Chapter 21

GONZODIGIMATION Co., Ltd. is located at 2F, Yatada Building, 3-14-3 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Even though Fukuda Mihime is the largest shareholder, she cannot directly interfere with the company's operations. As the company's president, Murahama Shoji appears to be overly polite but not very respectful to Fukuda Mihime.

Fukuda Mihime proposed to take Shen Zhenghui on a tour of GONZO and introduced him, saying that Shen Zhenghui runs an animation company in mainland China, and there is a potential for future collaboration.

This president seemed to have the typical Japanese problem of being overly critical, and he looked at Shen Zhenghui with a somewhat impolite gaze, saying, "Chinese animation, not worth mentioning."

"Mr. Murahama, even Mr. Osamu Tezuka didn't say that," Shen Zhenghui said, staring at Murahama Shoji. "So far, your company's best work is probably Blue Six, right?"

Murahama Shoji snorted, "So, is your animation company Shanghai Animation Film Studio?"

"Of course not," Shen Zhenghui replied, slightly surprised, "But they don't have as much money as I do."

"I won't bow just because of money," Murahama Shoji said, glancing at Fukuda Mihime, seemingly hinting at something. "What drives me in this industry is my love for it. If money harms my ideals, I'll have to start over again." The president had a determined look on his face. "After all, I've already left GAINAX once. I can do it again if necessary."

Fukuda Mihime looked at Shen Zhenghui and whispered in Chinese, "I hate dealing with these otaku who make anime the most. You talk to him."

Shen Zhenghui gave her a look, "You just did the acquisition and didn't do any follow-up work, right?"

Fukuda Mihime rolled her eyes.

Shen Zhenghui cleared his throat, "Mr. Murahama," he walked up to Murahama Shoji and spoke in a sincere tone, "For anime creators, the most important thing is the work, isn't it? No matter how much you resent the control of capitalists, you have to admit that popular works are what both capitalists and anime creators hope to achieve. In this regard, you are the experts, and Miss Fukuda Mihime has already said she won't interfere with the company's specific operations."

Murahama Shoji's gaze shifted between Fukuda Mihime and Shen Zhenghui, "Are you speaking on behalf of Miss Fukuda Mihime?"

"We are partners," Shen Zhenghui nodded.

Murahama Shoji's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything.

"Mr. Murahama, clearly, for GONZO, just being content with small-scale subcontracting and taking several years to produce one of your own works, even though it is popular, isn't enough. Haven't you ever imagined a day when excellent works continuously flow out of the company, creating waves of excitement, making Japanese and even global audiences adore GONZO and look forward to every one of its works? Do you have such a dream?"

"I..." Murahama Shoji was already past the age of being easily swayed by passionate speeches, but when the scene Shen Zhenghui described formed in his mind, his heart still raced a bit.

"Or are you just repeating the cycle of building up strength, having a small success, and then building up strength again?" Shen Zhenghui continued to persuade, "Perhaps, an animator can get by with just one excellent work in their lifetime. Look at Anno Hideaki; isn't that how he does it? His company can live off of *EVA* for years, releasing a movie or a special OVA whenever they need money. Mr. Murahama, don't you want to achieve such an effect?"

"That's something that can be encountered but not sought after..." Murahama Shoji's tone weakened.

"No, of course not," Shen Zhenghui's gaze was fixed on Murahama Shoji, "Do you think Anno Hideaki will never produce another excellent work? Or do you think Miyazaki Hayao will decline?"

"Of course not!" Murahama Shoji said, "However, from what I understand, Anno Hideaki may never reach the peak of *EVA* again."

"Do you think you have already reached your peak?" Shen Zhenghui countered.

Murahama Shoji was silent for a long time. He took off his glasses and began to clean them with a cloth from his pocket. "I know," he said, "I have confidence that *Blue Six* will be well-received, but it's not a groundbreaking work. It could be forgotten over time."

"See, we also invested in the company with the hope of promoting its development. Isn't our goal the same? We also hope the company can produce a work that will make money for twenty years!" Shen Zhenghui patted Murahama Shoji's shoulder, but the man didn't react.

"You," he asked, "do you have any plans?"

Shen Zhenghui spread his hands toward Fukuda Mihime.

Fukuda Mihime shrugged, "Mr. President," she said, "why don't we take Mr. Shen on a tour of our company first?"

