Evening.
Aoki Haruhi strolled along the path outside Studio Ghibli.
The lingering glow of the setting sun filtered through the layers of leaves in the forest, dappling the light and casting shadows on the ground.
A warm red hue remained on the cleanly swept street.
At the main entrance of Studio Ghibli, there was a wooden bench.
At first, Aoki Haruhi didn't quite understand why Hayao Miyazaki would place such a chair outside. He initially thought it was a decoration because the chair's design was unique, and it even had two small wind chimes hanging from it.
However, as he approached, he realized there were two children sitting on the bench.
The children were both young, probably around 6 or 7 years old.
One boy, one girl.
In the autumn of October, the girl was also wearing a dress, a layered gauze dress that made her look like a bright and charming little princess.
She truly felt like she had stepped out of an animated film.
When Aoki Haruhi walked outside the building, he happened to run into Hayao Miyazaki, who was about to leave work.
"Eh? Aoki-san, why are you here?"
"I happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd drop in and say hello, to see if you were still around. If not, I was just going to stroll back," Aoki Haruhi said with a smile.
Although he said that.
In reality, Aoki Haruhi was indeed a little concerned about the animation production progress of princess mononoke, but he didn't feel comfortable rushing Hayao Miyazaki, so he decided to come and check.
Miyazaki, this man, is a standard master, an idealist, and an inspirationist.
If he has no inspiration today, he won't make any progress in his work.
He might even draw for several days, only to suddenly feel that all his previous drafts were junk, and then tear them all up and throw them into the trash can.
Starting over from scratch is a common occurrence for Hayao Miyazaki.
"Ha, I'm just about to leave work. Why don't you come in and sit for a bit?"
Studio Ghibli truly was Aoki Haruhi's ideal; it was an entire fairytale-like home, with thick and beautiful curtains outside the windows. If you didn't know it was a company, it really wouldn't be much different from a villa.
"Will I be disturbing you?" Aoki Haruhi asked with a smile.
"It's fine."
Hayao Miyazaki waved his hand, "You can help me move the chair inside."
"Huh?"
Aoki Haruhi was slightly stunned, "Does this chair need to be moved inside?"
"Yes."
Hayao Miyazaki nodded, "Mainly, I'm afraid it will get damaged if it rains or if no one is around at night."
"I'm also the first one to arrive at the company every morning and move it out."
"Don't you get tired?" Aoki Haruhi asked curiously.
"Not at all." Hayao Miyazaki smiled, revealing deep dimples.
"This is also a resting place specially set up for children and those who love Ghibli."
"Ah ~ I see."
Aoki Haruhi nodded.
Hayao Miyazaki smiled, wiped his hands on his apron, and walked towards the two children.
"Well, that's it for today. I need to move the chair inside."
The two children, hearing him, reluctantly got off the bench and stood on the ground.
The girl obediently walked up to Hayao Miyazaki and bowed to him.
"Thank you for your castle in the sky."
"Haha, thank you too."
Hayao Miyazaki reached out his large hand and stroked her forehead.
The girl pulled the boy and, after saying goodbye, ran off.
For some reason, when Aoki Haruhi saw this scene, especially when he heard the girl say, "Thank you for your castle in the sky," he felt an inexplicable touch in his heart.
"I really envy you, Miyazaki-sensei," Aoki Haruhi said.
"Not at all. What is there to envy about me?"
"Carrying the hopes and dreams of children, and being thanked by people."
Aoki Haruhi expressed, "It's truly strange. Everyone works hard to pursue their dreams and bring beautiful and warm experiences to the audience/players, so why do I only receive blades and curses?"
"You will have this day too," Hayao Miyazaki encouraged with a smile.
...
The two of them went up to the second floor. Hayao Miyazaki turned on the lights, invited him to sit on a chair, and then went to brew a pot of tea.
"Well, just make yourself at home for now. I've been swamped lately, so it's a bit messy."
Aoki Haruhi nodded, silently observing.
Many original drawings were pinned to the wall.
It was evident that most of them were by Hayao Miyazaki.
And these drawings weren't storyboards; they were original drawings, essentially a single frame from the entire animated film.
