December 13, 1993.
There is a little over a week left before the New Year holidays.
Aoki Haruhi received a call from Famitsu.
"Hello, this is Famitsu. I am Editor-in-Chief Hamamura Hirokazu. May I speak to President Aoki Haruhi?"
"Yes, speaking. How can I help you?"
"It's like this: we would like to hold a game selection event in the Famitsu year-end annual publication called the [Famitsu Game Awards]. We will select the best game for different categories, such as Best Story, Best Graphics, etc. We hope to invite your company to participate."
The most famous column in "Famitsu" is the "Cross Review," where four editors act as reviewers to score new games. Each reviewer gives a score from 1 to 10 based on four dimensions: graphics, music, story, and gameplay. Then, the four scores are added together to get the game's final score. The maximum possible score is 40.
Games with a score of 35 or higher are called the Platinum Hall of Fame, 32-34 are called the Gold Hall of Fame, and 30-31 are called the Silver Hall of Fame.
However, this scoring system was brutally destroyed by Pokeni.
Pokeni used facts to tell players that games with weak gameplay could have an incredible story and still become kings.
However, this rating system was abruptly destroyed by Pokeni.
P-Corp proved to players that games with weak gameplay can still become kings if they have an incredible storyline.
And now, Famitsu has been forced by Pokeni to create the [Famitsu Game Awards].
According to the timeline of the previous life, the Famitsu Awards were created by Famitsu in 2005 as a video game award based on reader votes, sales, popularity, and other factors.
This is equivalent to advancing it by 12 years.
The scalability of this setup is clearly much stronger. For now, the initial awards established by Famitsu include:
[Game of the Year]
[MVC (Most Valuable Creator/Team)]
[Best Script Award]
[Best Graphics Award]
[Best Soundtrack Award]
[Best Game Character]
... Basically, these are some very fundamental and high-value awards, but as time goes on and the industry continues to change, it can be expanded to include categories like [Best RPG], [Best Shooter], [Best Action Game], [Player's Choice Award], and so on.
"It's much more scientific than that 4-dimensional rating system, and evaluating once a year would also generate a lot of buzz."
"Hmm?" Aoki Haruhi was stunned for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding.
It wasn't that he didn't understand what these awards were for, but rather that he didn't quite understand why they were calling him.
"It's like this: your company's release this year, the galgame 'Blanket Man', has been unanimously praised by players and has a very good chance of winning an award. So, we would like to invite Pokeni to have 'Blanket Man' participate in Famitsu's year-end game awards." Hamamura explained on the other end.
"If you are interested, I would like to pay you a visit and explain the selection mechanism for this year's awards to you in person."
"Um... well," Aoki Haruhi hesitated and asked, "After winning, is there a cash prize?"
This kind of media award was really just a gimmick, all about spontaneity and player favor.
If they really wanted to do it, in Aoki Haruhi's opinion, they should at least provide some prize money.
How can you expect to gain authority without paying a cent? It's just getting something for nothing.
But a long silence came from the other end of the phone.
"Um, well, it's like this," Hamamura Hirokazu explained on the other end. "For this award, voting opens between January and February every year, for games released during the previous year. The voting is public, and after it concludes, in March, we'll broadcast the results on television, promoting the winners of the various award categories. Winning an award is bound to bring higher value and revenue to the game itself."
Huh?
He talked for so long, and it turns out there's no prize money?
Why come to me if there's no money?
He was about to refuse, but swallowed the words back.
Aoki Haruhi had intended to support Gorotsu to compete against Famitsu, but after careful thought, Famitsu is backed by Kadokawa Shoten, and that's not someone he can afford to offend.
"Understood. Then we'll enter Blanket Man into the competition."
"Great, thank you very much!"
Hamamura Hirokazu hung up the phone, his back soaked with sweat.
"Terrifying. Why did it feel like facing a formidable enemy?"
***
As the end of the year approached, Aoki Haruhi became busier instead.
Having come to a realization, he decided to take charge of the "CLANNAD" game project himself, so he had been busy writing the script during this period.
He often wrote late into the quiet of the night, sometimes even typing furiously when inspiration struck.
Whenever it was time to clock off, as they passed the president's office, the programming director, Akanishi Ken, couldn't help but sigh:
"Terrifying. Is the president trying to work us to death?"
"Exactly," agreed the art director, Sakata Taiji. "If the president doesn't leave, who dares to be the first to go?"
