With the voice acting and background music imported into the game, the entire project was officially completed.
Aoki Haruhi gave it a listen and found that the final result was even better than he had imagined.
The voice acting by Hayashibara Megumi and Toshiyuki Morikawa was truly impeccable, conveying the characters' emotions so perfectly that it was as if they had truly come to life.
What surprised Aoki the most was that he had received exceptionally perfect background music for "Blanket Man."
The soundtrack for "Blanket Man" was a collaboration between Shirakawa Atsushi and Jun Maeda.
Jun Maeda was someone who possessed immense talent in music; it was just that his even greater talent for screenwriting often caused this to be overlooked. He could be considered a "hexagonal warrior" among game designers.
The only slight drawback was that although Jun Maeda was excellent at composing and lyric writing, he wasn't a very good singer himself.
The soundtrack for "Blanket Man" was warm and healing, with a touch of gentle tranquility and poignancy. Combined with the game's story, it slowly seeped into the heart, spreading from within until it eventually turned into tears.
As Aoki listened, the image of his past life's "AIR" inexplicably came to mind.
But this feeling, how should I put it?
It's like merging Atsushi Shirakawa and Jun Maeda together; both have a tranquil, healing style, and the resonance created by combining them is even more intense.
When you reach the climax of the game and hear the soundtrack, you might even find your eyes inexplicably welling up with tears.
Hmm...
That's probably the magic of Shirakawa and Jun Maeda.
It's simply too powerful.
"Alright, then, let's use this game to make a run for the second half of the year's Galgame championship!"
In fact, there's no such thing as a Galgame championship, nor are there any similar awards.
Sony has recently been preparing to organize a grand award for all game categories, but it's still just on the drawing board and hasn't been implemented yet.
On one hand, they are busy developing a new console, and on the other, their influence in the gaming field isn't quite there yet.
If there's any award worth mentioning right now, it would be the player rating award held annually at the Chicago Consumer Electronics Show in the US.
However, that's just a gimmick for the event and hasn't reached the level of the Oscars for movies.
In the current Japanese gaming industry, the most authoritative award remains Famitsu's Platinum Hall of Fame.
***
With the game development complete, all that remained was the publicity work.
Aoki Haruhi, familiar with the process, took the game cartridge and went to see Dongrun's president, Hattori Yuji.
Recently, after delegating tasks, especially as the company's employees had grown and matured, Aoki wasn't as busy. In such a situation, he still felt that big clients like Hattori Yuji should be handled by him personally.
As for everything else, he could just leave it to the Operations Director, Kazuma Takahashi.
As the company continued to expand, the operations department now had 4 people.
***
Everyone is an old acquaintance, so this time Aoki Haruhi treated Hattori Yuji to bowling.
Along with that, he also invited a few super cute Roppongi hostesses to keep them company.
The young ladies were wearing gorgeous short skirts with slits that went all the way up to their waists. It didn't seem very suitable for bowling, but that was exactly the point.
Every time they threw the ball, they would bend their knees slightly and stick their butts out, their skirts swaying, creating a beautiful sight whether viewed from the side or behind.
Hattori Yuji was quite satisfied with Aoki Haruhi's arrangement and had a great time.
"Pokeni's game development speed is quite impressive, isn't it?" Hattori Yuji said. "I remember the new game was released in June. How is it that not even October is over, and you already have a new one?"
"Small company, how can we survive if we don't work hard?" Aoki Haruhi smiled.
Hattori chuckled inwardly but didn't call him out.
I don't know if you, Aoki Haruhi, are small or not.
But Pokeni is certainly not small anymore.
Just with the Pokémon game alone, sales have already exceeded 5 million copies. That firmly puts you in the ranks of first-tier game developers, doesn't it?
"So, same as last time?" Aoki Haruhi asked.
"Let's start with 100,000 copies," Hattori Yuji said nonchalantly. "I still trust Pokeni."
In terms of success rate, Pokeni's games were truly impressive; other than Noble Academy, he hadn't seen them lose money on anything.
"That's great, thank you, President Hattori," Aoki Haruhi said with a smile.
"President Hattori, it's your turn!"
Just then, a young lady called out sweetly from the bowling lane.
"Coming~"
Hattori Yuji dragged out the sound happily.
He stood up and took off his suit jacket. The young lady, quick on the uptake, immediately took it from him, folded it neatly, and draped it over her arm.
