Before meeting with the industry bigwigs, Studio Ghibli was the first to seek out Aoki Haruhi.
In late December, Aoki Haruhi received a gift from Studio Ghibli.
And it was personally delivered by Toshio Suzuki, the Producer of "princess mononoke."
As he led him into the meeting room, Aoki Haruhi looked as if he had a guilty conscience.
"Suzuki-san, Hayao Miyazaki didn't find out that the game content was swapped, did he?"
Ever since LL was released, Aoki Haruhi hadn't had a single day of peace, always fearing that Hayao Miyazaki would discover that the original drawings in the final scene of the game were not his.
Toshio Suzuki chuckled, a laugh that made Aoki Haruhi's heart pound.
"I came here for this very reason."
Toshio Suzuki smiled as he handed a gift box to Aoki Haruhi. "Thank you for your care during this Time. Hayao Miyazaki has been very busy recently, so he entrusted me to come and express his gratitude to you."
"Not at all, it is I who should thank Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Without your strong support, CL and LL would not have achieved such great results."
Aoki Haruhi quickly returned the courtesy.
Unfortunately, he hadn't prepared any gifts, otherwise, he could have given one to Suzuki-san on the spot.
But on second thought, that would be too casual.
It would be better to wait until the New Year, prepare something carefully, and then pay a visit.
The etiquette must be thorough.
Aoki Haruhi hadn't paid so much attention to other game magnates.
But these two old men from Ghibli were different; they got along quite well with Aoki Haruhi in some aspects.
This is what is called a partnership based on interest, yet transcending interest.
…
The two exchanged pleasantries, and Toshio Suzuki sat in his chair, constantly smiling at Aoki Haruhi.
Aoki Haruhi always felt like there was something on his face.
"Aoki-san, this Time, I truly have to thank you."
"And Hayao Miyazaki is also very grateful to you; he just felt awkward saying it himself, so he entrusted me to come."
"Hmm?" Aoki Haruhi was a bit confused.
Toshio Suzuki smiled and said, "Hayao Miyazaki, that guy, knew that the later drawings were done by Goro in the first week of the game's release."
"Eh?" Aoki Haruhi was startled. "Really?"
Hayao Miyazaki actually played game?
And he was so enthusiastic?
But…
Why was Hayao Miyazaki still so calm?
Since he knew the drawings weren't his, didn't he find it strange?
Or did Suzuki-san actually communicate with him beforehand?
That's why Hayao Miyazaki hasn't come to find him until now?
Aoki Haruhi looked up at Toshio Suzuki, the short old man with white hair was smiling mischievously at him.
"Hayao Miyazaki also only found out that the later drawings were done by Goro when he was playing the game," Toshio Suzuki stated that he hadn't leaked any information beforehand.
Aoki Haruhi's heart sank.
Good gracious.
This old man is truly wicked.
"Then what was Hayao Miyazaki's reaction?"
The old man smiled and said, "He was a bit shocked at first, but knowing it was Goro's work, he didn't say anything on the surface, but he was very happy inside."
"Oh, by the way, thanks to Goro's involvement in the drawing this Time, he found the joy and confidence in drawing, so we have already invited Goro back to Ghibli."
"And this is something Hayao Miyazaki has long hoped for."
"Ah. This father and son, Hayao Miyazaki and Goro, are truly cut from the same cloth; they are both very stubborn in their temperaments.
But in reality, one hopes his son will follow in his footsteps, and the other hopes to return to help achieve his life's dream.
If it weren't for this opportunity to produce LL, I wouldn't know when Goro would return to Ghibli."
Toshio Suzuki gestured towards the gift on the table.
"Here, this is what Hayao Miyazaki asked me to bring. In fact, he is very grateful to you. Not only because you allowed him to participate in game production, but more importantly, after this Time, Goro is preparing to return to Ghibli, starting as a basic artist. Who knows, he might become the future successor of Ghibli."
"Whether for the company, for his son, or for himself, Hayao Miyazaki said that he owes you a great favor.
His gratitude to you is from the bottom of his heart."
Huh?!
Is that really how it is?
Aoki Haruhi suddenly understood; no wonder Hayao Miyazaki hadn't called or anything, even though the game had been released for so long.
He was probably too shy, and because it concerned Goro, he felt awkward bringing it up.
But this way, Hayao Miyazaki becomes even more endearing.
This father and son are truly interesting.
Although Aoki Haruhi was praised, he was happy inside but not so complacent as to lose himself and float into the sky.
