Chapter 59

Seeing Kōmoto bow with utmost respect, Shen Zhenghui, who had been tormented in Fukuda Miharu's office, suddenly felt the sun come out again. Especially when he handed over the list of selected actors to Kōmoto and instructed him to carry it out, Kōmoto's repeated "Hai" made Shen Zhenghui feel as if he were the master, and the genuine Japanese in front of him was just a second-rate Japanese.

Seeing Kōmoto so obedient, a thought arose in Shen Zhenghui's mind, "Director Kōmoto, if possible, why don't we collaborate to shoot a ** film?"

"** film? Not a pornographic film?" Kōmoto was somewhat surprised.

Shen Zhenghui narrowed his eyes, "Every man wants to shoot a film like that, but I think the plot is more important. The sex scenes are all for the sake of the plot. If you call a film shot with this mindset a pornographic film, it might also be considered as such."

"Oh, is that so? I'm very interested!" Kōmoto responded with genuine interest, though it was unclear if it was just to flatter.

"Mr. Kōmoto, how about this: after you finish talking to these actors about the contracts, we start shooting the film immediately?"

"But, isn't it true that the lead actress, Aizawa Tomoaki, hasn't returned yet?"

"Right, I've thought about it carefully. I think we can abandon the idea of flashbacks and flash-forwards and shoot the film in chronological order. That means the early parts will be played by children, and we'll wait for the later parts. This way, we can start sooner."

Kōmoto stood there, thinking carefully. According to his understanding of the plot, Shen Zhenghui's suggestion seemed feasible.

"Alright, I'll do it immediately." He said, "This way, we might be able to catch the July broadcast."

"I think so too." Shen Zhenghui nodded. He personally escorted Kōmoto out of the building, making Kōmoto feel honored. After Kōmoto drove away, Shen Zhenghui got into his car and headed straight for Gonzo.

It seemed that Liu Xin had been informed by Fukuda Miharu, as she was standing at the entrance to greet Shen Zhenghui. However, Liu Xin was no longer the crying and fussing woman from the night before; instead, she seemed a bit nervous when she saw Shen Zhenghui.

Shen Zhenghui pursed his lips and walked up to her.

"I..." Liu Xin suddenly forced a smile, "This is a birthday gift for you!"

"Alright, but it's still a long way off!"

"I really want to see how good our animation skills are," Liu Xin said, "This entire animation is made by our own artists."

"Does Shunahama Masashi allow you to mess around like this?"

"It doesn't delay the progress of 'Tokyo Fortress.' Everyone is working overtime, and he's more than happy!"

Shen Zhenghui held his forehead, "I knew I would be let down by you idealists."

"Hey, hey," Liu Xin was unhappy, "I'll fund this project myself if necessary. Don't be so petty."

"It's not about the money," Shen Zhenghui said seriously, "We have a lot of money, but we should still try to do things well. While we're not afraid of investment failures, as we can make up for them elsewhere or next time, we can't afford to ruin our future in this field due to mistakes."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Liu Xin was confused.

"Forget it, let's go in and take a look. It's already done." Shen Zhenghui sighed, "Who is the animation director?"

"It's me!" Liu Xin quickly said.

"Then, who is the production director?" Shen Zhenghui stopped and stared at Liu Xin fiercely.

"Uh, it's Teacher Zhou Hua." Her voice dropped an octave.

"Let's see what you've done." Shen Zhenghui strode into Gonzo.

The employees of Gonzo seemed to be used to the presence of Chinese people in the company. Shen Zhenghui took Liu Xin straight to Zhou Hua's team, where Zhou Hua was already waiting.

"How is the progress of 'Tokyo Fortress'?" Shen Zhenghui asked.

"It's almost done, only some dubbing work remains," Zhou Hua answered seriously, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have the energy to work on this." Japanese animations are usually produced and broadcast simultaneously, which surprised Shen Zhenghui.

"Fukuda's insistence, and Shunahama's lack of opposition, means that this can greatly exploit human resources," Zhou Hua said with a smirk, "If it's completed quickly, the company will continue to invest time and resources in 'Battle Fairy Snow Wind.'"

"Ah." Shen Zhenghui nodded.

"The company says that if the ratings are good, they will rename 'Puhai Fortress' to 'Tokyo Fortress II' and broadcast it."

"II?" Shen Zhenghui scratched his head, "What do you think of the production quality of 'Tokyo Fortress'?"

Zhou Hua's face was full of shock, "It's amazing," he said, "The company's animation engine is incredible. While hand-drawn scenes are fine, the air combat scenes are truly...," he searched for the right words, "immersive. I can't believe it, especially the sound effects."

"What's the point of making it so good if the TV can't convey the experience?" Shen Zhenghui sneered, "These Japanese just burn money. Did the director even ride in an American F-16 to get a feel for it?"

