In the afternoon, Takuya and Suzuki stood outside Tatsunoko Production, the sunlight filtering through the tall buildings and casting dappled shadows on them.
Suzuki occasionally wiped his forehead, his carefully ironed suit unable to hide his nervousness.
"Mr. Suzuki, relax," Takuya said with a smile, patting his shoulder. "We're here to give them money; they have no reason to refuse."
Suzuki forced a smile, still feeling uncertain. This was Sega's first venture into the animation and manga field, completely different from simply promoting game consoles in the past; it was like crossing a river by feeling for stones. This pioneering work truly made him, a conservative, feel uneasy.
Entering the studio, a strong creative atmosphere enveloped them. The walls were covered with classic animation posters and concept sketches, silently narrating the glorious history of this old animation company.
The receptionist politely led them to a small meeting room on the second floor. The meeting room was simply furnished with a long table, a few chairs, and several posters of Tatsunoko Production's classic works hanging on the wall.
Takuya walked to the window, gazing at the streetscape of Musashino City. He appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was full of anticipation.
A sound of footsteps broke the tranquility of the meeting room.
A middle-aged man, slightly overweight with meticulously combed hair, walked in. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a professional smile on his face, appearing steady and capable.
"Hello, I'm Ooba Jutarou." Ooba Jutarou extended his hand, shaking hands with Takuya and Suzuki. His gaze lingered on Takuya for a moment, seemingly curious about this young project manager.
"It's an honor to meet you," Takuya humbly responded. "I really like Director Ooba's Urusei Yatsura and Barefoot Gen."
Ooba Jutarou smiled and exchanged a few polite words. The three sat down and made small talk. Ooba Jutarou showed initial curiosity about Sega's cross-media animation project but remained cautious. He wanted to know what magic this "fighting game" that the young man spoke of possessed, to warrant such a grand undertaking from Sega.
"Director Ooba, what do you think is the biggest challenge in adapting fighting games into animation?" Takuya proactively posed the question, attempting to break the ice.
Ooba Jutarou pushed up his glasses and slowly said, "The difficulty lies in how to transform the simple one-on-one battles in the game into an engaging story. Based on the general game mode Nakayama-san just described, fighting game characters might become one-dimensional and lack depth. If it's just pure fighting, the audience will quickly grow bored. The fighting must serve the story; only with a complete story and rich characters will the fighting not appear thin, at least in animation."
Takuya nodded, thinking that indeed, the older the ginger, the spicier it is; he saw through the essence of the problem at a glance.
Another sound of footsteps came, and the meeting room door was pushed open again.
A tall man with sharp features walked in. He had an unkempt side part and looked slightly tired and thoughtful. It was Kurumada Masami.
Suzuki quickly stood up and respectfully bowed to the two masters. "Director Ooba, Caruda Teacher, this is Mr. Takuya Nakayama from Sega's Game Development Department, the overall head of this 'K' project."
"Nakayama-san, this is Mr. Ooba Jutarou, the Director who produced famous animations such as Urusei Yatsura and Barefoot Gen, and this is Caruda Teacher Kurumada Masami, the manga artist who made a splash in Shonen Jump with works like Ring ni Kakero and Fuma no Kojiro." Suzuki's introduction was concise yet grand, highlighting the status of the two masters in their respective fields and expressing Sega's attention to this collaboration.
Kurumada Masami nodded slightly, acknowledging the greeting. He had not been in a good mood recently; Otoko Zaka, a work he poured a lot of effort into, was abruptly canceled, which greatly impacted him. He urgently needed a new breakthrough to prove his worth.
Takuya stood up, a confident smile on his face. "It's an honor to have the opportunity to work with you two masters."
Takuya stood up, a confident smile on his face. "It's an honor to have the opportunity to work with you two masters." His gaze first fell on Ooba Jutarou, "The problem Director Ooba just mentioned is indeed key. Audiences will quickly tire of simple fighting."
He turned to the two, his tone sincere: "Although we at Sega are a game company, this 'K' project is definitely not just about promoting a game."
"Fighting game—that term might sound a bit simple, direct, or even crude," Takuya paused, "However, please imagine a world like this." Takuya's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Wealth and crime grow wildly here, and official order is often beyond reach."
"In such a world, there exists a group of fighters who surpass ordinary human limits."
"They are not street thugs," Takuya emphasized. "Some inherit ancient martial arts styles, where every move is a deadly technique, and may also contain a certain inherited will; some temper themselves in desperate situations, refining their bodies and minds to an incredible state; and some may even have come into contact with certain powers that cannot be explained by common sense."
He saw Kurumada Masami's eyebrow seem to twitch.
"These fighters, through extreme training, have mastered various incredible fighting techniques. With their extraordinary reactions, speed, and strength, as well as their grasp of timing, they can easily face enemies armed with individual firearms under normal circumstances."
"The key is, what do they fight for?" Takuya looked at Ooba Jutarou again. "This is precisely the soul we want to give to this world. Fighting must serve the story."
"These stories are the flesh and blood of the characters. Every punch, every block, should carry their determination, anger, sorrow, or hope."
Takuya's gaze swept over the two. "What we want to do is not to take a simple game setting and ask the two masters to fill in the visuals and plot."
"On the contrary. We hope to work with the two masters to first construct the worldview of this 'dark urban martial arts,' create truly charming, living characters, and weave stories that can capture people's hearts. Let this world first 'come alive' vividly in animation."
"Then, through the game, perfectly present this world, these characters, and the sparks of their fierce clashes to all audiences and players who are looking forward to passion and emotion."
He paused briefly to let the information sink in.
"The 'K' we want to create is a starting point, a grand stage from which countless wonderful stories can emerge. A world that can make readers and audiences feel the impact of fist-to-flesh combat, and also worry about and resonate with the characters' destinies."
The meeting room fell silent. Ooba Jutarou pushed up his glasses; the gaze behind the lenses seemed to carry more scrutiny, no longer the initial polite detachment. Kurumada Masami, who had been silent, leaned forward slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table, and a long-suppressed creative urge in his eyes seemed to be gently stirred.
Suzuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the air in the meeting room no longer felt so suffocating.
He led the conversation to the core story of the original fatal fury.
Seeing the atmosphere ease, Suzuki timely took over the conversation, a hint of undetectable excitement in his voice: "The world Mr. Takuya described, we actually already have a preliminary story concept internally, which perhaps can serve as our starting point for discussion."