He looked directly at the old man in front of him, deeply understanding that everything was Suzuki's plan.
This old man is very cunning, as shrewd as a fox.
Thinking carefully, Toshio Suzuki accomplished several things by having Goro participate in the game production:
1. Pokeni became a partner of Ghibli, and the game achieved success, which can be said to be a win-win.
2. Goro Miyazaki returned to Studio Ghibli, Ghibli has a successor, and Ghibli profited immensely.
3. The Miyazaki father and son reconciled, each achieving their life's aspirations—a quadruple win!
4. Both Aoki Haruhi and the Miyazaki father and son are grateful to Toshio Suzuki. This man almost only used words to gain so many favors; truly remarkable. A quintuple win!
Toshio Suzuki is truly as shrewd as a fox.
He even sent shivers down Aoki Haruhi's spine.
In him, Aoki Haruhi could also see Nao Tsuda's shadow.
"No, no, all of this is actually your credit, Suzuki-san. In fact, I think Hayao Miyazaki should be most grateful to you."
"Ghibli is truly stable with a cornerstone like you, and it is precisely because of your presence that Ghibli can become a world-renowned animation studio."
Aoki Haruhi wasn't just flattering him with that remark.
Before meeting Toshio Suzuki, Aoki Haruhi's impression was that Studio Ghibli's achievements mainly relied on the two masters, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.
But after meeting Toshio Suzuki, Aoki Haruhi's admiration for him far surpassed that for others.
Think about it: there's a god of war like Hayao Miyazaki who cares about nothing but animation, constantly charging forward.
Then, behind him, managing everything, keeping Ghibli in perfect order, and providing enough support when Hayao Miyazaki encounters difficulties—
How profound must this Mr. Suzuki's internal strength be?
It's like Emperor Liu Bei, who desperately built up his forces, fought in Longxi, and attacked Wu. Although the Shu Kingdom's combat power was strong, maintaining so many fronts and supplies actually depended entirely on Chancellor Zhuge Liang's god-like logistical work.
Just the point of having sufficient troops and food is terrifying.
If Toshio Suzuki hadn't already dedicated himself to Ghibli, Aoki Haruhi particularly wished for someone like him to take over as President or CEO, thereby freeing Aoki Haruhi to focus on what he liked to do.
Ah~ What a pity, what a pity.
Where is my Kongming?
…
Aoki Haruhi's schedule for the latter half of the month was packed until the New Year, keeping him extremely busy.
However, even so, he still took half a day to visit Studio Ghibli, delivering New Year gifts to both Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki.
The gifts mainly consisted of pastries and sake, along with two special collector's edition CL and LL game discs made specifically for the old men, and accompanying thank-you cards.
Besides Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki, Aoki Haruhi also specifically sent a gift to Joe Hisaishi.
Joe Hisaishi, who received the gift, was somewhat overwhelmed, his bald head shining even brighter, as if he had a big question mark above it.
"How can I be worthy, President Aoki, for you to send me such a valuable gift?"
"We are friends, after all. We are companions who lived together on Yakushima, and there will be many opportunities for cooperation in the future. I'll leave the music for 'princess mononoke' to you." Aoki Haruhi bowed.
Joe Hisaishi quickly returned the bow.
He knew that when Aoki Haruhi mentioned "princess mononoke," he wasn't just referring to the animated film, but also the game soundtrack.
In that case, it seemed quite reasonable.
So Joe Hisaishi reluctantly, yet happily, accepted the gift brought by Aoki Haruhi, and promised to return the favor in a few days.
Coming out of Joe Hisaishi's house, Aoki Haruhi's face was visibly happy.
At the very least, he left a good impression on Joe Hisaishi, and in the future, when he needs him to compose music for game, he probably won't be able to refuse.
The remuneration wasn't important; what Aoki Haruhi valued was having such a master compose music for the game.
…
Then came the sauna trip with Nakayama Hayao of Sega.
The two sat in a dimly lit small room, steaming hot, sweat dripping down Aoki Haruhi's chin.
Looking at the old man sitting next to him, he remained motionless, as steady as Mount Tai.
Although Nakayama Hayao was over 60, he maintained his physique remarkably well.
He looked especially strong.
The only drawback was that he had less hair.
Hair loss is probably the fate of game people; recently, Aoki Haruhi has also been troubled by hair loss.
Although it looked quite thick, Aoki Haruhi feared that excessive work pressure would lead to stress-induced hair loss.
Looking at President Nakayama's appearance, Aoki Haruhi felt a million fears in his heart.
