TBS, the Unexpected Challenger

Yoshimura's eyes widened suddenly, and his breathing became heavier.

This was an absolute top secret back then; it was impossible for outsiders to know so clearly.

"The creators and copyright holders don't respect each other, and Toei is caught in the middle, suffering from both sides and constantly getting blamed." Nakayama Takuya's words hit the nail on the head. "Since that's the case, why not use the excuse of declining ratings to smoothly get rid of this mess that's on the verge of collapse? It'll be a peaceful affair. Managing Director Yoshimura, am I wrong?"

Yoshimura completely lost his confidence.

He leaned back in his chair, feeling the back of his shirt soaked with sweat.

Faced with a giant like Sega, which has massive funds and a global distribution network, Toei's previous tricks for fooling novice investors seem utterly ridiculous.

Nakayama Takuya not only controls the resources, but also has a thorough understanding of the underlying logic of the Japan ACG industry.

"President Nakayama's understanding of the industry is truly admirable." Yoshimura lowered his tone, his voice filled with obvious reverence. "What happened back then, with its complex interplay of various parties, certainly left behind a lot of trouble. But now the time is ripe! Kurumada- sensei has made a comeback with ' BT'X,' and the nostalgia of longtime fans has been fully awakened. As long as Sega takes the lead, this is definitely a winning deal."

"This deal is feasible." Nakayama Takuya tossed the cardboard tube onto the table. "Sega has a sufficient budget, and Bandai has an established supply chain."

Yoshimura nodded repeatedly, saying that as long as the investor was willing to pay, any conditions were negotiable.

"But since Sega is getting involved, we have to follow Sega's rules." Nakayama Takuya set the bottom line. "I don't want to see that old, disorganized Production Committee model. Toei sends a few producers, Shueisha sends a few editors, the toy factories send a few representatives, and then everyone sits together arguing every day over petty profits. Today you demand script changes and more screen time, tomorrow he demands a change in the soundtrack to save costs. In the end, you produce a shoddy, incomparable product."

Yoshimura chuckled dryly twice.

The Production Committee used to be exactly like that.

"A reboot is possible, but we must first have a perfectly suitable framework." Nakayama Takuya glanced at his watch; the forum was almost over. "Back when Saint Seiya was still in the conceptual stage, I discussed the construction of the mythological system with Kurumada- sensei. Now, to reboot it, we not only need to fix the plot holes left over from back then, but also thoroughly straighten out the entire worldview."

o

Nakayama Takuya stood up and straightened the hem of his suit jacket.

"Go back and give your senior management a heads-up. Sega Galaxy will lead this reboot project. Once the project's direction is clear, we'll form Production Committee. Those who agree to the framework will join and get a share of the profits. Those who disagree will be out. Sega doesn't lack the funds for such a patchwork project."

Yoshimura quickly stood up, forcing a smile.

"Understood! I completely understand what President Nakayama means!" Yoshimura readily agreed. "I'll arrange some time in the next few days, get together with the project manager from Sega Galaxy, and we'll go directly to visit Mr. Kurumada! The three of us will sit down and first discuss the reboot..."

"Make sure the core strategy is clear, and absolutely do not let Sega's investment go down the drain!"

Nakayama Takuya nodded and turned to walk towards the exit of the venue.

Yoshimura stood still, let out a long breath, and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Toei has secured another good project from Sega this time.

NHK executives were still flipping through the stack of speeches that seemed to be endlessly read by Ping.

The air in the meeting room felt somewhat stuffy due to the lack of circulation.

Yoshimura had just finished talking, sat up straight, and took out a handkerchief to wipe the fine sweat that had just appeared on his forehead.

A slight scraping sound came from the seat next to him, which was next to the aisle.

A middle-aged man in a gray suit squeezed through the narrow aisle, bending over.

Without any hesitation, the man bypassed Yoshimura and sat down in the empty seat on the other side of Nakayama Takuya.

"President Nakayama." The other person handed over a business card with both hands.

Nakayama Takuya turned his head, took the business card, and glanced at it.

TBS Television, Production Department Chief, Miyahara.

"I overheard you two talking about Kurumada- sensei just now," Miyahara in a low, familiar voice, pulling Yoshimura into the conversation. "A couple of years ago, Kurumada- sensei's ' BT'X B'TX' was incredibly popular on our channel. Sega's TMS is absolutely the industry benchmark in animation production."

Yoshimura, sitting nearby, heard everything clearly.

His forehead, which he had just wiped dry, started sweating again.

Sega is now a piece of meat that exudes a deadly allure.

Just as Toei secured a reboot project by leveraging Masami Kurumada's past grievances, TBS immediately caught wind of it and came running.

