Tokyo.
Ghibli, Inc.
The company had just moved to its new location in Higashi-Koganei in August of this year, so only three months had passed since then.
The new environment was good, but everyone didn't seem to have fully adapted yet.
The number of people at Studio Ghibli was not many, less than 50, which was still a big gap from the peak of 300 people in its previous life.
From its establishment in 1985 until now, Studio Ghibli had only existed for a little over 7 years, making it a 'baby' in a country like Japan.
After all, Kyoto Animation was founded around the same Time.
However, in terms of strength and reputation, they were worlds apart; Hayao Miyazaki, currently 51 years old, could be said to be a doyen of the Japan animation industry, hailed as the number one person after Osamu Tezuka.
Today, Studio Ghibli was a bit busy.
In Hayao Miyazaki's small room, less than 40 square meters, where he drew, Managing Director Toshio Suzuki was happily setting up a television on a table, and then fiddling with a Sega MD game console next to it.
Actually, there's a little-known fact and a common misconception here.
Because Hayao Miyazaki is very famous and one of the co-founders of Studio Ghibli, many people subconsciously assume that Hayao Miyazaki is the President.
But that's not the case.
Studio Ghibli was established through investment from Tokuma Shoten.
With Tokuma Shoten's investment, Hayao Miyazaki, Takahata Isao, and Toshio Suzuki jointly founded Studio Ghibli.
The name Ghibli comes from an Italian reconnaissance plane from World War II, meaning "hot wind of the Sahara Desert."
Because Hayao Miyazaki's father used to work in an aircraft factory, Hayao Miyazaki had a longing for flight and the sky since childhood, which is why he thought of naming the studio 'Ghibli'.
The first President of Ghibli was the renowned Yasuyoshi Tokuma, after which Yasuyoshi Tokuma handed over the presidency to Toru Hara, the former President of TOPCRAFT.
Due to differing opinions on management policy, Toru Hara resigned as Managing Director at this Time last year, and Toshio Suzuki took over.
The current President of Ghibli, Inc. is Suzuki.
...
Such an organizational structure and arrangement are actually more conducive to Ghibli's development. Suzuki is responsible for all company internal affairs, personnel management and coordination, external promotion and operations, and then releases all of Hayao Miyazaki and Takahata Isao's Time and energy, allowing them to focus on their own work without being disturbed by worldly matters.
However, this also brought some 'minor problems'.
For example, middle-aged men like Hayao Miyazaki are always well-protected, always immersed in their own world, making it difficult for them to make changes and adapt, and they rarely think about understanding the latest world.
This can lead to falling behind the Time and delayed information.
Often at this Time, Toshio Suzuki would be the one to open the door to Hayao Miyazaki's new world.
For example, a while ago, when Studio Ghibli began to introduce computers as tools, in order to make this guy 'play computer'.
Suzuki thought of a way to trick the stubborn Hayao Miyazaki into using a computer.
He knew that Hayao Miyazaki loved shogi, so he deliberately opened the shogi software when Hayao Miyazaki approached.
Hayao Miyazaki was surprised, this big guy could actually play shogi, he couldn't help but feel itchy, and after playing for a while, he praised the computer's high level repeatedly.
So Suzuki bought a computer for Hayao Miyazaki on the grounds that "he can play shogi."
For the next few days, Hayao Miyazaki was seen playing shogi with the computer with great enthusiasm.
Suzuki secretly rejoiced.
Unexpectedly, not long after, when Suzuki arrived at work, he saw the computer placed back on his desk, with a handwritten note from Hayao Miyazaki next to it, which read, "I won't fall for it."
It turned out that the computer's shogi level was too high, defeating Hayao Miyazaki completely and breaking his heart.
In short, for Suzuki, although Hayao Miyazaki was over 50, he still lived like a child.
No, to be precise, like a little hamster.
He is very timid and extremely afraid of frustration; once there is any disturbance, it will make him shrink back into his comfort zone.
