Takuya Nakayama temporarily set aside the progress reports for several ongoing game projects and headed to the premiere of Studio Ghibli's new film, Only Yesterday.
With Sega's shareholding in Sunrise and the successful expansion of multiple game projects into the animation field, the Japanese anime industry had long since come to regard Sega as a heavyweight player.
Thanks to Hayao Miyazaki, Nakayama had always maintained a good relationship with Studio Ghibli, so whenever a new film premiered, an invitation unfailingly appeared on his desk.
The premiere venue was filled with glamour and elegance, crowded with industry elites.
The moment Takuya Nakayama appeared, presidents and producers from various animation companies stepped forward to exchange pleasantries, and the atmosphere quickly grew lively.
He first sought out the film's director, Isao Takahata. His heartfelt praise genuinely moved the animation master.
"Director Takahata, you're truly remarkable," Nakayama said sincerely.
"To capture that feeling adults have when looking back on childhood—the delicacy, the intimacy, even a hint of embarrassment—that's far harder than depicting simple passion or fantasy."
The words clearly struck a chord with Takahata. A knowing smile spread across his face as he modestly waved it off, then passed along greetings from Miyazaki, who hadn't been able to attend, with more than a little playful resentment that his old friend couldn't see the finished work in person.
Soon after, Kazuhiko Torishima, Shueisha's ace editor, approached with several currently popular Weekly Shonen Jump manga authors.
Takuya recognized the two leading the group at once.
The bespectacled one was Yoshihiro Togashi, author of Yu Yu Hakusho.
The other carried a calmer, more focused air—Takehiko Inoue, creator of Slam Dunk.
"Executive Director Nakayama, I've heard so much about you," Torishima said as he extended his hand, wearing the sharp, calculating smile of a seasoned professional. As Shueisha's top editor, he had naturally long taken note of Sega's rising star in the entertainment industry.
"You're too kind," Nakayama replied, shaking his hand before turning to the two manga artists behind him, his smile becoming far more genuine.
"Togashi-sensei, Inoue-sensei—I've been following both of your works religiously."
That opening line clearly caught the two creators off guard.
Nakayama's gaze fell first on Togashi as he continued with a smile.
"I haven't missed a single chapter of Yu Yu Hakusho. The Spirit World Tournament arc was pure genius. Have you ever considered turning it into a fighting game? Sega's Mega Drive could really use a title that sets players' blood on fire."
The moment the words left his mouth, not only Togashi but also Torishima and Inoue froze.
Togashi was visibly flustered. He hadn't expected this influential figure to know his work so deeply—let alone already be thinking about a game adaptation.
He opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. Torishima, however, reacted much faster. His eyes behind his glasses lit up instantly, as if he were already hearing the rustle of banknotes.
Before they could even digest that, Nakayama turned to Inoue, his tone filled with admiration.
"And Inoue-sensei's Slam Dunk—that youthful sweat and refusal to give up is incredibly moving. It's a shame current console hardware can't fully capture those subtle movements. Otherwise, Sega would love to tackle a game like that as well."
A spark flashed in Inoue's eyes. For a creator, nothing was more gratifying than having one's work truly understood.
"By the way," Nakayama asked casually, entirely at ease, "why haven't I seen Toriyama Akira-sensei or Hojo Tsukasa-sensei today?"
At the mention of those two, Torishima couldn't help but rub his forehead, complaining half-jokingly, half-seriously.
"Don't even mention it. One says he hates crowds and ran off to the countryside to play with his cats. The other's laziness flared up again—I had to station three editors at his door just to squeeze out the latest City Hunter manuscript. No way I'd dare let him out after that."
The grumbling drew a round of laughter, instantly warming the atmosphere.
Once the laughter subsided, Torishima's expression grew serious again. He stepped closer, lowering his voice, excitement unmistakable.
"Executive Director Nakayama, what you said just now was more interesting than any movie tonight. About those game adaptations—I really think we should find time to sit down and talk properly. And not just about these two. Jump has quite a few strong cards in hand."
Nakayama smiled inwardly.
The fish has bitten.
He nodded, took a fresh glass of champagne from a passing server's tray, and raised it toward Torishima.
"I'll be waiting anytime."
As the small talk continued, Noboru Ito, president of Sunrise, approached with a glass in hand, his face flushed with excitement that could be felt from afar.
Director Yoshiyuki Tomino wasn't present—he was fully immersed in preparations for Mobile Suit Gundam F91.
After more than a year of recuperation, the bald director's spirits had recovered considerably. Under Nakayama's "Universal Completion Plan," F91 was no longer a rushed theatrical project like two years earlier. Instead, it was being developed as a full TV series, aiming to comprehensively depict the Babylon Founding War, fully portraying the clashes of factions and the fates of those caught in the storm of history.
"Executive Director Nakayama, we really owe this to you!" Ito said the moment he spoke, barely able to contain his joy.
"The final profit report for G Gundam is out—it's practically like picking up money!"
The recently concluded Mobile Fighter G Gundam had not only brought Sunrise and Bandai returns far beyond expectations, but more importantly, it had successfully opened up a massive younger audience base.
"You know what?" Ito lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"What you said back then—'new fans will go looking for old works'—it actually came true! Over the past few months, rentals of 1980s Gundam videotapes have shot up! Now the whole company treats your line 'every generation has its own Gundam' as gospel!"
With his prediction perfectly validated, Nakayama simply smiled and nodded, quietly claiming no credit.