Yoshimura tactfully moved aside, giving the two of them some space.

He secretly planned that he had to get the Saint Seiya project proposal done as soon as he got back, and he absolutely couldn't let TBS...

They stole the spotlight.

Miyahara completely ignored Yoshimura standing next to her.

His attention was entirely focused on Nakayama Takuya. Using "BT'X" as a starting point, he quickly got to the point.

"Actually, the main reason I'm shamelessly coming over today is to ask President Nakayama about something," Miyahara, getting straight to the point. "Our station is currently airing the anime ' Rurouni Kenshin,' and the ratings are soaring. Last week, Mr. Nobuhiro Watsuki came to the station for a set visit during the post-production dubbing."

Miyahara paused, waiting for Nakayama Takuya's reaction.

Nakayama Takuya rested his chin on one hand, his fingers gently tapping his cheek.

Miyahara continued speaking.

"Teacher Watsuki casually mentioned that the live-action film and television adaptation rights for ' Rurouni Kenshin ' had already been signed to you."

Nakayama Takuya lowered his hand.

"Teacher Watsuki really can't keep a secret."

Miyahara chuckled twice, then placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward.

"Sega has acquired such a significant IP license; they can't just let it sit in a drawer forever. TBS is very interested in this live-action drama project."

Nakayama Takuya picked up the porcelain cup next to him.

"Filming a live-action drama is not as simple as drawing a few original drawings. The money burns through at an alarming rate."

Miyahara immediately chimed in, seizing every opportunity to demonstrate his abilities.

"Regarding the budget, TBS is absolutely sincere. And in the field of live-action manga adaptations, we happen to have a top-notch team," Miyahara offered his bargaining chip. "Next month, our live-action adaptation of Great Teacher Onizuka GTO, which we've been preparing for over half a year..."

The drama is about to officially start filming. President Nakayama certainly knows just how popular Toru Fujisawa's manga is right now.

Nakayama Takuya ran his fingers along the rim of the porcelain cup.

A 1998 Japanese drama series featuring GTO characters.

Starring Takashi Sorimachi.

This was not just a TV series, but a phenomenal hit in Japan society at the time.

TBS's ability to secure this project and afford to invest heavily in its production speaks volumes about its capabilities.

Nakayama Takuya put down his porcelain cup.

"You want to use the GTO team to seamlessly take over Rurouni Kenshin?"

Miyahara nodded vigorously.

"The plot of ' Rurouni Kenshin ' is now quite rich, and the villain Makoto Shishio is very well-developed. We've already discussed the core outline of the manga with Mr. Watsuki. It's definitely scalable enough to make a two- to three-season drama series. Our station director personally approved the highest-level resources, and period dramas with swordplay are our forte."

"Wrong," Nakayama Takuya interrupted directly.

Miyahara stood there, stunned.

"Don't try to apply the outdated formula of period dramas to ' Rurouni Kenshin.' Three seasons are too long. Padding is a common problem with these long-running Japanese dramas." Nakayama Takuya tapped his index finger on the table. "I don't make those long and tedious soap operas. That's why I haven't handed this project over to a local production company yet."

Miyahara took out his notebook and humbly asked for advice.

So what do you mean?

"First, set up the Production Committee framework," Nakayama Takuya instructed. "Let's jump straight into script development and polishing. The slice-of-life scenes in the manga are too long and the subplots are too messy. The adaptation needs to be adjusted. I only need a tight plot framework. Each episode must have a high-intensity core conflict. We're not saying that we can't keep the slice-of-life filler scenes, but they must be strictly controlled. We'll build the script framework and episode structure with a relatively compact plot."

Miyahara quickly took notes with his pen.

"Don't make it like those soap operas about everyday family life. The main themes are fighting, revenge, and ideological clashes." Nakayama Takuya spoke very quickly. "The initial goal of this project is to target the overseas market and bring in overseas cooperative capital."

Miyahara gasped, his pen hovering over the paper.

The idea of Japanese dramas going global has always been a false proposition.

Japan television stations have always only considered the tastes of local housewives and students when making dramas.

At most, they'll sell broadcasting rights in a few Southeast Asia countries.

Sega is going global right from the start?

"This requires an extremely high level of production skill," Miyahara said frankly.

"So I plan to hire the action choreography team from China," Nakayama Takuya revealed, adding the key variable, "They excel at designing wire stunts and close-quarters combat."

Miyahara frowned; as a traditional television professional, he subconsciously protected local resources.

