This at least solves the problem of the original art team.
With Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Takami Akai, the future author of " Princess Maker," overseeing things, Lin Lixin can free up his time to deal with other issues.
After getting into the car, the three of them hurriedly returned to Roppongi.
What came next was actually simple for Lin Lixin.
That is to find the remaining idols for " Tokimeki Memorial ".
Admittedly, this work is a truly obscure corner of the anime/manga world.
But it still requires voice acting.
Such a great opportunity should naturally be made good use of.
Since he owns both a game company and an artist management agency, Lin Lixin could easily further refine the operational model of " Tokimeki Memorial ".
This is what is known as... a 2.5D idol project.
The so-called 2.5D idol project is actually an operational strategy in which the character and the real person coexist.
Anime characters portrayed by live-action idols. There may also be various related products, such as singles, albums, and concerts.
This thing became an indispensable part of the idol industry after the turn of the millennium.
From " The Idolmaster " to "Love Live!"
In the 2020s, there were also projects like "Bang Dream" and "Girl's Band Cry".
Each band has a real-life counterpart, a girl band, and they actually travel around doing concerts.
This system is simply unbeatable, whether viewed from an ecological or commercial perspective.
Games make money from gacha pulls, anime makes money from Blu-ray sales, and concerts can generate another round of ticket revenue.
Not to mention the various pop-up stores that print money every now and then.
This is definitely one of the most successful cases in the idol economy.
But if we really trace it back to its origins and find the earliest roots of 2.5D projects, the first company to use this strategy was actually Square.
Square is that kind of company: headstrong, tough, and proud.
They always like to try things that others wouldn't dare to attempt. This was true of * Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within*, and it was also true of * Final Fantasy: Arrival Children*.
The same applies to " Miho Nakayama's Heartbeat High School ".
The 1987 Square game " Miho Nakayama's Heartbeat High School," released by Nintendo, was actually a 2.5D idol project.
However, in this work, the game's female protagonist is actually Miho Nakayama herself, not a virtual character.
This means it's still some distance from being a true 2.5D project.
Players take on the role of the male protagonist and attempt to woo Miho Nakayama in the game.
Square even launched a telephone campaign.
Players can dial real phone numbers to receive plot hints and clues via voice messages.
It's somewhat similar to the offline SwordQuest event that Atari once organized.
It's very innovative, but it's still lacking something.
It wasn't until Tokimeki Memorial that this system was truly established, which led to the later the Idolmaster.
"... This girl is good, sign her."
Lin Lixin casually flipped through the reports, stopping at one of the documents labeled "[ Yuki Uchida ]".
Born in 1975, she has already started her idol activities, which is exactly the right age for her to star in " Tokimeki Memorial ".
In a few more years, she will become a national idol in the early Heisei era.
Definitely a stock with great potential.
" Rie Miyazawa... let's sign this one too..."
Including the voice actress lineup that Roppongi had already secured, including Megumi Hayashibara, a future-oriented super team slowly took shape with just a few casual strokes.
Lin Lixin's target this time is very clear: idols born around 1970 to 1975, whose ages are just right for " Tokimeki Memorial ".
Yui Asaka waited to the side, watching him sift through the resumes in his hand, and timidly spoke up.
"How?"
"Why did you go to the trouble of paying Gainax to draw the animated version? Wouldn't it be more convenient to just use live-action footage?" She hesitated for a moment, but finally voiced her doubts.
As an idol, and one with close ties to the gaming industry, Yui Asaka has spent a lot of time brushing up on this knowledge.
She was naturally familiar with Nintendo's " Miho Nakayama's Heartbeat High School ".
Following their approach, they directly chose to license the image of a real person.
The powerful idol effect generated by that game did not disappoint the developers.
With this one game, Square completely reversed its bankruptcy crisis.
In a sense, Miho Nakayama is the reincarnation of the Final Fantasy series.
Yui Asaka n't consider herself to be the most famous, but she has achieved a considerable level of fame thanks to Gamenova.
Theoretically speaking, I should be able to replicate Miho Nakayama's miracle.
"Well... you'll understand that once the project is launched."
Lin Lixin paused for a moment, then laughed heartily.
"But this is a rare opportunity, so I should teach you a few tricks beforehand." "Huh?"
" Xiao Yui, do you think of yourself as ' Shiori Fujisaki '?"
"Me? I think so..."
Yui Asaka frowned and thought for a while before giving a slightly hesitant but affirmative answer.
She knew that " Shiori Fujisaki " was the heroine of this game project, an absolutely perfect girl.
Since President Hayashi asked Sadamoto to use him as a model, then... I should be considered Shiori Fujisaki herself, right?
But Lin Lixin shook his head.
"No, you are Yui Asaka, Shiori Fujisaki is Shiori Fujisaki."
