Chapter 286: Vomiting Blood
"Mr. Ryuji? Why did you come in person?"
When Ryuji entered Tokyo TV, Sasaki's face was sweaty. Today, both Mirai-sensei and Ryuji were there, and the situation was a bit awkward.
Tokyo TV had no intention of letting them meet at first. Inviting Takumi was just an attempt, and the person originally scheduled to interview Manga Paradise was just the anime director from Manga Paradise.
The sudden appearance of President Ryuji made Sasaki's heart race, especially after meeting Mirai-sensei. His face gradually turned cold, making Sasaki fear a conflict.
He knew very well that Manga Paradise was under great suspicion due to the Gundam SEED incident, and Ryuji must deeply hate Mirai-sensei.
"Hello, Mirai-sensei."
However, unexpectedly, when Ryuji saw Mirai-sensei, his face changed several times, and he finally took the initiative to approach and greet him.
"Hello."
Takumi shook the middle-aged man's hand, looked at him strangely, and asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"
He knew of Manga Paradise, but had never met Ryuji. It was an unintentional remark, but the other two present wondered if it was a deliberate act.
"Let me introduce you..." Sasaki tried to smooth things over, introducing, "This is Mr. Ryuji, the president of Manga Paradise. Mirai-sensei knows Manga Paradise, right?"
Manga Paradise... Takumi couldn't ignore it.
"Oh, so it's President Ryuji..." he frowned slightly and said, "President Ryuji is also here, what a coincidence. Aren't we on the same show?"
"I hope not..."
Ryuji replied coldly. Then, he looked angrily at Sasaki, "Director Sasaki. Are we on the same talk show?"
"No, of course not!"
Sasaki wiped his sweat and quickly explained, "Mr. Ryuji's interview will have to wait a bit, and right now it's Mirai-sensei's show."
After he said this, the anger in Ryuji's eyes subsided considerably; it seemed the television network was not targeting him.
"Then... Mirai-sensei, please come with me to the dressing room first, and we'll put some simple makeup on you,"
Sasaki suggested. He couldn't let the two of them stay together. If a conflict arose, it would be a huge problem.
"Alright."
Takumi nodded. He followed Sasaki out, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped, "President Ryuji, this is a good opportunity. How about we clear the air?"
He turned his head and said to Ryuji, "If you are willing to apologize and stop, I think we can still be colleagues."
It was the end of June, and Mirai-sensei's celebration would be held soon, but Alice had not returned to help. Takumi had many things to do, and time was short.
He was very busy now. Whether the celebration could be held on time was a problem. There was no extra time to pay attention to Manga Paradise, so it was more convenient for Takumi to resolve the matter at once.
The viewership of Gundam SEED surpassed that of The Strongest Mobile Suit. The lies of Manga Paradise are evident, and the lesson has been learned. As long as Ryuji promises not to deceive in the future, Takumi doesn't want to take it too far.
"What did you say?"
Ryuji heard Takumi's words and thought he had misheard.
'What is this? Is Mirai-sensei a child?'Manga Paradise was his enemy. It was truly surprising that Mirai-sensei would give him such a naive suggestion!
Ryuji had an incredible gut feeling, but then, as a businessman, his nature took over, and a laugh welled up from his heart.
'To be so kind to the enemy, too naive, such a naive person... he can't be his opponent at all!'
"Excuse me, excuse me, I'm a fool..."
Thinking this, Ryuji said with a smile, "I don't understand what Mirai-sensei said. What did we do at Manga Paradise? We did nothing..."
He did not admit Manga Paradise's mistakes. Once the day was over, the blame would fall on the mangaka.
"Really?"
Takumi left, somewhat displeased.
Then the Tokyo TV talk show began. It was a live interview. The stage was filled with an audience. The host was a young woman. They told Takumi to call her Miss Mina.
"Welcome everyone... Welcome to Tokyo TV's celebrity column every Wednesday. This time we have a mysterious guest. It's time to guess... Who is it this time?"
"The clue is a manga. Let's guess the identity of this guest!"