Then, President Hattori raised his left hand, waved it around under the lights, and with his other hand, reached for his ring finger to take off the silver ring.
As if afraid Aoki Haruhi hadn't seen clearly, Hattori Yuji performed the action again.
Huh?
Aoki Haruhi found it a bit strange, but didn't pay too much attention to it.
"Ah, the ring!" Aoki Haruhi finally reacted. "President Hattori, that's a beautiful ring you have there."
Hattori smiled with gratification, but it immediately turned into a trace of melancholy. "Aoki-san, I'm getting married."
"Eh?"
Aoki Haruhi looked shocked.
So, you were never married?
But at your age, with your appearance...
You're over 50 and only just getting married?
"It's my second marriage," Hattori said, as if seeing through Aoki Haruhi's thoughts. "My ex-wife ran off with someone else. When I was halfway through starting my business, the company owed a lot of money, and she couldn't take it, so she divorced me. Later..."
He stopped there, smiled bitterly, and then leaned in to Aoki Haruhi's ear. "My current fiancée is the eldest daughter of the Yamada Conglomerate. We've only met a few times."
"Eh? Isn't that great?"
Sure enough, the final destination for wealthy people is still wealthy people.
A union between conglomerates is the best choice.
Instead of saying Hattori wasn't happy, Aoki Haruhi thought to himself that the other party might not be happy either, right?
If it weren't for family interests, who would be willing to marry a bald old man like Hattori Yuji?
Could it really be true love?
Even Hattori himself doesn't really believe it, right?
"Being too rich isn't all good, sometimes you're not that free." Hattori Yuji put the ring into his pants pocket and patted it.
"Terrifying."
With Dongrun so powerful, it stands to reason that President Hattori would also have status and financial resources, but who would have thought there would be someone who could keep him in check.
"I won't be able to hang out with Aoki-san anymore, and I probably won't be able to go to nightclubs either," Hattori said with some melancholy. "Sigh, I won't be able to drink with Ms. Nao anymore either."
Give it a rest, you're still thinking about someone else's girlfriend?
"Then what about these young ladies..." Aoki Haruhi asked tentatively.
"Hmm... since they're already here, let's just have a good time tonight."
After speaking, Hattori winked at Aoki Haruhi, smiled playfully, and then picked up a bowling ball from the side and walked in front of the lane.
Kuang!!
A direct hit.
A strike.
Warm applause erupted all around.
For an old hand like Hattori Yuji, bowling a strike with ease was truly an everyday occurrence.
And every time he scored high, he would win sweet cheers from the young ladies.
This couldn't help but make President Hattori feel a little carried away.
***
On the way to the hotel that night, Hattori Yuji had his arms around a few young ladies when the car pulled over at an intersection.
President Hattori handed the cassette in his hand to the cute young lady closest to the window.
"Huh? For me?" the young lady asked, a bit puzzled.
This was a gift from President Aoki to President Hattori, after all.
Is it really okay to just pass it on to me like this?
And besides...
The young lady glanced at it; she didn't seem particularly interested in a game cassette.
Even though the packaging was quite pretty.
"No, help me throw it in the trash can." Hattori pointed with his finger toward the window.
"Oh."
Although she thought this guy might be a bit sick in the head, she still obediently tossed the cassette into the trash can.
With a thud, it startled a homeless person curled up in the corner, who woke up with a jolt.
"What the hell is this?"
***
September 26, 1993.
Tokyo.
Studio Ghibli.
5:00 PM.
The PV for Pokeni's new work, "Blanket Man," aired right on time.
Hayao Miyazaki, who should have been off work by now, was currently sitting upright in front of the television, pulling Toshio Suzuki along with him.
He held a bottle of Yakult in his hands, slurping it with relish through a straw.
"Yakult," a Japanese brand.
Transliterated as "Yangleduo" and "Yiliduo," the name is derived from the Esperanto word "Jahurto," meaning yogurt.
In the same era, a Chinese brand that looked very similar was called Jinwei.
Miyazaki, sitting side-by-side with Toshio Suzuki, clutching his Yakult—the two old men were truly adorable.
After finishing it, he didn't forget to lick his lips, smack them, and then open the next bottle.
The two men, both over fifty, were watching the TV with great interest, full of praise.
The television displayed strange, dreamlike images.
"I never would have imagined that one day, I would become a real-life 'Blanket Man'!"