Ito's gratitude was overflowing. After all, the core framework of G Gundam's story and setting had been practically handed to Sunrise by Nakayama himself.
After talking about success, it was only natural to talk about the future.
"Oh, right," Ito continued, animated, "we're also extremely confident about the racing anime Future GPX Cyber Formula we're preparing!"
Thanks to the ample cash flow brought in by G Gundam and Sega backing them, Sunrise now had far more patience and confidence than before.
"We followed your advice exactly," Ito said enthusiastically.
"We polished the script again and again, giving every major rival a rich backstory and unique charm. The current script—honestly, even the writers swear it'll be the benchmark for racing anime!"
In racing, competition was everything. If all the rivals were faceless stepping stones for the protagonist, the races themselves would lose their shine. Sunrise had clearly grasped this point.
"The script I'm not worried about," Ito hesitated slightly, "but the merchandise afterward… Tamiya is very interested, but a few newer toy companies are offering extremely high licensing fees. I'm not sure which way to go."
That was his real purpose today—to seek guidance from the god of fortune himself.
Nakayama took a sip of champagne and answered with a question.
"President Ito, why do you think Bandai managed to turn Gundam models into such an unrivaled business?"
Ito blinked. "Because… they do it well?"
"Exactly—because they're the most professional," Nakayama said calmly.
"What's Sunrise's moat? Creating great stories and great IPs. What's Tamiya's moat? The world's strongest development capabilities, sales channels, and brand influence for racing models."
"Our goal is to join forces and make the pie bigger, not chase a bit of licensing money and prop up a second-rate player. If their products underperform, whose brand gets damaged in the end? Cyber Formula's."
His tone was even, but every word carried weight.
"Let professionals do professional work. We perfect the anime; Tamiya perfects the toys. That's a win-win. The animation IP sits upstream—initiative is always in our hands. Why fear a toy company turning against us?"
The words struck home. The hesitation vanished from Ito's face, replaced by total conviction.
"I understand now! Thank you for the guidance!"
With his purpose fulfilled, Ito took his leave, clearly satisfied.
After seeing him off, Takuya Nakayama finally enjoyed a moment of peace.
He moved to a corner of the venue with his glass, about to rest for a bit, when something caught his eye.
In the shadows stood a rather out-of-place figure—alone, wearing oversized sunglasses despite being indoors under soft lighting.
The outfit felt oddly familiar. Nakayama mentally ran through faces in the industry, and a name gradually surfaced.
Without drawing attention, he swapped for a fresh glass of champagne from a passing server and walked over.
"Good evening."
Nakayama stopped beside the man. His voice was quiet but enough to pull the other out of his thoughts.
The man in sunglasses startled slightly. When he turned and saw Nakayama, surprise flashed across his face.
Anyone moving in animation and games knew the weight this Sega executive now carried.
"Executive Director Nakayama, hello," he said somewhat stiffly, then pulled out a business card holder and offered one with both hands.
"I'm Oji Hiroi from Red Company. I've long admired your reputation."
Oji Hiroi.
Just as expected.
Nakayama smiled, accepted the card, and exchanged his own.
"You're too polite," Nakayama said, glancing at the card before looking up with a smile.
"I quite enjoyed Mashin Hero Wataru, which your company worked on with Sunrise. I hear that after the project wrapped up, you've been gathering inspiration for a new concept?"
At that, a faintly bitter smile appeared on Hiroi's face, the sunglasses unable to hide the melancholy beneath.
"You're flattering me. Inspiration isn't something that comes just because you want it to."
"Oh?" Nakayama leaned in slightly, as if sharing a secret, his voice lowering.
"I happen to have a rough idea here—wonder if you'd be interested?"
Hiroi paused.
Nakayama's voice carried an oddly seductive pull.
"What if we combined several seemingly unrelated elements? For example—girls, swords, steam-powered super-deformed robots… and stage theater. Would a project like that interest you?"
Hiroi froze completely.
The bitter smile vanished. Behind the sunglasses, his eyes must have gone wide.
Girls. Theater. Robots.
Each of those elements alone was something he had obsessed over for years.
But to combine them all into a single project—he had never even dared to imagine it!
The idea struck directly at the core of his creative soul.
"H-how do you know I like stage theater?" Hiroi blurted out, his voice trembling.
"That's not industry information—that's personal!"
Nakayama looked at his shocked expression and gave an inscrutable smile.
"Sega owns shares in Sunrise."
The casual remark hit Hiroi like a thunderbolt.
He understood instantly.
Red Company had worked with Sunrise for years. His preferences and creative habits being known—and passed along to a major shareholder—made perfect sense.
In that moment, the image of the young Sega executive before him grew immeasurably more mysterious and powerful.
"This idea…" Hiroi stammered, barely able to contain himself.
"Executive Director Nakayama, could we talk in detail? About this—"
"This isn't the place for a project of that scale," Nakayama said with a smile, cutting him off. He raised his champagne slightly.
"Next Tuesday, ten in the morning. My office at Sega headquarters. Then—we'll turn this story into reality."
Hiroi nodded vigorously, excitement radiating from him.
He carefully tucked Nakayama's business card away as if it were a priceless treasure.
"I'll be there on time!"
With that, he hurried off, his steps almost floating—clearly eager to return and sort out the ideas that had just been ignited.
Nakayama watched him nearly run away, gently swirling the champagne in his glass as the golden liquid shimmered under the lights.
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