Saving Gundam F91 (4,000 words)

The popularity of Taiko no Tatsujin spread like wildfire, quickly igniting social emotions throughout Japan at the end of summer.

Its impact extends far beyond the success of a single game.

The most direct manifestation of this is in movie theaters.

Having been in theaters for nearly a month, and with its daily box office showing signs of fatigue, "Kiki's Delivery Service" experienced a remarkable surge in box office revenue following Miyazaki Hayao's powerful interview.

As Taiko no Tatsujin deeply imprinted the labels of "healthy entertainment" and "revitalization of traditional culture" in the public's mind, a new round of box office rebound came unexpectedly, making Kiki's Delivery Service's box office exceed 5 billion Japanese yen and become the box office champion of the year.

Countless families chose to go to the cinema on the weekend to watch this heartwarming and beautiful animated film, as if casting a silent vote in support of the "industry conscience" represented by Miyazaki Hayao and Sega.

Media reports naturally refocused attention on a good work, which is itself the most powerful rebuttal to all slander.

Good cultural works are the soul of the industry.

This viewpoint became a consensus across society after the storm passed.

Meanwhile, inside the president's office at Sega Headquarters, the atmosphere was completely different from the mild mood outside.

Nakayama Hayao's knuckles were gently tapping on an open copy of the Nikkei.

The newspaper's financial section featured a report in bold on the latest key points of the draft Basic Land Act.

"Land is not a speculative asset."

"The added value should, in principle, be returned to society."

Every word and phrase exudes a sense of impending doom and impending storm.

In the office, besides him, there were also Director Hoshino in charge of the group's investments, and Director Sugiura.

The two men were sitting upright at the moment.

Nakayama Atsuo's gaze lifted from the newspaper and slowly swept over the two men.

"Hoshino, Sugiura, how is the plan to sell off our domestic real estate holdings going?"

Director Hoshino cleared his throat, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with a hint of hesitation.

"President, we've been gradually listing the company for sale. However—there's a lot of hesitant sentiment in the market lately."

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"On the one hand, the news that Sony is about to acquire Columbia Pictures in the United States for a sky-high price has greatly stimulated domestic capital. Now,

Everyone seems to think that instead of buying at high prices domestically, it's better to follow Sony's example and buy up assets in the United States at bargain prices; this seems to be becoming a trend.

Director Sugiura quickly added, "Yes, President. Although the interest rate hike and the rumors surrounding this ' Basic Land Act ' have made everyone sense a hint of danger, after so many years of prosperity, most people still hold onto a sliver of hope, thinking it's just another instance of the government making a lot of noise but accomplishing little."

"They're unwilling to buy at high prices at this time, thinking we're panic selling. They hope to use this to drive down the price."

After listening, Nakayama Atsuo remained expressionless, simply picking up the tea that Takuya had just brewed for him and blowing on it to cool it down.

The office became eerily quiet for a moment.

Hoshino and Sugiura could even hear their own hearts pounding.

After a long while, Nakayama Hayao put down his teacup, the bottom of which made a crisp, light sound as it struck the table.

"Lucky?"

He uttered those two words, not loudly, but they made the two directors shudder.

"Sony bought Colombia with money inflated by the bubble, using it to buy someone else's real assets. What about us? We're carrying a bunch of bombs that could explode at any moment, hoping someone will take them over with real money."

His gaze suddenly sharpened, like that of a hawk.

"I'll ask you one more time, is this the market's view, or yours?"

A drop of cold juice and a look at Sugiura's Kakuro.

He immediately bowed his head, almost at a ninety-degree angle. "Yes! I'm very sorry! It was our rigid thinking that prevented us from fully understanding the president's deeper meaning!"

Ignoring their anxiety, Nakayama Atsuo instead asked, "How are the returns on those United States blue-chip stocks that Takuya suggested you invest in?"

Mentioning this, Director Hoshino's eyes lit up instantly, and his voice regained its confidence. "President, your and the executive director's vision is truly amazing! The stocks we bought in batches, such as Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and IBM, have all seen very steady increases recently, completely unaffected by fluctuations in our domestic market! The overall return has exceeded 15%!"