After the show began, Miss Mina on stage started to introduce the topic. Takumi, standing backstage, watched, thinking that being a host was also a technical job. It was difficult to find someone eloquent and capable of creating an atmosphere.
His celebration also needed a host, but there was still no suitable candidate. Those voice actors could perform well, but it was unlikely they would be the host.
'Could you recommend someone from the television network? Maybe... Yumi seems to be good',
Takumi thought. The staff told him it was time to go on stage, and Takumi walked towards it. The guessing game went on until the end, and no one guessed it was him.
Takumi came out from backstage and a series of lights illuminated him. He squinted, somewhat unaccustomed, and then heard a huge ovation around him.
"It's Mirai-sensei!"
"Hey, who's that handsome guy? How come I've never seen him before?"
"Mirai-sensei, it's Mirai-sensei! Don't you know he's the president of Tsuki Animation Company? The recent hit Gundam SEED is his work!"
"Are you kidding? Is Mirai-sensei really on a talk show?"
"Damn, this is a miracle!"
There was a lot of noise around him. Takumi heard some people shouting his name. He walked to the center of the stage, took the microphone, and smiled at the audience.
"Hello everyone, I'm Mirai-sensei. Do you know me?... Are you surprised?... Of course, I'm surprised. In fact, before coming on stage, I always thought no one here would know me. I didn't expect so many people to know me."
The audience was very excited. The show hadn't even started yet. They kept sending greetings to Takumi. Takumi kept smiling and interacting with them for a minute, and then the host invited him to sit down.
"It's really surprising! I didn't expect so many people to know Mirai-sensei!" Miss Mina said with a smile, "Mirai-sensei, you're not a mangaka. If you told me you were a big star, I wouldn't be surprised at all..."
"Miss Mina, you're kidding."
Takumi said with a smile, "It's all thanks to the broadcast of Gundam SEED in recent weeks. If it weren't for this animation, I think few people would recognize me." "
Don't you believe it?"
he asked.
"Of course not!"
some exclaimed loudly.
"Look, it is..." Takumi said to Mina, "The voice just now didn't even reach a tenth of the people!"
"No... Mirai-sensei, your question is wrong." Mina covered her mouth. She smiled and said, "It's too sudden. I should ask it."
She looked at the audience and said, "Mirai-sensei said that without Gundam SEED, you wouldn't recognize him. Is that true?"
This time, many spectators shouted at the top of their lungs, "It's not true!"
"I met Mirai-sensei when I saw Five Centimeters Per Second." "
I have collected all of the master's works."
"I have a picture of the master and I stick it next to my bed. I can see him every day when I go to bed and when I wake up!"
"Hey, hey... the one from just now..." Takumi couldn't stand it, "You're a child, this excuse is too fake."
"Puff..."
Mina couldn't help but laugh, "In short, many people here know Mirai-sensei, you're right. Let's get to the point quickly." I'm very interested in Mirai-sensei!
Mirai-sensei is a mysterious mangaka. Mina couldn't help but take the opportunity to reveal his secrets.
The program lasted half an hour, and they both began to talk. At first, the content was about Takumi's family and personal life. These topics were also of most interest to the public, but unfortunately, Takumi remained very tight-lipped.
He said what he should say and tactfully avoided what he shouldn't, which made Mina, a professional host, feel helpless.
'Damn, he's like a fox!'
Twenty minutes into the program, Mina reluctantly abandoned the topic. There were still ten minutes left to focus on something more crucial: the animation content.
Tokyo TV was the first network to air Gundam SEED, and this was also an opportunity to promote the animation. If Mirai-sensei hadn't talked about Gundam SEED when invited, they would have laughed out loud.
"Let's talk about Mirai-sensei's Gundam SEED." Mina held up a report and said with admiration, "This animation premiered on our television network, and the latest episode has a viewership of over 16%. With this figure... is Mirai-sensei particularly satisfied?"
"...Barely acceptable..." Takumi thought for a moment and replied, "Actually, I would have a higher standard. The budget for this animation is substantial, and for now, this result can only be said to be up to par..."
