Recaps

Nakayama Takuya expanded Sega’s anime and television plans while negotiating strict oversight of new projects, then launched the GP2 to overwhelming demand. The story leaves Sega showcasing its games and business strategy at E3 as industry competition and hardware questions loom.

• Nakayama Takuya approved a Dragon Ball Z release plan, pursued a new dub and home-video distribution, and began talks with Toei Animation about reviving Saint Seiya.
• After Masami Kurumada rejected Toei’s proposal, Nakayama won him over during a fishing retreat and secured his agreement to a supervised Saint Seiya reboot, OVAs, and derivative works.
• Nakayama set firm conditions for Toei and tried to secure Sega’s oversight of a Rurouni Kenshin adaptation, but TBS and Dentsu resisted and Watsuki walked out over the proposed choreography.
• Nakayama approved Hatano’s expanded production plan for Pokémon electronic pets, while TV Tokyo promoted Yes, Minister and Sato found that izakaya group viewing explained the show’s popularity beyond its ratings.
• Sega’s GP2 launch drew crowds in Japan and North America, and Nakayama reported more than 500,000 first-day sales before the console shipped nearly a million units in its first week.
• Nakayama rejected Ubisoft’s requests for extra European stock, announced the GP2 milestone, and used the strong launch to attract publishers and plan a larger game lineup.
• At E3, Oguchi shifted Sega’s booth toward the GP2 while companies showcased new hardware and games, and Frank Marshall warned that Sony might introduce its next console before Sega was ready.
• Oguchi praised a Sega dinosaur-game demonstration, confirmed a judging station for the Game Critics Awards, and Hattori presented four projects Sega Galaxy had rejected as too risky.