Chapter 40

Chapter 40: As long as it makes money, authorizing fan works is no problem (the title is too long to be posted, so I'll put it in the main text)

As usual, there was a round of pleasantries. As a former member of Gainax, Mutsuji Murahama had some connections with the two, and the initial conversation was relatively cordial. Anno Hideaki and Yoshitaka Amano even discussed their impressions of "The Cruel History of Kitahama High School," complimenting Shen Zhenghui's acting. Of course, when a group of anime producers gather, they naturally deconstruct the movie from an anime perspective. In just a few minutes, "The Cruel History of Kitahama High School" was transformed beyond recognition, and they could have remade it into four or five different versions.

Shen Zhenghui kept telling himself, "You are now facing a money-making expert in the anime industry, who has been making money from a single animation for twenty years. So, don't talk about otaku's ideals; just talk about money, just talk about money."

Finally, the topic shifted to "Re-take."

In short, selling the copyright to Fukami Mitsu was not part of Anno Hideaki's money-making plan. However, since someone wanted to buy it, and the price was reasonable, and he would not lose the subsequent copyright, what was the problem with selling it? After all, the story that otaku follow is still based on the official version. Moreover, the most obvious right that Fukami Mitsu bought was the adaptation right for live-action movies and TV shows, which he was definitely willing to sell. Who knew that she had dug such a big hole with this copyright? Upon carefully rereading the contract, it turned out that the adaptation of the plot was not limited to live-action movies and TV shows at the time of signing. Thus, Natsuki Eiga could produce new stories for "EVA," even using the periphery of live-action movies to produce comics and animations, even if the setting had already deviated from the original "EVA." Besides, Anno Hideaki himself couldn't just change the setting of "EVA" as he pleased; he didn't even have a fixed plan.

What he didn't expect was that Natsuki Eiga would so quickly propose a fan work of such high quality. After receiving the notification and the plot outline from Natsuki Eiga, Anno Hideaki gathered his team to carefully study this fan work called "Re-take." Everyone who read the story admitted that, except for the initial setting, the entire story seamlessly fit the original "EVA" and could even serve as a direct sequel to "EVA" if the Asuka fans didn't oppose and the Rei fans didn't protest. This could easily be used as the script for the second season.

Anno Hideaki absolutely could not accept this. If the story followed someone else's setting, what was left for him? Although the contract had such a trap, Anno Hideaki still intended to try to resolve the issue peacefully. Of course, he knew it would be difficult. "EVA" was a cash cow, and anyone in Japan would understand this. His bottom line was that if negotiations failed, he would have to refund Natsuki Eiga's copyright fee and add some money himself.

As expected, Anno Hideaki and Yoshitaka Amano discussed "Re-take" from the perspective of the setting, claiming that if the story followed this plot, it would seriously affect the direction of the official subsequent story.

The human race has already been completed; what kind of subsequent story is there?

Shen Zhenghui thought to himself, "If you say this now, compared to your future actions, you have already lost all your integrity."

Mutsuji Murahama was very nervous because this was an opportunity for Gonzo. He desperately wanted to get this copyright, and Natsuki Eiga would definitely entrust Gonzo with the production of this animation. So, he looked at Shen Zhenghui, who remained calm, hoping that this guy could talk Anno Hideaki and Yoshitaka Amano into it.

Shen Zhenghui remained calm, and in his mind, he was thinking about how to address Anno Hideaki and Yoshitaka Amano's concerns, making them believe that their money-making plan would not fail and might even be more successful because of "Re-take."

"Mr. Anno, have you played 'Dungeons & Dragons'?"

"I know, it's a famous board game."

"Right, it's a very famous game with a huge impact, laying the foundation for this type of game. It has a vast, complete, and highly free world with rich stories."

"What does this have to do with the copyright of 'EVA'?" Anno Hideaki's glasses glinted as he asked.

"Such a vast system was not designed in detail by one person or even a design team. The founder just started it, and the subsequent expansion of the world relied on the interest, effort, and dedication of countless people, eventually becoming a complete and open system and a benchmark."

"You mean to say..."

"Up until now, I haven't seen anyone or any company in Japan with such a broad vision and perspective. They are worried about their copyright interests being divided, seemingly not understanding which method is more profitable."