What if one day I also become like him…
I haven't even gotten married yet.
What if Nao dislikes me later and doesn't want to marry me?
"Aoki-san."
Nakayama Hayao's slightly aged voice pulled Aoki Haruhi back from his fantasies.
He quickly responded, "I'm here, Nakayama."
"Ah~ I really envy you, Aoki-san, having such a young and healthy body." Nakayama Hayao sighed with a smile, "The most crucial thing is that you were able to build your company to this extent at just 30 years old. I don't even know what I was doing at 30."
"Nakayama, you flatter me. I, on the other hand, envy your current achievements. It's truly admirable how you've built Sega into a world-class game company."
"Alas… If only I could be ten years younger…"
Nakayama Hayao sighed, "My health hasn't been very good lately. I'm really worried that I might not live much longer."
"Eh?" Aoki Haruhi quickly said, "Don't say that. I think you're in good health now. You can at least steer Sega for another 20 years, right?"
Nakayama Hayao burst out laughing.
"Twenty years is too much to hope for. My biggest wish now is for Sega to land safely."
At this point, Nakayama Hayao seemed to feel he had spoken out of turn, saying something he shouldn't have, and quickly stopped the conversation.
"By the way, Aoki-san, do you know we are currently fighting a console war with Sony?"
"Mm… mm." Aoki Haruhi nodded. It would be too much to feign ignorance at this point.
After all, Aoki Haruhi had participated in some of Sony's console designs.
"Regarding 3D game, I'd really like to hear your thoughts, Aoki-san. This term has been quite hot lately."
"3D game?"
Aoki Haruhi glanced at the stubborn old man in front of him.
Although Nakayama Hayao's eagle eyes shone with light, hoping to hear good things from Aoki Haruhi, Aoki Haruhi saw him working tirelessly for Sega at such an old age, and he couldn't bear to deceive him.
So Aoki Haruhi spoke truthfully, "To be honest, Nakayama, 3D game is the future of the game industry.
This doesn't mean that 2D game will no longer have a market, but rather that 3D will become the mainstream of the Time.
After all, game, in the end, is an imitation and re-creation of reality.
Nature is the greatest game Producer, creating such a colorful and rich world for us.
Being able to simulate reality is already half the battle won.
And reality, we live in a 3D world, don't we?
Stronger immersion, more realistic, more natural, more dazzling… these will all become the advantages of 3D game.
Therefore, I believe that 3D game will become the mainstream of the game future."
After Aoki Haruhi finished speaking, he quickly added, "Of course, this is just my personal opinion. President Nakayama, you are more experienced than me, have made more game, and have experienced more, so you must see further and deeper than I do."
The air solidified.
There was silence for several seconds.
Nakayama Hayao finally sighed.
"Is that really the case?"
Nakayama Hayao's gaze was somewhat dim, as if he really didn't want to admit that he had chosen the wrong path, that the saturn had worked in the wrong direction.
Currently, Sega Saturn has several relatively major problems.
The first is the CD-ROM. Although they had cooperated with Sony, Sega did not receive Sony's support in CD-ROM technology. Sony was developing handheld consoles with them.
They learned a lot from Sony in battery technology, but the most crucial CD-ROM technology was completely a trial-and-error process.
Now there are some issues with data reading.
Moreover, the saturn console was actually rushed into production. In order to develop a 32-bit machine earlier and capture the market, Sega did not allow the saturn to undergo sufficient testing and refinement before putting it on the market, which later exposed its hardware deficiencies.
In addition, in the design concept of the saturn, 3D functionality was not naturally prioritized, which created a huge difference compared to Sony's PS.
Now Nakayama Hayao's biggest concern is—
Will future game really develop towards 3D?
If so, Sega would be in danger.
Nakayama, a man who loved to gamble all his life, lived for the thrill and went all-in. This console war, he nearly wagered everything Sega had, not only exhausting their cash flow but also incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in bank loans.
Once defeated, Nakayama Hayao could hardly imagine how Sega would end up.
"Aoki-san."
Nakayama Hayao blinked, saying somewhat helplessly,
"Recently, as I've gotten older and my health has deteriorated, I've come to understand one thing—
A person's strength is always limited."
"The same goes for a company."
Indeed.
Aoki Haruhi nodded.
"Aoki-san, please lend me your strength," Nakayama Hayao said.
"Eh?" Aoki Haruhi's whole body trembled.
How could I have such great power?
Please Support me by becoming my Patreon member and get 20+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon