Chapter 278: Introversion and Gundam
"The Strongest Mobile Suit" was broadcast on Tokyo TV, the channel with the highest audience in Japan and with a clear inclination for anime.
"Gundam SEED" will also be broadcast on this same channel. After learning from previous experience, Takumi asked Eiji Takashima to apply for it at first, and Tokyo TV agreed to broadcast it.
Of course, the price has not yet been decided, and this will have to be decided by the channel's jury after seeing the sample film.
"Gundam SEED" has not been decided on mainland Japan's television network, but Takumi is not in a hurry. When the anime is about to be completed, and as long as it is announced to the public that it is Mirai-sensei's work, several television networks should bid.
In April, on the broadcast day of "The Strongest Mobile Suit", Takumi decided to go home early to watch it.
Leaving the company, he passed by a room prepared for a press conference. The room has not yet been officially used, but it is already in use.
Masako Natsukawa was training. This minor was too introverted. It was said that she didn't even dare to go on stage, so Takumi asked others to train her more actively.
He had high expectations for her. Masako Natsukawa's mother, Yuko Natsukawa, understood him. Seeing that her daughter was responsible for so many songs, she knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The first step to train Masako Natsukawa to be extroverted is to get her used to others' gaze. To do this, Takumi transformed the empty press room into a stage and gave it to Masako Natsukawa to train.
"Let's go in and take a look!"
It was early, and Takumi entered the room to watch the training.
There were already more than a dozen people in the room, and they were employees from other departments. Anyone who was on their break would be stopped. These employees acted as the audience. And Masako Natsukawa had to get used to performing in front of this "audience".
"Ah... It's the president..."
Someone saw Takumi enter, and then Yuko Natsukawa quickly approached: "President, what are you doing here?"
She and her daughter signed a contract at Hinotori Publishing's voice actor agency, so she knew Takumi's identity, but she couldn't reveal it, and she usually called him "President."
"I'll come and see the training results. How about it? Will Masako get used to it?"
Takumi asked. The first time Masako Natsukawa went on stage, there were few people watching, but her performance was very nervous and her singing was intermittent.
That look was like an autistic person suddenly on stage, and the performance was horrible. This disappointed Takumi, but luckily, there was something to console him: that Masako Natsukawa behaved very well.
Or it could be said that this girl's greatest characteristic was her good behavior and obedience. No matter how difficult it was, she did it. Even if her body trembled and she felt lost, Masako Natsukawa endured the fear and went on stage.
"She's much better than at the beginning."
Yuko Natsukawa replied to Takumi's question: "This child hasn't had contact with people since she was little. Now, occasionally, she takes the initiative to greet people... and although her performance is stiff, she can endure the gazes of some."
"Really?"
Takumi's eyes lit up, and he felt a little happy: "Then, take me to see."
Yuko Natsukawa took Takumi backstage, separated by the curtain. Masako Natsukawa was drinking water. Seeing them come, she froze, quickly put down the glass of water, and stood up quickly.
"President..."
She lowered her head and spoke shyly, her voice very low. But Takumi felt a little happy in his heart. This was indeed an improvement. Before, this girl never took the initiative to greet anyone.
But the problem of lowering her head when speaking has not improved...
"Masako, have you practiced all the songs I gave you?"
Takumi asked.
"Well... yes..." As soon as Yuko Natsukawa approached, the girl immediately grabbed the corner of her clothes and said nervously: "I've practiced them well...".
"Good."
Takumi nodded with satisfaction, but seeing Masako Natsukawa tightly holding the corner of her mother's clothes, he still felt that the prospects were somewhat bleak.
The Gundam singer he was looking for was someone who could perform on stage, not an ordinary voice actor. However, Yumi and Masako Natsukawa were fine, but Shiori and Masako Natsukawa were not people capable of performing on stage.
And it turned out that they were the two most talented, and the most important of the four. Even if one wanted to hide their identity, the other had to show it.
Takumi, in reality, was a little biased. He would let Shiori remain hidden. He didn't know what path Shiori would take, but he respected all her decisions.
So he placed all his expectations on Masako Natsukawa. She had to be a dazzling and eye-catching singer. That was also his wish...
"Masako, do you want to be a singer?"
Takumi asked.
"Yes."
Masako Natsukawa replied, her head still down, but her voice more determined than usual.
This child is different from Shiori. In Takumi's opinion, although Masako Natsukawa is shy, she yearns to be a singer and never denies it.
She has talent, she loves things, she's young and full of vitality, and her only weakness is her introverted personality.
"Since you want to be a singer, you have to promise me one thing." Takumi extended his hand, touched Masako Natsukawa's head, and whispered: "Practice well these months. If you are no longer afraid of the stage, I will make you a singer."
"..."
Masako Natsukawa slowly raised her head: "Really?"
Her eyes sparkled a little, but when Takumi looked at her, fear flashed in her eyes again and she immediately pulled her head back.
"Really?" Takumi withdrew his hand and smiled slightly. "But if the anime is ready and you're still so shy, I'll blacklist you and won't give you another chance to go on stage."
Yuko Natsukawa was surprised.
"President, this is too much..."
She seemed somewhat anxious. Takumi shook his head silently. Yuko Natsukawa immediately understood that Takumi was just scaring her daughter and breathed a sigh of relief.
"What do you think? Masako, do you dare to promise me this?"
Takumi asked.
Masako Natsukawa took a step back, wanting to hide behind her mother to answer. But Yuko Natsukawa patted her back and didn't let her hide.
"...I understand..."
After more than ten seconds, Masako Natsukawa nodded.
"Okay." Takumi smiled. He extended his pinky finger: "Let's make a pinky promise."
Yuko Natsukawa shyly watched her daughter make a pinky promise with Takumi, and sighed inwardly. This young president treated her like a child and persuaded her.
But she was still a child.
"Then, Miss Yuko...".
After making the pinky promise, Takumi prepared to leave. Before leaving, he smiled at Yuko Natsukawa: "You need to intensify her training. We can't keep up with her."
"Yes."
Yuko Natsukawa nodded, seeing her daughter shrink in fear.
"Don't be afraid, Masako... You can do it."
She bent down and hugged Masako Natsukawa. Until she regained her composure.
One thing was done, and when Takumi returned to the luxury apartment, "The Strongest Mobile Suit" was in full broadcast.
Takumi poured himself a cup of tea and started watching it. This was not the first Gundam animation in Japan. One had already appeared in mainland Japan last week, and several companies were producing it.
However, these newly released Gundam animations did not particularly stand out. The body design was old, the combat rough, the worldview lacked a perfect focus, and the weapon design was monotonous.
"The Strongest Mobile Suit" gave Takumi a similar feeling. This animation's background was an alien invasion. Humans stole alien technology and created huge human-controlled robots. Called "Mobile Suit", the mobile suits began to stop the alien invasion...
"Is that all?"
Takumi asked after finishing the first episode. It wasn't as powerful as he had imagined. It seemed like an ordinary mecha war animation, like those children's hero anime.
"The Strongest Mobile Suit"'s theme is justice and evil, a theme that children should like, like Ultraman, etc.
The robot is just a skin, and this skin is very strange. The body design is outdated. Although the appearance seems to be from the 21st century, the detailed structural design is as simple as from the 80s and 90s.
But this is normal. The Gundam series also developed for decades in Takumi's previous life. Each part of the robot was improved again and again, until the mature models' bodies were finally formed.
In this world, although Takumi submitted the draft of the settings, they were not detailed. Popular manga only show the appearance, but many people don't know the structure.
The same goes for other settings. "The Strongest Mobile Suit"'s combat method is mainly melee, and the other, the use of swords. The most powerful are lasers and projectiles, but all very simple.
The laser is an ordinary red laser fired from the chest, and the projectiles are ordinary projectiles that fly over the ground, which is not at all flashy.
Gundam's charm lies in the details; Takumi suddenly thought of this after watching "The Strongest Mobile Suit". He admired other manga companies. Gundam is Gundam. If you only learn the appearance, you cannot create a real Gundam.
The Gundam's structure in this animation is a mess. Although it sells derivatives, it doesn't sell an assemblable Gundam, but an empty shell.
"Shouldn't many people like this animation?"
Takumi thought, but what happened next turned his idea upside down. In Japan, and even in Japan, some newspapers praised "The Strongest Mobile Suit" for its excellent performance.
"The pinnacle of the Gundam theme, no one can surpass it in five years!"
"The charm of the new theme's machinery is fully displayed, and 'The Strongest Mobile Suit''s ratings are constantly rising!"
"Gundam has gone from manga to screen, and Manga Paradise is better than the original!"
"The Strongest Mobile Suit" had unexpected popularity and became popular in Japan.
In this world where Gundam anime has just appeared, the audience is like a blank slate. The appearance of a Gundam full of flaws will also make them shine and be surprised.
Just like someone who has never seen a Gundam, even if it's a classic mass-produced model, they will find it very strange. Not to mention the appearance of this model, which is actually very modern.
Takumi was a little nervous.
To launch Gundam, he launched this theme more than a year in advance. He thought it was the right time, but he hadn't expected the market standard to still be so low.
This made him feel the risk. "Gundam SEED"'s machine configuration is at least ten years ahead of other Gundam manga and anime. Could it be accepted by the market?
Takumi found himself in a dilemma. He discovered that his ideas were somewhat different from those of the people in this world. He took it too much for granted. If he wasn't careful, he could get into trouble.
For this reason, Takumi cautiously asked other employees of Tsuki Animation Company if "Gundam SEED" could meet market needs.
The answer was unanimous: "No problem." The setting of "Gundam SEED" is more complicated than other Gundam animations, but the audience isn't here to see the setting, but to see the plot.
"President, don't worry, we guarantee that this animation will cause a sensation among young people!"
Those who have already started producing "Gundam SEED" are full of confidence. They know the plot, so they are convinced of its charm. Akiko even stated:
"The audience definitely won't understand the setting, it doesn't matter, they will also think: 'Although I don't understand how this works, this powerful and beautiful animation... other Gundam are child's play'."
After receiving the response from the people of "this world", Takumi put aside his worries.
In his previous life, many people who had never seen Gundam were attracted by "Gundam SEED". Combining these two things, he shouldn't worry about the time difference.
Shortly after, the completion time of "Gundam SEED" was also calculated. Since no one made mistakes, the animation progressed faster than Takumi expected, and the first episode could be completed in early June.
However, two months before the anime finished, Manga Paradise was enraged by the popularity of "The Strongest Mobile Suit". In fact, they publicly declared that Mobile Suit was the orthodox Gundam.
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