In October, a new episode of Sonic aired.
An unnamed high school student, Isao Iwasaki, sat at home and watched the entire episode from start to finish.
The episode title alone felt unusually intriguing.
The previous episode had shown Sonic coming to terms with his reality and forming an odd-jobs agency with Mr. Yoshida's family, allowing Sonic to take on all kinds of requests.
This time, Sonic received a special commission.
A famous celebrity had heard that a new ramen shop had opened in Shibuya and really wanted to try it. Unfortunately, work kept getting in the way, so they asked Sonic to buy a bowl of ramen on their behalf.
"A famous celebrity? Probably made up. No way it's a real person."
Isao didn't think much of it and kept watching.
The plot itself was simple. Sonic ran off to buy ramen, but because of his unusual appearance and his lack of familiarity with ramen, a series of misunderstandings ensued. In the end, he bought a bowl with the wrong flavor and even the wrong noodle width, then hurried off to deliver it.
He raced to the destination in a blur of sparks and lightning.
Kadokawa Talent Performance Department—
Isao's head snapped up.
There was actually a Kadokawa Group product placement!
Still, it fit the story surprisingly well, so he accepted it.
Sonic entered the talent department out of curiosity and met quite a few people. Though they were all illustrated characters rather than real actors, it still satisfied Isao's imagination of what life behind the scenes of celebrity work might be like.
Then Sonic finally met the client for this mission.
"Huh—what?! Is this for real?!"
Isao shot to his feet.
A small, round face, not very tall, with an obedient, gentle look.
One of Kadokawa's Three Leading Ladies—Hiroko Yakushimaru.
A superstar of the 1980s. When she performed in Osaka, crowds flooded in from everywhere, packing Osaka Station to the point of gridlock for over two hours. Her debut work had been alongside a towering figure like Ken Takakura, and she had been heavily promoted by the Kadokawa Group.
And now, in this seemingly ordinary Sonic anime, Hiroko Yakushimaru had appeared—and even delivered a line voiced by the real person.
Isao could hardly believe it.
He really liked Hiroko Yakushimaru.
Then again… who didn't like little Pill-chan?
Calming himself, Isao sat back down and continued watching. Although the ramen had been delivered, Yakushimaru didn't even get to take a single bite of the incorrect order before being summoned away for filming.
All that remained was an untouched bowl of ramen, with two chopsticks laid across the top, left behind in the dressing room—quietly declaring a certain helplessness inherent in an entertainer's life.
A few seconds of an empty shot followed.
It felt strangely profound.
Isao stood up and paced around the room, brimming with excitement.
A collaboration with Hiroko Yakushimaru and the Kadokawa Group.
GAINAX had really made it big.
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Why was Hiroko Yakushimaru in the anime?
Because the Kadokawa Group had granted the authorization.
Why was there a five-second empty shot at the end?
Because the licensing fee was too expensive, and GAINAX ran out of money for that episode.
So they used five seconds of empty footage to stretch the production budget.
The camera lingered on the steaming bowl of ramen as it gradually cooled completely, spending a full five seconds before finally cutting away.
Even brothers had to settle accounts clearly, and besides, Tetsu Kobayashi wasn't Kadokawa Tetsu. He had merely connected the line—the money itself was paid by GAINAX.
Makoto Yamashina was extremely excited on the phone.
"Kobayashi-kun, how did you even think of this move? It's brilliant! Ratings shot up instantly. Tokyo TV says it's already at 8%! A lot of viewers tuned in just to see Hiroko Yakushimaru—especially that final shot!"
Speaking with absolute conviction, Yamashina praised, "It's full of meaning. Everyone's saying that empty shot shows the ramen going from scalding hot to warm and finally cold, symbolizing the busy lives of entertainers and the pressure someone that young shouldn't have to bear!"
Tetsu Kobayashi chuckled.
The real reason was just that GAINAX had run out of money.
"You're right," Tetsu said. "That was exactly the intent of this episode. Even the final empty shot is filled with meaning."
