harmony.
Another was Fujiko F. Fujio, the manga creator of Doraemon.
This name is actually a combination of two people, one of whom passed away earlier and was a staunch "red" sympathizer.
Therefore, in a country like Japan, even if you express certain leanings of your own, you won't be overly condemned, simply because these masters have already paved the way.
However, making too much of a fuss about it would be inappropriate.
"Wow, President, you're amazing! I never realized you could go toe-to-toe with Master Miyazaki. And the headlines the media gave are nothing short of a miracle!"
Ayase Akane exclaimed, holding a newspaper.
"Are you just finding this out today?" Aoki Haruhi rolled his eyes at her.
"Tsk tsk, President, you hid it so well!"
Before Ayase Akane could answer, Ishino Mika's voice chimed in.
Aoki Haruhi glanced outside and noticed that everyone had a copy of the newspaper.
It was obvious that Ayase Akane was behind this.
This girl, instead of doing her proper job as HR, was busy doing the work of an administrative assistant.
Does she think our company's receptionist doesn't exist?
In a short while, all the company employees were discussing the "Peak Dialogue" between Aoki Haruhi and Master Miyazaki.
"It's hard to imagine, Master Miyazaki actually inviting our President."
"What's so hard to imagine about that? Doesn't it just show how amazing our President is?!" One could tell just by hearing the voice that it was Gen Urobuchi, a loyal fan and defender of Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
He held the newspaper in his hands, reading every word with a look full of admiration and worship. Especially after finishing a segment of the dialogue, he would pause to think it over.
"Wada-san, sometimes when you're not talking and just focused on thinking, you're actually a little handsome," said Asano Risa, a copywriter for Pokémon.
"I think the fact that you can say I'm 'a little handsome' means you should probably get your eyes checked," Gen Urobuchi retorted mercilessly.
The people around them couldn't help but cast surprised glances. Akanishi Ken, a married man, in particular, looked on in despair, clearly feeling that this young man was hopeless. Although Wada was still very young, only 20, he probably still had a long and bumpy road ahead of him in matters of the heart.
A turbulent journey is destined for you, young man.
At first, everyone was a bit surprised, but after thinking about it, they realized it sounded quite reasonable coming from Wada, so they went back to quietly doing their own work.
"I thought our President would be mercilessly crushed by Master Miyazaki, but I didn't expect him to say so many insightful things during the interview. Especially their thoughts on anime and games—it really gave me a deeper understanding of the gaming industry."
"I thought the President would be mercilessly crushed by Master Miyazaki. I didn't expect him to share so many insightful thoughts during the interview, especially regarding anime and games; it gave me a deeper understanding of the gaming industry."
In the afternoon, Aoki Haruhi called Old Xu and Ishino Mika into the president's office.
The two of them sat upright on the sofa, especially Gen Urobuchi, whose eyes now held even more admiration for Aoki Haruhi.
Aoki Haruhi felt a jolt from his gaze and quickly shook his head.
Luckily, Kogahara Tsubakiaki retired early; otherwise, if things continued like this, Old Xu would probably go crazy.
After they sat down, Aoki Haruhi asked with a smile:
"You've read the newspaper, haven't you?"
Aoki Haruhi asked, getting straight to the point.
The joy on his face couldn't be hidden at all.
Akanishi Ken, the head of the programming department, was sitting at his desk, directly across from Art Director Sakata Taiji.
He glanced at the President and the others holding a small meeting in the office, and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.
Akanishi Ken, head of the programming department, sat at his workstation, directly opposite the art director, Sakata Taiji.
He glanced at the company president and the others who were holding a small meeting in the office, and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.
"Hey, Sakata-san, do you smell a whiff of danger?"
"Danger?" Sakata Taiji looked up, pushed his glasses up with his middle finger, and shook his head in confusion. "Why would there be a smell of danger?"
Isn't today the President's happy day?
To have a face-to-face interview with an animation master like Hayao Miyazaki and hold his own is already quite remarkable.
Everyone in the company is happy about it.
If nothing else, Pokeni's reputation will certainly get a significant boost.