This Time, Suzuki did not intend to let Mr. Miyazaki return to his comfort zone.
...
Some Time ago, because he accidentally saw an advertisement for the game "Your Name" on TV, Hayao Miyazaki actually said something like "I want to play game" for the first Time.
Even Toshio Suzuki was stunned.
You know, this guy used to regard game as a big enemy.
In his previous life, Studio Ghibli produced many animated films, and most of them were very classic and internationally renowned works. There were even many game manufacturers who wanted to obtain the game development rights for related films.
Especially works like "Steamboy," which had a distinct early Eastern cyberpunk style, many people thought it would be so cool if it could be developed into a game.
But what about this old man, Hayao Miyazaki? He just wouldn't allow it.
He absolutely refused to let them be made into game.
That's why there were rumors that Hayao Miyazaki simply didn't accept game, even regarding them as a major enemy, saying that he was stubborn and old-fashioned, not accepting new things.
In fact, only part of that was true.
There were several very important reasons for this.
Ghibli had indeed tried game adaptations, but Hayao Miyazaki was heartbroken by the earliest ones.
In 1984, Studio Ghibli had not yet been established, but "nausicaä of the valley of the wind" was already renowned both domestically and internationally. At that Time, Tokuma Shoten produced three game adaptations of "nausicaä of the valley of the wind" through its subsidiary brand "Technopolis Soft".
They corresponded to MSX, PC8801, and PC6001, three types of home computers that were popular in Japan at the Time.
This might seem incredible today; they actually developed three different game for three platforms instead of directly porting them!
However, these three game shared a distinct common characteristic — "calling them trash is an overstatement."
Think about it, in 1984, Nintendo hadn't even developed super mario yet, and the hardware at that Time was simply a disaster, completely unable to support the game graphics of "nausicaä of the valley of the wind" and the content Hayao Miyazaki wanted.
A 56k game, a large part of which was used for the game's boot-up screen (the boot-up screen had a pretty high degree of restoration to nausicaä of the valley of the wind), and just loading the game took 10 minutes.
Yes, you read that right, it took 10 minutes to load the game; making computer game in 1984 was not only a miracle but also required immense courage.
And the game itself could only be described as unbearable.
It was like Hayao Miyazaki drew a Mona Lisa in his film, and the game turned it into a pile of bean paste.
Failure was inevitable, and it also destroyed Hayao Miyazaki's thoughts about game and computers.
...
Besides the disastrous failure of the "nausicaä of the valley of the wind" game adaptation, Hayao Miyazaki had another reason for disliking game —
He was too bad at it.
He died quickly in game, being tormented to death by monsters, so Mr. Miyazaki only scratched the surface and quickly abandoned game, never planning to have anything to do with game again in this life.
Now, all of this was unexpectedly broken by a TV advertisement, which truly made Toshio Suzuki feel incredible.
Even a hamster would have its day to peek out.
While Suzuki was setting up the game console, Mr. Miyazaki watched the entire process, looking at the black box on the table with some confusion.
"Have game consoles become like this now?"
"Isn't it? Did you think it was still 10 years ago?" Toshio Suzuki laughed.
"No, my son also plays, but I saw his machine was red and white."
"That's Nintendo's game console, this is Sega's MD."
Hayao Miyazaki was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.
"Are there so many game consoles?"
"It's the same as us making animation; it's not like there's only one company making game consoles."
As he spoke, Toshio Suzuki had already set up the game console and tested that it could run. He then handed the controller to Hayao Miyazaki, "Alright, you can start."
The screen showed the start interface of "Your Name."
To be honest, there was still some difference in image quality compared to the promotional video.
After all, the precision of hand-drawn animation can be very high, and the current hardware level of game consoles cannot yet achieve this.
However, the graphics were already considered top-tier for the Time, quite close to the original artwork.
Just this point alone was far beyond what the pixelated style of "nausicaä of the valley of the wind" of yesteryear could compare to.
It was also thanks to this being a 16-bit machine, coupled with Sony's support and improvements to the game console's CD-ROM, that the game's capacity and quality were significantly improved.
Of course, Pokeni's own high software and hardware level was the most important reason.
After adding a chip specifically for image and memory processing, "Your Name" on screen is now almost catching up to 2004's Fate in terms of quality.
To be honest, when Hayao Miyazaki saw the game screen, he was momentarily stunned.
Because it was much better than he had imagined.
"Is this a game screen?"
Hayao Miyazaki said, somewhat incredulously.
He hadn't shaved for the past two days, and his beard had grown into a patch, making him feel quite adorable.
"What else would it be?"
Toshio Suzuki frowned, "How long has it been since you played a game?"
"I… I thought it would be like super mario," Hayao Miyazaki said.
Because he was still stuck in the pixelated side-scrolling era of super mario, Hayao Miyazaki still couldn't figure out how to play a game like "Your Name."
However, galgames only really became popular in the last two years, thanks to Pokeni.
It's normal not to understand.
"Come on, you try it yourself." Suzuki-san said with a smile. He couldn't discourage Miyazaki too much, or this Mr. Miyazaki would retreat.
Hayao Miyazaki chuckled adorably, wearing his work clothes with an apron tied around his waist to prevent paint stains, and wiped his hands on the apron.
Just as he was about to take the controller, he pulled his hand back.
Suzuki-san stared at him, seemingly asking, 'Nani?! You're retreating again?'
Hayao Miyazaki chuckled honestly, pointing at the game console with his finger, "My hands are dirty, you play."
Toshio Suzuki: …
…
Mr. Miyazaki had retreated, but not completely.
He wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses, pulled a wooden chair over, and sat next to Suzuki-san, watching him play the game.
To be precise, he was [directing] him to play the game, while his eyes were wide open.
"Not bad, the in-game graphics are much better than I imagined."
"What did you think? Was it like "nausicaä of the valley of the wind" from back then?" Toshio Suzuki teased.
Sure enough, Mr. Miyazaki frowned deeply, as if a sore spot had been hit.
At first, Hayao Miyazaki couldn't imagine how an "animated film-style" game would be played, but after experiencing it with Suzuki-san, he quickly became engrossed.
His emotions were stirred as the game progressed.
"Nani?! So this is how you play it?!"
"Hmm… Should I choose [to scold the other person soundly] here?"
"Ah… this is interesting, a girl's soul living in a boy's body."
"What now, choose [to mend clothes for the senior]?"
"Didn't you see the clue? Now you have to go to the school and ask about the situation, consult with other people."
"…"
Toshio Suzuki's brows were deeply furrowed, his face looking desolate.
You're just directing, Mr. Miyazaki, why don't you play it yourself?
…
Unconsciously, more than three hours had passed.
In a flash, it was already Time to get off work.
They definitely couldn't finish today. Hayao Miyazaki was still reluctant to stop, but due to Time constraints, he could only bid farewell to Suzuki-san.
Early the next morning, he urged Suzuki-san to continue the game.
Toshio Suzuki was both amused and exasperated; this guy was clearly engrossed in the game, but—
Why don't you play it yourself?
"The game isn't difficult at all, it's just making choices and talking to people to advance the plot," Suzuki-san persuaded. "You can totally adapt to this game."
Hayao Miyazaki's face flushed slightly, "I was just painting, my hands are dirty."
He awkwardly wiped his hands on his apron twice, then put them behind his back.
If you say that, what about my dignity?
Mr. Miyazaki expressed that he was not the kind of person who would give up just because a game was too difficult.
…
It took about five more hours, and the two finally completed the game before 2 PM.
As the heartwarming BGM played at the end, both Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki showed relieved smiles on their faces.
"That's great, they ended up together after all."
Toshio Suzuki turned his head back with a smile.
But he saw Mr. Miyazaki secretly wiping away tears.
