"What? Master Kogahara Tsubakiaki is retiring?!"
Upon hearing this news from Aoki Haruhi, Gorotsu editor Katayama Reiko was completely stunned.
Up until now, other than the members of Pokeni, no one had ever actually seen what Kogahara Tsubakiaki looked like, and now this person was going to retire?
Katayama Reiko stared blankly, and it took a long time before she could react.
"Yes, Master Kogahara Tsubakiaki is leaving the game industry for personal reasons," Aoki Haruhi said.
"Leaving the game industry?"
Katayama Reiko's eyes dimmed. "Then what is he going to do?"
Seeming to realize her reaction was a bit unprofessional, she quickly straightened up and explained, "I mean, a producer as talented as Kogahara Tsubakiaki, who changed the entire galgame genre single-handedly, whose new releases are always eagerly anticipated by players, and who can even be called a leader in the industry—you could even say he is the embodiment of the current galgame genre."
"Why would such a soul of the industry, a master producer, choose to leave the gaming world?"
It wasn't just Reiko Katayama who couldn't understand it; the cameraman lugging the equipment next to her couldn't either.
In the entire Pokeni Corporation, besides Aoki Haruhi himself, no one could fathom it.
If it were said that Kogahara Tsubakiaki had exhausted his talents, reached the end of his game development journey, and had no more noteworthy works to offer, or perhaps if he had suffered a Waterloo-level defeat and had become disheartened, then it might be understandable to give up.
But to leave for "personal reasons"—that was truly too hard to accept.
Hearing Reiko Katayama's praise, Aoki Haruhi felt a sliver of secret satisfaction inside.
It showed that everyone still recognized Kogahara Tsubakiaki as a producer.
"As for the specific personal reasons, it's not really convenient to disclose them," Aoki Haruhi said.
"But... Master Kogahara Tsubakiaki's retirement is just so shocking," Reiko Katayama said, feeling deeply reluctant and wearing a look of lament on her face. "To this day, no one has ever seen what Master Kogahara Tsubakiaki looks like. If possible, could you provide us with a photo?"
"Well..." Aoki Haruhi hesitated for a couple of seconds before firmly refusing. "Kogahara Tsubakiaki's decision to leave Pokeni was carefully considered, and he doesn't want to be disturbed after it. Between the number of players who already send him razor blades, he'd rather not have his likeness published. I hope you can understand."
"Oh..."
Katayama Reiko quickly apologized, "I was too abrupt. I didn't consider that."
It was true. Although Kogahara Tsubakiaki had gifted players with game after game, their emotionally devastating nature had led to players cursing him, and even many instances of them sending him razor blades.
In reality, while players might say "Kogahara Tsubakiaki, drop dead" with their lips, deep down, they adored him.
Who would have thought that this would cause him such trouble.
"By the way, the players also love Master Kogahara, so please don't attribute his retirement to them in your report," Aoki added quickly. "Master Kogahara is very grateful to and fond of the players, and he was also very happy that they loved his works."
"The reason for his retirement, aside from his own personal reasons, is more importantly that he felt it would be too exhausting to constantly surpass himself in future games."
"After 'Your Name', he felt he might not be able to create a better work for a long time, and it was in this frame of mind that he chose to retire."
"Perhaps he needs to find new inspiration."
"But I still wish Master Kogahara can find a new path on his journey of the soul and start anew."
"Although it is a bit regrettable, perhaps leaving the game industry is a comforting thing for him."
Reiko Katayama's eyes gradually brightened from their dim state.
"I see! I understand now!"
A happy smile bloomed on her face. "As expected, someone like Master Kogahara has a different level of understanding!"
In the first week of November 1992, the gaming magazine Gorotsu published a report titled—
[The Great Producer Who Opened a New Era of Galgames— Kogahara Tsubakiaki, Announces His Retirement]
In this report, it was detailed how Kogahara Tsubakiaki grew, step by step, from an unknown, ordinary game designer into a master game producer.
Onmyoji burst onto the scene, immediately making a name for Kogahara Tsubakiaki; its sorrowful and moving love story brought countless players to tears.
Onmyoji 2 continued the tradition of the first, and took the game's story and production quality to a new level.
[Afterwards, The Mermaid's Heart and The Entropic Man became even more classic one after another, full of whimsical ideas, possessing gorgeous, heavenly colors, exquisite artwork, and an extremely high level of gameplay; they not only opened a new era of galgames, but also pushed this era even further forward.