This time, it's not just people in the gaming industry who know about Pokeni; perhaps, influenced by Hayao Miyazaki—no, given Hayao Miyazaki's national popularity, most people in Japan will notice the company Pokeni.
At the very least, they will have to ask—
What kind of company is Pokeni?
And who is Aoki Haruhi?
"Once this interview is published and the buzz picks up, the company's performance will surely soar and get better and better, so how could it be dangerous?" Sakata Taiji chuckled, "Akanishi-san, what's wrong with you? Why have you become so suspicious?"
Akanishi Ken gritted his teeth, looking as if he were exasperated by the other's lack of foresight.
"Sakata-san, you've been with the President for so many years, haven't you figured this out yet?"
"Figured what out?"
"The news! The news! Doesn't it feature the conversation between Hayao Miyazaki and the President?"
"So?" Sakata Taiji picked up the newspaper and read it carefully again, still unable to see the danger Akanishi Ken was talking about.
"Look here..." Akanishi Ken walked around and stood behind Sakata Taiji, pointing his finger at a paragraph.
This part was from Hayao Miyazaki's interview.
He stated: Whether it's games or animation, they are both tools to express ideas, but they need to have a broad and accessible entry point, be friendly to players and audiences, and allow them to quickly become immersed.
"However, the final output must be high; it must have intellectual depth, spiritual substance, and provoke thought in the audience."
"Tsk tsk, a master is a master indeed." Sakata Taiji grew even more admiring of Hayao Miyazaki. "So, at their level, the specific medium no longer matters; what matters is whether one can use it to express what one wants to convey.
If Miyazaki weren't an animator but a writer, I believe he would certainly have been equally outstanding.
The same goes for Akira Kurosawa.
I suppose it's what they call 'different paths leading to the same destination.' Whether it's the animator Hayao Miyazaki, the writer Osamu Dazai, or the film director Akira Kurosawa, in the end, they are all pursuing the same heights and sublimation of thought."
Sakata Taiji looked full of admiration. This is probably the difference between me and them; without thought, there is no soul.
Even if I could draw excellent original art, I could never become Hayao Miyazaki!
"Fool!" Akanishi Ken whispered a reprimand.
The reason he whispered was for fear of being heard by the company president, as everyone was crowded into a very small office space.
The reason for the scolding was that Akanishi Ken wanted to emphasize his tone, making Sakata Taiji realize the seriousness of the problem.
Sure enough, Sakata Taiji crossed his arms, his face darkening instantly.
"Akanishi Ken, you're upsetting me with this."
"Do you still not understand?" Akanishi Ken pulled a chair over from the side and sat down.
"Senpai, that was my..."
The animator, Yokoyama, who had just returned from the restroom, looked at him helplessly.
Akanishi Ken waved his hand, signaling him to give them a few minutes.
"Think about it. In this conversation, was it really only Hayao Miyazaki who had a spark of intellectual collision? Could our President not have learned something from the other party as well?"
"You mean..."
At this point, Sakata Taiji also instinctively sensed that something was off.
He lowered his head and re-read it carefully, but still couldn't find the source of this odd feeling.
Akanishi Ken continued his analysis, "Our works, from Onmyoji to the later games, and all the way to Pokémon—other than Diablo, which has a bit of [thematic depth]—none of the other works seem to have reached a very high level, do they?"
"You can't put it that way. Love and death are eternal themes, after all, and we've always done well in that regard." Sakata Taiji didn't agree with Akanishi Ken's view that they lacked "intellectual depth." "If you say that, then Shakespeare wouldn't amount to much either."
"That's different," Akanishi Ken said, frowning. "Shakespeare's love and death are backed by profound revelations about society and critiques of unjust systems. Sigh, never mind, why are we even discussing this?"
"What I want to say is..."
Akanishi Ken lowered his voice. "It doesn't matter what you think. The key is what the President thinks. Will he be inspired by Hayao Miyazaki, or influenced by him, to the point where he wants to create a 'great game' with 'intellectual depth'?"
Sakata Taiji was stunned for a long moment, his mind finally grasping the point.
"Ah! So that's it." Sakata Taiji had a look of sudden realization.