On screen, the male protagonist was drawn very cutely, like a little boy from a fairy tale, with a big blanket strapped to his back, waddling as he walked—truly lovable and憨態可掬 (droll and endearing), just like Miyazaki's Totoro.
"But, it was because of my identity as the Blanket Man that I was able to meet her."
"Do you know what a blanket is?"
In the moonlight, the girl was tearful, then resolutely shook her head, "You are not a turtle, you can't withstand my spikes. If you are with me, you will only end up covered in wounds."
"My wish is to see fireworks, whether in summer or winter. If I could be as brilliant as fireworks, even if I could only live for 5 seconds, I would be willing."
Whoosh!
Pop!
In the sky, fireworks bloomed, falling like meteors.
Under Pokeni's artistic direction, these fireworks were almost dreamlike, with a watercolor quality, as if someone had violently splashed various colored paints, only for them to bloom on the wall and then run down.
It was truly beautiful.
Against this backdrop, the male and female protagonists sat under the starry sky, holding each other's hands.
"When the fireworks bloom, I hope you remember me, remember what I looked like."
"Don't hesitate anymore, this is my choice."
[This is a fated encounter]
[When the Blanket Man meets the Hedgehog Girl]
"No, although I am not a turtle, and I cannot withstand your spikes. But, Hedgehog, do you know? Only a blanket can completely accept you and embrace you."
"No matter how many times you ask me, I still want to be with you."
[If there are no superheroes in this world, then I am willing to become your exclusive hero]
[Producer: Ishino Mika]
[Screenplay: Jun Maeda]
[Music: Shirakawa Atsushi & Jun Maeda]
[October 11, 1993, "Blanket Man" officially released]
***
"Wow."
After the playback finished, Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki were unable to react for a long while.
Only the sound of yogurt being slurped echoed in the room, making a whimpering noise.
"What do you think?" Toshio Suzuki turned to look at Hayao Miyazaki.
He wanted to see how this guy would react.
"It's very good~"
Miyazaki sighed, "The art style is interesting, the story is interesting, in short, everything is interesting."
He could find great resonance from the PV just now.
Although Miyazaki wasn't obsessed with romance, it was still an essential element in his animations.
Now, Pokeni's new work had sparked many, many inspirations in Miyazaki.
"Blanket Man and Hedgehog Girl, fireworks, flames... it's a very nice concept," Miyazaki smiled, looking endearingly naive.
From the clips, Miyazaki could already imagine the general plot.
But even so, he still wanted to see what this game would be like in actual gameplay.
And, most importantly—
Miyazaki really liked the art style of this game.
"Pokeni's art style for this game is completely different from before."
And, most importantly—
Hayao Miyazaki really liked the game's art style.
"Pokeni's art style for this game is completely different from before," Miyazaki frowned in thought. "It has a very fairy-tale, dreamlike quality to it, making one feel like this should be a warm, healing story, though the dialogue is a bit sad."
"Mm." Toshio Suzuki nodded, agreeing with Miyazaki Hamster's assessment.
"It really is quite different."
His first instinct was to think of the French illustrator Sempé.
However, the game also utilized many Japanese manga drawing techniques, seeming to blend the two together, creating the illusion of a 'Sempé-esque' style with a Japanese flair.
Just as Miyazaki said, it was full of a fairy-tale, dreamlike quality that made one unable to help but look at it more.
This kind of game was truly likable.
"Shall we play it? Pokeni's new game?" Toshio Suzuki asked, turning back.
"Hmm..." Miyazaki hesitated when asked this question.
"What kind of game is this, again?" Miyazaki Hamster asked, countering with his own question.
Toshio Suzuki was taken aback for a moment, then recalled, "A galgame, like that 'Your Name' one we played before."
"I'll play it! Of course I'll play it!"
As soon as Hayao Miyazaki heard it was a galgame, he said definitively.
Good grief, you're certainly decisive enough when you hear it's a galgame with no difficult controls.
They still haven't even finished The Witcher yet.
Miyazaki Hamster has been getting more and more carefree lately.
If this were a year ago, Toshio Suzuki would never have believed that he would be so keen on games.
It's just...
Toshio Suzuki suddenly felt that he was just making more work for himself.
Given Miyazaki Hamster's skill level, there was no way he could experience it himself; in the end, wouldn't it just be handed over for him to play?
Damn it...
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