"Forget it, forget it. Let's just leave him be."
With that, Akanishi Ken grabbed his briefcase and left the company.
Sometimes, when he was overly engrossed in his work, Aoki Haruhi would sit in front of the computer, tears streaming down his face. The next moment, thinking about the players crying their eyes out after the game was released, he would become happy again.
The little HR staff member, seeing the president like this, couldn't help but mutter to herself—
"Is this guy going crazy?"
***
A week later, the task was completed.
After printing out the first draft of the CL script, Aoki Haruhi finally felt the heavy weight lift from his heart.
Just as he was about to go look for Jun Maeda, the man himself took the initiative to approach him.
He knocked on the door of the President's Office, "Um... President, I've rewritten the script. Please take a look and give me your advice."
Aoki Haruhi was stunned for a moment, then beckoned him in, "Perfect, I have a script for you to look at as well."
The two exchanged scripts, and their eyes both lit up.
On one side, Jun Maeda held the script Aoki Haruhi had printed out, with the English letters "CLANNAD" written on it.
He recognized every letter, but didn't know how to pronounce them combined, nor did he know what they meant.
Opening the first page, fortunately, there was an explanation:
[CLANNAD is an abbreviation of the Celtic phrase "CLANN As Dango".
CLANNAD—family, household, relatives, familial love.
Of course, it can also be understood in a broader sense as family, meaning the entire town where the characters live.]
Amazing.
Jun Maeda thought to himself, the President really is knowledgeable; he even knows Celtic.
And this work looks like it's going to be something to look forward to.
***
Aoki Haruhi raised an eyebrow, thinking, "How the hell would I know? I only know because of you."
However, he quickly refocused his attention on the script in his hands:
"LIFE-LINE"
Lifeline?
A lifeline?
In his previous life, there was a text adventure game called "Lifeline," which Apple specially designed back in the day to promote its smartphones and watches.
But it was quite obvious that the script Jun Maeda had written was something else entirely.
[Kwa-kwa...]
[Noisy sounds.]
[I wondered, who's pulling a prank on me? But the moment I pushed open the door, I was completely stunned—]
[At my doorway was a tiny baby.]
Huh?
Does the male protagonist have a little daughter right from the start?
Good grief, you really took the request to write about family love to heart, didn't you?
You just graduated high school, you haven't even dated anyone, do you even know how to raise a child?
But despite his internal grumbling, once Aoki started reading, he was quickly drawn in.
Jun Maeda was truly the Great Demon King of Tears; his writing style and foundation were beyond reproach. It was incredibly delicate and enthralling, reading it felt like a gentle stream nourishing the soul.
Moreover, the character development was quite remarkable. Each character had their own unique background information, and even taken individually, they made for compelling plotlines. Combined, they interwove to form something new and full of life...
The daily life depicted was warm and cozy, yet every now and then, it would stab you right in the heart.
It had quite the flavor of CLANNAD.
It was truly staggering.
***
As he read, Aoki Haruhi felt a sourness in his nose, and tears fell uncontrollably.
Looking up, he discovered that Maeda Junya, sitting opposite him, had the same expression.
To hide his "manly tears," Maeda quickly turned his head away and wiped the corners of his eyes with a tissue.
"That... something got in my eye."
"Me too..."
Aoki grabbed a tissue and blew his nose hard, but he still couldn't suppress the urge to cry.
Two grown men sat in the office, looking at each other with teary eyes.
That was certainly something.
Ayase Akane, the little HR, was about to bring in some drinks. She had just pushed the door open when she saw this scene. She froze for half a second, then retreated.
"Terrifying... It turns out it wasn't just the President who was abnormal; it's already showing signs of human-to-human transmission."
***
After finishing the document, Aoki Haruhi closed it, unable to pull himself out of the deep sorrow it had evoked.
The two sat facing each other, both lost in the world the other had constructed, silent.
Very good.
Aoki Haruhi wiped the corners of his eyes with a tissue.
This is the Jun Maeda I had in mind.
As expected, only by relieving him of the pressure could he write a script this good.
Thinking it over carefully, Aoki Haruhi felt that the title "LIFE-LINE" was truly excellent; it instantly tied all the content together. It wasn't just about a simple "lifeline."
It carried deeper meanings of continuation, inheritance, and bonds.
It was about life, and it was about living.