"Japan martial arts masters are extremely experienced, and the fight scenes in Taiga dramas are also highly skilled—"

"Too old-fashioned." Nakayama Takuya didn't mince words. "You guys don't want your fans to watch those stiff, formulaic sword-fighting films, do you?"

Miyahara was speechless.

"The two stood face to face. They drew their swords, assumed their lower stances, glared at each other for two or three minutes, then shouted and charged, brushing past each other. The swords were sheathed, and the man collapsed, spitting blood." Nakayama Takuya thoroughly dissected the tropes of Japan sword-fighting films, saying, "Filming this kind of scene once is called homage, filming it for ten episodes is called hypnotic."

Miyahara a dry laugh.

This is indeed a common problem with Japan period dramas.

It emphasizes artistic conception but lacks dynamism.

"What fans want to see is the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. It's the Kuzuryusen. It's the Amakakeru Ryu no Hikari." Nakayama Takuya's voice rose an octave, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "I want continuous slashes that defy gravity. I want the destructive power of blades shattering wooden planks and severing iron pillars. I want them to engage in fast-paced offense and defense transitions within the confined space of the ship. They'll leap and bound across rooftops, using environmental props to entangle each other in combat. Only China martial arts team can achieve this level of visual impact."

A picture immediately flashed into Miyahara's mind.

They replaced the relentless fighting rhythm of Jackie Chan's action movies with Japan samurai swords and a Bakumatsu (late Edo period) setting.

If this were filmed, it would definitely cause a sensation in the European and American markets.

United States are currently experiencing a surge in enthusiasm for China Kung Fu and Japan ninja samurai culture.

Combining these two elements is like creating a tailor-made commercial bomb.

Sega stepped in, using Japan's top anime IPs, combined with China's most mature action film industry, and TBS's production resources.

This is not an ordinary Japanese drama at all.

This is a commercial action blockbuster produced on an industrial assembly line.

Miyahara closed the notepad and made a decision instantly.

"TBS will completely comply with Sega's arrangements." Miyahara the direct decision, "We will absolutely not interfere with action design and martial arts."

Guidance: We will only provide top-notch cinematography, lighting, and art direction teams. Additionally, we can secure prime-time slots on television networks in advance. Please be sure to reserve a seat for us on the Production Committee.

This is the confidence of a top-tier television station.

Prime time slots are offered on a whim.

"A smart man." Nakayama Takuya stood up and buttoned his suit jacket. "Once the script outline is finalized, I'll have Sega Galaxy liaise with you. Prepare a production execution report for the GTO live-action drama, along with a preliminary cooperation agreement for ' Rurouni Kenshin,' and submit it to Hattori."

Miyahara stood up and stood there, bowing at a ninety-degree angle.

"Process it immediately. We will not delay Sega's progress."

The NHK executives on stage finally turned to the last page of the stack of printed papers.

The announcement to adjourn the meeting came over the loudspeaker.

Sparse applause rang out in the hall.

Nakayama Takuya straightened the hem of his suit jacket and walked towards the exit without looking back.

Yoshimura and Miyahara exchanged a glance, then looked away and hurried outside.

Their only thought right now is to rush back to the company to recruit more people and secure a partnership with Sega in order to gain more resources.

Three days later.

The president's office is on the top floor of Sega Headquarters building.

Nakayama Takuya leaned back in his Genuine Leather swivel chair, flipping through a stack of North America market financial reports on the table.

The secretary pushed open the door and handed over a new meeting appointment form.

"President, Managing Director Yoshimura of Toei Animation wants to see you." The secretary placed the form on the edge of the table with both hands. "He sounded very urgent when he called, hoping to arrange it as soon as possible."

Nakayama Takuya's gaze fell on the list.

Three days ago at the NHK Bunken Forum, Yoshimura Tsuyoshi received a task to liaise with Sega Galaxy and, incidentally, bring in Masami Kurumada to revitalize the Saint Seiya reboot project.

Logically, he should be busy assembling his initial team right now, so his coming to meet me alone clearly indicates that things aren't going according to plan.

We've run into a tough opponent.

"Schedule him for 10 a. m. tomorrow." Nakayama Takuya signed his name on the appointment form.

The next morning, at 10:00 AM.

The door to the president's office was pushed open.

Yoshimura strode in.

He was wearing a dark gray suit today, gripping the handle of his briefcase tightly, and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

He walked briskly all the way, still a little out of breath.

Nakayama Takuya pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Sit down. Would you like something to drink?"

"No need to trouble yourself, President Nakayama." Yoshimura forced a slightly stiff smile, placed his briefcase next to the sofa, and sat down, half-sitting on the chair.

He took out a handkerchief and hastily wiped the sweat from his forehead.