If it is said that galgames were born in chaos, then Kogahara Tsubakiaki was the person who carved out a piece of that chaos, built it into a spaceship, and launched it into space.
Since then, galgames have entered a new course, taking the vast universe as their new stage.
And now, just before the release of Pokeni's new game "Your Name," Master Kogahara Tsubakiaki has announced that his mission is complete and he will no longer be involved in game production in the future.
This is undoubtedly heartbreaking and regrettable.
It feels as if a bright new star has been lost to the world of galgames.
From the time he became famous to now, it has been less than three years, yet his name is already worthy of being written into the history of galgames.
He is a pioneer and a driving force; he is a new star, and it is also very likely that he is the only sun that currently exists in the field of galgames.
Whether a new sun will rise after he leaves remains unknown for now.
At the very least, players will feel a touch of melancholy because of it.
It is only after the last lingering warmth is gone and the sky dims that you realize all the light in the world came from this very source, and in that state of mind, you feel a hint of regret.
However, at the same time, I respect and offer my best wishes to Kogahara Tsubakiaki. He has made his own choice to live his own life, which is perfectly understandable; everyone has the right and freedom to choose their own life path.
It's just that Gorotsu and the players will always remember the name Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
I also hope that one day in the future, after recharging and setting off again, Kogahara Tsubakiaki will return to the game industry and bring even bigger surprises to the players.
Just like Hayao Miyazaki.
Not every animation director is named Hayao Miyazaki.
And not every game producer is named Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
Missing and wishing the best for Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
May we meet again in this lifetime.
Not every animation director is Hayao Miyazaki.
And not every game producer is Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
Missing and wishing Kogahara Tsubakiaki well.
May we meet again in this lifetime.]
The report by Gorotsu can be described as quite moving. The wording is just right—no excessive, dramatic rendering, no exaggeration, yet every word strikes a chord with the players, leaving countless people sighing with emotion after reading it.
"What?! Master Kogahara Tsubakiaki is actually retiring?!"
"Is this for real? I don't even know if this person is a man or a woman, or anything about their age or appearance, so how are they retiring?"
"It's true. Gorotsu reported it, and it was written very sincerely. This report interviewed the president of Pokeni and was officially confirmed by Pokeni, so it shouldn't be fake."
"Ah... you're kidding, right? That's such a pity."
"Exactly. Such a great producer. I didn't even use to play galgames, but I got into them because of his good reputation, starting with The Entropic Man. I couldn't stop after that, and I ended up buying every game Kogahara Tsubakiaki ever produced. To be honest, the quality of every single one is superb; not once did they disappoint."
"Yeah, being able to produce such high quality and quantity, Kogahara Tsubakiaki is truly amazing. Gor..."
"Honestly, the quality of every single one is super good; they haven't been disappointing at all."
"Yeah, being able to produce such high-quality work with such high efficiency, Kogahara Tsubakiaki is truly amazing. What Gorotsu said about him being the creator of the 'new galgame' is spot on.
If it weren't for Kogahara Tsubakiaki, current galgames might still be stuck in the same old vulgar style, and it would be impossible for them to have such a good reputation.
It's such a pity that Kogahara Tsubakiaki is retiring at this time."
"Speaking of which, has anyone ever seen what Kogahara Tsubakiaki looks like?"
"No... It's said that Kogahara Tsubakiaki is a man in his 50s, and that's why he wants to retire due to health reasons."
"A man in his 50s? Really? Can a middle-aged man like that actually create a work like 'The Entropic Man'?"
"What's the big deal? Age doesn't mean you're outdated. As long as your aesthetic sensibility stays on the cutting edge, you're fine. Look at Hayao Miyazaki, even though he's 50, the works he creates are still the most popular today."
"But how did I hear that Kohara Tsubakiaki is actually a young woman? And has a pretty great figure, too. Haven't you noticed something? In the works where Kohara Tsubakiaki is the producer, the art style is always extremely delicate, and the female perspectives in the games are truly heart-throbbing for men.
You can completely feel the corresponding real-life image and personality of these girls.
If they weren't a woman, it would be hard to pull that off, right?"
"Hmm... put that way, it doesn't seem unreasonable. Maybe Kohara Tsubakiaki chose to become a housewife to get married and gave up her career in gaming."
"Ah! Damn it! Which bastard married our Master Kohara?! Now we won't have any more games to play in the future."