For example, for castle in the sky, there was a large structural drawing of the entire city floating in the clouds, like a large multi-layered cake, with rich colors.
However, unlike the content shown in the animated film, when Aoki Haruhi looked closely, he could see many lines sketched with a pencil.
It was quite obvious.
These were design sketches used to find inspiration.
Looking further, there were also porco rosso, Lupin the 3rd, Totoro...
"I've discovered something very interesting," Aoki Haruhi said with a smile.
"Hmm?"
"These original drawings are all the most crucial designs in each movie. As soon as you see them, you can feel endless creativity, like the bedrock of the entire animation."
"Hmm, impressive!"
Hayao Miyazaki gave him a thumbs up.
"My working method is different from many animation Producers," Hayao Miyazaki said, sitting on a chair with his feet apart, his large apron resting on his lap.
"Some people like to use text as a script, some people plan the story first before starting to create the script, and some people directly draw storyboard scripts.
Me?
I don't like using text; I prefer to draw directly.
I have to find that most crucial thing first.
Once that thing appears, then all the stories fall into place."
Aoki Haruhi glanced back and noticed that the old man looked quite pleased with himself as he said this.
You really have the nerve.
Because of your creative method, the progress is very slow, okay?
Hayao Miyazaki, in a sense, is comparable to China's famous director Wong Kar-wai.
He didn't initially decide what kind of movie he wanted to make.
He had a vague impression, or sometimes just a title, and then he started filming.
During the filming process, it was a continuous search for inspiration.
When inspiration struck, he would draw the key frames and then think about the story.
Sometimes the story would come all at once, and then the overall production process would be very smooth.
What if it didn't?
Then this one person would delay everyone's progress.
Regarding the creative method, Aoki Haruhi had nothing much to say.
A master has his own unique way of working, and perhaps this is why Hayao Miyazaki's animation is so good – it's not constrained by time or external pressure.
He completely pursues what he truly desires.
However, as a partner, even for the project's employees, encountering such a master is actually quite challenging.
Because you don't know when work can begin.
Original drawings and storyboards are the foundation of all production, equivalent to construction design drawings. Without them, work simply cannot proceed.
And this thing is only done by Hayao Miyazaki, and it's like rolling dice.
Just then, Aoki Haruhi discovered a drawing of princess mononoke.
It was quite noticeable, right in the middle of another wall. The newness of the paper indicated it had been pinned up recently.
He couldn't help but stand up and get closer.
The drawing on the wall was a very classic scene—
princess mononoke, wearing a mask, riding on the back of a white wolf, holding a dagger in her hand. The overall color was dark, and behind princess mononoke, it was almost completely black.
In such an environment, princess mononoke and the white wolf suddenly became exceptionally prominent. Coupled with the movement and blurred lines, it conveyed a sense of charging forward.
It had great tension.
It had a great sense of speed.
"Wow, Miyazaki-sensei, you've already found the answer," Aoki Haruhi said, gazing at the drawing on the wall with admiration.
Hearing Aoki Haruhi's words, Hayao Miyazaki couldn't help but smile with relief.
"Your eyes are really sharp. This is the answer I thought of just yesterday."
Seeing this, Aoki Haruhi felt a little more at ease. Everything was developing in a good direction. Since Hayao Miyazaki had found the key frame he wanted, the production of princess mononoke should not be a big problem.
"However, regarding the Forest Spirit, I still haven't been able to come up with a particularly good final scene for its appearance."
Hayao Miyazaki lit a cigarette for himself, then reached out and scratched his head.
Oh my god!
Please, please don't scrap it and start over!
"Eh? What does that mean?"
Although Aoki Haruhi was a little worried, to avoid irritating the old man's sensitive nerves and potentially affecting future artwork, he feigned composure and asked nonchalantly.
"A sense of divinity and oppression,"
Hayao Miyazaki raised his hand and gestured in the air, "It's hard to capture that feeling."
He stood up, walked to his wooden desk, and picked up a drawing he had just completed today from the table.
Aoki Haruhi took a look and roughly identified the problem.