"But... but wasn't she designed based on me, and I'm supposed to be the voice actor for her?"
"That's true, but even so, you are not Shiori Fujisaki. You must remember that, remember it firmly."
Lin Lixin poked her forehead, indicating that she must remember this matter.
"Do you remember what I said during the day? I want a real two-dimensional idol, a virtual character who lives in the world of two dimensions, not your costume." "Oh..."
Yui Asaka nodded, but she was still confused.
She simply couldn't see what advantages this format offered compared to live-action performances like those by Miho Nakayama.
"Don't worry, just make sure you stick to your guns and don't admit it, and you'll get everything you want."
Seeing her like this, Lin Lixin laughed heartily.
Human nature is so interesting.
The more she denies it and the more deliberately she tries to separate herself from her virtual image, the more irresistibly fans will connect the two of them.
The theory of resistance, or rebellious psychology, aims to incite the rebellious spirit of fans.
On the contrary, Miho Nakayama's straightforward approach is not conducive to long-term development.
Lin Lixin picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.
" In Koshiro, I'll come to Roppongi tomorrow."
I've been having a lot of fun with Hans Zimmer lately, and I've almost forgotten about these musicians who also made great contributions to Gamenova. Yuzo Koshiro is currently the head of NMB, a music group under Gamenova.
Hearing Lin Lixin's words, Yui Asaka blinked her big eyes, which sparkled.
She knew Mr. Koshiro; they had taken the same flight to California during the Gamenova annual meeting.
He was responsible for many of the songs for gamenova.
Although he doesn't have the exaggerated influence of Hans Zimmer in the circle, he is still a top-level master with a very unique style.
Piano, violin, cello, symphony orchestra, synthesizer... there's nothing this guy can't do.
The reason I called him over now... must be because he's writing a single for me, no, no, for Shiori Fujisaki.
After receiving a response from the other end of the phone, Lin Lixin planned to hang up.
However, before he could even put the receiver back on, he paused and picked it up again.
"By the way, ask your master if he'd be interested in meeting up and having a chat in Roppongi."
Upon hearing this, Yuzo Koshiro on the other end of the phone was visibly taken aback, and after a few moments, he responded repeatedly.
Yui Asaka felt her heart skip a beat and covered her mouth in disbelief. As Mr. Koshiro gradually grew into a master in the field of game music, his personal social relationships began to be thoroughly investigated by various media outlets.
The mentorship system has always been a topic of great interest among fans.
As a member of a musical family, Yuzo Koshiro's mother was a great pianist, and from a young age, he was constantly immersed in art.
When he was eight years old, through his mother's introduction, the young Yuzo Koshiro was able to become a student of a musician who was not yet famous at the time, and learn the basics of composition.
For three whole years, he studied those seemingly extremely dry theoretical knowledge with this unknown uncle.
Although this experience only occupied a small part of Yuzo Koshiro's long life, it gave him invaluable experience that benefited him throughout his life.
His mentor, who was not yet famous back then, is now Hayao Miyazaki's go-to composer.
His name is Joe Hisaishi.
A grandmaster of Japan music, a remarkable figure who almost single-handedly brought Japan anime soundtracks to the world stage.
If President Lin intends to bring him in to join this project...
I can't imagine what an amazing masterpiece this will be.
As for Lin Lixin's own thoughts, they are actually quite simple. Yuzo Koshiro's style is very strong, and he is not really suitable for the theme of campus romance. He can only be responsible for composing character songs and the like.
The situation is similar for other members of NMB.
If we can get Joe Hisaishi to join us, at least he won't have to put much effort into the background music.
However, even with Joe Hisaishi alone, he couldn't make a difference.
Ultimately, this person is a film and television composer; they are a complete novice when it comes to the game industry.
Thinking of this, Lin Lixin considered the time, then redialed and made a long-distance call.
" Zimmer, pack your things and come to Roppongi. I'll introduce you to a colleague you can talk to."
"Hmm... Let's invite the rest of Supernova too, consider it a vacation and a celebration party."
" Maikou? We don't need Maikou for now. Game is really busy lately, and they need someone to keep things in order. Besides, we have plenty of suitable lead singers here."
"Clatter"
Lin Lixin hung up the phone and then stood up.
Yui Asaka, standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded, even forgetting the proper etiquette. It wasn't until Lin Lixin waved his hand in front of her that she came back to her senses.
"I'm so sorry, President! I was a little taken aback... That's quite a generous gesture..."
She had considered that President Hayashi might try to leverage his connections to address Roppongi's exposure issues.
Just like when you used to get a few minor cameo appearances in Hollywood.
If you're just doing someone a favor, people in Hollywood would be more than happy to oblige.
But President Lin's arrangement just now... was a bit too frightening.
Didn't I tell you? I'm going to train you to be a national idol.
This also allowed me to play the Idolmaster beta version.