Over at Famitsu, Hamamura Hirokazu threw the latest issue of Gorotsu onto the desk.
It made a heavy thwack.
Everyone turned around, only to see Editor-in-Chief Hamamura's expression looking extremely grim; it was clear at a glance that he was seething with rage.
Editors and reporters flocked to the desk.
Without even needing to leaf through it, the large characters on Gorotsu regarding Kogahara Tsubakiaki's retirement were glaringly obvious.
The cover of this issue of Gorotsu was also quite novel, featuring a character from The Entropic Man, accompanied by an image of a person in black (resembling the mysterious silhouette from Detective Conan), with the name [Kogahara Tsubakiaki] emblazoned in large text.
"Kogahara Tsubakiaki is retiring?!" Editor Ono's eyes widened, completely unable to believe the facts presented in the report.
This sentence struck like a bolt from the blue, instantly sending the entire Famitsu editorial department into an uproar.
Everyone crowded around to read the text carefully.
Ono held the magazine up and read the report aloud to everyone.
After hearing it, the entire editorial department fell silent, and everyone was thinking the same thing—
No way, right?
How could it be possible for Kogahara Tsubakiaki to retire?
"Pokeni's momentum is excellent right now. With the massive popularity of Pokémon, Pokeni can be said to be quite famous already. To announce a retirement under these circumstances... what exactly is producer Kogahara Tsubakiaki thinking?"
"Exactly. It's just so strange for Kogahara Tsubakiaki to retire at a time like this, isn't it? He didn't leave back when Pokeni was on the verge of bankruptcy, struggling to survive, yet now that the company is on the right track, he's retiring without a shred of attachment. I really can't understand it."
"Besides, isn't Kogahara Tsubakiaki doing quite well right now? The galgame industry uses the games he produces as the benchmark, and yet he's just retiring, just like that?"
"How come there wasn't even a whisper of this beforehand?"
"You have the nerve to ask?" Hamamura Hirokazu looked extremely angry, his entire face flushed deep red. "Why is it that Gorotsu can get exclusive reports like this every single time? Why is it that we didn't receive a single whisper about such a huge event?
We have editors, too. We have reporters, too.
Don't you know how to get out into the field more?
And don't you know how to broaden your channels?
If this continues, is Famitsu going to become someone else's stepping stone and be surpassed by Gorotsu?"
Now, Gorotsu was gradually forming competitive pressure on Famitsu. Coupled with this exclusive report on Kogahara Tsubakiaki, it was estimated that their magazine sales would increase significantly once again.
Because of this, Hamamura Hirokazu had received more than a few reprimands from the president.
I used to think Pokeni was just a small game company and didn't care much, but ever since their two games, Diablo and Pokémon, achieved unprecedented success and broke the million-unit sales mark, Pokeni now seems to be subtly positioning itself to challenge Square.
This has finally become a cause for concern.
Yet, at this critical juncture, Famitsu actually managed to miss such big news as "Kogahara Tsubakiaki's retirement."
One must realize that for Pokeni, Kogahara Tsubakiaki is practically their soul and pillar.
Without Kogahara Tsubakiaki, today's Pokeni simply wouldn't exist.
"I really don't know how you all are doing your jobs!" Hamamura Hirokazu was exceptionally furious.
Everyone hung their heads, not daring to breathe, let alone look the Editor-in-Chief in the eye.
A deathly silence filled the editorial department.
After a long while, Hamamura Hirokazu let out a sigh.
"However, if we can get a photo of Kogahara Tsubakiaki, perhaps we could put out a rather excellent report."
Kogahara Tsubakiaki could be considered the most mysterious producer in game history.
If they could successfully interview him and obtain his front-facing photo and information, it might just be enough to turn the tide.
Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.
"Understood, Editor-in-Chief. We will do our absolute best to get a photo of Kogahara Tsubakiaki!"
When he saw this report, Furukawa Hirozawa couldn't recover for a moment.
His brain just went numb.
His instinctual reaction was—
I won't be able to play games made by Kogahara Tsubakiaki anymore?
Where else can I go to play games of such high quality?
What other games could be as worth looking forward to as those by Kogahara Tsubakiaki?
Furukawa's face was ashen; he felt as if the world had suddenly become dim and colorless.
Is this fake?
It must be fake.
After two seconds, he snapped back to reality as if waking from a dream.
Damn it!
"In that case, as a fan of Kogahara Tsubakiaki, it wouldn't be right not to buy Your Name."
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