Window Before the Summer Season
Early July.
In the top-floor office of Sega's headquarters, the air conditioner was silently radiating dry, cool air, isolating the noise and heat outside the window.
Nakayama Takuya is reviewing the publicity results for the first two phases of <Mewtwo Strikes Back>.
The media exposure and social discussion were very high, and many people who were interviewed said they would go and see it.
Some people felt that the release of "My Totoro" in April gave them confidence in the quality of animated films, believing that there wouldn't be any bad ones.
Some are fans of the Pokémon anime or Electronic Pet.
Others are drawn by the topics of genes and cloning, wanting to see how the film addresses and interprets these themes.
Toho had already obtained this survey report from Dentsu, so Toho's theaters were very confident about the screening allocation for "Mewtwo Strikes Back," and directly gave it a 35% screening ratio.
Just as Takuya was about to give some instructions on the remaining promotional work, the internal phone on the table suddenly rang, breaking the silence of the room.
"The phone number for Nakayama Special Advisor, Toho Distribution Department."
Takuya pressed the answer button.
"Let him in."
Upon hearing this, the assistant quickly transferred the call to the outside line.
Nakayama Takuya picked up the receiver.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before a somewhat hoarse voice came through. It was Matsuoka from Toho, the distribution director who wouldn't budge an inch on even a single frame of film allocation at the negotiating table.
"The Senior Executive Officer of Nakayama is me, Matsuoka of Toho."
"Director Matsuoka, what can I do for you?" Takuya's tone was flat, revealing no emotion.
Matsuoka gave a wry smile on the other end, his voice carrying a weariness and frankness that came from removing his armor. "I dare not presume to offer my guidance."
"I've been in the publishing industry for over 20 years, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this."
He paused, as if organizing his thoughts.
"This morning, those old guys from Toei and Shochiku kept calling me nonstop, all subtly asking who was in charge of Toho's publicity this time."
Matsuoka's voice carried a hint of helplessness, "They analyzed it over and over again, dissecting your promotional plan into pieces, but they just couldn't understand how a serious topic like cloning and genetic ethics could cause the anticipation for an animated film to soar to the sky."
Nakayama Takuya leaned back in his large leather chair, his gaze fixed on the bustling street scene outside the window, a silent smile playing on his lips.
"Mr. Matsuoka, this topic wasn't created by us."
He said softly, "It's always been there, in the corner of the newspaper, in university classrooms. We just put it in the spotlight at the right time, so everyone could see it."
"That's all?" Matsuoka's voice was filled with disbelief.
"That's all. Of course, the format can't be like a professor's usual interview; we need to make it more lively."
A long sigh came from the other end of the phone. The sigh was filled with complex emotions, a sense of realization, but more so a self-deprecating laugh at one's own adherence to conventions.
"I see. We're always thinking about how to cram things into the audience's heads, but we forget what they're thinking themselves." Matsuoka's tone had completely changed; he was no longer just a business partner, but rather like a junior humbly seeking advice.
"Director Matsuoka, we still have two phases of our promotional campaign to go; the full impact of the campaign hasn't been realized yet."
Takuya, with a tone that suggested there was more to come, said, "So, Executive Director Nakayama, I'll get straight to the point." Matsuoka's voice became serious, "This call today isn't just for congratulations. I want to make something clear to you: next time, for a project like this, please be sure to consider Toho first. The price is negotiable, and as for screen time— Toho will definitely do its best to secure it."
This is a post I saw that looked promising.
"Of course." Nakayama Takuya answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Mr. Matsuoka, please rest assured, Sega has more than just one Pokémon in its treasury. Given the right opportunity, Sega would be happy to collaborate with Toho to bring them all to the big screen."
"Then I'll be watching with bated breath."
After hanging up the phone, the office returned to silence.
Takuya casually set the Dentsu report aside and picked up another report about the sales of MD platform software.
The report clearly shows that all third-party developers who followed Sega's advice and released their ports before the July summer season received returns far exceeding their expectations.
TECHNOS's * Double Dragon *, Konami's * Jackal *, Taito's * the Legend of Kage *.
These titles, which had already proven themselves in arcades or on the Famicom, were given a new lease on life with the capabilities of the Mega Drive, and the sales figures were quite impressive.
The transplant costs were easily recouped, and the subsequent profit figures made the boards of directors of every manufacturer beam with joy.
The report's appendix includes a quote from an anonymous interview in an industry weekly.
"On Sega's platform, we felt an unprecedented level of respect."
This is what a third-party producer said.
"They will clearly tell you about future plans, when the storm will arrive, and sincerely advise you to find a safe haven in advance."
"This is completely different from my past experiences at Nintendo."
"There, you're always on edge, and you have to carefully calculate the production volume of cassettes. Sometimes you don't know when you'll be 'made to suffer' for some inexplicable reason, or even be kicked out of the company."
Below this passage is a small note: This viewpoint has gained considerable acceptance among third-party developers.
More and more manufacturers are beginning to seriously evaluate the possibility of directly migrating their core future projects to the MD platform.
Nakayama Takuya put down the report and walked to the large whiteboard on one side of the office.
The map above, outlined with Mark of different colors, depicts the overall situation of the current Super Robot Wars.
The Sales Department manager just updated the latest figures.
MD, domestic sales in Japan have exceeded 2.5 million units.
This figure has allowed it to firmly establish itself in the Japan market.
The data from the other front, however, stirred his emotions even more.
Sales in the North America market have historically surpassed the 1 million unit mark.
More than 400,000 units were sold in Europe as well.
Global sales are approaching the milestone of 4 million units.
Nakayama Takuya picked up a red Mark and drew a heavy circle under the number "1 million in North America".
A preliminary victory in the Japan market has been secured.
The next tipping point is across the ocean.
His gaze shifted to the "Competitors" column.
NEC's PCEngine's growth curve has flattened out, and the Marketing Department has marked it in blue. "Software offensive stalled, lacking momentum."
On the other hand, while Nintendo's Nintendo (FC) still represents a huge existing market, its software releases in the last two months...
However, it appears somewhat sparse.
The Marketing Department's assessment is: the third-party camp is wavering, in a period of growing pains, but a counterattack is imminent, requiring high vigilance.
Nakayama Takuya agrees with this assessment.
With the powerful punch of Pokémon and a completely different appeasement strategy towards third parties, Sega successfully tore a deep, bone-deep gash into the behemoth that is Nintendo.
Now, the behemoth is licking its wounds and gathering its strength.
Before Nintendo completes its internal restructuring and organizes a truly effective counterattack, Sega also needs to build up its strength for the next round of market competition.