The day after *My Neighbor Totoro*'s premiere, Takuya Nakayama returned to his battlefield of phone lines, fax paper, and caffeine. Rubbing his temples, he pushed aside thoughts of Mamoru Oshii's stoic face and Hideaki Anno's eager eyes. Metaphysical discussions on art gave way to urgent reality.
As he sat, his assistant slid a steaming black coffee and a folder onto his desk. "Executive, Director Kojima's project is complete." Takuya's hand paused, then his bloodshot eyes sparked with fervor.
In the game development department, Hideo Kojima's newly formed team sat beside Takuya, who watched a screen where "Solid Snake" hugged a wall, dodging enemies' fan-shaped vision cones. A radar ticked in the corner, each enemy update demanding tense decisions. Takuya saw Kojima's clever use of scrolling, layering, and logic to craft a novel experience under MD's limits. Interspersed dialogue and radio enriched the story.
As Solid Snake infiltrated the target, the demo ended, silence falling. Kojima glanced nervously at Takuya, awaiting judgment. Takuya turned, clapped Kojima's shoulder, and said, "Kojima-san, I chose right. This is the game I envisioned—Sega's unique creativity for the world to see."
By late April, PC Engine dominated buzz, its March releases earning praise for vibrant colors and smooth visuals. Sega's recent games sold well but lacked media spark, seeming to lag. In Akihabara, a massive ad on Central Street was swapped overnight. Dawn lit a stark poster: no vibrant magic or cute mascots, just a resolute man's chiseled face, shadowed and stern, against a maze of cold steel. Its stark, ink-like strokes exuded suffocating intensity, clashing with surrounding cartoonish ads yet commanding attention.
Passersby stopped. "What's this? A movie?" "No, it's Sega and MD—a game?" Confusion turned to curiosity. A subtle signature, "Yoji Shinkawa," and the poster's mature, serious aura became a hot topic, drawing players tired of "defeat the demon king" clichés.
This was Takuya's planned pre-launch buzz, branding *Metal Gear* as distinct. Reading reports of players' excitement, his mind flashed back months to when *Metal Gear*'s planning began. Kojima, struggling with art direction, needed a visual style unlike his Konami days to match the stealth theme. Takuya pulled sketches from his drawer—works by Yoji Shinkawa, *Metal Gear*'s future art director, then a Kyoto Seika University art student.
Kojima's eyes lit up at Shinkawa's bold lines, light-shadow mastery, and cold fusion of man and machine. He rushed to Kyoto, recruiting the otaku student, who joined eagerly. Shinkawa's commute between Tokyo and Kyoto strained the project, and he considered dropping out. Takuya stopped him, spreading a mech sketch on the table. "This arm has aesthetic power but a weak joint—too frail for slashing or grabbing." Pointing to a character sketch, "These exaggerated back muscles have tension, but the left scapula's off for this twist. It defies skeletal logic."
His critique, devoid of blame, made Shinkawa sweat. His wild imagination met "reality's" measure. He realized anatomy and design principles weren't dull theory but the foundation for his visions. Takuya even joined Shinkawa to meet his professor, arranging extra studies and a book list to balance academics and work.
Back in the present, Takuya looked at the talented but green Shinkawa and said, "Shinkawa-kun, I don't just want a genius drawing for *Metal Gear*. I want you to be the first art master to lead Sega—maybe the entire industry's—aesthetic future." His words hit Shinkawa like a boulder, reigniting his resolve to finish school and master the extra material.
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