Yamashina could only silently give a thumbs-up.
Artistic? Was it artistic? This was art at its finest.
After hanging up, Tetsu couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.
If he'd known Hiroko Yakushimaru would be involved, he should've gone to watch the shoot in person.
He actually liked Hiroko Yakushimaru too.
His fondness for JK aesthetics had started with Sailor Suit and Machine Gun.
But filming was already over—there was no chance now.
Tetsu did some calculations.
At the current pace, after two more seasons, Sonic would recruit Knuckles, defeat Shadow, and it would be about time for the old rival, Dr. Eggman, to make his appearance. Around then, Sega would start building hype for the MS, and that would be the perfect opportunity to promote the Sonic game.
The anime's good, right? Now you can personally experience Sonic's supersonic speed in the game.
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After winter set in, temperatures dropped even further, but Tokyo still hadn't seen any snow.
Tokyo wasn't a city that snowed often to begin with.
Over in the Second Development Department, development of Ice Climber had already wrapped up and was scheduled for release in November. Naturally, the marketing needed to keep pace.
Tetsu planned to have a simple commercial filmed. Of course, standees, flyers, and other promotional materials were absolutely essential too.
The concept was straightforward: two Inuit characters fighting over supplies to stock up vegetables for winter. The overall tone was lighthearted and cheerful, with a touch of absurdity. In the end, the two of them held hands and packed canned herring together.
This winter, let's play—Ice! Climbers!
The commercial director was someone Tetsu had hired through the Kadokawa Publishing Group. Not exactly a top-tier professional, but reasonably well-known. Upon hearing that Tetsu was shooting something, Hideo Kojima even volunteered to come all the way from Kobe to cameo as the male Inuit.
He didn't even want a fee—just the chance to observe a professional filming process and indulge his dream of being a director.
Tetsu was deeply moved.
Free actors were still actors—no reason to turn them down. Who would've thought that Kojima, before even officially joining, would already display such outstanding workhorse spirit? Volunteering himself and bringing his own food—Tetsu was very satisfied.
On the streets of Shibuya, Tetsu stood outdoors.
Across from him was Kobayakawa, handing out stacks of Ice Climber flyers. Beneath her pleated school skirt, she wore a pair of uniform trousers. Even though Tokyo's temperature hadn't dropped below freezing, it was still cold enough to numb the legs—wearing just a skirt wouldn't do.
Japanese school rules were strange. No matter the season, girls were required to wear skirts. When it got too cold, the solution was simple: wear pants underneath.
Skirt and pants together—distinctive in their own way.
That was why thermal legwear later became such a godsend for Japanese high school girls.
When Kobayakawa noticed Tetsu, her eyes lit up. She trotted over in small steps, rubbing her hands together.
It really was cold. Even with gloves, the chill seeped through.
Tetsu breathed out a puff of air, pretending to be a fire-breathing dragon.
Seeing this, she followed suit, blowing out a breath herself. When she realized her breath didn't last as long as his, she felt a little discouraged.
"Tetsu said, 'Breathing out like firing arrows—this is internal energy cultivated to the advanced stage. I'm about to reach the point of condensing energy in my core. In a few days, when you see me again, I'll be hitting people like hanging paintings—stick them to the wall and you won't be able to pull them off.'"
"You're talking nonsense again," Kobayakawa said, clearly unconvinced.
She blew warm air into her hands, rubbing her palms, excitement shining in her eyes. "Tetsu-kun, is this game fun? Even Rinko from the Second Development Department hasn't played it, so no one really knows what it's like."
"If you ask me whether it's fun, I honestly can't say," Tetsu shrugged. "After all, this was supervised entirely by Satoru Iwata in the Second Development Department. I didn't participate at all. So… we'll find out after it releases."
Tetsu calculated that after developing one successful game, as long as it performed well, Iwata would establish authority within the Second Development Department. When that happened, officially elevating Iwata later would be entirely reasonable.
As for what Masahito Tanimura thought—
Tetsu Kobayashi didn't care in the slightest.
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