"Sure, Mr. Shen, Miss Fukuda, I was too rude earlier. Please follow me."

In the future, GONZO would be known for its mecha anime, with *Full Metal Panic!* in 2002 being their representative work. However, if you think the company is well-funded, you're wrong. *Blue Six* began production in 1996 and was released in 1998, taking two years and burning through a lot of money to achieve the 2D and 3D integration effect. Such a long production cycle is why, even though the OVA was popular, they couldn't immediately produce a TV series. Although the production costs weren't high, for a company with limited capital like GONZO, it was a heavy burden.

Shen Zhenghui looked around the company and felt that, in terms of details, it was better than his own company in China, but it wasn't necessarily much better.

Shen Zhenghui even watched some segments of *Blue Six*. Although it was impressive for the 1990s, it wasn't enough for Shen Zhenghui, who had been exposed to big-budget films. He frequently exchanged glances with Fukuda Mihime, who remained silent. Murahama Shoji kept talking non-stop.

"I think we can start a new anime that showcases mechanical technology, preferably a TV series," Shen Zhenghui said to Fukuda Mihime in a consultative tone.

Murahama Shoji's eyes lit up.

"I have no objections," Fukuda Mihime nodded, "but how long will the production cycle be?"

"If the funding is sufficient," Murahama Shoji looked a bit nervous.

"The funding is very sufficient, just tell me how much you need," Fukuda Mihime said with a smile.

Murahama Shoji was flustered, "Not too much," he said stiffly, clearly worried that if Fukuda Mihime invested too much, he would lose control of the company.

"Let me bring a team from China to work and learn. In the future, the company can outsource some of its business to Chinese companies."

"I'm worried their skills won't meet our standards," Murahama Shoji said hastily.

"Mr. President, the first step is to produce something. The Chinese can start with the simplest tasks," Shen Zhenghui said seriously. "Besides, their wages are very low."

"How much?"

Shen Zhenghui calculated, "50,000 yen per month, including food and accommodation."

"What?" Murahama Shoji's eyes widened, and he impulsively grabbed Shen Zhenghui's hand, "Mr. Shen, please, how many such artists do you have, I'll take all of them!"

Fukuda Mihime coughed loudly.

In the future, GONZO would be one of the top companies in Japan in terms of technology, especially in 3D CG. However, they often had the problem of projects falling apart. Works would often collapse by the third episode due to rushed production. Shen Zhenghui had a personal agenda, bringing his own company to work at GONZO. Although they would earn less, it was almost like getting free training. And compared to Japanese wages, this price was already considered high in China.

"So, what about the new plan?" Fukuda Mihime asked.

"I think Mr. Murahama already has a plan," Shen Zhenghui picked up a book from the desk. It was *Sorceror Hunter* by Shinobu Kaminaga, which won the Japan Science Fiction Convention's Nebula Award.

This work was released by GONZO in 2002, a five-episode OVA with breathtaking battle scenes. However, in Shen Zhenghui's memory, he didn't remember much about the plot.

Murahama Shoji's expression became complicated when he saw Shen Zhenghui pick up the book.

"I think we can make it bigger," Shen Zhenghui squinted, and at that moment, his mind was filled with all sorts of ideas.

"Bigger?" Murahama Shoji asked.

"A movie or a 13-episode TV series."

"Making it a movie would be too long, and..." Murahama Shoji hesitated, still worried about the funding and control issues.

"I mean, we should adapt the entire story," Shen Zhenghui rubbed his chin, "make it more realistic, with the involvement of countries like the United States, China, and Russia, and their aircraft."

Fukuda Mihime raised an eyebrow, "As a selling point for the movie? And if there's a movie, there's no need for a TV series, right?"

Shen Zhenghui was lost in his own imagination, thinking about the American F-22, Chinese J-20, and Russian T-50. If these were included in the anime, wouldn't it be a big Easter egg for the future?

"The movie is too long!" Murahama Shoji repeated.

"Longer is better," Shen Zhenghui smiled, "we can make it a trilogy." He looked at President Murahama, "President, I suddenly realize we might really be able to make money for 20 years."

Murahama's eyes widened, and his heart raced.

Shen Zhenghui suddenly thought, if this anime is made, wouldn't *The Shanghai Fortress* by Jiang Nan also be technically feasible? Maybe *The Shanghai Fortress* could be adapted into *The Tokyo Fortress*, and both Chinese and Japanese versions could be produced.