Don't ask; if you ask, this guy will definitely say, "My eyes are a bit sore from looking at it for too long."
Sure enough, seeing Toshio Suzuki notice him, Hayao Miyazaki immediately sniffled and re-adjusted his glasses on his face.
"My eyes are a bit sore from looking at it for too long. My lenses were dirty, so I just wiped them a little."
Mm-hmm.
I understand, I understand.
Toshio Suzuki nodded.
…
The two each brewed a cup of coffee, held them, and drank, discussing the game content as they talked.
"Hmm… it's a good story, and the emotional build-up is very well done, the imagination is rich enough, and the art style is very comfortable. Can games really achieve this level now?"
Hayao Miyazaki exclaimed.
"Indeed, the world is changing very fast." Toshio Suzuki seized the opportunity to say, "Now many companies are already using computers as tools for drawing."
In the past, Hayao Miyazaki would definitely have said, "How could a delicate art form like animation, which requires emotion, be replaced by machines? Humans are the most advanced beings in the world."
But this Time, he didn't refute.
Hayao Miyazaki was silent for a moment, then looked up at Toshio Suzuki.
"Suzuki-san."
"Hmm?" Toshio Suzuki responded, surprised.
"I have a new understanding of game now."
"Oh? That fast?" Toshio Suzuki looked at his old friend with a chuckle.
Hayao Miyazaki nodded seriously, "The development of technology is truly amazing now.
Perhaps, as you said, one day machines can also become an important aid to animation.
Of course, I haven't given up on animated films, after all, the most crucial core will not change, and that is human creativity and soul.
I just feel that something like game seems to have its own unique charm, allowing you to genuinely play a certain role and generate enough immersion and resonance.
This is not so easy to achieve in animation."
"Hmm… indeed." Toshio Suzuki carefully weighed Hayao Miyazaki's words.
Actually, the most crucial point is that—
Animation is passive; audiences don't have to do anything, they just passively receive, completely following the Director's camera.
game is active; players can make choices and act within it. When you become active, your emotions and sense of immersion are all stirred up.
From this perspective, these two offer distinctly different experiences.
However, if one really had to choose, Toshio Suzuki would feel that game might be the most ideal creative form for an expresser.
It's not about simply instilling ideas, but allowing players to comprehend the expresser's thoughts through exploration, which is very rare.
…
The two exchanged opinions, and both gained extraordinary insights from the game "Your Name."
Hayao Miyazaki even remained silent for a long Time because of it.
Silence does not mean retreat; on the contrary, Suzuki-san could see the fire in his eyes.
The look of creativity being ignited.
After a long Time, Hayao Miyazaki's face was filled with a lingering smile, as if he had pondered a great deal.
"Interesting, this form of expression, game, is more interesting than I imagined." Hayao Miyazaki nodded, "By the way, what was the name of that company again?"
"Pokeni," Toshio Suzuki said.
"You know, is there a possibility…"
Hayao Miyazaki suddenly became interested, sitting cross-legged on the wooden chair, tilting his head to look at Suzuki-san.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I said, is there a possibility that while we are making the "princess mononoke" movie, we also release a game?"
"princess mononoke" is the animated film currently being created by Studio Ghibli. Its inception was very early; Hayao Miyazaki already had the idea in 1983.
However, the production cycle is very long. With Hayao Miyazaki's strict requirements, coupled with traditional hand-drawn animation methods, it is expected to be completed around 1996.
"Ha?!"
Toshio Suzuki was completely stunned.
Mr. Miyazaki's leap was greater than he had imagined.
This was no longer just stepping out of his comfort nest; it was directly jumping onto a tree and looking up at the clear blue sky.
"But… we have no experience in making games," Toshio Suzuki said. "Did you forget about "nausicaä of the valley of the wind" last Time?"
"Although we don't…" Hayao Miyazaki pointed to the television, "They do, that company that made "Your Name.""
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