A strange feeling even began to sprout in his mind—
"LIFE-LINE" could perfectly serve as a sister game to "CLANNAD."
Aoki Haruhi shared his thoughts with Jun Maeda, who agreed wholeheartedly.
"President, you're amazing. Being able to write a script as powerful as CLANNAD... I was completely moved," Jun Maeda said, his voice still thick with emotion.
"So, looking at it now, although these two games are different, they share a common emotional core. If we release CLANNAD first, and then promote LL, players might be able to find the missing pieces or regrets from one game resolved in the other.
This could be considered a novel way of complementing each other."
"Mhm, mhm." Jun Maeda nodded in total agreement.
...L, so maybe players could find the missing, regretful parts from the two games. This can also be considered a unique way of supplementing them."
"Mm-hm."
Mr. Maeda expressed his strong agreement.
"So, what should we use as a core hub to link these games together?" Aoki Haruhi pondered.
A very vague image formed in his mind.
Key's "tear-jerker" trilogy actually had no connection or continuity between the titles, which to some extent limited their brand value.
Final Fantasy, on the other hand, was much smarter. Although the plot of each installment had nothing to do with the others—they were all independent, complete games, and even their worldviews were different, not to mention the relationships between the characters—they all shared the same name.
Chocobos, Cactuars, and Moogles were also recurring elements.
"If we had some kind of link to connect Pokeni's various galgames, we would surely get a much stronger chemical reaction."
"Ah!" Just then, Jun Maeda slapped his thigh, remembering a trivial detail. "In The Entropic Man, wasn't there something mentioned called the 'Mermaid's Tear'? Obtaining the Mermaid's Tear can grant a person one wish, but it also brings an unforgettable love."
"Oh?" Aoki Haruhi's eyes lit up. "Mr. Maeda, that's a great idea. And I think, even if we don't use the 'Mermaid's Tear' setting, having characters from one game make cameo appearances as background characters in others would actually be quite good."
It would be like an Easter egg, and character cameos would effectively connect their worlds. Fortunately, these games are all set in modern cities, so it would all make sense.
It's equivalent to an Easter egg, and having characters make cameo appearances connects the worlds.
Fortunately, the settings of these games are all modern cities, so it all makes sense.
"Yeah, yeah, this is good."
Jun Maeda was exceptionally excited. "Blanket Man and Hedgehog Girl can make cameos in CL, and Tomoya's family from CL can appear in LIFE-LINE. There's no fixed chronological order; players can interpret different things from these games."
"Exactly. Players can interpret it as Blanket Man and Hedgehog Girl really being together, or they can see it as them coincidentally meeting Tomoya during some small window of time..."
This kind of cameo method is used quite a lot in future Marvel movies. Some are just pure Easter eggs, while others are gimmicks used to lead into the next movie. In short, as long as the players like them, they will notice them, and it can also generate buzz and spark discussions.
The two of them discussed it for another hour or so, basically finalizing the main storyline.
There wasn't much of an issue with the new script from Jun Maeda's side, but some details definitely needed attention. It was quite obvious that this young man had no experience with having or raising children, so it was necessary for him to go and earnestly learn and experience that.
Other than that, there was nothing else.
***
The script was basically finalized, so without further ado, Aoki Haruhi called Ishino Mika into his office the very next day.
"Waaaaah..."
After reading the script for CL, Ishino Mika was sobbing uncontrollably.
Why, in the middle of the New Year, would you show me this?
What exactly did I do wrong?
"This is way too tragic, President."
What else did you expect?
Aoki Haruhi raised an eyebrow.
CL was the ultimate nuclear bomb in the world of tear-jerker games, after all.
"So...?" Ishino Mika asked, sobbing, her eyes tear-streaked.
"Isn't Blanket Man already finished? It's time to develop a new game," Aoki said. "No rush, though. We'll greenlight it after the New Year, and you'll be the producer again."
"Huh?"
Ishino Mika was completely stunned.
"Since we already have Blanket Man," Aoki continued, "we might as well strike while the iron is hot and cement your reputation as the 'Queen of Tears', Ishino Mika."
"Um..." Ishino Mika made a woeful face, looked at Aoki, then looked back down at the script in front of her. "I don't dare take this on... I'm afraid I'll get sent razor blades in the mail."
Aoki Haruhi's brow furrowed deeply.
"Take it!"
"You must take it!"
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