Akanishi Ken breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mr. Sakata, you finally understand."
However...
"Isn't that a good thing?" Sakata Taiji, though he had understood something, didn't fully grasp it yet. "The President having higher aspirations for games is truly admirable. Without that level of cognitive understanding of ideas, he couldn't have reached his current heights. Now that you've said this, I'm even more looking forward to it."
Uh-huh.
Yokoyama, standing nearby, nodded earnestly, signaling that it was truly lucky to be at a company like Pokeni and witness the birth of the future Master Aoki Haruhi.
"To be able to achieve this through games... no one has managed to do that yet, right?"
"After all, current games are still primarily about [fun], and very few people think about the ideological values that games themselves should convey."
"Though, there are quite a few game producers just starting to emerge."
"Have you ever considered that maybe, just maybe, what the President is asking for isn't some game in the future, but the very next one?" Akanishi Ken said, glancing at them askance.
I've already dropped enough hints; if you still don't get it, you really are too dense.
"Huh?!"
Just then, Yokoyama let out a sudden gasp of shock.
Akanishi Ken turned around, only to see Yokoyama's face contorted with fear and disbelief.
"No way, right?" Yokoyama cried out, looking horrified.
"Good."
Akanishi Ken turned back to look at Sakata Taiji. "Yokoyama has already realized it. Do you understand now?"
Sakata Taiji opened his mouth in bewilderment. "I..."
"What? The Witcher's world-building and script need to be changed?!" Gen Urobuchi was astonished, thinking he had misheard.
However, after confirming multiple times the expression on the President's face, he realized the man wasn't joking at all.
In fact, Aoki Haruhi didn't seem to feel even a shred of guilt.
"I think this conversation has given me some new, deeper thoughts about the game," Aoki said, sitting on the sofa opposite him with a calm smile. "After reviewing The Witcher again, I've realized that although the game is designed to serve the gameplay, its story lacks any real depth.
Besides, the idea of romance between humans and the Blood Tribe is, in my opinion, no longer fresh.
I hope to at least elevate the themes a bit, to give the players something to think about when the game ends."
"But, President... The Witcher is already halfway through development. If we change the script at this point, I'm afraid the programmers and the art team will kill me," Gen Urobuchi said with a mournful face.
It hadn't been an issue before, but for the first time, he felt a sense of dread.
It was the fear of being dominated by death, as if countless eyes outside were staring at him, ready to tear him to shreds.
Aoki Haruhi gave a scornful smile; changing requirements was just a basic operation for planners, wasn't it?
Back in his previous life, while working at the Penguin Company in China, it wasn't just games being overhauled halfway through development that were common; games being cancelled outright even after completion were a dime a dozen.
"Wada-san, you don't just want to be a game planner who only knows how to write 'angsty love stories,' do you? Have you ever thought about how amazing it would be if you could create a work that surpasses Hayao Miyazaki?"
Good heavens!!
Ishino Mika, standing to the side, looked at Gen Urobuchi with a horrified expression.
Hey, wait a minute!
Wada-san, you mustn't let the President brainwash you.
Do you want to die?!
If this keeps up, it won't just be a matter of players sending you razor blades; you'll be hacked to death by the programmers and the art team!
"Mm-hmm," Gen Urobuchi nodded in agreement. "As expected of the President. But I think the most brilliant part is about the essence of games and animation. Being an experience, while also serving as a vehicle for the creator's ideas—that's truly incredible.
I hadn't thought about it this deeply before."
Gen Urobuchi meant this sincerely, and it was as if a door to a new world had been opened for him.
If Gen Urobuchi had previously been a talented, intuitive creator, he now had a sense of direction.
At the very least, before creating a game script, he would now add an extra layer of thought—
What is this story trying to express?
Does it have meaning?
"Very good, Wada-san, I'm proud of you." Aoki Haruhi stood up and patted Urobuchi's shoulder.
The latter wore a determined expression, as if ready to go through fire and water.
Fired up and with his blood pumping, Wada clenched his fists tightly.
"President, rest assured, I will definitely be able to write a good script."
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