"Up to par? My goodness!... Mirai-sensei, is that too much to ask?" Mina exclaimed, "This animation premiered on three television networks at the same time, and the ratings in Osaka and Suhua are also extremely high. How can you say it's a huge success?"
"How can it be a huge success?" Takumi shook his head, "The ratings of the three television networks are similar to the premiere of Pokémon, but the cost of a single episode of Gundam SEED is several times higher than that of Pokémon."
Based solely on ratings, the starting point for Gundam SEED and Pokémon is similar, but the broadcast price of Gundam SEED far exceeds that of Pokémon, so Takumi didn't lose money.
When Pokémon aired, he didn't have much bargaining power, but now he is confident and no longer fears that others won't buy it.
If it's linked to the merchandise and voice actor plans that will be launched later for Gundam SEED, its value will increase even more... So Takumi is quite satisfied with the current results.
However, even if he is satisfied, he must keep a low profile on the show. If he is too arrogant to say how great his animation is, it will only provoke envy. Being
discreet can reduce hatred, but it is not absolute, at least behind... Ryuji, who was watching television in Tokyo, was trembling with anger at Takumi's words.
"Does it meet the standard?"
16% viewership, three television channels, and a premiere price of four or five million per episode—is this considered up to par? The viewership for The Strongest Mobile Suit is only 7%, and it only airs on Tokyo TV.
The difference is enormous; Ryuji is furious.
"That boy did it on purpose, he must have angered me on purpose!"
he thought excitedly, his heart aching, so he said to the staff accompanying him, "Could you please get me a glass of water?"
"Hey... I'm sorry..."
A staff member initially served Ryuji a glass of water, but he was watching television and didn't notice, so Ryuji drank the water without realizing it.
"I'll go get it right away."
He took the glass and went to the dispenser, while the program continued.
"Mirai-sensei, your demands are too high!" Mina complained, "If you want to compare Gundam SEED with Pokémon, of course there's no comparison..."
"Look at The Strongest Mobile Suit, it is..." Mina said, but she realized it had been a slip of the tongue, quickly covered her mouth, and said, "I'm sorry, this topic doesn't seem very appropriate, we..."
"It doesn't matter."
Takumi interrupted her, saying, "I think The Strongest Mobile Suit is a good animation. Manga Paradise must have worked very hard to make it."
Mina was stunned, and so was Ryuji.
"What is this guy doing?"
He was surprised to think that Takumi would praise Manga Paradise on the show. "Is he really a fool?"
Ryuji was a little confused. When the staff brought the water, he didn't take it, but continued watching television.
"Mirai-sensei." The stage was silent for a few seconds, and the host Mina showed a strange expression, "Are you optimistic about Manga Paradise and The Strongest Mobile Suit, right? This... the outside world says you are mortal enemies!"
"What's wrong? I'm confused right now..."
There was also an uproar in the audience. People were talking among themselves, very surprised. The orthodox dispute between Gundam and Mobile Suit had spread so widely, why was Mirai-sensei still speaking well of Manga Paradise?
The crowd looked at Takumi, waiting for his answer. Takumi lived up to everyone's expectations and explained, "Although there are some conflicts between Manga Paradise and me, it is the largest manga company in Japan. I believe that Manga Paradise will not betray its readers."
"As long as Manga Paradise is willing to apologize for this incident, I can forgive them; I believe they will admit their mistakes; at least they will not shirk responsibility and blame the mangakas..."
Takumi added with a smile.
At that moment, behind the television station, Ryuji received a heavy blow.
"Discovered... how is it possible!"
He stood up, trembling.
Mirai-sensei actually saw the truth of Manga Paradise's plan and told the truth on the show, abruptly cutting off his retreat. Shirking responsibility now will only ruin the reputation of Manga Paradise!
"Willing to forgive..."
Manga Paradise apologized. Mirai-sensei was willing to forgive, but what about the readers? If they apologized, the readers would never forgive their deception...
"Puff!"
Ryuji spat blood and felt dizzy.
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