The Dentsu representative pushed up his glasses and was just about to speak.
"I understand the sponsors' pressure." Nakayama Takuya folded his hands on the table, giving him no chance to speak. "But has everyone done the math? Gundam X has already aired more than a third of its run. That means this cut will directly chop out nearly thirty percent of the remaining episodes. How much damage will that do to the expression of the core story?"
Takamatsu Shinji nodded again and again, drawing circles in his notebook with his pen.
"What has carried the Gundam franchise from 1979 to now? It wasn't selling a few plastic models. It was the story. Are there so few anime in Japan made to sell models? Which one has the vitality of the Gundam franchise?" Nakayama Takuya tapped the table. "The credibility accumulated over more than a dozen works is the core asset of this IP. Even if Gundam X isn't telling the orthodox history of the Universal Century, as long as it has the word 'Gundam' hanging on it, the audience has expectations."
He paused, giving everyone time to digest the information.
"Among the viewers still following this anime, many came for this golden signboard. If you cut the story into scattered fragments and end it in a rotten tail, that is a betrayal of the audience. Destroying word of mouth is easy. How many years does rebuilding it take? Have you all thought about the consequences?"
The TV Asahi representative could no longer sit still. He leaned forward, both hands pressed against the edge of the table.
"Managing Director Nakayama, the ratings are right here. A TV station's time slots are very valuable, and the year-end Game Gear sponsors are already applying pressure."
"Are you planning to give up on