Anno Hideaki was not easily convinced by Shen Zhenghui, "The Japanese anime industry is very tolerant of fan works."

"What about complete commercial authorization?"

Anno Hideaki raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Yoshitaka Amano.

"I don't deny that 'EVA' is an excellent work, rich and profound, and thus can inspire a lot of passion for fan works. However, it seems a bit too limited to just stay at the usual level. The official side should try to incorporate excellent works into the formal channel, which is not just a way to expand influence."

"Then, how should the revenue be calculated?" Anno Hideaki smiled.

Finally, the conversation came to this point. Shen Zhenghui thought, "Mr. Anno, what do you think the future of the anime industry will be like?"

Anno Hideaki half-closed his eyes and did not answer Shen Zhenghui's question.

"The future entertainment world will not be one where we produce something and the audience accepts it. Communication methods are becoming simpler, and the distance between authors and readers will only get closer. The future anime industry will be more about interaction between authors and readers, not just professionals. Readers will not only enjoy receiving but also the joy of interaction. In the future, the strict separation between readers and authors will gradually disappear, and everyone will be both a reader and an author. Previously, manga artists could understand readers' interests through reader surveys and editors, but in the future, this system might become more complex, allowing all readers and authors to communicate directly."

"An interesting idea," Anno Hideaki replied, "but how does this relate to what we are discussing?"

"This means we can reach this level. After testing, 'EVA' fan works will supplement the official system, making it expand into a vast world. You, as copyright holders, don't need to create it yourselves; you just need to authorize it, and a series of anime works will automatically sprout like mushrooms after the rain, all of which have been tested and widely recognized. Once produced, sales will not be a problem. Lying down and collecting royalties will earn you more than you would by remaking the same content every few years." Shen Zhenghui did not say this last part out loud, "Avoiding all risks while having the possibility of building a new, vast world."

Anno Hideaki raised the storyboard of "Re-take" that Shen Zhenghui had given him.

"You can start with this." Shen Zhenghui raised an eyebrow, "Excellent works are so unpredictable. Japanese manga artists don't know how long their series will run when they start, whether it will be cut short, and once it succeeds, editors will push for extending the plot. Some things are rare, but once something succeeds, you should try to maximize its value, especially something so successful."

Anno Hideaki pursed his lips and looked at Yoshitaka Amano.

Yoshitaka Amano frowned, "This story," he coughed, "is very biased towards Asuka. Will it cause dissatisfaction among other viewers?"

"You need to clarify that this is an authorized fan work, and the official side will not consider its plot as the standard." Shen Zhenghui spread his hands, "Isn't this better? A bias towards Asuka will surely attract a fan work biased towards Rei, and maybe even one biased towards Misato."

Yoshitaka Amano seemed to have no more to say.

"If possible," Anno Hideaki said, "I would like to renegotiate this contract," he said in a low voice, "I think this copyright was sold too cheaply."

"This is the first one, a test, so it should be like this."

Anno Hideaki did not continue on this topic, as if it were just a joke, "Then," he turned to ask, "are you really planning to produce live-action movies and TV shows?"

"I have thought about it, but it requires high technical support." Shen Zhenghui looked at Mutsuji Murahama, "If Gonzo develops smoothly, it will probably take another five to six years."

Anno Hideaki pursed his lips, "Five to six years?" He continued to look at Shen Zhenghui, "How do you select excellent fan works?"

"Through the internet." Shen Zhenghui spread his hands, "And our vision should not be limited to Japan. China, Asia, and even the entire world should be our target. The story of 'EVA' should not be limited to Japan."

"Truly ambitious!" Anno Hideaki said.

"For someone who wants to destroy the world, this is not a statement to be made lightly." Shen Zhenghui said seriously.

"I am not destroying the world. I am just reinterpreting it." Anno Hideaki stood up and walked over to shake hands with Shen Zhenghui, "Mr. Shen," he said, "I am just an anime producer. Sometimes, my vision is limited by the world I am in. I hope to have more opportunities to exchange and collaborate with someone like you, who can always stand outside our world and have a vision that surpasses ours."

"An honor." Shen Zhenghui firmly shook the other's hand in response.

Mutsuji Murahama finally breathed a sigh of relief and then became excited.

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