"Very good."

Nakayama Hayao nodded, his tone once again becoming authoritative.

"Then use all necessary means, even if it means making appropriate price concessions, and do it as quickly as possible! Sell all domestic real estate investments! Convert them into cash and reinvest in United States blue-chip stocks and high-quality bonds!"

"I don't care whether people in the market are optimistic or just hoping for the best; Sega's future cannot be built on 'luck'!"

"That's an order."

"Hai!"

Hoshino and Sugiura dared not hesitate for a moment longer and responded in unison, their voices loud and resolute.

When the two men strode out of the office, the backs of their shirts were almost completely soaked with cold liquid.

The atmosphere in the conference room at Sunrise Animation's headquarters was somewhat heavy.

Takuya, representing Sega as one of the shareholders, sat upright.

On the conference table, several reports lay side by side. Sales of the recently completed 0VA <Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket> were promising, and cost recovery was imminent. On the other hand, the financial statements for the <The Five Star Stories> theatrical version showed a dismal deficit.

The contrasting results have made everyone more cautious about the "Gundam Series Reboot Plan" presented to them.

This is a project that Bandai is trying very hard to avoid, with a huge investment that could influence the future direction of Sunrise and even Bandai.

Therefore, they brought in Nakayama Takuya to see what this young man, who had shown an amazing sense of opportunity in games, comics, and the capital market, would do.

Can there be any further improvements or additions to this plan?

After everyone quickly reviewed the proposal, the meeting proceeded to a ten-minute tea break.

Takuya, holding his teacup, didn't join the crowd but went straight to a haggard-looking middle-aged man in the corner.

"Director Tomino."

Yoshiyuki Tomino raised his bloodshot eyes and nodded with difficulty.

"Would you mind discussing your thoughts on Bandai's request to adjust NewType's positioning in the proposal?" Takuya asked softly.

At the mention of this, Tomino's brows furrowed, his voice laced with suppressed anger. "They want to take over NewType..."

From "a symbol of human evolution" to "a product of family bonds"! That's utter nonsense!

He clenched his fists. "This is forcing me to deny everything I've built! If the core concept of a work can keep changing like this, is Gundam still Gundam?"

Takuya nodded in deep agreement. "You're right. This approach will only create conflicts within the series' established settings, and ultimately it will hurt our core fans who have followed us for ten years."

Changing the subject, Takuya's gaze fell on Tomino's tired face. "Coach, how are you feeling?"

Tomino paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile, leaning back in his chair, his whole body relaxing as if he had shed all pretense. "I can't hide it from you anymore," he sighed. "I can't feel that creative passion anymore. My mind is blank, filled only with repetitive war and death. It's exhausting."

"I'm in a terrible mental state right now. You and I both know how demanding the work of directing a TV anime is. I can't guarantee I can pull through." He rubbed his temples, his eyes filled with struggle. "But I'm not willing to just watch someone turn my hard work into some kind of monstrosity."

Takuya paused for a moment, then looked at him earnestly. "Director Tomino, you need rest, a complete break from work. Leave the Bandai project to me. I assure you, I will do everything in my power to protect your creative work."

Tomino looked at the executive director, whom he found quite agreeable, and decided to wait and see what the executive director had to do.

Back in the meeting room, the discussion officially began.

Bandai's representative, Mitsui Chuta, a close confidant of President Yamashina Makoto, was eloquently explaining Fangdai's demands, the core of which was:

Within a commercially controllable framework, extend the lifespan of the Gundam IP.

"Maintaining the loyalty of hardcore fans through meticulous technical design, while adapting to the current social environment, appropriately downplaying political criticism, introducing family narratives to broaden the audience, and using a rich matrix of derivative products to hedge against investment risks in film and television content."

Finally, he added, "Of course, we hope the new work will continue the Universal Century story, which is a continuation of the core fanbase."

As soon as he finished speaking, Takuya raised his hand.

All eyes immediately turned to him.

"Mitsui- san," Takuya spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears, "The proposal mentions that you plan to produce a TV anime about the Cosmo Babylonia Founding War in Universal Century 0123, right?"