"Collecting sound effects with the sound engineer." Zhou Hua sighed, "We must admit, the Japanese are really worth learning from in this aspect."

"So, how is your work coming along?" Shen Zhenghui asked.

"According to your requirements, we've tried to make the three-view diagrams as realistic as possible for China," Zhou Hua explained, showing Shen Zhenghui the design drawings, including characters and aircraft.

The character designs were acceptable, fitting mainstream aesthetics and very Japanese, which was unavoidable. However, the aircraft, following Shen Zhenghui's instructions to be realistic for China, was a tragedy. The "air handsome" was not at all attractive, and the paint job was extremely crude. The storyboards for the air combat scenes were even worse. If these aircraft and battles were compared to the F-16s and F-18s in 'Tokyo Fortress,' they would be utterly destroyed. Shen Zhenghui felt a wave of dizziness, "Are you planning to use such ugly aircraft in the battles?"

The artists working on the project looked at each other in confusion.

"It's 2020, how can China's main fighter still be the J-8?"

"Isn't the U.S. still using the F-16?"

"That's because the Americans don't have the money to replace their aircraft; they might restart the F-22 production line," Shen Zhenghui said firmly, "By 2020, China will be the world's richest country, so our aircraft can't look like this." He scanned the room, and all the artists lowered their heads.

Zhou Hua quickly explained, "We've considered this issue, so we haven't started the air combat scenes yet. We're asking the 'Snow Wind' project team to help us design a couple of suitable aircraft."

"Why do Chinese aircraft need to be designed by the Japanese?" Shen Zhenghui's eyes were sharp.

"Well, didn't you give the Japanese the task?" Zhou Hua whispered, "The designations are already set, like J-10, J-11, J-15, J-16, J-20, J-31, and so on."

Shen Zhenghui's face turned red, "Why don't you take on this task yourselves?"

"Well," Zhou Hua was speechless, "We're not experts. The Japanese designs are based on real prototypes with documented technical parameters and scientific calculations."

"Nonsense, can EVA and Gundam be calculated?" Shen Zhenghui dismissed it, but faced with this issue, he had to scratch his chin and look at Liu Xin.

Liu Xin smiled flatteringly, "Even if you didn't say it, we would have to ask you for help eventually."

Shen Zhenghui glanced at her.

Liu Xin continued, "We thought that working on the same topic as the Japanese would provide some reference, but there are still many difficult aspects."

Shen Zhenghui nodded, "Acknowledge the gap, but it's also your choice of topic," he looked at Zhou Hua, "If it were a regular animation, Teacher Zhou's experience wouldn't be a problem, but you chose a realistic air combat theme."

Liu Xin tugged at Shen Zhenghui's sleeve, "Please help, this is your work too!"

"At the time, I just wanted to write a romance novel." Shen Zhenghui rolled his eyes.

Zhou Hua was extremely awkward.

Liu Xin showed a sincere expression.

"I'll make a call." Shen Zhenghui turned and walked toward the office, greeting Shunahama Masashi on the way and saying he needed to make an international call. Shunahama Masashi didn't mind.

Liu Xin closely followed Shen Zhenghui, along with Zhou Hua and two assistant directors.

"An Ran, yes, it's me. Um, I need your help, not that kind of help. I want to ask if you know anyone in the Air Force? Oh, you do? The data and design of the new fighter... Hmm? What? Confidential? But the J-10 has already been tested, everyone knows! Damn, it's still confidential? No, no, I'm not a spy, if I were, would I call you like this? Yes, I'm making an animation, the protagonist is from the PLA, with a lot of air combat scenes, set in 2020. I can't use the J-8 for the air combat scenes. Hmm? You know 'Porco Rosso'? Hey, making our country's army fly propeller planes against aliens, are you an alien spy? I told you I'm not a spy, doesn't the country have a designated person to leak secrets? Can't you help apply for it? Damn! I'm doing positive propaganda, not what you're talking about. Alright, a professional civilian, someone who likes planes. Hmm? Teacher Song? Ah, I've heard of him, I'll go see him directly? Is that okay? You call him, can, can, I won't go, I don't understand, hmm? Oh, I'll go once..."

Shen Zhenghui made a call for over half an hour. The few people nearby listened intently. Finally, after finishing the call, Shen Zhenghui turned around and scratched his head.

"We're going on a business trip," he said, "Bring the materials, we'll find an expert for help."

"Who is it?" Liu Xin asked.

"A military expert," Shen Zhenghui rolled his eyes, "Prepare well, we don't have much time, we need to go and come back quickly. Liu Xin, ask Fukuda Miharu to book our flights and see who else is going."

"I want to go!" Liu Xin called out.

"You stay in Japan and supervise the animation properly!" Shen Zhenghui said through gritted teeth.