Progress on Sakura Wars

"Hiroi- san, Tanaka Kohei- sensei, you've truly captured the essence of this project."

"Right!" Hiroi Ouji slapped his thigh excitedly, "When I first heard this demo, I got goosebumps all over! This is practically a battle song tailor-made for our ' Flower Division '!"

He paced back and forth excitedly in the small office, pointing to the sketches plastered on the walls.

"Fujishima- sensei's character design has been finalized, Matsubara- sensei's script outline has been approved, and Madhouse's art style—everything is moving towards perfection!"

Nakayama Takuya nodded with a smile, and after calming down a bit, he asked the crucial question.

"The melody is the skeleton, but it still needs a voice to infuse it with soul. Have you chosen the singer yet?"

This question instantly cooled down Hiroi Ouji's excited expression.

He scratched his head, looking somewhat troubled, and sat back down in his chair. "Not yet—I'm having a headache over this too. Executive Director, do you have any suggestions?"

"I do have a somewhat immature idea," Nakayama Takuya pulled up a chair and sat down, leaning forward slightly. "Let's not go looking for those established singers."

"Oh?" Hiroi Ouji immediately perked up his ears.

"We're looking for a newcomer." Nakayama Takuya spoke slowly, but every word was precise. "A young voice actress who can both do voice acting and singing. Let her voice the main character Sakura Shinguji, and she'll also sing the theme song."

Hiroi Ouji was stunned; he didn't seem to quite grasp the deeper meaning behind it.

Nakayama Takuya continued, "Think about it, what we need is a voice that can express the delicate yet resilient spirit of a young girl like Sakura Shinguji. If the voice actor and singer are the same person, the sense of unity and immersion in the character is unmatched by any big-name singer."

He paused, then offered a deeper, more profound idea.

"Not only the main characters, but also the other members of the Flower Division, we will select them according to this standard. The voice actors must have basic singing skills. Why?"

Nakayama Takuya's eyes deepened.

"Because our Imperial Opera House" is not an empty backdrop! Mr. Hiroi, haven't you ever thought about letting them actually stand on the stage?

"Stand on the stage?!"

Hiroi Ouji suddenly raised his head, his breath catching in his throat for a moment.

"That's right, a stage play!" Nakayama Takuya Katsugeki Dan' on a real stage—what a sensation that would be!"

"Oh yeah, I was so busy I forgot! I was so focused on researching at the Takarazuka Revue that I almost forgot about this part of the project!" Hiroi Ouji felt a buzzing in his head as he remembered the work he had missed.

Games, animation, music, live-action stage—an unprecedented collaborative project blueprint clearly appeared before his eyes.

"Players develop a bond with the characters in the game, and then see them perform live in a real theater. This cross-dimensional experience is unique!" Nakayama Takuya continued, "Moreover, choosing young, new voice actresses means they have longer careers and more potential. Our <Sakura Wars> is a project that will last at least ten years! The fact that we can grow alongside them is a touching story in itself."

"Not to mention," Nakayama Takuya suddenly revealed a sly smile, "From a business perspective, newcomers—they're cheap."

This honest statement, like the finishing touch, instantly shattered the last shred of hesitation in Hiroi Ouji.

"I understand—I completely understand!"

Hiroi Ouji stood up excitedly, scribbling furiously in his notebook while muttering to himself, "Voice actor idolization—no, it's the symbiosis of characters and voice actors! Build a three-dimensional entertainment empire centered on characters! Genius! Executive Director, you're simply a genius!"

Looking at Hiroi Ouji, who had completely entered "wise man mode," Nakayama Takuya knew that this most important piece had been placed in its rightful position.

"Then it's settled." Nakayama Takuya stood up and patted Hiroi Ouji on the shoulder. "Let's organize a grand voice actor audition right away, find our Sakura Shinguji, find our Imperial Combat Revue - Flower Division!"

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!" Hiroi Ouji snapped to attention and saluted, his eyes burning with fierce determination.

Nakayama Takuya was in a great mood as he left Hiroi Ouji's office.

The cherry blossom that is destined to amaze an era, "Sakura Wars," not only has the best gardener, but now, even the plan to amaze the whole world after its bloom is ready.

The atmosphere at the premiere of the theatrical version of "Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Last Light of Zeon" was enthusiastic.

Nakayama Takuya, holding a glass of champagne, walked through the throng of people exchanging pleasantries and headed straight for Yamashina Makoto, the president of Bandai.

"President Yamashina, congratulations. Bandai's models are about to sell like hotcakes again." Takuya and raised his glass in a toast.

"Not at all, it's all thanks to Executive Director Nakayama's Space Completion Plan back then," he said, "That the foundation for the whole story was laid so solidly. Moreover, the editing of this Sunrise movie is quite brilliant, extracting the essence of the OVA." Yamashina Makoto smiled broadly and clinked glasses with Takuya.

The commercial success put the head of Bandai in a very good mood.

After exchanging a few words about the film's reception, Takuya casually changed the subject, asking, "Speaking of which, Bandai's recent games on the Mega Drive have been doing quite well."

Yamashina Makoto's smile widened even more, "Yes, especially the Dragon Ball Z card RPG, its sales are impressive."

"Yeah, that one's really good." Takuya nodded, then added casually, "After all, I provided the idea."

Yamashina Makoto's smile instantly froze on his face.

Takuya, seemingly oblivious to the change in the other's expression, continued, "As for the fighting games like <World Martial Arts Tournament> and <Robot Grand Assembly>, they essentially just reused Sega's existing templates. To ensure quality, our Sega technicians had to juggle their own projects and help you with debugging, which was really overwhelming."

Yamashina Makoto's forehead twitched slightly, and his hand holding the wine glass froze in mid-air.

These words sound like a complaint, but they are actually a warning.

Bandai's Game Development Department simply couldn't function without Sega's technical support.