Hayao Miyazaki's drawing itself, in terms of composition, color, and all aspects, was impeccable. However, in this particular scene, the Forest Spirit Aoki Haruhi saw still differed from what he had imagined.
The destructive power was strong, as the entire forest had a terrifying gap torn open.
However, it lacked that sense of awe.
"The bigger something is, the more it can give people a sense of oppression and shock," Aoki Haruhi said, thinking, "But, I think there's another condition."
"Hmm?"
"Slow."
"Slow?" Hayao Miyazaki's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had grasped something.
"And one more thing," Aoki Haruhi continued, "A sense of awe doesn't necessarily have to be conveyed through destruction; it can also be through other forms, such as withering, decay...
The Forest Spirit itself controls death and rebirth, right? So, when depicting its negative effects, can we portray that feeling of slowly withering away?"
"Ah!"
Hayao Miyazaki jolted and stood up from his chair.
He finally understood.
"Thank you so much, Aoki-san, your timing today couldn't have been better. You've truly enlightened me."
"Rage has nothing to do with awe. That's great, you made me understand this."
Aoki Haruhi smiled with relief.
No, these are all things you will do in the future. I'm just discussing your future ideas with you in advance.
The two chatted until very late, almost 1 AM, before Aoki Haruhi finally left Ghibli.
Although his body was exhausted, his brain was unusually excited.
Very good.
This is stable now.
As long as Hayao Miyazaki's thoughts are clear, princess mononoke should be made very quickly.
The game has hope of being released next year.
...
In October, Pokeni Co., Ltd.'s new game, to the moon, had its PV broadcast on television.
The screen began with a round moon hanging in the sky.
A boy and a girl sat on a fallen log on the lawn, looking up at the sky.
There were many stars in the sky, incredibly beautiful.
The art style adopted the dreamy fairytale style of Quilt Man, and this time it was used to its fullest extent, inspiring endless fantasies about this starry sky.
Following that, soothing music flowed gently, and some words appeared on the screen:
[This is a story about memory]
[This is a story about love and promises]
[to the moon]
...
After that were some in-game clips and gameplay demonstrations.
[Brand new puzzle elements]
[As the truth is revealed step by step, what will happen at that moment...?]
In the high tower, the lights flickered.
The man and woman gently leaned against each other, dancing.
Although there were only two shadows, it was exceptionally romantic.
"I am willing to spend my entire life making you remember our promise under the moon."
"—"What if you forget or get lost?""
"—"We'll always meet on the moon, silly!""
—to the moon
Pokeni Co., Ltd.
Producer: Ishino Mika.
Our promise to you:
November 24th.
Be there or be square.
...
After the PV for Pokeni Co., Ltd.'s to the moon was broadcast, positive reviews for the game gradually increased online.
"The PV is better than the physical game I saw at the Tokyo Game Show."
"Yeah, I saw on the forums before that many friends who came back from the Tokyo Game Show didn't seem to rate it very highly. I even thought this year's Pokeni Co., Ltd. had released a trash galgame."
"Could it be that the previous expectations were too low, so this time seeing the PV, I actually felt a tiny bit of inexplicable emotion? It's really much better than I imagined."
"Great, I thought I wouldn't be able to play Pokeni Co., Ltd.'s galgame this year."
"Pokeni always releases at least one galgame every year. Last year's CL and LL were both in the second half of the year, so it's not surprising to see to the moon now."
"Although Pokeni's galgames don't have any suggestive parts, they inexplicably have a strong appeal.
What's more, this game was produced by Ishino Mika."
"The art style of Quilt Man is truly my white moonlight.
To be able to see it in to the moon now really moves me."
"Great, to the moon, my favorite Quilt Man's dream style, paired with my favorite Producer, Ishino Mika.
What kind of effect will it ultimately produce?"
"To be honest, I was initially skeptical about to the moon, after all, the feedback from the Tokyo Game Show wasn't very good. Now, after watching the PV, I have to consider whether I should get it."
...
After reading the comments, Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but frown deeply.
Damn it, how bad did you all think this game was before?
Please Support me by becoming my Patreon member and get 20+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon