Studio Ghibli's collaboration proposal wasn't to fully entrust "princess mononoke" to Pokeni for production, but rather to authorize Pokeni to adapt it into a game after the animated film's release.
In such cases, there are typically several different business models.
The first is a buyout model: the rights to the "princess mononoke" game are fully granted to Pokeni for development, and Pokeni pays a one-Time copyright fee, after which Studio Ghibli has no share in the game's revenue.
The second is a revenue-sharing model: Pokeni can choose to pay a portion of the copyright fee or no copyright fee at all, but the game's revenue needs to be shared with Studio Ghibli.
Both models ultimately depend on which generates higher returns, but in the initial negotiations, it primarily comes down to confidence in the game.
If the game is expected to be a big seller and revenue sharing would yield more profit, then the latter option is better.
As for whether Studio Ghibli will interfere with Pokeni's game development, that would require a separate agreement.
At least from Hayao Miyazaki's personal experience, he still hopes to oversee the entire process; if not participate in development, at least know what Pokeni is producing, unlike with "nausicaä of the valley of the wind" previously, where authorizing Technopolis Soft resulted in a terrible game that tarnished Studio Ghibli's reputation.
Everyone came with a sincere desire to cooperate, and this was also Hayao Miyazaki's courageous first step after a decade, so everyone tried their best to consider the other party, and in such circumstances, the atmosphere in the conference room was excellent.
Moreover, both sides quickly reached a consensus: Pokeni would pay a certain copyright fee and then share revenue with Studio Ghibli.
game development progress would be regularly communicated with Studio Ghibli, but Studio Ghibli would not interfere with game development; Studio Ghibli would not participate in any aspect of the game's future release platform, genre, or production methods and processes.
Studio Ghibli is only responsible for principal issues such as whether the game violates the character settings, main themes, and background of "princess mononoke."
In short, there were many clauses, and today's meeting was to reach an initial consensus; there will be two to three more detailed negotiations in the future, and lawyers will also be involved.
Only after everything is settled will a contract be drafted and signed by both parties.
But this meeting was the most important and fruitful.
Most of the content was discussed, and both sides were quite satisfied, ensuring a win-win collaboration without either party having to make concessions.
Studio Ghibli's production cycle for "princess mononoke" is about 2 years, meaning it will likely be released in 1996; to avoid spoilers affecting box office performance, the game will be released even later.
So Pokeni has ample Time.
After discussing "princess mononoke," Aoki Haruhi packaged the script and settings for "LIFE-LINE" into a data bag and handed it to Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki.
To make it easier for the old man to read and understand, Aoki Haruhi even drew some illustrations.
He originally wanted to make it into a storyboard script, but that would have taken too much Time.
"Okay, I'll definitely take a good look at it when I get back."
The several people got up to leave.
The next afternoon, Toshio Suzuki found Hayao Miyazaki on the balcony behind the studio.
When he found him, the old man was sitting on a wooden chair, smoking and wiping tears with his palm.
On his lap was the script for Pokeni's new game, "LIFE-LINE," given to him yesterday.
Toshio Suzuki suddenly found it somewhat amusing; he couldn't find this guy anywhere, everyone was waiting for him to start the meeting, and who would have thought he'd run off here without a word to study a script?
But...
What's wrong with this guy?
Did he cry?
Or are his eyes bothering him?
"Miyazaki?" Toshio Suzuki called out cautiously.
"Huh? That... that..."
Hayao Miyazaki quickly put on his glasses, but they were foggy from moisture.
"My eyes just suddenly started hurting, and then tears kept flowing... they still haven't stopped."
Hayao Miyazaki smiled.
Upon seeing Hayao Miyazaki's flustered movements, Toshio Suzuki confirmed that this guy had indeed cried.
Toshio Suzuki pulled up a chair and sat down, glancing down at the script on Hayao Miyazaki's lap.
"Pokeni's new work, it looks good, unfortunately, I haven't had Time to read it yet; I'll go back and read it thoroughly tonight," Toshio Suzuki said.
"Hmm." Hayao Miyazaki nodded, "It's written very well. Pokeni has a very good Author, plus a talented game production master like Aoki Haruhi, it's truly enviable."
He covered the document with his hand, gently patting it, as if holding a cute kitten in his arms, and gently stroking it with his hand.
"I... I remembered Goro when he was little... Goro was really naughty and cute back then, but unfortunately, I never really spent much Time with him.
Looking back now, I regret it especially."
Goro Miyazaki is Hayao Miyazaki's eldest son, now 26 years old.
After graduating from university, Goro Miyazaki joined the landscape design consulting firm "Mori Ryokuchi Design Office."
He took on many projects related to city parks and urban greening; the rooftop decoration of the Ghibli studio, which Miyazaki currently uses as his animation studio, was designed by him.
Although he really wanted Goro Miyazaki to inherit Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki never brought it up.
Instead, Toshio Suzuki saw through his thoughts and reached out to pat Hayao Miyazaki's hand.
"How about I talk to Goro then and see if he's interested in working at Studio Ghibli?"
"Hmm..."
Hearing Toshio Suzuki's suggestion, Hayao Miyazaki clearly wavered for a moment, but he still shook his head firmly.
"Forget it, Goro doesn't have the talent for this."
Terrifying.
"Are you being too strict with Goro?" Toshio Suzuki said.
As a top Animator, Hayao Miyazaki warmly healed the world, but his eldest son—Goro Miyazaki—was left out.
Like many children, Goro Miyazaki's growth was also affected by his father's criticism.
In his previous life, Goro Miyazaki even believed Hayao Miyazaki was a zero-point father in interviews.
As a child, Goro Miyazaki dreamed of becoming an animation Director as excellent as his father.
However, Hayao Miyazaki believed the animation industry was tough and didn't want his son to work in animation; at the same Time, he thought his son had no talent for animation and greatly looked down on his son's works.
When he released his first work, "Tales from Earthsea," Hayao Miyazaki left the viewing midway and even wrote a letter of criticism.
At the second press conference for "From Up on Poppy Hill," Hayao Miyazaki mercilessly criticized the film on the spot, and Goro, in an awkward atmosphere, had to publicly apologize.
Even after the film did well at the box office, Hayao Miyazaki still said, "At least it put some pressure on me."
Goro Miyazaki was furious: "Damn it, don't you die so soon!
And Goro Miyazaki was also very stubborn; his meaning was: Just you wait, I'll prove it!
Hayao Miyazaki was asked: Why do you always blame children?
He explained: Don't let others criticize randomly, do the harsh criticism yourself.
It can be said that while Hayao Miyazaki created many beautiful and heartwarming works that delighted children in his films, like countless Japanese parents of that Time, he didn't quite know how to care for his children or express his love for them.
Whether he could become successful, whether he grew to a satisfactory degree—these were Hayao Miyazaki's demands and expectations for Goro Miyazaki.
But the father-son relationship was also pushed further apart through such continuous criticism and Strike.
Hayao Miyazaki shook his head, not continuing the topic, but returned to "LIFE-LINE": "To be able to portray family affection in a game to this extent, even through text, it can touch your heart; it's truly remarkable."
He thought of the storyline in this script, and many images involuntarily appeared in his mind, and his mouth curved into a smile.
"Aoki-san has truly given me a challenge."
Toshio Suzuki pondered for a moment, somewhat astonished.
He still doesn't know if Aoki Haruhi gave you a challenge, or if you gave Aoki Haruhi a challenge.
After finishing the collaboration discussions and signing the agreement with Ghibli, they immediately entered the New Year holiday.
On New Year's Eve, Aoki Haruhi still went with Nao Tsuda to the Oji Inari Shrine to participate in the Fox Parade.
As the procession moved forward, the two of them each wore masks on their heads, ate takoyaki in their hands, and beamed with happy smiles.
"Wow~ it's amazing that you could even invite a master like Hayao Miyazaki to draw original art," Nao Tsuda sighed lightly, "President Qing Zhiyuan, you're truly incredible."
Aoki Haruhi rolled his eyes, looking at the faint fox smile on her face, always feeling that this guy was mocking him.
"He's not serving as an Animator, just drawing a few pictures."
"Are you jealous? Or do you think it's not good to invite Hayao Miyazaki?" Aoki Haruhi asked.
"Not at all."
Nao Tsuda chuckled, then reached up and pulled down the fox mask on her head, putting it on properly.
Aside from those captivating eyes, nothing else could be seen.
But Aoki Haruhi looked at those eyes and always felt that this guy had an ulterior motive.
"Please speak plainly, okay?"
Aoki Haruhi wondered, "Isn't it something to be happy about, having a world-class animation master like Hayao Miyazaki draw original art for one's work? From any angle, it's something worth boasting about and can generate buzz."
"Hmm~ that's not wrong either."
Nao Tsuda's eyes flickered, and she pondered for a moment, saying, "At least in terms of promotion, it's a huge advantage. I only have one concern."
"Oh?"
"You also said that Hayao Miyazaki is a world-class animation master. So who can control such a master? Have you ever thought about that problem?"
"Huh?"
Aoki Haruhi was stunned for a moment, then waved his hands repeatedly, "It's not about controlling, we are in a cooperative relationship. It's even a bit of a stretch to call it a cooperative relationship; you can understand it as—
A friend helping out.
I needed your help with a drawing, and you drew it for me, for which I am very grateful and have given you something in return.
Next Time you need something from me, I will also give my full effort.
It's roughly like that."
This is like me, as the person in charge of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, inviting Michelangelo to paint frescoes. What could go wrong?
I won't interfere with Hayao Miyazaki's creation.
Nao Tsuda didn't speak, just looked at Aoki Haruhi with a smile in her eyes.
The longer she looked, the more uneasy he felt.
"Is that really true, Aoki-san?"
"Hiss~"
This Time, Aoki Haruhi fell silent.
The night lights shone from both sides, he lowered his head, his eyes seemed somewhat blurry, and the world began to feel unreal.
But the noisier the environment, the quieter his heart became.
For some reason, Aoki Haruhi, who was originally completely confident and at ease, found his heart wavering under Tsuda's verbal assault.
It was as if the whole world was shaking.
"Aoki-san, if you don't have enough ability to control a dragon, you'll be consumed by it," Nao Tsuda laughed.
"Shut up." Aoki Haruhi frowned fiercely, "I know, alright."
Nao Tsuda's eyes curved into two crescent moons, truly living up to her name, Miss Moon.
But why was this Miss Moon sometimes so annoying?
"This is a good Time," Nao Tsuda continued as she walked forward, "If it's 'princess mononoke,' then we'll have to bring back Furuhara Tsubaki.
Adding your two new works, it's perfect for Furuhara Tsubaki to make a comeback.
Combined with Hayao Miyazaki, it will definitely generate good publicity."
"Do you think so too?" Aoki Haruhi smiled and walked alongside her.
"Otherwise, how would you make a comeback?" Nao Tsuda rolled her eyes, "You can't just change your pen name, can you? That would lack drama."
"That's what I thought too," Aoki Haruhi said, "Buzz is built on fame, so it's definitely better to use Furuhara Tsubaki directly."
"Hayao Miyazaki and Furuhara Tsubaki, two masters from different fields, a powerful combination, will surely capture attention.
And... since Hayao Miyazaki can even draw original art for us, what else is impossible?
Why not invite Joe Hisaishi for the music as well?"
Joe Hisaishi can be said to be Hayao Miyazaki's exclusive music master; if they could really use Hayao Miyazaki's connection to ask him to help with the music for LL...
Aoki Haruhi felt delighted.
Leaving aside LIFE-LINE, at least for the future "princess mononoke" game, there would be no problem directly using Joe Hisaishi's music in the game.
Nao Tsuda glanced at him sideways, covering her mouth and laughing.
"You're quite good at planning."
Aoki Haruhi's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of anger in them.
This guy...
You're clearly wearing a mask, yet you're covering your mouth to laugh; isn't that redundant?
In the night, the surrounding lights were bright, cheerful music played, and more and more people joined the fox parade...
Everyone was dancing with joy.
Just then, the shrine bell rang.
With a loud 'ding!', everyone joyfully raised their hands, and the wave of sound instantly engulfed Aoki Haruhi.
"Happy New Year!!!"
"Happy New Year."
Just then, Aoki Haruhi heard a whisper in his ear—
Nao Tsuda pulled her mask up to her head, smiled slightly, and kissed him on the cheek.
Mmm~
What a fox!
But then again, Aoki Haruhi couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning up.
He was quite happy with the kiss.
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