Mitsui Chuta nodded in agreement.

"So here's the question," Takuya tapped the table lightly with his index finger, "From Char's Counterattack to the founding of the Cosmo Babylonia, there's a thirty-year gap in between."

"No work on the market has been able to connect this period of history and create a consensus among fans regarding the setting. With such a large time span, can you really just fool people with a few images of Jegan in the art book?"

The conference room was silent.

The producers at Sunrise looked at each other. They had considered this issue before, but Bandai's "let's make it first" attitude had suppressed it.

Before they could process it, Takuya threw out a second question, turning his gaze to Yoshiyuki Tomino.

"More importantly, Director Tomino's current physical and mental condition may not be able to withstand the long and intensive production of a TV anime. Everyone here is a veteran in the animation industry and should know better than I how much risk there is of a stylistic break if the core creative team is changed midway through a project."

Upon hearing this, a lively discussion immediately broke out in the conference room.

Everyone looked at Director Tomino, their eyes filled with worry and questions.

Coach Tomino did not shy away from the issue, wearily admitting that he was not in good form.

Even Mitsui Chuta's expression turned ugly.

He may not care about art, but he cannot ignore the risk of project failure.

He keenly sensed that although Nakayama Takuya had pointed out the fatal flaw, he didn't seem to have any intention of giving up on the project.

"Executive Director Nakayama, what suggestions do you have?" Mitsui Chuta asked in a deep voice.

My suggestion is to proceed simultaneously.

Takuya stood up and walked to the whiteboard.

"First, the main storyline of the Universal Century should be left entirely to Director Tomino. Once he's recovered, he can personally handle the direction and refine it. The Newtype's core concept doesn't need to be changed either; family values are part of human nature and don't need to be altered from the Newtype's overall character."

Forcibly tied up.

Mitsui Chuta immediately pressed, "What about during the supervisor's recovery period? Bandai's new model can't wait!"

"That brings us to the second point," Takuya smiled slightly. "Since we want to expand our audience and attract new viewers, why not simply develop a completely new storyline? Let's make a TV anime that isn't set in the Universal Century."

"This satisfies Bandai's need for a 'family narrative' while also clearly distinguishing it from the heavy style of Universal Century."

Rather than risking a poorly performing director Tomino by altering the Universal Century, it's better to take the risk of experimentation with a completely new storyline. This way, we won't offend longtime fans, and we can also boldly try to attract new viewers.

"The Gundam IP has many labels: high-performance mobile suits, a symbol of justice, a sign of victory, and ace pilots. As long as a new work captures a few of these core labels, the resulting product will definitely be very Gundam."

Mitsui Chuta's brow relaxed a little; the suggestion was indeed very tempting.

But he had one last concern.

"Executive Director Nakayama, even if the storyline is resolved, Bandai's technology upgrade won't be completed until next year. This year, we can only use the old technology to produce models. What will we do during this model production gap?"

He frankly stated, "Current models require glue and screws, making them cumbersome to manufacture and not very user-friendly for new players. We need a new animation to support the sales of older technologies."

Upon hearing this, many people in the conference room felt that this had become a dead end.

However, Takuya revealed a mysterious smile.

"Mitsui- san, if I may ask, is the reason you need new animations to sell old technical models because of the current technology?"

"Unable to create new, more attractive specifications?"

"You could say that."

"Well, I do have some experience with model making." Takuya looked around the room and said, word by word, "If I told you that I could design a 'glue-free assembly' model for you without Bandai adjusting its production line or even improving its existing processing technology, do you think that would be enough to get you through this period?"

The entire conference room fell instantly so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Mitsui Chuta's eyes widened suddenly, and he leaned forward, almost standing up from his chair.

Glue-free assembly?

Are you kidding me?! That requires extremely high precision and design skills in the mold! You think you can achieve that without adding a penny to the existing process?

How... how is this possible?!

"Special Secretary Nakayama - you... you're not joking, are you?"

The executives from Sunrise and Bandai looked at the composed young man, and only one thought remained in their minds.

Does genius really not need to distinguish which areas to apply their talents to?