"M-Managing Director, this budget—"
"I'm not saying we need to bring the production quality of Cowboy Bebop all the way up to OVA standards, but I want you to tighten the narrative pacing. While we need to maintain that laid-back, 'Cowboy' vibe, you can still achieve the level of pacing control seen in the final arc of Gundam X, can't you? You've all seen the results we got from that. Is it too much to ask for the same level of quality here?"
Takuya Nakayama stood up, looking down at them with an air of capitalistic arrogance.
"Increase the frame count for the animation. And get Yoko Kanno for the music! Don't worry about the cost—we can recoup the money by releasing a soundtrack later."
Takuya smiled.
"If you want to create a masterpiece, stop being so stingy with the budget. Sega has nothing if not money."
He walked over to Hideo Kojima and gave his shoulder a firm pat.
"Learn well. Master Sunrise's animation industrial workflow. When you return to Sega to make your next game, I expect to see this experience pay off. Don't disappoint me."
Hideo Kojima nodded heavily, his eyes welling with emotion.
"Understood!"
Takuya Nakayama turned and walked out.
He didn't have to worry about amateurs trying to direct professionals, nor did he have to fear the project stalling. With the combination of Hideo Kojima and Shinichiro Watanabe, Yoko Kanno's god-tier soundtrack, and Sega's ample funding as a safety net, Cowboy Bebop was bound to blow the Japanese and even the global animation market wide open!
Takuya stepped out of Hideo Kojima's smoke-filled meeting room and walked deeper into the office area along the corridor.
Sunrise's interior felt a bit cramped, with stacks of cels and discarded rough drafts piled on both sides of the hallway. The air was filled with a mixture of pencil shavings and instant coffee, yet this scent brought a strange sense of reassurance.
As he passed Production Studio 3, the door was open. A few key animators were huddled around a light table, their argument spilling directly into the hallway.
"The tension in the The King of Braves GaoGaiGar combination sequence still isn't enough! We need to bring out that exaggerated perspective in the wide shots!"
"We're out of budget to burn! Hand-drawing these frames will kill us!"
This was the team for The King of Braves GaoGaiGar.
Takuya Nakayama stopped in his tracks and glanced inside.
The whiteboards were covered in design sheets for GaoGaiGar. The red and blue lines were incredibly imposing. The key animators hadn't even noticed the big-shot executive standing at the door; they were too busy shouting at each other over the visual impact of a few frames.
Taking a couple more steps forward, he heard the familiar melody of City Pop coming from another room.
A group of animators, all wearing thick-rimmed glasses, were huddled around a monitor, scrutinizing the footage frame by frame. Ryo Saeba's signature lecherous face was frozen on the screen, while someone beside him made corrections on the storyboard with a red pen.
The production of the City Hunter: Goodbye My Love movie was moving along quickly.
Takuya Nakayama withdrew his gaze, his heart swelling with satisfaction.
All of Sunrise Animation was currently operating at full speed, every single part of the machine glowing with intensity. This vibrant atmosphere was exactly what he craved.
At the end of the hallway, the door to the President's Office was slightly ajar.
Takuya Nakayama knocked twice and pushed the door open.
Eiji Yamaura was sitting behind his desk, wearing reading glasses and staring gloomily at a financial report.
Looking up and seeing the visitor, Yamaura hastily removed his glasses and stood up.
"Oh, Executive Director Nakayama! When did you arrive?" Yamaura rounded the desk and warmly guided Nakayama toward the sofa. "My assistant didn't mention a word to me. Those young brats are getting more and more inconsiderate."
"I just got here," Nakayama said as he sat on the sofa. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and settled into a more comfortable position. "I took a walk over to Kojima's area first. He hasn't been causing you any trouble, has he? I saw him scrubbing the tables with a lot of enthusiasm."
Yamaura took two paper cups, poured hot tea, and pushed them forward, unable to suppress a smile.
"Not at all. Director Kojima's understanding of visual language is far ahead of its time. Watanabe and the others are thrilled—they've practically struck gold." Yamaura sat down opposite him and rubbed his hands together. "You were walking around outside just now, Executive Director? What did you think?"
"Very lively." Nakayama picked up his cup, blew on the steam, and took a sip. "You can hear the noise from The King of Braves all the way in the hallway, and the animation quality for City Hunter looks great. This is how a production company should be—much better than a dead, lifeless atmosphere."
Hearing this, the wrinkles on Yamaura's face smoothed out, making him look like an old chrysanthemum.
After chatting for a few minutes about the progress of various project teams, Takuya Nakayama set down his paper cup and steered the conversation back on track.
"President Yamaura, if you do the math, the Gundam series will be celebrating its twentieth anniversary in two years, won't it?" Takuya tapped his knee twice with his finger. "With such a major milestone, does Sunrise have any special plans?"
At the mention of Gundam, Yamaura's expression turned serious.
"I went to see Director Tomino specifically to discuss this a while ago," Yamaura sighed. "As you know, Director Tomino's physical and mental health have been somewhat unstable over the last few years. But he's still quite invested in the twentieth anniversary."
"Does he have a concrete idea yet?"
"Nothing's set in stone," Yamaura said, picking up a memo from the table and flipping through it. "He only mentioned a few vague concepts. He says he wants to completely overturn the previous Universal Century settings and create a whole new framework. He's still in seclusion, working out the specific script and mecha designs. He said he'll bring it to the company for a meeting once he has a complete framework."
Takuya nodded, smiling inwardly.
An image immediately flashed through Takuya's mind: that oddly shaped, bearded Gundam that looked a bit like a washing machine—the ∀ Gundam. Old Man Tomino is up to his old tricks again, he thought.
"No rush. Quality takes time," Takuya said, leaning back into the sofa. "Director Tomino is the core and the soul of Gundam. If he needs time, we'll give it to him. If Sunrise runs into any resource shortages or needs Sega to coordinate on the game tie-ins, just say the word. Don't hold back on my account."
"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease," Yamaura replied, taking a sip of his tea. He looked deeply moved. "Speaking of which, now that the New Year is over and the final episode of Gundam X has aired, a lot of people in the company have finally breathed a sigh of relief."
After War Gundam X had originally been on the verge of being forcibly cut short at episode 39 due to dismal ratings. In the end, Sega had stepped in to provide the necessary funding, managing to stretch the series to 43 episodes.
"Did the ratings stabilize in the end?" Takuya asked.
"They did," Yamaura nodded repeatedly. "It's all thanks to the direction we set during that meeting. Kawasaki-sensei and Director Takamatsu tightened the pacing of the later plot points. Though it was shorter than originally planned, they managed to resolve all the core foreshadowing. The audience response was actually quite positive—the fans who had dropped off mid-series all came back for the final few episodes. The show's reputation was completely salvaged."
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